Chapter Three

L edger never expected to leave the military. He didn't expect to get a chance at civilian life. He certainly didn't expect the ranch life.

The homey tasks around the Gracey brought a level of peace. Peace that was broken when he and his men were forced to fend off danger.

He, Colton, Hunter and Wolfe weren't planning a strike on a terrorist bunker. They were deciding what the hell to do with the trespassers who seemed to be outsmarting them every time they turned around.

Hunter held his phone screen out so they could all watch the security camera footage. Sure enough, a dark, shadowy figure entered the barn.

"Replay that bit." Colton peered over his shoulder.

Hunter rewound the footage and let it roll again.

"Stop!"

Wolfe leaned in. He examined the image in silence before shaking his head and straightening. "I can't make out a face."

"That's the problem." Hunter held the screen up to Ledger to take a look.

He tried to focus on the image. He was pissed as hell that a criminal got past him, but if the horse hadn't been attacked, the veterinarian wouldn't have been called to the ranch.

And Ledger wouldn't have learned about her being pregnant.

A dozen questions flooded in. Like seriously, what the fuck? How did it happen? She was smart. A vet.

After their condom mishap, she assured him she was going to the pharmacy and buying the pill to prevent getting pregnant. She told him she'd take care of it.

Hunter cleared his throat. At that moment, Ledger realized they were all staring at him. He didn't like their expressions either. They'd been looking at him that way since the day he held his friend in his arms and watched the life drain from his face.

They looked at him with sympathy. Like they understood his ghosts haunted him.

He didn't for a minute believe every one of the men left standing that day didn't experience the same traumas. He wasn't special. Nobody was.

"You seem distracted, Ledger. What's going on?" Oldest of the crew, Wolfe had been their leader. When it came to the ranch and the security duties on it, he stepped down onto a level playing field with them, but that didn't mean he didn't still take control at times.

Ledger leveled Wolfe in his stare. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Seeing that horse like that—all the blood—couldn't have been easy on you." Hunter stowed his phone in the breast pocket of the canvas jacket he wore for morning chores.

"It was just blood."

The guys shuffled their feet, their boots making a whispering noise in the grass outside the paddock where they stood.

Colton tugged at the brim of his cowboy hat. "We all were affected by the shit we saw that day, man. It's not weak to say you have issues with it. If you need to talk—"

"I don't," he gritted across him.

He had chores to do. And a problem to think about. A secret child growing in the womb of a small-town veterinarian. The clock was ticking like a goddamn bomb. They didn't have long before they had to make a decision about what to do.

He needed to have that discussion with Demi.

He started away from the group. Wolfe took a step forward, blocking his path. "We're here, man."

Maybe Ledger should have stayed in the mountains of California. Answering their call for help was completely biting him in the ass. If he hadn't come to Montana, to the Gracey Ranch, he wouldn't have slept with Demi.

He could find her easy enough. She probably had an office she worked out of. He could just show up there and demand that she talk to him.

After the way she took off, he didn't think she was eager to face their problem either. And who could blame her? The hour of lust they shared had ended in what he thought was a small inconvenience.

Now it spelled disaster.

Or at the very least, it meant a very different life than he'd ever planned for himself.

There were so many questions and no answers.

"I'm gonna check on the horse again."

At his statement, Colton bobbed his head in agreement. "The vet will be back later today to look in on her."

Ledger's gut burned. If Demi stepped foot on the Gracey, it should be to speak to him, but there were too many ears around.

He had to go to her.

"I need to run an errand. I'm taking the truck, and I'll be back in a little while." He waited for one of them to question where he was going. When no one did, he was able to draw a deep breath of relief.

In long strides, he took off walking, a plan forming in his head. He'd go into Eden and locate the vet office. She couldn't stay out on calls all day, right? If she wasn't there when he arrived, then he'd wait for her.

As he drove, his chest burned with questions. The shock of her revelation smacked him over and over and over again. Each time he thought of Demi—pregnant with his child—his blood ran cold.

Then it heated.

He didn't know what he was feeling. For all he knew, he'd eaten some bad pork. It could be a stomachache. Or gas.

The tryst with Demi had been so brief. When she propositioned him at the bar, he'd only been looking for a good time. So had she.

Fuck that. He wasn't just another man who landed in Demi's bed. According to her, he was responsible for the child growing inside her.

As he rolled into town, he slowed, swinging his head left and right, searching the signs for a veterinary office.

Eden was tiny—blink and it was already in your rearview mirror. He reached the end of the main street that led out to the countryside again and was just about to plug a search into his phone for the office location, when he spotted a wooden sign outside a small, dark red building.

Something about that color sparked a memory of being in Demi's bedroom. He hadn't been remotely tipsy after the one lager he drank, but he wasn't accustomed to making notes on his one-night stands' décor either.

The comforter on her bed had been white, but he distinctly remembered shoving two dark red pillows onto the floor. Coincidence?

He braked and stared at the sign. Made of wood, the words Eden Veterinary Clinic had been carved by some local and filled in with black paint. Outside the dark brown front door stood a brown cement dog statue.

Parked in the small gravel lot was a pale blue car. Not Demi's. At least not the one she'd taken him to her place in.

He backed into a space next to the vehicle and climbed out. When he entered the small office, the waiting room was empty of clients but a receptionist sat behind the desk.

The brunette looked up. Her eyes widened, and she offered him a sweet smile.

Ledger was used to attention from the opposite sex. Hell, at one time, he would have jumped at a chance with the receptionist on any leave. Not now.

"Can I help you?"

He approached the desk. "I'm looking for the doctor."

"You and everybody else in the county."

His heart gave a hard jerk. "She's missing?"

Confusion lit the brunette's eyes. "No. She's been out on farm calls all day. Sick cows, lame horses. A goat giving birth. You know. The usual."

Relief tingled in his fingertips. She was safe. She hadn't driven off a mountain pass. Hadn't been kidnapped like the Gracey daughters.

"When do you expect her to return?"

"Hard to say. Sometimes she never makes it back to the office, just goes home. Do you want me to give her a message?"

He blinked down at his dusty boots. What was he going to say in a message? Call me about the mishap-slash-baby-slash-my child?

He pushed away from the desk. "No message. Thanks."

Walking out to the truck, he reached down to strum his fingertips over the head of the cement dog. Life hadn't only taken a different turn—it had veered sharply.

But Ledger was still in control. He would find Demi. And she would talk to him. She couldn't run from him anymore.

* * * * *

Typically, Demi was a morning person. This week? Not so much. She opened her mouth wide and yawned until her eyes watered and she had to blink to clear her vision so she could see the road.

Were these early calls always so early? First trimester was kicking her ass.

One thing about being on the go for long hours was that she ignored her own body's needs. She didn't hydrate enough. Didn't get enough sleep. She picked up way too much takeout food from the Badlands Bar.

Decompressing with her favorite lager was now off-limits. And she definitely would not be picking up any cowboys from now on.

She'd learned her lesson with Ledger.

Another yawn claimed her, and she was helpless against the heavy fatigue that made her feel like she could sleep for a week. She'd just finished arguing with Mr. Vale about needing to slow down, but with her busy practice, she didn't have the ability.

Right now, she was tasked with saving the career of a prized rodeo horse.

Driving through the arching gates of the Gracey Ranch made her stomach knot. After the previous day of emergency after emergency, she never found time to think about how that conversation between her and Ledger would go. She'd collapsed into bed and was almost instantly asleep.

As she neared the ranch, her yawning streak abruptly came to an end. She was suddenly wide awake and scanning the area for sight of Ledger.

Her nerves kicked in, and she stuffed those down. She didn't have time for mistakes when she examined the horse.

Once she parked, the front door of the big log home opened and a woman walked out. Meadow Gracey hurried down the steps and crossed the yard in long strides to reach Demi as she climbed out.

She studied Meadow's face and recognized the strain and worry around her eyes. "How is Lonesome Rose?"

"I haven't seen my baby in a few hours. I was up with her all night, keeping watch. Colton finally made me go to bed around four a.m., and one of the ranch hands took over."

"Good. You need your rest too. You can't tend to her if you're dead on your feet. C'mon, let's have a look."

They walked into the barn. Demi's gaze automatically shot to the back stall where she'd seen Ledger the previous day. Rugged. Covered in horse blood after trying to save the animal.

And hot as hell.

She felt heat climb into her face and turned her head away before Meadow could see it and ask any questions. "Good call moving Lonesome Rose to the front of the barn. Easier access if we do need to transport her to the surgeon in Bozeman."

Like a worried mother hen, Meadow hurried to her mare. She opened the stall door and stepped right in.

"Just hold her head while I look at the leg. Your scent will calm her." Demi eased into the enclosure that was filled with clean straw and was roomy enough that she could get out of the way if the horse got feisty.

She edged up to the horse, giving her a comforting pat on the flank as she did. Bending was easy now. But what happened if she decided to keep the baby? She would be a whale. She wouldn't be able to bend over or move very fast. Caring for a big animal that outweighed her by a thousand pounds or more was risky enough without a baby growing inside her.

As soon as she saw the leg, her fears shifted. The leg wasn't looking good. Dammit. It was even more swollen.

She crouched and began to remove the tight bandage around the horse's leg. A noise of exasperation rose in her throat, but she knew better than to make a sound like that around a worried owner. Owners picked up as many cues from her as the animals did.

"Everything okay?" Meadow asked between the soothing words she used on Lonesome Rose.

Demi spent another minute studying the injury. Finally, she straightened and met her gaze. "Meadow, I'll be honest. It's not looking great."

"Oh no."

"I admit that I know a little about your problems on the ranch from Ivy."

Meadow bowed her head. "The ranch finances are a bit messy right now. I knew Ivy asked for an extension on paying some invoices owed to you. If you need the money—"

"I'm not saying that at all. I don't care about getting paid right now. I meant that I know you can't really swing a surgery that costs tens of thousands of dollars, so I tried what I call a bit of a Hail Mary heroic and made the repair to the tendon."

Meadow nodded. Some of the flush of embarrassment at her family's situation faded from her face. "You don't think it will work now?"

Demi bit down on her bottom lip, deliberating. She prided herself on thinking outside the box and using unconventional methods to help animals heal.

She nibbled her bottom lip, reminded suddenly how Ledger had traced it over and over again with his tongue. "There might be a way to help it along."

"I'll do anything. Just tell me what it is."

"Some of the stitches came loose."

Meadow sucked in a breath.

Demi rushed to assure her. "It's not a total detachment like it was when I was here before. But we need to keep the stitches in place and tight."

"How do we do that?"

"We need to lift the horse. Keep her from moving and reopening the stitches. The tendon will heal in time if it's attached securely."

"This will keep her from needing to see the surgeon?"

Demi spread her hands. "That still might happen. But it's the best I can do."

"Tell us what we need to lift her and I'll get Zach to round it all up for me."

She prowled around the stall, looking at the rafters and walls for places to best secure ropes and pulleys they would use to hoist the horse off the ground. Taking the pressure off that leg was key.

She started listing off items to Meadow, who quickly took out her phone and made notes. Within minutes, Zach Webb, the ranch manager, entered the barn carrying a heavy coil of rope looped over one shoulder.

The man wrote a new definition of the word rugged. His unsmiling mouth accentuated his five-o'clock shadow. Or maybe it was the other way around. His arms were streaked with dirt and sweat from the hard work he'd already put in at this early hour. And the tendons bulged as he lowered the rope from his shoulder.

"How many pulleys you need, Doc?"

Demi met his gaze. "Six to start with. We may need to add two more, along with more ropes. It just depends."

He gave her a brisk, no-nonsense nod. "Be right back." He strode out of the barn again.

Colton walked in a moment later, looking just as manly as Zach. The ranch seemed to be crawling with hot men and was being powered by pure testosterone. She wasn't even counting Ledger into the mix—that man was walking sin .

When Colton moved close to Meadow, it was easy to see the bond between the couple. He touched her elbow, and she seemed to move with him, her body almost dancing with his.

Demi thought that kind of stuff only happened in movies. Seeing it in live action stunned her so much that she zoned out on the question that Meadow asked.

"I'm sorry. I missed that."

Meadow didn't seem aware that she reached out to touch Colton's arm. "I asked about the best way to attach the pulleys. I assume you've done this before?"

She nodded. "Once. I saw it in vet school too. We start here." She pointed up at a rafter and then looked to Colton.

"I'll grab a ladder."

Meadow tightened her grip on his arm before he could move away. He swung back, his focus on her face. Love shone plainly in his eyes.

Feeling like a voyeur, Demi looked away, but she had a strong urge to watch the couple, to witness the sort of love that most people never experienced in a lifetime.

Her own parents never shared that kind of love—or if they did, it had cooled long before she was old enough to recognize it. In her line of work, she met with plenty of couples and very few looked at each other the way Meadow and Colton did.

Finding a love like that would be like winning the lottery. Or finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

It would never happen to Demi.

She was okay with that. She had a level head on her shoulders. She didn't need love. It was just these stupid hormones making her so tired—and now sappy too.

Before Meadow could make a request of Colton, he nodded, hearing some unspoken question. "I'll move slow around Lonesome Rose. I won't spook her."

"Thank you." She went on the toes of her cowgirl boots to brush her lips over his angled jaw.

Demi busied herself with rolling out a length of rope that they'd feed through a pulley. Together with Meadow and then Colton, they managed to rig up a sling for the horse.

"Each of you grab one of the ropes." She wrapped her hands around one as well.

Meadow and Colton took their positions.

"On three, we lift."

"I'll do it." The deep voice resonated in the barn—and echoed through Demi's brain. Her body reacted to the sound.

It must be another pregnancy symptom. She never wanted this much sex. Now every time she was around the—she cringed at the words— baby daddy, she wanted to jump his bones. It was like some primal biological function was urging her to get together with Ledger again.

He stood in the doorway, holding a white container in his hands. The sun outlined him, throwing his face into shadow.

But she knew he was staring at her.

In brisk strides, he hurried forward and thrust the box into her hands.

Stunned, she closed her fingers on the box. The scent of bacon and eggs wafted up to her.

Her stomach growled in response.

She pushed the box at him, aware of Meadow gawking at them. "I have work to do."

Colton eyed Ledger. "What is happening?"

"Eat," Ledger ordered her. Ignoring Colton, he grabbed the rope Demi was about to hoist, forcing her out of the way.

The smell of the food had her stomach gripping with a sudden, ravenous hunger. Without looking in the box, she knew it was her favorite breakfast from Dilly's Diner. The number five. Two eggs over hard, two strips of bacon and a side of home fries.

She stared at Ledger. "How did you know?"

Meadow and Colton's heads swung, bouncing back and forth between her and Ledger.

"It's not that hard. I went to the diner and asked."

She was amazed. No one had ever put that kind of thought into…anything for her.

His dark gaze burned into hers. "I'll take it from here. You can sit over there out of the way and direct us."

Stunned, she could do nothing more than nod. As she passed Meadow, a thousand questions seemed to hover around the woman.

Demi was not ready to explain what was going on. Hell, she hardly knew herself.