The Unclaimed Baby Read Free Page B

that tiny hand. Watching her, Cord felt a swirl of powerful emotions that rocked him on his heels. Just like that, he knew that what he was feeling was love. Impossible, unexpected, but love, just the same. The lightning bolt kind that changed a man’s life when he least expected it.
    Slow down, he warned himself. He might be bold and impetuous and ready to believe in fate, but he doubted this woman or any other would be quite so ready to throw caution to the wind and jump into a relationship with a stranger.
    He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, just the same. For once in a life filled with nasty twists and turns, it appeared that fate had finally dealt him a winning hand.

Chapter 2
    C ord spent a restless night in the back room at Dolan’s. For every pleasant dream he had about a beautiful, mysterious woman sharing his bed, there was a counterpoint—the nightmare of a baby’s whispered cries fading into silence. He awoke bathed in a cold sweat more times than he could count.
    Finally just before dawn, unable to face the torment of another nightmare, he’d crawled out of his sleeping bag, rolled it into a neat bundle, then tried to repair the night’s ravages to his face. Eyedrops and a shave took care of the worst of it. A micro-waved cup of last night’s leftover coffee gave him a much-needed jolt of caffeine and a couple of stale doughnuts gave him a sugar rush that would last him through the morning. By six he was feeling almost human and ready to face the day.
    But he still couldn’t shake his worry about the baby he and Sharon Lynn had rescued from the frigid night. Had she been out there long enough to catch her death of cold? What if she were spiking a fever? Would Sharon Lynn know what to do? Probably every bit as well as he would, he conceded.
    The temptation to go by her place to see how the pair of them were doing was tremendous. It was also a distraction, one he’d vowed not to allow, especially since he couldn’t be sure that concern for the baby was the only reason he wanted to drop in. He was determined that the previous night’s incidents weren’t going to take his mind off of what he had to do today.
    Right after his discovery the day before that White Pines was hiring, he’d made a call to the ranch. He was scheduled for a 7:00 a.m. meeting with Cody Adams and nothing on God’s earth was going to keep him from being on time for it. Allowing for the condition of the roads, it was going to take every second he had allowed to drive to White Pines. He figured showing up on schedule despite the adverse conditions would be a point in his favor.
    His tight timetable and grim determination not to allow any distractions might not permit a visit, but he could detour past Sharon Lynn’s house. That might not be nearly as satisfying as getting a peek at the two of them, but it would be enough to reassure himself that they were nice and cozy inside on this miserable morning. Then he could go on to his job interview with a clear conscience.
    â€œThat’s a plan,” he concluded, slamming the door on his pickup and easing out onto a road covered with snow and a treacherous undersheet of ice. The drive was going to be a picnic, all right, he thought as the tires skidded, then finally held.
    The sun was just beginning to sneak over the horizon as he eased cautiously down Main Street. He caught a glimpse of the huge orange ball in his rearview mirror as he crept down the block, then turned the corner to drive past Sharon Lynn’s.
    The small, neat house, which also doubled as a veterinary clinic, had surprised him when they’d arrived there the night before. He’d been expecting something bigger, fancier, but once he’d walked through the front door he’d had the feeling that the house suited Sharon Lynn. It was homey and warm, a welcoming kind of place with its cheery yellows and mellowing blues. And she’d explained