Sprinkled with Love

“Well, it’s not for sure, but I think there might be wedding bells in their future.”

“And how do you feel about that?” He’d learned that his wife had a good sense of people.

“I think they make each other very happy. They belong together.” Jillian moved to the couch with the kitten. “One more thing. There’s an email from Jordan. He’s been reassigned to Germany.”

Avery wasn’t happy to have his brother so far from home, but he was happy that Jordan was following his dreams. “I’ll email him back this evening.”

Jillian placed the little white kitten, named Snowball, on the floor. “Can you watch them both for a second?”

He nodded. “Where are you going?”

“You’ll find out.”

In the end, he may have lost that long-ago Bake-Off, but he’d won the most important thing in the world—the woman he loved. He had no idea that entering the competition would open his eyes to the important things around him.

The funny thing was he thought by being a rodeo cowboy that he took risks and lived on the edge. It wasn’t until taking part in the Bachelor Bake-Off that he realized just how guarded he’d really been.

The greatest challenge in his life had been putting his heart out there on the line. And now that he had Jillian in his life, he knew just how amazing life could be. He regretted wasting so much time figuring it all out.

Jillian returned with two slices of pie and handed one over. “I found some apples in the fridge and thought I’d use them up. But if you don’t want any, I can give your slice to someone else—”

“Oh no, this belongs to me.” He accepted the plate. He glanced over it. “How come this pie looks so familiar?”

“Because I used the same recipe you used for the Bake-Off.”

“I see. And is there any special reason for this treat in the middle of the afternoon?” He sensed that something was up, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it might be.

His wife glanced away and shrugged, but there was clearly a smile on her face.

“Okay. Out with it.”

“How would you feel about some more family living here at the ranch with us?”

“Besides your mother?”

Jillian smiled and nodded.

Construction had already started on her mother’s house on the property. Her mother wanted to be close to her daughter, but not crowd them by living under the same roof, so they’d compromised on a small house not far from the main house.

So if Jillian wasn’t talking about her mother, was she referring to Jordan or Beth? He’d welcome them anytime. It was a given that the Crooked S was their home for whenever or however long they needed it.

“I don’t mind. You know that I love our family.”

“Good to know.”

“When are they arriving?”

“Oh, I’d say in seven or so months.”

His gaze narrowed. “We aren’t talking about Jordan or Beth, are we?”

Jillian’s smile broadened as she shook her head.

His heart started to pound in his chest. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Avery, you’re going to be a daddy.”

“Woohoo!” And then he wrapped his free arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her close. He planted a kiss on her lips. Then a thought occurred to him and he pulled back. “You’re positive?”