Page 159 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Is that what you call it? I thought you were playing house.”

“Boys!” His mother was only half kidding in her reprimand.

“Playing house? Coop, watch your mouth.” Jared’s pitch elevated. “You have no idea what Bella has been through.”

Everyone’s head snapped up and three pairs of eyes stared at him. His protective instincts had kicked in. When Bella and Sienna were involved, he couldn’t seem to help it. But now he faced the more than curious scrutiny of his family. How could he answer their questions about his relationship with Bella when he still had so many of his own?

“Hey, sorry,” Cooper said. “I meant no disrespect. Bella’s great and that kid of hers is a doll.”

“She is that,” Veronica said. “I like them both, Jared.”

“I do, too,” Lauren added. “She’s doing a great job as a single mom. Actually, I don’t know how she does it, balancing work and raising a child without having a husband around to pick up the slack. It’s got to be hard. But Bella seems to be working it all out.” Lauren placed a hand on her belly bump. “I only hope I can do as good a job.”

Cooper leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You’ll be a great mom, Laurie Loo. I have no doubt.”

“Neither do I,” his mother added. “You’re a nurturer by nature, Lauren. I only wish you’d tell us what you’re having, so Grammy-to-be can do some fun shopping.”

Cooper gave his wife a cocky smile. “Shall we?”

Lauren nodded. “We’ve kept you in suspense long enough.”

“Yeah, we wanted the family together when we do our baby’s gender reveal.”

“Oh, my, you’re gonna tell us tonight?” His mother’s face lit up.

Lauren rose from the table. “As soon as I clear up the dishes.”

“Sit down and don’t touch a plate,” Cooper said. “I’ll clean up.”

“I’ll help,” Jared said.

The two of them made fast work of clearing the table and bringing everything into the kitchen. As they were setting the plates down, Cooper turned a serious eye to him. “You really like that girl, don’t you?”

Jared nodded. “I do. She’s...she’s...”

“I get it. You know, I was just teasing you earlier. You’re my kid brother and I want to see you as happy as I am. You deserve it.”

“Wouldn’t know it by the way you harp on me.”

“Nah, don’t worry about that. It’s my way of getting back at you for scaring the skin off my hide. Man, that accident was really bad. But promise me one thing, Jared. You won’t go confusing your gratitude to Bella for the real thing. I mean, we’re all indebted to her, but you’ve got to work through your issues before you can commit. You know what I mean?”

“What if I told you I’m working through those issues with Bella’s help?”

“You’re sure?”

He nodded. “I’m getting there.”

Cooper slapped him on the back. “Then I’m happy for you, bro. Like I said, you deserve it. Now, let’s get back inside. We’ve got the baby’s gender to reveal.”

Jared walked into the dining room, Cooper behind him holding a chocolate cake on a pedestal server. “Dessert,” he announced, “compliments of Bella Reid.”

“She made that? It’s beautiful,” his mother said. “But when do we get to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Right now, Mom.” Cooper handed his mother a long cake knife. “Do the honors. The color of the cake inside will give you the answer.”

Tears welled in his mother’s eyes. “I consider it an honor.” She glanced at everyone first, then put the knife into the center of the cake and drew out the first piece.

“Pink!” His mother exclaimed. “It’s a girl!” She bounced up and down in her chair like a small child and then rose to kiss both Cooper and Lauren.