Pregnant With The Rancher's Baby. Kathie DeNosky
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the time they had been old enough to start dating, Hank Calvert had told them it was their responsibility to protect a woman. And in the case of an accidental pregnancy, a man had a moral obligation to do what was right and give the woman and child his name.
Nate knew that in this day and time, that way of thinking might be considered antiquated, but there was no man he respected more than his late foster father. Hank’s teachings had served him and his brothers well over the years and turned them from rebellious young hell-raisers into honest, upstanding adults. As far as he was concerned, that kind of guidance shouldn’t be ignored. Besides, the thought of having Jessie at his side every day and in his bed every night was a very appealing aspect of marriage, even if it did scare the hell out of him.
“So what’s up, bro?” Jaron asked with one of his rare smiles. The quiet, brooding one of his brothers, Jaron was the only one that Nate knew for certain hadn’t completely rid himself of the ghosts of his past. They all had had a few residual hang-ups from their lives before being sent to the Last Chance Ranch. But Jaron’s ran deeper than the rest of them.
“Yeah, spill the beans, hotshot,” T.J. chimed in.
Nate glanced at Jessie as he reached for her hand. “We just wanted to let you know that we’ll be adding another member to the family in a few months. We’re going to have a baby.”
There was a stunned silence that followed his announcement and one look at the expression on Sam’s face let Nate know his failure to mention a wedding had not gone unnoticed. With a slight shake of his head, he let his brothers know not to ask about it until later. He knew they would respect his wishes and remain silent—for now. But as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he was going to have some explaining to do.
“That’s wonderful,” Bria said, breaking the silence as she stepped forward to hug him and Jessie. God bless her, Bria could read a situation faster than anyone he knew and always seemed to know exactly what to say to ease the tension.
“I’m so excited for you,” Summer McClain added happily, shifting her daughter to her hip in order to reach out and hug Jessie.
“We’ve got another baby shower to plan,” Lane’s wife, Taylor, spoke up enthusiastically. “I’ve got some new appetizers in mind that will be perfect for the refreshments.” A personal chef, Taylor was always looking for reasons to try new recipes on the family.
“When is the baby due?” T.J.’s wife, Heather, asked.
“In late March or early April,” Jessie answered. Nate could tell by the tone in her voice she was relieved that no one had asked about a wedding.
“Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” Mariah asked, giving Jaron a pointed look. Every time one of the sisters-in-law became pregnant, Mariah and Jaron argued about what gender they thought the baby would be. It appeared this time was going to be no different.
Jessie smiled as she shook her head. “I’m having an ultrasound in a couple of weeks to find out.”
“Congratulations,” Sam finally said, stepping forward to give Jessie a brotherly hug. He stared hard at Nate. “I think this calls for a beer, don’t you?”
“Great news,” Ryder said, wrapping Jessie in a bear hug. When he put his hand on Nate’s shoulder, Nate could tell by Ryder’s iron grip that he was about to be escorted to the bar for his brothers’ interrogation.
“Jessie, if you don’t mind, we’d like to take this bonehead back to the bar to toast your good news,” Lane explained, handing his baby son over to his wife, Taylor.
“I don’t mind,” she said, smiling. “It will give me a chance to ask your wives what I can expect with a newborn and what baby products they’ve found to be the most useful.”
As his brothers walked him back into the barn, Nate heard the excited voices of the women as they offered their suggestions on what they thought Jessie might need to get ready for the baby. He wasn’t the least bit surprised. Whether she realized it or not, she and the baby were already considered members of his family and everyone would do whatever they could to help her and make her feel welcome.
“Okay, what’s the story, bro?” Sam demanded when they reached the bar.
“And why didn’t we hear that the two of you are making plans to get hitched?” T.J. asked as he motioned for the bartender to get them all a bottle of beer.
“You all know about as much as I do,” Nate admitted as they walked over to a more private area away from a group of their friends. “Jessie showed up yesterday to tell me she’s about four and a half months pregnant, I’m the daddy and when I told her we’d get married as soon as possible, she flat-out refused.”
“You told her you’d marry her instead of asking her to be your wife?” Lane asked, his expression incredulous.
“Way to sweet-talk a woman, bro,” Jaron said, shaking his head. “Even I know better than to do that.”
“For a ladies’ man, you sure screwed that up,” Ryder stated disgustedly.
“And you tried to give me advice on how to talk to a woman when Heather and I first started seeing each other.” T.J. took a swig of beer from the bottle in his hand. “I’m glad I had the good sense not to listen to you.”
Sam folded his arms across his chest and glared at him. “How do you intend to straighten this out with her, Nate?”
“I’ve already come up with a plan,” he answered, watching the women and kids reenter the barn. They all looked as if they were having a lot better time than he was at the moment.
“You want to run this scheme of yours past us and get our input before you try to execute it?” Lane asked.
“Yeah, the way you messed up that proposal, it sounds to me like you need all the help you can get,” Jaron added.
As much as he had riding on the outcome, Nate figured he could use some advice from his brothers and especially from Lane. Having the opinion of a licensed psychologist definitely couldn’t hurt and might just give him the edge he needed to convince Jessie of his sincerity.
“I got her to agree to stay with me until after Thanksgiving so we can work out joint custody and how we’re going to raise the baby,” Nate answered. He stared across the dance floor at Jessie and the rest of the women. “And while I’m at it, I’m going to pull out all the stops and show her that I really do want to get married.”
“The way things have gone down with you two in the past, you’ve got your work cut out for you.” T.J. stated what Nate was certain all of his brothers were thinking.
“It for damned sure isn’t going to be easy,” Ryder added.
“And there’s no margin for error,” Lane warned. “If you don’t get it right this time, they’ll be passing out ice water in hell before you get a second chance.”
Nate nodded. No matter how scary it was to commit himself to one woman, especially knowing that he’d have to reveal everything about his past, he had too much to lose not to do everything in his power to make things right between them. “I’m going to get Jessie to agree to marry me or die trying.”
* * *
As Jessie listened to Nate’s sisters-in-law discuss possible themes for the baby shower they were planning for her and the refreshments they might serve, she couldn’t help but feel envious of the strong family bond the women and their husbands shared. Over the past couple of years, Nate had told her a little about his blended family, and how he and Sam met the other four men they called brothers when they were placed in the foster care system.
Sent to the Last Chance Ranch as teenagers, the six boys had found their salvation as well as each other, thanks to a kindhearted man named Hank Calvert and his unique set of rules to live by. The boys he fostered had stayed tight throughout the ensuing years and from what she could see, the women they married had become just as close.