Baby's First Homecoming (19 page)

She captured Jamie’s chin and turned his face toward hers. “I’m not sure. What do you think, honey bun? Should I marry your daddy?”

Jamie squealed and babbled, “Da, da, da, be.”

“I think that’s a yes. What’s the second condition?”

Clay struggled to get a grip on his soaring emotions. “We tear up that employment contact. I don’t want you working for me.”

“No?”

“I want you to be my partner in the rodeo arena.”

“Seriously?” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Because I’d be good at that, and I’d—”

He kissed her again, and it was the sweetest one yet.

“I called your mom and my dad on the way here,” she admitted, reluctantly extracting herself from his embrace. “They’ve agreed to share babysitting duties. As much as I love having Jamie in the office with me, it’s too hard to get my work done and take care of him, too.”

“Are you ready for that?”

She gazed lovingly at him. “I’m ready for anything, cowboy.”

Clay reached for her.

“Hey, you three,” Ethan hollered, “break it up. We’re in public.”

“I’ll kiss my fiancée in public or anywhere I want,” Clay answered without looking away from Sierra.

“Fiancée!” Blythe charged them, the rest of the Powells hot on her heels. “I’m so happy for you. I’ve been hoping and praying you two would get married.”

“Wait!” Dallas called, her camera in hand. “We have to take photos. Everyone, squeeze together.” She snapped away. “Now, one of Clay, Sierra and Jamie.”

“Can we get an extra copy?” Clay asked, already intending to display the picture with the others in his office.

“You bet!”

“How you holding up?” he asked Sierra when the commotion started to die down.

“I’m great. Happy.” She kissed Jamie’s cheek, then Clay’s. “I can’t believe it. Last January, I was alone. Cut off from my family, turning my back on my friends, losing my job and my apartment. And now…this. Jamie. You. Our families reunited. I have to be the luckiest person alive.”

“We could get luckier.” Clay arched a brow at her. “Have another kid or two. If that’s not too controlling.”

“Maybe a younger sister for Jamie.” She smiled coyly, and Clay fell deeper in love. “But I have my own condition.”

“Name it.”

“We get married first.”

“You free next weekend?” he joked.

She called his bluff and rocked his world by answering with a resounding “Yes!”

* * * * *

ISBN: 9781459226401

Copyright © 2012 by Cathy McDavid

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