Home on the Ranch: Wyoming Cowboy Ranger

by Rebecca Winters

  She traced his profile with her index finger. He was a beautiful man and she imagined there’d been many women who’d wanted a relationship with him. But somehow she’d been the lucky one. Her mind kept going back to that first day in the clinic.

  Sharon Carter had brought Lily a new patient complete with his file and X-rays. “He came in on an emergency. Nothing’s broken, but he’ll need therapy. A word to the wise. He’s upset to have to be in here,” she whispered. “Have fun, anyway.” Her eyes had danced.

  That last remark needed no explanation when Lily saw the strikingly handsome forest ranger for the first time. Like a thunderclap her heart had sprung to life and she hadn’t been the same since.

  “What’s that secret smile for?”

  Lily blinked. She hadn’t realized Porter was awake. He rolled toward her and gave her a lingering kiss that lit her body on fire all over again.

  “I was remembering the first morning I met you.”

  “If you want to know the truth, I’ll never forget it, either. I decided you were a goddess come to life.”

  “Porter.” She hid her face in his shoulder.

  “It’s true. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen you around town before. Every man who worked with you was under your spell. The hardest thing I had to do was wait for my one hour with you three times a week. Talk about torture.”

  “Shall we compare notes?” She kissed his mouth over and over again. “Every time Ron wheeled you out of the room, my heart literally sank. I went crazy waiting for the hours and days to pass between sessions.”

  “He knew I was crazy about you.”

  “Not much gets past Ron. I even drove to a medical conference that first weekend in Jackson Hole to help me deal with the fact that I wanted to spend time with you in your hospital room. Imagine the gossip that would have created.”

  He flashed her a grin. “If you’d come to see me, I would probably have had a heart attack.”

  “What about now?”

  “I think you know exactly what you do to me. I love you, Lily. I love you,” he growled in a low, savage voice and started to devour her.

  Once again they lost track of time while they brought each other to the height of exquisite, soul-shattering pleasure.

  When she next became aware of her surroundings, Porter’s leg was wrapped around hers, and he was staring at her with an intense expression on his face.

  “What is it, darling? You look a little worried.”

  “Maybe I am. After we met with Dr. Sharp last week, you said you didn’t want to wait to try and have a baby. I took you at your word, but I just hope you aren’t having reservations and afraid to tell me. If I haven’t made you pregnant already, we could wait a while until you’re absolutely sure.”

  She smiled. “I don’t want to wait. Sometimes it takes a long time to get pregnant. Now that we’re married, I don’t want it to be an issue. One day I believe it will happen. If it’s sooner, nothing could make me happier. I’m just so happy to be married to you. Whatever will be, will be.”

  He covered her face with kisses. “That works for me. Now I want to take a shower with you.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it for days.” She hid her face in his neck. “I love the way you blush.”

  “Afterwards, I’ll fix your breakfast.”

  “Let’s do it together. I love doing everything with you, especially my therapy.” He gently tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Tell me something, sweetheart. How many guys have you had to help the way you helped me? The truth now.”

  “A few, but they were simply a patient. You were different and you know it.”

  “You have no idea how hard it was when I had to go through the motions with Dr. Jensen. He didn’t like me at all and I know why. The man was jealous of the time I spent with you.”

  “None of it matters.”

  “You’re right. You’re my wife and I’m the luckiest man alive.” He rolled out of bed, then scooped her up in his arms. “How does that shower sound?”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Epilogue

  Nine Months Later

  Porter had just left for work when Lily felt a pain radiating from the base of her spine. It was the first she’d had at all during her whole pregnancy. She got up from the kitchen table and walked around for a few minutes to see if it would go away.

  Both her mother and Millie, who’d recently had her baby, had told her what labor pains felt like. She was pretty sure this pain had nothing to do with going into labor. The doctor had kept a weekly check on her since April, but so far all had been well.

  When a walk through the ranch house did nothing to alleviate it, she called the doctor and was told to come right in. After she hung up, she phoned Porter at headquarters. He’d arranged to work there for the last two months in case he needed to be around.

  “I’m coming straight home.”

  By his grave-sounding voice, she knew he was alarmed. Lily was alarmed herself, but she had to remember what Dr. Sharp had told her during her first prenatal appointment. If her spine was in trouble because of the weight and location of the baby, they’d find out and do something about it fast.

  While she waited, she called her mom to tell her what was happening.

  “We’ll be standing by and come if you need us.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Lily hurried and put on her flowered-print smock top over her yellow maternity pants. Her feet were swollen, so she wore her white sandals. As her dad had told her yesterday, she looked in full bloom even though there was still a month to go.

  “Lily?”

  “Right here, darling. I’m coming.”

  He met her at the door. She hadn’t seen lines in his face like that since the day he’d been wheeled into the therapy room the first time. “Are you still having those pains?”

  “Yes. They haven’t stopped.”

  “Let’s go.” He helped her to the car and they sped off to the doctor’s office at the medical plaza.

  Once they went inside, the doctor did a quick exam. Then she went back to his office where Porter was waiting. The doctor came in. “Someone from X-ray will come to get you. I want to find out what’s going on with your spine.”

  “Can I go with her?”

  “Certainly, Mr. Ewing.”

  The pain didn’t get any worse, but it didn’t get any better, either. Lily was glad when the X-rays had been taken. Porter wheeled her back to Dr. Sharp’s office. He helped her into a chair and took the wheelchair out to the reception room, then came back.

  Lily reached for his hand while they waited for her doctor. “I should be thankful I haven’t had any pain until today.”

  He held his body taut. “You’ve been incredibly brave through this whole pregnancy. What’s taking him so long?”

  “I’m sure he’s consulting with the radiologist and comparing the new X-rays to the old ones.”

  When she felt her husband couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, Dr. Sharp came in. “I’ve made the decision that we’ll take the baby out by cesarean section once you’re admitted to the hospital. Take her over there now and get her admitted.”

  Porter’s face lost color.

  “I don’t see any damage yet, but the pain isn’t going to go away now. Having the baby will cure everything.”

  “Dr. Gregson said this could happen,” she told her obstetrician.

  “That’s correct. And I like proceeding on the side of caution. Your baby boy will be four weeks premature, but he’ll be fine. So will you. I’ll see you over there shortly.”

  “Come on, sweetheart.” Porter helped her out of the building to the car and drove her to the hospital. She called her parents to let them know what was happening.

  Porter parked near the
ER. “Home once again.”

  “Darling—everything really is going to be all right.”

  She heard his sharp intake of breath. “I know.”

  No, he didn’t know and this was one time when she couldn’t help him. “Just think. I don’t have to go through labor like Millie and Jessica.”

  She couldn’t get a smile out of him. He hurried around to help her inside. One of the nurses put her in a wheelchair and they were taken upstairs to a private room on the maternity ward.

  While one nurse took Porter into an anteroom to put a surgical mask and gown on him, another nurse helped Lily into a hospital gown and got her into the bed where she’d have the baby.

  Porter joined her. Then came someone to take her blood. Soon the anesthetist arrived to explain he was giving her an epidural. She lay on her side while he administered it.

  He was followed by the neonatologist, who introduced himself and smiled.

  “Are you two ready to have this baby?”

  “I can’t wait.” Her voice shook.

  Porter nodded, but she’d never seen him so frozen. Her poor darling husband was terrified. “Where’s Dr. Sharp?”

  “He’s scrubbing and will be right in.”

  Lily was relieved when her doctor breezed in, gowned and masked. He sat down at the end.

  “Porter? I want you to put that chair next to your wife’s head. I’ll need your help in a little while. Lily? I want you to relax and breathe deeply. This experience will be over before you know it. When I’m ready to pull the baby out, your anesthetist will give you some oxygen to breathe for just a minute or two. That’s all you have to do.”

  “Okay.”

  She turned to look into Porter’s eyes. “Our little boy’s coming, darling.”

  “I can’t believe it.”

  Neither could she.

  The procedure really didn’t take long. All of a sudden she heard the miraculous sound of a baby’s cry. At that point the oxygen mask was put over her. She felt kind of odd, like her insides were all swooshing out of her. Then the mask was taken away.

  “You’ve got a fine son here. Come over here, Porter. I’ll let you cut the umbilical cord.”

  Lily watched as her husband did it perfectly. At that point the neonatologist took their crying baby over to a table, where he did an exam and cleaned him up. Then he stood up and brought him over to her, lying him on her chest.

  “Congratulations, Mom and Dad. Your son weighed in at seven pounds, and is twenty-two inches. Not bad for being a month premature. His lungs are working beautifully. He’s a perfect color and has all the right parts, in case you were worrying.”

  Porter let out a laugh, the first one she’d heard in days.

  “What are you going to call him?”

  “Rex, after my husband’s father,” Lily said, and saw Porter’s eyes fill with tears.

  “Go ahead, you two, and check him out,” Dr. Sharp said. “Then he’ll be taken to the nursery for a time. As for you, Lily, I don’t anticipate you’ll have any more pain because we removed the problem so fast. But we’ll keep a close watch. I’ll be back in later to check on you.” Then he left.

  “Oh, look at our little boy, darling. Isn’t he adorable?”

  Her husband examined him from head to toe. Then he looked at her with eyes that shone with a light she’d never seen before. “You two are the most beautiful sight I ever saw in my life. Are you all right, sweetheart?”

  “I’ve never been better.”

  He furrowed his brow. “He doesn’t have any hair yet.”

  “It’ll come in. I wonder if it’ll be black or blond?”

  The baby started crying again. “I’m sure he’s hungry.”

  The neonatologist lifted the baby and put him in a padded cart. “I’ll take him to the nursery. You can come with me, Mr. Ewing. So can any family members.”

  After he left, Lily’s mother and father came in. “We just saw the baby. He’s the image of both of you. How are you feeling?”

  “Incredibly happy, but tired.”

  “Of course you are.”

  “Come on, Porter,” her father said. “Let’s walk down to the nursery and have some fun.”

  He glanced at Lily. “I won’t leave if you need me, darling.”

  “I’ll always need you, but go with them for a few minutes, then come back. We’re a family now and this is just the beginning.”

  “My love,” he half moaned the endearment with a kiss against her lips before leaving with her parents. She smiled and closed her eyes, imagining what their life was going to be like from now on. Absolutely wonderful!

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Home on the Ranch: Colorado Cowboy by Patricia Potter.

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  Home on the Ranch: Colorado Cowboy

  by Patricia Potter

  Chapter 1

  The lump on the side of the road was out of place.

  Despite his speed on the nearly empty two-lane road that connected nowhere with nowhere, Ross Taylor noticed everything on and around whatever path, trail or road he traveled. It was instinctual after years in the Middle East, where carelessness often meant death.

  He slowed his Harley as he neared the lump. He was familiar with lumps, bumps, anything out of place. He treated them with respect. And caution. Even in the States.

  He was almost even with the lump when he recognized the object as a dog. It lifted its head at the noise and then tried to move. Dammit. From the way it tried to drag itself, he knew the animal was in pain. And terrified. He knew the signs only too well. The dog was probably dumped by some jerk that had to know that few—if any—people used the road.

  He should have known this trip was a bad idea. He hadn’t wanted to go back to ranch country. Too many memories haunted him to this day. But the request came from the one man he couldn’t refuse.

  Dammit. He was already late for his appointments in Covenant Falls. A day late, in fact, and he didn’t like being late. Ever. It had been drilled into him in the army. Equally as important, the sooner he finished the job, the sooner he could leave.

  Still, he couldn’t leave a living thing in pain. Swearing softly about people who abandoned dogs, he dismounted from his bike and approached the animal. It tried desperately to move away but was obviously hobbled by its injured leg.

  As h
e knelt beside the dog, it shivered with fear and pain. Probably hunger and thirst, as well. It moved, or tried to move, and a soft moan came from its throat.

  It was a nondescript dog on the smaller side of medium. It was so dirty he couldn’t determine the color or breed but its large sorrowful brown eyes reflected fear and pain. Blood had stiffened the fur on its left leg. The fur was matted and full of burrs. Its scrawny body told him it hadn’t had a meal in a long time. Probably dehydrated, as well.

  “Hey, little guy,” Ross said as he knelt down next to the animal and put a hand on its head. “Let’s see what I can do for you.”

  The dog growled, obviously unsure of his intentions. Ross went to his bike’s saddlebag and grabbed one of two squashed sandwiches he’d bought at the same gas station where he’d heard about the road and been given directions. He also dug out his canteen.

  He sat down next to the animal, filled the top of the canteen with a little water and held it out to the dog, which drank it frantically. When it was gone, Ross tore a small piece off the sandwich and placed it in front of the dog before inching back. He watched as the animal sniffed the offering and then gulped it down. It looked at him more hopefully.

  “Recognize a friend now, huh, or is it desperation? I understand desperation.” He kept his voice low and his hand gentle as he explored the dog’s body. The animal yelped as he touched his rear left leg. His experience as a medic told him it looked as if he’d been hit by a bullet. The wound was in and out and looked as if was healing but there could be bone damage. He tried to soothe the dog, talking to him in a low calm voice as he finished his examination. Thank God, the abdomen appeared intact. The dog had probably been dumped and then someone else came along and used him for target practice or, worse, it had been the dumper.

  “Stay here,” he ordered although he knew the words were nonsense to the dog. He gave the dog a few more swallows of water. He wanted to give him more food, but he feared too much on an empty stomach would make him sick.

  What in the hell was he going to do now? He couldn’t leave him here. He checked his cell phone. No signal.