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"Zuni needs to be burped."

"What?" She blinked away her thoughts,then glanced down at the squirming kitten. "How—"

"Just lift her onto your shoulder and pat."

"Like a baby?"

Shane nodded and returned to Kelly's side. She raised the kitten. "I can't believe I'm burping a cat."

"I can't believe she hasn't tried to nip you." He placed his fingers over Kelly's and urged her to continue
the gentle tapping. "Servalstend to be nippy. Mostly it's just play-biting but, regardless, it can hurt." He
stroked the kitten's head. "Disciplining this little girl isn't going to be easy."

When Zuni erupted in a loud burp Kelly looked at Shane, and they both laughed.

"I guess she told you."

"Yeah. I guess she did." He grinned,then smoothed a strand of Kelly's hair, removing it from Zuni's
curious reach.

That tender sensation came back, the unspoken compatibility. Kelly released a slow steadying breath
and pushed away the feeling. In two weeks she would return toOhioto face an important decision in her
life. A decision that didn't include Shane Night Wind.

Chapter 2

«^»

Shane hadn't slept well. He had tossed and turned, wondering about Kelly Baxter. The same thought still
plagued him: Why had she come toTexasto spend two weeks in her granddaddy's cabin a month before
her baby was due? That made no sense.

They had shared dinner last night with his father, but the conversation hadn't led to any clues. Her
personal life hadn't been broached.

Strange how Shane wanted to be near her, yet her presence stirred such raw emotion within him –
painful reminders of the past. The turbulent years between Shane and his father. The bitterness in Shane's
childhood. The wife and baby he had been forced to leave behind. The wife and son Tom had lost.

Kelly Baxter had brought a battered suitcase of ghosts with her – haunting memories Shane had
struggled to overcome.

He poured a cup of freshly brewed coffee. It wasn't Kelly's fault, the emotions swirling around inside
him. She hadn't come toTexasto torment him. She had come out of her own torment.

Maybe, just maybe, he thought, he was meant to help her. Maybe the Creator had placed her in his path
for a reason. It was possible his own pain had resurfaced as a reminder of what it felt like to be needy
and alone – the way Kelly appeared to be.