Carrying the Rancher's Heir

by Charlene Sands

  “Like I said, it doesn’t much matter, Callie. Because you’re gonna marry me and I’m going to raise my child at Worth Ranch. The old man is out of luck.”

  He glared at her, defying her to refuse him.

  Callie’s heart took a tumble. As far as proposals went, it was just shy of horrible, but it was all she was going to get.

  He rose up then and reached for her hands. He helped her to her feet, but when he let her go, her knees buckled and her head spun. “Oh, I’m not…”

  Tagg scooped her up in his arms. She felt small and fragile…and safe. “Hold on to me, Callie.”

  That’s what she intended to do.

  He strode to the Jeep and gently lowered her into the cab. Once her seat belt was fastened, he leaned against the passenger door and met with her eyes. “What’s your answer?”

  Callie blinked, clearing her mind. Her answer? Did he think his demand of marriage warranted an answer? What were her choices? She loved him, but ultimately, this was about the baby and what was best for him or her. Tagg would be a loving father. The baby would have his name and his protection and after what her father proposed, Callie would never raise her child in the Sullivan household. Even if she wanted to, which she didn’t, Tagg would never allow it. She had other options, she knew, but only one felt right. She made the decision that would change her life forever.

  His lips tightened. “I’m waiting for your answer.”

  “Yes, Tagg. I’ll marry you.”

  He nodded an acknowledgment. And shut her door.

  It was hardly the way she’d imagined in her fantasy.

  And maybe this time, the end didn’t justify the means.

  Tagg watched his brother Jackson get out of his sleek black car and stride over to the corral fence, dressed as if he’d just finished a photo shoot for some trendy magazine. The only thing that spelled cowboy on Jackson was his black felt hat and jewel-studded bolo tie. “You just come from a funeral or something?”

  Jackson grinned wide, showing off a perfect smile that melted female hearts. “Just a regular workday, bro. I just finished up a meeting in town. Drove all this way because you needed to see me in person. So what’s up?”

  “Clay will be here shortly. It’ll keep a few more minutes.”

  “Suit yourself.” Jackson glanced in the pen and watched the mares. “You gonna breed them?”

  “I’m hoping to.” Tagg knew cattle ranching, but he loved horses. He’d like to breed a string of purebreds someday, but that was the furthest thing from his mind now. Last night, he’d mulled over different ways to tell his brothers about Callie, but in the end decided they needed to hear nothing but the truth.

  A part of him didn’t want them to judge Callie too harshly. He felt an uncanny need to protect her. She carried his child. And whether or not he liked it, Callie would become part of the family. After their talk last night, he’d driven her back to Big Hawk Ranch and told her that wasn’t her home anymore. She’d be living on Worth Ranch as soon as they tied the knot. He wanted that wedding, sooner rather than later. Just to protect his child from Hawkins Sullivan. No telling what extremes her father would go to in order to win. This time, the old man wasn’t getting what he wanted. Tagg would make sure of that.

  Clay pulled his truck up to the house and parked. Tagg and Jackson strode in his direction, heading toward the house.

  “Let’s take this party inside.” Tagg walked past Clay and opened the door for his brothers.

  Tagg caught Clay and Jackson exchanging curious looks before entering. All three took their hats off and hooked them on a ledge Tagg had made special for the Worth boys, reminiscent of his father’s hat rack back at the main house. Three hats, three brothers. Tagg wondered if another hook would have to be added soon, for his son.

  Or maybe his daughter.

  The thought made him smile for a brief second.

  Until he thought about how his wife died. How he’d failed as a husband.

  “Okay, I wasn’t going to say it,” Jackson stated, once he settled in a wing chair, “but you look like you’ve just come from a funeral. You got bad news, just say it. We lose another cattle deal or something?”

  Clay took a seat as well and left Tagg standing over them. “Something.”

  His brothers glanced up and waited for more.

  Tagg paced back and forth. He took a deep calming breath. “I’m getting married.”

  Both brothers rose from their seats.

  “What?” Jackson and Clay said in unison.

  “You heard me.” Tagg glanced from one brother to another.

  “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone,” Jackson said.

  “I wasn’t. I mean…it’s Callie Sullivan. She’s…we’re having a baby.”

  Jackson smiled. “You don’t say? You’re gonna be a papa?” He walked over and shook his hand. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.”

  Clay appeared confused. “You went away with Callie last weekend. How did she get…uh, this is real quick, Tagg. And you weren’t thrilled when she volunteered for Penny’s Song. I recall you bawling me out.”

  “I know. Believe me, none of this was planned.” Tagg explained the situation to his brothers, giving them the truth but leaving the details out. They didn’t need to know specifics. But he made sure they knew about Hawkins Sullivan’s proposition to buy him out of his child’s life. He made sure his brothers knew that Sullivan was not to be trusted and why he felt he needed to rush into marriage with Callie.

  “Congratulations, Tagg,” Clay finally said, once he understood. “It’s not ideal, but you’re doing what’s right. I’m behind you all the way. We’ll make Callie feel welcome. She’s having the first Worth heir. That’s something to celebrate.”

  Tagg didn’t feel like celebrating. He didn’t trust The Hawk or his daughter. She’d been needlessly deceptive, in his opinion, but Tagg had no choice in the matter. For his baby’s sake, he’d have to marry the enemy’s daughter.

  Six

  One week later, Callie stood in Tagg’s guest room staring into a cheval mirror. She wore her mother’s wedding gown, a mermaid design of white lace and pearled sequins that hugged her body and flared out slightly below the knees. The dress fit her without exception and she sent up a prayer of thanks to her mother. She’d curled her hair and pinned it up. A few strands fell in wisps around her face. In place of a veil, she wore a narrow rhinestone and pearl headband.

  “Cinderella has nothing on you,” Sammie said, after she’d finished her primping.

  “Well, I am getting the handsome cowboy prince, but I’m afraid that’s where the fairy tale ends.”

  “Don’t think that way. Tagg is lucky to be marrying you. You’ll make a good wife, Callie. And a terrific mother. I just know you will.”

  Callie hugged her best friend tight. “Thank you for saying that. I really need you today.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it.” Sammie’s lilac satin dress rustled as they broke their embrace.

  “You came all the way from Boston. I know you moved heaven and earth to get here yesterday. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Especially since I have no family here.”

  “What about Deanna and her family?”

  Callie shook her head. “I couldn’t ask them. It would be too…awkward, not having my father here. It’s best to keep the wedding small. It’s what Tagg wanted.”

  Sammie took her hand and squeezed. “I know that’s rough. Even after all your father did, you’d still like to have him here.”

  “If things were different, of course I would. But he can’t be reasoned with when it comes to the Worths. He went semiballistic when I told him I was marrying Tagg. We argued and he made threats and demands. I let him rant, but in the end nothing he could say or do would change my mind. I told him I loved him very much and I wished he would understand. I really hated to see him so upset, but I’ve never been angrier with him in my life for what he proposed to Tagg. I had to get out of there, s
o I moved into Red Ridge Inn.”

  “I’m sorry, Callie.”

  She shrugged. What could she do? Her father wasn’t going to change. Most young girls dreamed of having their father walk them down the aisle on their wedding day, but Callie had resigned herself to this. Callie was furious with him for what he’d suggested to Tagg, but she had to keep his heart condition in mind. She knew moving off Big Hawk was the only way to keep some semblance of peace. If she stayed at home, her father wouldn’t give it a rest. And he’d been stubborn enough not to go after her.

  She squelched her sadness and focused on the good things in her life. She was marrying the man she loved. Her morning sickness had ebbed to bouts of infrequent queasiness and her baby was thriving and healthy. “I’ll be okay. I’ve got you here.”

  “And I’m going to be the best darn maid of honor that walked the planet.” She adjusted the sparkling headband on Callie’s head. “You can count on me.”

  Callie smiled and moisture reached her eyes. “I know I can. I couldn’t do this without you.”

  “Don’t you dare spill those tears. You’ll smudge my expert makeup job.”

  Callie straightened and set her shoulders. “You’re right. No tears. This is my wedding day.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  Someone knocked on the door. “You ladies ready?”

  “That’s Jackson,” Callie said, gesturing for Sammie to open the door.

  “If he’s half as handsome as your fiancé, I’ll faint.” She feigned a swoon, buckling her knees and throwing her hand across her forehead.

  Sammie opened the door to Jackson’s back. When he turned to face her, dressed in a black tux and spit-shined boots, all silliness drained from her face. They stared at each other a second without saying a word, then Sammie shot Callie a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. Callie laughed. “Jackson Worth, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Sammie. She flew in from Boston to be here.”

  Jackson smiled his deadly smile. “Nice to meet you, Sammie.”

  “Same here.” To anyone who didn’t know her, Sammie’s expression would appear flawless, but Callie recognized her friend’s body language. She was completely bowled over.

  Jackson came to stand in front of her. “You look beautiful, Callie.”

  Callie spun around and curtsied. “Thank you, sir.”

  He laughed and his eyes twinkled. For some reason, she felt comfortable with Jackson. He had a winning personality and a great sense of humor. She’d come to know him a little from working at Penny’s Song. Of the three brothers, Jackson put her the most at ease.

  “Tagg is one lucky guy.”

  “Thanks for saying that, but we both know why we’re getting married.”

  Jackson studied her. “Answer this for me, where did he propose to you?”

  Callie glanced at Sammie, and her friend gave her an encouraging nod. “Not that it was much of a proposal—”

  “More like a demand?” he interrupted.

  She nodded.

  “That’s Tagg for you. Okay, where?”

  “He drove me to Elizabeth Lake, to talk.”

  Jackson grinned. “And he asked you there?”

  “Yes, but it’s—”

  “It’s where every single one of the Worth men has proposed to his wife since my great-great-great-granddaddy’s day. Chance Worth named the lake after his wife Lizzie back in the 1800s.”

  Callie’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t lie to you. Now, are you ready, ladies?”

  He moved between them and offered each woman an arm. With Sammie on the right, Callie on the left, handsome, charming Jackson Worth proceeded to escort them to the top of a hilly rise that offered a panoramic view of the Red Ridge Mountains.

  Where Taggart Worth and Callie Sullivan would exchange their vows.

  “Here comes your bride,” Clay said from his place beside the minister.

  Tagg stopped pacing the hilltop and cursed under his breath when he spotted Callie walking toward him, holding one long-stemmed calla lily. He barely noticed her friend Sammie or his brother Jackson; his gaze was focused solely on his soon-to-be wife.

  Tagg shuddered at the thought. He never thought he’d be in this position. He’d vowed to never marry again. Yet circumstances couldn’t be ignored. He’d gotten Callie pregnant and he was doing the right thing.

  “She looks pretty,” Clay said, once Tagg took his place next to the minister.

  Tagg had insisted on a quiet ceremony with only family and a few close friends in attendance. The hilly rise beyond his home had long been his favorite retreat, a place to come to gather his thoughts and stare out at the stunning Red Ridge vista.

  Now, he stared at another stunning vision—Callie. She looked beyond pretty, but he wouldn’t correct Clay.

  Jackson stopped to give her a kiss on the cheek. Her friend did the same, then they left her side to come and stand beside Pastor McAdams.

  Jed strummed the guitar with an acoustic version of “Here Comes the Bride.”

  Callie stood alone now, staring at Tagg, her hands trembling, her caramel eyes nearly liquid with unshed tears. She took the steps necessary to reach him, her smile tentative. For a split second, Tagg thought he should have given her a proper wedding with vows spoken in a church and then had a reception with all their family and friends present.

  A mental battle raged inside his head and finally he let go of his anger to savor the moment. Callie would be his wife now, and he couldn’t deny his attraction to her. He relished the thought of making love to her at night and waking up with her every morning. She carried their unborn infant. She would help him raise the child on his land and he or she would become the first Worth heir. He had to respect that, and Callie for bearing his child. He hung on to that thought when he took her hand in his and faced the minister.

  They spoke their vows quietly, and Tagg felt a stirring in his heart. He didn’t take marriage lightly, and this ceremony meant something to him. Despite his anger at Callie and his disgust at her father, he was going to try to make this marriage work. His child deserved as much.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife.” On the minister’s bidding, he faced his new wife and lifted her chin to brush a soft kiss to her lips. She responded with a little purr of pleasure that seared him like a hot poker. His new wife could easily get under his skin if he wasn’t careful.

  “Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Taggart Worth,” the pastor said, his voice jubilant.

  The guests in attendance whooped and applauded, his brothers the loudest of all. It annoyed him how his brothers accepted Callie into the family without qualm.

  The fact remained, Tagg had married Hawkins Sullivan’s daughter.

  He was her husband now. She’d move into the house he’d built as a widower, the house that had granted him solitude. It had been just him and his horses up until now, but Callie would soon change that. She would disrupt his quiet life. Hell, from the moment she’d approached him in Reno, she’d disrupted his life.

  “Congratulations, Tagg,” Jed said, offering his hand.

  “Thanks.” Tagg shook his hand.

  Jed stared at him, then peered at Callie, who stood just a few feet away, garnering hugs and kisses from every man in attendance. “She’s something.”

  Tagg didn’t disagree as he watched her gracious smiles and heard her heartwarming laughter.

  After all was said and done, the wedding party moved down the hill to feast on a sumptuous dinner at the main house upon Clay and Jackson’s insistence. Sammie sat between his brothers and was thus occupied while Jed and the minister struck up a conversation along with the other guests.

  Tagg and Callie sat at the head of the long linen-draped table. Tagg’s appetite hadn’t waned. He was famished and ready to consume a good hearty meal. He’d been served a good portion of braised beef, roasted potatoes and asparagus tips topped off with home-baked bread that had his mouth watering
. After taking a few bites, he glanced at Callie’s full plate. She hadn’t touched a bite.

  “You’re not eating?”

  She shook her head.

  “Not hungry?”

  “No. I…can’t eat, right now.”

  Her face, so bright and vibrant during the ceremony, appeared pale under the glow of candlelight.

  Tagg put his fork down. “Are you going to be sick?”

  Her hand cradled her stomach. “I’m trying not to be.” She peered into his eyes. “I don’t want to be. Not on our wedding day.”

  “Can you control those things?”

  “Not usually. The queasiness comes and goes. And it’s coming now, but I can deal with it.” She sent him a quick encouraging smile that didn’t fool him. He could see her struggling to keep up appearances.

  He rose and took Callie’s hand. “We’re going to have to say good-night to you all. But please, stay and finish the meal. You’ll kick yourself in the behind if you miss the dessert.”

  Everyone laughed. He glanced at his brothers. “Thanks for all you’ve done today. It’s time we went home.”

  Home.

  Even as he said the words, they sounded surreal in his mind.

  Callie rose from her seat and he tightened his grip on her. Wouldn’t do for the bride to keel over in front of their guests.

  “Yes, thank you all for coming. It was wonderful to have you here. Clay and Jackson, the ceremony, the dinner, everything was more than I could’ve hoped for.”

  “You’re expectations are kinda low, Callie,” Jackson said with a devilish grin.

  “Yeah, you married our brother.” Clay winked at her.

  Tagg didn’t comment. Normally, he wouldn’t let his brothers get the best of him, but today wasn’t a normal day. Today, he had a wife and baby to think about and right now, getting Callie away from here was his first priority.

  He kept close to her as they said their goodbyes with another round of embraces and handshakes. Callie told Sammie she’d see her tomorrow and Tagg thanked the minister one more time.

  Once they were out of the house, Tagg put a hand to her back and guided her to the car. “The fresh air’s got to help, right?”