“You’d better start being true right now. Did you know pregnant women are easily aroused?”
He laughed. “You know, I did hear something about that. In my research.”
“Research?”
“Yeah, I like to be prepared for any possibility.”
“Well, I'm not going to complain about that.”
“You want to show me exactly how much these hormones are affecting your libido?”
I grinned and bit my lower lip, already aroused just from the low rumble of his words. “Yeah, I think I do.”
He scooped me into his arms, kissing me hard as he did. “Come on. We've got some celebrating to do.” He carried me over the threshold into the bedroom, and then we celebrated . . . all morning long.
17
Clara
There wasn't a moment in my day when I was not on the verge of vomiting for the next week. I wasn't going to be able to do this if things didn't calm down because being a vet meant dealing with lots of . . . smells. And being a vet who worked on ranches? Multiply lots by a thousand—a million maybe.
Barnyard animals and livestock never smelled good. I’d gotten used to it, come to expect it as part of the job, but pregnancy changed everything. The only person I’d told was Mav, but Ben figured it out within the first hour of working with me.
My bouts of morning sickness hit at the worst possible time, and I was so glad he came in when he did. Because in addition to handling half of my already completely full workload, he took the most challenging appointments because he knew I wouldn't make it through without having to run for the bathroom.
I sat at my desk, looking over lab work results and breathing slowly through my nose, when a soft knock on my door brought my attention from my computer.
“Hey,” Ben said, leaning against the open doorway. He had two paper cups from One Horse Coffee Traders in his hands. “I thought you might like some ginger tea. It’ll settle your stomach.”
I offered him a grateful smile and waved a hand to invite him to sit with me. He placed my tea in front of me on the desk, then took the offered chair.
“So I guess I got a crash course on the animals of Sunrise this week?”
I laughed. “Yeah, I'm sorry. I wasn't planning on this happening so quickly. I really thought it would take more effort.”
“Really? Well, it seems like I came at the right time. I hope me being here helps you and your . . . partner?” He said that with a question mark at the end, as though he was fishing for information.
“I . . . um . . . he . . .” I stumbled over my words because we hadn't really talked about when to tell everyone. The last thing we'd said was we're going to keep it quiet. I shook my head. “It's just—it's just me.”
“Okay. I'm here if you need me.”
“If I could just stop throwing up, I’d be great.”
He laughed softly and pushed the tea toward me. “Don't worry, it eventually dies down.”
“I know. It's just a lot right now.”
“You need to start every morning with something in your stomach. Some crackers by your bed. A little bit of ginger ale or some kind of fizzy soda. Trust me.”
I took a sip of the tea and let the spicy ginger flavor wash over my tastebuds. “How many sisters did you say you have?”
“Five. And they’ve each had a baby or two. Did you know I even delivered one of them?”
“What?
“Yep. My sister and I decided we were going to drive to her husband’s away game. He's a pro hockey player for the Seattle Cyclones.”
My brows shot into my hairline. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Big hockey fan?”
“Not really. But my . . . Mav, my friend, he sort of owns that team.”
“No shit?”
“It’s complicated, but yeah. He inherited it.”
Ben’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That’s wild.”
“Continue your story. I’m sorry, I interrupted, and it was just getting good.”
His boyish grin had me smiling in return. “So, we get in the car—she's thirty-six weeks pregnant, by the way.” He shook his head and chuckled under his breath. “Awful decision making there. So we’re crossing the mountain passes coming from Eastern Washington to Seattle. We hit seriously dicey conditions and decide to stop for the night, and of course, she goes into labor. There's not a hospital nearby. The baby is early, and I have to deliver him.”
“Oh my God. Please tell me this has a happy ending.”
“It does. He came out eight and a half pounds, screaming like an opera singer. Totally fine. Needless to say, we did not make it to the game.”
“I guess not.”
The bell over the door jangled, followed by voices from our front desk. The possibility of a walk-in called our attention away from the conversation. Ben raised his cup of coffee to me.
“I’m serious, Clara. You need anything, just let me know. Happy to help.”
“I’m fine.”
“You say that now, but—”
“She’s just fine, fella. If she needs anything from anyone, it’ll be me.” A tall, strapping cowboy stood behind him, eyes burning like coal as he stared Ben down.
“Oh, I’m not moving in on your girl or anything, man . . . I’m just her—”
“Business partner. Sure. She already told you she's just fine.” Maverick’s voice held no playfulness. There wasn’t any room for friendly discourse. The man came in and basically pissed all over me, marking his territory.
“Maverick Wilde, this is Bennet Carlisle. You remember, you two met last week.”
Mav tipped his hat at Ben, who, to his credit, didn't back down. Even though my cowboy had about five inches of height on him and a lot more grit.
“Good to see you again. Clara tells me you own the Seattle Cyclones. That’s cool.”
Mav’s jaw clenched. It was a source of frustration for him, that NHL team. “Not for much longer. Know anyone in the market?”
Ben let out a nervous laugh. “That’s a little out of my tax bracket.”
An awkward silence settled between us as Mav’s gaze trailed from Ben to me, then to the matching coffee cups we were both holding. “I brought you lunch, darlin’.”
My stomach rolled. “Thanks.”
Ben, to his credit, backed away quietly, leaving us together. Maverick came in, closed the door behind him, and then took the seat where Ben had been. He settled a takeout bag on the desk.
“You’ve got to eat something. You've been sick as a dog every single day. I'm worried about you.”
“I’ll be okay. I promise. It's just my body getting used to all the hormones.”
“I know. But I don't like you not feeling well.”
“So what are you gonna do about it?”
“I’m gonna hold your hair back if you have to puke and rub your back until you feel better.”
“Romantic,” I teased.
“I think so.”
“What did you bring me?”
“Well, I ran into Mama Ryker while I was at the grocery.”