Free To Tame a Renegade by Connie Mason Page A

one another when Abner rushed into the house, nearly bursting with excitement.
    “Mama, Mrs. Barlow is having her baby. Doctor Clayter is there now.”
    Chad looked at Abner in disbelief. How could this be happening to him? He thought he’d solved the problem of Sarah’s care and now he faced a new dilemma. With a new baby added to her other responsibilities, Carrie Barlow would not be able to help Sarah or care for Abner. Now what? Chad wondered. How in the hell did he get himself into these messes?
    “Isn’t it exciting, Mama?” Abner enthused. “Doctor Clayter sent me home and said he’d be over as soon as he’s through at the Barlow house. Can I go out and play, Mama? I like Danny Barlow, he doesn’t call me names.”
    “Go out and play,” Chad said, answering for Sarah. “And stay out of trouble.”
    Chad could not imagine a worse scenario. He had no clue where to find Freddie Jackson. He had arrived in Carbon looking for an outlaw and had unwittingly inherited responsibilities he couldn’t seem to escape from. His entire life was going to hell in a handbasket. At one time life had been damn near perfect He had his brothers, his ranch, money, and all the women he wanted. Now he was a moderately successful bounty hunter saddled with a woman and child he couldn’t wait to get rid of. His pockets were nearly empty and the man he was hunting was still at large. What else could go wrong?
    “I’m going over to the Barlows to see if I can help,” Sarah said, heading out the door.
    Chad’s gaze settled on her bandaged arms, and he raised one eyebrow in surprise. “How do you propose to do that?”
    “Carrie and I have never been close but she’s always been kind to me. The least I can do is lend moral support”
    She swept out the door and Chad felt obliged to follow. The Barlow shack wasn’t far. Chad rapped on the door when Sarah stared at her useless hands and stuck her foot forward to tap the door. A large man on crutches answered.
    “I’m Sarah Temple,” Sarah said. “I’ve come to lend whatever support I can for Carrie. Is the doctor in with her?”
    “Come in. I’m Charlie, Carrie’s husband. I don’t believe we’ve met.” His gaze swung to Chad.
    When Sarah offered no introduction, Chad jumped into the void. “I’m Chad Delaney, a friend of Sarah’s.”
    “Friend, indeed,” Sarah mumbled beneath her breath as she walked into the tiny parlor. Just then Doctor Clayter came out of the bedroom, wiping his hands.
    “You have a fine son, Charlie. The baby arrived a bit early and is rather small, but he’ll be fine. You can go on in and see Carrie and your son now if you’d like. But first, a word of advice. Let Carrie rest a year or two before putting another babe in her belly. She’s had too many children in too short a time. This one is healthy but I can’t guarantee the next one will be if you don’t give her time to recover fully.”
    Charlie had the grace to flush. “I’ll be careful, Doc. We don’t need any more mouths to feed. By the way, when can I get this cast off my leg? I need to get back to work to support my family.”
    “I’ll come out early next week to remove it Meanwhile, see that Carrie stays in bed for a few days. You can manage that long without her, can’t you?”
    “Sure, Doc,” Charlie conceded. “I’ll see that you get paid, too. Just as soon as I get back on my feet again.”
    Chad said nothing as Charlie disappeared into the bedroom, but he couldn’t help thinking how privileged he’d been compared to the kind of poverty the Barlows and Sarah experienced on a daily basis. The Delaney ranch was a prosperous business that supported all three brothers rather well. Some years were leaner than others but there had always been money for the little extras that made life enjoyable.
    “I planned to stop by just as soon as I finished here, Sarah,” Doctor Clayter said.
    “I came to see if I could help.”
    “There’s nothing for you to do. I gave