The Baby Race Read Online Free

air
conditioning chill and himself from the sight of her, he drew up
the coverlet and turned away. It was going to be a long night...and
an even longer year.
    *****
    Claire groaned and gritted her teeth as the
plane bounced in the Midwest summer storm delaying their landing.
No more champagne for her ever again. When the plane finally taxied
up to the gate, she breathed a sigh of relief. Another couple of
hours and she'd be home.
    No, not home. Race's ranch. What was it like?
Though he had described in loving detail each of the animals in
residence, his description of the house, where she and Bobbie Sue
would spend the next year, left a lot to be desired.
    The plane jerked to a halt on the rain slick
runway. Squeezing her eyes shut, she choked back her cry of dismay.
As long as there was a bed, the rest didn't matter.
    Race's eyes held understanding, but he didn't
say anything as he once again took charge. Too tired and queasy to
object, she waited with the luggage out of the downpour inside the
terminal, while he ran to get his truck.
    After throwing the luggage in the back seat,
Race stripped off his wet jacket and helped her climb into the cab.
The heavy door shut with a thwack, sealing her away from the noise
and confusion of O'Hare airport. Silence descended like a blessing.
The damp musty air in the confined space smelled of wet leather and
wool, the pungent aroma of hay and horse, mingled with the scent of
man.
    Once inside the truck, Race squeezed the
moisture from his hair and wiped the drops from his face with an
old towel. Claire dropped her gaze from the tantalizing view of his
denim shirt stretching across the muscles of his chest to where the
rain had plastered his well-worn jeans to his hips and thighs.
Despite the cool damp air, heat rushed into her cheeks. She turned
to stare blindly out the window.
    She'd spent time in the tropics, where men
wore little more than thongs, but none of them had ever tempted her
to look twice.
    Outside, a horn blew and a whistle shrieked.
Race shifted gears and put the truck in motion. Soon they were
cruising away from the city.
    "I called home before we left the airport,"
Race broke the silence. "Your things are there already, so there's
no need to go into town before we head out to the ranch."
    "What about Bobbie Sue?" They'd left her with
Race's family for the two days they'd been gone. Cindy, Race's
stepmother had been Bobbie Sue's kindergarten teacher, so neither
Claire nor Bobbie Sue had objected to the arrangement. In fact,
Bobbie Sue had been over-the-moon at the idea of actually staying
with her beloved teacher, Mrs. Reed.
    "I said your things are at the ranch. You
know Vicki, my teen-aged cousin? I had her take everything out
early this morning."
    "Bobbie Sue isn't, as you put it, one of my
things. She's a living, breathing little girl with feelings." She
took a deep breath to calm the rage she felt over Race's casual
dismissal of her stepsister. "In order for this charade of a
marriage to convince the social worker, you'll have to try and
remember that."
    "I'll remember." Fingers clenched around the
steering wheel, Race hunched forward and glared out into the rain.
"Just don't let her think that I'm going to be her daddy for real
and forever." His harsh tone worried Claire.
    In her haste to gain custody of Bobbie Sue
had she left the little girl open to further heartbreak? Surely,
Race wouldn't be deliberately cruel to the child? From the corner
of her eye, Claire studied the man's stern features. What did she
really know about this man, this stranger?
     
     
    ~~~~~

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    Claire climbed out of the truck and looked
around the rain soaked barnyard. Though the gravel path glistened
with puddles and water dripped from every surface, the barn and
corrals were solid and well maintained. A neat white cottage sat
next to the barn, but Race had told her it was the caretaker's
house. The main house sat out of sight further back from the
road.
    Race had stopped