The Cowboy's Surrogate

By Monica Castle

Angus Tuluth is a very wealthy cowboy who has always desired one thing in his life, a child of his own. Having already been divorced once Angus does not want anymore marital hassle so he takes matters into his own hands. He hires Delilah, a beautiful African American woman to be a surrogate mother who can give him the gift of life and make his life complete.

Only thing is, Angus has one unusual request.

Angus is a man who likes to be in control of everything and he wants Delilah to spend the final months of her pregnancy with him on his ranch where he can be sure she is well taken care of.

However, neither Delilah nor Angus had any idea that after spending time with each other, it would then be so hard to let go of each other....

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWWM Romance
• Release date: Apr 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524268299

Book preview

Chapter1

Angus Tuluth took in the sights of his ranch with satisfaction.  Two thousand acres of well-used land with a sprawling house touched up with all the modern amenities. He had taken his time to get it this far. He’d put more than his share of blood and tears into the place in front of him. Now it was ready, it was finally time to start a family to live in it.

Speaking of which, Angus thought, turning to watch the endless driveway again, the surrogate was supposed to have been at the ranch an hour ago. He’d talked to her on the phone this morning and she said her plane was landing at eight a.m. It would take another three hours to drive out here, which meant she should‘ve been here at eleven. It was past noon now, and he hadn’t heard another word from her.

Angus kicked the dirt. Unreliable woman, he thought. He hadn’t been sure about her when he’d interviewed her for the job eight months ago. She’d seemed a bit flighty and ill prepared, but the service had insisted she was an excellent match for his baby. She passed the psychological exam and wouldn’t try to make any claims on the baby. She was also gorgeous. Angus couldn’t help but notice that part when he saw her picture. She had the sort of luxurious dark skin that might have been described as mocha with hair that fell around her face in soft waves. Her figure was generous and inviting and her eyes had a come hither gleam to them. What she was doing popping out babies for strangers, he wasn’t sure.

Angus shook his head and started back down the driveway toward his house. He’d call from there and see what was taking her so long. Maybe she’d decided to keep the baby and run off to Vegas, Angus thought in a panic. But Angus didn’t want to think about that nightmare. She’d passed her psychological tests, he reminded himself. She wasn’t going to do anything rash.

After all, he was the rash one here. He was the one who’d insisted on her staying in his house for the last month of the pregnancy. He wanted to be there when the baby was born, and the only way that was going to happen was if she was out here in the middle of nowhere with him.

The grumble of a badly tended motor pulled him out of his brooding. He looked up to find a cloud of dust being kicked up by a shiny black sports car. The woman at the wheel was indisputably the one from the pictures. The only difference was, she was even prettier in person and she was very, very pregnant.

Hello, she called out to him from her rolled down window. Is this Huckleberry Lane?

Angus crossed his arms and considered her until her eyes slid away from his.

You’re late, he said.

"So this is Huckleberry. The woman rapped her palms on the steering wheel excitedly. None of these damn roads are marked. I’ve driven down every one of them looking for this place."

Angus shrugged. We don’t generally need to mark the roads. No one comes here who wasn’t born here.

Except for me.

Except for you. Angus shifted his weight. He got the uncomfortable feeling that the woman was trying to share a moment with him, or maybe an inside joke. Angus didn’t do moments and he definitely didn’t do jokes. He waved a hand at the house. The house is up here. You’ll find everything ready for you. The place has been under construction for a good while, so there’s a new guest wing where you’ll be staying. My room and the nursery are in the main house.

The woman’s face lit up at the word ‘nursery.’ Angus worried about her motives again.

It’s gorgeous, she said. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house like it.

Angus nodded. The house was owed the compliment. He’d overseen the construction himself. He’d wanted it to be big while still looking like a home and not a monstrosity. The resulting building was warm and inviting with an open layout that made it feel like it went forever on the inside.

You won’t be put out here, Angus agreed. It’s got everything you could ever want.

As long as it’s got coffee, right? The woman smiled in that making-a-joke way again.

Angus frowned. Was coffee good for the baby? The smile fell off the woman’s face. Well, I’ll just drive in and get myself situated. Umm, where do I park?

Angus gave her directions to the barn then watched her flashy sports car drive away, engine still grumbling. If she couldn’t even take care of a car, how was she ever going to take care of his baby, he thought as he walked toward the house.

***

Delilah turned the key in the ignition and sat in the car for a nervous second. She’d never parked a car in a barn before. Heck, she’d never even been in a barn before! This whole place felt odd to her, like walking into a house and finding the light switch on the ceiling. Nothing was where she expected it to be. Or, what she expected it to be.

She blew out a breath. When she’d heard the name Angus she’d assumed he was some backwater hick who needed to hire a surrogate because he couldn’t get a woman willing to mate with him on his own. But there couldn’t possibly be any shortage of women willing to mate with that man, she thought as she remembered how he looked; he had the rugged look of an old west cowboy and so many muscles that he looked photo shopped. In fact, if she’d seen him in a movie, she would have pointed him out as an excellent example of airbrushing. But this man was all real, and all male.

Delilah slid out of the car and hauled her luggage with her. She’d only packed a single bag, partly in defiance of the woman loaded with luggage stereotype, and partly because she hadn’t wanted to wait around to pick up a checked bag. Maybe she’d made the wrong call when she’d left behind all her makeup in New York.

Delilah easily found the door to the guest wing where he’d said it would be. Not only was her room gigantic but she had an entire wing of the house to herself. Delilah bit back a laugh, thinking amusedly, with this amount of space Angus could have hosted an entire harem of willing women.

She tossed down her suitcase on the plush feather bed and looked around. The room was decorated entirely in soft lavenders. Oil paintings of flowers hung on the walls. Gauzy curtains swayed in the windows. Delilah didn’t believe a male could possibly have picked any of the décor. There had to be a woman involved, she thought decisively. Either he’d hired a designer or he had a significant other in his life. Maybe he was married and his wife was sterile. Delilah bit her lip; she hadn’t thought of that. She should have read the paperwork more carefully.

Delilah kicked off her shoes and fell back in the bed. She’d just get a few minutes of shut eye before she had to deal with the panty-melting Angus again. She closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds.

She was woken up by a slobbery kiss on the cheek. Delilah groaned and tried to push away something huge and furry. She opened her eyes and two big brown eyes met hers in a puppy expression of glee. Delilah screamed. She scrambled back on the bed, but her stomach made her ungainly and she couldn’t escape her fluffy tormentor. The dog ran an excited circle around her, and she was unable to get away before the dog began jumping for her face again to land a wet kiss on her ear.

Delilah pushed against it desperately. Getitoffmegetitoffme-

Down, Jack.

The dog immediately pounced off the bed and sat at wiggling attention. Delilah gasped in a breath of un-dog filled air. The dog might have been considered cute by someone who liked dogs, she thought bitterly, it was about the size of a large throw pillow and had shaggy brown fur. Delilah didn’t know dog breeds well enough to tell what it was. She did not like dogs.

Angus leaned against the doorway and gave her a slow smile that warmed Delilah from her stomach to her toes.

He was just saying hello, Angus said.

I hate dogs, Delilah said hotly. What was it about this man that made her feel like she needed to explain herself, she thought. Delilah pushed herself off the bed. She knew she looked like a wreck. Her hair was tangled from her nap and there was probably still drool on her chin. Delilah tried to subtly wipe her face.

I wanted to make sure you were settling in okay, Angus said. His gaze roamed over her in a scorching assessment. How do you like the place?

Delilah tucked a stray hair behind her ear, knowing any attempt to fix herself now was futile. It’s lovely. The bed is very soft. Delilah could have kicked herself the moment the words left her mouth; it sounded like she was inviting him into her bed! Not that anyone would find her appealing right now. Her stomach was huge and ungainly. It’d be like humping a camel. Delilah put the image out of her head and tried to smile.

Angus’ eyes sparkled with humor. He hadn’t missed the accidental innuendo. Dinner’s at six, he said. Be there or don’t eat.

"What? Delilah took a step toward him. I didn’t sign up for involuntary meal times! What do you mean dinner’s at six?"

I mean dinner’s at six. There’s nowhere close enough to eat out at and only one cook to do all the cooking. So dinner’s at six. Be there. He turned his heels and walked away.

Delilah growled. Infuriating man, she though,  she should never have agreed to this. The baby inside her kicked in sympathy. Delilah leaned against the bed and placed a hand on her stomach. It’s okay, baby, she whispered to it. He’s not going to starve a pregnant woman.

*

He'd told her dinner was at six. Angus picked at his steak and watched the door to the dining room in frustration wondering if she had gotten lost or perhaps fallen asleep again. Angus didn't know much about pregnancy, but he did know the baby couldn't eat unless the mother did. He remembered her badly-cared-for car again and worried. He'd waited a long time for this baby. He didn't know what he'd do if it was dashed by some flighty surrogate woman with pretty eyes.

Jack waddled over to him and stared up with his big brown eyes. The dog had never been fed table scraps in his life but you'd never know it by the way he begged. The well-fed dog let out a whimper as if he just might starve to death if Angus didn't give him some steak.

Angus sighed and ruffled the dog's ears. What are we going to do about her, boy?

Do about who? Delilah asked, standing in the doorway, the light from the window lighting up her dark hair and making her look like