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

Everything about her was perfect...from the graceful arch of her neck to her narrow waist to the small mole just below her right breast.

He touched her deliberately, stroking the little spot that made her body weep for him. Even though he was gentle and almost lazy in his caress, Lucy climaxed wildly, her release beautiful and real and utterly impossible to resist. “God, I want you,” he muttered.

When he thrust inside her, her orgasm hit another peak. The feel of her inner muscles fluttering against his sex drove him to the brink of control. He went still...chest heaving, hips moving restlessly despite his pause.

“Lucy?”

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip. “Yes?”

“I was furious with you for not trusting me. But I never stopped loving you.”

“Oh, Jeff...” The look on her face told him she wasn’t there yet. She still had doubts. He could wait, maybe. He wanted her to be absolutely sure. For now it was enough to feel...and to know...

Lucy was his.

He retreated and lifted her onto her knees, stuffing pillows beneath her. Her butt was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen, heart-shaped and full. Lucy had bemoaned the curves of her bottom on numerous occasions. Tonight, as he palmed it and squeezed it and steadied himself against it to enter her again with one firm push, he decided he could spend the rest of his life proving to her how perfect it was.

Leaning forward, he gathered her hair into a ponytail, securing it with his fist and using the grip to turn her head. “Look in the mirror, Lucy. This is us. This is real.”

Eighteen

Lucy hadn’t even noticed that the dresser was conveniently situated across from the bed...and that the mirror faithfully reflected Jeff’s sun-bronzed body and her own paler frame. The carnal image was indelibly imprinted on her brain. As long as she lived, she would never forget this moment.

She closed her eyes and bent her head. Jeff released her hair, letting it fall around her face. Behind her, his harsh breathing was audible. At last, he moved with a muffled shout, slamming into her again and again until he shuddered and moaned and slumped on top of her as they both collapsed onto the mattress.

Minutes later...maybe hours, so skewed was her sense of time, she stirred. In the interim, they had untangled their bodies. Jeff lay flat on his back, one arm flung across his eyes. She snuggled against him, draping her leg across his hairy thigh. “Are you alive?”

“Mmph...”

It wasn’t much of a response, but it made her smile.

She danced her fingertips over his rib cage. At one time, he had been very ticklish.

His face scrunched up and he batted her hand away. “Five minutes,” he begged, the words slurred. “That’s all I need.”

“Take your time,” she teased. She rested her cheek against his chest, feeling so light with happiness it was a wonder she didn’t float up to the ceiling. Maybe she was being naive. Maybe he would hurt her again. But at the moment, none of that seemed to matter.

“You never gave me a chance to explain two years ago,” he muttered.

His statement dampened her euphoria. “Would it have mattered? I was desperately hurt and in shock. I’m not sure anything you said would have gotten through to me.”

“I deserved a fair hearing, Lucy. We were in a committed relationship, but you were too stubborn to be reasonable.”

His eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see his expression. But his jaw was tight.

Was it all an act? Jeff playing up his innocence?

There was only one way to know for sure, even if the prospect curled her stomach. “Will you do me a favor?” she asked quietly.

Jeff yawned. “The way I feel right now, you could ask me for the moon and I’d call NASA to help me get it for you.”

She reared up on one elbow and gaped. “Why, Jeff Hartley! That was the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

And there it was again. Doubt. Many a woman had been swayed by pretty words.

He chuckled, holding her tightly against his side. “I’ve had two years to practice,” he said. “Prepare to be amazed. But let’s not get off track. What’s this big favor you need from me?”

“Will you go with me to Kirsten’s house?”

His entire body froze. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not come anywhere near that woman.”

She kissed his bicep. “Please. I have to hear the truth. I know you want me to take you on faith, but I need something more concrete. I need you to understand my doubts, and I need your moral support.”