A Baby on the Ranch

by Stella Bagwell

  The baby was sound asleep and warmed by the fire. Since he was still too young to roll, there wasn’t any danger in letting him continue to sleep right where he lay.

  Katherine nodded as her heart began to pound with anticipation. “He’ll be fine.”

  Her answer was all that Lonnie was waiting for, and with one sweeping movement he scooped her up in his big arms and carried her out of the living room.

  Down a short hall and then into his bedroom, he crossed the small space to the side of the bed and stood Katherine on her feet. She shivered with longing as his hands raced up and down her body and his mouth founds hers again and again.

  “I’ve dreamed of making love to you a thousand times,” he murmured against her cheek. “But I never dreamed you’d come back to me—like this—on your own.”

  Her hands lifted to frame his dear, rugged face. “Oh, Lonnie, I left because I was afraid to love you.”

  His heart was pounding with the need to be inside her, to finally bond their bodies with the love that had already entwined their hearts.

  “Oh, Katherine, I’ve been afraid, too. Afraid, since the very first day I met you. But everything is going to be all right now. If you love me—”

  “If!” she exclaimed with disbelief. Then pressing kisses across his cheeks and onto his lips, she said, “I love you with every particle of my being. That’s why I couldn’t stay away. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you.”

  Lonnie didn’t need to hear more. His hands quickly found the bottom of her sweater and tugged it over her head. Next came her jeans, and his fingers fumbled nervously with the zipper before he finally managed to tug it down.

  Katherine laughed softly as he struggled to pull the heavy denim down her legs, and for punishment Lonnie tossed her back onto the mattress and gave the jeans one hard yank that left both her and the bed bouncing.

  Once the offending garment was tossed out of the way, he stripped down to his boxer shorts and quickly climbed onto the mattress with her. For the next few minutes his hands worshipped her soft, sleek body, and at the same time his mouth fed hungrily at hers.

  In turn, Katherine eagerly explored the hardness of his arms and chest, the broadness of his shoulders and his lean, narrow waist. By the time her hands lowered to his muscled buttocks, he tore his mouth away from hers long enough to kick off his boxers and do away with her undergarments.

  Once the lacy things were out of the way, his hands busied themselves by cupping her breasts and kneading their fullness. When his head dropped and his tongue began to lave her nipples, Katherine began to ache in a way she’d never ached before and she thrust her hips toward his in a silent plea.

  “Maybe this is a little late,” he said between gulps of air, “but are you okay now—to do this?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I’ve already had a checkup. But I haven’t been on birth control pills long enough to eliminate any chance of getting pregnant.”

  His eyes warm and gentle, he searched her face. “Would it bother you to get pregnant again? With my child?”

  Her hands skimmed over his back. “No. In fact, I would love it.”

  Wonder filled his face and lifted the corners of his lips in a smile of disbelief. “But you’ve just now gotten over David’s birth.”

  With a seductive chuckle, she aligned her hips with his. “And I’ll have nine months to get ready for the next one. Unless you take me for a drive in another ice storm. Then I might just have eight and a half months.”

  His eyes glinted with anticipation. “Katherine, you naughty girl. I can see it’s going to take a sheriff like me to keep you in line.”

  Sighing with sheer happiness, she pulled his head down to hers. “That’s just what I’ve been thinking,” she murmured against his lips.

  Words between them were suddenly forgotten as once again Lonnie began to kiss her, to fill her with unbearable heat. In a matter of moments, she opened her legs and guided him inside. Lonnie’s low growl of pleasure flooded the room and was instantly followed by Katherine’s guttural moan as the two of them began to move together in perfect rhythm, bound by a love that neither could deny.

  A long time later, Katherine lay in the warm crook of Lonnie’s arm. Near the bed, less than an arm’s length away, David slept in a bassinet that Katherine had brought with her from Fort Worth.

  As she drew lazy circles with her forefinger across Lonnie’s chest, she said, “This morning I was miserable. I was terrified that I had ruined any chance for us to be together. Now, a few hours later, I’m the happiest woman alive.” Tilting her head up, she placed a kiss on his jaw. “I don’t deserve someone as understanding as you.”

  “Hmm. I know you don’t,” he teased. “But I’ll squeeze some sort of payment out of you over the next—oh, I’d say fifty or sixty years.”

  Smiling, she snuggled her face against his shoulder. “Fifty or sixty years, huh? That sounds like a marriage deal to me.”

  “I wouldn’t want any other sort of deal.” Propping his head up on one hand, he used the other one to gently stroke her cheek. “So are you going to marry me, Katherine McBride?”

  “Are you sure you want to marry me now, since I’ve joined the ranks of the unemployed?”

  His brows rose with interest. “Too much has been going on since you got here. I hadn’t thought about your job. What happened?”

  “I quit.”

  “And the tax man? You didn’t mind telling him goodbye?”

  She snuggled the front of her body close to his. “I saw him a few days ago at the courthouse. While he was talking, all I was thinking about was you. Just looking at him made me realize I could never love any man but you.”

  “If that’s the case, then I’m glad you saw him.” His arm circled her waist and squashed her naked body possessively against his. “And as far as you being unemployed, I’m not really worried that your marrying me for my money. Especially when I don’t have any to speak of. Now, you, on the other hand, should be a little concerned about my motives.”

  Her brows arched upward. “Really? Why should I be concerned?”

  His hand slid from her shoulder to her hip and back again. “Because you’re a Ketchum heir. You have a moral, if not legal, right to a part of their fortune. And I’m more than sure they’re going to be glad to share it with you. If you’ll let them.”

  Her head was suddenly reeling with the implication of Lonnie’s suggestion. All her life she’d lived modestly. She’d never dreamed of having more. And now, entwined in Lonnie’s warm embrace, she realized that money was only an afterthought. All she’d ever really need was him, and their children.

  “The past few weeks have given me plenty of time to think, Lonnie. And believe me, I’ve done a lot of it. Mostly about you. But the Ketchums, too. Those letters you left on the coffee table for me—I read them. And afterward I knew I couldn’t continue to live in denial about my family. Amelia Ketchum and Noah Rider were my parents. Celia was just trying to help her sister by raising me. And Noah—he didn’t desert me. He died because he was going to tell everyone that I was his daughter.”

  He sighed with relief. “I’m glad you can finally admit that. But I think you need to take it one step further and meet your family.”

  Tilting her head back, she studied his face. “As long as you’ll be with me.”

  With a happy grunt, he rolled them both over until he was flat on his back and Katherine was sprawled on top of him.

  “Always, my little darling. Always.”

  Epilogue

  Christmas Eve had finally arrived on the T Bar K, and the big ranch house was elaborately decorated for the occasion. Trimmed trees, hanging tinsel and poinsettias of every shade adorned the many rooms. Scented candles burned and vied with the delicious scents of baked desserts and roasted meat coming from the kitchen. In the formal dining room, two long tables were elegantly set for the guests who were soon to arrive. Champagne was chilling, and a pianist, along with a violinist, had been hire
d to provide Gershwin and Cole Porter love tunes.

  However, none of those things was the real reason the ranch was in such a festive mood. A wedding was about to take place, and the Ketchums couldn’t have been happier to see their new sibling marrying an old friend.

  “I can truly say that I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride,” Victoria said as she stood back and eyed Katherine.

  Up until now, the bedroom Katherine had chosen to use as a dressing room had been chaos, as women had rushed in and out and everyone had clustered around to help with her hair and makeup. But as the time grew near for the ceremony to start, the two sisters were finally alone.

  Blushing at the compliment, Katherine glanced down at the long, ivory-colored dress she was wearing. It was made of heavy satin and the décolletage was just low enough to make her feel sexy and elegant at the same time. Her hair was piled in curls atop her head, and hanging from her ears were pearl and diamond earrings. A special gift from Lonnie.

  “I’m sure you looked far more beautiful when you married Jess,” she told her sister.

  Victoria laughed. “Not hardly. Jess and I had a quick wedding in the judge’s chambers. I wore a special dress, but nothing like what you have on.”

  “I’m sure you were beautiful anyway,” Katherine insisted. “And from seeing the two of you together, I’m fairly certain you’re just as married as Lonnie and I will be.”

  Patting her very pregnant tummy, Victoria grinned. “I think it’s safe to say we’re stuck for life.”

  Katherine went over to her newfound sister and gently touched her shoulder. “Are you feeling all right, Victoria? No back twinges or anything? You’re due date is just two weeks away now. Labor could begin anytime,” she said, then, suddenly catching herself, she laughed. “I guess I am nervous. I’m forgetting you’re the doctor here. You know all about that sort of thing.”

  Smiling, Victoria shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m not even tired. I’m going to dance all evening. If I can keep Jess on his feet,” she added jokingly.

  Katherine sighed as she looked at the other woman. When she’d first met Victoria a few days ago, she’d felt as though she was looking in a mirror. But since then she’d learned that she and her sister had much more in common than their looks. And to say they’d hit it off would be quite an understatement. Katherine had never felt so loved or wanted in her life.

  “Well, I feel a little guilty about having this big wedding,” Katherine admitted. “Lonnie and I didn’t need it. You and your family have gone to way too much expense for us.”

  “Nonsense,” Victoria countered. “We love any excuse to have a celebration. And it’s a small amount to pay to say welcome to the family.”

  Katherine’s eyes were suddenly misty. “I can’t understand you and your brothers, Victoria. You’ve been so wonderful to me. Another family might not have thought of me as a welcome addition.”

  Victoria’s hands came up to clasp Katherine’s shoulders. “Listen, Katherine, our father, Tucker, is somewhat of a legend around here, and we loved him. But now that we are grown, we can look back and see that he wasn’t the perfect husband for our mother. She must have been desperately hungry for affection and she obviously found it with Noah. We’re glad that she experienced that little bit of happiness with him. Because you see, we loved her, too. I just wish that you could have grown up here with us—where you belonged.”

  Choked with emotion, Katherine whispered, “So do I.”

  With a last pat for Katherine’s shoulder, Victoria turned and crossed the room to where a small box lay on a dresser. Picking it up, she opened the lid and pulled out a single strand of pearls.

  Carrying the necklace back to Katherine, she said, “These belonged to our mother. I know she would be very, very happy if she could see you wearing them now.”

  Too gripped with emotion to speak, she allowed Victoria to hook the pearls around her neck and then the two sisters left the quietness of the bedroom.

  Ross, who was going to give Katherine away, was standing in the hallway, just outside of the living room, waiting to take her by the arm. As he did, the wedding march began to play and the two of them moved forward.

  Katherine felt as though she were walking on clouds as she entered the room that was crammed full of family and friends. For a second, her gaze skittered over the crowd and she caught sight of Marina, the Ketchums’ longtime housekeeper, holding little David and next to her, Bella, Ross’s wife, was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Then Katherine’s attention zeroed in on the front of the room, where, beneath an arch of white poinsettias and flanked by tall, flickering candles, Lonnie stood waiting to make her his wife.

  Next to him, Seth was standing as his best man, and to the right side of them, the minister waited with his Bible in hand. Just behind the men, past the big picture window that looked down upon the ranch yard, Katherine could see the twinkling lights the cowboys had strung along the eaves of the bunkhouse. Higher up, beyond the mountain peaks, the night sky was adorned with its own Christmas stars. And for a moment, as Katherine caught a glimpse of them, she hoped her parents could see what the two of them had given her.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-2955-6

  A BABY ON THE RANCH

  Copyright © 2004 by Stella Bagwell

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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  *Heartland Holidays

  †Twins on the Doorstep

  ††Men of the West