The Whispering Willow Cowboy Collection

Ten years ago, she became pregnant. Unsuspecting, he left town to become a pro-football star. When he returns, will his secret baby bring two hearts together?

At sixteen, Jessie Garrison became pregnant after a one-night stand. Now, she’s the mother of a beautiful little girl. She does her best as a single parent, but every man she falls for leaves, unwilling to be a father. When Trace comes back unexpectedly, Jessie knows she can’t keep her secret from him. But what will happen if she includes her daughter’s father in their lives?

After an injury caused him to turn back from football, Trace Gunner returns home to help his cousin with personal problems and runs into his one-night stand and her daughter—who looks just like him. When he learns he has a child he never knew, his life changes, and he’s desperate to make up for lost time.

Jessie falls hard for Trace, but she will do anything she can to protect her child, even take her away. Will Trace manage to hold on to his daughter and sweep her mother off her feet? Or will everything he didn’t realize he wanted most disappear?

“Don’t keep talking to my parents about Nellie.” Jessie’s voice was firm, but her hands tightened into fists at her sides, a habit she couldn’t shake when old wounds were reopened.

Jack frowned, his wrinkles deepening in his weather-beaten skin. “Jess, your mother—”

“Kicked me out. Kicked us out. If I didn’t have you, I would’ve been living on the streets. My parents disowned me. They don’t deserve to know how my daughter’s doing. Talk about me. But Nellie? Leave her out.”

She hadn’t spoken to her parents since they disowned her, and she had no intention of letting them know anything about Nellie. She glanced over at her ten-year-old daughter, riding a horse for the first time today. A pang of protectiveness mixed with lingering hurt twisted in her chest. The late afternoon sun cast golden rays across the vast expanse of green pasture that surrounded them, painting a breathtaking picture as the Kiamichi Mountains stood tall and majestic in the distance over their small ranch town. The air was tinged with the earthy aroma mixed with the distinct smell of horses.

“Mama, this is fun!” Nellie exclaimed, her face lighting up with an infectious joy that could brighten the darkest of days.

“Hey, Nell, we’d better get Dinah back to the stables,” Jack called out.

Her brows furrowed as she frowned. “Can’t we go a little longer?”

Jack offered Nellie a warm, indulgent smile. “Sorry, kiddo, I need to head on out.” He looked at Jessie and winked. “The wife’s going to send out a search party if I don’t get home. You know how Sheri Ann worries.”

Jessie forced a smile. “Then I guess you’d better say your goodbyes. Thank you so much for coming over to teach her. It means a lot to her. And me.”

“It was my pleasure.” Jack reached his arm to Jessie, pulling her into a tight embrace. She stayed there for a moment, a sense of protection washing over her that only Jack could give. He wasn’t her father, but he’d helped shape her life in ways only a dad could. With a sigh, she let go and looked up at Nellie.

“Honey, why don’t you go on into the house, okay? Don’t you have homework?”

“But, Mom!”

“Nellie…” Jessie’s warning resulted in a very audible sigh.

“Fine.”

Jack helped Nellie off Dinah, and when she was about to take off for the house, Jessie called out to her.
“Nell, what do you say?”

Nellie turned around. “Oh, yeah. Thank you for teaching me, Jack. It was fun.”

“We’ll do it again, okay? Maybe tomorrow, if there’s time.”

“Okay!” Nellie turned again and sprinted away, soon disappearing into the small house. It bore the marks of time, with peeling paint revealing aged wood beneath. But Jessie didn’t mind. It held many precious memories for her—memories she’d never trade, no matter how she earned them. Her house was small and needed repairs, but Jack was slowly taking care of it. How her home looked never bothered her. It took a lot of effort to afford a comfortable dwelling.

Jessie faced Jack again with a chuckle. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re a true lifesaver, you know that?”

“Yes.” Jack smiled at her. “I do know.”

He was almost thirty years her senior, and she didn’t have a clue what she’d do without him. When she’d gotten pregnant at fifteen, he was the one who was there for her. And throughout the years, he’d continued to be there for her as a confidant and father.

“You’re an amazing mother, Jessie. I don’t think I tell you that enough. You’ve come a long way from that scared little girl to a beautiful grown woman, raising an equally amazing little girl.”

“I appreciate that.” Jessie paused for several seconds. Jack’s earlier words and the past she was trying to leave behind surfaced in her mind.

“Need anything before I head out?” Jack asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“No. I’m good.”

He hesitated, rubbing Dinah’s mane. “I know it’s none of my business, but you should know that people are talking. About you and Alex. Everything okay, honey?”

Jessie shook her head, her heart squeezing a little. She wasn’t sure she loved Alex, but her separation from him was tough. And the people in the town were talking about her. They always did, and they probably always will. Jessie didn’t care anymore. She interacted only with those who were a support to her and Nellie. Everyone else? Well, they could continue guessing at what happened behind closed doors. None of the talk she heard was true. Jessie had too much respect for herself.