Rich Rancher's Redemption

Jesse left the house with a sick child on his shoulder and a block of ice in the pit of his stomach. He was being drawn deeper and deeper into the lives of Jillian and Mac. Now he had a baby girl looking to him for comfort. How could he walk away from that?

And what was it going to do to him when he finally had to?

* * *

By the time Jillian arrived at the ranch, she was tired, on edge and worried about Mac. Lucy had called her at work to say that Jesse was home and taking care of the baby. It had made her feel better to know that Jesse was with Mac because she knew how much her daughter loved the man. But at the same time, it was awkward because of the way things had been left between she and Jesse.

Now, she wasn’t sure what to expect when she walked into Jesse’s house. Late afternoon sunlight poured through the door with her entry and lay across the wood floor like a path Fate wanted her to follow.

“Jesse?”

“In here,” he answered, his voice quiet, soft.

She walked into the great room and dropped her purse onto the first chair she passed. The room was dim, but there was enough light for Jillian to see Jesse lying down on one of the couches, Mac asleep on his chest. He looked at her and held one finger to his lips for silence.

His hair lay across his forehead, he had one arm around her baby girl, keeping her steady. He smiled at Jillian and her heart turned over. Just like that, it was done. The final tumble.

She was in love.

Maybe she had been all along. Who could resist a man who not only turned your blood into lava but was strong enough to be gentle and sweet with a child? This wasn’t good and she knew it. Jillian hadn’t been looking for love and she knew Jesse wasn’t interested in anything remotely resembling a relationship, so there was nothing ahead of her but pain.

Yet, she couldn’t regret this feeling. There would be plenty of time for regrets in the future. For this moment alone, she was going to enjoy the sensation of having her heart stolen. All the years she’d spent protecting her heart now felt like she’d really only been waiting. For Jesse.

“She just fell asleep,” he said, stroking Mac’s back.

“I should get her home.” And get herself away from Jesse before she revealed too much.

“There’s a crib here. Let her sleep.”

Jillian kept her gaze locked with his and she saw that he wanted her to stay. She wanted it, too, but how could she hide what she was feeling from him?

While she stood there, frozen with indecision, he stood up, moving carefully, holding Mac close. Looking at him, Jillian felt the last of her resolve drain away. She didn’t want to leave. She’d missed him for days. She loved him. She wanted to be here. With him. For as long as she could.

“Will you stay?” he asked.

Looking into his chocolate-brown eyes, she knew there was only one possible answer. “Yes.”

With Mac asleep in her crib, Jesse and Jillian went into his bedroom just across the hall.

“Can we hear her?” Jillian whispered as he unbuttoned her shirt. His fingers brushed her skin and she sucked in a gulp of air.

“Both doors are open,” he whispered back, “we’ll hear her.”

Jesse’s bedroom was a male bastion. Browns, beige and forest green were the colors, and Jillian thought it was almost like bringing the outside in. The bed was wide and covered in a dark brown duvet. There were two chairs pulled up in front of a small, green-tiled fireplace, bookcases on either side of the room and photos of the ranch framed and hanging on the walls. The bedside lamps were brass and there were French doors that led onto the stone porch.

And there was Jesse. Jillian stared up into his eyes and wondered how she could ever have tried to convince herself that she wasn’t in love. She threaded her fingers through his hair as he backed her toward the bed. He laid her down on the mattress then stretched out beside her.

She laughed a little. “How did we get naked so fast?”

“It’s a gift,” he said and bent his head to kiss her.

Their first time together had been a feverish, desperate joining as they each reacted to the tension that had built between them for weeks. Tonight, there was no fever, just the swamping need. She saw desire in his eyes and wished she could see more.

“You’re thinking,” he chided when he lifted his head to look at her.

“Make me stop,” she said and took his face between her palms. He kissed her again, and Jillian’s mind blanked out. How could she possibly gather thoughts or worries when his mouth was on hers? When his hands were sliding up and down her body?

He touched her everywhere, as if burning every line of her body into his mind. She ran her hands over his chest, marveling at the muscled, bronze skin and the warm feel of it beneath her palms.