Chapter One

Shep McGraw hurried to the emergency room door. In his arms, two-year-old old Manuel let out a cry that echoed in the hospital's parking lot.

Tension and worry tightened Shep's chest. He'd been through this before with Manuel's earaches. Thank goodness Dr. Raina Gibson, the boy's ear, nose and throat doc, had been on call for her practice tonight. He thought about his two other sons, who were with their nanny. They hadn't liked him leaving this late at night.

As Shep rushed through the automatic glass doors, he remembered another fateful ER visit many, many years ago. He shoved that out of his mind and hugged Manuel closer.

The woman in charge at the registration desk looked him over—from his tan Stetson to his fine leather boots and he had to rein in his frustration with red tape. "My name's Shep McGraw. I'm meeting Dr. Gibson here to treat my...son."

"Mr. McGraw, if you'll have a seat—"

Manuel's crying had tapered off slightly, but now he screwed up his cute little round face and howled loud enough to scare his black wavy hair into disarray.

Shep shifted Manuel to his shoulder. "My boy needs someone to look at him now." He was about to add that the Lubbock hospital had all of his information on file when Dr. Gibson came through a side door and crossed to the desk.

Although Manuel's crying still rent the waiting area, the beautiful doctor's appearance impacted Shep as it always did. Her Native American heritage was attractively obvious in the angles of her cheekbones and chin. Tonight she'd pulled her long black hair back into a low ponytail and clasped it with a beaded barrette. The white coat she wore molded to her long legs as she hurried toward him.

She greeted the woman at the desk as she reached for Manuel. "I'll take him back, Flo."

After patting Manuel's back and making soothing noises that quieted him, she said to Shep, "Give Flo your insurance card so she can put through the paperwork." Then she headed for the door leading to the examination cubicles, motioning him to follow.

Shep took out his insurance card, slapped it onto the desk and followed Raina. He couldn't help but admire her graceful stride, the straightness of her shoulders even as she held Manuel and headed for the exam room. He had to smile at the sneakers she wore that made her look more like a runner than a doctor.

All was quiet for the moment in this part of the ER wing. Manuel's cries had faded to tiny hiccups. Shep felt so sad sometimes for this little boy who'd been neglected, taken away from his mother and put in a foster home. Shep knew all about foster homes first-hand, though there was no indication the couple who'd cared for Manuel was anything like the foster parents Shep had experienced.

At the door to the exam room, Dr. Gibson paused and waited for Shep to precede her inside. Although Shep considered himself more cowboy than gentleman, he motioned her to go ahead of him. With a small smile and a quick nod, she did. But when she passed him, he caught the scent of lemon and his stomach twisted into a knot as it did whenever he got too close to her. He didn't get too close to her if he could help it—for lots of very good reasons.

Raina glanced at Shep as she settled Manuel on the gurney. "On the phone you told me this started about an hour ago?"

"Yes. Before I put him in his crib. At first I thought he was just over-tired or didn't want to go to bed. But then he started pulling on his ear, so I took his temperature and saw he had a fever."

"I'll take it again," she assured him with quiet efficiency. Her gaze met his. The earth seemed to shake a little and they both quickly looked away.

With coiled energy wound tight inside him, Shep moved to the gurney to hold Manuel. He hadn't intended it, but somehow his hands got tangled up with hers before she pulled them away from the little boy. Their gazes connected again...and this time held. Shep's blood rushed fast and, in that instant, he thought he saw returned interest in the pretty doctor's very dark brown eyes.

A moment later, he guessed he was mistaken. In a small town like Sagebrush, Texas, where they both lived— about fifteen minutes from Lubbock where this hospital was located—certain people had a higher gossip profile than others. Dr. Gibson was one of them.

He'd asked his nanny, Eva, if she knew any particulars about the doctor and he still remembered what Eva had said. "Her husband was a firefighter in New York City. He died on September eleventh. Somehow she picked up her life and finished her schooling, then returned here to be with her family. I can only imagine what she's gone through and it's not something I ever want to think about going through."

As Shep studied Raina Gibson now, he saw no signs of a tragic past, unless it had carved the tiny lines by her eyes and fostered the ever-present quiet and calm he sensed about her.

She went to the counter where she took an ear thermometer from its holder. When she returned to the table, she focused solely on Manuel. "This little guy has been through so much. I feel so sorry for him. Another ear infection is the last thing he needs." She cut Shep a sideways glance. "Or you need. How are Joey and Roy?"

She had treated eight-year-old Joey last year for a sinus infection that wouldn't quit.

"They're good. They get upset when Manuel's sick, though. Roy's afraid he'll lose more of his hearing."

Raina studied Manuel's temperature and frowned. "It's 101E." Seconds later she was examining the toddler with the otoscope and then her stethoscope. Finally she gave Shep her verdict. "I don't like the looks of this, Mr. McGraw."

"Shep," he told her, not for the first time. After all, Manuel had seen her at least three times over the past six months.

Now she didn't avoid his gaze, but looked him directly in the eyes. That was his first clue he wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"Okay, Shep."

That was the second clue. He had the feeling she'd used his first name to soften the blow.

"I'll give you a prescription again for Manuel to get this cleared up. But I have to recommend that you let me do a procedure to put tubes in his ears. I'm afraid if we don't, he'll lose his hearing altogether."

Before he caught himself, Shep swore. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just don't want to put him through anything else." He picked up his son from the table, easily lifted him to his shoulder where Manuel snuggled against his collarbone.

Raina's gaze was sympathetic, her voice gentle. "I know what he's dealt with already. But he's in your care now, and I can see that you love him. You have to think beyond the procedure to when he's three or four. You have to do what's best for him long-term."

Shep patted Manuel's back. Finally he said, "Tell me what's involved."

Taking a few steps closer, Raina stopped within arm's reach. "The surgery's called a myringotomy. I make a tiny incision in the eardrum and any fluid will be removed. Then I'll insert a tympanostomy tube into the drum to keep the middle ear aerated. We'll leave the tubes in from six months to several years."

She was close enough that Shep was aware of her body heat as well as his. "Will he have to have surgery to remove them again?"

Tilting her head, she ran her hand over Manuel's hair then brought her gaze back to Shep's. "No. Eventually they'll extrude from the eardrum and fall into the ear canal. I'll be able to remove them during a routine office visit or they'll just fall out of his ears."

Shep could hardly imagine his small son in this big hospital with medical personnel caring for him. "And you believe we have to do this?"

"Shep, Manuel has already lost some hearing. You know that from the assessment I did. I'm afraid if we don't do this, he'll have speech problems, too."

"And the down side?"

"I'll give you a sheet of information and you can read about the pros and cons. As often as you're bringing Manuel to me, I don't think you have a choice."

"I hate hearing statements like that," Shep muttered.

Manuel began crying again and Shep rocked him back and forth. "How long will this operation take?" he asked over the baby's heart-breaking distress.

Raina leaned closer to him as if in empathy...as if she might want to take Manuel into her arms again...as if she hated seeing a child cry.

"Ten to fifteen minutes. It's done on an outpatient basis. Manuel will be given anesthesia. Once he's recovered from that, he can go home. Chances are good he'll feel better right away because that pressure in his ears will be released. He's been suffering with this for too long. And so have you," she added with an understanding Shep found almost unsettling.

Again their gazes locked and neither of them seemed to be able to look away. Shep didn't know what was happening to him, but he didn't like it. Every time he stared into those impossibly dark eyes of hers he felt unnerved, and if he was forced to admit it, aroused. That wasn't what he should feel standing in this cubicle with her while he held Manuel. He should feel grateful...nothing else.

He must have been scowling from here into the next county and she misinterpreted his expression. "I know you're worried. Every parent worries when anything is wrong with his child. But try to anticipate a positive outcome. Think about Manuel not having any more painful earaches."

"The anesthesia bothers me," he admitted.

"You must trust the doctors here. Give us a chance to help him."

Shep was used to being in control. His history had taught him not to let anyone else run his life...let alone his son's. "How soon do you want to do this?"

"How about next week?"

"That soon?"

"You have a housekeeper, right?"

Did the doctor remember this kind of information about all her patients? "Yes, Eva. She'll be able to take care of Joey and Roy if I'm not home."

Obviously thinking that distracting him for a minute might be a good thing, Raina said, "Roy's and Joey's adoptions are final now, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are."

"And Manuel's?"

"I'll be his dad in a few months if all goes well.

"I admire what you're doing, Mr. McGraw."

"Shep," he reminded her again, suspecting she used his surname to distance herself. Why would she need to distance herself? Could she be as interested in him as he was in her? It had been a long time since he'd wanted to pursue his interest in a woman.

"Shep," she repeated, her cheeks coloring a little. "Giving these boys a home is so important. And you obviously care about them a great deal."

"I wouldn't have decided to adopt them if I didn't. The foster care system—" He shook his head. "It's not like it once was, but it's hard for children to feel loved when they don't know where they'll be sleeping the next night."

After being abandoned by his mother, a series of foster homes as well as a chief of police had convinced Shep he wasn't worthy of anyone's love...until a kind rancher, Matt Forester, had proven differently. Matt had been Shep's role model and Shep was determined to give Roy, Joey and Manuel the same leg up Matt had given him and his friend Cruz.

Raina was looking at him thoughtfully, as if there were more to him than she'd ever realized. Her intense gaze made his interest in her pick up to a new level, and he had to tamp down a sudden urge to touch her face.

He felt warm and uncomfortable, and now just wanted to get the prescription for Manuel and leave.

The doctor cut through the awkwardness between them by suddenly pulling a pamphlet from a stack on the counter and a pad from her pocket. She wrote out the prescription, then handed the papers to him. "Go home and think about the procedure. Look at the pamphlet I've given you. I'll be in my office tomorrow. Call me if you have any questions."

Someone knocked on the door.

Raina went to it and opened it, then returned with a few papers. "You need to sign these before you leave."

As he signed the forms, he tried to make conversation— anything to distract himself from her quiet beauty.

"Did you come in just for Manuel or have you been here all day?"

She gave a shrug. "This has been an exceptionally long day. I had office hours this morning, surgeries this afternoon and a complication that kept me here." At his look she was quick to assure him, "Not for anyone who had tubes inserted in their ears."

Shep smiled the first smile that had come naturally since he'd entered the emergency room. "You knew I was going to ask."

"You're the type who would."

"Type?"

"You care, Mr. McGraw. You ask questions and you want answers. That's a good type to be when you're a parent." There was admiration in her voice.

"You're going to have to practice using my given name."

Another blush stained her cheeks. "Maybe I will. I'll walk you out."

As they strode side-by-side to the reception area once more, Manuel stilled on Shep's shoulder. He could tell the little boy was almost falling asleep. His crying had exhausted him.

Raina must have seen that, because as they stopped at the entrance to the hallway leading to the pharmacy, she peered around Shep's shoulder at Manuel's face and then gently patted him on the back. "I imagine he'll get more sleep tonight than you will."

"You probably imagine right."

Standing there like that, staring down into her eyes, Shep felt totally unsettled. His gut tightened, his collar felt too restrictive and he was overcome by a desire to kiss her.

He was absolutely crazy.

A woman like Raina Greystone Gibson wouldn't give a man like him a second look. Her husband had been a hero.

And Shep?

He was no hero...and because of his past, he never would be.

#

The following Wednesday, Raina hurried to the day surgery waiting room. Manuel had been her last surgery of the day, and she was eager to bring his father good news. However, when she reached the doorway to the waiting room she stopped cold as her gaze went immediately to an obviously nervous Shep McGraw.

To her dismay she felt flustered, knowing she was going to have to talk to him again. That was ridiculous! She didn't fluster easily. But something about this tall, lean cowboy got to her and she couldn't figure out why. Since Clark had died, no man had made her feel much of anything. But then the way Clark had died probably had something to do with that.

Closing her mind to memories she didn't revisit often, she watched Shep McGraw for a few seconds. He sat alone, away from the others in the waiting room, staring at the cable channel news on the TV. But she could tell he wasn't really absorbing what he was watching. He'd checked his watch twice since she'd stood in the doorway.

Why did he get to her? Because he was such a concerned dad? Shep had had such a difficult time stepping away from Manuel to let the baby be taken to surgery. Still, she'd seen concerned fathers before. Maybe he got to her because he was a single dad doing the best he could with three boys he was adopting. That had to be it.

After all, she knew Manuel's story because Shep had given her the baby's history the first time she'd treated him. Manuel had gone into foster care malnourished and sickly when he was almost seventeen months old. A month after that, Shep had received a call from a contact working in the system who'd told him about Manuel and asked if he was interested in adopting a third child. Shep had gone to see Manuel and made the decision on the spot. Thanks goodness the toddler's mother had finally cared enough to sign away her parental rights. Manuel's father was nowhere to be found.

Raina suspected some particular motivation drove Shep to save children from the system. She was becoming more and more curious what that motivation could be.

Not for the first time, Raina reminded herself her interest couldn't have anything to do with Shep's six-foot height, dark brown hair, the very blue eyes that reminded her of a Texas sky on a clear summer day. He could probably crook his finger at a multitude of women and they'd come running. But he wasn't crooking his finger, and she wondered why. She'd heard he was well off. He'd bought a huge ranch on the outskirts of Sagebrush, invested in a barn full of horses, remodeled the house and refurbished the barn. He'd also purchased a business—a lumberyard. He might look like a cowboy on the exterior, but inside she got the feeling he was a shrewd businessman. He'd supposedly sold commercial real estate in California before moving to Sagebrush and made a bundle. Yet he didn't flaunt his wealth. In fact, the locals said he spent a good bit of time at the lumberyard as well as on his ranch.

He glanced at the doorway. Spotting her, he was on his feet in an instant.

She stepped a few paces to the side of the doorway for a little privacy, faced him and smiled. "Manuel came through the procedure with flying colors. He's in recovery. If you'd like to come sit by his bed while he wakes up, that's fine. After he's aware that you're there, we'll wait another half hour or so until the anesthesia wears off. Then you can take him home."

"Just a half hour? Are you sure he'll be okay? And you said something about instruction sheets and eardrops."

Impulsively she reached out and clasped his arm. "Shep, he'll be fine. We won't let you leave without the instruction sheets."

As her fingers made contact with his tanned skin, sensations registered from her fingertips to her brain—his heat, the strength of the muscle in his forearm, the tingling in her belly that seemed to come from nowhere. His eyes met hers and for a moment they were both aware of the contact. She quickly released his arm.

He was wearing a Stetson and he took it off now and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it. "Will you take me to him?"

"Sure."

They walked side by side down the hall. Shep was six inches taller than she was—a couple of inches taller than Clark. But where Clark had been husky, Shep was lean. Clark had worked out with weights to keep his body in prime condition for his job. But she had the feeling Shep McGraw's muscles came from his work on the ranch and at his lumberyard.

She shook her head to clear it from such insane thoughts. "Will your housekeeper be available this evening?"

Shep arched a brow at Raina.

"I just wondered if she'll be helping to care for Manuel tonight."

"More than likely she'll keep Roy and Joey busy so that I can take care of Manuel. Eva often jokes that I moved from laid-back California to wild west Texas never expecting life to be as unpredictable as it has been. But I don't regret one day of it and I don't think she does, either. I'll show her anything you show me, in case she needs to know."

"Is she...older?" Raina asked, telling herself she needed the information for purely professional reasons.

"Don't let her hear you say she's older," he joked with a wry smile. It was a crooked smile that made Raina's pulse beat just a little faster. "She's in her fifties," he went on, "but won't say exactly where in her fifties."

Raina chuckled. "She sounds like a woman after my own heart. We should never have to divulge our age."

"Let me guess," Shep said. "You're thirty-seven."

"How did you—?"

"Gotcha," he teased. "I have a friend who's a doc in Santa Fe. I know how long med school took him. And you started practicing here after your residency, right?"

"A year and a half ago," she confirmed with a nod.

"That's about when Joey and Roy came to live with me."

"And Manuel joined you six months ago."

"That's right. It's been a roller coaster ride."

She laughed. "You're a brave man, Shep McGraw, taking in three boys and having the confidence to raise them."

"Confidence or insanity," he muttered.

She laughed again.

They reached a door with big black letters—AUTHORIZED ADMITTANCE ONLY. Raina opened the door and let Shep inside. He spotted Manuel right away and made a beeline for him, Raina hurrying to catch up. She glanced at the monitors, then asked the nurse at Manuel's bedside, "How's he doing?"

"He's doing great."

Shep caught a stray stool with the toe of his boot and dragged it to Manuel's bedside. He sank down on it and took the little boy's hand. "How are you doing, kiddo? There's nothing to worry about now. I'm here and we're going home soon."

"Home?" Manuel repeated, his eyes still a little unfocused.

"Yep, home. Joey and Roy and Eva are waiting for us."

Raina went to a side counter, picking up a sheaf of papers. She brought them over to Shep, then went over the instructions for giving Manuel the eardrops and changing the cotton in his ears. "Everything's explained here. If he runs a fever or if anything seems out of the ordinary, call me immediately. My service can page me."

Shep's attention shifted from her to his son in the bed. His gaze ran over Manuel—from the little gown he was wearing to the cotton in his ears.

Shep was quiet for a moment, then he swiveled around on the stool to face her. "Are you done here for the day?"

"Yes, I'm off to run some errands. But as I said my service can always contact me."

"How would you like to do something a little more exciting than running errands?"

"And what would that be?" She was really curious.

"How would you like to come to the Red Creek Ranch and get a taste of just how wild the West can be?"