Read Online Baby Mine (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 1) by Faith Loveright - Free Book Online

Lillie Rose can’t spend her time with you here on the ranch, learning from you and growing to love you. I already agreed to that, Eric.”
    “I don’t want her only when you’re at work,” he said, leaning towards her, settling his big hand over her belly. “I want to be a full time dad. No other option is an alternative for me.”
    His voice was full of grit and it had come out so husky, there was no doubt to the truth of his words or the fact that they’d come straight from his heart. “I’m not giving up my daughter,” Madeline informed him nervously, not sure she was strong enough to battle him, but praying she would survive the war he was declaring.
    He stumbled backwards as if she’d slapped him and his eyes lowered to her belly. “I didn’t mean for it to sound as if I expected you to just hand her over to me and walk away, Madeline. I’m sorry if it seems like it’s taking too much time to come to terms with the fact that we’re going to share in this adventure into parenthood. I mean for us to do this together. As a team.”
    “I can’t just live here with you, Eric…” she said, nervously fidgeting. “Can’t you see what a bad idea that would be? … when we’re not … well, a couple?”
    “We’re both adults, Madeline. There’s no reason why we can’t be co-parents, living in the same household without being… involved with each other.”
    The look she shot him was incredulous and full of doubt and disbelief. “You can’t really mean that,” she snorted, confirming his observation. A smile teased the corners of his lips and he nodded at her in understanding. There was no doubting what she was getting at, and even he had to admit, at least to himself that she was right.
    “I’ll admit that there will be a certain amount of … sexual tension involved in such an arrangement, but as I said before, we’re both adults here. I see no reason why we can’t act the part. I’m a strong man. I can give you my word, that I won’t act on the insane desire that I can do nothing about. To do otherwise would be wrong. I haven’t ever been with anyone other than my Vic… I owe her my loyalty. I never thought about cheating on her when she was alive and just because she’s been gone for a few years doesn’t mean that I’d entertain the idea … not seriously anyway; of doing it now.”
    “I’m not so sure that I have it in me to live in the same house with a man that looks like you do. You may be strong enough, but I don’t know that I am,” she admitted shakily. “I’ve had too many dreams of being with a cowboy,” she whispered hoarsely. “That’s why I chose one as the father of my unborn child.”
    Her words hung in the air and Eric’s jaw ticked in response to her announcement. “Well, it would seem you got your wish,” he said testily.
    Before Madeline had a chance to say anything in response, he turned around and went out the front door. She flinched when the door slammed behind him. She followed him to the door and watched as he climbed atop a horse and rode off at a full gallop.
    A sigh of satisfaction and longing escaped as she watched his firm butt bounce as the horse took him away from the house. She knew that telling him about her dream of being with a cowboy had been a mistake, but she’d needed to tell him. He’d needed to hear the truth if he seriously thought they could live in the same house together. As it was, she wasn’t sure how she’d survive being this close to him until Lillie Rose was born. Not knowing that she didn’t have the right to touch him.
    Feeling flustered, she stood up and grabbed her suitcase. There was no time like the present to head to her room and get settled. If Eric was determined to spend time by himself, she would take the same time to herself. To get used to the idea of sharing her space as well as her daughter with a tall, gorgeous, stubborn cowboy who was too damn sexy for his own good.

Chapter 8

 
    Several months had gone