Hot Westmoreland Nights - Brenda Jackson [67]
When he passed her the first thing Chloe thought was that Ramsey certainly smelled good. And he looked good, too. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a western shirt and boots. He had removed the Stetson from his head once he’d entered the house.
Not asking him to sit, she turned to him. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I owe you an apology. You did try to level with me that day and I stopped you from doing so. Actually, I was afraid to let you.”
Chloe lifted a brow. “Why?”
“If you recall, it was the same day my three sisters came to visit and I, of all people, know how overwhelming they can be. I thought that perhaps they may have tried boxing you into a corner about a relationship with me. I haven’t been involved with a woman in a while and was afraid you might have begun feeling forced into a situation you weren’t quite ready for, and I didn’t want to hear you say it. Especially after I’d made plans to ask you to continue a relationship with me once your time was up at the ranch.”
Chloe’s reaction to his words was a total surprise. “You wanted to continue a relationship with me?”
She saw the intensity in his eyes when he said, “Yes.”
Happiness swirled in her veins and the intensity was back in his eyes. But still…
She searched his face. “Why, Ramsey? Why did you want to continue a relationship with me?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but the look on his features basically said it all. There were emotions there she hadn’t seen before, emotions he’d never revealed to her until now. But still, she needed to hear him say the words.
He must have known what she needed. Placing his hat on the rack, he then walked the few feet over to her to stand in front of her. She sucked in a deep breath and lifted her face to meet his gaze when he did so.
“The reason I wanted to continue a relationship with you, Chloe, is because I had fallen in love with you.”
He reached out and took her hand in his. “I know for us to be in love is not a cure-all. But at least it’s a start and is more than most people have. I do love you, Chloe, and I want for us to be together. I don’t want it to sound like I’m rushing things, but I want to marry you. I want to give you my babies one day. Bring you to the ranch to live with me as my wife. But I know those have to be the things you want. I’m not asking you to give up anything for me, for our love. When you have to go away and travel for your magazine company, I’ll modify my schedule to travel with you. I—”
Chloe held up her finger and placed it on his lips. “If nothing else, these past two weeks have shown me I have people capable of managing the magazine without me. Besides, I rather like the idea of living on your ranch, being your wife and the mother of your babies.”
The brilliance of his smile touched her. “So you will marry me?”
“Yes.”
“And if you want, we can have a long engagement,” he said pulling her into his arms.
Chloe chuckled, shaking her head. “Now there’s the kicker. A long engagement might not work for us, unfortunately.”
He lifted a brow. “Not that I’m complaining, but why wouldn’t it work?”
She paused and then she reached out and took his hand in hers and carried it to her stomach. “Already, your baby is here,” she said in a whisper.
Chloe thought the look on his face at that moment was priceless. His mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re pregnant.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “No, we’re pregnant.”
Filled with more joy that he could stand, Ramsey didn’t care how such a thing could have happened when they had used protection. It didn’t matter. He wanted their baby. He pulled her closer into his arms and captured her mouth with his. The kiss was hungry, it was intense and, Chloe thought, it was full of love.
When he released her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “We’re getting married as soon as it can be arranged.”
She looked up at him. “We don’t really have to, you know. Women have babies out of wedlock all the time and—”
“My child will be born a Westmoreland.”
She chuckled. “If that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I