A Rancher's Love (10 page)

“A couple more weeks for what?” She heard the deep timbers of his voice. She hadn’t been upstairs that long.

“I thought you were meeting with Guy.”

“I couldn’t concentrate so he kicked me out of my own meeting,” he stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. “We can do it some other time.” He leaned back against the door. His eyes roved over her body as she sat up with the book in hand. “Now, a couple more weeks for what?”

“To stay here,” she felt no need to lie about what she was thinking about. They both knew she was going to have to leave at some point.

“Why? Why can’t you just stay here?”

“Because I have to go. I have to open my bakery and…” The angry look in his eyes halted her explanation. She had seen him look happy, sad, and a little angry—or more like a lot angry when they had the baby discussion, but never had she seen him look this angry.

“Is it that important to you; is it really, Zoe?”

“Yes.”

“Then why haven’t you opened it sooner? Why didn’t you open it instead of going to work for Enrique?”

“Don’t,” she had a tight grip on that book and right now she wanted to throw it at his head.

“You could have, but you didn’t. Because you were scared, that’s why. You were too afraid to do it so you ran to something you thought would be safer and that’s what you’re doing now. You’re afraid of us.”

“I am not! I can’t sit here and freeload off of you, Dean. I need to work. I need to do something to contribute to this relationship! I will not be my mother!”

“Damn-it, you’re not her! You contribute every day that you’re here.”

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A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery

“More than sex,” she snarled.

“Don’t you see how happy you make me, Zoe? Don’t you see the life you bring to this home? Before you, sure, I went about daily life thinking I was content with the happiness I had, but you came along and I realized that I wanted more. I wanted to be happy and loved and share love with a woman, with you. You mean the world to me. You’re everything, Zoe. How can you mitigate that contribution when it’s the most important contribution any two people can ever make to each other’s lives?” He strolled toward her and she eased back on the bed, almost trying to crawl away from him and keep her distance. “I love you, and you love me which is something your mother never had for the men she married. She married them for money.

We would be getting married because of love. You do love me, don’t you Zoe? I don’t think you’ve ever said as much.”

“Of course I love you. I love you and I’m in love with you, but…”

“No buts, Zoe-Quinnlyn Starks, soon to be Zoe-Quinnlyn Starks-Collins. Marry me, Zoe;” he reached his hand out to her, silently pleading with her to take it. “Marry me because you love me; please?”

She felt her heart pounding in her chest. She did love this man. She was in love with him. She missed him when she wasn’t with him. When she had left the first time she missed him before she even got off his property. She missed him when they hadn’t been able to call each other. She missed him now when he went to work, but it was different because she knew at the end of the day he would come home and she would be there waiting for him. She loved him, but she wanted to be more, to do more; she didn’t want to be her mother.

“No,” she finally said and she watched as he dropped his hand. The painful look in his eyes hit her hard. “No, I will not be Zoe-Quinnlyn Starks-Collins, Dean and don’t you ever make that assumption again.

I will be Zoe-Quinnlyn Collins; to hell with hyphenating.”

She watched as her words registered with him. The expression on his face went from pained to elated.

“Are you saying yes to marrying me?”

“Yes, you crazy man! I’ll marry you.” She laughed as he took hold of her hands and pulled her up into his embrace. His mouth descended on hers. This kiss was demanding and strong, full of passion and 66

A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery love. When he pulled away he left her breathlessly panting. She wanted more of his delicious kisses, but she needed to breathe.

“You’ve made me so happy my love. And if the bakery is that important to you then I’ll drive you the seventy-miles into the next town every day just so you can open one nearby.”

She laughed. That was not nearby at all. “No,” she sighed. “I’ll bake here when Jasper leaves because she won’t let me in the kitchen while she’s here. But,” she placed her finger on his lips to stop him from saying anything. “I want to earn my keep here, and I’d prefer to do that from a position other than on my back. I want to help you work the land. Teach me, Dean. Teach me how to tend to the horses, or muck out the stalls, or anything that I can do to work around here and be of some help. Let me work with you. Let this be a home that we share, and not one that I just reside in.”

“Okay,” he admitted to the compromise. “If my wife wants to muck out the stalls and tend to the horses then I’ll be the one who teaches her how to do those things. But I have to warn you; I’m a demanding rancher.”

She giggled. “Well I have to warn you; I’m a stubborn woman who won’t take being looked at as property or the weaker sex.”

He nodded. “I would never look at you that way. I would never look at any woman that way. It takes a real bastard of a man to do something like that.”

She shrugged. “I’m glad we’re clear on that. Now, I’ll work three days a week.”

“Three?”

“Well I figure I’ll be worn out after working and I won’t want sex. But I don’t want to only have sex on Sundays, so I’ll work three days a week.”

He threw back his head and laughed heartedly. “I guess on the days that you work I’ll just have to wear you out in the bedroom before we tend to the stalls.”

She shook her head. “You are a bad man, Dean Collins.”

“No, I’m good, Zoe. Let me show you how good I am.” He took her; her mouth; her body; her heart, and in that instant she knew she had found home.

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A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery 68

A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery Epilogue

Zoe-Quinnlyn Starks became Zoe-Quinnlyn Collins within three weeks of Dean’s proposal. She didn’t spend much time working in the stalls because as she found out, Dean knew of what he was talking about and apparently she really could get pregnant on the first time. As their little boy and girl grew in her belly she was content to keep them safe inside of her.

“We’ll do it your way, Dean,” she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug before pulling away.

“But…”

“There’s always a but,” he mumbled with a smile on his face.

“Of course there is; it’s good to see you’re learning.” She winked at him. “I’ll stay out of the stalls for safety reasons,” she repeated his words. He was afraid one of the horses might kick her, or that she might fall, or that she might work too hard and lose the babies. The man worried too much. “But, after the babies are born, after I have some time to recover, breastfeeding isn’t going to stop me from mucking out the stalls.”

He threw his head back on a hearty laugh before pulling her into his arms. “That’s my woman,” he chuckled. “I love you forever, Zoe-Quinnlyn Collins. I love you forever.”

“I love you forever too,” she gasped at the simultaneous kicks in her stomach.

“Those are our babies,” he pulled back and placed his hand on her belly.

“They love you too,” she smiled at him warmly.

“I love them,” he looked into her eyes and placed his hand on her cheek. “I love you,” he leaned in and kissed her softly. All of his love was in that kiss and she made sure that she gave all of her love in return.

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A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery
About the Author

Capri Montgomery is the bestselling author of books including Ride A Cowboy, Across the Lake, The Thirteenth Floor, 1965, The Admiral’s Daughter, and The Geneva Project. She enjoys nature—unless the insects are biting her, traveling, old movies, art, photography and music.

Find more books by Capri Montgomery at:
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http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0056IO09S

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