The Rancher's Unexpected Twins--A Clean Romance

by Trish Milburn

  “If you wake the twins, I’m making you stay up all night with them. They were uncharacteristically cranky, and it took me forever to get them to calm down and go to sleep.”

  “Sorry,” Dean said, his voice much quieter than his outburst of laughter had been. “But you have to admit it’s hilarious.”

  “Why is me getting suckered into being the festival chair hilarious? As if I wasn’t juggling enough balls already.”

  “Just the fact that despite how you tell large corporations around the world what to do, you got bamboozled by a handful of older ladies on a mission.”

  “It wasn’t all women. Johnny Marston’s on the committee.”

  Dean snorted so loudly that Sunny smacked him on the arm.

  “Sorry,” he said again. “But Johnny’s there to escape his wife. He figures the committee is less work than she’d have him doing if he stayed home. It’s also probably a good way for them to not end up in divorce court.”

  Despite her demands that he not wake up Lily and Liam, who were sleeping in the new crib in Dean’s bedroom, she felt relieved to be laughing with him without any leftover awkwardness in the aftermath of her falling asleep on him.

  “I feel conflicted,” she said. “While that is funny, it’s also sad that they’re in a marriage that fractious.”

  “It happens to a lot of older couples. Once their kids grow up and leave, they realize they don’t have much in common and don’t even really like each other.”

  “Your parents don’t seem to be like that.”

  “Oh no, they are still nauseatingly in love.”

  Sunny smiled. “Don’t try to convince me you would have it any other way. Your parents are the best.”

  “Yeah, they’re top tier in the parents department.”

  She glanced toward the closed bedroom door, knowing that her brother and sister-in-law would have fit that description, as well.

  “Hey,” Dean said as he took her hand in his. “No sad thoughts.”

  “I can’t help it sometimes.”

  It probably wasn’t the wisest move ever, but she didn’t protest when Dean pulled her gently to him and wrapped her in a comforting hug.

  “I miss them too,” he said. “Every day.”

  She allowed herself to relax into his embrace and placed her hands against his warm back. He smelled like the outdoors, not fresh and clean like he had after his shower the night before but rather like the familiar scents of an honest day’s ranch work. Like sunshine, dust, grass, animals and sweat. And yet she didn’t mind.

  “Sometimes it still doesn’t seem real that they’re gone. I alternate between trying to convince myself this has all been a long, extremely detailed dream and acknowledging that I have to accept the finality of the truth.”

  “That’s normal, don’t you think? Part of the stages of grieving or something.”

  “Yeah. Doesn’t make it any easier knowing that.”

  Dean held her loosely so that when she was ready she was able to step free easily and without it seeming like a big deal.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked as she moved toward the kitchen.

  “Yeah, but I’ll warm up something after I shower. Or did you not eat with your dad? Did you get my text?”

  “I got the text. Sorry I didn’t answer, but I was in the middle of the festival meeting.”

  “The festival you’re now in charge of.”

  The teasing tone of his voice along with the mischievous smile had her grabbing and threatening to toss a loaf of bread at him. Dean laughed and sprinted toward the bathroom and safety from flying carbohydrates.

  Sunny smiled and shook her head. She tried not to attribute too much meaning to the fact that Dean always seemed to know exactly what type of support she needed and when she needed it.

  As she warmed up a healthy portion of food for Dean’s late dinner, she was struck by how comfortable she felt here after such a short time. They’d had their awkward moments, but thankfully there were longer stretches of easy companionship in between. Whether they were brainstorming business plans or having a moment of mutual grief over the loss of Jason and Amanda, the interactions felt more effortless than those in a fake marriage should.

  What should concern her more than that was the fact that she found it way too easy to imagine letting the word fake start to disappear.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  SUNNY DIDN’T KNOW why she was dreaming about a baby crying when she didn’t have a baby. She was living the single, professional life in sunny, vibrant SoCal. She rolled over and pulled a pillow over her head, hoping to smother the dream.

  Lily! Liam!

  She sat up fast and tripped over her quilt while trying to get to her feet, sending herself sprawling onto the floor. Wincing at the pain in her knee, which had taken the brunt of the fall, she pushed her sleep-mussed hair out of her face and was getting to her feet when the sound of a knock on the door managed to register in her foggy brain.

  “Sunny? I’m coming in, okay?”

  “Uh, yeah,” she said, her words not totally coherent.

  The door opened and Dean hurried in.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he rushed over to her and gripped her upper arm.

  She blinked several times, trying to shove away the vestiges of sleep so she could tend to whatever had awakened the babies.

  “Yeah.” But she winced again when she took a step.

  “Sit. I’ll—”

  “I’m okay,” she said as she crossed to the crib to see both twins in full meltdown. Not knowing which one had started crying first, she checked Lily and found a wet diaper. “Let’s get you fixed up, sweetie. I’d cry too if I was in your position.”

  She noticed Dean had stepped up next to her and was checking Liam’s diaper.

  “In the clear here,” he said.

  “He’s probably just crying because his sister is.”

  Dean lifted Liam out of the crib with little effort and held him high in the air.

  “Hey, little guy, no need for all that fussing.”

  By the time she was finished diapering Lily and drying her tears, Sunny was more awake. As she lifted Lily out of the crib and soothed her by bouncing her gently and rubbing her back, she noticed that Liam had stopped crying too. Instead, he was actually giggling.

  She looked over to find Dean was holding her nephew and tickling his plump little belly. The sight of Dean holding a baby while wearing a smile of adoration wasn’t something she needed to see in the middle of the night because it made her feel things that were decidedly inconvenient.

  But who could blame her? It was quite possibly the sweetest, most attractive thing she’d seen in her entire life. That the man in question was someone she’d known since before she could remember made her question if she was actually awake or really dreaming.

  Dean glanced toward her and smiled. “Looks like we make a good midnight team.”

  “Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

  His expression grew concerned.

  “Is something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Sleep hangover, I guess. Not firing on all cylinders.”

  He nodded toward the bed. “Sit down and I’ll leave them with you while I get an ice pack for your knee.”

  “I’m fine, really.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to take care of things now instead of tomorrow when you need to be able to walk? I swear you and your dad are two stubborn peas in a pod.”

  She huffed out a little laugh at that. “We’re certainly both klutzy enough lately.”

  Luckily she hadn’t managed to break any bones. But the ice pack probably was a smart idea, so she situated herself against the headboard with Lily in her lap. Dean placed Liam next to her.

  “Make sure your auntie doesn’t manage to fall out of the bed,” he said to Liam as if sp
eaking one man to another.

  “I don’t remember you being this annoying.”

  “Maybe I’ve gotten better with age.”

  He had no idea how disturbingly right he was.

  Ahh, she had to stop thinking like that.

  “I thought you were getting me an ice pack.” She motioned him toward the door.

  He bowed like a courtier before a queen.

  “Your wish is my command, dear wife.”

  Thankfully at that moment Liam grabbed the hem of her pajama top and tugged, demanding attention that she gave him so she didn’t have to figure out how to respond to Dean. She knew he was teasing, but it still made it difficult to sit still and breathe normally when he offered an endearment.

  She made sure her attention was focused entirely on the twins when Dean returned to the room with the ice pack.

  “Your right knee?” he asked.

  “I can do it,” she said, reaching for the ice.

  “I think you have your hands full already.”

  That she did. Two unfortunately wide-awake toddlers who were currently using her as a jungle gym.

  Dean sat on the edge of the bed and placed the ice pack gently on her aching knee.

  “That okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

  Now that Dean was close at hand, Lily abandoned Sunny and crawled toward him.

  “Well, you look happier than you did a few minutes ago,” Dean said to his pint-size admirer as he scooped her up and placed her on his lap.

  “Of course she is. She knows she has you wrapped around her tiny finger.”

  “She does indeed.”

  Sunny’s entire body felt warm and fuzzy watching Dean with her niece. He was so good with her, with both of the kids. If things were different, he’d make a good father figure for them. When she thought about how he might miss them if they moved to California with her, she experienced a pang of guilt and sadness. She found herself wishing Jade Valley and LA weren’t so far from each other.

  Sunny snuggled Liam close, and he seemed contented to let her. She hated that he would have no memory of his mother doing the same. Lily wouldn’t remember her father doting on her the way Dean was doing.

  “Even if you convince your dad to come to California, this caretaking in the middle of the night is still going to be a challenge.”

  “Parents with jobs do it all the time. Dad and I will be able to manage.”

  Dean shifted his gaze away from her and back to Lily, bouncing her on his leg as if it was a toddler-sized horse. He didn’t say anything further, not to her anyway, and it made her curious what he was thinking.

  It took about half an hour of quiet, back rubs and some light rocking before they managed to get the twins back to sleep. Dean eased them one at a time into their shared crib. After he covered them with a thin blanket he moved back to the bed, though he didn’t resume sitting.

  “Would you like some more ice?” He kept his voice soft and quiet so as not to disturb Lily and Liam.

  She shook her head. “I’m good. Go get some more sleep. I’m sorry they woke you up.”

  “It’s okay. I fall asleep pretty easily most of the time.”

  After he left the room and closed the door, she found herself wishing she could fall asleep quickly too. Because the more time she spent with Dean, the more confusion seeped into her thoughts.

  * * *

  DEAN GUIDED HIS horse to the right to steer the edge of the herd in the direction of the new pasture. As he’d spent his morning looking at the back ends of cattle, he’d daydreamed about being able to freeze time so he could fall into blissful sleep for about a week. Maybe then he’d feel rested and have figured out a way to forget about his wife.

  His wife. No matter how many times that phrase ran through his thoughts, he couldn’t believe he was married to Sunny. Granted, it was only on paper and not a real marriage in all the ways that counted, but they were indeed husband and wife. He hadn’t wanted to leave the bedroom the night before. Even if they didn’t consummate their marriage, it would be nice to simply lie beside her, hold her close as she slept.

  “You look like you haven’t been sleeping much,” Carlos said in a tone that left no doubt what he thought was keeping Dean up at night when he should be sleeping.

  He wasn’t about to discuss his sex life or lack thereof with his coworkers, so he pointed toward a straying calf so Carlos would ride in the opposite direction and hopefully forget about teasing him. Dean didn’t want to add any more lies to the load he was already carrying. One more had joined the tally the night before when he’d told Sunny that he fell asleep easily.

  Okay, so that used to be true before she’d moved in. But since then? He’d had one hell of a time quieting his mind each night. And when he’d gone to the bathroom in the wee hours a couple of nights before, in his half-asleep state he’d almost entered his bedroom on the way back. Only the closed door had reminded him that his bedroom was already occupied.

  But otherwise, living with Sunny had been great. He didn’t even mind late-night toddler care. When he’d been holding Lily and had the thought that they almost seemed like a real family, he hadn’t been able to look at Sunny, afraid she’d read his thoughts.

  His phone buzzed and he hoped neither Carlos nor Billy noticed how fast he reached for it. But the message wasn’t from Sunny, who was no doubt up to her nose in one work project or another, but rather his mother.

  I just saw Sunny in town with those darling twins.

  He didn’t have to see his mom’s face or hear her voice to know she was itching to go full grandma with Lily and Liam.

  Satisfied the herd was heading in the right direction, he reined to a stop so he could text his mom a quick response.

  She said she was going to visit Trudy, help her with something to combat Alma’s unexpected Josh Carlson appearance.

  Those two old women are still acting like teenagers.

  Dean laughed out loud at his mom calling Alma and Trudy old women when they were probably only ten years older than her.

  “Your wife sending you interesting texts?” Carlos called out to him, causing Billy to chuckle.

  “No, my mom being sassy.”

  “Okay, that I believe too. I miss having her around.”

  Dean understood. It had taken a while to get used to his mom and dad not living on the ranch after his dad retired and Dean took over as foreman. Though his dad still came out occasionally to chat with Jonathon and the hands, he’d taken to retirement better than Dean had expected. While his mom experimented with new recipes she got from cooking shows and indulged in her craft of the week, his dad puttered in his little wood shop behind their house. To everyone’s surprise, he’d developed an interest in making miniatures and dollhouses. And while Dean’s mom was the one with grandma fever, even his dad had made a comment about building a beautiful dollhouse for Lily when she was a little older.

  Dean had played it off by saying Lily might not like dolls. She might like race cars or horses instead. Of course, then his dad had simply pivoted and said he could make those too if that’s what she preferred.

  He tried not to think about how his marriage dissolving and the twins moving states away was going to break his parents’ hearts. They’d already been fond of them, but his marriage had really upped their attachment to those little cuties. His too, if he was being honest.

  As he stared out across the ranch that had been such a huge part of his entire life, he realized that the deal he’d made with Sunny had little to do with his desire to make his professional dreams come true. She’d needed help, and he’d agreed to it without fully thinking through the consequences. People were going to get hurt, and there was no way to prevent it.

  Unless...

  He shook his head at the idea of trying to convince Sunny to stay in Jade Valley, to make
a real life together. But that wasn’t fair to her. He’d gone into this relationship knowing she didn’t feel the same way about him as he felt about her, so trying to change the terms of their agreement midstream wasn’t right.

  Even knowing all that, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from racing down that path. But every time he thought about trying to woo his wife for real, the other half of his brain would scold him for trying to take away the life she’d worked hard to build for herself. While she might love Jade Valley, her friends and the ranch, she wasn’t in love with him. She’d lost enough. He wasn’t going to attempt to be the reason she lost a job she loved too.

  * * *

  “I KNOW IT’S not Josh Carlson, but at least it’ll give you more opportunities to bring in people than a single appearance.” Sunny pointed at the printouts of her plan she’d brought to show Trudy.

  “I feel like kissing you,” Trudy said.

  Sunny laughed. “Thanks for the sentiment, but that’s not necessary.”

  She’d been in the middle of writing her second travel piece for Maya, this one on Thailand, after Dean left for work that morning, when she’d started craving tom kha gai. That was when a memory of the first time she’d had the authentic chicken coconut soup caused the proverbial light bulb to click on above her head. For the next couple of hours she’d abandoned the article in favor of mapping out a schedule of articles that Trudy could then pair with themed nights at the café. Maya was probably going to be thrilled with the idea too. Being able to link an article about Portugal to a tasty night of caldo verde and bifanas with pastel de nata for dessert and a drawing to win a bottle of Portuguese wine was a win-win for two of the most important women in Sunny’s life.

  And she had gotten a thrill out of the planning for the effort—picking the countries, selecting the menu items, researching the best giveaway prizes from each country. She loved being able to bring so many beautiful parts of her travel back home to Jade Valley. She just hoped the whole effort didn’t bomb spectacularly. In her articles, she was deliberately highlighting the similarities between those faraway places and Wyoming to help locals feel not only a kinship with but also an interest in learning more about the various countries. Hopefully it also would bring them and their taste buds to Trudy’s for a little something different.