Pregnant with the Rancher's Baby: Reclaimed by the Rancher

Shaking his head, he rounded the front of the truck and climbed in behind the steering wheel. Had he lost his mind? He’d never in his entire life given a pregnant woman, and whether or not she was attractive, a second thought.

As he started the truck and steered it down the lane to the main road, Nate decided not to think too much about the reasons behind his finding Jessie so alluring. He had always desired her and that was something that would never change. Of course, he would feel different about her now than other women. She was the mother of his child. The woman he was going to make his wife, even if he wasn’t sure he could live up to expectations.

When a knot formed in the pit of his stomach and his palms started to sweat, he tried to focus on something—anything else. Even if he didn’t know how to go about it, he was going to give it everything he had in him, and be the best husband and father he could possibly be.

* * *

Jessie looked around when she and Nate entered the Broken Spoke Bar and Grill. It was typical of a lot of small-town Texas watering holes in big ranch country. The red vinyl seats on the chrome chairs and booths had a few repaired cracks and the Formica tabletops had seen so much use they had faded from shiny to a dull, flat black. But as dated and well used as the decor was, everything appeared to be neat and clean.

“Will this be all right?” Nate asked as he guided her to a table toward the back of the room.

“It’s fine,” she said as she continued to look around.

Several men dressed in worn jeans, work shirts and denim jackets sat on stools at the bar talking to a couple of women, while a few others played pool. They all wore wide-brimmed hats and scuffed boots, indicating they most likely worked on some of the many ranches in the area.

“There aren’t very many women,” Jessie commented when Nate held her chair for her.

He shrugged and lowered himself into the chair beside her. “There are quite a few more on Friday and Saturday nights, but even then the men outnumber the women.”

“What can I get for you folks this evenin’?” a young ponytailed waitress asked, walking up to the table.

Jessie looked at Nate. “What are you having?”

“My usual,” he said, grinning. “Steak, home fries, coleslaw and a beer.”

“I’ll have the same,” she decided. “But instead of the beer, I’d like a glass of milk, please.”

“You got it.” Nodding, the waitress snapped her chewing gum as she wrote down their orders. “How do y’all want those steaks cooked?”

After telling the girl how they liked their steaks, they made small talk for a few minutes before Nate reached over to cover Jessie’s hand with his. “Jessie, I think I’ve come up with a way that we can both be with the baby during his first year.”

“Or her first year,” she corrected as she removed her hand from beneath his. His calloused palm on her skin was a distraction she didn’t need. “The baby might be a girl.”

His smile when he nodded made her feel warm all over. “Either way, I don’t want to miss out on all the things that other dads get to experience. That’s why I think you should move to the ranch.”

She could understand and was even encouraged by his desire to be part of their baby’s most formative year, but she wasn’t going to marry him. “Nate, I told you I don’t want to be pressured. I’m not going to do something that we both know would end in disaster.”

“Hear me out, darlin’,” he said, his expression turning serious. “I’m not going to lie to you. I do want us to get married and I’m not going to give up on that. But that isn’t what I’m talking about right now. I’m suggesting that you move to the ranch and let me be part of the rest of your pregnancy as well as the baby’s first year.”

Before she could answer, the waitress brought their dinner and Jessie waited until the girl walked over to another table before she commented on his outrageous proposal. “I can understand you wanting to be there to see all of the baby’s firsts, but I can’t move to your ranch, Nate. My job is in Waco.”

“You can take a leave of absence,” he said as if it would be the easiest thing in the world to do. He picked up his knife and fork to cut into his steak. “Or if you want to continue working, you could get a job at the hospital or one of the doctor’s offices around Stephenville. It’s not nearly as big as the hospital where you work in Waco, but small hospitals have sick people, too.”