One Bride for Four Ranchers

But we will be watching.

Chapter 6

Jessa

I wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs—normally a dream come true since I think bacon should be its own food group. But not today. I immediately have to run for the bathroom. After vomiting the little bit of liquid in my stomach, I feel better.

“Freaking morning sickness,” I mutter to myself. And I mentally vow that today, I’m not going to faint in front of anyone. No matter what.

Of course, I could hardly be in for a shock like I had last night. My baby’s freaking father. What are the odds?

I brush my teeth and take a quick shower, then I dress in jeans and sneakers. I pull on a camisole and a button up. The blouse is cotton so should be comfortable. I’m a city girl at heart but wearing anything too fancy on the ranch would be silly. I’d trip over myself in heels and no doubt make myself appear even more foolish than I did fainting everywhere.

I head downstairs to the kitchen, happy that the smell of breakfast is now almost enticing. On the other side of the kitchen is a huge dining room. I hadn’t noticed it the night before, but the lights weren’t on in that area of the house. Besides, I’d been too distracted by meeting Xander—Clay—again. Not to mention utterly mortified after fainting in front of my hosts.

My far-too-sexy-for-my-own-good hosts.

“Ma’am.” A young man dressed for ranch work gestures for me to go ahead of him in a short buffet line that has been set up on the breakfast bar where I’d eaten my sandwich the night before. There are bacon and eggs, and potatoes cooked three different ways. Sausage and oatmeal, even some fresh fruit. Feeling awkward, I murmur a thank-you to the young man and put some small portions on my plate. I still don’t entirely trust my stomach, even though it’s now growling full-force.

I head toward the long table where everyone is sitting, then pause awkwardly. Near one of the ends, Trey waves at me and gestures to an empty seat next to him.

It’s strange that I can say for sure it’s Trey, but I have no doubts. After a quick glance, I see Clay, too, but he’s farther down the table. They are dressed differently, and unlike Joshua neither of them has glasses. But somehow I know which is which.

I smile at Trey and sit down next to him at the table. My arm brushes his, and when I feel that same spark of heat, I tamp it down immediately. Nope. No matter what my hormones are telling me, touching Trey for anything longer than a handshake is a bad idea.

Heck, the man’s sexy enough that a handshake could seduce a woman.

“This is BethAnn,” Trey is nodding to the woman in her late forties sitting across from him at the table. “She runs the house around here.”

“Nice to meet you, Jessa,” the older woman says, apparently already having been informed of my arrival. She’s in her sixties, with graying blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her smile is kind, and the laugh lines on her face speak to a life lived full of happiness. I adore the fact that she doesn’t dye the gray out of her hair. And, she’s wearing an apron. Lovely, and neither of those things do I see often in Boston. I’m not actually certain I’ve ever seen anyone actually wearing an apron in real life.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I say.

“You come see me if you need anything,” BethAnn says over the din. “Us women have to stick together around here. Especially considering there’s only the two of us.”

“Is there, really?” I say, immediately fascinated. That must be why all the eyes in the room had turned to me when I entered. It felt awkward, like I was getting the attention because I was an unwelcome stranger. But if there are only two women around... Well, that shines a new light on things, doesn’t it?

“Ranching isn’t really a profession that attracts a whole lot of women,” she says, eyes dancing. “Every once in a while we get a female ranch hand through here. But I’d say they only account for one in twenty, at most.”

I chew on that for a moment. Well, that, and my eggs. They are delicious, scrambled with some cheese, if I’m not mistaken. “Not even any women in the office, hmmm?” I say, glancing at Trey. I take a bite of bacon and the flavor explodes in my mouth. Oh my God, salty goodness. I don’t get to eat nearly enough bacon, and this is delicious.

He raises his hands in mock submission. “We don’t actually have anyone working in the office, not any employees. Joshua handles ninety percent of that—that’s why he got the fancy business degree. I tend to handle the other ten percent, but only when I have no other choice. We employ a website person and someone who helps with graphics for marketing, and they’re both women. But they work remotely.”

“Are you insinuating that women should only do office work?” I tease. BethAnn, enjoying the joke, crosses her arms and gives Trey a mock glare.

His ears redden adorably. “That’s not what I meant.”

Damn the man was hard to rattle. “I take it Clay doesn’t do much paperwork?” I say around another bite of bacon.

BethAnn laughs. “I think I’ve only seen Clay walk in that office once. And I can practically guarantee he was lost in his own house.”

Trey’s grin widens. “True enough. Clay’s really more of a hands-on worker. I am too, to be honest. But every once in a while, I find myself helping out.”

I smile back at him, before turning my attention back to my breakfast. BethAnn and I continue to chat while we eat, and in ones and twos, the ranch hands wander back outside. Next to me, Trey is quiet for the most part. He interjects a comment once in a while but seems content to watch BethAnn and I chat.

BethAnn is as sweet as she seemed at first, and I’m fascinated to find out that she’s worked for the Hollisters since the brothers were in diapers. Her expression clouds over when she mentions Mrs. Hollister, the boys’ mother, so despite my reporter’s instinct, I don’t push with questions.

Instead, I decide on a change of subject. I glance at the big clock hanging on one of the dining room walls. “Isn’t it a little late to be getting things started? I thought ranches started work rather early.”