A Buckhorn Baby Read online

  A sizzling new Buckhorn Brothers novella from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

  If there’s one thing headstrong bookstore owner Amber Hudson knows, it’s how to get what she wants. And what she wants most is for Noel Poet, the hottest firefighter in Buckhorn, Kentucky, to finally admit they have a future together. But when life throws her an unexpected curveball, Amber must face the fact that she’s set her sights on something that could be out of reach forever.

  Noel might be head over heels for Amber, but he has no intention of letting her call all the shots. He’s determined to play Amber’s game his own way—and remind her that some things are worth fighting for. Yet when Amber gets the shock of her life, games are the last thing on his mind. Because now it’s time to prove that old demons are no match for the happy-ever-after that could be theirs...

  Don’t miss the other titles in the Buckhorn Brothers series, including Buckhorn Beginnings, Forever Buckhorn, The Buckhorn Legacy, Buckhorn Ever After in the All For You anthology, Back to Buckhorn, A Buckhorn Summer and A Buckhorn Bachelor.

  A BUCKHORN BABY

  Lori Foster

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome back to Buckhorn!

  Though I know an actual Buckhorn exists, mine is an entirely fictional town in beautiful Kentucky. My first Buckhorn story was published back in 2000 and the series has become a true reader favorite. For me it seemed a natural fit to combine my need to help stray cats and dogs by continuing the series with a new generation of the leading family in Buckhorn.

  Through a special contract with my publisher, the advance and all royalties on A Buckhorn Baby will go directly to the Animal Adoption Foundation, a local no-kill animal shelter that does an amazing job healing, protecting, and loving cats and dogs until a “forever home” can be found for them.

  I hope you enjoy Amber and Noel’s long-awaited story, and I especially hope you enjoy knowing that by purchasing this story, you’ve helped a dog or cat in need. And don’t miss A Buckhorn Bachelor, my 2016 benefit novella, included as a bonus in this collection!

  To see other “benefit books,” visit lorifoster.com/benefit-books

  And to see other books in the Buckhorn series, visit lorifoster.com/connected-books/#buckhorn

  From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

  Lori Foster

  About the Author

  LORI FOSTER is a New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her website at www.lorifoster.com.

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER ONE

  BRIGHT SUNSHINE DANCED through the leaves of towering elms and oaks, adding dappled shade to the gathering of family. They sat at multiple picnic tables and in lawn chairs scattered about. Many of her cousins had brought their dogs to play with her father’s and uncle’s animals. For once, Amber Hudson hadn’t brought along her own fur-baby, Rookie. They’d spent the morning together, taken a walk, played fetch in the yard, and then she’d left him in the fenced-in backyard, but with the doggy door open so he could come and go in the house as he pleased.

  Their group had grown, she thought with a smile, seeing the spouses of her brother and cousins, who were now a part of it all. Everyone joined in for Father’s Day since they had some of the best dads ever.

  Filled with love and pride and warm affection, she smiled at her own father. Morgan Hudson was an amazing icon in the community; she wasn’t the only one who adored him. Everyone in Buckhorn, Kentucky, cared for her dad.

  He’d be so surprised by her announcement, and no doubt her uncles would cheer right along with everyone else.

  Her family, more than most, loved babies.

  Her gaze skipped over to Noel Poet, the reason she hadn’t brought Rookie along. She hoped to visit with Noel directly after the gathering—and by visit, she meant touch all over, maybe kiss all over, and explore again that off-the-charts sexual chemistry. More and more each day, she craved him whenever they were apart.

  Considering the night he’d had, it amazed her that he’d made it today. As usual, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Thanks to the current heat and humidity, sweat darkened the ends of his blond hair. He wore loose board shorts that showed off his hairy calves, laceless sneakers on his big feet and a T-shirt printed with STILL PLAYS WITH FIRETRUCKS.

  Fighting exhaustion, he slouched against a tree, using one thick shoulder as a prop to keep him on his feet as he spoke to her mother, Misty.

  Because of a barn fire the night before, he couldn’t have gotten much rest. Noel wouldn’t complain, though. He never did. It went against his man-code, which had helped solidify his friendship with the men in her family, since they were all a bunch of “suffer in silence”-type guys, too.

  Continually Noel’s dark brown eyes sought her out with a sort of casual possessiveness that thrilled her.

  Noel was quiet and contained, strong and heroic, with a rock-hard body, a gorgeous, expressive face, and Lord help her, she had it bad for him. Of course, she hadn’t told him that, because he hadn’t yet told her. She’d tried every trick in the book to get him to open up on how he felt, but other than presenting himself as her steady date and showing a lot of sexual compatibility, he kept his thoughts to himself.

  Her father liked Noel. Her mother adored him. Her cousins all respected him.

  Amber frowned as she considered things. Around Noel, she didn’t feel like her usual cocky, take-charge self. Somehow he made her feel...more feminine. Even delicate.

  She snorted at that nonsense.

  Her daddy hadn’t raised any wimps, never mind how he’d always pampered her.

  She and Noel were more on than off, so why did she lose her edge around him?

  When Noel laughed, she sighed in confused longing—until Garrett nudged her.

  “Plotting his capture?” her brother asked.

  Startled, Amber frowned up at him, opened her mouth, drew a blank on anything witty and said only “Shut up.”

  Garrett’s brows climbed high. “That’s it? That’s your comeback?”

  Lifting her long, loose braid away from her neck, she grumbled a low, indistinct curse.

  Garrett whistled. “He must really have you running in circles, sis, because you’re way off your game.”

  True. When it came to Noel, she had no game at all. She’d matched up numerous people in Buckhorn, Kentucky, using a knack for machination. But Noel often distracted her enough that she couldn’t think, much less plot.

  Around him, all she could do was feel.

  Taking in her expression, Garrett drew her close, kissed her forehead and asked, “Want me to stomp on him?”

  “Ha.” It wouldn’t be easy to do, given Noel and her brother were equally buff and bullheaded. But that wasn’t the point. “Touch him and you answer to me.”

  Garrett’s smile came slowly. “That’s more like it. Just remember, if necessary, I got your back.”

  “He works for you, Garrett.”

  Her brother ran the fire station, and Noel was the newest firefighter under his command. More important than that, they were friends.

  “So?” Garrett
said, discounting it all. “You’re my sister. That trumps everything else.” Leaving her to think on that, Garrett headed to his wife. Zoey wore a yellow sundress, her feet bare in the lush grass. She had her brown hair in a high ponytail and a permanent smile on her mouth. After Garrett lifted her high, then kissed her soundly, she looked positively radiant.

  Before the two of them could sneak off, Amber quit mooning over Noel and instead climbed up to stand on a picnic-table seat. “Attention, please. I have an announcement to make!”

  Slowly the din of conversation faded and everyone faced her. Remaining up on the bench and lacing her fingers together, Amber said, “I’m so glad everyone made it at the same time this year, because I have something very special to share.”

  Almost as one, heads swiveled to look at Noel in expectation.

  Oops, Amber thought. She hadn’t meant to give the impression that her announcement had to do with Noel. Of course, that was the obvious assumption...except that Noel hadn’t declared himself. Not even close.

  Before he could propose, he’d need to tell her that he loved her. Hopefully soon.

  With her entire family scrutinizing him, Noel briefly closed his eyes, blew out a breath and, ignoring everyone else, returned his attention to Amber with exaggerated patience.

  Others took the hint and followed suit.

  Barely keeping her happiness contained, Amber said, “Since it’s Father’s Day, this is especially for you, Dad.”

  Morgan Hudson sat a little straighter, and again, his gaze cut to Noel. Her mother nudged him, not that it did much good.

  Well used to the teasing of her family, Amber only smiled and then announced, “Dad, you’re going to be a grandpa.”

  Several things happened at once.

  Noel lost his balance against the tree and hit the ground. Hard.

  Morgan Hudson’s chair toppled as he shot to his feet.

  And Garrett yelled, “It’s Zoey and me!” Then with a wide grin, he added, “We’re going to have a baby.”

  * * *

  NOEL WAS STILL RATTLED.

  Good God Almighty, Amber had taken a year off his life. She could have been a little more straightforward in the way she’d handled that whole thing. It didn’t surprise him that Amber was the one to make the announcement. In most things, her entire family allowed her to take the lead, and no doubt Garrett and Zoey were happy to let her present the news.

  She did so with flair.

  But for a flash of an instant, he’d thought the entire family would turn on him, with Morgan Hudson leading the charge.

  It didn’t help that her family was so large, so vocal and so protective. Good thing Garrett had interpreted the misunderstanding right off and was more direct than Amber when he shouted the correction.

  And why, now that her family knew the truth, did they continue to cast suspicious looks his way? They should know him well enough by now to know he wouldn’t be bullied into doing or saying anything until he was ready to do so.

  “Need a drink?”

  He glanced behind him and found Lisa, Amber’s cousin who’d recently married Gray Neely, offering him a frosty Coke.

  “Sure, thanks.” After Amber’s little stunt, it wasn’t the type of drink he needed, but at least Lisa looked as open and friendly as ever. “The heat is a killer today.”

  After falling, he’d stayed down and now only propped his back against the tree.

  Lisa sat opposite him on the grass, her feet tucked to the side of her. Trying not to smile, she asked, “You okay?”

  “What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Late night, that’s all. The fire—”

  “I meant that mild heart attack you had at the mention of a baby.”

  Noel choked on his cola.

  Rising to her knees, Lisa thwacked him on the back. “You did realize right off that she was talking about a baby, right?”

  Yeah, he’d known—and he really wished everyone would quit throwing around that word. He wanted no part of it, not in conversation, not in reality. He coughed several times, cleared his throat and nodded.

  “Such a reaction,” Adam said, coming up to join his sister...and heckle Noel.

  “Not enough sleep,” Noel explained again, hoping that lame excuse would suffice. Just as Adam sat, Noel pushed to his feet. “In fact, I think I’ll—”

  He turned to flee and almost ran into Amber.

  She stood there, hands on her slim hips, that dark, thick braid over her shoulder, curved around one lush breast. Her beautiful blue eyes dared him.

  Noel couldn’t help but grin. No one affected him the way Amber did. She left him in a heightened state of sexual awareness—and he liked it. Her ballsy attitude, as much as her sensual appearance, appealed to him. For such a slender, feminine woman, she had the air of an Amazon.

  Amber cast a warning glace at her cousins, and they wisely departed, grins in place. Plastering on her own smile, she turned to Noel and, sounding uncharacteristically shy, said, “Hey.”

  Mixed emotions kept him mum. That timidity didn’t suit her at all and told him she was about to go beyond her comfort zone. Probably all the blasted talk about babies.

  He thought about making his excuses and removing himself from range, but he happened to look at her mouth, and the familiar urge to kiss her overrode everything else.

  Murmuring, “Hey yourself,” he leaned forward and brushed his mouth over those soft, full lips he adored. He meant to keep it light, but her lips parted, which invited his to press more firmly, and suddenly he was lost to a full-blown, tongue-twining, hot and wet mating of the mouths.

  Amber had snaked her slim arms around his neck. He mindlessly drew her closer to his body.

  A deep breath filled his head with her heated scent and he shifted to her neck, tasting her velvety skin, quickly losing control.

  Head back and eyes closed, she whispered, “Were you leaving?”

  Reality slammed him back into the here and now.

  He had been about to go, yeah, but now he shook his head. “Just trying to escape your family.” His hands rested on the top of her shapely hips. Amber was warm, soft, and her irresistible scent teased him.

  If they were alone, he’d free her from that body-hugging tank top so he could get to her full breasts...

  Rather than take it as a joke, the way he meant it, she softly chided him. “Don’t let them scare you off.”

  So she’d seen the truth? Of course she had. Being far too perceptive, Amber often recognized things in people, things that others missed.

  “It hasn’t happened yet,” he reminded her. But yeah, today the dynamic seemed to have taken a drastic shift.

  Amber came from a family of overachievers, community leaders and really, really good people. From reputations alone, they could intimidate others. But meeting them in person, getting to know them, really sealed the deal. Her family was nothing short of amazing.

  Her dad, especially, was impressive, not only in size—because Morgan Hudson was a man who, even in his early sixties, remained strong as an ox—but also as an icon who’d fulfilled the role of sheriff and now mayor. He was involved in just about every community program that existed in Buckhorn.

  Hell, he ran most of them, fulfilling his main need to help those less fortunate and his equally obvious need to control his small corner of the world.

  Noel didn’t want to be controlled. He’d had his hands full fending off Amber’s tendency to take charge. She, like her father, had a very strong will. But deep down, he knew Amber hadn’t gotten seriously involved with anyone, despite being a beautiful, smart, independent woman, because she hadn’t yet met her match.

  He matched her, in nearly every way. Together they were combustible.

  She stared up at him with those amazing incandescent blue eyes framed by thick bl
ack lashes. Her eyes were the feature that had first caught his attention, closely followed by her sweet body, and then her bold persona had finished him off. She epitomized a temptation trifecta and he couldn’t resist.

  “Noel?” Her tongue licked nervously at her bottom lip.

  Noel’s blood fired. Wanting to be alone with her, he glanced around, hoping for inspiration—and caught the smirking gaze of her brother and the “dare you to” stare of her father.

  Well, hell.

  “We’re drawing attention,” he told her and defiantly hugged her a little closer. At twenty-seven, Amber didn’t need anyone’s permission to be with him. And at thirty, he sure as hell didn’t ask for it, not even from the reigning family of the town.

  Her gaze warmed. “Want to go swimming?”

  “Where?” If she meant off the dock with everyone else, he’d have to pass. His reaction to Amber in a bikini wasn’t conducive to an audience.

  She trailed a finger down his chest. “How about—”

  “Amber, honey, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?” Misty Hudson, her mother, smiled sweetly at each of them.

  Innate good manners came forward. It was one thing to ignore the men in her family, quite another to be that rude to her mother. Noel released Amber and stepped back respectfully.

  “Mom,” Amber complained, “I was just going to—”

  “Thank you, honey.” She hooked her arm through her daughter’s, then said to Noel, “I won’t keep her long.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said and watched the two ladies leave with a lot of regret.

  Of course the second they were gone, the guys moved in.

  Her brother, Garrett, a much larger, male version of Amber with the same dark hair and blue eyes, also happened to be his lieutenant at the fire station. Adam and Shohn were her cousins, and Gray was a cousin’s husband. At least her father chose to join the elders near the grill. He could be thankful to be spared the scrutiny of her uncles Sawyer, Gabe and Jordan, and her much older cousin Casey.

 
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