Free Daddy with a Deadline by Marilyn Shank

you, but it didn’t work.”
    “You carried me?” As much weight as she’d gained, Annie wondered how he always managed to lift her so easily.
    “You probably meant well, but I want to go home. Right now.”
    Annie tossed back the covers and gasped. Her clothes were missing! She glanced at the black velour robe she wore and eyed Trent accusingly. “Exactly where are my clothes, Mr. Madison? And would you please explain yourself?”
    His dark eyes sparkled with mischief. “Don’t panic. They’re safe and sound in the bathroom.”
    The nerve of the man! “I don’t remember changing. So how, how...” Oh dear. She didn’t even know how to ask the question!
    Trent looked offended. “You always think the worst of me, don’t you, Annie? Why is that?”
    “I don’t
always
think the worst of you. But this better be good.”
    He cleared his throat. “I tried several times to wake you. And since I couldn’t leave you in the truck, gentleman that I am, I carried you upstairs. I excused myself while Rosa helped you change. She thought you’d sleep more comfortably in a robe. Mine, by the way, which I gladly sacrificed for the occasion.”
    “Hmm.”
    The mischief in his smoky eyes still lingered. “So you see? It’s perfectly innocent.”
    Could she believe this exasperating man? Trent was having too much fun with this. But in her heart, Annie knew she could. If nothing else, the cowboy was trustworthy to a fault. Maybe that’s why Brad chose Trent to help.
    “If you’ll tell me where my clothes are, I’ll put them on and go home.”
    “In the bathroom. Right through that door. But you can’t leave until you’ve eaten dinner.”
    It wasn’t a question. It was a command. Trent Madison excelled at issuing commands.
    Before she could object, he said, “Rosa’s been cooking for you all afternoon. If you don’t eat, you’ll hurt her feelings.”
    Annie wouldn’t hurt Rosa for the world. She sighed and gave in. “Thank you. I am pretty hungry.”
    “Good. I’ll head downstairs while you freshen up.”
    As Annie watched Trent go, she felt an emotional tug-of-war inside. She’d met Brad at a wedding and they’d hit it off. He was charming and handsome, and Annie had fallen for him. But she hadn’t known about his dark moods until after they married. To say Brad was a difficult husband was generous. He wasn’t the person she thought he was.
    That had left her paranoid about ever giving her heart again. But to her dismay, the attraction she felt for Trent was powerful and had been from the moment they met. He stirred feelings Annie didn’t want but couldn’t deny. Totally inappropriate feelings.
    She got out of Trent’s bed and gathered his robe around her. She inhaled its musky aroma—the scent that so thoroughly characterized him. What if Trent was different? What if he was a trustworthy man? What if they could build a loving relationship together?
    Annie shrugged off the silly notion. Trent was doing Brad a favor by helping out—a favor, nothing more. If she let herself connect with Trent, or if she read things into their relationship that didn’t exist, she’d suffer another emotional blow. One she wasn’t sure she could endure.
    As she entered Trent’s bathroom, reality hit hard. Annie didn’t belong at Copper Creek Ranch. And she and Trent didn’t belong together.
    She was on her own with two babies on the way. Her life was laid out for her—a life of providing for and loving the twins by herself. So harboring romantic feelings for Trent Madison was both foolish and indulgent.
    If she had any sense, she wouldn’t let this cowboy turn her head. Or make her dream unrealistic dreams. She’d told Trent since the day they met that her plan was to be the best single mom in Ash Grove, Texas. And she would stick to that plan.
    “Are you ready for dinner?” Trent’s deep-pitched voice raised serious goose bumps on Annie’s skin.
    “I’ll be out in a minute.”
    Annie exchanged Trent’s