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Chapter One

August

Addie Foster watched from the car’s passenger seat as a whole new world passed by her window. If she’d thought Jackson Hole was like nothing she’d ever known, Bent, Wyoming, was an alien planet.

She’d grown up in the heart of Boston, a city dweller always. Occasionally her family had traveled up to Maine for quaint weekends or vacations in little villages, enjoying beaches and ice-cream shops.

This was not that. This wasn’t even like those dusty old Westerns her grandpa had loved to watch as he’d reminisced about his childhood being a Delaney in Bent, Wyoming—as if that had ever meant anything to Addie.

It meant something now. Seth fussed in his carrier in the back seat and Addie swallowed at the lump in her throat. Her sister had died trying to protect this sweet little man, and Addie had spent the past nine months struggling to protect him.

The baby’s father hadn’t made it easy. Addie had been able to hide Seth for three months before Peter Monaghan the 5th had discovered her sister’s deception, and no one deceived Peter Monaghan the 5th.

For six months, Addie had crisscrossed her way around the country, running out of false identities and money. Until she’d had to call upon the only person she could think to call upon.

Laurel Delaney.

Addie had met Laurel at Addie’s grandpa’s funeral some twenty years ago. They’d taken an instant liking to each other and become pen pals for a while.

They’d drifted apart, as pen pals always did, once the girls got into high school, and Addie never would have dreamed of calling Laurel out of the blue until desperation led her to think of the most faraway, safe place she could imagine. Someplace Peter would have no reach. Someplace she and Seth would be safe from his evil crime boss of a father.

“Don’t worry,” Laurel said pleasantly from the driver’s seat as Seth began to cry in earnest. “We’re only about five minutes away. I’m sorry I can’t have you stay with me, but my place is pretty cramped as it is, and Noah needs the help.”

Noah Carson. Addie didn’t know anything about him except he was some relative of Laurel’s boyfriend, and he needed a housekeeper. Addie didn’t have experience keeping anyone’s house, let alone a ranch, but she needed a job and someplace to stay, and Laurel had provided her with both. In the kind of town Peter would never dream of finding on a map, let alone stepping foot into.

She hoped.

“I’m going to have to apologize about Noah, though,” Laurel said, maneuvering her car onto a gravel road off the main highway. “This is kind of a surprise for him.”

“A surprise?” Addie repeated, reaching into the back and stroking her finger over Seth’s leg in an effort to soothe.

“It’s just, Noah needs the help, but doesn’t want to admit he needs the help, so we’re forcing his hand a bit.”

Addie’s horror must have shown on her face, because Laurel reached over and gave Addie’s arm a squeeze, her gaze quickly returning to the road.

“It’s fine. I promise.”

“I don’t want to be in anyone’s way or a burden, Laurel. That isn’t why I called you.”

“I know, and in an ideal world Noah would hire you of his own volition, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Noah’s cousin, who used to do most of the housekeeping, moved out. Grady—that’s Noah’s other cousin—tried running an ad but Noah refused to see anyone. This, he can’t refuse.”

“Why?”

Laurel flicked a glance Addie’s way as she pulled in front of a ramshackle, if roomy-looking, ranch house.

“Addie, I know you’re in trouble.”

Addie sucked in a breath. “You do?”

“I could be reading things wrong, but I’m guessing Seth’s father isn’t a very good man, and you need to get away from him.”

Addie swallowed. It was the truth. It wouldn’t be a lie to tell Laurel she was right. Seth’s father was a terrible man, and Addie desperately needed to get away from him.

“I’m a cop, Addie. I’ve dealt with a lot of domestics. This is the perfect place to get away from a guy who can’t control himself. You’re safe here. In Bent. At the Carson Ranch, and with me looking out for you.” Laurel smiled reassuringly.

“I just...” Addie inhaled and exhaled, looking at the house in front of her. It looked downright historical. “I need a fresh start. I’d hate to think it’s built on someone who doesn’t want me around.”

“Noah might not want you around, but he needs you around. The way I see it, you two need each other. Noah might be quiet or gruff, but he’s not a jerk. He’ll treat you right no matter how much he doesn’t want you to be here. I can promise you that.”

“And the baby?”

“I’ve never seen Noah hurt anyone, and I’ve known him all my life and worked in law enforcement here for almost ten years. But most especially, I’ve never seen him be cruel to anyone, even Delaneys. He’s not an easy man to read, but he’s a good man. I’d bet my life on that.”

The door to the house opened and a big, broad, bearded man stepped out. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, the lines of a tattoo visible at the sleeve. His grin was like sin, and all for Laurel. So this couldn’t be the quiet, reserved Noah she was apparently ambushing.

“That’s your man?” Addie asked, watching him saunter toward where they were parked. She’d never seen two people just look at each other and flash sparks.

Laurel grinned. “Yes, it is. Come on. Let’s get you introduced.”

* * *

NOAH GLOWERED OUT the window. Damn Grady. More, damn Laurel Delaney getting her Delaney nose all up in his Carson business. Since he wasn’t the one sleeping with her, Noah didn’t know why he had to be the one saddled with her relative.

But saddled he was.

The young woman who got out of the passenger seat looked nothing like a housekeeper, not that a housekeeper had ever graced the uneven halls of the Carson Ranch. He came from hardscrabble stock who’d never seen much luxury in life. Never seen much purpose for it, either.

Noah still didn’t, but all his help had moved out. Grady was off living with a Delaney. Vanessa, who’d once taken on much of the cleaning and cooking responsibilities—no matter how poorly—had moved into town. His brother, Ty, came and went as he pleased, spending much of his time in town. Any time he spent at the ranch was with the horses or pushing Noah’s buttons. Noah’s teenage stepcousin was as helpful as a skunk.

Noah was running a small cattle ranch on his own, and yes, cleaning and cooking definitely fell by the wayside.

Didn’t mean he needed an outsider lurking in the corners dusting or whatnot. Especially some wispy, timid blonde.

The blonde pulled a baby out of the back seat of the car. And she had a baby no less. Not even a very big-looking baby. The kind of tiny, drooly thing that would only serve to make him feel big and clumsy.

Noah’s scowl deepened. He didn’t know what to do with babies. Or wispy blondes. Or people in general. If only the horses could housekeep. He’d be set.

The door opened, Laurel striding in first. Noah didn’t bother to soften his scowl and she rolled her eyes at him.

Noah was a firm believer in history, and the history of Bent, Wyoming, was that Carsons and Delaneys hated each other, and anytime they didn’t, only bad things came of it. Noah didn’t know what Laurel had done to Grady to change Grady’s mind on the importance of the feud, but here they were, ruining his life. As a couple.

It was a shame he liked Laurel. Made all his scowling and disapproval hard to hang on to.

The blonde carrying the baby stepped in behind Laurel, followed by Grady.

“Noah,” Laurel said with one of those smiles that were a clear and sad attempt to get him to smile back.

He didn’t.

“Noah Carson, this is your new housekeeper, Addie Foster, and her son, Seth. Addie, this is Noah. Ignore the gruff Wyoming cowboy exterior. He’s a teddy bear underneath.”

Noah grunted and Grady laughed. “Ease up there, princess. No one’s going to believe that.”

Laurel shot Grady a disapproving look. “The point is, Noah will be a fair and, if not pleasant, a kind employer. Won’t you, Noah?”

He grunted again. Then looked at the blonde. “Thought you were a Delaney.”

“Oh, well.” Addie smiled, or tried to. “Sort of. My grandfather was one.” She waved a nervous hand, her eyes darting all around and not settling on any one thing.

“I’ll show you to your room, and Noah and Grady can bring in the baby stuff,” Laurel said cheerfully, already leading Addie and baby down the hall like she owned the place.

“Come on, let’s get the stuff,” Grady said once the women were gone.

“Remember when this was my house because I was the only one willing to work the ranch full time?” Noah glanced back at where the two women had disappeared. “Your woman’s going to get baby ideas,” he muttered.

Grady scoffed, but Noah noted that he didn’t argue.

Which was to be expected, Noah supposed, but Noah hated change. Especially uncomfortable change. People change.

“You don’t have to be prickly about it. You’re going to have a clean house and a few home-cooked meals. Try a thank-you.”

“You know me a lot better than that,” Noah returned as they opened the trunk to Laurel’s car.

Grady sighed, grabbing a stroller. “Laurel thinks Addie’s in a bit of trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Laurel’s theory? Abusive husband.”

“Hell,” Noah grumbled. He didn’t know what to do with babies, and he definitely didn’t know what to do with a fragile woman who’d been the victim of abuse.

“She just needs a fresh start is all. Somewhere she feels safe. I’ll keep an eye out for any other jobs that’ll work while she’s got the baby, but this is important. And it isn’t like you don’t need the help.”

“It isn’t that bad.”

Grady looked at him dolefully as they hefted a menagerie of baby things out of Laurel’s trunk and headed toward the house. “Pretty sure you were wearing that shirt yesterday, cousin.”

Noah looked down at the faded flannel work shirt. “No, I wasn’t.” Maybe. He didn’t mind doing laundry, but he hated folding laundry, and then the clean and dirty sometimes got a little mixed up if they weren’t muck clothes.

Grady stepped inside, but Noah paused on the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder at the mountains in the distance. Clouds were beginning to form and roll, and there’d be a hell of a storm coming for them soon enough.

On a sigh, Noah stepped inside. This was his idea of a nightmare, but he wasn’t a jerk who couldn’t put his own wants and preferences on the back burner for someone in trouble. If the woman and the baby were really running from some no-good piece-of-trash ex...

He’d suck it up. He might be growly and taciturn, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Not when it came to things like this. She might be related to a Delaney, but he knew what violence could do to a family. Carsons couldn’t help but know that, and he’d promised himself he wouldn’t be like them.

Somehow it had worked out. This generation of Carsons wasn’t half as bad as the last, if a little wild, but he and Grady and Ty stood up for people who couldn’t stand up for themselves. He wouldn’t stop now.

Even if the woman and her baby did have Delaney in their blood.

Noah walked down the hall and into the room where Grady was already setting up all the baby gear for Addie while Laurel cooed over the baby in her arms. Noah gave Grady a pointed look but Grady ignored it.

“Well, we better get going and let you have some settle-in time,” Laurel said, looking around the room as if inspecting it. “You can call me day or night. Whatever you need, or Seth needs.”

“Thanks,” Addie said, and Noah tried not to frown over the tears shimmering in the woman’s eyes. Hell, female tears were the worst thing. Laurel and Addie hugged, the baby between them, before Grady and Laurel left. Laurel paused in front of Noah.

“Thank you,” she mouthed, holding a hand over her heart.

Noah merely scowled, but the annoying thing about Laurel was she was never fooled by things like that. She seemed to be under the impression he was the nicest one of the lot.

Noah hated that she was right.

“So, I’ll leave you to settle in,” Noah offered, not expressly making eye contact considering this was a bedroom. “Need anything, let me know.”

“Oh, but... Shouldn’t I be saying that to you? I mean, shouldn’t we go over duties? Since Laurel and Grady set this up, I...I’m not sure what you expect of me.” She bounced the baby on her hip, but Noah figured it was more nerves than trying to keep the boy from fussing.

He tried to smile, though even if he’d accomplished it he knew it was hard to see beyond the beard. “We can do it in the morning.”

She blinked at him, all wide blue-eyed innocence. “I’d like to do it now. This is a job, and I should be working it.”

“It’s Sunday. Rule number one, you don’t work on Sunday.”

“What do I do then?”

“I don’t care, but I’ll cook my own meals and clean up after myself on Sundays. Understood?”

She nodded. “What’s rule number two?”

Timid. He did not know what to do with timid, but he was being forced. Well, maybe he needed to treat her like a skittish horse. Horse training wasn’t his expertise, but he understood enough about the animals to know they needed a clear leader, routine and the opportunity to build their confidence.

Noah glanced at the hopeful young woman and tried not to grimace.

“I have a checklist,” she blurted.

“A checklist?”

“Yes, of duties. Of things I do for people. When I’m housekeeping. I... You...”

The sinking feeling that had been plaguing him since Grady announced his and Laurel’s little plan that morning sank deeper. “You haven’t done this before, have you?”

“Oh.” She looked everywhere around the room except him. “Um. Well. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“I...I can cook, and clean. I just haven’t ever been on a ranch, or lived in someone else’s house as their employee. So that’s, um, well, it’s super weird.” She glanced at the kid in her arms. “And I have a baby. Which is weird.”

“Super weird,” he intoned.

She blinked up at him, some of that anxiety softening in her features. “If you tell me what you want me to do, I promise I can do it. I’m just not sure what you expect. Or want.”

“I’ll make you up a checklist.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “I’m sorry, was that a joke? I can’t exactly tell.”

Noah’s mouth twitched of its own accord. “Settle in. Get the baby settled in. Tomorrow morning, six a.m., kitchen table. We’ll discuss your duties then.”

“Okay.”

He turned to go, but she stopped him with a hesitant “um.”

He looked over his shoulder at her.

“It’s just, could you give us something of a tour? A map? Smoke signals to the bathroom?”

Noah was very bad at controlling his facial features, half of why he kept a beard, so the distaste must have been clear all over his face.

“I’m sorry, I make jokes when I’m nervous.”

“Funny, I just shut up.”

Those big blue eyes blinked at him, not quite in horror, but not necessarily in understanding, either.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “That was a joke. I joke when I’m nervous, too.”

“Really?”

“No. Never,” he replied, chastising himself for being prickly, and then ignoring his own chastisement. “Follow me. I’ll show you around.”