A Rancher's Pride - At First Sight

Welcome to “At First Sight Saturday.” Today’s guest is author, Barbara White Daille, who gives us a ‘first sight’ scene from her book A Little in Love with Death and introduces us to hero, Sam Robertson and heroine, Kayla Ward. Be sure to leave a comment to let Barbara know your thoughts about the scene….

Rue – thanks so much for hosting me today!

This scene I’m sharing is from the hero’s point of view. Sam Robertson has just gained custody of a four-year-old daughter he’d never known he had. Though he doesn’t have a clue about how to be her daddy, he already loves his child. Then Kayla Ward shows up at his doorstep, wanting to take Becky away. . .

Excerpt: The woman in the driveway wore a bright pink T-shirt. A skimpy cotton jacket and a brand-new pair of jeans called attention to curves that even stiff denim couldn’t hide.

Sam gave himself a mental shake. You’d think he hadn’t seen a woman since his divorce. Heck, he had plenty of female friends—even if a good number of them had reached the age to collect their retirement pay.

“Man,” Jack said, “if that’s new hired help, she can help me out any time.”

Sam frowned. “I don’t know who she is.”

He took one last look at Becky. She had climbed onto the wooden swing at the far side of the back porch, well out of sight of anyone out at the road. Close by her, at the opposite side of the yard, Sharleen stood taking wind-blown sheets off the line.

He crossed the yard and headed toward the front of the house at a lope, taking in the woman as he neared her. She looked even better close up. Long, golden-brown hair the color of honey pine. Eyes the blue of a lake in winter. And those curves. Whoa.

He’d never seen a vision like this one before, and he knew every soul in Flagman’s Folly.

“I’m Sam Robertson. What can I do for you?”

As she looked at him, those blue eyes froze over.

A warning bell rang somewhere deep in his memory. “Don’t I know you?”

“You should. I’m Kayla Ward.”

“As in Ronnie Ward?”

She nodded. “I’m her sister. You don’t recognize me?”

He looked closer. His insides tightened and his pulse picked up. Yeah, he remembered her now, no matter how briefly he’d seen her the first time they’d crossed paths.

He should have known her instantly. The one and only time in his life he’d seen her had been branded into his mind. But back then, her face hadn’t mattered to him. It was her actions that had rocked him. That had stuck with him through the years. She had helped Ronnie pack up and head out. Had walked off with his wife and—if only he’d known it—his daughter.

It would be just like his ex to send her here again, claiming she’d changed her mind about Becky.

Well, if this woman thought she’d waltz in here and take his daughter away, she had another think coming.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

She glanced past him toward Jack and the barn. “Can we talk inside?”

He opened his mouth to snap a negative reply, then shut it again. Aware that Becky played just around the corner, he nodded. Better not to let this woman get anywhere near her.

He gestured for Kayla to go ahead of him.

Inside the house, he had to clear their path of a couple of pillows left on the living room floor. He tossed them onto the couch. With Becky around, already he’d noticed the changes in the orderliness of this place. And of his life.

As for the woman in front of him…

Well, he’d take care of this situation the same way he dealt with trouble on the ranch—one crisis at a time. Only, lately, it seemed the catastrophes had a way of piling up.

“What do you want?” he repeated.

“I want Becky.”

He nodded. “That figures. Ronnie sent you, right? She changed her mind already?” He laughed scornfully. “She dumped Becky off on me, in case you didn’t know.”

“I do know.” She reached up, slicked a hank of hair behind her ear, then clasped her hands together. Every move made it obvious she was gearing up for something. “I’m here to bring Becky home again.”

“You—” In spite of knowing what she had to be up to, the words hit him hard. He glared down at her, his jaw clenched tight. Took effort to swallow, to speak. He didn’t bother to keep his tone civil. “Not gonna happen.” No way.

No one would ever take his daughter from him again.

Blurb: His Whole World Is In Her Hands

Sam Robertson’s life just changed. In one short day, he found out that he’s a daddy; that his beautiful little girl, Becky, is deaf; and that her aunt, sign language teacher Kayla Ward, intends to fight him for custody.

There are plenty of reasons Sam shouldn’t fall for Kayla. A city girl like her has no place on his ranch, particularly when she’s his ex-wife’s gorgeous sister. But thanks to the judge’s orders, Sam’s spending a lot of time with Kayla, trying to give Becky the stable home she’s never known.

Despite their ongoing custody battle, Sam and Kayla’s love for Becky brings them closer than they ever expected, and Sam knows that no matter who wins in court, he could still lose—Kayla or his daughter.

Find A Rancher’s Pride at most major retailers, including:

Amazon http://bit.ly/Amazon-ARanchersPride-BarbaraWhiteDaille

About Barbara: Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life: https://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.