Dr. Potts had come by the ranch the day after her birthday party. With the support of Blake and Bud, she’d spoken to the doctor about what she’d like to implement here at the ranch. She was determined to see if she could do with another poor animal what she’d accomplished with Boots. Horse rehab. She wanted to rescue neglected and abused horses, get them well, retrain them, and find them good homes, maybe with a young child who’d adore them. Those she couldn’t train and place would live out their lives pampered on the ranch with her.
Dr. Potts brought her Macey two days ago. In sorry shape, nearly starved to death, Macey had been rescued a week ago and taken to an animal shelter. Dr. Potts believed Gillian could do better. So far, she’d gotten the animal cleaned up, fed, and safely secured in the stall. Now, with a little time and patience, she’d teach Macey to trust her. She’d get her well again.
“Daydreaming about loverboy,” Ken said from behind her.
Gillian stiffened. After two blissfully peaceful weeks without him on the ranch, she didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want him to spoil another day. “What are you doing here?”
He gave her a deceptively casual smile. “Just came to get my grooming box. It wasn’t with my other stuff your boy toy left outside for me.”
“Get it and go,” she snapped.
Blake walked into the stable behind Ken. “Gillian, you ready to go?”
Gillian took her gaze from Ken long enough to catch Blake’s ready-to-fight stance. His eyes remained locked on Ken. Her gaze shot back to the despicable man. Something sinister passed through his eyes before he turned away from her.
“Blake,” Ken said snidely.
“Move on,” Blake ordered.
“I was just saying hi to your girl and picking up my things.”
“Leave my girl alone and get out.”
“She’s a pretty lady. Tastes like honey,” he whispered as he passed Blake on his way out the door, laughing.
Blake felt the fire of rage rush through his system. He took a step to go after Ken to explain that last comment.
“Blake!” Gillian shook her head. “Don’t give him the satisfaction. He’s trying to pick a fight.”
Blake checked Ken’s progress out the doors over his shoulder.
“Is Justin ready to leave?” she asked to distract him from tearing Ken’s head off.
Ken headed for his truck. Justin waited outside with the horses Blake had already saddled.
“Let it go, Blake. He’s gone, and he’s got no business coming back.”
Gillian’s eyes filled with worry as she waited for him to decide if they were going fishing at the river as Blake promised, or if he was going to kick Ken’s ass.
“Justin’s waiting,” Blake finally said. “Are you ready to go?”
Relief washed away the worry, and so did her heavy sigh. “Yeah, let’s go. He’s been begging to go fishing for weeks.”
“Well, I did promise that I’d take him, but time seems to have gotten away.”
That was certainly true. May had been a busy month. They’d gone to Gabe and Ella’s wedding and had her birthday, and last week they’d taken Boots to his first race since being rescued and brought to Three Peaks Ranch. He’d placed third. Not bad. He’d do better at the next race. Gillian had no doubt.
Blake had been a wreck leading up to that first race. Boots refused all riders except her. Blake had nearly made himself sick with worry that she’d actually ride in the race. Trying her best to live up to her promise not to do so again, she’d found a young kid who wanted a shot but hadn’t been given a chance to prove himself. She’d put him up on Boots, and he’d taken him around the track at a breakneck speed that had stunned even Blake. Rider and horse had bonded over an apple. Adam rode Boots in the race to Blake’s satisfaction.
Saddled up and ready to go, she followed behind Blake and Justin, her face raised to the bright sun. A perfect day for a short ride and dropping a hook in the river for an hour or so to get it out of Justin’s system. He’d begged Blake nonstop for two days for this long-overdue outing.
Justin rode Spunk all by himself. “You’re doing a great job, buddy,” Blake praised.
“Grandpa said Spunk is just my speed.”
“Grandpa was right. Spunk is real gentle. You’re doing a great job riding him just like Blake taught you.” Gillian smiled her encouragement. “Blake, what are those delivery trucks doing at your house?” she asked.
“I’m having something delivered.” He kicked his horse into a trot. “Come on, Justin. The river is just up ahead.”
Gillian frowned at Blake’s vague answer but forgot about it completely when they reached the river and the beautiful rushing water, just past a pretty meadow of green grass and purple and white wildflowers.
Blake laid out the quilted blanket and picnic basket. They enjoyed the potato salad, cold fried chicken, fruit salad, and crusty French bread. Blake spoiled her with all her favorites. He did little things like that all the time. Every day, he found some small way to show her how much he loved her.
Justin remained overly excited and bounced on his butt the whole time he ate. He talked a mile a minute with Blake about fishing poles and casting, and he taunted Blake he’d catch the most fish. Blake was wonderfully playful and egged on Justin that he’d kick his butt and catch more. The smile on Justin’s face said it all—he was happy. Exactly why she’d brought him to the ranch. Living here had given Justin so much more than a chance at a normal childhood. He had a father in Blake.
Unable to help the emotions filling her heart, she reached for Blake’s neck and drew him to her for a long kiss. She poured all the love she had into it until the tenderness of the kiss sent tears to her eyes.
“Ah, yuck,” Justin said from beside them.
Blake smiled against her lips and made her laugh with him. “What was that for, sweetheart?”
“For being you. I love you, Blake. You’re a good man.”
Without taking his eyes off Gillian, he asked Justin, “How about we get your fishing pole and see if you can’t catch a fish, buddy.”
“Yay! Finally.”
Blake ran his hand through Gillian’s hair. “Wait here. I’ll set Justin up with his pole, and then I need to talk to you.”
She nodded. Blake walked Justin the ten feet to the riverbank and up onto a flat-topped rock several boulders out into the rushing water.
Gillian packed up their picnic. Blake returned to the blanket and sat, plucking her from her spot beside him and settling her between his legs, her back braced against his chest. His arms wrapped around her. They stared off into the distance and Justin happily holding his fishing pole, calling the fish to come to him.
Blake’s heart thundered in his chest. Could Gillian feel it? Alone with her finally, he grew nervous to talk to her. He took a deep breath and let it out.
“That was a big sigh. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He brushed his fingers down her hair and leaned over her so he could see her face. “Gillian?”
“Yeah.” She sat up and watched Justin jump to another rock, several feet from the really fast moving water. Blake had already warned him to stay near the shore and the slower current.
“You know I love you.”
She shifted and studied his face, reaching up to place her palm against his cheek. “I love you, too.”
“We only met a few short months ago, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. We have a lot in common. We can talk about anything. You’re my best friend.”
“I feel the same way about you.” She took her hand from his face and placed it on his chest over his heart. Her eyes filled with concern.
“Justin is a great kid. I love him. You’re a great mother to him.”
“I try to be. He has you to look after him, too.”
Blake smiled. That wa
s exactly his point. “Yes. I want to look after him. I want us to be a family together.”
“We are, Blake. You are exactly the kind of man I want in his life.”
“I want to be a permanent part of his life—and yours. I want to help you raise Justin and have children of our own.”
Her eyes went wide with surprise. They’d been sleeping together for months, but they’d never discussed having children. She was on the pill, and except for letting him know that they were protected, they hadn’t discussed it further.
“Blake, are you saying you want to have a baby?”
“Yes. Whenever you’re ready, I’d like that very much. I never thought about having kids until I met you.” He looked at Justin with his fishing pole and the smile on his face. His joy was Blake’s.
He should tell Justin to move back closer to the shore, but lost the thought when an image of Gillian pregnant with their baby popped into his mind.
“I’d like to see you pregnant with my child. I’d like to see you with our baby pressed to your heart.” He slid his hand up her side, leaned in, and kissed her softly. With his hand over her heart, hers over his, and his face an inch from hers, he looked into her eyes and asked, “Gillian, will you marry me?”
Her eyes got even wider and a beautiful smile bloomed on her lips a split second before she fisted her hand in his shirt and dragged him to her for a wildly urgent kiss.
He pulled her down on top of him; her body pressed the length of his. She pecked kisses on his mouth, his cheeks, his jaw. Happy and excited, she forgot to answer him.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Blake. Oh, God, yes. I can’t wait to marry you.” She kissed him again.
This time, he cupped the back of her neck and slowed her excitement, making her concentrate on the passion between them. When she pulled back and smiled at him, he almost lost his breath. He’d never seen her this happy.
Her eyes narrowed with concern. “Tell me this isn’t a dream, Blake. Tell me this is real.”
“As real as my love for you. I can’t live without you, sweetheart. I want you to be my wife, the mother to my kids, and my best friend for the rest of our days. We’ll move into the house. The trucks were delivering Justin’s new bedroom furniture. We’ll spend our lives together raising Justin, our kids, and working here on the ranch. It’s the life I never knew I wanted until I found you. Now it’s all I think about.” He held her tight, and she laid her forehead to his.
He gave her a mischievous grin. “Do you want your ring?”
“I want you, Blake. Only you. Always you.”
Humbled beyond words, he hugged her close. She meant it. If she only had him, it would be enough.
He held up the ring in its case in front of her anyway. Her eyes lit with excitement and filled with tears.
“Forget what I said, I want the ring, too.”
He laughed outright, leaned up, and gave her a smacking kiss. “I thought you might like it.”
“What isn’t to like? It’s gorgeous.”
He pulled the brightly sparkling, three-stone diamond ring from the black velvet box and slid it on her finger. The round stones sparkled in the light. “The past. Our present. Our future. You, me, and Justin, and the promise of a happy forever.”
She pulled the hair away from her face as the wind whipped up. Tears slid from her eyes.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. It kills me when you cry.”
“It’s just the wind in my eyes,” she lied sweetly to ease his discomfort.
He kissed away a tear, rolled her under him, and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. The world fell away, and he melted into her. He settled between her thighs, his aching cock pressed to her core. She rolled her hips and rubbed against him, sending a shudder of desire racing through his veins.
She tore her mouth from his, the bright smile returned to her lips. “Let’s tell Justin.”
“Aaahhh!”
The splash doused their happy moment with dread.
“Justin!” Gillian screamed.
Blake rolled off her and up to his feet, reaching down to take her hand and pull her up. They ran for the bank. Gillian sprinted along the shore until she reached a relatively deep part of the river. She jumped into the swirling, rushing water. Desperate to reach her brother, she swam hard, but the weight of her clothes and the bite of the ice-cold water made it hard to swim.
Justin flapped his arms, trying to keep his head above the water just up ahead. She used the quick current and her frantic strokes to get to him. She grabbed him around the waist and pulled him to her chest. She hoisted him as high as she could to keep his face out of the water.
Blake called to them, his voice filled with desperation. “Swim at an angle back to the shore!”
Debris hit her from all around. Wood and rocks seemed to jump up and hit her when she least expected. A set of really large boulders loomed in the distance. The water rushed around them in white-capped waves. No other choice; either the current carried her right into them, or she moved farther away from shore to avoid them. She needed to get Justin out of the water. His head bobbed back and forth, his whole body shook terribly, and his lips and eyelids had turned blue. Tired, her legs sluggish, she struggled with every ounce of energy she had left to keep Justin in her arms and above water.
The boulders grew larger. At the last possible moment, she turned her back and took the hit. Water pounded her against the boulders, holding her against them.
She caught a glimpse of Blake’s face a second before he pulled Justin free and the water rushed over her head and pushed her down. Her feet hit the bottom, and she pushed as hard as she could at an angle and managed to come up and pound against another boulder before the current sucked her under again. Blake grabbed her hair and pulled. Once her head cleared the water, he reached down and grasped her arm.
He hated to handle her so harshly, but he had to grab her now or lose her to the rushing current. His muscles burned, but he ignored the ache.
“Come on, sweetheart. Help me. Try to use your feet to push up.” He kept pulling, but the rushing water threatened to rip her out of his grasp. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t lose her now. Not when they had their whole lives together ahead of them.
He nearly lost her, but she pushed, and he pulled her up the boulder and into his chest. He held her tight and pressed his face into her freezing hair.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” He thanked God he’d gotten her. Water poured out of her mouth. She shook uncontrollably, coughed and spit, trying to get her breath. If he hadn’t reached her in time, she would have drowned. That thought stopped his heart and choked off his air.
Justin wasn’t any better. He’d curled into a tight ball on the boulder beside them. In bad shape, he hadn’t really opened his eyes. His teeth chattered, and his lips and fingers were blue.
Blake had no idea how he was going to get both of them back to the horses and home. He couldn’t carry both of them.
“Take Jus-s-stin,” Gillian stammered. “T-take him . . . get him h-help.”
“I can’t leave you here.”
“Yes, you can. You have t-to. You can’t t-take us b-both. He’s freezing.”
She had no idea she was in just as bad shape as Justin. She loved him so much that she wasn’t thinking about herself. No changing her mind. Blake hated to do it, but he picked up Justin. Nothing but pure adrenaline and Justin’s condition got Gillian up on her feet. She swayed, but managed to pull herself upright. He admired her strength and determination.
Gillian carefully walked from the boulders to the smaller rocks. She tried desperately not to show Blake how hard it was just to stay on her feet. Each step took all her focus and willpower. She trudged through knee-deep water to get to the shore. She faltered again and fell to her knees.
Blake held Justin in his arms, but managed to lean down, grip her arm, and haul her back up to her feet. “Wrap your arm around mine and lean on me. I’ll get you back to the horses.”
She did what he asked, but no way could she ride. Her body wanted to give out. She shook so bad her bones ached. Her teeth chattered so much she was surprised she didn’t chip a tooth.
She hadn’t realized how far downriver they’d gone. Once she was warm and had her wits about her, she’d realize just how lucky she and Justin were to be alive. At the moment, her mind wanted to shut off. All she could do was put one foot in front of the other and follow Blake where he led.
Feet from their picnic, unable to hold on any longer, she slid down Blake’s arm and body. He couldn’t grab her with Justin in his arms. She hit the ground hard and struggled to put her hands down to push herself back up. No use. Energy zapped, she lay in the soft grass, exhausted.
“Grab the blanket. Take Justin’s coat and shirt off. Wrap him in the blanket and take him home,” she pleaded.
Blake laid Justin beside her in the sun. “Sweetheart, you’re shaking so hard. I need to get you warm.”
“Justin,” she said weakly. “Please, Blake.”
He tore Justin’s wet clothes off him, grabbed the blanket, and dragged it out from under their picnic. The basket and food tumbled to the ground in a heaping mess. He wrapped Justin, hoping the little guy woke up.
Justin’s eyes fluttered open. “I’m so cold, Blake.”
“I know, buddy.” Blake scooped him up and held him in his arms, rubbing his hands over his back to try to warm him up and get his blood flowing.
“Take him, Blake.”
Blake leaned over with Justin in his arms and kissed Gillian’s forehead. “God, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave you.”
“Go.” Her eyelids fell closed.
He considered laying her over the saddle and tying her on, but he couldn’t take the chance that she’d fall off and get trampled. He wished he’d brought one of the two-way radios. His cell phone didn’t work out here. Damn. No other options, he took Justin. He’d get him home and rush back to get Gillian. No way he lost her now.
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