“I’m a social worker at a facility for young single mothers, but I’m not here in an official capacity. My reason for coming is strictly personal, if it’s any comfort.”

It wasn’t.

Buck had shown poor judgment in a lot of cases-but getting involved with an underage girl while he’d been working on their uncle’s stud farm outside Reno last summer?

“Maybe that explains why you exhibit the instincts of a clever PI.”

“Not that clever, apparently, but I’m not going to complain if it means you can lead me to Bonnie’s biological father.”

He ushered her inside the building as far as the door of the manager’s office. “Follow this hallway to the front desk and give the night clerk your name. He’ll take care of you. After you’ve freshened up, meet me in here.”

“Thank you.” She managed to get the words out before taking the bag from him. “I won’t be long.”

“In that case I’ll ask the restaurant to bring us a sandwich.”

Cole doubted he’d able to eat, but he preferred she didn’t suspect he felt like he’d been trampled in a wild mustang stampede no one had seen coming seconds before it happened.

CHAPTER THREE

TEN minutes later Catherine knocked on the manager’s door.

“Come in.”

Recognizing Cole’s deep voice, she walked inside the office. The sight of him standing behind the desk, in a beautiful white dress shirt with the sleeves pushed up his tanned arms to the elbows, rocked her to the foundations.

Minus his tie and suit jacket-the outer trap pings of civilized society-his virility was even more in evidence.

By comparison she knew she looked washed out. Other than pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she still wore the suit she’d arrived in. Until she saw the club sandwiches and sliced melon placed on the desk in front of him, she hadn’t realized how hungry she was.