One Bride for Four Ranchers

I’m just getting to know Jessa, but I’m certain she can handle loving all four of us.

Chapter 19

Jessa

Dinner is truly phenomenal, and after I’m finished eating, it becomes obvious to me why Tyler was so excited. Not that anything BethAnn makes isn’t delicious. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I put on ten pounds this week—and I doubt I can blame much of that on the baby.

Thank God I won’t be here much longer. And the thought makes something inside of my heart ache, even though I know it’s for the best—and not just for the sake of my waistline.

“Did you get enough to eat?” BethAnn asks, giving me a concerned look as she picks up some of the napkins left behind by the ranch hands.

I wonder if one of the men has taken her aside to tell her about my pregnancy. “Honestly, I’ll probably explode if I eat more.”

BethAnn laughs. “Well, there’s some peach pie in there for later if you find a spot for it.”

Oh, my God. Peach pie. That almost sounds worth making myself sick over. I stand up and grab my plate and glass, but before I can take them to the kitchen, Tyler plucks them from

my hands, gives me a wink, and heads to the sink with them.

I open my mouth to object, then close it and settle back into my chair. A girl could get used to this level of pampering.

“So, what do you feel like doing?” Joshua asks me from across the table.

“Honestly, not to sound like a lazy bum... But all I feel like doing this second is watching television and being a lump on the couch.” I grin. “Until this food settles, then I want to add some peach pie to the equation.”

Clay chuckles and Trey gives me a warm smile. “Television, it is.”

The five of us settle on and around the couch, with me in the middle, Trey and Joshua on the couch on either side of me, with Clay behind me so I can sit on his lap, and Tyler settles between my legs on the floor in front of the couch. Somehow our positioning manages to be insanely comfortable for me. So much so, that find myself snoozing halfway through the Pixar movie that Tyler picked out for us to watch.

Agreement unspoken, the men follow me to my room. But once we get there, the problem is apparent.

There’s no way the five of us are going to be able to sleep on the queen-sized bed comfortably. Even if they were average sized men, it would be quite difficult, and none of these men are average sized anything.

“We need to build a new bed, that’s what we need to do.” Tyler studies my queen bed critically. “But we either have to get a specially made mattress or figure something else out.”

“A California king might do,” Trey says. “But it would be better if we could make something a little bigger.”

I try not to read too much into what they’re saying. Does the idea of sticking around the Hollister’s long enough to need a custom-made bed sound amazing to me? Of course, it does. But I dare not get my hopes up. Besides, we’ve been trying this very nonstandard relationship for such a short time, who knows if they’ll still want this week from now? Who knows if I’ll still want them?

Okay, it’s pretty unlikely my mind will change. But I still shouldn’t let myself get too attached to the idea of being here, with them, for the long term.

“Nice as the thought is, boys, none of these design ideas are going to help us tonight,” I point out when Trey starts looking for graph paper or notebook to start drawing up plans.

“She’s right,” Joshua says. “But I have an idea for tonight.”

“Of course you do, brainiac,” Clay says elbowing his brother in the side.

“Somebody here has to use his brain.” Joshua steps away from him, glaring. “I say we go with rock, paper, scissors.”

Clay snorts. “Perfect SAT score, and rock, paper, scissors is your brilliant idea?

“That’s as fair way to decide as any,” Trey counters. “No way more than three people are going to fit in this bed comfortably.”

“Do I get a free pass?” I ask dryly. “Or do I have to play for my spot, too?”

The four of them, as one, shoot me a look that is half amused, half annoyed that I’d even suggest such a thing.

“Everybody ready?” Joshua holds up his hand in a fist.