Free A Baby by Chance by Cathy Gillen Thacker Page B

not out on the street!” She stormed past him, vaulted into the pickup and slammed the door behind her.
    His feelings in turmoil, Chance circled to the driver’s side and climbed in. He let his hands rest on the wheel and stared out the window. Damn it all, his life was spinning out of control and he didn’t even know how it had happened. He only knew that from the moment Madison Burnes had made contact with him, his life had never been the same. And now it sure wasn’t going to be. He swallowed hard, guilt flooding him anew. All of this was his fault, too. And it was time he did something to rectify it.
    As he turned to face her, an unexpected wave of tenderness washed over him. He reached over and took her hand. “I didn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be a family for the baby, Madison,” he told her gently. “We’ll find a way, even if it’s unconventional.”
    But Madison was jerking her hand away from his, shaking her head determinedly. To his dismay, she looked as insecure about being a mother as he felt about being a dad.
    “You can’t fake a happy family unit, Chance, marriage or no,” she said bitterly. “That’s one thing I know from experience. A kid will see right through it.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    “Y OU CRAFTY THING , you!” Kit said, sticking her head in Madison’s office. “Pretending all was lost! I thought Uncle Ed was going to faint on the spot!”
    Madison pushed aside the portfolios of models and actors and rodeo stars she had been sorting through in an attempt to find someone AMV Corporation would accept as a replacement for Chance. All were handsome, all wanted to be the spokesperson, and yet none had that Marlboro man quality Chance had in abundance. None of the men pictured in front of her was right, even if she somehow retooled the ad campaign. With her deadline looming and a secret baby on the way, she did not know what she was going to do. In fact, she could never recall feeling more lost or alone. Maybe it was time for a break. Even a short one. It might clear her head.
    Madison sat back in her chair and turned all her attention to Kit’s glowing face. “What’s going on?” she asked casually.
    Kit shook her head and came all the way into the room. “Honestly, Madison! Pretend you don’t know!”
    Madison shrugged her slender shoulders, aware the waistband of her skirt was already feeling a little snug. “I don’t!”
    “Pretend Chance Cartwright isn’t meeting with Uncle Ed right now!”
    Oh, my gosh. Madison leaped from behind her desk. Sped out of her office and dashed down the hall.
    “Madison!” Ed Connelly looked up with a smile. “We were just about to come down to see you!”
    Madison gulped. She looked at Chance. “Mr. Cartwright.”
    Chance touched the brim of his hat and moved toward her. She couldn’t help but admire the effortless way he moved. It wasn’t quite a swagger—that would have been too much trouble. But it was close. Very close. “Miss Burnes.”
    At the sound of his low, sexy voice, Madison’s heart cartwheeled in her chest. Their glances collided, and once she’d looked into his eyes, she couldn’t seem to gather the willpower to look away.
    Chance clasped her right hand in both of his and shook it warmly. “I was just telling your boss here how much I’m looking forward to working with you on the Ranchero truck account.” Chance gave her fingers a final, intimate squeeze. He turned to Ed with an affable grin. “Quite frankly, I’d been having second thoughts. Did I really want to do this? I was ready to pass it up when Miss Burnes came back to Wyoming yesterday to talk to me one last time. And then I realized she was right. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I can’t pass it up.” Chance inclined his head slightly to the side. “’Course, I’ve got my conditions,” he drawled lazily, “all of which I’ve already worked out with Ed and the legal department here.”
    Unwilling to disclose the depth of her ignorance