In the Arms of the Rancher. Jan Colley
Hawk. After all this time, all the praying and hoping, we’re going to have a baby.”
Hawk lit up in a smile. “That’s wonderful, Vic. When’s the baby due?”
“In the spring. She’s in the beginning of her second trimester.”
“Damn! Damn, that’s great, for both of you. I know how much you’ve wanted a child.” Even as he congratulated his friend, Hawk again felt that twinge of empty longing. He brushed it off as he shook Vic’s hand.
“Yeah,” Vic said, grinning like a kid. “We were almost at the point of accepting that there would never be a baby for us.”
Grinning back at him, Hawk raised his glass of beer. “Well, here’s to perseverance.” Bringing the glass to his lips, he downed the beer remaining in it. As he set the glass down, the hostess came to the table with a full fresh pot of coffee.
“Tom was busy at another table,” she explained. “So I brought this over. Is there anything else, Vic?”
“No thanks.” Vic shook his head. As she started to turn away, he stopped her by taking her hand. “Wait a minute. I want you to meet an old friend.”
“Okay.” She smiled at Hawk.
He felt an instant of breathlessness. He stood up as Vic rose from his chair.
“Hawk,” Vic said, “this lovely lady is Kate Mul-doon, my hostess and Lisa’s and my friend.” He smiled at her. “Kate, Hawk McKenna. We’ve been friends since college, and he’s been Lisa’s friend since our wedding.” A teasing gleam shone from his eyes. “I suspect she’d have grabbed him if she’d met him earlier.”
“Right,” Hawk drawled, offering his long-fingered hand to her. “Nice to meet you…Kate?”
“Of course,” she answered. “Hawk?”
“Of course,” he echoed.
“Have a seat, Kate,” Vic said, rising to grab an empty chair at the next table while beckoning to someone.
Kate shook her head. “I can’t, Vic. There are custom—”
“Yes, you can,” Vic interrupted. “You haven’t had a break yet.”
Kate gave him a dry look. “I started working only two hours ago.”
“Long enough,” Vic said, turning to the young woman who had come to a halt at the table.
“You employed the imperial wave, sire?” the woman said, her blue eyes fairly dancing with amusement.
Vic laughed as he watched her give a quick glance at Hawk, her eyes widening with surprise. “Hawk!”
“Hi, Bella.” Hawk said, getting to his feet just in time to catch her as she flung herself into his arms. “Subdued as ever, I see.” Taking her by the shoulders, he set her back a step to look at her. “And beautiful as ever.”
“I bet you say that to all your friends’ sisters,” Bella said, laughing. “You look great, Hawk.”
“Thanks.” Hawk smiled. “So do you.”
“If this ritual of mutual admiration is over,” Vic said, “I’d like you to take over at the desk for Kate for a while.”
“Sure.” Bella gave Hawk another quick hug before turning away. “Will I be seeing you while you’re in town, Hawk?”
“Of course.” Hawk smiled.
“Good.” Bella smiled back. “Take your time, Kate. I can handle the ravenous crowd.”
“Thanks, Bella,” Kate said. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Her soft, almost smoky-sounding voice, along with her smile, caused an even stronger searing sensation in Hawk’s stomach and sections south.
“So,” Vic said, “how long are you going to be in town this time, Hawk?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I have a room for a week.” Hawk shrugged. “After that…depends.”
“On what?” Vic laughed. “The weather?”
Hawk grinned. “Yeah, the weather. You know how much it concerns me.” He shook his head. “No, actually, if I’m tired of the whole scene at the end of a week, I’ll head home. If not, I’ll make other arrangements.”
“And where is home, Hawk?” Kate asked.
“Colorado,” Hawk said. “In the mountains.”
She laughed. “Colorado is full of mountains.”
A tingle skipped the length of his spine. He drew a deep breath, willing steel to chase the tingle from his back. “I’m in the southwest corner, in the San Juans, a double jump from Durango.”
“A double jump?” she said.
Vic answered for him. “Hawk’s got a horse ranch in a small valley in the foothills there,” he said. “I gotta tell you, this guy breeds and trains some gorgeous horseflesh.”
“And I’m damned good at it, too,” Hawk drawled around a quick smile.
Once again he felt that strange reaction to the conversation, a reaction he had never felt before. Hawk wasn’t sure he liked it.
They chatted for a few moments longer. Then Kate excused herself to get back to work.
Unaware of his surroundings, Vic, or the soft sigh he expelled, Hawk watched Kate walk back to the hostess station, head high, her back straight, as regal as any queen.
“Attractive, isn’t she?”
Vic’s quiet voice jolted Hawk into awareness. “Yes,” he said, shifting his gaze to his friend.
“And you’re interested.” It was not a question.
“Yes,” Hawk admitted without hesitation.
“A lot of men are.” Vic shrugged.
“I did notice she was not wearing a ring on her left ring finger.” Hawk lifted his brows. “Is she attached?”
Vic shook his head. “No.”
“Why do I have the feeling that if I said I wanted to ask her to have dinner one evening with me, you’d tell me she’ll refuse?”
“Because she very likely would.” Vic gave him a half smile. “She always does.”
“She doesn’t like men?” Hawk felt a sharp pang of disappointment.
“She used to,” Vic answered cryptically.
Hawk’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to explain that murky statement, or am I going to have to call you out?”
Vic grinned. “Pistols at dawn, eh?”
“No…” Hawk drawled. “My foot in your rear right here in front of all your customers. So you’d better start explaining.”
“There was a man…” Vic began.
“Isn’t there always?” Hawk said in disgust.
“The same as there’s always a woman with bitter men,” Vic said. “Isn’t there?”
“I wouldn’t know.” It was not a boast. Hawk had never been in love. He had no experience of how a relationship gone sour could rip a person up.
“You’re a lucky man.” Vic sighed. “Well, Kate knows in spades. She was head over heels with a guy, enough to let him move in with her after they got engaged.”
“He dumped her for another woman?” Hawk asked at the thought of any sane man dumping Kate.
“No, worse than that. Not long after he moved in with her, he became abusive.”
Hawk