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won’t find out about it.”
    â€œYou have to be dreaming. Daddy has a sixth sense for this sort of thing. Not to mention the fact that Justin and I already know about it. I had to tell Hank I was coming here on my way to work at the hospital. Who knows how many people Justin has spoken to? And Cord is at this very moment out at White Pines meeting with whom?”
    â€œDaddy, more than likely.”
    Lizzy grinned. “Oh, yes, indeed, Uncle Cody isdefinitely known for his discretion. Add it up, sweetie, and you’re in big trouble.”
    â€œCord is being interviewed by my father,” Sharon Lynn reiterated. “Not Grandpa Harlan.”
    Lizzy chuckled. “And you think that’s an improvement?”
    Sharon Lynn sighed. “Okay, maybe not much of one. Maybe Cord won’t mention having met me.”
    â€œDid you swear him to secrecy?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIf you were hoping to get hired on by the biggest rancher in the state, wouldn’t you use the fact that you happen to know his daughter?”
    â€œOkay, maybe, but it’s not like we’re old friends or anything. We just met.”
    â€œAnd rescued a baby together. It’s a bond, sweetie, the kind that will set off all sorts of wild speculation around White Pines. There’s no getting around it.”
    It was a bond, Sharon Lynn thought with a sigh. Cord’s tenderness with the baby had touched her heart. His outrage and indignation had been every bit a match for her own. Beyond that? She refused to look beyond that. She wasn’t remotely interested in allowing a new man into her life, especially not a charming stranger who might be all too capable of slipping past her defenses. She’d lived amidst charming rogues and scoundrels all her life. She wasn’t interested in dating one. That’s why Kyle, the polar opposite of the men in her family, had held such strong appeal for her. Judging from Lizzy’s expression, she hadn’t yet made herself clear enough. She tried again.
    â€œLizzy, for a woman with a practical, scientific mind, you’re talking like the ultimate romantic. Get a grip. Cord Branson is a total stranger.”
    â€œHe might have been when he walked into Dolan’s last night, but something tells me he isn’t now.”
    â€œYou’re imagining things.”
    â€œWe’ll see,” Lizzy predicted. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned the last couple of years, it’s that fate has a sneaky way of turning life upside down when you least expect it. Jamey is proof enough of that.”
    Sharon Lynn could certainly testify to that, too, but her experience with fate wasn’t something she had any intention of repeating. She was in total control of her life these days and she intended to stay that way. She said as much to Lizzy.
    â€œAnd this time yesterday were you cuddling a baby in your arms and trying to figure out how you were going to juggle your schedule at Dolan’s and care for her?”
    â€œNo, but—”
    Lizzy grinned. “I rest my case.” She slipped on her coat, then leaned down to brush a kiss across Sharon Lynn’s cheek. “See you, sweetie. Call if you need any help. If I’m not around, talk to Hank. He’s the baby expert, anyway. He’ll probably insist you bring this little princess out to the ranch to play with Jamey.”
    Sharon Lynn grinned. “I think this one might be a little young for play-dates, don’t you?”
    â€œI do, but Hank won’t. Promise you’ll call if you need anything.”
    â€œThanks. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
    Lizzy’s expression sobered then. She picked up Sharon Lynn’s hand and pressed it against her cheek. “Don’t get too attached, okay? It would be easy to do. Nobody could blame you, but—”
    â€œI know,” Sharon Lynn responded bleakly. “It can only end in heartbreak. I’ve