The Rancher’s Baby Bargain Read online

  He went to the machine that toasted the hops and checked the seal on it, then went to the door of the brewery and threw it open.

  “Come on in, Mom. Jonas is about to fly.”

  “All right,” she called, picking up the pace. Aiden held the door open for her as she breezed in, carrying the scent of sunshine and a light spritz of the perfume she’d worn since he was a child. “Glad to see you’ve got something in the works.”

  Aiden considered her as she went through the main brewery to a smaller room that would eventually become a tasting area. For now, it was a casual living room with a view of the ranch. Linda dropped her purse on an armchair and went to look out over the fields. So she must know about the spider mites. He shouldn’t be surprised.

  “Andrea thought it would take you four days to find out about my meeting with Lucy.” Even the word meeting was hot to the touch. Aiden felt her underneath him again, her smooth skin pressed against his hard body, the way she’d opened herself so willingly, the little noises she made in the back of her throat when he—

  “I’ve seen Lucy.” His mother was looking at him now, and he dragged himself bodily away from the memory. “I know you’ve been meeting her.” Thanks, Jonas. “And I can tell by the looks of you two that it’s more than rekindling a high school friendship.”

  Aiden snorted. “We were just lab partners, Mom. There wasn’t much of a high school friendship. We never talked outside of that class.”

  “But when you were in class, you two laughed together. You told me about it. And laughter means friendship.”

  Aiden couldn’t argue that point. He had liked her. That hadn’t been a secret. But he had never told anyone how much he wanted to stay by her side once they’d left science class. There was no way he could have admitted it back then.

  “Anyway,” Linda went on. “I don’t have much time—I’m going to be late for another showing—but I approve of her and I hope you can work it out.”

  “What?” He felt like Jonas had driven his crop duster straight into his brain. Linda had never, ever approved of a girl he’d dated. She’d greeted them all with the same tight-lipped grin, and one by one, they’d all decided to date guys whose mothers actually liked them. And now she was going to throw in the towel because of some secondhand gossip? “Why are you saying this? Do you and Andrea have a little bet going, too?” He couldn’t for the life of him make sense of this turn of events.

  “Like I said, I’ve seen her. We’ve talked. And she’s a woman with a spine.” A smile curved the corner of Linda’s mouth upward. “She’s lifer material, and smart to boot. Any woman who can pull off a transformation like that knows what it takes to live life.”

  A transformation. That reminded Aiden of how far Lucy had come from their high school days. How high she’d risen in her career. And now his mother was looking at him like he’d just proposed to the girl of his dreams.

  Well, he could never propose to Lucy. That wasn’t going to happen. He needed to shut this down before it got out of control.

  “We’re not going to be life partners, Mom. We’ve made a different kind of deal.”

  Linda raised her eyebrows.

  Here they were.

  “We’ve signed an agreement. She’s going to supply pesticides for the ranch to help with an infestation I’ve been dealing with, and I’m going to give her a baby.” He held up his hands. “We’re not going to be together. That’ll never happen. It’s strictly a business arrangement.”

  In fact, now that he was saying this out loud to his mother, Aiden realized that Lucy was the one woman he could never really have a future with. Not if they wanted to stick to the terms of the agreement. Of course his mother approved. She would, since there was no chance it could succeed.

  He expected his mother to shake her head. To frown. To say, Oh, Aiden, how could you? But instead she stood taller. “Regardless. I approve of her. And it’s about damn time for grandkids.”

  With that, she turned on her heel, picked up her purse from the couch, and headed for the door. “I’ve got a meeting in town.” She stopped at the entrance to the brewery and turned back. “I love you, Aiden.”

  “I love you, too,” he grumbled, watching her go. Far off in the distance, he heard Jonas’s crop duster making its approach.

  Linda moved quickly down the pathway. She’d be in her car and moving on with her life long before the chemicals solving Aiden’s problem rained down from the sky.

  But he was left standing in the brewery, a strange new wound in his chest.

  Eleven

  Aiden sat in the center of a whirlwind of paperwork, his laptop perched in the middle of the desk and his mind a mess.

  He’d set aside some time this evening for his work for the Chamber of Commerce. They’d invited him to be on a new committee devoted to keeping the Chamber—and the town itself—young and fresh by bringing in viewpoints of up-and-coming business owners. And that had happened because the process of setting up his brewery had given him so much new knowledge that he’d felt it deserved to be written down. So in the evenings while he waited for each batch to finish, he’d done some writing: beer reviews, articles on hop growing for the home grower, and how to diversify a business. The Chamber had gotten wind of them and asked him to add his voice to their community.

  Aiden had expected it to be mostly consulting work—sit in on one meeting a month, talk about how things were going. He hadn’t talked much about how things were going in recent months. That was for two reasons: first, things were not going well, and the last thing he was going to do was tell the entire Chamber of Commerce about it. And second, the volunteer position had grown into something else entirely.

  Right now, he’d found himself working with a local boutique to set up a sip-and-shop evening using locally sourced alcohol. He’d donate some of his own, of course, but there were other brewers in the area who’d wanted to be represented. Aiden knew them all from his adventures in home brewing, so it made sense for him to be the contact person. On top of that, two local photographers were in a trade war over graduation photos and where each one would get to promote their business. How he’d gotten in the middle of that one, he still didn’t know. The cherry on the sundae was that his mother wanted to join the Chamber with her real estate business but hadn’t yet found the time to fill out her own paperwork. She’d weaseled it onto his desk one day when they were talking about the brewery. “Just a few things,” she’d said, and Aiden had taken it without complaint.

  Now that the irrigation system was fixed and the first round of pesticides were on the hops outside, Aiden could finally sit down and finish the paperwork.

  Only he didn’t want to.

  Aiden leaned back in his chair and looked out over the ranch. The sun was setting over the tree line, and for a moment his mind did quiet, looking at all those colors painted in the wide Montana sky. That was a hell of a view. It was so much bigger than all these pieces of paper that they’d move around and stamp and take as gospel in the town. It reminded him of how vast the world was.

  Big as it might be, he had responsibilities, and after a moment of calm he put his hands back on the keyboard. He’d get this done tonight. End of story.

  He sent three emails to other brewers for the sip-and-shop and another two to the photographers. They could both shoot the senior photos, he said, making the executive decision. Nobody would know he hadn’t consulted a team of people about it. Each would get half, and they could both advertise in all their usual spots downtown.

  He was about to move on to Linda’s paperwork when there was a knock at the door.

  Lucy.

  No, it couldn’t be. They weren’t supposed to meet for another hour.

  But when he went to the door, there she was. At the sight of her, something hummed in his chest, just behind his breastbone. Excitement? Relief? It didn’t matter.

  He pulled open the door and took her in. She wore skinny jeans and a tie-dyed T-shirt that looked like she’d made it i
n senior art class. On anyone else, it would look ridiculous, but Lucy had paired it with a belt that reminded him exactly how nice it had felt to put his hands on her waist.

  “I’m early.” Lucy grimaced. “I’m sorry. You’re probably busy, and I can come back in an hour like we agreed. I got a little overexcited, and you know how that can be, when—”

  “Now is the perfect time.” Aiden put out his hand and she took it, then let him guide her over the threshold and into the house. “I could use a break from work. And I bet you could, too.”

  Lucy’s eyes went wide, her cheeks going pink. “Wow. Are you really going to…just cut to the chase like that?”

  His whole body thrummed with the closeness of her. Hell, yes. He did in fact want to cut to the chase. And they’d signed an agreement for just this purpose. Why not?

  Aiden pulled her close and dropped his head to the delicate curve of her neck. He pressed a kiss to that curve, letting his lips linger, and Lucy’s head dropped to the side. “Aren’t we—shouldn’t we—”

  “I signed a contract to give you a baby. This is how people get babies,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was. “Unless…” He pulled himself an inch away. “You came here for something else.”

  “No.” Lucy shook her head. “No. No, I didn’t. I came here for this. I’m not afraid to admit it.”

  He laughed, a low current of joy running through him. “You don’t have to convince me.” Then he took her hand again and went for the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” Lucy’s voice was a breathless giggle, as if she’d just stepped across time from high school to now.

  “I’ve seen your bedroom. It’s your turn to see mine.”

  * * *

  Aiden took his time with Lucy.

  He undid the belt around her waist and brought the shirt over her head as if he was unwrapping a gift and wanted to remember every moment of it. His room was warm, but the moment her shoulders were bare, goosebumps rose on her skin.

  He kissed the little hollow of her shoulder and down her arm before he undid her bra, letting it fall to the floor.

  Her pants were next.

  By the time he hooked his thumbs into her panties and tugged them down over her perfect thighs, Lucy’s cheeks were a deep pink and her eyes were lidded.

  Aiden had wanted a distraction from the paperwork. He’d wanted to take as much time as possible away from his desk. But now, with Lucy naked in front of him, he was gripped with the need to touch her. Just…to touch her.

  So he did.

  He started up at her shoulders, kissing her as he ran his fingertips down to her wrists and then across the flat of her stomach. He worked his way around the curve of her hips and over the rise of her ass. The more he touched, the more everything faded into the back of his mind. God, she was perfect. Every inch of her skin under his hands made him pulse at his core.

  And Lucy—Lucy loved it.

  When he rolled her nipples between his fingers, she tipped her head back and moaned. And every time he moved his hands, she leaned into him, getting herself a little more pressure. It was like she’d never been touched before. A thought nagged at the back of his mind. What if she hadn’t been touched before? If she hadn’t been touched before, then…

  He lifted her in his arms and spread her out on his bed.

  He hadn’t had time to look at her before. In her bedroom. It had been hot, yes, but it had also felt like punching a time clock. This was something entirely different. Aiden spread her legs with his big hands and looked.

  Lucy squirmed beneath him, hands fisting the comforter. “Aiden, what are you—”

  “You’re gorgeous,” he told her firmly. “I want to see you.”

  “Oh, god,” she groaned. “But—”

  “I want to taste you.”

  And before she could argue, he lowered his mouth to that space between her legs and licked her. Lucy let out a gasp, opening her legs another inch for him in a way that made his cock jump painfully against his zipper. He licked her again and then began teasing her, pressing kisses just next to the places that made her hips restless and her breath short. “Oh, it’s—oh, I had no idea—I didn’t—I didn’t know—”

  She wasn’t making much sense, and he felt a flash of pride.

  He teased and licked and devoured right up until he closed his mouth over her clit, sucking gently on that sensitive bud.

  Lucy arched beneath him. “Aiden,” she said, “Aiden, Aiden, Aiden—” He swirled his tongue over her, and she came, his name becoming a jumble in her mouth.

  He had never wanted to jump onto a bed more, but not this time. He moved Lucy further onto the bed, watching her breathing steady as he stripped off his clothes and climbed between her legs.

  He’d take her.

  Yes.

  But first—

  He bent his head to one of her nipples and swirled his tongue there, too. Lucy’s eyes flew open. The little sound she made when he did the same to her other luscious breast was enough to have him on edge.

  “How did you—how did you learn—to do all this?”

  She had wrapped her arms around his neck and spread herself wide beneath him. It was an invitation if he’d ever seen one, and he accepted it.

  But this time, he wouldn’t rush.

  “Learn to do what?” He murmured into Lucy’s ear as he worked his way into her, inch by throbbing inch. She was slick and swollen from his attentions, and her muscles gripped him with every movement of his hips.

  “To go so…slow…” Lucy gritted her teeth. “God, it’s so slow.”

  “Do you like it?” He licked along her bottom lip, then pressed a kiss to the line of her jaw as he pushed himself in the rest of the way. They were fully connected now.

  “Yes,” she sighed, and then she rocked her hips up to meet his. It was a slow, electric pleasure, and Aiden wanted it to last.

  “Let me give you this,” he said, and he settled himself into a rhythm that felt like waves against the sand.

  Lucy melted against him, burying her face into his neck. “Oh, oh, oh.” Her voice was so soft. “It’s so good,” she whispered, almost to herself. “So good.” He could have sworn he heard a catch in her voice.

  “Let it happen,” he said into her ear.

  She held on tighter.

  He was wound tight from the day, and it was joy and agony to be so methodical, so slow. But it meant that Aiden could feel every inch of her. There was enough time to breathe her in, to taste her skin, to feel the way she clenched and released him with every stroke until finally, with a cry, she came again.

  He held her like a precious object, his hand cupping the back of her head, and followed her release with his own. At the last moment he covered her mouth with his and swallowed those delicious little sounds, pumping the last of himself into her.

  It was a long moment before they could untangle themselves from one another. Aiden rolled onto his back on the bed—king size, because he didn’t like to be penned in on a tiny bed—and Lucy lay next to him, panting, a grin on her face the size of Montana.

  “What was that?” she said finally, and the wonder in her voice made him roll toward her. He pushed himself up on one elbow.

  “That was sex,” he said, and she laughed.

  “Sex like that?” Lucy shook her head. “I can’t even.”

  “You can’t even what? Believe it? It happened, I can assure you of that.”

  “I can’t believe men are…capable of that.”

  That was…an odd thing to say. “Luce, you’re a gorgeous woman. Surely somebody’s told you so before.”

  “Well, with words, but…not like that.” She shivered with a smile that was all pleasure.

  It poked at his heart, a little stabbing ache. “Have you…been with anyone else? Before this?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said quickly, her dark eyes flicking over to catch his and then release. “It…didn’t work out how I hoped. He wasn’t like you.”


  Aiden wasn’t entirely sure what that meant.

  With a rush of a sigh, Lucy continued. “He was…older.” Her eyes went back to the ceiling. “About ten years older. And he was my mentor before we were…lovers.” She hesitated over the word. “He did everything for me, really. He was there for me financially, and he taught me how to be—you know.” Her eyes came back to Aiden’s. “Less…out there. Like I was.”

  “I liked how you were,” he admitted. “I mean, I like how you are now. But back in school, I thought you were—” Intriguing. Beautiful. Genius. “Pretty great.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “Not everybody thought so.”

  “Your ex didn’t think so?”

  Lucy blew out a breath between her lips. “He thought I had a lot of potential, is what he’d say. I always tried to—well, I guess I didn’t live up to all of his standards.” Her jaw worked. “Losing him was like losing my entire world, but it was also a strange kind of freedom. And I learned a lot from him. I learned that I should ask myself what I wanted most, and I should go after it. So I did.”

  “What did you want most?” He already knew, but he wanted to hear her say it.

  “A baby,” she said, all the hope in the world contained in her voice. “I wanted a baby, and of course I wanted to bring my new pesticide to market. And I didn’t want to have to wait for the right man to come along. Not when men had dropped me so easily before.” Lucy rolled over onto her side and faced him. “What about you? Is this…is what we’re doing going to put a crimp in your love life?”

  “No,” he said, realizing it for the first time. “It isn’t. I haven’t really thought about it much in the last few years. Too many problems with the ranch. Plus, I’m Linda Harper’s son.”

  Lucy’s eyes danced. “What does that mean?”

  “She never liked any of the women I was with. You’ve talked to her since you’ve been back—she told me. So you know how…influential…she can be in the happiness of other people.”