Marie Ferrarella - Twins On The Doorstep

THIS MIRACLE’S A MYSTERY

When newborn twins mysteriously appear on Cole McCullough’s doorstep, everyone at the Healing Ranch, including Cole, starts to think...could they be his? Why else would someone leave them there? Cole knows there must be another explanation. Unless...

The only woman that Cole’s been that close to is Stacy Rowe—the one he cared for deeply, and deeply regrets losing. But Stacy hasn’t been in Forever in…forever. Eight months, to be exact. And while the math adds up, nothing else does! She would never abandon two little babies that way—she’s said as much. But she does seem awfully keen to help him care for them. And the closer their odd little family grows, the more Cole has to wonder...

Cole shook his head. “And to think I actually thought I missed you.”

“Yeah,” she retorted. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

He blew out a breath, telling himself it wouldn’t do either one of them—or more important, the twins—any good to blow up like this right here in front of the sheriff’s office. It was just that he had forgotten just how easily Stacy could set him off. And half the time—like now—she did it without warning. It was like being caught in a blitzkrieg.

“Stacy,” he said, growing stern, “let me take the basket in. It’s heavy.”

“It’s not,” she argued. Except that it really was. And the babies were moving. With a sigh, she relented. “It’s awkward.”

“All the more reason for me to take it,” Cole told her. For a few brief seconds, she debated continuing to argue the point with him.

But her arms were beginning to really ache. So, in the end, she said, “Fine, you can carry them in—but only because I’m thinking of the babies.”

Twins on the Doorstep

Marie Ferrarella

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MARIE FERRARELLA is a USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award–winning author who has written more than two hundred and fifty books for Mills & Boon, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, www.marieferrarella.com.

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To

Nik and Melany.

Remember never to let

A day go by without saying

“I love you.”

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text THIS MIRACLE’S A MYSTERY When newborn twins mysteriously appear on Cole McCullough’s doorstep, everyone at the Healing Ranch, including Cole, starts to think...could they be his? Why else would someone leave them there? Cole knows there must be another explanation. Unless... The only woman that Cole’s been that close to is Stacy Rowe—the one he cared for deeply, and deeply regrets losing. But Stacy hasn’t been in Forever in…forever. Eight months, to be exact. And while the math adds up, nothing else does! She would never abandon two little babies that way—she’s said as much. But she does seem awfully keen to help him care for them. And the closer their odd little family grows, the more Cole has to wonder...

Introduction Cole shook his head. “And to think I actually thought I missed you.” “Yeah,” she retorted. “I was just thinking the same thing.” He blew out a breath, telling himself it wouldn’t do either one of them—or more important, the twins—any good to blow up like this right here in front of the sheriff’s office. It was just that he had forgotten just how easily Stacy could set him off. And half the time—like now—she did it without warning. It was like being caught in a blitzkrieg. “Stacy,” he said, growing stern, “let me take the basket in. It’s heavy.” “It’s not,” she argued. Except that it really was. And the babies were moving. With a sigh, she relented. “It’s awkward.” “All the more reason for me to take it,” Cole told her. For a few brief seconds, she debated continuing to argue the point with him. But her arms were beginning to really ache. So, in the end, she said, “Fine, you can carry them in—but only because I’m thinking of the babies.”

Title Page Twins on the Doorstep Marie Ferrarella www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author MARIE FERRARELLA is a USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award–winning author who has written more than two hundred and fifty books for Mills & Boon, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, www.marieferrarella.com .

Dedication To Nik and Melany. Remember never to let A day go by without saying “I love you.”

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

He was getting too old for this.

A hundred years ago, at twenty-six he would not just have been married but would have had at least three, maybe four, kids. He would have been settled into his life, doing what he could to provide for his wife and children.

Instead, here he was, twenty-six years old and still trying to figure out just what his life would eventually be.

Part of the reason for his surly mood, Cole McCullough thought as he sat up and dragged his hand through his unruly, shaggy, dark blond hair, was that he was spending two nights a week with his six-foot-two body crammed into a bunk bed. Sometimes three nights. And that was because two—sometimes three—days a week, he worked at the Healing Ranch. The Healing Ranch was a horse ranch run by Jackson and Garrett White Eagle, two of his friends. Their sole focus was to take in and help troubled boys, building up their feelings of self-worth by having them take care of and work with horses.

All in all, it was a noble calling—for the White Eagle brothers. Not that he didn’t believe in it. He did. But the Healing Ranch was their calling, their mark in the world.

Just like the family ranch was really Connor’s.

Oh, they had all put in their time, he and Cody and Cassidy, but the ranch, left to all of them when their father died, was really Connor’s baby. The rest of them had worked on it to show their gratitude to Connor. When their father had died so suddenly, Connor gave up his dream of going to college and became their guardian so that he, Cody and Cassidy wouldn’t suddenly find themselves being swallowed up by the county’s social services.

He knew that going to college had meant a lot to Connor, but his big brother never hesitated to give it up. For them.

After getting dressed, Cole paused to throw some water on his face in the tiny bathroom just off the equally tiny bedroom. The area had been added onto the main bunkhouse to give him some semblance of privacy. The main bunkhouse was where the boys stayed when their families—and in some cases, social services—sent them to the ranch. The Healing Ranch was a last-ditch effort to straighten them out. Without the ranch, the next stop would have been juvie—and most likely jail.