She watched him drive away, trying to slow her heartbeat and cool her overheated body. She'd never dreamed that he could still make her feel like a giddy girl in his arms. Surely she was made of stronger stuff after all these years. Hannah needed her. Hedy needed her. She needed to build a new life. And yet, surely she deserved a few stolen kisses or even a luscious roll in the hay with the man who knew how to make all her sensual dreams come true.

But she determinedly thrust those thoughts aside and walked up the brick stairs, opened the door, and stepped into Twin Oak's warm and cozy kitchen.

Ruby stood there with a big grin on her face, shaking her head. She held out a steaming mug of hot cider. "Land's sake. When you come back to town, you come back like a herd of horses."

"Not my doing." Lauren chuckled as she clasped the beautiful Frankoma mug with one hand.

"I doubt Kent knows what's. .h.i.t him."

"I'm not sure I do either."

"You two always were the cat's meow." Ruby leaned back against the counter and picked up her own steaming mug.

"He wanted to take me home."

"I don't doubt it for a minute."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to get involved with anyone again. I've got too much to do. And there's Hannah. She always comes first." Lauren took a sip of the sweet-tart brew and felt the liquid slide down easy.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"You think?"

"I knew you and Kent were always a special couple, even if you were young. Anybody could see it." Ruby nodded toward where Kent had been before he drove away. "Far as I can tell, you still are."

"I'm not sure I can ever trust a guy again."

"Give it time." Ruby set her mug in the sink. "And get some sleep. Life always looks more doable in the morning."

"You're right." She drank more cider before she set her mug beside Ruby's. "Thanks for the cider. And everything." She put her arms around her friend and gave her a big hug.

"Welcome home," Ruby said as she returned the hug, then stepped back. "The Sun Room is at the end of the hall, so you have the most privacy on the top floor." She quickly headed down the stairs, then glanced back. "Sleep late if you like in the morning."

"I might do that, but I bet Hannah will be up and raring to go."

"I don't doubt it." Ruby chuckled in her alto voice. "Just let her come downstairs. We'll make blueberry m.u.f.fins for breakfast."

"Thanks."

Lauren glanced downstairs where Temple jumped down from his cozy seat in a chair to lead Ruby into her suite.

When the door closed behind them, she looked up the staircase, thoughts turning to her daughter asleep in their suite. After being in Wildcat Bluff a single day, she felt sure she had done the right thing in bringing Hannah home. Of course, time would tell, but she hadn't felt so surrounded by love since she'd left her parents' home in Connecticut. And love of all kinds was exactly what she wanted for her daughter.

She quickly washed the mugs, always careful with the Frankoma pottery, and left them out to dry. She noticed Kent's cowboy hat on the counter and picked it up. She held it near her face and inhaled the scent of him, reminding her of the clean, heady smell of sage and leather. Somehow just holding his hat made him seem closer to her again. She'd just hold on to his hat till he asked for it.

She walked up the stairs to the top floor and quietly opened the door to her suite. She stepped inside and locked the door behind her. For a moment, she simply stood very still and looked at the small shape snugged beneath the vibrant-orange spread in the center of a queen-size bed, having abandoned the foldout bed. She felt love as big and hot as the sun envelope her. Hannah was simply the love and light of her life. She was glad her daughter felt safe enough at Twin Oaks to be sleeping so soundly in a strange environment, but Hannah also had to be completely tuckered out after such a big, long day.

Lauren walked over to the bed, then pulled the cover up and over her daughter's small shoulders. She placed a kiss on Hannah's soft hair and felt the inner glow that she'd felt since the moment she'd nestled her daughter's tiny body against her breast. Whatever it took, she'd do the right thing by Hannah.

She stepped back and glanced around the cheerful room that had been painted with peach walls and bright-white trim. Contemporary furniture with straight, elegant lines in cherry wood made up the headboard, dresser, desk, chair, and settee. Colorful purple and apple-green throw pillows that probably belonged on the bed now filled the settee. A rocking chair with a floor lamp beside it looked like a cozy place to read or rock a little girl.

Lauren yawned, feeling the day catch up with her. She'd take a quick shower, brush her teeth, and join her daughter in deep sleep.

She set Kent's cowboy hat on top of her sundress on the desk, smiling at that bit of togetherness. She pulled out her phone, sent a quick text to her parents to let them know all was well, and checked for messages. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she read a text from Kent. "I'm in bed thinking of you."

Heat flashed through her at the thought and she couldn't resist a reply. "I'm thinking of Lovers Leap."

And with that, she set her phone on the desk, resisting the urge to check for an answer. She quickly walked into the bathroom with its gleaming white tile, chrome fixtures, and orange bath towels.

Her new life in Wildcat Bluff had begun.

Chapter 20.

Kent stepped out the open front door of his farmhouse onto the covered porch after he'd done his ranch ch.o.r.es early that morning. He held a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone to his ear with the other.

"Yes, Mom, I know you're glad Lauren's back in town."

"And I'll throw a big party to welcome her back," Mimi Duval said in an excited voice. "I always did like that girl."

"Let me run it by her first. She might not want the hubbub."

"Of course she'll love a party in her honor."

"She's got a little girl now." Kent wedged his cell between his ear and his shoulder so he had a free hand to shut the door behind him.

"Perfect! I can't wait to meet her."

"I mean Lauren might be protective of Hannah and not want her around a bunch of strangers."

"We're not strangers. We're almost family. In fact, we would be family if not for-"

"Please don't go there."

"No need to get cantankerous. I heard you spent most of the day with Lauren yesterday, so naturally I a.s.sumed that-"

"Don't a.s.sume anything. We're just friends." Kent hated that his mom sounded hopeful because he didn't want to disappoint her on the wife front. Again. "She asked for my help."

"That sounds interesting. What kind of help?"

"Hedy." He looked out across the ranch and watched a small herd of black cattle contentedly grazing on hay. His mom was getting more desperate by the year for a grandchild of her own. No two ways about it, Charlene had been a disaster.

"Of course Lauren would want to help her aunt, but we all know that's just not possible," Mimi said in a hushed tone, as if the matter was almost too painful to discuss.

"Lauren's got some ideas. She needs my help to get there, and that means I need your help, as well as Dad's."

"I'll throw that party so she can get reintroduced to the folks of Wildcat Bluff County. That ought to do it."

"Not what I mean."

"Then what?"

"Okay, here goes. I want you to keep an open mind."

"When have I ever not been open to your ideas?"

"I know, but this may surprise you." He was glad his parents had always been supportive of what he chose to do in life, but Lauren was a different matter. He felt overly protective of her.

"Just give it to me straight."

"Okay, Mom." He took a deep breath, hoping against hope that this went well. "Lauren is a physical therapist, and she came up with the idea to use equine-a.s.sisted therapy to get Hedy back on a horse and help her get stronger."

"Hippotherapy," Mimi said in voice filled with wonder. "Is that even safe for Hedy?"

"If it'll work, it'll be worth the chance, won't it?"

"Maybe, but still-"

"And Hannah wants to be a cowgirl."

"How delightful!" Mimi sounded excited at that idea. "I'd love to help Lauren's daughter any way I can. Hedy, too."

Kent gulped coffee, knowing his mom was imagining helping her own grandchild become a cowgirl. But that wasn't in the cards, at least not right away. "I might need a little time off from doing my part in running the ranch."

"And you want your father and me to take over?"

"Just for a bit. I'd like to help Lauren get her idea up and running as quickly as possible to help Hedy. And Hannah."

"How involved are you in this project?" Mimi sounded cautious, as if evaluating the extent of the situation.

"Lauren's staying with Ruby right now, so she doesn't have a place of her own. First off, she needs horses, a barn to house them, and an arena."

"Kent, dearest, I don't want to see you hurt again."

"I'm not putting my heart out there." He gripped his coffee mug, hoping that was true. "What I'm doing is helping friends."

"That's admirable, but-"

"I've got the old horse stables, the arena, and the pasture out here. They're not in use since y'all built the fancy new barn up by your house. I thought it'd be a good place for Lauren to start."

"What about horses?"

"I figure we can find something right in Sure-Shot." He knew he could depend on the horse breeders and trainers there.

"Most likely so."

"What do you say?"

"I say you've got a big heart."

"Mom, I mean about me taking some time off to help Lauren start her new project."

"Are you saying this is more than just for Hedy?"

"I think Lauren's the one with a big heart." He paced across the wooden floor, then back again as he realized how important his mom's reaction to Lauren's idea would be for getting her hippotherapy center off the ground.

"It's a wonderful idea," Mimi finally said with warmth in her voice. "In fact, I believe it's something Wildcat Bluff could get behind in a big way."

"You're sure?" He tried not to sound relieved, but he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Absolutely."

"She just wants to start with Hannah and Hedy."

"I've heard hippotherapy can help with a lot of medical issues, but I've always been too busy with the ranch to learn very much about it."

He smiled, knowing his mom was almost always ahead of the game.

"Think about it," she said. "In this county alone, we've got experienced riders and horses. We could also get official training as volunteers like our firefighters do."

"Do you mean certification programs?"

"Yes. I understand programs can be coordinated with physicians, psychologists, and-"

"Physical therapists like Lauren." Kent paced back across the porch as he realized the idea was quickly getting out of hand-or maybe Lauren was already thinking big. "I guess if she started an equine-a.s.sisted therapy program, she could eventually provide local jobs."

"Folks who love horses always need work, volunteer or otherwise," Mimi said with determination in her voice. "It's a terrific concept for our community. But first we need to get Lauren's idea off the ground. We might want to turn our party into a hippotherapy benefit."

"You're way ahead of me. And Lauren. I don't know how she'll feel if we get too many cooks in the kitchen."

Mimi chuckled. "So true. If she's as independent as the rest of us, she'll want to be in charge."

"I like the way you're thinking. Let me feel her out about it as we go along. First, I wanted to run the idea by you and Dad before I focused on getting her set up."

"I'll tell your father. In the meantime, let me know what we can do to help. And please, call me when Lauren's at your place so I can come over to welcome her home and meet Hannah."

"Will do." He smiled at the phone, once more glad his parents were his parents. "And thanks."

"Anything for my favorite son."

"I'm your only son." He gave the much-used response to their old standing joke.