The Texas Cowboy's Baby Rescue Read online

  FAMILY BY FATE

  Finding an abandoned baby and a puppy brings nurse Bridgett Monroe one step closer to her dream of adoption. But Cullen Reid McCabe, aka the gruffest, sexiest rancher in Laramie, Texas, stands in her way. He’s been named responsible for the child—and he needs her help. Together they care for Robby, and grow closer every day.

  Cullen knows what it’s like to grow up fatherless. So he’s determined to find Robby’s birth parents, even if it means Bridgett losing her chance to raise a child. Robby belongs with his real family. But could “family” mean the three of them—Cullen, Bridgett, Robby and puppy Riot—not just for now, but forever?

  “I think we could be friends, Cullen McCabe. Good ones.”

  “Friends,” Cullen repeated.

  “You don’t want to be friends?”

  Pushing the stroller down the long paved road that wound through the ranch, he gave her another sidelong glance. “Platonic friends?”

  She fought a blush. Duh. “What other kind is there?”

  He gave her a sexy look. “Come on. Don’t act like you’re that surprised something more might be in our future. You felt that kiss as much as I did, the other night.”

  She gaped. “So we have chemistry! It doesn’t mean we have to act on it.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t, either.”

  Bridgett huffed. “Am I going to be fending you off?”

  He mugged right back at her. “Am I going to be fending you off?”

  She couldn’t help it, she laughed. “How did we even get on this subject?” she drawled, her voice every bit as goading as his had been.

  He put a hand around her waist, and tugged her against him. Then leaned over, and whispered in her ear, “You were feeling me out on our...situation.”

  Dear Reader,

  For all of you who can’t get enough of the wonderful McCabe family, I’m happy to announce a new miniseries, Texas Legends: The McCabes. Frank and Rachel McCabe have six grown children, all of whom are searching for the kind of enduring love their parents enjoy.

  The oldest, rancher Cullen Reid McCabe, and nurse Bridgett Monroe, are brought together by an abandoned puppy and newborn baby boy.

  Sherriff’s deputy Dan McCabe falls hard for preschool teacher Kelly Shackleford, her precocious three-year-old triplets and a herd of ornery goats.

  Widowed surgeon Dr. Jack McCabe enlists rehab nurse Bess Monroe to bring joy into his three little girls’ lives.

  Army veteran Matt McCabe helps veterinarian Sara Anderson train service dogs for wounded vets, and finds new life and happiness.

  Ranchers Lulu McCabe and Sam Kirkland fight bee rustlers while temporarily caring for a set of inherited triplets.

  Saddle Company CEO Chase McCabe and social worker Mitzy Martin care for her infant quadruplets while saving her family legacy.

  For more information on this series and all the McCabes stories, please visit cathygillenthacker.com

  Happy reading,

  Cathy Gillen Thacker

  THE TEXAS COWBOY’S BABY RESCUE

  Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Cathy Gillen Thacker is married and a mother of three. She and her husband spent eighteen years in Texas and now reside in North Carolina. Her mysteries, romantic comedies and heartwarming family stories have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists, but her best reward, she says, is knowing one of her books made someone’s day a little brighter. A popular Harlequin author for many years, she loves telling passionate stories with happy endings and thinks nothing beats a good romance and a hot cup of tea! You can visit Cathy’s website, cathygillenthacker.com, for more information on her upcoming and previously published books, recipes, and a list of her favorite things.

  Books by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Harlequin Western Romance

  Texas Legacies: The Lockharts

  A Texas Soldier’s Family

  A Texas Cowboy’s Christmas

  The Texas Valentine Twins

  Wanted: Texas Daddy

  A Texas Soldier’s Christmas

  Harlequin American Romance

  McCabe Multiples

  Runaway Lone Star Bride

  Lone Star Christmas

  Lone Star Valentine

  Lone Star Daddy

  Lone Star Baby

  Lone Star Twins

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

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  Contents

  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

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Cowboy SEAL Daddy by Laura Marie Altom

  Chapter One

  It was the day, Bridgett Monroe liked to say, that changed everything. She was on her way to work, same as always, when a puppy galloped out of the predawn shadows and dashed in front of her small SUV.

  She slammed on the brakes, barely missing him, then watched as the mutt pranced around her vehicle, barking at her with ferocious urgency before looping back in front of her once again. The adorable beagle/golden retriever mix was splattered with dried mud and burrs, and dragging a tie-out chain and stake behind him.

  Clearly, if she didn’t do something, he was going to get hit.

  Afraid to move her vehicle at all lest the two of them collide, Bridgett shoved her car into Park, turned on the emergency blinkers and got out.

  “Hey there, little guy,” she urged softly, kneeling down in front of the pup and holding out her arms in an attempt to coax him out of the path of her vehicle. “Why don’t you come see me?”

  He stared at her with liquid brown eyes, thinking.

  “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to be your friend.” Bridgett reached out to rescue the runaway pet.

  To no avail. He eluded her grasp, jumped swiftly back out of reach and let out another commanding bark.

  Tossing his floppy ears in the direction he wanted her to go, he headed on up the block, still dragging the tie-out chain and stake behind him. Periodically he looked back to see if she was following him.

  Worried about what would happen if she left him to his own devices, Bridgett headed up the street after him. The cute little mutt let out a happy woof, raced over several lawns and crossed the street. He waited for her to catch up, then darted past a few more houses, out of the residential area into historic downtown Laramie, Texas, and behind the fire station.

  The bays were empty, which meant the crew was out on an emergency run.

  Too bad, Bridgett thought, as she stopped just short of the tall brick building. She could have used some help lassoing this frisky pup. Frowning, she glanced at her watch again, debating how much time she could really afford to devote to this when she had a car still parked in the middle of the street two blocks away, and patients in the hospital N-ICU who needed her, too.

  And that was when she became aware of a whoosh of frantic activity as the pup dashed up to her once again,
caught the leg of her nursing uniform pants between his teeth and pulled ferociously.

  Determined, it seemed, to have her continue to follow him.

  Curious, she did, the leg of her scrubs clamped in his jaws as he led her along the side of the big brick fire station. Over to a...fairly large cardboard box?

  The pup let go abruptly and sat down next to the shipping carton, panting loudly. He stared up at her as if he expected her to know exactly what to do.

  Taking a deep, bracing breath, Bridgett leaned over, cautiously opened up the loosely folded flaps and felt her heart stall with a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Oh, puppy,” she whispered in startled dismay as she sank to her knees and reached inside. “No wonder you needed my help!”

  * * *

  ELEVEN HOURS LATER, the rugged Texas rancher who had been systematically avoiding all of Bridgett’s calls and messages strode purposefully onto the maternity and pediatric floor of Laramie Community Hospital.

  She wasn’t surprised that the notoriously unsentimental rancher appeared to have come straight from the range. His short, curly, espresso-brown hair still bore the marks of the Resistol in his hand, his handsome face the burn of the spring wind and sun.

  Nor was she surprised that he would want to have this conversation in person, rather than over the phone.

  What she wasn’t prepared for was the way her heart was suddenly pounding.

  It’s not as if he’s all that much older. He’d only been five years ahead of her in school.

  Or more successful. Professionally, both were at the top of their game. Although, she had to admit, given his rising success as a cattle breeder and land owner, he was likely a far sight wealthier.

  Not that he flaunted that, either, she realized on a sigh as her knees went all wobbly. He was a man’s man, through and through. The dusty leather boots on his feet were well broken in. And though there was nothing unique or expensive about his rumpled chambray shirt, it still cloaked his broad shoulders and muscular chest as if it was custom-made, and his faded Wranglers did equally showstopping things to his sinewy lower half.

  Oblivious to the forbidden nature of her thoughts, Cullen McCabe slammed to a halt just short of her. His dark brows lowered like thunderclouds over mesmerizing navy blue eyes.

  Her breath caught in her chest.

  “Is this an April Fool’s joke?” he demanded gruffly.

  Feeling a little angry about how this all had transpired, too, she gestured at the infant slumbering on the other side of the nursery’s glass window. The adorable newborn had a strikingly handsome face, ruddy skin, short and curly espresso brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

  Just like the man standing in front of her!

  She tilted her head back to better look into Cullen’s face. “Does this look like a joke, McCabe?” Because it sure wasn’t one to her! Or any of the emergency personnel who had been summoned to the scene of the abandonment.

  Their eyes clashed, held for an interminably long moment. Cullen looked back at the Plexiglass infant bed, lingering on the tag attached to the front of it, marked Robby Reid McCabe?

  His dark brow furrowed. “Why is there a question mark at the end of the name?”

  Was he really going to play her and everyone else for a fool? Bridgett folded her arms in front of her. “Because we’re not entirely sure of the foundling’s identity.”

  “Okay, then...” He jabbed a thumb at his sternum. “What do I have to do with this baby? Other than the fact we apparently share the same middle and last names?”

  Bridgett reached into the pocket of her scrubs and withdrew the rumpled envelope. “This was left beside the fire station along with the child. The infant was in a cardboard box, and the puppy—who had upended his tie-out chain—led me to him.”

  Cullen gave her another long, wary look. With a scowl, he opened the envelope, pulled out the typewritten paper and read out loud, “Cullen, I know you never planned to have a family or get married, and I understand that, maybe more than you could ever know, but please be the daddy little Robby deserves. And take wonderful care of his puppy, Riot, too.”

  Reacting a little like he had landed smack-dab in the center of some crazy reality TV show, like the one his cousin Brad McCabe had famously been on years ago, Cullen looked around suspiciously. Just as she might have in his situation.

  To no avail. The only cameras were the security ones the hospital employed. “I don’t see a puppy,” he gritted out.

  Aware she wouldn’t have believed it, either, had it not actually happened to her that very morning, Bridgett returned wryly, “Oh, believe me, Riot was here.” Wiggling and jumping around like crazy.

  Cullen shoved a hand through his hair. “In the hospital?” His glare radiated swiftly increasing disbelief.

  Bridgett flushed. That little irregularity could get her in a whole mess of hot water. Yet what choice had she had at the time?

  Aware he radiated an intoxicatingly masculine blend of sun, horse and man, she stepped back. “It was just temporarily. My twin sister, Bess, came and took him to my apartment until you could get here to claim him.”

  “And the baby,” Cullen added in disbelief.

  “Actually,” Bridgett told him, “because of the way all this went down, that is going to take a few days. And that’s assuming you want Robby and Riot.” She held up a hand before Cullen could interrupt. “If you don’t, then social services is already working on a solution.”

  He stared at her, then the Plexiglas infant bed, then back at her. “You really found this infant next to the fire station in a cardboard shipping box?”

  Bridgett nodded as her heart cramped in her chest once again.

  “I really did,” she said softly, stepping a little closer. “Why else would I have tracked down your cell phone number and left ten messages over the course of the last eleven hours?”

  Cullen fell silent once again and just shook his head.

  Bridgett had an idea how he felt. She’d had most of her shift to deal with this, and she still couldn’t get over both the miracle and the horror of it.

  She had to keep reminding herself that despite the fact the several-days-old Robby Reid McCabe had been swaddled in a disposable diaper and a man’s old chambray shirt, and his knotted umbilical cord was still attached when he was found, he really was okay.

  And that was as much a godsend as the fact that she had been in the right place at the right time, for once in her life.

  As Cullen stepped closer to the glass and gave the baby another long, intent look, Bridgett inched nearer and stared up at him. At six foot four, he towered over her five feet seven inches. Quietly, she explained, “Robby was apparently surrendered under the Texas Safe Haven law. Or attempted to be, anyway.”

  Cullen swung back to Bridgett, all imposing, capable male. “What’s that?”

  “Any infant sixty days old or younger can be surrendered—safely and legally—at any fire station, freestanding emergency medical care center, EMT station or hospital in Texas, but they are supposed to be left with an employee. Not just dropped off and left in the care of a dog who was staked nearby. Although, to Riot’s credit, he did do a good job of insuring that Robby got quick aid.”

  Cullen rested a shoulder against the glass and folded his arms against his broad chest. “You found him?”

  She nodded. “Fortunately, the baby was sleeping. From the looks of it, little Robby didn’t even seem to know he had been abandoned. So he couldn’t have been there very long at all.” Thank heaven.

  Cullen’s expression radiated all the compassion Bridgett had hoped to see. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He stepped forward, inundating her with the mint fragrance of his breath. His voice dropped another notch as his eyes met and held hers. “But unfortunately, I don’t have any connection to this baby.”

  “Sure about that?”

 
He frowned at her. “I think I would know if I had conceived a child with someone.”

  “Not necessarily,” she countered. Not if he hadn’t been told.

  Briefly, a resentment that seemed to go far deeper than the situation they were in flickered in his gaze.

  He braced both hands on his waist, lowered his face to hers and spoke in a low masculine tone that sent a thrill down her spine. “I think I would know if I had slept with someone in the last ten or eleven months.” He paused to let his curt declaration sink in. “I haven’t.”

  Neither had she, ironically enough. Although she hadn’t ever really been interested in having sex simply for the sake of having sex. She wanted it to mean something, the way it had with Aaron.

  She wasn’t sure a man as unsentimental as Cullen would feel the same. For him it might only be about satisfying a need as basic as eating and sleeping.

  Studying her, he scoffed. “Obviously, you don’t believe me.”

  Bridgett shrugged, aware this was becoming way too personal, too fast. “It’s not up to me to believe you or not,” she returned lightly as Mitzy Martin, Laramie County’s premiere social worker, walked up to join them, sheaf of papers in hand.

  Not sure if they knew each other, Bridgett made introductions.

  Laramie County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan McCabe—one of Cullen’s younger brothers—strode up to join them, too.

  “Let’s take this into a conference room,” Mitzy said, leading the way down the hall.

  Once the door was shut behind them, all four moved to take seats at the table. The windowless space was tight, especially with two big, strapping men in it, and Bridgett had to work to keep from brushing shoulders and legs with Cullen.

  “Why are you here?” Cullen asked his brother.

  Dan sent his older brother a sympathetic glance. “I volunteered due to the sensitive nature of the situation.”

  Cullen nodded his understanding, but he did not look happy. Briefly, he repeated what he had already told Bridgett, then asked in the same gruff tone he’d used with her, “Is there any way I can prove this baby isn’t mine?”