Doctor Amos Snell was on his doorstep. The man had been serving as the resident physician on the ranch almost since its incarnation. He was just about the same age as Daniel, and had experience working as both a private doctor in home and for residency in hospitals.
He was also one of Daniel’s closest friends and confidantes – the only man outside the clinic he would trust with the health of his developing child.
“Looking good, Dan.” The man’s warm green eyes met his as he took the man into a bear hug. Though it had been a while since they’d worked out together, the doctor still maintained a bulky physique similar to his own – though he was a tad shorter than the rancher’s statuesque height. “Looks like pregnancy suits you.”
“More than I might like to admit.” Daniel chuckled, heartened, as always, by the presence of his friend. “Sorry I haven’t been able to come to the office lately. Things have been a little hectic with the baby. Finishing off the breeding season and everything…”
“Yeah, I’m sure. But maybe now that you’re by yourself, you might be able to get a little R&R…” Amos trailed off at the sight of Esme stepping tentatively towards them. The young woman’s jeans and t-shirt were covered in a mixture of flour, sugar, and cinnamon, her hair in a haphazard, mussed knot atop her head. Even so, she was a vision that took him a moment to recover from. When he did, however, he found Amos gazing at him expectantly.
“Amos.” He cleared his throat, knowing that he’d have a great deal of explaining to do. “This is Esme. She’s my surrogate…the reason I called you in today, actually.”
“Nice to meet you.” Dusting off her floury hands on her jeans, Esme immediately stepped forward. When she did, her t-shirt pulled against her abdomen just enough for her small bump to show. Amos, thankfully, didn’t miss a beat, clasping her hand warmly in his. “Esme. So pleased to meet you. Dr. Amos Snell. I’m the ranch’s physician.”
Esme looked from one man to the other, her eyes wide. “It’s obvious you guys are eating the same beef. Are there any men here who aren’t giants? I’m glad I made so many extra muffins.”
“Muffins?”Daniel arched a brow in inquiry. He certainly wasn’t used to any woman on the ranch who was anything more than a pretty fixture. They looked good in jeans and boots and catered to Daniel’s physical needs, but, as he’d only recently discovered, other needs tended to be sorely neglected.
Not that he wouldn’t have liked Esme to tend to those as well. When he’d finished his phone call the previous night, she’d already tidied up the kitchen and gone to bed – something for which he couldn’t blame her. Cooking a five star meal had to take it out of a person. However, her absence had left him with a raging hard-on that had persisted until almost dawn - when he’d finally taken care of it.
“Blueberry and lemon poppy seed. They’ll be in the oven while you tend to the bean.”
“Bean?” Amos’ shaggy brows inched even higher. For Daniel, too, the term was completely new. He eyed Esme curiously.
“Bean?”
The young woman smiled, placing a hand over her stomach lightly. “It’s my nickname for the baby. Little bean. You did come to check him out, right?”
“Of course.” Amos chuckled as he moved into the house, carrying his bag with him. “Specifically for the Little Bean.” He shot Daniel an accusatory look as he followed Esme down the main hallway towards her room and the rancher groaned inwardly.
He was never going to hear the end of this.
The examination went off without a hitch. Daniel watched, awed, as Amos hooked up an ultrasound machine to give him his first views of his developing child. The image was blurry, and the child was only the tiniest shape at the corner of the screen, but all the same, it was enough to leave the immense man breathless in awe as he stared at the life he’d helped create.
This was what he had waited for – what he had longed for over the past decade.
What Alyssa hadn’t truly wanted to give him.
Amos informed them that it was too early to tell the sex of the child, but pointed out to Daniel its head and turned the volume up on the monitor so he could listen to its tiny, steady heartbeat.
His son or daughter in the making.
He took a moment to glance from the monitor down at Esme, wanting to thank her yet again for devoting her body to his child’s healthy development, only to pause with the words on the tip of his tongue.
The young woman’s almond eyes were locked on the ultrasound screen with rapt attention, her fingers curled into either side of her stomach with her lips slightly parted in intrigue. Of course, Daniel knew that Esme had been a product of surrogacy herself, but he wondered if she’d ever seen a developing child – let alone one within her own body. It had to be quite the experience – to say the least.