The Texas Rancher's Marriage

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Jackson grinned. “And to precipitate the change, we’re sending you home early today.”

  It was barely two in the afternoon! “I’m only halfway through my shift.”

  “I’ll cover for you. You just go home and enjoy that new wife and those kids of yours. Let ’em know how much they mean to you.”

  Gratitude welled within him. “I will,” Chase said with a smile.

  Figuring that as long as he was going to surprise Merri, he might as well bring home dinner, too, Chase changed out of his scrubs and stopped by the Daybreak Café. The restaurant, which served only breakfast and lunch, was closing. But Emily was there, along with her husband.

  “Got anything I could just put in the oven for dinner tonight?” Chase asked.

  She pointed to the specials listed on the blackboard. “King Ranch casserole, for the adults. Macaroni and cheese for the kids. Plus a couple of salads and some grilled vegetables?”

  “Sounds great.” Chase shared the twins’ sweet tooth. “Dessert?”

  “How about a fresh apple pie and some vanilla ice cream?” Emily winked. “Got to celebrate while you can, you know.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

  Huh? Chase looked at Dylan. “Any idea what your lovely wife was hinting at just now?”

  Dylan scoffed. “C’mon, Chase. The whole town knows.”

  “Knows what?”

  “That Merri was in the obstetrician’s office this morning. One of the other pregnant ladies said that she had that special glow....” He paused. “You didn’t know she had an appointment?”

  “She probably wanted to surprise me.” Was Merri pregnant? They’d kissed numerous times, but made love only that once, roughly two weeks before. So she couldn’t be very far along, if she was in fact pregnant. Was that why she hadn’t wanted to continue sleeping with him? Because she had sensed the deed was done and she had been successfully impregnated the first time out of the gate? Or was it simply because she was still trying to get used to being married to him, before they leaped into bed again? The only thing Chase knew for sure was that he didn’t want to rush her, any more than he already had. Because Lord knew she deserved some kind of courtship and a get-to-know-each-other-better period.

  “Hey.” Dylan dragged him out of his fog. “We didn’t mean to upset you. It is good news, isn’t it?”

  “If that’s what the news is,” Chase said.

  Was that what he wanted? How did he really feel? Besides completely stunned—and once again, disappointed at being inadvertently shut out in the whole baby-making process.

  “You are the daddy, right? I mean, tell me I didn’t put my foot in my mouth—that you didn’t marry Merri so suddenly because she found herself in a situation courtesy of someone else?”

  Chase scowled at his friend. “Of course not. If Merri’s pregnant, I’m definitely the father.”

  Emily walked back out, carrying two big bags of takeout. The stricken look on her face said she had heard enough to realize what was going on. “I’m sorry, Chase. We just figured that, being a doctor and her husband, you would know.”

  Was that why Jackson had given him the rest of the day off and gotten the other surgeons to adjust their schedules? Had the chief of surgery heard the latest on the rumor mill?

  “Of course, it’s none of our business if Merri is pregnant,” Emily continued kindly. “We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to overstep.”

  Get a grip. Chase held up a hand. “It’s okay. It’s no secret that Merri and I are trying to, um, expand our family. So…” He shrugged and smiled. Maybe it was all happening sooner than they had ever imagined it could.

  * * *

  MERRI WAS SITTING IN THE kitchen, in front of her laptop computer, when, to her surprise Chase strode in, carrying two large bags from the Daybreak Café. He smiled at her and set the food inside the fridge, clearly a man on a mission. “Where are the kids?”

  “At a play date.” Battling a self-conscious flush, she pushed back her chair and stood. “What are you doing home?”

  He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, as had become his habit when coming and going. “I got the afternoon off for good behavior.”

  Merri sank into the comforting warmth of his tall, strong body. He smelled and felt so good. “That’s nice,” she murmured against his chest.

  “The chief of staff has also changed my hours to make them a little more family friendly.”

  Merri listened while Chase explained. She pulled in a stabilizing breath, then stepped back as casually as she could. “That’s really nice.”

  “You look like you’ve been busy.” He helped himself to a Christmas cookie from the trays cooling on the counter.

  Merri swallowed. “I got a notice that a few of the gifts I ordered in early November are not going to be arriving before the twenty-fourth, after all, so I’m getting a few more things on the internet, for the kids, with overnight delivery.”

  He looked at her assessingly. “Anything else?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He held her gaze for a long time. “Maybe something you want to tell me?”

  Merri tensed. “Like what?”

  He caught her hand and reeled her in close. “Like the fact you were seen coming out of the obstetrician’s office this morning.”

  Heat flooded Merri’s face. Pressing a palm to his chest, she stepped back a pace. “How do you know that?”

  He lounged against the counter and folded his arms. “People were talking about it at the café over lunch. Emily overheard and told Dylan. By then, the word was you were pregnant, so he congratulated me.”

  “Wow.” Knees wobbling, Merri sat down on a kitchen stool. “Like a real-life version of the telephone game.”

  Chase lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not answering the question.”

  “I wasn’t aware there was a question,” she protested weakly.

  He came toward her, then stood with his hands braced on the counter edge on either side of her, lowering his face till they were nose-to-nose. “Are you pregnant?”

  Merri hitched in a stabilizing breath. “No.”

  He fell silent. She saw the disappointment in his eyes. “Did you think you were?” he finally asked.

  “No. I mean, there’s still a chance, but I figured the odds weren’t all that good, since we only did the deed that once…” She finished breathlessly.

  To her surprise, he looked a little embarrassed. “Then why were you there?” he asked her calmly.

  Merri shrugged. “I wanted to make sure all systems were go if and when we ever got around to…”

  “Making love again.”

  She exhaled in relief. “Yes.”

  “And…?”

  “I’m definitely healthy,” Merri announced. “Definitely midcycle.”

  “Definitely ovulating,” Chase presumed.

  She turned bright pink.

  Crinkly lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. “You are, aren’t you?”

  He didn’t have to smile so widely. “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly, knowing it would do no good to fib to a man with M.D. at the end of his name. “I’m at my prime for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

  He chuckled, obviously raring to go. “Were you going to tell me?”

  Merri made a face. “I was thinking about it.”

  He made a face right back.

  “I don’t want you to feel like you’re a stud on cal
l or anything,” Merri hurriedly said. “I mean, we may live on a ranch, but things don’t work that way between you and me.”

  “They sure haven’t lately.”

  She pushed herself off the stool. He took her place and tugged her onto his lap. “Do you still want a baby?” he asked, hugging her close. “My baby?”

  Like, who else’s would she want? “Yes,” Merri said soberly, deciding a serious question deserved a serious answer. “I still want your baby, Chase. Very much. And…” She wreathed her arms about his neck.

  “And what?”

  “I want you.”

  * * *

  MERRI’S CONFESSION WASN’T what Chase expected to hear, but it was what he needed. “I want you, too,” he whispered, laying claim to her with a kiss.

  Trembling, Merri kissed him back with hot, openmouthed kisses that invited even as they incited. There was only one problem. Chase lifted his head. “When are the kids coming home?”

  Merri smiled. “They aren’t. I have to pick them up in town at four-thirty.”

  “Which means we’ve got less than an hour.”

  Her soft, sexy laughter was music to his ears. “Think we can get it done?”

  He chuckled back. “I reckon.” He set her down, stood and then swung her back up into his arms. “As long as we get started right away.” Holding her against his chest, he strode toward the stairs. She kissed his neck, the underside of his chin, the corner of his lips, as he moved. With every touch of her mouth, blood pooled, low and strong. By the time they reached the bed, they were both breathing erratically.

  He set her down and tipped her face up to his. The way she looked at him then, all soft and wanting, prodded him to risk even more—not just his body, but his heart. He tugged Merri closer and slanted his lips over hers, taking everything she had to give. And she gave him everything…

  Chase inhaled the sweet fragrance of her skin and the lingering scent of her perfume, and knew he’d been welcomed into her world, fully and completely, at long last. He threaded his hands through her hair, totally immersed in the here and now, in the way her soft sweater dress clung to her slim body, the way her nipples pressed against the fabric, the way her legs parted, ever so slightly.

  “Chase.”

  Needing more, he slipped his hands beneath her dress, shifting it higher. Sliding his palms across her tummy, he hooked his thumbs into the elastic of her tights and peeled them down. Then, kneeling, he followed their path with his lips.

  She gasped and held his head in her hands. He wrapped his arms around her thighs, basking in her warmth, the silk of her skin, the way she shuddered, when he hadn’t even touched her yet.

  He kissed her again, loving the way she opened herself up to him, with a purity and innocence that rocked him to his core. “You’re so soft,” he whispered. “So sweet.”

  “And needy,” she teased, lifting her dress and pulling it up over her head. Smiling down at him, she undid the clasp of her bra. Lust poured through him at the sight of her pink, jutting nipples, along with the need to possess more than just her body.

  With a low moan of pleasure, she drew him to his feet. His mouth found her breasts, the slope of her neck, the vulnerable hollow of her throat and then her mouth.

  She kissed him again and again, already reaching for the buttons on his shirt, his fly. A short time later, they were both naked, both on the bed. She was climbing astride him. Their gazes locked. And then she was kissing him again, with a sweet deliberation. She caressed his abdomen, his thighs, touching…tempting. Until he could stand it no more, and shifted her onto her back.

  Grabbing a pillow, he slid it beneath her hips. Brought her knees up and pushed her heels back, to rest against her

  derriere. Eyes widening, she gasped again as Chase climbed between her thighs and they slowly, deliberately became one.

  Self-control evaporating, she cried out as his hands moved over her, finding every pleasure point, loving and possessing. She arched up into him, surrendering willingly. Raw need gripped them both and then they were climbing. Higher, higher still. Until they crested together and clung there, hearts pounding in unison before coming slowly, slowly back down again, to the most wonderful peace Chase had ever known in his life.

  For long moments, Merri held him tightly.

  Finally, she whispered, “Chase?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you think we made a baby?”

  He kissed her cheek, then leaned back to gaze into her eyes. “I hope so.” Because there was nothing he wanted more than another child with her, one they created on their own this time. “But if not—” he bent and kissed her again, feeling connected to her in a very fundamental way

  “—we’ll just have to keep trying.” Sighing with pure male satisfaction, he lowered his head and fused his lips to hers in a long, sensual kiss.

  “A hard job, hmm?” Merri teased, the look in her eyes saying she already wanted him again.

  He grinned back. “But since somebody’s got to do it, it might as well be us.” And then to make sure they gave it their all, he set about making love to her again.

  Chapter Ten

  Close to suppertime, Paige welcomed Merri and Chase into her restored Victorian home. “Don’t you-all look happy. The two of you are positively glowing.”

  And why not, given the way she and Chase had just made love? Merri thought. As if they were in love…and always would be. Although nothing of the kind had been said, as per their earlier agreement to keep theirs a practical family arrangement, instead of a conventional romance.

  “So is it true?” Paige pressed. “Or is the hospital grapevine just working overtime?”

  Aware that people were still trying to figure out why she and Chase had gotten together, Merri pursed her lips. “The rumor mill is wrong. I’m not pregnant.”

  Chase took the gossip in stride. “We’re trying, though. That’s no secret.”

  Paige studied Chase’s smile. “Sounds like fun.”

  It had been. Maybe too much? Wanting to steer the conversation away from their complicated relationship, Merri asked, “How have the kids been?”

  “Good.” Her friend smiled in turn. “They’re out in the sunroom. They played with our wooden train set earlier. They couldn’t stop talking about the electric one Chase set up for them.”

  He nodded fondly. “My old Lionel.”

  “It made quite an impression on Jessalyn and Jeffrey. As have you, Chase. They couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it is to have a father around.”

  Joy lit Chase’s face. “They said that?”

  Paige led the way to the rear of the house. “Not in so many words. But it was ‘Chase this’ and ‘Chase that.’ Clearly, they adore you, which again is no surprise,” she declared. “Kurt and I always knew you would make a great dad someday. And, of course, Merri’s always been a great mom to them.”

  As the adults moved through the kitchen, they heard the voices of three-year-old Lindsay, Lori and Lucille, as well as those of the twins. Jeffrey was speaking loudly and authoritatively as they approached—maybe because he was the only male in the group? Merri wondered. “The daddy does not sleep in the same bed as the mommy. The mommy sleeps here.” Jeffrey pointed to the pink bedroom in the dollhouse. “And the daddy doll sleeps here.” He put the boy doll in another bedroom, on the other side of the hall.

  Jessalyn was nodding in agreement. “And the twin babies sleep here,” she said, putting two
infant dolls in yet another bedroom.

  “No,” Lindsay argued, joining the melee with her two dolls clutched firmly in her little hands. “The mommy and daddy sleep together in the same bed. Like this.” The other triplets nodded vigorously in support.

  Jessalyn rushed to her brother’s defense, saying emphatically, “The mommy and daddy do not sleep in the same bed. They sleep in different beds.”

  Merri felt her cheeks grow hot. Chase squinted. Paige managed not to look at either of them. “Hey, kids,” she said with a pediatrician’s gentleness, “look who’s here!”

  “Chase!” Jeffrey and Jessalyn exclaimed in unison. They rushed over to greet him, wrapping their arms around his legs. He hugged them back with a forearm arm around each one’s shoulders.

  Jeffrey gazed up at Chase with utter hero worship. “Tell them you do not sleep in the same bed as our mommy!”

  Could this get any worse? Merri wondered miserably.

  “Yeah,” Jessalyn insisted. “Tell ’em, Chase!”

  “I think the mommy and daddy dolls can sleep wherever they want to,” he answered smoothly. “Together or apart.”

  “And I think,” Paige interjected, studiously ignoring what had just been revealed by adroitly changing the subject, “that it’s time for everyone to put the toys away and say goodbye.”

  A chorus of groans went up from all five kids as they reluctantly complied. “Do they hafta go?” Lindsay whined.

  “We want to play more,” Lucille said with a stomp of her ballet-slipper-clad foot.

  “Maybe you can come to our house next week,” Merri offered.

  “Sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it, girls?” Paige concurred. Mollified, the kids smiled in assent.

  Merri held out her hands to the twins. “Say thank you to your hosts for having you over,” she said. Dutifully, they did. Coats, caps and mittens were gathered. With promises to see each other soon, Chase and Merri escorted the twins out the door.

  They stopped at the Dairy Barn for a quick bite, then headed back to the Broken Arrow. Baths and bedtime followed.