Rescued by a Rancher

by Mindy Neff

  She decided to change the subject. He’d never promised to stay. That was just her wish.

  “Sunny said you weren’t sure if Miss Helen would live.” She lifted the mare’s ears, standing them up the way they were supposed to, then let go, disheartened when they flopped back down. “Do you really believe that?”

  “I did when I bought her. Now that I’ve seen the way she acts with you, I think you just might be the one to bring her around.”

  “Really?” She grinned.

  “Babe, I’m getting jealous just watching you massage that mare’s ears and head. Who wouldn’t respond to that treatment?”

  Her eyes widened and she felt as though a powerful overhead light had just switched on. “That’s it!”

  “What?”

  “Massage. It improves health and muscle tone, and it relieves stress and depression. Do you ever massage your horses?”

  “Can’t say as I have. I spend a lot of time grooming, though. Touch gains trust and forms a bond between a horse and his handler.”

  “Then you should teach the guys who work for you how to give a good massage. Linc, you’ve got the perfect setup here. Oh, my gosh. This is such a great idea.” She could feel her insides bubbling with excitement.

  “Exactly what idea are we talking about?”

  “I think you ought to open a spa for horses. Mainly cater to the elderly and stressed-out ones.”

  He gaped at her as though she’d lost her mind.

  She laughed. “It’s a fabulous concept, and I haven’t heard of anyone else around who does this. It could tie in with your breeding business, too. Soothe the mares so they’re in a better mood to get pregnant.”

  “Soothe…?” He stopped, ran his palm over his face, covered his mouth and stared at her over the top of his hand.

  “That’s right. And your stallions, too. Although it would probably be best to wait until afterward. We wouldn’t want to get them too relaxed and mess with their performance abilities.”

  “You and your ever-present causes. If you don’t have three going at once, you think you have to go out and create a new one.”

  “Have you ever been to a resort spa?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I have, and let me tell you, it’s heaven. Do you disagree that these horses would likely benefit from a little pampering?”

  “No, but—“

  “Good. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of all the arrangements. When you see how well we do, you can incorporate the extra perk with your advertising.” She swished her hair behind her ears. “I’ll go call Becca and find out if she’s got any books on the subject. And I’ll check with Sunny, see how well versed she is in alternative medicine.” Once again, she went up on tiptoe and kissed him. This time square on the mouth.

  “And you’ll have to introduce me to the rest of the horses—especially the senior citizens in the bunch.”

  He caught her arms before she could dash off. “Babe. If you’re of a mind to get into the business of massage, I’ll gladly sacrifice my body in the interest of training.”

  “Really?” Her blue eyes darkened and her hands slid up the front of his T-shirt, then rested on his chest.

  Linc began to sweat.

  “Your room or mine, cowboy?”

  He closed his eyes, his body as hard as an oak. “I seem to recall you saying you wouldn’t deliberately entice me.”

  “Shame on me. I fibbed. Guess I’ll have to go hang my panties on Bertha.”

  He felt his lips twitch. Man alive, he was flat-out crazy about this woman. “I’ve heard about that Sweetheart ritual, and you’re not stripping in front of Storm Carmichael’s kitchen window.”

  “Bertha’s not in front of his window—well, not right in front. It’s closer to the lake. And who told you about our ritual, anyway? It’s supposed to be a sworn secret.”

  “Between the four of you girls, maybe—“

  “Five. Tori’s part of our group.”

  “Whatever. No one outside your circle took any such oath, and—Tori is part of your group? You let my niece hang underwear out in public on the branches of some tree?”

  “So far she hasn’t had to. And it would be her mother letting her, not me.”

  “I think I’ll have a talk with my sister-in-law. Or my brother.”

  “Be prepared to fall off your horse. Our Sweetheart rules were established twenty years ago.”

  “What about this baby?” His hands had slid to her waist, and his thumbs nearly met in the center of her abdomen. “Are you going to let her fly her panties for all and sundry to see?”

  The feel of him stroking her tummy where the baby rested in her womb was somehow more intimate than if they’d been making love.

  Tracy Lynn’s heart stilled, then started up again at a dead run.

  Now who was doing the enticing?

  She took a breath. “I imagine our kids—Donetta’s, Sunny’s, Becca’s and mine—will start their own friendship circle. For all I know, they’ll change it to bras on the courthouse flagpole. Or jock straps if they’re boys.”

  “Do you want more children? Besides this one?”

  Her gaze clung to his for a long moment. “Yes. I want it all. A big family, love…a forever commitment.”

  When his hands dropped from around her waist, she wanted to grab him by the shirtfront and shake him.

  But he’d never promised her forever.

  Chapter Twelve

  Linc wasn’t used to this feeling of amusement and joy that infused him night and day whenever Tracy Lynn was around. Even now, he was hard-pressed to keep the goofy smile off his face as he watched her.

  For the past week, she’d been diligently applying her massage technique to his horses—the docile and elderly ones, at least. She’d assigned several of the men to the more spirited mounts, reading them passages out of the book Becca had ordered for her.

  She was still a little intimidated by the size of the animals, but with book in hand she was making peace with her equine charges and attempting to create a spalike atmosphere in which to lull them back to health.

  He wasn’t all that sure about the soft Celtic music floating from a portable CD player, but she insisted the horses loved it.

  Linc had to wonder if she was actually accomplishing the serenity she intended, because more than once he’d had to soothe a spooked horse when Tracy Lynn swatted at a gnat or a horsefly, or squealed and ran from a bee.

  He was so intrigued and enchanted, he could hardly keep his mind on anything but hauling her into the house and into his bed. He knew one thing for sure: this self-imposed celibacy was wearing mighty thin, especially since Tracy Lynn made it clear that she didn’t share his thinking.

  Since he’d read the equine massage book himself, he went over to give her a hand. Ideally someone should be holding the horse’s lead rope while the other person performed the therapy. Miss Helen was so enamored of Tracy Lynn, though, he doubted she’d move an inch unless Tracy Lynn asked her to.

  Even so, he was glad to see that she’d made use of the eye hook on the outside of the stall to tie the horse.

  “Need some help?” he asked. Miss Helen swung her head around, her erect ears twitching, the inside one turned toward him. In only a week, she looked like an entirely different horse.

  “Sure. You can spell me for a few minutes if you want.” She flexed her fingers, then settled her hands at the small of her back. “I think Miss Helen’s sweet on you, anyway.”

  “Looks like you’re the one who could use a massage.” Instead of treating Miss Helen, he gently kneaded Tracy Lynn’s back.

  “Mmm, that feels wonderful. It would be even better if I could strip and have a bed under me.”

  He nearly swallowed his tongue. “That can be arranged.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  He spun her around, had her flat up against his chest in less than a second.

  “Whoa,” she said, breathless. “That was my fault. If I’d kn
own today was the day you’d act like you meant business, I wouldn’t have teased. I’m afraid I couldn’t do you justice.”

  “What’s up, babe?”

  “Daddy, for one.”

  “You went to see him this morning, didn’t you?” He continued to rub her back.

  “Yes. He’s so caught up in other people’s opinions, and it’s starting to make me feel really bad. Mama insisted he wanted grandbabies, but I’m beginning to wonder if she knew him at all. Do you know what he said to me?” She didn’t wait for Linc to reply.

  “He said it’s a good thing the baby’s not showing yet, since we’ll be so visible during Christmas and the New Year celebrations. He has it all worked out in his mind that we should announce the baby New Year’s Eve—the same time he intends to formally declare his candidacy for state senator.” She rested her head against his chest.

  “Want me to have a talk with him?”

  “About what?”

  “About butting into your life.”

  She shook her head. “You’re a sweetheart, but I prefer to fight my own battles. You know, that massage feels really good, but I’ve got to sit down.” She moved away from him and dropped onto the bench outside of Miss Helen’s stall.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I imagine I’m just using muscles that aren’t used to being worked. It feels as if the top half of my body’s going to fall off the bottom half. Even my tailbone aches like crazy.”

  “I’m calling the doctor.”

  “Linc, I’m seeing Lily tomorrow.”

  “No. You’re seeing her today.” He took out his cell phone and ratcheted through the stored names. He’d entered Dr. O’Rourke’s office number in his database several weeks ago. At the time, Tracy Lynn hadn’t thought it was necessary, figuring that the chances of him ever having to call the number were slim.

  After all, by the time the baby was due, they would no longer be married.

  But it was useless to argue with Linc once he set his mind to something. Truthfully, she’d feel better getting her OB-GYN’s reassurance. Changes were beginning to occur in her body, and over this past week she’d finally begun to truly feel pregnant.

  She stood up to put Miss Helen back in her stall, but Linc stepped in front of her and drew her against his side. It felt good to lean against him. He made her feel safe. Protected.

  “Yes,” he said into the phone. “Thank you. I appreciate your help. I’ll have her there in half an hour.” He disconnected. “What are you doing, babe?”

  “At the moment, nothing. I was going to put away Miss Helen.”

  “I’ll get one of the men to see to her. We need to hit the road.”

  “Wait.” She tugged away from him. “Have Hardy take care of her. She seems to like him the best.” She went over and kissed Miss Helen. “Sorry, sweetie. The bossy man over there is sweeping me off to the doctor. Don’t you worry, though. I’ll be fine. And I’ll come visit when I get back, okay? Meanwhile, I expect you to act like a lady for Hardy.” She slipped a piece of carrot out of her pocket. “Here’s a treat in advance. And you be sure to eat all your lunch. Anorexia is not in fashion, no matter what you see in magazines and catalogs. And—“

  “Babe.”

  She smacked a kiss on Miss Helen’s nose. “I’m coming.”

  TRACY LYNN DIDN’T THINK there was a woman alive who ever got used to lying on an examining table—stark naked except for an ill-fitting paper gown—with her feet hiked up in stirrups. She stared at the ceiling as Dr. O’Rourke did a pelvic examination, checking her uterus and the size of the baby.

  “You say you’ve been massaging horses?”

  “Yes. And it’s amazing how they respond to touch. I’m starting to feel as though I need a day at a spa, though. I’m sure that’s what’s causing my back to hurt. Sometimes I have to stand on a stool to reach the taller horses, and it’s an awkward position.”

  Lily smiled. “I have to say, I never pictured you as a horse person.”

  “Neither did I. But I’m really enjoying it. I can understand my back muscles being sore, Lily, but should my tailbone be hurting like this?”

  “That’s a common occurrence with pregnancy. I do think you might be overdoing things a bit, though.” Lily stood, took off her gloves and pulled out the leg rest. “Okay. You can put your legs down now, but stay right there. I want to do a quick ultra-sound.”

  Tracy Lynn scooted up on the table, the sanitary paper shifting and crackling beneath her. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter with my baby?”

  “Calm down, Tracy Lynn. It’s standard procedure.”

  “Will you be able to tell whether I’m having a boy or a girl?”

  “It’s a little early for that. You’re only in your first trimester. We usually can’t determine the baby’s sex until the second trimester.” She headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  Tracy Lynn’s insides were a mass of jitters five minutes later when Dr. O’Rourke returned, pushing a portable machine that looked like a small computer monitor attached to a keyboard.

  “Let’s see if we can get a look at this baby,” Lily said. “Sorry, this is going to be cold.”

  Tracy Lynn jumped and laughed as Lily squirted cold goop on her stomach—which was just now starting to look bloated. Before pregnancy, she would have been horrified by the sight and done extra situps to flatten her lower abs. Now she was proud of the slight roundness.

  The monitor was turned so Tracy Lynn couldn’t see it. “Well?” she asked, trying to get a look.

  Lily swiveled the screen and moved the gooey roller from side to side, stopping low on her abdomen.

  “You’re definitely pregnant,” Lily said. “There’s your baby right there.” She pointed to a tiny white blob on the monitor, which was little more than a grainy image.

  “But this baby’s not a product of the medical procedure we did. You’re only about three or four weeks into gestation.”

  “But…” Tracy Lynn’s skin turned hot, her mind fuzzy. “How can that be? I didn’t have a period. The test came out positive. You said yourself that the urine test I did at home is the same one you use here.”

  “False-positive results aren’t unusual with the hormone injections we’ve been giving you. And urine tests aren’t one hundred percent accurate. Am I right to assume that you and your husband have healthy marital relations? Or is there someone else involved?”

  “No. I haven’t—I mean, it’s just Linc.” Lord, what a mess!

  She couldn’t believe the errors that were compounding. The home-pregnancy test had been wrong. She’d been so excited, she’d jumped the gun and rushed off to tell her father—he’d ended up in the hospital, and she’d ended up married!

  Then, having every intention of correcting a lie, she’d instead made it a reality.

  And here she was, pregnant with Lincoln Slade’s baby.

  “Isn’t it ironic?” Lily said with a smile. “We tried so hard using science, and all it took was the right man. Sometimes when a woman is totally focused on the outcome of conception, her body blocks the efforts. I suspect that since you believed you were already pregnant, you relaxed enough to let it happen naturally.” Lily stopped and gave Tracy Lynn a shrewd look. “You are happy about this, aren’t you? Having your husband’s baby rather than an anonymous donor’s?”

  “Yes. It’s just…unexpected.” How in the world was she going to tell Linc? She calculated back to her wedding night. That put her one day shy of four weeks pregnant.

  She should have been ecstatic. After all, countless times over the past few weeks, she’d wished that the baby she was carrying was Linc’s.

  Now she had her wish.

  And the reality of that wish meant that she’d really trapped him now.

  He wouldn’t turn his back on his own child. He would stay with her.

  She could have the family she’d always wanted.

  But at what price? Linc’s happiness? He had brutal scars on his body that w
ent much deeper than skin. He was the strongest, toughest man she knew, yet he still couldn’t face his demon.

  He’d told her himself that he’d built his ranch as more of an investment than a permanent residence. He’d told her that here in Hope Valley, memories were triggered around every corner. At least at the Royal Flush—his ranch in Dallas—the constant reminders wouldn’t dog his every move.

  He’d worried that by allowing their relationship to become intimate, they might unintentionally hurt each other.

  She didn’t imagine he’d ever considered this scenario.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and get dressed now?” Lily suggested. “I’ll stick my head out and let your husband know you’re fine. He didn’t look too happy about being asked to stay in the waiting room.”

  “Lily? Um, don’t say anything about the changed due date, okay? I want to, um, surprise him.”

  The doctor smiled and winked. “Sure thing, hon.”

  Boy, what a surprise this was going to be.

  LINC WAS SO RELIEVED when Dr. O’Rourke told him Tracy Lynn was fine. He knew how badly she wanted this child.

  He hadn’t realized until just today how badly he wanted it, too.

  “Linc, this is ridiculous,” Tracy Lynn said as he ushered her upstairs. “I can’t go to bed in the middle of the day.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “I’ll just lie on the couch, then.”

  “You’ll be more comfortable in my bed.”

  She perched her hands on her hips, lifted her brows in challenge. “Are you going to be in it with me?”

  “Yes.” He could see that his answer caught her off guard. True to her feisty nature, she rallied quick enough.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. You’ve got too much to do. I’ve got too much to do.”

  “That’s the beauty of delegating, babe.”

  “But what about my horses?”

  He grinned when she called them her horses, and she quickly amended her words.

  “I mean, your horses.”

  “Babe. If we were in a custody battle, those horses would probably march right up to the judge and demand that he rule in your favor.”

  She laughed. “See? Now I’ve got you humanizing them.”