Julia parked up the street in a place where she could easily leave, and walked toward the tent. Lights were strung and music played, giving it a festive feel and putting a bounce in her step. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. That warm, fuzzy feeling ended when she stepped inside the tent. Instantly, she felt all eyes turned on her. Probably her imagination, but she did see some surprised expressions. Probably since she rarely attended social events or dressed up.

  She looked around for Jake. Not there. Her friends were also absent. So yeah, why had she come again? In that moment, she couldn’t think of a single reason. She was about to make a U-turn and head for her truck when Jake jogged into the tent, a little breathless.

  “There you are,” he said, coming to her and resting his hand on her arm. “You left without me.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, confused. Left where?

  His face was flushed, and he stared at her, seeming stumped for a minute, before a grin spread across his face. “Sweetheart, when I ask a woman to a dance, I pick her up.”

  “But you didn’t ask me,” she argued. Had she missed something? “You gave me a ticket and told me I’d have fun.”

  “And you will have fun. Dancing with me.” Before she could say more, he whirled her onto the dance floor. Following his lead was no problem. Figuring out what the evening meant was a different story. He saw this as a date? That surprised and worried her. Dating him while being pregnant with his baby seemed…complicated. He twirled her, making her laugh.

  A little optimistic voice inside her, though, wondered. If it worked out between them, she might be able to have what she’d always wanted. A real partner who she could fall asleep next to every night. They’d raise their child together, maybe even marry.

  She was getting ahead of herself. One thing at a time. Enjoy the evening, she told herself, and see where it goes.

  “You make dancing easy,” she said when the music slowed, and she was in his arms in the middle of the dance floor.

  “You’re a good partner.”

  She snorted. “I’m not, but with you, I almost feel graceful.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” he said, looking into her eyes. “You’re beautiful in every way.”

  She looked away, unused to compliments like that. She didn’t know how to respond. Did he mean what he said? Or was it just empty flattery? She wished she could tell.

  “I need to get some air. I’ll be back.” She slipped out of his arms and headed for an opening in the tent. He made to follow her, but she saw him get intercepted by his sister-in-law, Amy.

  The night air felt cool on Julia’s overheated cheeks and the quiet soothed her. The evening had turned out so much better than she’d thought it would be, but she still wanted a moment to herself. Jake was currently coming across as everything she’d ever wanted in a man, but how real was that persona?

  She didn’t know how long she’d been standing in the shadows outside the tent’s canvas walls when she heard Jake’s voice on the other side of the fabric.

  “What’s with you and Julia?” a male voice she recognized as Brian’s asked. “I thought you said she wasn’t interested. That’s not how it looks.”

  “Things are different now.” Jake’s voice was low and serious, making Julia strain to hear. “I like her. A lot. And now that’s she having…it’s different, okay? She’s important to me.”

  “Easy, man—I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised to see you together is all,” Brian said. “Don’t get your hackles up.”

  “I’m not sure we’re together. I asked her to the dance tonight, but it seems that she didn’t realize I meant it to be a date. I went to pick her up and found that she’d already come on her own.”

  “Did you make yourself clear?” Brian asked. “Did you say it was a date?”

  If Jake answered, Julia couldn’t hear it. They must have moved away from the wall of the tent. She stayed out in the night a little longer, staring up at the sky. Her heart was pounding.

  Did Jake really like her for her? Or was he only trying for a relationship because of the baby?

  She replayed the conversation over and over in her head, hearing the parts about how he liked her and how she was important to him. Was that enough? That and what seemed to be his dedication to being a good father?

  It might be. And she liked him. He could be fun, when he wasn’t bossing her around, and he made her feel good. She hadn’t realized how much until that moment. Stargazing, dancing, kissing. Maybe it was time to take a chance on him. She smoothed her skirt, put a smile on her face, and went back in the tent ready to enjoy the rest of the evening.

  11

  “Follow me home?” she asked when he walked her to her truck. She wasn’t quite looking at him when she spoke. What was going on in her head? She’d kept him guessing all evening. “It’s on your way and it’s not that late. We can talk about the baby over a cup of coffee, maybe.”

  “Happy to.” He’d almost suggested the same thing since he wanted to make sure she got home safely, but he’d held back, unsure of what her reaction would be. She often bristled if he tried to be protective. They reached her truck, and he opened the door for her. He thought about kissing her, but he’d wait until they were back at her house. He sure hoped her plan for the evening involved kissing, because his did. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  He hopped into his truck, following her out of town and onto the country highway that led to their homes. He kept his speed down so he didn’t crowd her, but he wanted to race ahead to the next part of the evening when they were alone. The dance had been fun because he’d spent most of it with Julia. After coming in from outside, she’d seemed to gain a new enthusiasm for the event. She’d chatted and laughed with him while they danced. The best part had been holding her close when slower music played. It had all been great, but now, he was ready to be alone with her.

  His mind wandered to the future as he drove. He’d put together a pretty convincing happily ever after in his imagination for them. They could raise the baby together on Thorne Ranch. Their kid could have the kind of childhood that he’d had, and he and Julia could have the type of love his parents had shared. He wanted something like that—wanted it safe and secure, without the out-of-control feeling Julia sometimes evoked in him, usually when they disagreed.

  He smiled. There hadn’t been much arguing lately. He and Julia had developed a strong friendship. A relationship built on being friends could work for him, especially if they returned to the intimacy they’d shared in the cabin. Friendship, trust, pleasure…that could really work for him. It might not be the true love everyone talked about and Brian and Cal seemed to have found, but it sounded pretty great to him.

  She was already on the porch, letting her dogs out, when he pulled up. He took a minute to scratch Wellington’s ears before joining her. When the dogs ran off chasing each other, he turned to her. All evening that tinge of red on her lips had been tempting him to kiss her. Before he could decide if the timing was right, she stepped toward him and began a kiss. For one second, he was too surprised to respond, but then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with all the pent-up passion he’d been feeling.

  His lips wandered from hers to explore the hollow at the base of her neck. He was nudging the collar of her dress aside when she planted her hand on his chest and put a little distance between them.

  “Jake.” Her breathing wasn’t quite steady. “I have to know why we’re doing this. It can’t only be because I’m pregnant.”

  “It’s not for me,” he said, speaking honestly. “But if it is for you, I’m okay with that. Any opportunity I have to be with you, I’ll take.”

  “I’m serious, Jake.” She sounded exasperated now. “This matters to me. I need to know that there’s something between us, something real. Because if we go inside and go to bed, it’s not a one-night stand anymore.”

  He cupped her cheek with his hand. “The one-night stand was over a long time ago. I like you, Julia. I want to be with you. To be honest, I don’t have a great track record with relationships. But I keep getting into new territory with you. I don’t have any track record with being a dad, and I’m committed to making a success of that.” He stroked his thumb over her lips. “I’d like to commit to a relationship with you, too, if that’s what you want.”

  “Why?” she whispered.

  He smiled. “Because you’re amazing, and a man would be an idiot not to realize that.” He saw the doubt in her eyes for just a second. “I mean that, sweetheart.” Her brows lifted slightly, but the doubtful look was disappearing. When he felt sure that she believed him, he kissed her again and didn’t stop kissing her until he felt her soften against him.

  “Now, can I come in?” he asked against her lips.

  “I don’t know why we’re standing on the porch.” She took his hand and led him into the house and to her bedroom. She turned to him, her fingers going to his shirt buttons. A second later, she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and her hands were on his chest. He reached for the tie that closed her dress and undid it. She shrugged, letting the dress slip to the floor. Her bra went next.

  “They’re bigger,” she said as he touched her breasts. “I have cleavage now.”

  “I noticed.” He’d seen—and admired—the change in her body when he’d spotted her at the dance.

  “You would,” she shot back, making him laugh.

  He sat her down on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes. “Lie back,” he said before shedding the rest of his clothing. In a minute he joined her, covering her body with his. All of his focus was on pleasing her, so he started with kissing her lips and slowly making his way down her body. She moaned when he took the tip of one breast and then the other in his mouth.

  “I like that,” she whispered.

  “What else do you like, Julia?” When she didn’t answer, he moved down her body, kissing the slight swell of her stomach and her thighs. He slid her panties down her legs and tossed them off the bed, and just looked at her for a moment. She was beautiful.

  “Come back up here, cowboy,” she invited, reaching for him. “I want more kisses.”

  “Open for me.” His hands were on her thighs, but he waited for her to move. When she parted her legs, he lowered his head and did what he hadn’t at the cabin. He kissed the insides of her thighs, making his way to her center and gently parting her with his tongue. She moaned and he felt her fingers in his hair as he used his mouth to pleasure her.

  “That’s so…good, but I want you. Inside me. Please, Jake.”

  He could deny her nothing, especially when his need to be in her was overpowering. He forced himself to take his time as he kissed his way back up her body and positioned himself over her. Her hand slipped between them, wrapping around his dick. Her grip was strong as she stroked up his length.

  “I thought you…you wanted me in you.” He could barely think, let alone talk, when she was doing that.

  She gave him a wide smile. “Just checking to make sure you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready, sweetheart.” Instead of releasing him, she guided him inside her, which was about the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced. Her legs came around his hips, and soon they were kissing and moving together. In the next moments, he lost track of everything but her and how it felt to be making love to her.

  In the seconds before she came, her fingers dug into his shoulders and he could feel her body tremble. His did, too, as his orgasm came with blinding intensity. He buried his face against her neck and pumped into her, knowing that being with her was unlike anything he’d experienced.

  “Mornin’,” he drawled, standing in the doorway of her kitchen. He’d woken by himself in her bed. Even though he’d have preferred having her beside him, he’d taken a minute to look around her room. The walls were robin’s egg blue and she had white painted furnishings. Nothing fussy. Crisp and clean. The room suited her.

  As he got dressed, he’d smelled coffee brewing. He made his way to the kitchen. She must have showered while he slept, which surprised him. He was usually a light sleeper, but it had been late before they closed their eyes. Her hair was damp and loose, and she had on her usual jeans and work shirt, which didn’t hide the pregnancy-enhanced curves underneath. Curves he’d thoroughly explored during the night.

  “Good morning.” She smiled at him, and he saw a faint blush on her cheeks. “Breakfast?”

  “That’d be nice. Can I help?”

  “Pour me a cup of coffee?” she asked, cracking an egg into the cast iron skillet on the stove.

  He found two mugs in the cabinet and made her coffee the way she liked it. As he stirred in the cream, he studied her. The very real possibility that he was going to marry her came to him. He’d never felt happier with a woman, which had to mean something. Plus, she understood ranching and they were having a baby together. Those all seemed like good reasons to get married.

  As long as he avoided that destabilizing feeling he got sometimes around her, being with her long-term could be great. The blush a minute ago and her questions the night before suggested that she was still a little skittish about them, so he’d keep any ideas of marriage to himself for now. He could make plans, though, looking down the road for them. How soon could he convince her to move in with him?

  “Is that for me or you?” she asked with a nod toward the coffee mug he still held.

  “You.” He’d lost track of what he was doing while he considered how things would change with her living on his ranch. She’d want to keep her place and run her business from here, but she, their baby, and her animals would relocate to the Thorne Ranch.

  “Put it on the table. I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned off the stove and put eggs and sausages on plates for them. Soon, they were seated at the table across from each other, which felt right to him, like this was how they were meant to be.

  “What’s your day look like?” he asked.

  “I have a couple visits to ranches this morning. Just routine stuff, and patients at the clinic this afternoon. Then, I’ve got a call with guy in California about stud fees for Twister.”

  “About Twister,” he said, coming to a sudden decision. “I’ve decided to use him to stud my mares if he’s still available to me.” The idea made sense to him now. It really was practically ownership anyway, given that he and Julia were in a relationship, and there was the very real possibility that Twister would be living on his ranch and would belong to his wife.

  “Since when?” She shot him a look.

  “I’ve been thinking about it, and I gotta admit, all the stallions I’ve seen for sale have been crap when stacked up next to Twister.” That made her smile.

  “I could have told you as much, but why now?” she questioned. “I mean, I’d be glad for the business, but I don’t want you to do this because we’re sleeping together or because of the baby.”

  “It’s not about us. It’s about the ranch,” he said, trying to assure her. “My horse breeding enterprise needs Twister.”

  She still didn’t seem convinced. “Using a stallion for stud and not owning him goes against your plan.”

  “Plans change when you least expect it,” he said. “Look at us.” In no way could he have planned for what happened between him and Julia. It was a good reminder that life plotted its own course. “Why would I limit myself to what seemed right in the past?” She bit her lip, and he saw tears well in her eyes. “Julia?” Had he said something wrong? He got up and went to her, kneeling next to her chair and resting his hands on her waist.

  “Don’t mind me.” She swiped at a tear that tracked down her cheek. “I’m emotional.”

  “Pregnancy hormones?” He’d read about that side effect but hadn’t seen it with her.

  “Some, I suppose. I’m just happy…about us. A few months ago, I thought you were one of those men who would never compromise. It would be your way or the highway. I’m glad to say I was wrong about that. I feel like we can have a true partnership.”

  He felt a smidge of guilt since he wasn’t really compromising. He was just biding his time until they were married. He wasn’t using their relationship to get Twister, but down the road when the horse was in his barn, it only made sense that he would be the stallion for Jake’s herd of horses.

  But he had the feeling that if he said any of that out loud, he might scare her off. So he’d keep quiet for now. He had no problem with that.

  “Thanks,” she said, kissing him. He almost caved and told her what was in his head for their future, but he held back, knowing the timing wasn’t right.

  12

  Julia pulled the printouts of the boilerplate stud fee contracts she’d downloaded earlier in the day from her bag. Her meeting regarding Twister with Jake was being held at his kitchen table. Julia had always liked the Thornes’ sprawling ranch house. She noticed the kitchen had been updated in the past few years, but other than that, not much had changed.

  “What do you have there?” Jake asked, glancing at the contracts. He had a legal pad and a laptop with him.

  “I thought we’d start by looking through the terms on these to give us some ideas. We can include things we like and change or eliminate others.” She was trying very hard to view this as a straightforward business transaction. Her tears in the kitchen that morning might have led Jake to think she wasn’t equipped for a negotiation, but she was. Twister’s stud fees were necessary for her own business to survive and flourish.

  “All right. What’s first?” he said.

  “Will your fee cover breeding for the season regardless of whether or not your mares get pregnant, or is pregnancy necessary for the full fee to be paid?” The answer to that question had a significant impact on the fee she planned to ask for.