The Rancher's Christmas Baby. Cathy Thacker Gillen

the showers and went to bed, she was all too willing to let him pull her into his arms and give her a long, leisurely good-night kiss.

      Exhausted, content in a way he hadn’t been in a very long time—if ever—Teddy fell immediately into a deep sleep. When the alarm went off hours later, Amy was no longer in his arms. Rather, she was stretched out alongside the edge of the opposite side of the bed.

      While he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, she rose gracefully and disappeared into the bathroom. He heard water running, the sounds of her brushing her teeth. Figuring it wasn’t a bad idea to do the same, he waited until she came back, then got up.

      When he returned to the bed, Amy was lying on her back, waiting for him, the covers drawn to her collarbone.

      The pale pink T-shirt and pajama pants already on the floor let him know she wasn’t wasting any time.

      He couldn’t fault her for that. Even though they’d allowed a good hour or hour and a half for the pleasurable “task” ahead of them, there was no sense in wasting precious moments struggling to get out of clothing they weren’t going to need, anyway.

      He let his boxers fall to the floor, then lifted the edge of the covers and climbed in beside her. “Good morning, Mrs. McCabe.”

      “Good morning,” Amy replied in a voice tight with tension.

      Figuring he knew exactly how to relax her, Teddy took her into his arms and began kissing her bare shoulders, the nape of her neck, the shell of her ear, her cheek. As he had expected, Amy’s breath quickened. Her body heated.

      Still, he took his time finding her lips with his. Even longer delving into her mouth.

      Amy murmured a sound that should have been acquiescence, but wasn’t. She returned his kiss, but instead of the sweet, sure passion of the other night, the exchange was awkward, out of sync.

      Figuring maybe they just needed time to wake up, Teddy rolled so he was on his side, bringing her with him via the pressure of his arm on her waist. Flattening his palm on her spine, he brought her closer still. Or tried to—when his hand dipped to the small of her back, instead of curving into him, letting hardness meet softness in that fundamental man-woman way, Amy tensed even more, and drew back slightly.

      Teddy tried again, by cupping her breast, but felt her withdraw.

      He exhaled, broke off the not-so-great kiss and lifted his head. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.

      Amy pressed her lips together and wiped the moisture in her eyes away with the back of her hand. She barely met his eyes before dropping her gaze once again. “Nothing.”

      “Don’t you like to make love in the morning?” He ran a caressing hand down her bare arm, from shoulder to wrist. “Is that it?”

      Teeth raking across her lower lip, she shook her head in mute denial, then sat up, dragging the blankets with her. “It’s… I don’t know. I can’t seem to get in the mood, but I know we should do this so I want you to just go ahead.” She gulped in more air and lay back down.

      It was his turn to sit up, only he made no effort to cover himself with the sheet. The ache in his loins was still there, but he could feel his spirits deflating like a leaky balloon. “Amy, I want to have a baby, too, but not unless you’re in the mood.”

      “I’m trying.” Sudden tears trembled on her lashes. “Please.” She held out her arms to him. “Let’s just do it.”

      Teddy lay back down beside her. Once again, he gave it his all. Once again it didn’t seem to make a damn bit of difference.

      “DON’T YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’VE lost your best friend,” Ed said when he walked into the Laurel Valley Ranch greenhouse, several hours later.

      No kidding, Amy thought.

      Her and Teddy’s planned morning lovemaking session couldn’t have been more of a disaster had the bed collapsed beneath them.

      She never had been able to relax.

      Teddy had been concerned, hurt and frustrated.

      In the end, they’d given up and promised they’d do it again later, just in case the window of opportunity was still the slightest bit open. But Amy wasn’t kidding herself….

      Until last night, when she had seen Teddy with that list of instructions her physician brother had given him, she’d thought—hoped—that something magical and romantic was happening between them. She’d imagined he was falling in love with her every bit as much as she was falling in love with him.

      Only to discover it was all about having a family, after all.

      Given how much she wanted a child, that should have delighted her.

      It didn’t.

      Instead, she felt foolish and hurt and emotionally exposed in a way she had never been before.

      She’d let herself go with Teddy, in a way she had never done before. And it had been more than just the physical. She had completely opened her heart to him. Let herself think they were starting a new chapter in their life together, one that had all the traditional romantic elements of a strong and solid marriage. Only to find out it was all about friendship and having a baby together in the most efficient way.

      And now…now she had to figure out how to leapfrog back to where they had been before they’d made love that first time, to the place in her heart where she didn’t expect or want quite so much, the place where she would be able to settle for what her husband was able to give her.

      “Earth to Amy…earth to Amy…”

      Amy looked up, realizing her employee had been talking to her for several minutes and she hadn’t heard a word of it.

      She put down her spade and gave Ed her full attention. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

      “We’ve rescheduled the couple’s baby shower for a week from Saturday. Obviously, we can’t have it at the restaurant now, with Sheryl on bed rest, so we’re going to have it at the house. I assumed you would want to bring Teddy, now that you’re married.” The words were casual, but there was a question mark in his eyes.

      Amy figured Ed was wondering the same thing as everyone else. Was this hasty marriage of hers going to last?

      Yesterday morning, Amy had been certain of it.

      Now she didn’t know what was going to happen, over time.

      Ed carefully moved starter plants to bigger pots. “Do you want to issue the invitation? Or shall I?”

      “I’ll ask him.” Amy flashed a confident smile she couldn’t begin to feel. “We promised Rebecca and Trevor we’d babysit the twins tonight. I’ll do it then.”

      Chapter Seven

      Rebecca and Teddy were both running late when they met up at the Silverado that evening.

      Because he only had one full bath in his ranch house—albeit a very luxurious one—and time was running short, they were forced to share quarters as they got ready to go over to Rebecca and Trevor’s. It seemed to him that the close proximity was apparently a lot harder on him than it was on her. Seeing her wrapped in a robe, knowing she was fresh out of the shower and had on nothing but her birthday suit beneath the thick terrycloth, had him aching like there was no tomorrow.

      Stripped down to his boxers, he hid the proof of his need for her by turning into the bathroom sink.

      While he shaved, Amy stood in front of the sink at the other end of the long bathroom cabinet and ran a comb through her damp, fragrant-smelling hair. “I hope tonight goes okay,” she said.

      Teddy watched as she put a small dab of some sort of hair product in her palm and sensually worked it through her hair, from root to ends.

      Trying not to recall how those same hands had felt, gently caressing him, he focused on his task and spread shaving cream over his