The Cowboy's Baby(5)

“Oh for the love of god, Dan. Don’t you care anything about my needs? You’re putting this kid first and it hasn’t even been conceived yet. You know what? Call me back when you’re more in the mood to talk rationally.”

The line clicked, going dead in his ear. For a moment, Daniel pulled his horse up short, keeping a firm grip on Dante as he stared at the device in his hand. Christ. That hadn’t gone well.

To tell the truth, things had been a bit strained between him and Alyssa ever since they’d begun to speak about having a child. Well…more strained. The younger woman had made it clear to him after a year of dating that she had no interest in marriage. Marriage, Alyssa declared, was just another way to feed the divorce courts. The idea had taken some time for Daniel to wrap his head around. Being southern born and raised, he’d always been taught to treat a woman well – and that marriage should be the end goal.

Ultimately, he’d accepted things the way Alyssa wanted, but children were something he absolutely couldn’t compromise on. He’d grown up an only child and always wanted siblings. As an adult, he’d always pictured himself with a house full of children – and he’d made that very clear to his girlfriend.

After some huffing and puffing on her part, she’d finally agreed to work with him on conceiving – and they’d been in the process of trying to get pregnant for the last year and a half to no avail. All the doctors they visited told them that Alyssa might have a harder time conceiving than other women, but that was no reason not to try. She was certainly able – and Daniel was more than fertile enough to be able to overcome her biological shortcomings.

So then, why hadn’t they conceived?

It remained a mystery to the rancher.

Daniel was coming up on his forties, and he’d hoped to be married with children by this point. His parents were always asking him when they were going to meet their grand babies and he wanted nothing more than to provide them.

He was just somewhat lacking in Alyssa’s participation. She didn’t often want to get down and dirty, and when she did, he rarely finished. There was, however, no type of protection involved – as far as he knew – so they should have had a fair chance by now.

Swallowing thickly, Daniel maneuvered his horse back onto the long path that led towards the stables. There, Dante would be penned in preparation for the performance he’d be required to exhibit for the next few weeks. The bull already had hundreds of children – he was the ranch’s top breeder.

Daniel had never in his life thought he might be envious of a side of beef.





***





Chapter Two: Gone Girl



Esme sat in the plush waiting room of the surrogate clinic, trying not to gape at her surroundings. She’s known that it took a lot of money to procure someone else’s body, but a private hospital? With digs more suited to a five star hotel than a medical facility?

It was all new to her.

When she’d first called the number she’d seen on television, Esme had expected some sort of blanket, automated questionnaire. Instead, she’d gotten a real live person who had asked for her information before scheduling a doctor’s appointment for her. That was the first time she had been into the swanky clinic – and upon that visit she’d been pinched and prodded to within an inch of her life. Every sort of bloodwork taken – every kind of test done. She’d been in the center for a good three or four hours before they had released her, and still, she hadn’t thought that very much would come of it.

Then, in the midst of her search for a new chef job, she’d gotten the call that had brought her into the center today: She’d been matched with a prospective couple and they wanted to meet her.

And just like that, the young woman’s life had done a complete three sixty. While Esme hadn’t given up on finding the kitchen position of her dreams, now that something more concrete was beckoning, she didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She’d dressed very carefully – in her best black dress – and tried to do something with her unruly hair. All in all, she thought she looked quite presentable. Like a distinguished young woman from the upper middle class rather than the scrounging cook she was. But, all in all, these people would care nothing about what she did or where she had come from. As long as she hadn’t been in trouble with the law or had any children previously, all that mattered was her pristine bill of health.

And Esme’s was quite pristine.

So much so that her recruiter had told her that there’d actually been a bidding war over her body – with the winner being one of the most prolific and moneyed businessmen in the US. Of course, Carmen couldn’t reveal the man’s name – and Esme would be required to sign a confidentiality agreement if the couple did, indeed, decide to use her; but none of that mattered to her. A child was child – no matter how high or low born. What she needed now was a way to pay her bills before she was on the street.