Herd That (The Valentine Boys 1)

I paused to look my fill, but the urgency once again hit me, and I clicked my heels lightly against Poppy’s side and urged her forward once again.

Ace, of course, sensed that we were there before we’d even made it within a hundred yards of him.

He saw me and scowled.

I bit my lip, knowing that he was going to be pissed.

He’d also give me a lecture.

Then I’d kiss him and make him forget that he was mad.

At least, for a little bit.

Until I told him my news, anyway.

Then he’d spank my ass.

After dropping the ax off to the side of the tree, he started my way, and I once again admired his sweaty body.

God, my man was hot.

Hot, hot, hot.

So hot, in fact, that even in my delicate condition, I would still totally jump his bones.

He was wearing a pair of dirty, tight Wrangler jeans, his black cowboy hat, and a pair of work boots.

He had a toothpick hanging out of one side of his mouth, and his hat was so low on his brow that I couldn’t make out the look in his eyes.

The scowl on his mouth, however, was enough of an indication that he was pissed.

I didn’t need to see his eyes to know the emotions that he was experiencing.

“Please tell me you’re not riding that horse when you’re nine months pregnant and due to pop my kid out any day,” he pleaded when I got closer.

I shrugged, and he sighed, walking up to my side and holding his hands up for me.

I willingly went into his arms, then grinned up at him when he placed me delicately on my feet.

“I tried to call,” I hedged.

His eyes narrowed. “You could’ve waited until we got home. We were only going to be about another hour or so.”

I bit my lip.

“What is it?” he asked, worried now.

He could read me like the back of his hand, this man of mine.

“Well…” I drawled.

“Codie,” he growled.

“Ummm…” I continued, not sure how to say what I had to say.

“Codie Valentine, I will seriously lose my shit if you don’t spit it out,” he growled, pulling me closer.

I was so close, in fact, that when my water broke, it soaked his boots.

We both looked down at the soft splashing sound.

When our eyes met again, he was pissed.

“Seriously. I’m going to lose my shit.”

***

“I can’t believe you thought it would be a good idea to ride a horse for half an hour when you’ve been having contractions all day. Contractions while you were working. You could’ve just stayed in town, for Christ’s sake!” Ace whispered.

I grinned and closed my eyes, thoroughly exhausted after the day that I’d put in.

It was four hours after my water broke, and twenty hours since I’d woken for the day, and I was well and truly on my last leg.

After getting to the hospital an hour after my water broke, it was just in time to get my ass in a room and push our kid out.

Luckily on the maternity floor, with a doctor’s help.

If we hadn’t made it, I would’ve never heard the end of it from my husband.

“How was work?” he asked when I didn’t respond.

I opened them again and looked at him holding our newborn baby girl, and our son. Our son was passed out in one arm, his face buried into Ace’s neck. On the other side, our newborn baby girl was positioned with her little hiney resting against Ace’s other forearm, her face tucked into the other side of his neck.

He had a wide smile on his face, and he was staring at me like I’d just given him the world.

“We found some DNA,” I murmured. “Not that I’m supposed to tell you that. But yeah, the guy who did the deed was in the system. They went to arrest him by the time I made it home.”

His eyes turned thankful.

“That’s good, baby,” he said. “Really, really good.”

I agreed.

Murder was bad business, but I was glad that I got to make a difference. Got to play a part in making things just a little bit better, and helping catch the bad guy.

“Now I have six weeks off,” I teased. “What am I going to do with all that time?”

He winked. “Oh, I’m sure you’re going to be real busy here in a minute.”

Right about that time, our baby girl woke up and started to fuss.

Right. On. Time.

“Jinxed myself, didn’t I?” I asked as I reached out and took our daughter from his arms.

He watched me situate her at my breast, then his eyes went hooded.

“I could totally do you right now,” he teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“That’s what got us into this predicament in the first place, Ace Valentine.”