The Rancher’s Baby Bargain

by Jackson, Mary Sue

  It was full dark when he dropped his mom back off at the house. She paused before she stepped out of the car.

  “You know,” Linda said thoughtfully, her purse on her lap, ready to go. “If it’s really a problem for you, I can find other transportation.”

  He was shaking his head before she finished speaking. “Andrea’s only right about one thing. You should get some glasses for night driving. They’ll come in handy if you get stuck somewhere and have to drive home yourself. But I’m happy to give you a ride whenever you want.”

  “Only if it’s not getting in the way of your life.” His mother was firm. “You can’t use me as an excuse to avoid other things.”

  How did she know? “I haven’t been using you,” he said quickly. “But…there are some things that need doing.”

  Linda leaned across the space between them and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Don’t drag it out, son. Just get it done.”

  * * *

  It was nearing ten o’clock when Aiden arrived at Lucy’s house, his arms laden with bags from the grocery store. Holly Jackson herself had cornered him in the popcorn aisle.

  “Aiden. I’m glad to see you,” she’d said, and the way she walked up to him made him think something was seriously wrong. Something had to be—Holly was never very glad to see him. “We need to talk.”

  They hadn’t been together in a good long while, but still, Aiden’s stomach lurched. He had babies on the brain—Lucy’s, specifically—and for a horrible moment he thought perhaps Holly was going to tell him that she was pregnant, too.

  “What is it?” He braced himself for life-altering news.

  “You need preggo pops.”

  “I need…what?” He’d never heard of such a thing in his life.

  “Come with me.”

  He followed her to the opposite side of the store and into the pharmacy aisle. Holly walked briskly down to the center of it, where there was a display of brightly colored vitamins, alongside a variety of other things. She plucked a bag from its place on the shelf and handed it to Aiden. “Preggo pops. My friends swear by them. The ones who have morning sickness, anyway. They’re all natural and I guess pretty effective at getting rid of the nausea.”

  “I—thanks.” He looked down at the bag in his hand. “I’ll get them right over to Lucy.”

  Holly crossed her arms over her chest, scanning his face. “You do that.”

  “I will.”

  “Okay.” She pursed her lips. “Good to see you, Aiden.”

  He watched her leave the aisle as dumbfounded as he’d ever been. But he didn’t have time to figure out why Holly suddenly cared about Lucy. The only thing that mattered was getting to her.

  He’d raced back through the store, picking up popcorn and ice cream and chocolate Pop-Tarts, which Lucy had mentioned on the phone a few days before. Now he stood on her doorstep, waiting while she crossed the living room and opened the door, peering out at him with a little frown on her lips.

  “Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in forever. I was about to drive out to your mom’s house to see if you’d moved back in.”

  A defensive retort rose to his lips: we’re not really in a relationship, so there’s no reason for you to be possessive. He swallowed it down. That was not the way this should go. “Family stuff,” he said apologetically. “One thing after another with my mom and my sister. I’ve been wading through it all week.”

  Lucy’s eyebrows drew together with concern. “Is everything okay?”

  He let out a breath, relieved that at least the whirlwind of to-dos was on the downswing. “Everything’s fine. They just had things that needed fixing, and my mom needed a ride to an event in Copper Valley.” The bags rustled as he shifted them on his arms. Lucy seemed to notice the bags for the first time.

  “Come in, come in.” She waved him inside, and as he stepped around her, he noticed how defined the curve of her belly had become. The time was flying.

  She followed him into the kitchen where he began putting away the things he’d bought as if he lived in the house. Well, she could be mad if she wanted to. It was groceries all the same.

  “Why didn’t you come to me?” he asked as he slipped the Pop-Tarts into a cupboard to the left of the sink. “About the worries you were having?” I thought we were closer than that, he wanted to say, but didn’t.

  Lucy took a deep breath behind him. “Because when I’m not paralyzed with fear for the baby, I’m paralyzed with nausea.” She let out a little laugh. “Not to be dramatic about it.”

  He turned to face her, taking her in. She was glowing and gorgeous, and he wanted to fold her into his arms. “It seemed dramatic at the restaurant, Luce.” He cleared his throat. “It’s okay to ask for help with things like that.”

  She made a face. “Maybe. But I don’t like to be a burden.”

  “You’re not a burden,” he said, perhaps too forcefully. “You’re really not. I meant it when I said I wanted to be involved. I want to take care of you, too.”

  There it was—his desire laid bare.

  Lucy bit her lip, searching his face. Her expression lit up with hope and fear. “I know it’s complicated,” she said, her voice thick.

  “We can figure it out.” He didn’t know what he was agreeing to, exactly, or how Lucy saw them going forward. But this was the way.

  Lucy shook her head, leaning against the doorframe. “I’ve got to come out and do some data collection at the ranch. I’m going to fall behind.”

  He turned around again, opening the cupboard he’d just closed and drawing out the box of Pop-Tarts. “I have a better idea.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  “That you sit on the couch and let me make you the snack of the century.”

  She laughed. “Snack of the century?”

  “Double pops. Popcorn and Pop-Tarts.” He went across the room to her and did what he’d wanted to do all along. He folded her into his big arms and felt her body relax against his with a relieved sigh. It had been wrong of him to stay away for so long, he saw that now. He wouldn’t do that again. Even if the going got rough. He’d handle it for her.

  Before the hug could turn into something more frisky, he swept her up into his arms. “Hey!” Lucy cried with a giggle. “What are you doing, Romeo?”

  “Taking you to your royal sofa,” he said, enjoying the weight of her in his arms. “I’ll join you in a minute. You pick the movie, okay?”

  “Consider yourself warned,” Lucy said as he put her gently down onto the sofa and handed her the remote. “I’m very hungry. And I’m in the mood for chick flicks.”

  “Go easy on me,” he said with a wink. “I’ll be right back.”

  He felt like a new man as he went back into the kitchen.

  It felt good to take care of her.

  He never wanted to stop.

  Twenty

  Lucy felt like she was walking on air as she bounded out of the doctor’s office. Well—not bounded, exactly. But for a pregnant woman she felt light on her feet. She could have been holding pure gold in her hands.

  In a way, she was. The doctor had prescribed something to help with her nausea, and she couldn’t wait to get to the pharmacy and fill the prescription. She had a new lease on life. Maybe it wouldn’t be quite so debilitating now. Lucy hadn’t been completely honest with Aiden—in the past week, she’d had days where the nausea was so bad, she couldn’t get out of bed for hours in the morning.

  There was even better news on top of the prescription, too. She’d had an early ultrasound today, and the doctor had looked at her with an encouraging smile. “This pregnancy is right on track,” she’d said decisively. “Baby is doing well. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

  “Mostly throwing up,” Lucy joked.

  “The medication should help with that,” said her doctor. “If it doesn’t, call back in a week and we’ll try something else.”

  It was all such good news. Lucy turned the radio up loud as she drove aw
ay from the office park where the doctor’s office was located. Wide country roads indeed. The sun shone down brightly all around her, making the fields and forests look like they were celebrating with her.

  There was only one stop to make before she headed out to Aiden’s place—the pharmacy. Honestly, it was like the world had laid a red carpet out for her. There was no line at the counter, and that precious bottle was in her hand in ten minutes flat.

  She popped one of the pills the moment she got back to the car, washing it down with some freshly purchased Gatorade from the grocery section of the pharmacy. Lucy wasn’t naive enough to think it would work right away. She’d done enough work in grad school to know that most medications took time to settle in and do their work, just like most pesticides. Sure, it wasn’t the best analogy, but that didn’t matter.

  There was something to be said for the placebo effect, anyway, because by the time she got to the ranch, she felt miles better than she had this morning. The worry about the baby had kept her up most of the night, and she’d been nauseated enough to get stuck in bed for an extra forty-five minutes, but now?

  Things were really looking up.

  Aiden’s truck was in the driveway when she got there, but his four-wheeler was not. Lucy was disappointed that he wasn’t coming down the front steps of his house, but then again, that was a little ridiculous. Of course he’d be out and about on the ranch, probably checking on the cattle. That’s the kind of man Aiden was—always on the go.

  At least she felt great. The new, flowy clothes she’d bought at the boutique, supplemented by some pieces she ordered online, were the most comfortable clothes she’d ever worn in her life. Why didn’t pants always fit this nicely? It was a crime against humanity that all women’s jeans didn’t come with an elastic waistband. The fabric they were made from was lightweight, so it would stand up to walking through the crops without making her sweat to death. Those maternity manufacturers had thought of everything. Plus, she’d worn her cutest white top. In this shirt, Lucy really did feel like she was glowing.

  She glowed slightly less as she stepped out of the car. Lucy took a peek down at the white of her shirt—it was less vibrant than it had been a few minutes ago at the pharmacy.

  Ah, yes—the sun was now behind clouds. How had Lucy missed it? The storm front was huge, stretching across what seemed like miles of sky, and she hadn’t noticed it at all.

  It was coming fast.

  Lucy considered the distance between her car and the hops she needed to sample. It wasn’t that far, and if she ran over she could get the samples, then come back before—

  A rumble of thunder shook the sky above her.

  Too late.

  Lucy clutched her notebook and petri dishes to her chest. “Wow.” It was true pretty much everywhere that thunderstorms popped up suddenly and went away just as suddenly, but she’d forgotten how they could rush across the big Montana sky like this. Out by the tree line, Lucy could see it now—a silver sheet of summer rain.

  “Wow!” she shouted, giddy, heart pounding, and raced for the door.

  She beat the storm by two steps, hoping against hope that Aiden left the front door unlocked. Sweet relief swept through her when the handle gave way under her hand. She stepped inside and slammed it shut behind her, laughing. The storm was not an axe murderer, but her heart pounded nonetheless.

  The lower floors of the farmhouse had huge windows, but from the living room, the view to the rest of the ranch was blocked by the pole barn. She was inside and dry, sure, but where was Aiden? Lightning lashed the sky, arcing down toward the surface of the Earth. Would he really have stayed out there if he’d noticed the rain? Surely, Aiden would have seen the storm coming.

  She climbed the stairs, losing her breath a bit, and went into the guest bedroom. The dark comforter was neatly smoothed on the bed.

  The rain came down in sheets and buckets, and Lucy wiped at the window with her sleeve. “What are you doing?” she said to herself. “Is this pregnancy brain?” Talking to herself like that probably was. She peered out through the glass, but it was rainswept and blurry. The only thing she could make out were the broad strokes of the land beneath her, the darker green of the crops, and the red of the pole barn. But where was Aiden? She squinted harder, trying to see through the rain.

  “Looking for me?”

  Stifling a gasp, Lucy spun around to find him there in the doorframe.

  And, oh, what a sight it was.

  Aiden wore jeans and a white T-shirt, both of which hugged his muscular body like gloves. Of course they did—he was soaking wet, from head to toe. He’d pulled his hair back for work and water ran in rivulets down the sides of his temples.

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I was looking for you.”

  He scanned her face for one more moment and stepped into the bedroom.

  In a flash she was at his side, her notebook, purse, and petri dishes tumbling to the carpet.

  “Let’s get these wet things off of you.”

  “Please do.” His blue eyes shone as she lifted his shirt, exposing his abs, and ran her fingers over the ridges.

  “Poor abs,” said Lucy. “You were caught in the rain.”

  “You’ll have to dry them off,” Aiden said, voice husky.

  Getting the jeans off was more work, and as much as Lucy wanted to watch him strip down, she could see goose bumps rising across his skin. She tiptoed around him, earning herself a crooked grin, and went across into the bathroom. A stack of fluffy, clean towels waited in a narrow cabinet, and she brought one back to him.

  “Here.”

  Aiden laughed. “You look pretty reluctant to give me this.”

  “It’s just that…” She bit her lip. “I like looking at you.”

  “I like looking at you too.” He rubbed the towel across his skin where Lucy wished her hands could be. “That’s what makes this so unfair.”

  “What’s unfair?”

  “I’m down to my boxers and you’re still standing there fully clothed.”

  “Oh. Well, there’s something I can do about that, right now—”

  “No.” Aiden dropped the towel to the carpet. “You shouldn’t overexert yourself. Let me do it.”

  Undressing her was not some rushed afterthought of a task. Every piece of clothing that Aiden lifted from her skin was memorialized with a trail of hot kisses. They left goose bumps, too. He traced them with one finger, starting at her pebbled nipples. “And you weren’t even caught in the rain,” he marveled.

  “It’s the cold front,” Lucy said, pure pleasure at his touch running through her. “I need you to warm me up.”

  “Gladly.”

  He took her to the bed where they burrowed under the comforter as the rain came down hard on the roof. Aiden tasted like rain and want when he kissed her, and look! She wasn’t cold anymore. Not cold at all. In fact, all the summer heat was contained in his kisses, and he let it fall over her like a blanket. Inside the air-conditioned farmhouse, it felt delicious.

  She let her head fall back on the pillow as Aiden spread her out in front of him, across the length of the bed. He was careful to lift her head and stack another pillow behind her, just in case, he said. Just in case what, Lucy didn’t know, but when he lowered his head between her legs, she lost her ability to care.

  Aiden devoured her with long, slow strokes of his tongue, then fast, precise ones, alternating them in a pattern that she couldn’t predict. Lucy found herself clutching the comforter, arching back.

  A low noise of satisfaction rumbled in his throat, and the vibration went straight to her clit. He pulled back. “You’re so wet.”

  “No commentary,” she said, pushing his head back down. He obeyed, but only because he was working her even harder. He covered her clit with his mouth and sucked, the rhythmic pulse matching with the fingers he pressed inside her, hooking them forward to find that secret place that wound her pleasure tighter and tighter until she exploded around him.

  S
he had not yet come down from the high when he lifted her from the bed, turning them both so that she was on top. Lucy threw her head back and let him guide her onto him, filling her so slowly that it was an incredibly exquisite pleasure. Was that her moaning like that? She didn’t recognize the sound and didn’t care.

  “God,” Aiden said, voice ragged. “You’re so ready. You’re so ready.”

  It was true. Her body was hungry for him in every possible way. Her muscles took over, rocking her back and forth across his thickness, the knowledge of her pregnancy between them. It was such freedom, such joy. She could take him inside of her and never fear for the consequences. They had already created their own consequences, and in this moment, it was nothing short of wonderful.

  Aiden kept his hands on her hips, controlling her speed and pressure, and she lost herself in his possession of her body. It felt so good. It felt so good. She wanted more of it, now, tomorrow, every day in the future. The pleasure rose like the storm, whipping her body through it. The peaks were like a bright summer sun, and the lows were a raging sea. All of them tugged at her nerves, all of them made her body sing.

  She rode him like the rancher he was.

  She didn’t know how long they’d been like that, only that she opened her eyes to find his blue gaze on her. His eyes were filled with awe, and it made her feel like a goddess, to command such attention. She’d wanted a man to look at her like that all her life. Dream after dream coming true like a row of dominos falling.

  “Gorgeous,” he said through clenched teeth, and it sent her right over the edge, coming so hard it forced the breath from her lungs.

  Aiden wasn’t far behind her, twisting them both so he could pin her down and drive deep. He was gentle, yes, but she could feel that he knew her strength, too. For a blinding moment, they were one, no division between them, and she was as powerful as she had ever been. A match for him.