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

“What about you, Jessie?” he asked. “Would you be proud to call me your man?” He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

When she continued to stare at him, his heart felt like it had stopped beating. “What are you saying, Nate?” she finally asked.

He was pretty sure he knew what she wanted from him and for the first time in his life, he was ready to say it. “I love you, Jessie. Do you think you can overlook what I was before and be proud to be with the man I am now?”

Tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Y-yes, Nate. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to love me.”

Nate immediately dropped to one knee and, reaching into his front jeans pocket, removed the small black velvet box he’d been carrying around since stopping by the jewelers on his way back to the hospital yesterday afternoon. Taking her hand in his, he asked, “Will you marry me, Jessie? Will you let me make you proud to call me your husband for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I love you so much. I’ve always loved you.”

He took the two-carat marquise-shaped diamond ring from the box and slipped it on the third finger of her left hand. When she started to lean forward to put her arms around his neck, he stopped her. “You just had surgery,” he said, scooping her up in his arms. He sat down on the couch and gently placed her on his lap. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

Content to have her in his arms, they were silent for a few minutes before he asked, “When do you want to get married, darlin’?”

She kissed him. “I know you have the National Finals the first part of December—”

“Do you think you’ll be able to watch me make my last rides in Vegas?” he asked.

“You’re going to stop riding?” she asked, looking hopeful.

He nodded. “Part of my job as your husband will be to eliminate as much of your stress and worry as I possibly can.”

“I don’t want you giving up your career because of my fears,” she said, frowning.

“I’m not.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Jaron and I have both talked about retiring while we’re still on top.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“I’m not going to say that I won’t resume my nursing career at some point in time, but I think I’d like to be a stay-at-home mom,” she said thoughtfully. “At least, until our daughter starts school.”

“Whatever you want to do is fine with me, darlin’.” He held her close. “Now when do you want to get married?”

“Is Christmas too soon?” she asked, snuggling against him.

“Hell, no.” He laughed. “The sooner the better.”

“Are you going to ask Sam to be your best man?” Jessie asked, her smile radiant.

“Yeah, he’s been my partner in crime all my life,” Nate said, grinning. “I don’t see any reason to change that now.”

Jessie rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.” Kissing him again, she smiled. “I thought I would ask Bria to be my matron of honor.”

“Well, now that we have the wedding planned, we can move up the date,” he teased. He’d never felt happier or more lighthearted in his entire life. “Darlin’, you mentioned earlier that you had something you wanted to talk to me about. What was it?”

He watched her worry her lower lip for a moment before she admitted, “Just before I had the appendicitis attack, I was going to ask you if you had changed your mind about wanting us to get married.”

“Why would you think that?” he asked, holding her close.

She laughed and it was the most delightful sound he’d ever heard. “You hadn’t mentioned it and I thought you had lost interest in our relationship again.”

“I made you a promise,” he said, tipping her chin up to give her a kiss that rocked him to his core. “I gave you my word I wouldn’t pressure you about getting married. And believe me, that wasn’t easy when it was just about all I could think of.”

“You could have hinted at it,” she said, smiling.

“That would have broken my promise to you and that’s something I will never do,” he said honestly.

She stared at him a moment before she spoke again. “I have a confession to make.”

“What’s that, darlin’?” he asked, wondering what her secret could possibly be.