Loe raamatut: «Destined to Be a Dad»

To the following extraordinary authors … you have no idea how much your books mean to me, as a fan who spends many hours lost in the pleasure of reading them and as a writer for the inspiration you provide.

Thank you!

Donna Alward

Rachel Gibson

Kristan Higgins

Shirley Jump

Virginia Kantra

Laura Kaye

Susan Mallery

Catherine Mann

Sarah Morgan

Molly o’Keefe

Christine Rimmer

Jill Shalvis

Roxanne St. Claire

Karen Templeton

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“Wankers! You cowboys promised to take me to Liam Murphy, not show me the back side of some bloody barn!”

The lilting British accent, rarely heard here in the small town of Destiny, Wyoming, floated on the hot August morning breeze. It came from somewhere behind him and despite the voices bickering on the other end of this endless phone call—and the fact she’d said his name—the inflection kicked Liam square in the gut.

He should have been used to it by now.

His family’s business, Murphy Mountain Log Homes, was celebrating its twentieth year in business with a growing following in the United Kingdom, thanks to securing a contract to build a log home—scratch that, a twenty-thousand-square-foot log mansion—for a popular movie actor based in Scotland.

Meaning as company president, Liam spent a lot of time on the phone and in meetings with people who spoke the Queen’s English. Still, whenever he heard that soft and silvery accent spoken by a female voice, it never failed to take him back.

To another place, another time when he’d thought he could have it all.

Aw, hell, that was a lifetime ago.

“Are you daft?” The girlish voice came again, cutting into Liam’s thoughts. “Not bloody happening!”

Hmm, not so soft this time.

She sounded young and her words were angry, but there was a hint of fear laced through as well. Liam didn’t know what was going on, but he had a pretty good idea.

Ending his call, he pocketed his phone, backtracked a few steps and headed for the far end of a nearby barn.

The first-ever Destiny rodeo was in full swing, and campers and horse trailers filled this area of the fairgrounds. It’d taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people to pull this event together. His family’s company was a major sponsor, and while it might only be a one-day event, the prize money was good, ensuring participants and fans alike packed the arena and the town.

The last thing they needed was trouble.

Liam spotted the trio as soon as he rounded the corner. Dressed in jeans, plaid shirts and Stetsons, two cowboys stood with a young girl sandwiched between them. He wasn’t sure about the men, but the female definitely looked to be under eighteen. That made the six-pack of beer held by one of the cowboys—who didn’t have a valid alcohol wristband—even more of a concern. And it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Come on, darlin’. Let’s enjoy a cold brew in our camper.” One of the cowboys encircled the girl’s waist with his arm. “Then we’ll track down that Murphy guy for ya.”

“No need to go far.” Liam kept his voice light as he strolled toward the group, despite his anger spiking at the scene before him. “I’m right here.”

The three jerked around, surprise on the faces of the cowboys, relief in the girl’s eyes. And there was something else about their dark navy coloring that hit him as hard as her voice had.

“What can I help you with?” he continued, joining their circle. “Something related to the rodeo, perhaps?”

The first cowboy took a step back, dropping his hold on the young girl, whose gaze darted from the booklet she held to Liam and back again. Twice.

Liam looked down and saw she had the rodeo program folded back to the pages that featured his photo. Great. That’s why she was looking for him.

He and his brothers had all grown up on horseback, competing in local rodeos before they were even teenagers. But it’d been Liam who’d made it to the professional circuit as a saddle bronc rider when he’d turned eighteen, finishing in the top five at the National Rodeo Finals his first two years out. His third—and what would end up being his final—season had ended early when he destroyed his left shoulder. He never rode professionally again.

That had been thirteen years ago.

When the Destiny rodeo committee had wanted him for the cover of the program based on his past accomplishments, he’d balked but finally given in and agreed to be included inside, never thinking they’d make him a damn centerfold.

“Ah, Mr. Murphy, we were j-just looking for you,” the younger of the two cowboys said.

So now he was Mr. Murphy. Well, that could work in his favor. “What’s with the beer?” Liam gestured at the kid with the six-pack under his arm. “You’re not twenty-one.”

“I, um...”

“It’s mine. He’s carrying it for me,” said the taller cowboy, giving his left hand a quick shake before he dropped his hands to his side and planted his feet in a wide stance. “We’re on our way back to our camper.”

Liam turned, picking up on the wristband and the attitude. At thirty-four, the last thing he needed was a roll in the dirt with a kid more than a decade younger than him. “Then I suggest you carry it. Be less trouble that way.”

Their gazes held for a long moment, but the cowboy backed down, making a show of taking the alcohol, and then slapped the younger guy on the shoulder. “Come on, bro. Let’s get out of here.”

Liam watched them leave, making a mental note to check in with the sheriff. Gage Steele and his deputies were patrolling the fairgrounds, but Liam hadn’t seen anyone back this way yet.

He turned his attention back to the girl. Shoulder-length blond hair, streaked with bright patches of blue and pink, fell over her face as she stood studying the program again. “Are you okay?” he asked. “They didn’t hurt you?”

She lifted her gaze, her eyes raking from the top of his Stetson to the tips of his boots before she looked him in the eye. “Are you really him?”

A bit uncomfortable at her scrutiny, Liam looked at where she jabbed a finger at the picture of his winning ride that first year. “Yes, but that was a long time ago.” He spotted a small duffel bag lying nearby in the grass. Moving past her, he grabbed it. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He watched her walk toward him, studying her again and wondering if there might be another reason she’d been looking for him. She was pretty, if one got past the crazy-colored hair, dark eye makeup and...was that a diamond chip on the side of her nose?

She had a slew of earrings dangling from both ears, her black T-shirt displayed a bright purple skull surrounded by flowers and she wore skintight jeans tucked into brown leather boots accented with bright turquoise embroidery that looked new.

Brand-new, from the way she hobbled. “You buy those today?”

She nodded, looking at her feet. “Not hard to spot, huh? They hurt bloody awful.”

Her accent pulled at him again, making him frown. “The vendor should’ve given you a pair of boot socks.”

“They did.” She shrugged. “But I already had socks. See?”

Balancing on one foot, she tried to pull the other from inside the boot but gasped, a wince creasing her features, and she froze.

“I think we should get you to the first-aid tent,” Liam said, looking at the row of vendors not too far away. The tent set up by the local clinic was at the end closest to them. “Can you make it there?”

“Do I have a choice?” She yanked the bag from his grip and started to shuffle across the grass, the frightened girl from moments ago long gone. “Last time I listen to an American cowboy. They’re all a bunch of nutters.”

“Not all of us.” Liam joined her, grinning at her quicksilver mood change. She reminded him of his niece, Abby, who had turned sixteen earlier this year. His older brother had his hands full with that one, not to mention his twin sons, who were a few years younger. “You need to be more careful who you make friends with.”

“Ya think? Jeez, you sound just like my—oh!” She stumbled, one boot catching on a rock, but she caught herself before ending up on her backside. “Bollocks! That hurt!”

“Can I make another suggestion?”

She pushed her hair off her face, swiping hard at one eye before glaring at him. “Sure, why not?”

Liam’s chest tightened at the tear she hadn’t managed to brush away. “How about I give you a lift? The sooner we get your foot looked at, the better you’ll feel.”

“A lift?” Her brows scrunched together over the top of her nose in a way that was so familiar, Liam could only stare. Before he could decide why, understanding dawned on her face. Her expression turned disbelieving. “You mean carry me?”

“If that would be all right with you.”

She hugged her bag to her chest and studied him again.

Damn, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. More and more people were milling around the vendor tents. He’d already spotted a few giving the two of them some speculative looks. Gossip was a favorite pastime in Destiny, and the Murphy family always seemed to supply plenty of fodder, whether they wanted to or not.

The town was still buzzing over Liam’s brother Devlin taking off to London back in June with his newest lady love, a girl he’d only known a few months.

Then three weeks ago, both Liam and Nolan had participated in a bachelor auction to raise money for the town’s summer camp. The fact that Liam had gone for one of the highest bids to nearby Laramie’s pretty city attorney had actually ended up in the local newspaper. Good thing they hadn’t gotten wind of their date last week—which had been nice but spark-free—or else that would’ve made the headlines as well.

“Okay.” She shrugged with a feigned carelessness that reminded him again of his niece.

Liam smiled, forgetting about the crowd. There was so much going on at today’s events, he doubted anyone would even notice them during the short stroll to the first-aid tent. Seconds later, he had one arm beneath her knees and the other secured just beneath her shoulders.

Cradling her bag in her lap, she wrapped the other hand around his neck as he started walking. “Do I weigh a lot?” she asked.

Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes. No matter the age, the female species never stopped asking loaded questions. “Of course not. I bet you don’t weigh a hundred pounds.”

“Forty-four kilos.”

He did the math in his head. “Ninety-seven pounds. See? I was right.”

“For a Yank you did that conversion pretty fast.”

She smiled and that punch to his gut returned. “Well, I’m a pretty smart guy.”

Ducking her head, she whispered, “I hope so.”

Having no idea what she meant by that, Liam covered the distance to the tent in a matter of minutes and once inside, placed the girl on an empty chair. It took one of the volunteers a few moments to tend to the blisters on her feet. Liam used that time to study her again, positive now that he knew her from someplace. But where? Could she be a friend of his niece’s or a daughter of one of the guys on his construction crew? With that accent?

“You’re staring at me.”

Liam blinked, realizing she was right. “Ah, sorry. You know, you never did say why you were looking for me.”

She tugged her boots back on, over a thick pair of socks this time, her gaze darting around the tent. Other than a few people at the far end, they were alone.

“Do I look familiar to you?” she finally asked. “At all?”

“You...” His voice trailed off. He had a feeling she wanted him to say yes. He almost did, but the truth was he had no idea who she was. “No, I’m sorry, you don’t.”

She heaved a dramatic sigh and then rooted around inside her duffel bag, digging out a cell phone. “Bloody thing is about out of juice, but maybe...” Her fingers flew over the screen, her thumb flipping through a long string of photos before she turned the phone to him.

“How about her?” she asked. “Does she look familiar?”

His breath disappeared. Every muscle in his body tensed and his knees automatically locked to keep him upright.

Stay back, stiff rein, set feet, squeeze and stay on.

Liam had created his own personal mantra back when he was a teenager, and he silently recited those words every time he climbed on the back of a horse.

A horse determined to buck him off and send him crashing to the dirt.

A lot of people thought saddle bronc riding was only about trying to hang on. It wasn’t. There were specific locations a rider’s feet needed to be from the moment the chute gate opened if one expected to last the required eight seconds to garner a score.

It was a perfectly choreographed dance of man working to remain synchronized with each twist and turn and jump the horse made. All while keeping his free hand from touching the animal or himself so he wasn’t disqualified.

Now, that same chant raced through his head as he stared at a picture of Missy Ellington, his very own heartbreak girl.

Missy had come over as an exchange student from London during his senior year of high school, and from the moment he’d first seen her, he’d fallen hard.

And she’d been just as smitten with him. They’d been inseparable until things ended badly the summer after graduation. A nasty fight over each other’s plans for their shared future. Plans they had never bothered to talk about, plans that had turned out to be vastly different. He’d said some stupid things and the next thing he knew, Missy had flown home to London.

He never saw or spoke to her again. He thought about her sometimes though. An old country song would come on the radio, or he’d catch a whiff of a peach-scented perfume or hear a woman speak in a British accent.

And back in the spring, when Devlin had made a crack about Liam’s dismal track record at marriage and how a long-ago girlfriend had been the love of his life, Liam had quickly corrected him, stating emphatically that he had no such love.

He’d been lying. She had been the love of his life, at least back then.

In the photograph, Missy looked much as she had the last time he’d seen her. Long blond hair, beautiful porcelain skin. Soft blue eyes. Only instead of smiling at the camera, her eyes were focused on the infant she held in her arms.

“That was taken fifteen years ago this past April.” The girl turned the phone back and looked at the image, that same smile—Missy’s smile—on her face. “I was only a couple of weeks old at the time.”

Fifteen years ago.

The months and years rushed through his head, the numbers making his brain go into a serious meltdown. The imaginary rein he’d been holding onto slipped from his grip, the wild beast beneath him disappeared and he was flying through the air.

“Missy...” he rasped, determined to push the words past the restricted confines of his dry throat. “Missy Ellington is your mother?”

“Abso-bloody-lutely.” The girl’s gaze was serious as she looked up at him again. “And you’re my father.”

* * *

Blimey, he still looked good.

After sixteen years, Missy Dobbs had thought he would have changed, but no, Liam Murphy had only grown more handsome than the boy who’d stolen her heart all those years ago.

She pulled in a deep breath. She had to do this. There was no gray area to fill with could she or should she when it came to this decision. The certainty of what lay ahead outweighed the fear, although not by much.

The hustle and bustle of the busy airport gate continued on around her as she waited for a flight that would take her to the last place on earth she’d ever thought she would see again.

Destiny, Wyoming.

She tightened her grip on the tablet as she stared again at Liam’s picture on the website for his family’s company. She tried to reconcile the wild and crazy cowboy she’d known as a teen with the serious man looking impossibly dashing in a business suit. The dark-framed glasses he wore couldn’t hide the sparkle in his eyes and his hair was shorter now, but a wayward curl or two still threatened to spill down over his forehead.

Her former love had done well for himself. CEO and president of his family’s business. She wasn’t surprised. Liam had been cut out for more than being a rodeo star, but at eighteen that had been his dream.

A dream that had torn them apart.

A dream that had sent her running home and into a fateful one-night stand with a former boyfriend. A man she’d ended up marrying because she believed—she’d been told—he was the true father of her child after finding out she was pregnant a few months later. Only now—after many years, she knew the truth.

Liam Murphy was her daughter’s father.

What a bloody mess!

She hadn’t even talked to Casey about what she’d learned before heading to Los Angeles on a last-minute work assignment. No, there’d only been time for a heated argument with her mother, who’d known the truth about Casey’s paternity all along.

That had been two weeks ago.

Her job on the film set had finished late yesterday and Casey was set to fly in on Monday to join Missy for an extended holiday here in the States. That meant Missy had the weekend to fly to Destiny, knock on Liam’s door with the hope he remembered her and break the news to him that he’d fathered a child.

The gentle chiming of her mobile phone came from deep within her purse. She didn’t recognize the number and offered a quick prayer that it wasn’t anything work related that would cancel her plans.

“Hello?”

“Mum, it’s me. Casey.”

Missy slammed the tablet’s cover closed, almost as if her daughter could see what she’d been looking at.

Other than texting back and forth, they hadn’t talked in the last few days. And when they had chatted during Missy’s stay in Los Angeles, she hadn’t mentioned anything about what she’d discovered to her daughter. Sharing the news about Casey’s real father had to wait until they were together again, face-to-face.

“Ah, hello, sweetie. Why aren’t you calling me from your mobile?”

“It died. Completely. I’ve got it charging at the moment.”

The airport’s loudspeaker came to life, blaring out information. Missy turned to the wall and ducked her head in hopes of muffling the noise. She quickly figured the time difference between California and London. It was after dinnertime there. “Are you home now? You need to start packing.”

“Not...exactly.”

Two words—and the nervous hitch in her daughter’s voice—sent a shiver of maternal alertness through Missy. “Laundry might be your least favorite chore for a Friday night, sweetie, but you can’t wait until the last minute to figure out what to bring for our holiday—”

Her daughter’s words cut her off midsentence. “Mum, I don’t have to worry about packing because I’m already here.”

Here? In Los Angeles?

Missy jerked to her feet, her leather tote swinging from her shoulder. She scanned the gate area for an airport map. “What do you mean, here? Are you at the LAX international terminal?”

“No, I’m in Wyoming.”

What?

Missy’s precarious hold on a reality that had been spinning out of control over the last few weeks slipped away. She dropped to the unyielding airport seat beneath her, the ability to stand gone as the blood drained from her head.

“Mum? Did you hear me?” Casey asked. “Mum?”

“How did—why are—” Missy pushed the words past her lips, unable to complete either question. She finally managed to squeak out, “Why on earth would you fly to Wyoming? Alone?”

“I was planning to fly to LA alone, wasn’t I? Blimey, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve traveled by myself.”

Yes, Casey had started joining her at film locations during school breaks a few years ago, but those were always nonstop flights around Europe.

“Of course, but again, why—” Missy’s heart pounded in her chest, the truth already settling like a rock in her belly. “Why are you in—”

“Why do you think? I overheard bits and bobs when you and Grandmum fought the night before you flew to California. About what you found in Granddad’s desk. I can’t believe they did that to you! To us!” Her daughter’s words came fast. “And you didn’t talk to me before your flight or the few times we’ve chatted since. Not one word!”

Oh, this was not how she wanted this to go. “Sweetie, I—”

“Not that I blame you, really. I mean, it’s not exactly a topic for casual conversation,” Casey barreled on. “I heard you say a man’s name and a town in Wyoming during your argument, so after some online searching I decided to change my flight plans. I arrived in Cheyenne this morning.”

Missy tried to keep up, but her daughter’s words blended with the loud rushing in her ears and the announcement that her flight was boarding. She gathered her items and got in line, the boarding pass shaking in a mad fit in her fingers.

Casey was in Wyoming. She knew about Liam.

Fix this! Fix this! Fix this!

The words thundered inside Missy’s brain as she made her way to her first-class seat, trying to think of what to say—what to do—next.

Casey could wait for her at the airport. They’d get a hotel room and talk. She’d figure out a way to get in touch with Liam tomorrow.

Slightly calmer after her hastily thought up plan, Missy said, “Okay, I want you to stay at the airport. I’m on a flight—”

“Mum, I’m not in Cheyenne anymore. I’m in Destiny! And guess what?” Casey’s voice rose in excitement before it dropped to a loud whisper. “I found him.”

Destiny! Missy’s impetuous daughter had traveled from London to a small ranching community in the American West and found the man who was her true father.

Missy dropped into her seat, staring numbly at the seat in front of her.

“Mum? Are you still there? Mum?”

She needed to answer her daughter, needed to know what had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Needed to know how Liam had reacted to the bombshell her—their—daughter had dropped at his feet today. But there wasn’t time. She would have to end this call soon and Casey still didn’t know Missy was making her way to Wyoming.

Pulling in a deep breath through her nose, she released it in a soft wisp past her lips. By the third one she was able to speak. “Honey, we need to talk.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Missy gasped. The same deep, gravelly, sexy voice she remembered from her youth filled her ear and stole her breath. A heated flush that made no sense at all started in the center of her chest and rushed to every part of her body.

How could he sound exactly the same after all this time?

“Liam.”

She heard a swift intake of breath, and then silence filled the distance—both in miles and years—that stretched between them.

Up until the last few weeks, she hadn’t spoken his name aloud in a long time. Not when she and her girlfriends would gather for drinks and a chat, not to her daughter when they talked about things like boys and dating and growing up, and never to her parents.

Sometimes it felt as if that year in her life had happened to someone else.

“Casey tells me you’ve been in Los Angeles for the last few weeks.” Liam’s voice was clipped and businesslike now. “If you let me know where you’re staying, I’ll make arrangements to get you to the airport and on a flight to Wyoming right away.”

Bristling at his authoritative tone, she said, “I’m on a flight to Cheyenne scheduled to depart in a few minutes, actually. I land at half past five, local time.”

There was more silence as he processed her news. Was he surprised she’d already been on her way? How much had her daughter told him about the night Missy—and she—had learned the truth?

“I’ll be there when your plane lands,” he finally said.

Of course he would. And since she hadn’t thought far enough ahead to figure out how she would travel to Destiny, she wouldn’t fight him. Getting to Casey was the most important thing at the moment. “May I speak to my daughter again?”

His voice dropped away, and then Casey’s voice came back on the line. “You’re flying here? Like right now?”

“Yes, sweetie, and I promise we’ll talk about everything when I see you.” Missy tried to keep her voice light. “Including you changing your transatlantic flight. Please don’t cause any trouble for...for Liam in the meanwhile.”

“You’re a tad late for that bit of advice, Mum.” Casey offered a staged sigh, an expression the teen had perfected in the last few years. “I’d say me showing up out of the blue is just the start of trouble.”

* * *

Missy popped a breath mint into her mouth and made stopping by the loo her first priority as soon as she landed in Cheyenne.

After using the facilities and washing her hands, she redid her hair, making neat the messy chignon style she favored. When she found herself leaning toward the mirror to reapply her lipstick, she froze.

Did she care what Liam Murphy thought of her after all this time?

Not wanting to answer that question, she hurried to the baggage claim area and found her case still circling the carousel. She retrieved it and then checked her phone. No calls or texts from her daughter or Liam. With a thirty-minute stopover in Denver, she’d only had time to ring her mother and have their first real conversation since Missy had left London.

Wise enough to keep her opinions of Casey’s actions to herself, her mother had insisted she had no idea what her granddaughter had been up to. But Elizabeth Ellington had been shocked to find out Missy was also on her way to Wyoming. Before she could say anything more, Missy had ended the call with a curt promise to get in touch as soon as she found a place for her and Casey to stay for the weekend.

“Ms. Dobbs?”

Missy spun around and found a gentleman dressed in a dark suit holding a placard with her name on it. She’d traveled enough over the years to recognize a car service when she saw one.

Liam wasn’t here. She should be grateful for more time before she saw him again, but it bothered her more than she cared to admit that he hadn’t kept his word. “Yes?”

“Mr. Murphy was unavoidably detained in Destiny due to business,” he said. “I’m to make sure you arrive safely. I have a car waiting outside.”

Resentment burned that not only had Liam stood her up, but he hadn’t sent Casey along to meet her either. Bollocks! What did he think she’d do? Grab her daughter and take the next flight out of here?

“Could you give me a moment, please?” she asked.

The gentleman nodded and stepped away. Missy found a quiet corner and called Casey’s mobile. It went straight to voice mail. She left a message that she’d landed and was on her way to Destiny. She then tried the number her daughter had used when she’d called earlier today, assuming it was for Liam’s cell phone, but it just rang and rang.

Seeing as she didn’t have any other choice, she followed the driver outside and moments later was seated in the back of a luxury town car. They soon were out of the city and on the motorway. Out the window the land was flat and wide and empty with a blue sky that seemed to go on forever.

So different from the hustle and bustle of London, where she’d lived all her life. She remembered feeling very lost and vulnerable when she’d first arrived in Wyoming all those years ago.