Cowboy’s Pregnant Partner: Thorne Ranch Brothers, #3

By Leslie North

Cupid's arrow strikes the Thorne ranch again...

 

Rancher Jake Thorne needs a new stud horse—and he's got his eye on a prize stallion owned by the beautiful local vet, Julia Letts. Problem is, Julia refuses to part with the handsome horse.

 

Jake's a man who's used to getting what he wants. But the more he butts heads with Julia, the harder it gets to deny their mutual attraction. And after an unforgettable night of passion, Julia makes it clear she isn't the sort of woman to have a casual fling. Now, for the first time in his life, Jake isn't sure what he wants…

 

Julia thinks she has Jake's number... he's all charm and no commitment. But when she finds out she's pregnant, she suddenly has a hot cowboy hovering around her—one who seems just as excited about being a father as she is about being a mom. Sure, he's stubborn as a mule. But she can't deny he makes her heart pound…

 

Can't these two stop fighting long enough to realize they're exactly what each other needs?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Jan 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201249359

Book preview

1

Jake Thorne leaned against the arena rail, watching the final event in the Darby Crossing Rodeo. The weekend rodeo had brought in a huge crowd, but Jake’s eyes weren’t on the people. He was focused on the horses. The horses bred at his family’s ranch had put in mixed performances.

The four- and five-year-old horses from his ranch had done well, but the younger ones had been less than stellar. Somehow, they seemed weaker in comparison to the stock his brother Luke and their father had bred. Lacking. And Jake knew why.

How’s it going? Brian, Jake’s twin, came up beside him and balanced a basket of curly fries on the rail. His hands were loaded down with a wrapped sandwich, a brownie, and a can of Coke.

Hungry? Jake commented with a nod at the food. Or is some of that for me?

Touch my food, and it could get ugly. Brian shot him a look. I’m a starving man.

If you’d relax a mite, you could have been eating all weekend. Every kind of barbeque and festival food imaginable had been available at the rodeo, but Brian tended to micromanage his duties as the town’s sheriff, so he had been too busy handling security concerns to stop for meals. Jake had seen him crisscrossing the grounds, almost nonstop.

Too much to do. It’ll be over soon, though. Brian stuffed three fries in his mouth.

Been a good rodeo, and Amy says it’s raised even more than she’d planned. Good news for their sister-in-law Amy, who worked for the mayor’s office, since the rodeo had been her idea as a fundraiser after a fire burned down the community center. It was even better news for the town of Darby Crossing.

All’s well that ends well. Brian cracked open his Coke. I’m glad for Amy and Cal, too, and Henry’s over the moon excited.

Strange how things work out, Jake said. They’d met their half-brother Cal for the first time just weeks earlier when he’d come to town for the rodeo. Discovering that their mother had had a baby she’d put up for adoption before even meeting their father had been a shock—all the more so since Cal looked so very much like Jake and Brian’s older brother, Luke, who had died with their father in a car crash four years ago. The shocking resemblance had been hardest, of course, on Luke’s widow, Amy, but she and Cal had managed to work through it—and eventually, even fall in love. While it hadn’t all been smooth sailing—Jake had had his disagreements with Cal, one of which ended with them both locked up at the sheriff’s office—the family as a whole had gotten past it when Jake saw how much Cal meant to Amy and her son, Henry.

During the rodeo, Cal had proposed to Amy with all the Thornes gathered in the stands looking on. They were going to have a wedding in the family, and his nephew was going to get a new daddy. Big changes coming. Good ones, though.

I wonder what Luke—

No sense going there. Jake cut Brian off before he could go down that road. Having taken over the ranch that Luke had been raised to run, Jake already spent most of his days wondering what Luke would do with each situation that he faced. With the horses, that kind of wondering made sense. It was up to Jake to carry on the legacy Luke and his father had left behind. When it came to Amy and her right to move on with her life and find happiness? That was a different story.

You’re right, Brian agreed and took a bite of his barbeque pork sandwich. Your stock’s done well, he added.

Not as well as I’d like. It was crystal clear to Jake that he’d made mistakes with his younger stock. He’d poured his money into acquiring quality mares. They weren’t the problem—his second-rate stallion was. Jake kept his eyes on the next rider in the adult barrel race finals. The rider’s horse was sired by Twister, the black stallion owned by the local veterinarian, and possibly the finest animal that Jake had ever seen. Twister had put in a smoking performance himself earlier in the day, as had two horses he’d sired. Jake was suffering from a serious case of horse envy wrapped up in a deadly case of regrets.

He’d taken a wrong turn with the Thorne horses, and he needed to right it by getting back to Luke’s original plan for their stables. He needed a new stallion for stud. The one he’d bought just weeks after the accident four years ago was decent, but not the kind of horse that was going to sire champions.

And maybe he should finally switch the feed the ranch used. He’d found notes in Luke’s handwriting about doing just that, but Jake, too overwhelmed by his new responsibilities of running the ranch, had opted to stick to the tried and true.

I need a new stallion, he said, voicing his thoughts aloud.

Always a good purchase, Brian agreed as he continued eating. Have you started the search?

No need. I’m going to buy Twister, Jake said as he watched the clean lines of the horse’s progeny running through the barrels. He’s the best stud in the area.

When’d you decide that? Brian asked.

About thirty seconds ago, Jake said, knowing that snap judgment would annoy his brother, who thought everything through carefully and methodically.

Is that a good idea? I don’t mean to get in your business. God knows I’ve got enough on my plate, but—

You mean with Caitlin in your house? Jake couldn’t resist the dig. When Brian’s ex-girlfriend returned to town with a temporary job and needed a place to stay for a few months, Jake had thought his brother nuts for taking her in. He wondered, though, about the two of them. They were only a few weeks into cohabiting, but they seemed to be doing fine sharing a house.

I meant with my job as sheriff, Brian said, giving him a back off look. Leave Caitlin out of this.

Sure, Jake responded agreeably before returning to the subject of the horse. Twister’s the finest stallion I’ve seen in years. The animal was nimble and smart, able to work flawlessly with his riders. His offspring seemed to have the same qualities.

Don’t make a hasty decision, Brian cautioned, without adding the words like last time. He didn’t need to say it. Jake knew he’d made a mistake with his current stallion and knew why. Twister’s getting a lot of buzz right now. That doesn’t make him perfect. Although I suppose Luke would have snapped him up based on reputation alone.

And Luke would have been right. I’m buying him. Twister was going to rebuild the Thorne Ranch’s stock.

What if he’s not for sale? Brian crinkled up the tinfoil that his sandwich had been wrapped in. You thought of that?

I’ll be persuasive. Jake looked around and saw Twister’s owner, Julia Letts, leaning on the far side of the rail. Dr. Julia Letts—his neighbor and Darby Crossing’s veterinarian.

What if you’re not the only one offering? What’s your plan then? Brian asked.

I’ll charm Doc Letts. Easier said than done, Jake knew. She’d never seemed to have much use for the Thorne twins, not even back in high school, when she’d been a year ahead of them. Since she’d returned to the area after vet school, she’d cared for his stock, and their interactions had been professional but not particularly warm.

Brian chuckled. Good luck with that. He looked over the spectators as they began making their way to the parking lot. I gotta get back to work. See you around.

As Brian headed off into the crowd, Jake found Julia again. She was headed for the horse paddocks. This was the perfect time to intercept her. He started after her, but got waylaid by friends twice, so by the time he reached the paddock area, Julia was preparing to load Twister into a horse trailer.

She wasn’t a tall woman, meaning that the sixteen-hand stallion dwarfed her, but she showed no signs of being intimidated. Jake paused to take a good look at her. Her Western shirt and jeans were the same as always. The same was true of the ponytail that just barely controlled her curly brown hair, but her face was more, well, beautiful than he remembered. Usually when he saw her, he was focused on a sick or injured animal, so he spent more time watching her hands—administering medicine, tending wounds—than her face. But now, he trained his gaze on her and saw that she was definitely beautiful. High cheekbones, soft pink lips, and delicately arched eyebrows. She looked surprisingly feminine as she rubbed her face against Twister’s muzzle.

How had he not seen that before? He thought back to high school. Had she been pretty then? He didn’t remember—hadn’t paid attention. They’d moved in different circles, so it hadn’t mattered then. And didn’t really matter now, either. He wasn’t asking her for a date. He planned to buy her horse. That was all.

In the trailer with you, she cooed to the big horse. I know it’s not your favorite, but it’s a short trip home, and then I’ll find you a treat. The horse neighed as if responding to her. It struck Jake as endearing, softening his view of her even further.

Julia, he said, coming up on the other side of the horse. I wanted to catch you before you left.

Oh? she said as her green eyes met his. Do you need something? I thought your horses got through the weekend without injury.

They did. That’s not what I wanted to talk with you about.

Then what? She was studying him.

Twister’s an impressive stallion. Starting with a compliment seemed the right thing to do, and it was sincere.

He is that. She patted the horse. I was just about to load him, and then I need to be on my way. He doesn’t like to be in the trailer long.

I can understand that. Jake reached out and stroked the horse’s long, sinuous neck. He really was an amazing animal. I don’t like to be confined either.

Who does? she said, picking up the lead rope and starting to move the animal into the trailer. What did you need, Jake?

I want to buy Twister, he said, and she laughed. Okay, not the reaction he expected. She didn’t even pause as she went up the trailer’s ramp with the horse following. I’m serious.

He’s not for sale. Her voice was calm, but firm as she focused on her task.

Jake stayed outside the trailer while she secured the horse, waiting to regain her attention. In his head, he was running the numbers and arrived at a price that no sane person would turn down. He needed that horse. When she latched the trailer closed, she turned to him.

You’re still here? She wasn’t being rude exactly, but he could sense her annoyance.

Yep. Here’s my offer. He named his price, expecting her to shake his hand and seal the deal within seconds, but she shook her head instead.

As I said, he’s not for sale. She folded her arms across her chest.

That’s more than a fair offer. They both knew that, so why was she hesitating? Did he need to sweeten the deal in some way? He was willing to spend more if that was what it took. Twister would make all the difference to his breeding program.

I’m not disagreeing with you about that, she said, but it doesn’t change the fact that Twister isn’t on the market.

I need a stud, fresh blood to improve my stock. He went for straightforward honesty. And he’s the best I’ve seen.

Her pink lips formed into a lovely smile, and he thought she was softening toward him until she spoke again. "He is the best, and you do need a fresh bloodline, but that isn’t going to make me sell."

Jake’ narrowed his eyes, gauging her. How resistant to selling was she? Or was she just holding out for more money? He named an even more generous purchase price. He’d have to redirect money from the ranch’s cattle operation to cover the cost, but it would be worth it.

Jake, she said, I’m flattered on Twister’s behalf, really I am, but you’re just going to have to fall in love with another horse. You can’t have this one.

I don’t give up easily, he said. I need him. She had no idea how important this was to Jake, to the ranch. He needed this, to get the operation back to what it used to be. Back what it should be.

Thanks for the warning, but neither do I. A breeze caught a strand of long curly hair and brushed it across her face. She quickly tucked it behind her ear. The price is generous, but the stud fees I can charge over the coming years for Twister will far exceed your offer. So you see, it’s nothing personal, just business.

It was very personal to him. There was nothing that mattered more to him than improving his ranch’s stock.

I want to keep talking about this, he said, not giving up.

She shook her head at him. You can talk all you want, Jake Thorne, but don’t be too stubborn to listen to what I say. I’ll see you. She walked away from him and got in her truck.

Jake watched her drive away. Twister’s black tail swished over the trailer’s gate as if the horse was waving a final goodbye to him, but Jake wasn’t defeated. He’d try again. He was stubborn as she’d said, but that had usually gotten him what he wanted, and he figured it would this time as well.

He turned to walk back toward the arena, thinking about Twister’s owner as much as he was the horse.

2

"Q uiet in here tonight." Sofia Alvarez, the town’s chief deputy sheriff, slipped onto the barstool next to Julia’s and crooked her finger at the bartender.

What can I get for you? he asked, giving her a wide smile.

I’ll take a shot of tequila for now, but later… Sofia returned his expression, but hers was sultry.

Later, then, the bartender said with a wink and then moved to get Sofia’s drink.

You and Rex still going at it? Julia was amused by her friend’s relationship with the bartender.

Yeah, he’s fun and super sexy.

Maybe. Julia took a look at Rex as he came back toward them with Sofia’s drink. He was hot, but she didn’t quite see the appeal. Not her type.

And he wants nothing from me, Sofia said after getting her drink. We just enjoy ourselves. No commitments. No what-ifs. Just sex. It’s a great stress relief from work.

What about boy wonder over at the station? Julia asked. Everyone in town knew that one of the young deputies had a thing for Sofia.

Mack? Sofia sighed and looked a little wistful. "He’s a sweetie and I