Expecting the Rancher's Heir (3 page)

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed several times as she obviously tried to find her voice. “Married?” she finally gasped.

“Yes.”

Her expression stated louder than words ever could that she didn't believe him. “
Married
as in the tiered cake, white dress and ‘I do'?”

“Yup.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

She closed her eyes, then opening them, shook her head as she pinned him with her crystalline gaze. “Have you lost your mind, Shane? You can't possibly be serious.”

“Angel, marriage is one subject I never joke about,” he said, meaning it.

“We can't get married, Shane,” she insisted. “Beyond the basics, we really don't know that much about each other.”

“Sure we do.” He stood up and, lifting her into his arms, sat down in the chair to settle her on his lap. “I know you like when I do this.” Kissing the side of her neck, he was rewarded with her soft sigh. “And you really like this,” he added, slipping his hand beneath the tail of her aqua T-shirt. He used his fingertip to trace the satiny skin covering her ribs. As he slowly lowered his head, he moved his hand. “But you love this.”

His mouth covered hers at the same time his hand cupped her breast and to his immense satisfaction, Lissa didn't so much as put up a token protest. Encouraged by her response, Shane deepened the kiss and once again marveled at her sweetness and the
feeling of completion he always experienced when he held her.

He had kissed a lot of women in his time, but not one of them made him feel the way Melissa Jarrod did. Her slender body fit perfectly against his and her passion never failed to excite him in ways he could have never imagined.

His lower body tightened predictably and he decided he had better break the kiss before things got out of hand. At the moment, Lissa needed his comfort far more than she did his lust.

Drawing in some much-needed air, he smiled. “I told you I knew a lot about you.”

She shook her head as if to clear it. “I wasn't talking about pleasing each other sexually and you know it.”

“Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a huge part of marriage?” he asked, unable to keep from grinning.

“Maybe for a man, but a woman needs more from a relationship than just good sex,” she insisted. “
I
need more.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Would you care to enlighten me?”

Leaning back, she stared at him for a moment as if she thought he might be a little on the simple side. “Do you realize we've never spent more than a few hours together at any one time? I may know you intimately in bed, but I don't know anything about you otherwise. I don't know what you like to read,
what kind of movies you prefer or even what your favorite color is.”

He frowned. “I don't see how any of that would make or break a marriage.”

She pulled from his arms and stood up. “Don't you see? Those are the kinds of things you know about the person you are committing to spend the rest of your life with.” Sighing heavily, she turned to face him. “I don't even know what side of the bed you sleep on or if you snore.”

“So you're telling me that knowing whether I snore or not is more important than a gratifying love life?” he asked, laughing.

If looks could kill, the one she sent his way would have him laid out in two shakes of a squirrel's tail. “Will you be serious, Shane? I'm trying to explain what constitutes a committed relationship.”

Oh, he knew exactly what she was driving at. Lissa thought she needed to know what made him tick. But she was wanting more from him than he was comfortable giving. He had never been in the habit of sharing more than the surface details about himself with anyone and he wasn't inclined to do so now.

Unfortunately, if he wanted her to go along with his plan, he was going to have to give her something she considered relevant. “Nonfiction, action-adventure, red and left.”

She looked confused.

“I mainly read nonfiction and my favorite movies are action-adventure. I like the color red and I pre
fer the middle of the bed. But if I had to choose a side, it would be the left.” He grinned. “As for the snoring, you can let me know about that tomorrow morning.”

“Those things are nice to know,” she said, looking a little more satisfied with his answers. “But that's just the tip of the iceberg.”

Before she could press him further and delve into areas he would rather not go into, he decided to turn the tables and ask a few questions of his own. “What about you? What is there about Lissa Jarrod that you think I need to know?”

He gave himself a mental pat on the back at her pleased expression. “Let's see. I like pizza, I hate Brussels sprouts—”

“Who doesn't?” he said, making a face.

She laughed. “And I adore romantic movies.”

“What about horses?” he asked, wondering if they had that in common. “Do you like to ride?”

“I haven't ridden in several years, but I used to enjoy going on some of the trail rides offered at Jarrod Ridge.” Smiling, she added, “I even had a favorite horse named Smoky Joe that I always rode.”

Shane stood up and took her into his arms. “I don't remember you going on any of the rides I guided.”

Loosely wrapping her arms around his waist, she gazed up at him. “That was because I was too young. When you were eighteen and leading those trail rides, I was only eleven.”

“Now hold on just a minute,” he said, frowning.
“Didn't you tell me one time that you worked at the resort when I did?”

“Yes.” He felt her body tense. “Of course, I wasn't on the payroll. But I started doing simple things like delivering messages from one office to another. That was when I was eight.”

“Ah, the pre-e-mail and text-messaging days.”

She nodded. “By the time I turned ten I had graduated to showing guests how to find their way around the resort grounds. Then, at sixteen, I started working the front desk.”

Shane wasn't opposed to a kid doing a few chores. Hell, his dad had him mucking out stalls and feeding horses from the time he was old enough to carry a feed bucket. But it sounded as if Donald Jarrod had his kids doing more than just simple chores.

“Whose idea was it for you to go to work at such an early age?” he asked, remembering that he had seen all of the Jarrod children working various jobs around the resort.

She shrugged one slender shoulder. “My father wanted all of us to know the business inside and out. I suppose he thought by starting us out young, we would learn what made Jarrod Ridge the premier resort in Aspen.”

He could tell by the tensing of her muscles and the tight tone of her voice that they were skirting a touchy subject. “Do you think it would be all right for you to go riding tomorrow?” he asked, deciding to lighten the conversation. It was obvious she didn't care to
talk about her father or the resort and he would have a much better chance of her agreeing to marry him if she were in a better mood. “I'd really like to show you the rest of the ranch. But if you think it would hurt you or the baby, we can wait,” he hastened to add.

Her expression brightened. “I would really like that. I'm pretty sure it will be all right. I have a friend in California who rode her horses until she was six months pregnant and everything was fine.”

“Great.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “If you think what you saw of the ranch from the top of the ridge is beautiful, you'll really like seeing Rainbow Falls.”

Her eyes twinkled with excitement, making him glad that he had thought of taking her to see it. “You have a waterfall on your property?”

“Yup.”

“I love waterfalls. They're always so peaceful and relaxing. We even have the sound of a waterfall piped into the massage rooms at the spa.”

“We'll have to get up early,” he warned. “It will take us several hours to get there because of the terrain, but believe me, it's well worth it.” For reasons he didn't understand and wasn't inclined to dwell on, he wanted to make the outing special for her. Thinking quickly, he added, “I thought we could pack a few sandwiches and have lunch by the falls.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful, Shane.” She
covered her mouth with her hand to hide a yawn. “I can't wait.”

“I think you'll have to.” He chuckled. “Aside from the fact that it's already dark outside, you'd probably fall asleep in the saddle before we rode out of the ranch yard.”

“You're probably right.” She yawned again. “For the past few days, it seems that I can't get enough sleep.”

“Is that because of the pregnancy, too?” He knew a whole lot more about pregnant mares than he did about pregnant women, but he figured it could be the reason behind her fatigue.

“I assume that's the reason,” she said, resting her head against his chest.

Shane tightened his arms around her and lowering his head, covered her mouth with his for a quick kiss. Then, reluctantly stepping back, he turned toward the kitchen counter. “Why don't you go into the living room and put your feet up while I load the dishwasher and clean up?”

“Are you sure I can't help?” she asked, sounding tired.

“Positive. It won't take but a few minutes.” He rinsed their plates and started stacking them in the dishwasher. “There is one thing you could do for me, though.”

“What's that?”

“Turn on the sports channel and see if you can
catch who won the game this afternoon between the Rockies and the Cardinals.”

“You're a baseball fan?”

Looking at her over his shoulder, he grinned. “I like baseball as much as the next guy. But this game is kind of special. I have a bet going with Cactus and I'd like to see who wins. He thinks the Cardinals will sweep the Rockies in this three-game series and I say they won't.”

Laughing, she shook her head as she started toward the living room. “Men and their sports.”

As he started the dishwasher, he couldn't help but think about how fast his plans had changed. When he had first come up with the idea of bringing Lissa to the ranch for the weekend, he had thought they would be spending the majority of their time within the confines of his bedroom. But that had changed in the blink of an eye with her announcement that she was going to have his baby.

Now, even though it made him as jumpy as a day-old colt, his main priority was convincing her to let him do the right thing by her and the baby. He wiped off the counter, then turning out the kitchen light, headed for the living room.

He had three days of uninterrupted time with her to figure out how to get her to say yes. Given her argument about their not knowing enough about each other, it probably wasn't going to be easy.

Smiling to himself as he walked down the hall, he decided he was more than ready for the challenge.
His personal code of honor demanded that he make her his wife and help her raise their child. And there wasn't a doubt in his mind that before he took her back to Aspen, she would agree to be just that.

W
hen Shane turned off the television, Melissa asked, “How much money did you win from your housekeeper?”

“None. If he had won, I was going to have to cook for the next month.” Shane laughed. “But since he lost, the old boy is going to have to keep the driveway cleared of snow until spring.”

“How old is Cactus?” she asked, hoping he was younger than Shane made him sound.

“I'm not sure,” he said as he rose from the couch to take her hand in his. “He's a little sensitive about his age, but I'm pretty sure he's at least seventy and probably a few years older than that.”

“He's that old and you're going to make him get
out in the cold to clear the snow?” she asked, allowing him to help her to her feet. She didn't like the idea of Shane taking advantage of the older gentleman. “Tell me you're going to take pity on him and let him out of this stupid bet.”

“Not on your life.” Grinning, he shook his head. “I don't feel the least bit sorry for him. He'll be on a tractor with a heated cab, a built-in CD player that he can crank up as loud as he wants with his favorite bluegrass music, and if I know Cactus, he'll have a Thermos of Irish coffee to keep him company.”

“You make it sound like he was going to win either way.”

Shane nodded as they climbed the stairs. “We go through this every fall. He'll come up with a bet he knows he can't win in order to do something he enjoys.”

She didn't understand that kind of logic. “Then why doesn't he just volunteer for the job?”

“Because that's not how the old guy works,” he explained. “When his arthritis started making it hard for him to do some of the ranch work, I knew he didn't want to leave the ranch. It's been his home for as long as I can remember. So I started complaining about needing someone to cook and take care of the house.” Shane grinned. “I didn't really need anyone to do that, and he knew it. But he couldn't come right out and ask me for the job.”

“So that's when the bets started?” she guessed.

Shane nodded. “He bet me that I couldn't beat his
time at saddling a horse. If he won, I had to buy him a new pair of boots and if I won, he would take the housekeeping job.”

She liked that Shane would go to those lengths to preserve the older man's dignity. It told her a lot more about his character than he realized.

“You did it to save his pride.”

“Exactly.” Chuckling, Shane opened the door to the room he had shown her earlier. “So, with this latest bet, he not only gets to drive the tractor and pretend he's doing ranch work again, he has something to gripe about while he's doing it. And if there's anything he likes better than complaining, I don't know of it. He got his nickname because he's prickly as a cactus.”

Melissa smiled as she entered the room. “He sounds like quite a colorful character.”

“He is.” Leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, Shane folded his arms across his wide chest. “He can be an ornery old cuss, but he's got a heart of solid gold. I'll make sure you get to meet him sometime.”

“I'd like that.” When he stood there as if he waited for something, she rose up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Good night.”

Before she could back away, he put his arms around her. “It will be once we go to my room.”

“I don't understand.” With his strong arms around her and the feel of his hard body pressed to hers, she suddenly felt winded. “If you wanted me to spend the
night in your room…why did you put my case…in here?”

“I thought you might like to have the privacy this afternoon when you freshened up,” he said, nuzzling the side of her neck. “I never intended for you to sleep here.”

When his lips skimmed the hollow below her ear, a tingle raced up her spine. “Oh, I thought—”

“—I'd want you to leave my bed once we'd made love,” he finished for her. “Not a chance, angel.”

That wasn't what she had been thinking, but it was better than telling him that she thought he had lost interest in her now that she was pregnant. Some men couldn't get away from a woman fast enough when they learned of an unplanned pregnancy. Not knowing him any better than she did, what else was she to think?

But apparently she had been wrong about his desire waning. She sighed. It was just one more example of their lack of knowledge about each other, not to mention a serious breakdown in communication.

Before she could point that out, he asked, “Where's your bag? I'll take it to my room.”

Taking a step back, she walked over to open one of the dresser drawers and removed her nightshirt. “After I unpacked, I put it in the closet.”

He frowned as he pointed to the garment she held. “I've never known you to wear nightclothes.”

“That's because you always left my place before I put them on,” she shot back. “And since you seemed
surprised to learn that I do wear a nightshirt, I assume you don't wear anything to bed.”

“Nope,” he said, grinning. “I don't like the encumbrance.”

She shook her head. “This is what I was talking about earlier, Shane. If we had spent more time get ting to know each other, we would know these things.”

“You never wanted me to spend the night because you were afraid someone at the resort might find out and start gossiping about it,” he pointed out.

She couldn't argue with him about that. It had been at her insistence that he leave Willow Lodge each night after they'd made love.

“But that's water under the bridge now,” he said, shrugging.

Too tired to debate the issue any further, she nodded. “I suppose you're right.”

He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her out into the hall. “I'll help you move your things to my room in the morning before we leave. Right now, we need to get to bed. We'll have to be up early if we're going to have lunch at the falls tomorrow.”

When he led her into his bedroom and turned on the bedside lamp, she took a moment to look around. A lot could be learned from someone's personal space.

She wasn't at all surprised to see the large room was decorated in the same rustic, masculine style as the downstairs. A king-size log bed with a Native American–print comforter and pillows dominated
the room. The bright colors of the matching drapes contrasted perfectly with the dark log walls and heavy, peeled-log dresser and chest of drawers.

If she had ever had any doubts about Shane being the quintessential cowboy, they were gone now. One look at his choice of decor was all it took to know that he was a lot like the land he loved—rugged and a little wild. The type of man that was dangerous to a woman's peace of mind. The very type women just couldn't seem to resist.

“How long has your family owned the ranch?” she asked.

“A little over a hundred and twenty-five years.” He unbuttoned his shirt. “Hasn't your family owned Jarrod Ridge about as long?”

Fascinated by the play of his chest muscles when Shane shrugged out of the shirt, it took a moment for her to realize what he had asked. “Y-yes, my father's great great-grandfather started it and every generation since has expanded the business.”

“What do you think your generation will add to the resort?” he asked, unbuckling his belt and reaching for the button at the waistband of his jeans.

“I don't know,” she said absently. She was far too engrossed in watching him reveal his magnificent body to worry about what would happen at Jarrod Ridge.

When he pushed the denim down his thighs, her heart skipped a beat. She had watched him strip off his clothes many times since they began their affair.
She had even helped him take them off a few times, but the sight of his well-developed physique never failed to take her breath away.

“Aren't you going to change?” he asked as he reached for the waistband of his boxer briefs.

He either didn't know the effect he had on her or he was intentionally trying to drive her crazy. She suspected it was the latter.

Suddenly feeling as if she would burst into tears and not entirely certain why, Melissa quickly took off her clothes and pulled the nightshirt on. Walking around to the right side of the bed, she got in and closed her eyes. She was on Shane's ranch, in his bed and pregnant with his baby. It was all too much to comprehend.

Overwhelmed by the events of the day and completely exhausted, she couldn't stop a tear from slipping from beneath her lashes. She swiped it away with the back of her hand and turned onto her side in hopes that he hadn't noticed.

“Lissa, are you crying?”

“N-no.”

She felt the other side of the bed dip as Shane stretched out beside her. A moment later, he wrapped her in his arms and turned her to face him.

“What's wrong, angel? Why are you crying?”

His concerned tone and the feel of him holding her so tenderly against him was all it took for the floodgates to open. Sobbing her heart out and unable to stop herself, she clung to him as the torrent of emotion ran its course.

“I—I don't know…why…that happened,” she said when she was finally able to get her vocal cords to work. She had never been more embarrassed in her entire life.

“I think I do,” he said as his hand continued to stroke her hair in a soothing manner. “You've had a hell of a day and you're so tired you can barely keep your eyes open.”

His understanding words and the gentle tone of his deep voice helped ease some of her humiliation. “You're probably right. I think this has quite possibly been the most stressful day I have ever endured.”

He reached over to switch off the lamp. Then, cradling her to him, he kissed her so tenderly another wave of tears threatened.

“Try to get some sleep, angel.” His arms tightened around her. “It's all going to work out. I give you my word on that.”

Too exhausted to think about everything that had happened since her return to Aspen two months ago for the reading of her father's will, Melissa snuggled against Shane and closed her eyes. Maybe with the morning light things would be clearer. Maybe then she would be able to cope with the fact that her life had spun completely out of control and there didn't seem to be a single thing she could do to stop it.

 

When Shane led the gelding out of the barn and over to the fence, he smiled. “Does this horse look familiar?”

Lissa's blue eyes twinkled with excitement. “He looks just like Smoky Joe.”

“That's because he's old Smoky's little brother,” he said, handing her the reins. After hearing that the blue roan had been her favorite at Jarrod Ridge, Shane purposely chose the horse for her to ride to Rainbow Falls.

“Thank you,” she said as she softly stroked the horse's velvet muzzle. “What's his name?”

“He's registered with the American Quarter Horse Association as Smoke Storm, but we just call him Stormy.” Walking back into the barn to get a saddle and blanket from the tack room, Shane returned to placed the saddle over the top fence rail. Then, smoothing the saddle blanket over the gelding's back, he added, “I don't want you to worry that he might be more than you can handle. In spite of his name, there's nothing stormy about him.” He picked up the saddle and positioned it on the blanket. “I've seen kittens with more piss and vinegar than this guy.”

Lissa smiled as she hugged the animal's neck. “Smoky Joe was that way, too. You could do just about anything with him.”

Shane nodded. “That's why we bred the same mare and stallion several different times. The colts they foaled were all good-natured and perfect for people who aren't used to riding a lot.”

“In other words, perfect for the inexperienced guests at Jarrod Ridge,” she guessed.

He pulled the cinch tight. “That was the idea.”

While Lissa and Stormy got to know each other, Shane quickly saddled his sorrel stallion. “Need a leg up?” he asked, turning to see if she needed help mounting the roan.

“I think I can get this,” she said, slipping her booted foot into the stirrup.

He stepped behind her in case she had problems and immediately decided that he would have done well to take her at her word. When her perfect little blue-jeans-clad bottom bobbed in front of his face as she climbed onto the saddle, the air rushed out of his lungs like helium from an overinflated balloon.

Holding her soft body to his throughout the night, then waking up with her in his arms this morning without once making love to her, had been a true test of his control. But Lissa hadn't needed his lust. She had needed his comfort and he had been determined to give it to her or die trying.

Exhausted, emotionally spent and extremely vulnerable, she had tried to give the impression that she was fine. He knew differently and once he had taken her into his arms, she had finally let down her guard and accepted the support he had promised her. But not without considerable cost to his well-being.

With her breasts pressed to his chest and her delicate hand resting on his flank, he had spent the entire night aroused. And if that hadn't been enough to send him hovering on the brink of insanity, he had awakened this morning with one of her long, slender
legs intimately lodged against his overly sensitive groin.

That had sent him straight into the bathroom for a cold shower. By the time he finally stepped from beneath the icy spray, his teeth had chattered uncontrollably and he would have bet everything he had that he could spit ice cubes on command.

Unfortunately, his gallantry was beginning to wear thin. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to play the consummate gentleman without going stark, raving mad.

“Earth to Shane. Come in please,” Lissa said, bringing him back to the present.

“What?”

She laughed. “I asked if you are going to just stand there daydreaming or if we're going for a ride?”