Page 49 of Bryson

"I love you."

His eyes darkened. "We could skip this dinner and stay in."

"Your mother would march up here to get us or send that terrifying housekeeper. I think I'm more afraid of that woman." She shook her head when he laughed. "I'm serious, darling."

His expression sobered. "I adore you."

She moved in then, burying her face against his chest and simply breathing him in. He felt solid and real. He came home every night. She knew he would sometimes bunk with his men in the past, but he never missed coming home to her, no matter how late he finished. And he would talk to her about his day. They made love almost every night, and in the mornings, he would wake her up with a kiss to let her know he was leaving.

He was a man with a lot of responsibilities, but he took the time to be with her. She was his first priority and that in itself was a wonder.

"Why don't we go down to this boring dinner party? The sooner we get going, the sooner we'll be able to excuse ourselves. I could always invent a pregnant woman's excuse."

His brow arched. "What's that?"

"Oh, I have lots of them and some can even be spoken of in polite company. Like, my bladder... no." She shook her head at his expression. "Skip that one. That one would probably send the guests avoiding their meals. Dizziness and nausea. Or even fatigue."

His brows descended. "Are you feeling any of those things now?"

She poked him in the ribs. "Keep up, darling. I'm just planning the various scenarios."

"You're a hot mess." Bending his head, he kissed her gently and would have ended it, but she clung and deepened the kiss.

His arms came around her like steel bands, dragging her closer to him. During one of the hottest and most erotic kisses, he felt his baby move inside her, and the feeling of utter humility and gratitude vied with the raging desire that took hold of him. It took a supreme amount of will for him to lift his mouth from hers, and even then, he held her, his breathing harsh and erratic.

"We should go down," she whispered into his chest.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need a minute or two," he told her gruffly, hands wandering up and down her back. "You started something I desperately want to finish."

"We'll make the dinner thing extremely short."

Laughing shakily, he planted a kiss on her forehead before letting her go. "Go on down without me. I just need another few minutes. We don't want mother sending someone up to see what's keeping us."

"All right. But if you're not down in the next ten minutes..."

"You'll come and find me. I know."

With an impish smile, she left the room.

Shaking his head, he walked to the window and stared out at the encroaching darkness, intent on thinking of anything other than what they had just shared.

It turned out that they did not need to make up an excuse to leave early. The dinner party included some associates and their wives from Texas who had arrived in town and were staying at the ranch for a couple of days. The men were interested in acquiring some cattle and discussing long-term investments. Two of them were oil barons, with wives young enough to be their daughters. They spoke with an exaggerated Texas drawl that had Julianne being entertained the entire time.

Even when they insisted on calling her "little lady," she could not take offense. She found them adorable and harmless. Even though she was heavily pregnant and happily married, they insisted on flirting with her.

"How far along are you, little lady?" Blake Farrady asked her as soon as they adjourned to the living room where the fire was blazing inside the hearth.

"Is that a polite thing to be asking?" she murmured teasingly. He was a big brawny man with a reddened complexion and a head of shaggy white hair, and his eyes were a twinkling blue.

"I'm told by my children that I'm the soul of indiscretion." He had planted himself next to her and insisted on being her server. He was also ignoring his pretty blonde wife who was staring daggers at her. He patted her knee. "You remind me of my Rachel. She's my youngest and is on her second child." His expression turned wistful. The others were standing or sitting across the room, including her husband, who had tried to get her to leave early. "They approve of my wife." His gaze drifted briefly to the obviously bored woman who was sipping her wine with a resentful look on her face. "When my Mary died, I swore I would never marry again."

"Then you fell in love and changed your mind," Julianne said helpfully.

Turning his head to look at her, he grinned boyishly. "You're making fun of me. No." He shook his head. "I fell into lust." He laughed loudly as she lifted her brows. "And I know what you're thinking."

"That you could have enjoyed the benefits without putting a ring on it?"

That made him laugh even louder, drawing the attention of the others in the room.