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An image of Hadley flashed through his thoughts. Beautiful, nurturing and just stubborn enough to be interesting. A year ago he might not have given her a second thought. Hadley was built for steady, long-term relationships, not the sort of fun and games that defined Liam’s private life. She’d probably be good for him, but would he be good for her? After a year of celibacy, his libido was like an overwound spring, ready to explode at the least provocation.
“Liam, are you listening to me?” Ivy’s sharp tone shattered his thoughts.
“No. Sorry. I was thinking about Maggie and the future.”
Her expression shifted to understanding. “Why don’t we talk later this afternoon. You have a fund-raising meeting at the club today, don’t you?”
He’d forgotten all about it. Liam had been involved with the Texas Cattleman’s Club fund-raising efforts for Royal Memorial’s west wing ever since it had been damaged by a tornado more than a year ago. The grand reopening was three weeks away, but there remained several unfinished projects to discuss.
“I’ll be back around three.”
“See you then.”
Fearing if he sat down in his large office, he might doze off, Liam headed into the attached barn where twelve champion American quarter horse stallions stood at stud. Three of them belonged to Wade Ranch; the other nine belonged to clients.
Liam was proud of all they’d accomplished and wished that his grandfather had lived to see their annual auction reach a record million dollars for 145 horses. Each fall they joined with three other ranches to offer aged geldings, sought after for their proven ranch performance, as well as some promising young colts and fillies with top bloodlines.
At the far end of the barn, double doors opened into a medium-sized indoor arena used primarily for showing clients’ horses. One wall held twenty feet of glass windows. On the other side was a spacious, comfortable lounge used for entertaining the frequent visitors to the ranch. A large television played videos of his stallions in action as well as highlights from the current show and racing seasons.
Liam went through the arena and entered the show barn. Here is where he spent the majority of his time away from ranch business. He’d grown up riding and training reining horses and had won dozens of national titles as well as over a million dollars in prize money before he’d turned twenty-five.
Not realizing his destination until he stood in front of the colt’s stall, Liam slid open the door and regarded WR Electric Slide, son of Hadley’s former mount, Lolita. The three-year-old chestnut shifted in the stall and pushed his nose against Liam’s chest. Chuckling, he scratched the colt’s cheek, and his mind returned to Hadley.
While he understood that college and grad school hadn’t left her the time or the money to own a horse any longer, it didn’t make sense the way she’d shot down his suggestion that she visit this son of her former mount. And he didn’t believe that she’d lost interest in horses. Something more was going on, and he wasn’t going to let it go.
Three
Hadley sat in the nursery’s comfortable rocking chair with Maggie on her lap, lightly tapping her back to encourage the release of whatever air she’d swallowed while feeding. It was 3:00 a.m., and Hadley fended off the house’s heavy silence by quietly humming. The noise soothed the baby and gave Hadley’s happiness a voice.
She’d been living in the Wade house for three days, and each morning dawned a little brighter than the last. The baby fussed less. Liam smiled more. And Hadley got to enjoy Candace’s terrific cooking as well as a sense of accomplishment.
Often the agency sent her to handle the most difficult situations, knowing that she had a knack for creating cooperation in the most tumultuous of households. She attributed her success to patience, techniques she’d learned in her child development classes and determination. Preaching boundaries and cooperation, she’d teach new habits to the children and demonstrate to the parents how consistency made their lives easier.
Feeling more than hearing Maggie burp, Hadley resettled the baby on her back and picked up the bottle once more. Her appetite had increased after her pediatrician diagnosed acid reflux, probably due to her immature digestive system, and prescribed medication to neutralize her stomach acids. Now a week old, Maggie had stopped losing weight and was almost back to where she’d started.
In addition to the reflux problem, Maggie had symptoms of jaundice. Dr. Stringer had taken blood samples to run for DNA, and the bilirubinometer that tested jaundice levels had shown a higher-than-average reading. To Liam’s dismay, the doctor had suggested they wait a couple weeks to see if the jaundice went away on its own. He’d only relaxed after the pediatrician suggested they’d look at conventional phototherapy when the blood tests came back.
