The Boss, the Bride & the Baby

The Boss, the Bride & the Baby
Judy Duarte

FROM CEO . . . TO DADDY?Texas tycoon Jason Rayburn had been raised to take charge. To make decisions. To avoid emotion. So when he's forced to return to Brighton Valley to inventory his grandmother's small-town ranch for sale, the executive delegates the work to his new hire, local waitress Juliana Bailey. Jason never mixes business with pleasure, but even he can't ignore his attraction to the red-headed beauty–in spite of the secret she's clearly hiding . . . .For Juliana, the job at the Leaning R was too good to be true, offering her a place to lie low until she could confess her pregnancy to her family–and avoid local scandal. But she hadn't counted on the searing sparks flying with the corporate cowboy! Now, the expectant assistant knows the billionaire boss is no family man. But she'll fight for the right to show him he's got daddy potential!

Juliana looked up, her eyes wide, her lips parted. “She moved.”

“The baby?” Jason eased closer.

“Yes, I’m sure that’s what it was. The doctor said I might feel something soon—like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing. And I just did.”

His hand lifted. “Can I…?”

“Yes, of course. But I’m not sure if it’s strong enough for you to feel anything yet.”

He placed his hand on her tummy, felt the swell of her womb, the warmth of her body, the softness of her breath. And although he couldn’t feel any movement whatsoever, he didn’t draw away. He just stood there, caught up in her floral scent and in the intimacy of the moment.

* * *

Brighton Valley Cowboys This Texas family is looking for love in all the right places!

The Boss, the Bride & the Baby

Judy Duarte

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Since 2002, USA TODAY bestselling author JUDY DUARTE has written over forty books for Mills & Boon

Cherish™, earned two RITA

Award finals, won two Maggies and received a National Readers’ Choice Award. When she’s not cooped up in her writing cave, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spending quality time with her grandchildren. You can learn more about Judy and her books at her website, www.judyduarte.com (http://www.judyduarte.com), or at facebook.com/judyduartenovelist (http://facebook.com/judyduartenovelist).

To Betsy Bramblett, a dear friend and fellow author.

I enjoy our times together.

Let’s have coffee again soon!

Contents

Cover (#u7727b854-7718-5551-81dd-9dae5ed33cfb)

Introduction (#udc707b83-817e-5893-bfb8-9c66e9215a2c)

Title Page (#u3ff144d3-382f-580a-9202-ff00b7c1014b)

About the Author (#u217807a6-3fb6-57f6-a9a9-8c7e59094bb7)

Dedication (#ua43ced01-b981-5c07-994d-e9ec50fd253a)

Chapter One (#uf3e1e1a1-eb84-505a-8d0f-6f87928b6684)

Chapter Two (#udd547f00-ee2e-51fd-84a9-34455d27bbf9)

Chapter Three (#u80615b87-701e-5d38-99b8-3958c4ad43cf)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#ulink_8063e1dc-d61a-5212-bd30-eddad3d1f035)

Jason Rayburn had never considered himself an early bird, but as the morning sun began to rise over the Leaning R Ranch, he found himself pouring his second cup of coffee.

If his father hadn’t died, he’d be in Houston today—still in bed, most likely, but with thoughts of hitting the gym instead of repairing the barn door. After a good workout, he’d take a shower, then head to the downtown high-rise he owned and take the elevator to the top-floor office of Rayburn Energy Transport, where he was the founder and CEO.

With the recent death of his father, he now controlled Rayburn Enterprises as well, not to mention his new role as the sole trustee of the Charles Darren Rayburn Family Trust.

What a mess dividing that was going to be. And that’s what had led him back to Brighton Valley.

The Leaning R had been part of his great-grandmother’s estate, rest her soul. And Rosabelle Rayburn had left it to Charles with a stipulation—that it be divided equally to his issue upon his death. She’d wanted his children to be in complete and wholehearted agreement about its daily operation and/or division.

Yeah. Right. Jason and his half siblings had never been in agreement on anything. Granny, of all people, knew that. And he suspected it was her last-ditch effort to draw them together in a way she’d never been able to do while she was alive.

But there’d been a reason for that. Jason, Braden and Carly had so very little in common they might as well be strangers.

So that’s why he had to get the Leaning R up and running again and ready for sale. Because there was no way his brother and sister would make good business partners. He just hoped he could get them to agree on a real estate agent and a price.

When Jason was a kid, spending summers and the occasional holiday at the ranch, he’d dreamed of being a cattle rancher. But those days were long gone. He was a busy CEO now.

On rare occasions those old dreams might come back to haunt him, but there was a reason for that. He’d spent enough time on the Leaning R with Granny Rayburn growing up that he’d actually felt more at home here than he had anywhere else. Of course, that wasn’t the case anymore. He was a city boy now—and eager to get back to his life in Houston.