Horses, a sympathetic ear, or a good night’s sleep. Cole Woodruff, owner of the Lazy W Dude Ranch, supplies whatever his guests need. But when Jack Harmon arrives, Cole’s own desires clamor to be met. Should he risk the ranch to satisfy what might be nothing more than an itch? And even if Jack turns out to be that special man Cole’s yearned for, is it right to move forward when a vulnerable child is involved? Not long ago, Jack was awarded custody of his son Alex after the sudden death of the boy’s mother. Out on the road for all of his son’s life, what does he know about being a dad? Sleepless nights spent worrying have worn Jack to a raw nerve. Visiting the dude ranch with Alex, Jack delights in Cole's friendship. And the way Cole’s warm, wonderful voice is so soothing, it cradles Jack to sleep whenever they’re together. Jack aches to spend every night dreaming in the big cowboy's arms. But can a lullaby last forever? Or will the dream fade when morning comes?

Cowboy Lullaby

Hours later, as he lay awake watching the clock, he longed for a mug of Cole’s special hot milk recipe. Truth be told, he longed for Cole. Somewhere after five A.M., he drifted off. The alarm woke him at seven. He dragged himself out of bed, dressed, grabbed some coffee, and was at the client’s office before eight.


The chip sets, however, didn’t arrive until noon.


Exasperated and fuming mad, he pushed hard through the afternoon and into the evening, upgrading as many machines as he could. On the way to the motel, he called his boss to relay his progress. “Dan, I’ve done what I can. Who’s the back-up you’re sending? I want to explain what’s left for him to do.”


“Ah, about that…Sorry, I just can’t spare anybody right now. And since you’re already there, you’ll just have to finish up. It shouldn’t take more than another day—two at the most. And remember, you’re earning a full extra week of vacation. That’s a fair exchange. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”


Chapter 11