Expecting the Rancher's Heir

Of course, she couldn’t say he had treated her brothers much better. He had driven all of his children to be overachievers and in the process alienated them from the very thing he had wanted them to embrace—Jarrod Ridge.

Shaking her head, she relegated thoughts of her late father to the back of her mind as she walked through the reception area of Tranquility Spa and prepared to go back to work. The sooner she finished for the day, the sooner she and Shane could leave for the ranch.

For some reason he had insisted they have dinner at Rainbow Bend, which was fine with her. She loved the peace and quiet of the remote ranch and after a day filled with booking mix-ups, Melissa couldn’t wait to get there.

“Dinner was delicious, Cactus,” Lissa said as she helped clear the table. “How did you know I love country-fried steak smothered in milk gravy?”

The elderly man beamed. “I didn’t, but I sure am glad you liked it, gal.”

Shane sat back and watched the exchange with interest. Cactus didn’t care for most people and the fact that he was falling all over himself to please Lissa said a lot. If Shane didn’t know better, he would swear the old boy was completely smitten.

Of course, he couldn’t blame Cactus. With each passing day, Shane found himself thinking about her more often, wondering what she was doing and counting the hours until they could be together again. It was something he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with, but there didn’t seem to be anything he could do to stop it, either.

Deciding that it would be better for his peace of mind to simply not think about it, he left the table. “Lissa, I have something that I’d like for you to take a look at.”

“Can it wait?” she asked, handing Cactus a plate to rinse. “After that wonderful meal, the least I can do is help Cactus with the cleanup.”

“Don’t you worry about it, gal,” Cactus said, shaking his head. “Since Shane got me this here dishwasher, I don’t mind doin’ kitchen chores near like I used to.”

“Are you sure?” When Cactus nodded, she surprised the old man by kissing his wrinkled cheek. “Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful.”

Shane had known Cactus all of his life and he’d never known the man to be at a loss for words. He always had something to say, whether it was to give his unwavering opinion or complain—which was usually the case. But the old geezer couldn’t seem to find his voice. He just stood there wearing the sappiest expression Shane had ever seen.

“You wanted to show me something?” Lissa asked, drawing Shane’s attention. She had walked over to him and he had been so astounded by Cactus’s atypical behavior, he hadn’t noticed.

Smiling at her, Shane nodded. “But there is something I think we need to do first.”

“What’s that?”

“We are going to make Cactus’s day,” he whispered close to her ear. Shane put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her to his side. “Cactus, what would you say if I told you that pretty soon you’ll be able to cook for Lissa a lot more?”

“That’d suit me just fine,” Cactus said, nodding his approval. “She’s a danged sight more appreciative ’bout my cookin’ than you are.”

Shane laughed. “So you want me to start kissing you now after every meal?”

“Try it and you’ll be missin’ your front teeth,” Cactus warned, turning back to the dishes in the sink.

“Then I guess after we get married, I’ll just have to leave the kissing up to Lissa,” he said, anticipating the old gent’s reaction. Shane didn’t have long to wait.

He hadn’t seen Cactus move as fast in years as when he spun around to face them. “Well, I’ll be damned.” If he’d had teeth, his ear-to-ear grin would have lit a city block. “Married, you say?”

Shane glanced down at Lissa and winked. “Do you think I should tell him the rest?”

“You might as well,” she said, smiling.

“There’s going to be a baby joining us in the spring.” A sudden, unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest and Shane realized that he was actually beginning to get excited by the prospect of becoming a daddy.

“I guess now that there’s gonna be a woman and youngin’ underfoot, you’re gonna expect me to stop my cussin’, scratchin’ and spittin’,” Cactus said, his grin belying his complaint.

“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Laughing, Shane turned Lissa toward the hall, then called over his shoulder, “You’ll have to give up cooking breakfast in your long johns, too.”