She couldn’t be pregnant now.
But somehow she was.
When Sunshine had learned the news, joy had swelled her heart to bursting, but then reason kicked in and she’d become terrified. Those two emotions had been at war within her ever since. Her arms ached to hold her baby, but she was afraid she’d be a lousy mother. Whenever Cole wasn’t looking, she read everything she could about pregnancy on her cell phone. She hadn’t succumbed to more than passing nausea yet, but the past twenty-four hours had worn her down to the bone.
What would Cole say when he knew?
She knew the answer: they had to get married. They had to buy a house. They needed a permanent home.
When she showed him the ranch, he’d be thrilled.
She hoped.
Sometimes when she woke up in the wee hours of the morning and couldn’t fall asleep again, she wondered if she’d got it all wrong. What if Cole didn’t want children after all? What if he was sick of her after nearly three years on the road?
What if Fran looked all too enticing after a monotonous diet of Sunshine?
That was just the exhaustion talking, Sunshine told herself. She shut off the taps and stepped into the blessedly hot water. Sinking down into it, she let the heat drain some of the stress out of her muscles. Maybe she could buy a tub like this one for their new house. That would be heaven.
Once again the vision of an ultra-modern Chicago restaurant paraded through her mind. There was still time for her to sell the ranch and insist they move to the city—
But Sunshine knew she couldn’t do that to Cole—or her unborn baby. She’d create a haven for her family while Cole tried his hand at ranching the way he’d always wanted. She’d be happy.
It was time to settle down.
Cole wasn’t a man to create trouble out of nothing, but it worried him that Sunshine had turned down his offer to share her bath.
It was all Fran’s fault, too. Lord, that woman had a mouth. When they were teens he’d ignored that aspect of her personality, too enthralled by her other attributes. Once he’d spent a few months in her company, though, even those attributes hadn’t been compensation enough for the fact they had nothing in common. Fran was all about appearances and one-upmanship. She’d left Chance Creek, become an insurance agent and fought her way up the corporate ladder until she could flash her lavish lifestyle around whenever she came home to visit her folks.
Cole hoped Sunshine would soon forget all about her in the festive activities to come. He’d make sure the two women didn’t cross paths again—even if he did check on Fran’s father over the weekend—and soon enough Fran would leave town again. She never stayed long.
For the moment, he’d let Sunshine have a good soak alone, as much as he wanted to be there to hold her. When she’d had a chance to rest, they’d reconnect. Soon enough they’d laugh about this. He bundled up and went outside to look for Ethan.
“Cole! Over here,” Ethan called out when Cole came around the side of the house. “Just heading to the barn to do a few chores. Want to come along?”
“Sure thing.” Stuffing his gloved hands into the pockets of his winter coat, he hurried to catch up to Ethan. A minute later he stepped into the barn and took a deep breath. Now this was what country should smell like. He inhaled again.
“You’ve been away too long, haven’t you?”
“Damn straight. Thought I might never make it back.”
“You said that before.” Ethan tilted his hat back. “Something happen while you were gone?”
“Sunshine remembered she’s a city girl.” He gave a quick rundown of their travel itinerary.
Ethan whistled. “You think she still wants to live in Chance Creek?”
“I sure hope so. I don’t want to live in Chicago.”
“Does she miss her family?”
Cole felt a pang. “Probably. Although her parents visited us in Paris a couple of months ago.”
“Still. Women like to live near their kin.”
Cole followed Ethan around as he tended to his chores. He itched to pitch in, but Ethan moved with the practical grace of a man on his own turf.
“Going to take over the rifle range again?”
“I’m thinking of heading in a new direction.” Cole pretended to examine the tools that hung from pegs along the wall. In the past, he’d run the range more as a way to honor his father’s memory than because it really called to him. It wasn’t a huge money-making operation. Now that they were home, he needed to think long term.
“Really? Like what?”
“I don’t know. Ranching, maybe?” Buying the restaurant had eaten a big hole into his savings, but he thought he might still be able to swing a down payment on a ranch. A small one. Especially if he sold his rentals.
“Huh. You got a partner?” Ethan kept working.
“Nah. Figured I’d start on my own.”
“Well, I’m not one to interfere, but I wouldn’t do it that way. It’s hard work, and I don’t think Sunshine will be a lot of help. Nothing against Sunshine, she’s great—but like you said, she’s not a country girl.”
“No. I thought I’d start with a small herd. Go from there.”
Ethan was already shaking his head. “You won’t make any money. It’s go big or go home these days, Cole. The business ain’t what it used to be. That’s why we’ve got the guest house and three other partners pitching in to pay the bills.”
Cole’s shoulders slumped. He’d halfway known that already, but he would have liked to find out he was wrong. “What would you do if you were me?”
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t rightly know. Something specialized, that’s for sure. You should talk to Jamie. He’s got an idea a minute. He’s turned his horse breeding business into a going concern.”
“I’ll do that.” Cole looked his friend over while Ethan bent over his task. “Ranching suits you. I was sorry to hear about your folks, though.” Before he’d come outside, Autumn had filled him in about the accident that claimed Ethan’s parents’ lives.
Ethan nodded. “It was hard going after Mom and Dad passed away. For a while I thought I would lose everything—especially when Lacey ditched me. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though. I met Autumn and everything turned around. I love being a dad. Arianna might only be twenty-one months, but that girl has got me wrapped around her finger. And can you keep a secret?”
“Sure.” Why not? He was already keeping a big one.
“Autumn’s pregnant again. She’s due next summer.”
“That’s great.” He hoped he sounded enthusiastic. He was happy for Ethan, but he was jealous, too. He wanted everything Ethan had. A ranch, a home, a wife, a family.
“Something wrong?” Ethan asked.
Cole looked up to find his friend watching him. “Nope. Just wondering when it’ll be my turn.”
“You and Sunshine didn’t marry while you were gone? We all wondered if you would pick some exotic location for your wedding.”
Cole sighed. “No, we wanted to wait until we got home.” It seemed like an oversight now. “We’ll nail down our plans soon.”