Rent-A-Dad Read online

  The Lost Springs Ranch for troubled boys is at stake, and it’s a man’s duty to give back...

  So there’s going to be an auction!

  Bachelor #11

  Name: Russ Hall

  Occupation: Architect

  Biggest Achievement: Not getting caught at the altar.

  Why in the world had Melissa Bright bought a bachelor? Between running a business and caring for her daughter, she barely had time to breathe. And what would Russ Hall do when he found out she had a baby? He’d expect candlelight and romance. Instead, he’d find bottles, diapers—and a little girl who would bring this bachelor to his knees….

  Sugar Spinelli’s

  Little Instruction Book

  I can’t believe my eyes! Look over there, Theda. Isn’t that Melissa Bright? I heard tell she lost her fiancé not long ago. And her in the family way, too, bless her heart. What do you suppose she’s doing here? Oh, my Lord! It looks like she’s planning to buy her baby a new daddy. I don’t know what the world’s coming to. Even if Melissa’s pretty enough to get that cowboy to hang around for a few days, forever’s going to cost her a whole lot more.…

  Dear Reader,

  We just knew you wouldn’t want to miss the news event that has all of Wyoming abuzz. There’s a herd of eligible bachelors on their way to Lightning Creek—and they’re all for sale!

  Cowboy, park ranger, rancher, P.I.—they all grew up at Lost Springs Ranch, and every one of these mavericks has his price, so long as the money’s going to help keep Lost Springs afloat.

  The auction is about to begin! Young and old, every woman in the state wants in on the action, so pony up some cash and join the fun. The man of your dreams might just be up for grabs.…

  Marsha Zinberg

  Editorial Coordinator,

  Heart of the West

  Rent-A-Dad

  Judy Christenberry

  A Note from the Author

  When I was asked to contribute to the Heart of the West continuity series, I was really excited. After all, I’d read Montana Mavericks, Delta Justice and Crystal Creek. To be a part of one of these special series was a dream come true.

  Then came the hard part…which turned out not to be so bad at all: I had to write the book. But I had such fun creating these characters that giving them a happy ending was a pleasure—and a challenge. We, the readers, know that Melissa and Russ belong together. But try telling them that….

  I’ve discovered that most of my stories center around a family—building one, finding one, living with one. I’m a firm believer that the family is one of the most important things in life. So it’s no surprise that those close relationships once again play a predominant role in Rent-A-Dad. Little Mandy will never lack a father’s love. Melissa gains a sexy partner for life. And Russ will never have to be alone again.

  So, for the price of a bachelor, everybody’s happy. I hope that once you’ve finished Rent-A-Dad, you will be, too.

  Enjoy,

  Judy Christenberry

  This book is dedicated to my dear friend

  Barbara Harrison, who cheers me on, no matter what, and offers a shoulder to cry on when I need it. Thanks, Barbara, for always being there for me.

  Judy Christenberry is acknowledged

  as the author of this work.

  Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  “ARE YOU SURE I SHOULD dress as a cowboy?” Russ Hall surveyed himself in the mirror, noting the tight jeans, boots, leather vest and work shirt. “I’m an architect now.”

  Lindsay Duncan stared at him assessingly. “Well, I suppose we could dress you as a construction worker, but—”

  “Never mind.” What difference did it make? He might be an architect now, but he’d spent enough time as a kid chasing cows. He felt comfortable in these clothes.

  And if dressing like a cowboy made more money for the Lost Springs Ranch for Boys, it was the least he could do. After all, he owed just about everything he had to Lost Springs. The ranch had become his home at the age of four, when his mother had abandoned him.

  If it weren’t for that, no way in hell would he go through with this bachelor auction business. But the ranch’s finances were at an all-time low, and Russ would do whatever he could to help, even if that meant being sold to the highest bidder. At least it was only for a weekend.

  Most disturbing of all were the memories that had flooded him on his return to Wyoming. Once he’d gotten a scholarship and gone to Chicago, he’d never come back to Lost Springs.

  “I’m so glad you’re here, Russ,” Lindsay said, patting his shoulder. The two of them had stayed close friends. Lindsay’s parents had operated the ranch until their death a few yeas ago, and now Lindsay herself was in charge.

  Guilt filled Russ. When he left the ranch, he’d wanted to put his past behind him. Memories of his mother and her abandonment were too disturbing to confront. “Sorry, Lindsay. Guess I got involved in my career.” He smiled at her. It did feel good to see her.

  Maybe the time was right to come back to Wyoming. When he’d stepped off the plane two days ago, a strange feeling of homecoming had filled him. A feeling he had difficulty recognizing because he didn’t really have a home. Certainly not his sterile condo in Chicago.

  “Just one more thing,” Lindsay added, stepping closer.

  Before Russ knew what was happening, she’d undone all but the last button on his shirt.

  “Hey!” he protested. “What are you doing?”

  “Showcasing your sex appeal,” she said with a grin. “We’ll make more money that way.”

  You’re doing this to make money, Russ reminded himself. This is for the ranch. But he suddenly felt like a hunk of cheese set out for the mice.

  * * *

  MELISSA BRIGHT QUESTIONED her sanity. What was she doing at a bachelor auction? Was she crazy? She stared down at the list she’d made a few minutes ago, waiting for the auction to begin. All the logical reasons for her attending the auction were there.

  Publicity for her business, a donation for the ranch, the chance to help out a friend. She’d met Lindsay Duncan, the owner of Lost Springs Ranch, through Melissa’s fiancé, Greg, and they’d become fast friends. That friendship had deepened with their mutual mourning after Greg’s death in a traffic accident over four months ago.

  Before that time, she and Greg had discussed using the auction to gain publicity for her greeting card business. Bidding on a bachelor to model for her cards would not only help her fledgling company but benefit the ranch, as well. Greg had even teased her about falling for one of the hunks.

  There was no chance of that. Her heart had belonged to Greg and still did. A kinder, gentler man had not existed, making his untimely death impossible to accept.

  She eyed some of the women around her as they whispered among themselves. Most were dressed casually in jeans and vests, although some had gone all out for the occasion. The redhead next to her wore a revealin
g scarlet cocktail dress. She certainly wanted to draw attention to herself.

  Melissa looked down at her conservative navy-blue suit. She sure couldn’t compete with the other woman’s plunging neckline.

  Taped music suddenly filled the air, alerting the audience that the auction was about to start. Lindsay stepped on stage to welcome the crowd packing the bleachers, and Melissa drew a shaky breath.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us today,” Lindsay began.

  Melissa stared at the paper in her hand, trying to concentrate on her list.

  “—volunteered their services for a fantasy weekend of the woman’s choice—”

  Melissa sighed. She hoped her “hunk” wouldn’t be upset with her plans. They hardly qualified as fantasy.

  “Let the bachelor auction begin!” Lindsay finished to rousing applause.

  Melissa drew a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Someone who would draw publicity for her company, first of all. She nibbled her bottom lip as the auctioneer introduced the first bachelor.

  The women around her went wild when the sexy man took Lindsay’s hand and lifted it to his lips for a courtly kiss. He was a doctor, and breathtakingly handsome, but Melissa was more entertained by the behavior of the women around her. There was such exuberance and enjoyment of life in their rowdiness that it made her own spirits lift.

  Sometime later, a cowboy stepped up to the stage. Tall, muscular, he was dressed in western clothes, his shirt unbuttoned down his admittedly magnificent chest. What on earth would she do with a cowboy?

  Suddenly she lifted her arm in the air. Of course! A sexy cowboy would be the perfect prototype for her line of greeting cards.

  * * *

  WHEN RUSS HEARD THE WORD sold, he grinned. He’d brought a good price. His smile disappeared when the woman who’d purchased him stood to go pay for her bid.

  She was pregnant.

  He hurried off the stage, his gaze zeroing in on his old friend Lindsay. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  “You did great!” Lindsay assured him. Then she turned to the next bachelor.

  “That’s not what I mean, Lindsay. The woman’s pregnant. How am I supposed to romance a pregnant woman?”

  “She’s pregnant?” Lindsay asked, spinning around to face him. “Did she have dark hair?”

  “Yeah, with sad brown eyes. You know her?”

  “Oh, Russ, it’s my friend Melissa. Don’t worry, she’s not looking for romance. She’s going to use you as a model for her business, if you agree, and for publicity.”

  “Of course I’ll agree. She’s paying. But—”

  “Don’t worry,” Lindsay interrupted him. “You’ll like her. She’s very sweet.”

  Sweet? Russ stood there in shock as Lindsay was summoned by someone outside the arena.

  Sweet? He’d figured he’d be with someone fun, interesting, enticing. Maybe even hot. But sweet?

  He equated sweet with boring. He worried the sweet lady who’d just purchased a weekend of his time would make him want to give up women entirely.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Almost one year later

  RUSS HALL SCANNED his mail as he removed his suit coat. When the postmark from Wyoming caught his eye, he paused. He didn’t correspond with many friends in his home state. And if he did, they sent their correspondence to his high-rise apartment, not the office.

  He opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. After scanning it, he sat in his desk chair and reread it carefully.

  Damn. The lady was calling in her chips. That auction he’d participated in last June was finally coming home to roost. The bachelor weekends were supposed to be redeemed within one year, and the lady with the sad eyes was slipping just under the wire.

  He’d thought about her the past year...more than he’d expected. He remembered Lindsay saying something about him modeling for the woman’s company. He’d forgotten what kind of company it was. Suddenly he wondered if he was going to be asked to do something...erotic. No, he instantly dismissed that idea. Lindsay had described the woman as sweet. Sweet and erotic didn’t match up. Sweet and pregnant definitely didn’t point in that direction.

  Another thought occurred to him. When he’d returned to Wyoming for the auction, he’d been surprised by the sense of satisfaction that had filled him. While there, he’d even considered relocating permanently. Then, when he’d flown back to Chicago, he’d gotten caught up in the demands of his job and forgotten all about it.

  But there’d been an edge of restlessness since his trip last summer. He’d shoved it aside, tried to pretend everything was all right.

  Maybe he’d been waiting until he had to return to Wyoming once again. Maybe while he was there, fulfilling the terms of the auction, he’d think about moving back once more. Going home...

  * * *

  “OH, MANDY, NO!” Melissa protested just before her box of dusting powder hit the bathroom floor. Mandy, seven months old, blinked in surprise. Then her face contorted into the saddest look in creation and big tears rolled down her baby cheeks.

  “Don’t cry, sweetie. It’s Mommy’s fault for leaving it on the side of the tub.” Melissa gathered her daughter in her arms, dusting off the powder that had splashed on Mandy. “Besides,” she added with a laugh, “it makes you smell good.”

  With determination, she walked away from the mess. She didn’t have time to clean it up. Her guest’s plane was due at the Casper airport in half an hour and she didn’t want to be late. After all, this was Mandy’s Mother’s Day gift to her.

  Last June, when she’d bid on the bachelor, she’d only been thinking in terms of using him for her greeting card company, Wyoming Bright. But after seven months as a single mom, Melissa had decided she could use a break.

  And what better time than Mother’s Day?

  She was going to turn the sexy bachelor into a glorified baby-sitter for just one morning so she could sleep past sunrise. That was going to be her baby’s gift to her.

  One glorious morning of uninterrupted sleep.

  Not that she would leave her precious child to the care of someone she didn’t know. She was staying put the entire weekend. She wasn’t foolish enough to think a single architect from Chicago would know anything about baby care. But she would teach him. Even just one morning of sleeping in would be worth it.

  Oh, the heaven of that thought stopped her in her tracks.

  She wasn’t a morning person, but Mandy was. She and the sun got up every morning at six o’clock. Melissa hoped that by Sunday her sexy bachelor would have convinced her he could care for Mandy long enough to let her mommy sleep in.

  “What a waste of testosterone!” Melissa said out loud, giggling at the thought.

  Mandy patted her cheek and cooed.

  Smiling at her baby, Melissa sent up a silent prayer of gratitude. Yes, they were happy. She’d recovered from the death of Mandy’s father. The pain was still there, but it was bearable, and she’d learned to laugh again for the sake of her child.

  She only had one thing left to deal with from that desolate period of her life: Mr. Bachelor. She had a lot of ideas for him, though the main one was relief from twenty-four-hour parenting duties. It probably wasn’t exactly what he’d expected when he’d volunteered for the auction, but she sure hoped he had a sympathetic nature—and a sense of humor.

  If he was agreeable, she also wanted to take some photos of him in his cowboy garb. Some of her greeting cards were drawn, but more and more, the public seemed to like photographs. She envisioned a hunky cowboy in an old bathtub, his chest naked above the water. Maybe that idea had been inspired by the cowboy’s open shirt at the auction.

  She shrugged aside the erotic appeal. She wasn’t interested in the man’s physical attributes, but if the
y sold more cards, she wouldn’t object. But would he?

  Somehow, she wasn’t even sure she’d have the nerve to ask him to pose. She’d thought about offering to pay him for his services. But he was a successful architect. Probably, he would refuse.

  Raising her chin, she stared sightlessly at the wall. She’d faced challenges before. Her parents had died within a week of each other of a rare viral infection her senior year in college. For months, she’d spun out of control, unable to make a decision, unsure where to turn.

  Then she’d found Greg. He’d been her anchor. He might not have been the hunk those bachelors were, but he’d been the center of her universe. He’d made her whole.

  Then he’d died, too.

  But she hadn’t let go of his guidance. It had been Greg’s suggestion to purchase a bachelor. He had been the one who had convinced her the card company would eventually be a success. And Greg had believed she could be a good parent.

  She was trying.

  Somehow, she’d find a way to use this weekend to her advantage.

  “Let’s go collect our cowboy, okay, Mandy? And then we’ll turn him into a houseboy. What fun!”

  * * *

  RUSS FROWNED AS HE ENTERED the airport. The flight had seemed interminable. His seatmate had been a young woman with a baby who cried most of the trip. He’d asked the flight attendant if he could move, but the flight was fully booked.

  Now he had a raging headache.

  Disgruntled, he looked around for the woman who had clung to his memories for almost a year. His gaze passed over a brunette holding a baby, then flashed back as he realized she also held a sign. With his name on it.

  How stupid of him. Somehow he’d expected her to still be pregnant, frozen in time, but that was ridiculous. It had been ten months since the auction and she’d been showing then.

  “Mr. Hall?” she said, her beautiful voice rising in expectation.

  The mysterious Ms. Bright. The bachelors had been asked to provide a luxurious weekend for their purchaser. Although it was ladies’ choice, Russ had been prepared to offer a weekend in Chicago, tickets to see the Bulls, museum tours, whatever Ms. Bright desired.