Chapter One
Steveville, Dakota Territory
May 1876
The pounding on the door threatened to bring down the roof. Twenty-year-old Anna Caldwell resisted an urge to call for patience as she raced to answer the summons before the racket wakened the baby. Nothing made eighteen-month-old Dorrie crankier than having her afternoon nap cut short.
Anna paused long enough to take in a deep breath, lift her head and compose her expression to reveal none of her annoyance. After all, as the preacher's daughter and his housekeeper, she was expected to maintain a high standard of conduct. She pulled open the door and fell back half a step gasping as her lungs spasmed so tight her chest hurt. "You. What are you doing here?"
Colby Bloxham stood before her, as handsome as ever. No. Even more handsome if that were possible. His dark blond hair fell past his ears, the ends faded by the sun. His blue eyes shone as bright as the sky behind him.
The back of her eyes stung and her throat burned as she recognized similar features she saw every day in the sweet face of Dorrie—his daughter. He'd left her—abandoned her—to Anna's care. Surely, he didn't intend to upset the pleasant arrangement. He wouldn't dare.
He tipped the brim of his hat back with the barest flick of one finger. "Hello."
Anna stiffened her spine. "What do you want?" She kept her voice calm.
Colby's grin widened with self-assured confidence that she would welcome him again. His eyes smiled even more beguilingly than his mouth.
She didn't welcome him. She wouldn't. With a coolness she didn't feel, she ran her gaze up and down his length hoping to convey how unwelcome he was. His dun-colored trousers and tan shirt were faded in the areas that took more wear but surprisingly clean.
"I've come back."
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