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    Substitute Daddy
    Substitute Daddy
    Substitute Daddy
    Ebook105 pages2 hours

    Substitute Daddy

    By Dahlia Rose

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Rancher Matthew Ryder knew how to make money work for him. From the time he was twenty, he turned his father’s failing business into a multi billion-dollar enterprise. Computers, software, finances, and corporate takeovers, he could handle them all. But nothing said home to him like leaving the city behind and heading to his ranch in Nevada. His father’s love of horses was his, and he had the best horseflesh and cattle in the state. But when tragedy strikes, and his best friend was killed in an accident on the ranch just before Christmas, Matthew was left wondering what life was about. In town he found a pregnant fiancée that Lance never spoke about, and he wondered what other secrets was kept from him. Matthew found himself wanting to protect the beauty and her unborn child. He’d made a fortune and still something was missing. Maybe she and her baby were the people to fill that void.

    Grace Reid was an ebony beauty who carried herself with poise. She was heading back to Georgia the day Lance was killed. He was a cheating, lying bastard, and she was better off raising the baby alone. She had fully intended to be at her mama’s for Christmas, but her doctor had already given her the bad news that she was too far along to travel, and now she was stuck in Roman, Nevada. With her money dwindling and no prospects, Matthew Ryder came knocking on her door. It seemed that Lance had kept secrets from them both. She went from living in Lance's dingy apartment to waiting to have her baby in a mansion on a ranch. With the attraction between her and Matthew, she wondered if she was making another stupid mistake. Did he see her as another thing he could buy with his money, or did he really care? She had her baby to think about. Being tossed aside when he got bored wasn’t an option. Would love or money win when the day was done?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDahlia Rose
    Release dateNov 8, 2015
    ISBN9781310607776
    Substitute Daddy
    Author

    Dahlia Rose

    Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary, military and paranormal romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,” and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. With over six dozen books published Dahlia has become a reader favorite. Not only because of her writing but her vivacious attitude in talking to her fans online and at various events. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books. http://hearttoheartwithdahliarose.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/author.dahliarose www.twitter.com/dahliarose1029

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      Book preview

      Substitute Daddy - Dahlia Rose

      Chapter One

      It was a dry heat, not like the city where the building backed the breeze and made the air stale and muggy. Matthew loved Nevada. New York was for business, and when he was at the ranch, it was definitely pleasure he felt. It had nothing to do with the fact that Ryder Ranch had the best breeding horses across the state and it made him money hand over fist. He loved waking up to the smell of hay and watching the sun rise over the desert. Today, standing on the white wraparound verandah, looking out over the corral was one of those days where life felt good. But there was still an empty place in his heart. He could almost close his eyes and see children running around the house and scrambling up the steps.

      You in your daydream again? Lance asked as he came around the side of the house.

      Lance was his best friend and head ranch hand. When Matthew was away it was Lance who kept the ranch running like a well-oiled machine. His cocky swagger and tousled, curly, sandy blond hair had all the girls in town swooning. That, and when he gave them that crooked grin they were like putty in his hand. Lance wasn’t selective, and, simply put, he was a man whore. Even so, he was a true friend, and Matthew could trust him with his life.

      Unlike you, I’m looking for something more than a flavor of the month, Matthew drawled. Christmas is about to be your season of plenty, I suppose.

      Yes, it is! Yes, it is! Last night was vanilla. Lance kissed his fingers. I had seconds and thirds...

      Matthew held up his hand to stop the words he knew were coming. Please, let me enjoy my coffee without the images you were planning on detailing.

      Spoilsport. Lance grinned. Anyway, I’ve got the new herd ready to head out into the north pastures.

      Is the Arabian ready to stud? Matthew asked. Springtime next year I want him breeding.

      Just like— Lance began.

      Eh, I don’t want to hear it, Matthew replied and began to walk away.

      I was going to ride Drago up to the pastures, Lance said.

      That stopped Matthew in his tracks. Drago was a beautiful stallion, but he also had a mean streak a mile long. Riding him was dependent on his mood, and most of the time the stallion refused to be ridden. He’d thrown Matthew more times than he could count and he was an expert rider. Lance was too, but lately Drago had been impossible to deal with, and Matthew wondered if he would have to sell the beautiful chestnut-colored horse.

      He’s been evil for the past few weeks, Matthew said. I think you should let him be and give him his space. He is not in the holiday mood.

      Maybe if he went up to pasture and hit one or two of those mares in heat, he’d be more sociable, Lance said.

      He did last year and his disposition still sucks, Matthew pointed out. How about we leave him to himself? Or herd him in with the rest? Don’t ride him.

      I’m a big boy, Matthew. I can manage Drago. Lance’s voice took on the stubborn tone that he knew very well.

      Yes, you can, but for my peace of mind, leave him be, Matthew said. He’s got rage in his eyes today. I’m man enough to admit that I fear the fucking animal sometimes.

      Lance hooked his fingers into his belt loop and grinned. That’s the difference between you and me. I don’t have fear.

      Matthew felt the bite of irritation at Lance’s cocky words. He loved his friend, but he could be a dick on occasion, a showboat who really could push his buttons.

      Well, you and your no fear attitude stay off Drago today. That’s an order, Matthew said in a tone that meant no nonsense and strode into the house.

      Maybe he should’ve made doubly sure Lance didn’t do the exact opposite of what he had said or maybe he should have even walked out to the pastures and watched the work himself, but he trusted the man and never had to check on his work before. It certainly didn’t occur to him that Lance would get a hair across his ass and go against his orders. Then the first yell came, and a chill ran through him. He heard someone yell call nine-one-one, and he was already on his feet and running out of the door.

      Please, please, please, let it not be what I think it is, he thought frantically as he rounded the house and headed toward the corral. But it was his worst fear come true. Lance lay prone on the hard ground, and blood bubbled out of his mouth as he tried to speak. Other ranch hands held Drago back. The horse’s eyes were wild.

      Don’t move, buddy, don’t move. Help is on the way, Matthew said as he got to his knees. Slowly, he assessed Lance for injuries starting from his legs and moving upward.

      Drago brought his hoofs down on the back of his neck, Josef said. The horror of what had happened was evident in his voice. I told him, Boss, I told him not to do it and...and he didn’t listen.

      I know, Josef, I told him too, Matthew said and stroked Lance’s hair out of his face. You idiot. Why didn’t you listen to me?

      Looking closer, he could see the unnatural tilt of his neck and blood coming from his ears. Considering how far out the ranch was, it would take at least twenty minutes for an ambulance to get there. Matthew knew Lance didn’t have that much time. If he survived, he would be in a bed forever, unable to move. To a man like Lance, that would be a death sentence in itself. Matthew did the only thing he could and sat on the ground next to his friend and grasped his hand. He realized Lance probably couldn’t feel it, but Matthew wanted him to know he was there. His friend couldn’t move, but he lifted his eyes, trying to see Matthew and looked as if he was trying to speak.

      It’s okay. I’m here, Lance. It’s okay. You’re not alone.

      His words were broken as grief filled his heart, yet he stayed and talked to his friend about the good ol’ days and growing up, anything to calm his fear. Lance’s eyes lost life long before the ambulance got there, and still Matthew kept talking. They took his body away, and Matthew was numb. Josef asked what to do about Drago and should he be put down? Matthew was unable to answer. Finally, he walked back to the house and sat down to speak to the police about how Lance’s death was an obvious accident. He lost his best friend at Christmas time.

      The rest of the week was spent making funeral arrangements, and that mild Saturday it seemed everyone turned out for the funeral. He saw a sea of women all vying to mourn the loudest and cry the hardest as if shedding the most tears would win them a prize. Except for one. One very pregnant woman who didn’t cry, who didn’t wring her hands or fall to her knees. She just rubbed her belly as the preacher spoke, and she was one of the first to leave. He didn’t have time to think about her after that because the wake was held at the ranch, and she was not there. That night, in the quiet, he mourned his friend the only way he knew how—sitting in front of the fire, taking in the chill of the Nevada night, and nursing a Jameson and ginger over ice.

      * * * *

      Grace sat on the old, lumpy couch and thought about her options as she rubbed her belly. Damn it all to hell, she was stuck. Her doctor said she was too far along to take a plane back to Georgia, and her beat-up car would not make it as far as she planned to go. Half the time she was just thankful it got her around town and didn’t crap out. Well, you made a mess of it, she thought miserably. The day she left Savannah for Nevada her instincts screamed no, but Lance was so charming and she, as usual, listened to her heart instead of using her head. Now she was pregnant and stuck in a state where she knew no one and was running out of money fast. She could always ask her mama to send her a loan, but asking her for a plane ticket to get home got her

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