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

Turning back, he shook his head. “I’ve got a rodeo coming up and I need to put in some time in my workout room.”

“Thank you for inviting me to go with you this coming weekend.” She gave him a smile that set his pulse to racing as she opened the door. “I’m looking forward to seeing you ride.”

He nodded. “I’m looking forward to having you there with me.”

As she went into the room and closed the door, he realized it was true. He was anticipating having her watch him ride. It was something he had avoided because he had wanted to keep things light between them and not make her think they were becoming a couple.

But at the moment, that was the last thing on his mind. He had a fire in his blood that only Jessie could put out. And since making love to her wasn’t an option just yet, he fully intended to exhaust himself. Maybe then he would be able to get some sleep.

Heading back downstairs, Nate went straight to the workout room and, taking off his shirt, picked up a twenty-five pound weight and started doing bicep curls at a furious pace. He had enough adrenaline flowing through his veins to bench-press a tractor and considering all he could think about was the woman upstairs, it was going to take a minor miracle to work off that kind of rush.

A half hour later, when he climbed the stairs and walked down the hall to his room, Nate stopped to stare at the closed door across the hall. He knew for certain he was destined for another fitful night. All he could think about was having Jessie in his bed, holding her and loving her until the break of dawn. His body immediately began to tighten and burn with a need that was all too familiar.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, resigned to the fact that he was once again going to suffer through a shower cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table.

Four

As Jessie and Nate started up the steps of the grandstand at the rodeo in Amarillo, he reached out to take her hand in his and the warmth that flowed through her from the contact was breathtaking. Since their talk a few nights ago, he had taken every opportunity to remind her of how things could be between them with tender touches and kisses that left her weak and trembling. But she hadn’t had to stop him from going too far. She could tell he wanted more, but true to his promise, he wasn’t pushing her further. The only problem was, it was becoming a true test of her resolve not to ask him to. This was the longest they had gone without making love and she missed the intimacy between them.

When they reached the seating area where the families of the contestants and rodeo personnel sat, Jessie was happy to see Summer and Bria waving to her and Nate to get their attention. At least she would have someone she knew to sit with and talk to while she waited for Nate to compete in the bull and bareback riding events.

“I didn’t know your brothers and their wives would be here,” she commented as they reached the row of seats where the women sat with their children.

“Ryder is one of the bullfighters and Sam is the stock contractor,” Nate answered as he pushed his wide-brimmed Resistol back on his head. Putting his arms around her, he gave her a quick kiss. “I hate to just walk you up here and leave, but I’ve got to register and see what my draws are.”

She frowned. “Your draws?”

“The bull and horse I’ll be riding today,” he said, grinning.

“I think I need a crash course in rodeo terminology.” Knowing he needed to register for the events he would be competing in, she smiled. “Go ahead and do what you have to do. I’ll be fine here with Bria and Summer,” she assured him. “I’m looking forward to talking to them again.”

“I’ll see you after the bull riding,” he said, giving her another kiss.

As Nate turned to go back down the bleacher steps to find the registration office, Jessie made her way to the empty seat beside Summer and her little girl, Katie. “It’s good to see I’ve got you two to explain what’s going on,” she said when she sat down.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen Nate ride?” Bria asked.

Jessie nodded. “I usually have to work weekends.”

She didn’t want to explain that this was the first time Nate had asked her to watch him in the two and a half years they had been seeing each other. For some reason it just seemed a little embarrassing to admit she obviously hadn’t meant that much to him.

“Have you already taken your maternity leave?” Summer asked, shifting her sleeping daughter from her shoulder to her lap.