Expecting The Rancher's Baby?

Her smile traveled all the way to those great green eyes. “Yes, even the annoying ones.”

When Jill yawned, Houston realized he was being selfish by keeping her from sleeping. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to bed?”

“We don’t know each other that well.”

Finally, another glimpse of her sense of humor, although he didn’t find the stirring below his belt funny at all. His “bed” question might’ve been totally innocent, but the images hanging out in his head were pretty damn wicked. “You know what I mean. You’re about to fall asleep where you sit, which you can. Just press the button on the right side and the chair leans all the way back.”

She blinked twice. “I’m fine. Really.”

“You can barely keep your eyes open.” He stood, stepped to one side of her seat and depressed the control, reclining the back of the chair and raising the foot rest at the same time since she refused to do it herself. “There you go.”

He expected her to protest, but instead she muttered, “Thank you.”

For some reason, Houston’s feet remained glued to the floor as he continued to hover above Jill, leaving them in close proximity. She wet her lips and looked like she might want to say something, or do something, but she just sat very still, her gaze locked on his. He seriously wanted to kiss her, long and hard, but his mom’s words about honor kept him from acting on impulse. Jill had been right. They didn’t know each other that well, but if he had his way, that would change, if only to find out if his attraction to her was legitimate. He probably wouldn’t get his way, so he should just stop thinking about that now.

“Have a nice nap,” he said as he moved back to his seat.

“I will,” she answered before closing her eyes completely.

Houston downed the rest of his now-warm beer and continued to watch Jill. He knew by the rise and fall of her chest, her slack features, she was out. She was also a pretty sleeper. Angelic. Sexy. So much for not thinking of her in that way.

He rested his head back against the seat and allowed his imagination free rein, at his own detriment. Every detailed fantasy made him more uncomfortable. Every questionable thought about what he wanted to do with her made him shift on the seat. And every time he tried to stop thinking about it, he met mental resistance head-on.

If he didn’t get hold of his control, by the time they made it to the ranch, he’d have to ride in the pickup bed.

Bed.

Damn. Asking Jill Amherst on this trip was definitely asking for trouble.

Three (#u21f76b0b-6bf0-5065-965c-e21d3a2cb00e)

“Buckle up, folks. We’re about to land.”

At the sound of the booming voice, Jill came awake with a start. She looked around to try to regain her bearings, and came in visual contact with a pair of golden-brown eyes. Now she remembered. Private jet. Persistent cowboy. Possible new employment.

She stretched her arms above her head and made sure her seat belt was secure as they started to descend. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Less than an hour,” Houston said. “It’s a fairly short flight.”

As she braced for landing, Jill glanced out the window to see the roofs of several houses with pools and huge barns, and on the horizon, a huge multistory building surrounded by a massive amount of acreage. “Where are we landing?”

“The ranch. We have our own airstrip.”

Of course. “It looks like suburbia in the middle of nowhere.”

“We’ve all built our own houses, so I guess it would look that way. People in these parts like to refer to the D Bar C as the Cowboy Commune.”

She brought her attention back to Houston. “Clever. I look forward to seeing the commune up close and personal.”

The tires bumped and the plane screeched to a halt, followed by a resounding “Yee haw” coming from the vicinity of the cockpit.

“Who in the world was that?” she asked.

“That’s Frank, the wannabe cowboy pilot,” Houston said. “I forgot to warn you about him.”

She wondered what other surprises awaited her. “I appreciate his enthusiasm.” And she was happy that she hadn’t been bucked out of the airplane.

After releasing her seat belt, Jill grabbed her bag and stood. Houston followed suit, but before she could take a step toward the exit, he said, “Just so you know, my family’s kind of unconventional.”

She would save that conversation for later. “Not a problem. You should meet mine.”

Without waiting for a response, Jill headed out the now open door and sprinted down the stairs into the very warm Texas evening, Houston following behind her. She spotted a huge, black double-cab truck parked across the airstrip, a red Texas Extreme logo emblazoned across the side. And leaning against that truck, a guy with ham-hock biceps and sun-streaked hair. He wore a lemon yellow T and jeans and aside from the worn cowboy boots, he looked a bit out of place against the rustic backdrop.

The minute they made eye contact, he looked somewhat surprised to see her. Not as surprised as she was to see the likes of him on a ranch—a surfer dude. Definitely not the typical rodeo guy, which led her to believe he must be either a friend or employee of the Calloway boys.

“Hey, brother,” the stranger said as he pushed off the truck.

Brother? Seriously? A brother with a serious air of confidence, Jill decided when he strode toward them, all the while keeping his gaze trained on her.

“Hey,” Houston replied as he took the bags from the rowdy pilot with the handlebar mustache, who looked more like a gunslinger than an aviator. “Jill, this is Worth, the youngest of the crew.”

“I’m a minute older than Fort,” Worth said with a frown. “That makes me second to the youngest, and it’s nice to meet you, Jill.”

She’d known about Dallas, Austin and Tyler, but Fort and Worth had never entered any conversation she’d had about the Calloways. “Nice to meet you, too.”

Worth sent her a slow grin. “I didn’t know you were bringing a girl home, Houston.”

Houston shoved a black canvas bag at Worth. “She’s not with me, and she’s not a girl.”

“Okay, she’s a woman and I saw her get off the plane with you.”

“Yeah, but she’s here to see Dallas about a job.”

Worth turned his smile on Jill. “How long are you going to be here?”

She sensed the man was an incorrigible flirt. “Only one night.”

“Would you like to go with me to—”

“No, she wouldn’t, Worthless,” Houston snapped. “Take our bags to my house. And tell Mom to set an extra plate for dinner.”

Worth looked as confused as Jill felt. “I’ll drive you to your place.”

After handing over a set of keys to his brother, Houston picked up Jill’s luggage and started toward the truck. “We’ll walk,” he said as he put the bags in the bed.

Worth saluted. “Aye, aye, captain. I live to serve.”

After Worth climbed back into the truck and drove away in a fog of dust, Houston turned to Jill. “I want to apologize for his behavior. He only has two things on his mind—women and chasing women.”