A Baby Between Friends. Kathie DeNosky

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      This book is dedicated to my editor Stacy Boyd for allowing me to spread my wings and soar.

      One

      Ryder McClain’s temper flared as he stared at the five men grinning at him like a bunch of damned fools. Having spent their teen years together on the Last Chance Ranch, a home for boys that the foster care system had labeled lost causes, he loved all of them. In all ways except by blood, they were his brothers. However, at this moment, nothing would be more satisfying than to wrap his hands around their throats and throttle every one of them.

      “I’m only going to say this one more time and then I expect you all to drop it,” he said through gritted teeth. “I brought Summer Patterson to the party tonight because she’s a friend who didn’t have any other plans. Period. There’s absolutely nothing going on between us.”

      “Sure, if you say so, bro.” Jaron Lambert’s skeptical expression indicated that he didn’t believe a word Ryder had just said. “And I’ll bet you still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, don’t ya?”

      “I’ll give you all a hundred-to-one odds that the lady in question has other ideas,” Lane Donaldson said, rocking back on the heels of his handcrafted Caiman leather boots. A highly successful, professional poker player, Lane used his master’s degree in psychology to read people like an open book. In this instance, the man was definitely reading the wrong chapter.

      “Yup. I’d say she’s cut you from the herd and getting ready to measure you for a saddle,” Sam Rafferty added, laughing. The only married one of his foster brothers, Sam and his wife, Bria, were throwing the party to celebrate the renewal of their wedding vows, as well as Bria’s pregnancy. “You might as well face it, Ryder. Your bachelor days are numbered.”

      “You’re just hoping one of us will join you in the pool of the blissfully hitched,” Ryder said, blowing out a frustrated breath. “But as far as Summer and I are concerned, that’s not going to happen—now or in the future. Neither one of us have any intention of being anything more than best friends. End of discussion.”

      Smiling, T.J. Malloy paused with his beer bottle halfway to his mouth. “Ryder, did you get kicked in the head by a bull at the last rodeo you worked? That might explain you not being able to see what’s as plain as your hand in front of your face.”

      “Well, now, this makes things a whole lot easier for me,” Nate Rafferty said, smirking as he turned toward the dance floor where Summer stood talking to Bria and her sister, Mariah. “As long as you’re not interested, I think I’ll just mosey on over there and ask the little lady to dance.”

      Ryder knew that his brother was baiting him, but without a second thought, his hand came down like a vise-grip on Nate’s shoulder. “Don’t even think about it, Romeo.”

      “Oh, so you have staked your claim,” Lane said smugly.

      “No, I haven’t.” Ryder’s jaw was clenched so hard that he wouldn’t be surprised if it took a crowbar to pry his teeth apart. “But Summer doesn’t need Nate’s brand of grief.” He thought the world of his foster brother, but Nate Rafferty had a love ’em and leave ’em philosophy that had left a string of broken hearts across the entire Southwest and then some. “No offense, Nate, but you’re the last thing she needs.”

      “He’s got you there, Nate,” Sam said, nodding. The only two biological siblings of the group, Sam and Nate couldn’t have been more different. The older of the two, Sam had never even come close to having the wild streak that his younger brother Nate had.

      Nate shrugged. “I can’t help it if I love the ladies.”

      “You take your interest in women to a whole other level,” Ryder said, shaking his head in disgust. “Leave this lady alone and we’ll get along just fine. Cross that line and you and I are going to have one hell of a big problem, bro.”

      He chose to ignore the knowing looks his brothers exchanged and, in favor of doing them all bodily harm, walked away. For one thing, he didn’t want to ruin Sam and Bria’s reception by getting into a knockdown, drag-out brawl. And for another, he made sure he never raised a fist in anger to anyone for any reason. He had been down that road once, when he was a teenager, and the results had damned near ruined his life. He wasn’t going to risk going down it again.

      “Ryder?”

      Turning at the sound of the familiar female voice, he watched the pretty blond-haired woman with the bluest eyes he had ever seen walk toward him. He and Summer had been best friends for the past few years, and although any man would be lucky to call her his woman, Ryder had avoided thinking of her as anything but his friend. Anything more between them and he would feel obligated to tell her the reason he had finished growing up at the Last Chance Ranch. That was something he didn’t care to share with anyone and why he didn’t intend to enter into a serious relationship with any woman. Some things were just better left buried in the past. Besides, he didn’t want to take the chance of losing the easygoing friendship they had forged by becoming romantically involved with her. He suspected she felt the same way.

      “Is something wrong?” she asked, her expression reflecting her concern.

      Letting go of his anger, Ryder shook his head as he smiled at the petite woman standing next to him. “No, I just got tired of listening to my brothers’ bull.”

      She smiled wistfully. “You’re lucky. At least you have brothers to irritate you. I’ve never had that problem.”

      Ryder felt as guilty as hell. As aggravating as his foster brothers could be at times, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind they would all be there for him no matter what—the same as he would be for all of them. They meant the world to him and there wasn’t a day that went by he didn’t thank the good Lord above that he had them in his life.

      But Summer had never had anything like that. Over the course of their friendship, he had learned she was