Expecting the Rancher's Heir / Taming Her Billionaire Boss. Kathie DeNosky

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СКАЧАТЬ said, smiling as they climbed the steps to the wraparound porch.

      He shook his head, then reached around her to open the front door. “Since the resort buys all of its stock exclusively from Rainbow Bend, it was like taking care of my own horses.”

      When they entered the house, Melissa got her first glimpse of Shane’s home and it came as no surprise that everything from the pieces of antique harness and tack decorating the walls to the foyer’s chandelier made of elk antlers was rugged and thoroughly masculine. Just like the owner. There wasn’t so much as a hint that a woman had ever lived there and she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his mother.

      Melissa tried to think if she had heard anything about the woman. Nothing came to mind. Had his mother passed away when Shane was a child like her mother had?

      “Cactus left this morning for Denver, so we’ll be on our own for meals,” Shane said, interrupting her thoughts. He hung his wide-brimmed hat on a peg beside the door, set her small bag on the floor and reached to help her out of her jacket. “Just let me know when you get hungry and I’ll throw a couple of steaks on the grill.”

      She frowned. “For the past couple of weeks, it seems that I’m hungry all of the time.”

      “Is that because of the pregnancy?” She watched his gaze zero in on her midsection as if he was looking for a significant change to have taken place in the past few days. Apparently finding none, he raised his gaze to meet hers. “I remember one of my hired men joking about his wife eating like a field hand when she was pregnant with their little boy.”

      “I wouldn’t say I’m that bad yet, but I do think the pregnancy could be the cause for the increase in my appetite.” She nibbled on her lower lip as she tried to remember what some of her friends had mentioned about the early stages of their pregnancies. Nothing came to mind about constantly being hungry. “Since I’ve never been pregnant before, I’m not really sure,” she said, shrugging.

      He stared at her for several long seconds before nodding. “We’ll have to check with your doctor about that when you go for your first visit.” Looking thoughtful, he added, “In fact, it would probably be a good idea to start making a list of the things we need to ask him.”

      “Whoa, there, Cowboy. What do you mean by ‘we’?” She shook her head. “I don’t remember inviting you to go along with me.”

      “Doesn’t matter. I’m going,” he stated, as if it were a foregone conclusion.

      “Why?”

      “We’ll discuss my reasoning later, as well as make a few important decisions,” he said, giving her the same charming grin that never failed to make her pulse race. He picked up her bag and ushered her toward the stairs. “Right now, I’ll show you to the bedroom and let you freshen up while I put the steaks on to cook.”

      When he guided her up the steps and down the hall, she was a bit surprised that he opened a door and showed her into one of the guest rooms. They’d never spent an entire night together and she had assumed when he asked her to spend the weekend with him, he had intended for her to sleep in his room. But after hearing the news of her pregnancy, she had no doubt that his previous insatiable desire for her had cooled considerably.

      He set her bag on the bed, then turning to go, took her into his arms. “When you get ready, come down to the kitchen. I should have supper ready in about twenty minutes.” Then, before she could react, he softly kissed her cheek and left the room.

      As she unzipped her case and started to put her clothes away, a sadness she couldn’t quite understand filled her. Why did Shane’s diminishing interest in her bother her so much?

      It wasn’t as if they were in love. They had both agreed before beginning their affair that the time they spent together would be relaxed and casual with no emotional involvement getting in the way of their respective careers.

      Now that she had been given the responsibilities of running the resort’s world-class spa, she had her hands full. She would love to have a husband and family of her own one day, but now just wasn’t a good time to do it. Besides, Shane wasn’t the right man to make that dream come true. His reputation for moving from one woman to another was only slightly better than her brother Trevor’s.

      Along with raising championship quarter horses, Shane was a highly successful architect specializing in the design of exclusive stables. His client list included some of the richest, most famous people in the equine world and he simply didn’t have time for more than a casual relationship, anyway.

      Melissa bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. It was times like this that she missed having a mother the most. She would love to be able to turn to her mother and ask for her advice. Unfortunately, Margaret Jarrod had died of cancer when Melissa was two and she had grown up without the love and nurturing guidance of a mother.

      Shaking off her uncharacteristic gloominess, she finished unpacking, then took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway as she headed for the stairs. She had known her time with Shane would end at some point. She just hadn’t realized it would be so soon. Nor could she have anticipated that she would be pregnant with his baby when it happened.

      “When do you intend to call the doctor’s office for your first appointment?” Shane asked, reaching for his glass of iced tea. Lissa had been extremely quiet for most of the meal and it was past time they addressed the issue that had been on both of their minds since she made her announcement that afternoon.

      When she looked up from the bite of steak she had been pushing around the plate with her fork, she shook her head. “I really haven’t thought that far ahead. I only took the test this morning. Then, before I had the chance to recover from the shock of the results, I was called to take over the yoga class at the spa and later met Avery for lunch.”

      “Shortly after you finished that, I showed up at your door and here we are,” he guessed.

      She nodded. “I still haven’t had time to fully comprehend the fact that I’m actually going to have a baby.”

      “It is pretty unreal, isn’t it?” He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around that fact himself.

      Her vivid blue gaze reflected some barely contained panic and he was fairly certain he had that deer-in-the-headlights look about him, as well.

      “I knew it was possible,” she said, finally laying her fork down. “But seriously, only one time unprotected and I get pregnant? The odds against that happening have to be pretty high.”

      “Looks like that’s all it took for us.” He reached across the table to cover her hand with his. “But I want you to know, you aren’t going to have to go through this alone. We’re in this together. I’ll be there to support you every step of the way, Lissa.”

      “I appreciate that.” She stared at him for several long moments before she finally sat back from the table. “But if you mean monetarily, I think we both know that isn’t necessary. I’m financially independent and have more than enough to handle whatever expenses there are before and after the birth.”

      Given their initial agreement to keep things casual, he could understand her misinterpretation of his promise, as well as her reluctance to believe he would commit himself to anything more than monetary assistance. But the idea that she considered him so shallow and irresponsible that he would just walk away from her and the child they created still didn’t sit well.

      “I’m СКАЧАТЬ