The Rancher's Adopted Family

137 Pages·2016·0.84 MB·English

by  Hannay Barbara

The wilds of the West, the Rocky Mountains, the sizzling Outback…Home
of the cowboy!
Strong, silent…and single!
These men are as tough as the land they own. As wild as the horses they
ride. They just need a good woman to give their big hearts to….
Ride off into the sunset with your rugged rancher!
Amy could see the sky reflected in the water and the overhead
branches festooned with orchids. As she stood there, watching the
reflection, she saw Seth drifting closer—until he was standing right
next to her…
Dangerous tingling sensations spread under her skin. She closed her eyes,
wishing she could be more sensible about this man. She’d never been forward
with guys, but right now she was fighting a shameless urge to turn and throw
herself into his arms.
“I guess we should go back,” he said, looking down at the water.
Amy let out the breath she’d been holding. “I guess.”
Seth didn’t move…and neither did she.
He was standing so close to her that she only had to sway toward him and their
bodies would be touching.
“Amy,” he whispered hoarsely, and she saw the movement of his reflection, saw
his hand reach out to touch her hair.
When she turned to him, she bumped into his hand. He smiled, let his fingers
trace the curve of her cheek, and her pulse began a hectic dance….
B H
ARBARA ANNAY
The Rancher’s Adopted Family

Barbara Hannay was born in Sydney, educated in Brisbane and has spent most
of her adult life living in tropical north Queensland, where she and her husband
have raised four children. While she has enjoyed many happy times camping and
canoeing in the bush, she also delights in an urban lifestyle—chamber music,
contemporary dance, movies and dining out. An English teacher, she has always
loved writing, and now, by having her stories published, she is living her most
cherished fantasy. Visit her Web site at www.barbarahannay.com.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
A , when Amy saw two policemen at the ballroom’s grand entrance, she felt
T FIRST
no more than mild curiosity. She didn’t dream they were about to turn her life
upside down.
She was way too excited to entertain such dark thoughts. For
weeks, she’d been on tenterhooks planning tonight’s high-gloss corporate
launch. Its success or failure rested almost entirely on her shoulders, and she was
relieved that everything was turning out well.
‘Love it, love it, love it!’ her ecstatic clients cheered.
As far as they were concerned, Amy hadn’t put a foot wrong.
They were thrilled with the venue she’d found on Melbourne’s Southbank. They
were especially thrilled with the video walls that showed off their brilliant new
range of environmentally friendly lighting systems.
Amy was equally pleased with the way she looked tonight.
She’d dieted for three weeks to squeeze into her divinely chic, but frighteningly
expensive little black dress. She’d paid another outrageous sum at a trendy salon
in Chapel Street to have glamorous blonde highlights added to her rather
ordinary, pale brown hair.
Now, with the addition of killer high heels and her
grandmother’s diamond earrings, she’d received oodles of compliments about
both the launch party and her appearance. Tonight it was clear—in Melbourne’s
competitive, pressure-cooker world of marketing and corporate events, Amy
Ross had arrived!
But before she could take her first celebratory sip of her
champagne cocktail, she saw the deepening sombreness on the policemen’s
faces.
Why on earth were they here?
Surely they must have come to the wrong function. At any