The Cowboy's Baby(39)

“I would think it’s no more difficult than carrying a stranger’s baby.”

The quip made her pause and stare at him for a brief moment before a small smile graced her features. Exhaling slowly, she made her way over to the railing of the porch, leaning against it with one hand on her lower back as she rubbed it gently. “When would this hypothetical interview be?”

Daniel’s heart leapt. She was interested.

There had been no doubt she would be – but being interested and showing up for the interview were two totally different things.

“We could go as early as tomorrow.” He tried not to sound too eager, leaning back nonchalantly in his chair. “We’d drive up to Kinnit, you could have your interview – we do a bit of shopping, have dinner…make a day of it, really.”

As her eyes clouded over, he felt her consternation. For the past few months, the two of them had barely left the ranch for privacy purposes. When they did, they went directly to the clinic and back, in a private car with tinted windows. In the years since his name had become known over the world, Daniel had quickly learned how relentless the media and tabloids could be.

So far, he’d managed to keep all news of Alyssa and his break up relatively quiet, but he knew that if they went out together, any chance of that would go up in smoke – and it was obvious that Esme wasn’t oblivious to the fact either.

They would be as discreet as possible, but a few nasty tabloids would, no doubt, have a field day. Nonetheless, there was a part of him that wanted to take her out- to pamper her. To give her everything she wanted for the short time they had together. It wasn’t an urge he normally indulged; women, he found, usually wheedled enough out of him that it wasn’t necessary for him to go out of his way to pamper them.

But Esme…she deserved more.

“I…I want to go, Daniel. But I don’t want this…us…my parents don’t know. And I want to keep it secret as much for our sake as for the baby’s.” She clutched her stomach protectively. “He doesn’t need this kind of drama in his life.”

“Esme.” The rancher stood to his full height, towering over her as he came to her side to slide his hand under hers, the opposite fingers pressing into the small of her back to massage the kink there firmly. His heart swelled as he observed the fierce protectiveness in her eyes. “I assure you, the baby will be perfectly fine. Nothing will touch him…or her. That much I can guarantee. This offer is for you…you, who’ve been cooped up on this damn ranch for five months with nothing to occupy you except me.” She flushed slightly at the innuendo of his words, looking away. “Not that I’m against that, but an outing would do you good – and a position that allows you the freedom you want in the kitchen even better. Am I right?”

He couldn’t possibly be wrong. The formerly independent woman had given up her freedom to give him the child he’d always wanted.

The least he could do was take her out for a single afternoon.

“…I suppose if it’s alright for the baby…”

She couldn’t have hidden the glint of excitement in her eyes if she’d tried. His mouth curving into a triumphant grin, Daniel pulled her into his arms to slant his mouth against hers, banishing any further protests she might have had.

She would have the job she needed – the position she deserved – and he would know there was always a place he could catch a glimpse of her when he needed it.





***





Chapter Eight: Contentment



It had been the most amazing day she’d had in recent memory.

Esme had never had reason to complain about being on the ranch. There was so much space on the immense estate that she never really had the opportunity to feel shut in or sequestered. Any time she wanted to go out, she could walk to the stables to pay apple a visit or lay out by the pool. When she got bored, she would putt around the kitchen for hours, working on recipes that had been knocking around her head for months and perfecting them.

She would admit, there were some times she wanted to hit the nearest mall for a few amenities, or to drive her car like she was used to, but the constant threat of relentless paparazzi was enough to prevent her from leaving Hartford Ranch. She had no desire to deal with that kind of publicity, and God knew it could do nothing for her pregnancy.

It took very little coaxing at all, however, for Daniel to get her off the ranch with the promise that they wouldn’t be bothered. And while Esme had been skeptical at first of his power to prevent such things, she’d been pleasantly surprised. When they’d arrived at Kinnit, a large town about an hour and a half north of the ranch, there wasn’t a reporter in sight.