Page 93 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’d know it.”

“You’ve got the symptoms. You’re lost in a fog. You didn’t eat your lunch. You’re thinking constantly about her. If you’re in love, then that’s a whole different disease with different symptoms and a different cure.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I talk to you. Under the same circumstances, wouldn’t you think constantly about the woman you got pregnant?”

“Sure. Seriously, Blake, reconsider pushing that proposal. You’ll get time with your child, and you will be a lot happier.”

“You can’t rescind a proposal,” Blake remarked dryly. “I need to get back to work.”

“Okay, bro. Take it easy and come see me. I’ll drop by soon to see the new wing. Congratulations on the baby. That’s exciting news. Nate’s little girl is a doll. I’m scared to pick her up, but she’s a cutie. With your baby, I’m going to be a half uncle—how’s that?”

“You’ll be a full uncle. Wait until I ask you to come help.”

“Call someone else. That’s not my field.”

“No kidding,” Blake remarked, shaking his head as they walked out together and parted outside. “The party may not happen until after I’m a dad,” he called over his shoulder.

He left Cade and drove back to his office on the fourth floor of a building he owned, away from downtown Dallas.

He needed to give some thought to several things. One was his true feelings for Sierra. He wasn’t in love. Were Sierra and Cade right—that the baby would be better off if he and Sierra didn’t marry? If that was true, then he should back off and drop his proposal.

After considering it for the next hour, he still thought marriage was the best solution. They could make it work without love. Why wouldn’t Sierra give it a chance? He didn’t want to examine why the idea of coming home to her as his wife appealed to him.

For the rest of the day, he thought about the baby, Sierra, Cade and the future—and he continued to debate with himself about his marriage proposal. Tomorrow, they would all look at his new wing, and if everything was satisfactory, Sierra, Lucinda and Eli would be done. As far as his relationship with Sierra went, when she left it wouldn’t be goodbye. Even if they didn’t marry, they would see each other and their lives would be intertwined for years to come.

It was difficult to see how it would be better without marriage, yet both Sierra and Cade thought so.

Anger persisted when he thought how stubborn she was over this issue. She told him to take his time and think about it, but she didn’t seem open to thinking about it herself.

This pregnancy was something neither of them had expected, and now they had to work it out some way. He just knew he would be there for his child.

The one thing he wouldn’t consider was the question Cade had asked: Was Blake in love with the mother of his child?

On Saturday morning, Sierra dressed in navy slacks and a white silk blouse. Brushing her hair, she let it fall loosely over her shoulders. Eli and Lucinda had flown into Dallas earlier and picked her up on the way to the ranch. She’d be going with the others, the contractor and a photographer Eli was bringing, so she wouldn’t be alone with Blake, which suited her. She was certain he hadn’t changed his mind, and neither had she.

At his ranch, he opened the wide front door to welcome them all inside.

At the sight of him in jeans and a black knit shirt, she wished she didn’t have the same breathless reaction she’d always had. He stepped back. “Come in,” he said.

After greeting everyone, Blake stood talking to Eli and motioned to them. “We’ll go look at the new wing that all of you have worked on. It’s exactly what I hoped I would get—a fantastic addition to my house, and something I could never have come up with on my own. Let’s look at all your work.”

They entered the open living area with its ceiling that was two stories high. The remaining walls were off-white so the artwork would stand out. The painting over the mantle was an early David Hockney that Eli had managed to find. It was one of Blake’s favorites.

Sierra thought the room was beautiful—sleek lines in the furniture, minimal clutter and so different from the rest of the house. Blake sounded sincerely happy and enormously pleased with the finished wing.

As she looked at him, she felt another pang. She wouldn’t let herself think of possibilities, wishes that couldn’t happen. She wanted love in her marriage, and she didn’t think a union without love would benefit their baby, no matter what Blake said.

She missed him, and she wanted to finish this tour, tell him goodbye and start trying to get over him. She needed to get to the point where she could deal with him without it tearing her apart.

As she looked at him, he turned and his gaze locked with hers. Again, she experienced that sizzling current taking her breath. She didn’t want to feel it or be held in his mesmerizing gaze. But she was, this time like all the others.

She turned her back to him and moved with the group to the next room. Why, oh, why, did he hold such a volatile attraction for her? They were worlds apart, and a baby wasn’t going to pull them together. As far as she could see, marriage would just make things worse.

The last time she was home, she had talked with her mother first and then both parents, and they had agreed with her that marriage without love would be disastrous.

She would have felt better about her decision upon hearing their agreement, except she was certain they would support her in whatever she decided. If she had said she was marrying Blake even though they were not in love, she felt she would have had the same approval from them.

Her sisters were divided on the subject, and her brothers pushed her to marry Blake, but all of them would stand by whatever decision she made, and they would welcome her baby the same as they had all the other children in the family. She already had toys and baby clothes, presents from her family.