Their Newborn Gift by Nikki Logan

rode with me?’ Reilly turned back to Lea, correctly interpreting Molly’s bleak expression. Part of her bristled that he was circumventing her authority, but she saw nothing but compassion in his eyes. Then he spoke more quietly. ‘I don’t want to let her down.’
    Lea blinked. A father that didn’t want to disappoint—what a novelty. She imagined her little girl, high on the back of one of the horses she adored, tucked in snugly between her father’s arms, braced firmly by his strong denim-clad legs.
    She looked at the man standing before her. Reilly was a champion rider, being with him would be as safe as being tetheredto the saddle. She looked at Molly again and saw the tiniest flame of hope suddenly flicker to life in her young dark eyes.
    She wanted to keep it there. Dreadfully.
    Her voice was thin as she spoke; it had to squeeze past her heart, which had taken up residence in her throat. ‘You’d better take Pan.’
    The bigger horse would be more suited to Reilly’s size, even though it was a much longer fall from Pan’s back. Molly began bouncing on the spot and Lea found herself fielding two gorgeous Martin smiles.
    That was hardly playing fair.
    ‘You ride like your own life is at stake,’ she warned Reilly through a tight smile, her narrowed gaze locked coldly on his.
    He shook his head and vowed on a murmur, ‘I’ll ride like my daughter’s is.’
    His dark eyes reached out and held hers, confident. Certain. Seductive. Lea’s breath hitched deep in her chest. Trusting a man didn’t come naturally, but her reserve was cracking. There was something so solid about Reilly. Maybe diamond ore wasn’t all bad.
    He had Pan saddled up and ready to go in just a few minutes. Molly wheezed simply from the excitement and Lea frowned, wondering if she’d made the right decision. But one look at the joy on her daughter’s face as she passed Molly up to a mounted Reilly and those doubts dissolved. Lifetime memories started like this. And Molly’s lifetime could be a whole lot shorter than other people’s.
    Their eyes met for a millisecond over the top of Molly’s head. Everything lurched into slow motion as Reilly took over care of their precious daughter. Calm confidence leached from his brown eyes. Her heartbeat settled just a bit.
    Reilly settled Molly into position, protected in the curve of his body, and moved off. Lea cursed herself for not having a camera handy. Not that she would have got much of a photograph; Molly simply disappeared into the arch of Reilly’s body, her stick-thin legs poking out either side of Pan, the child’s helmet ridiculously large on her small head. Reilly tucked her hands under his on the reins to give her the illusion that she was guiding the horse.
    Pan danced a bit under the unfamiliar male weight, but it seemed to be nothing for a man used to riding broncos. Reilly murmured a few calming words and Pan settled in moments.
    So, strangely, did Lea. There was something reassuring about his confidence in the saddle—even out of it—and she let herself stop worrying about Molly’s safety and simply enjoyed her experience vicariously.
    Two matched pairs of brown eyes concentrated fiercely—Reilly’s, glancing diligently between what was ahead and the little person on the saddle in front of him, and Molly’s, almost obscured by the large rim of her safety helmet, concentrating on her hands and flicking nervously around the paddock. Her head wobbled under the weight of the helmet and knocked backwards onto Reilly’s chest with every step they took. She struggled to keep it level, then gave up and just rested back against his chest.
    Reilly’s smile twisted and grew.
    Round and round the small yard they walked, Molly holding the reins tightly, Reilly holding her hands even tighter and keeping her locked squarely against him. Except for the wobbling head, she had natural balance. Her eyes were like saucers, and Lea didn’t think they could widen any further until