Page 99 of A Rancher's Vow
“Oh my God, a girl.” Sasha gave a fist pump. “Yes.”
Laughter spilled even as Caleb and Tamara rose to their feet to head in to see the baby.
“They want to share her name,” Dare said quietly.
It was nearly twenty minutes later when he and Charity finally made it into the room. Ginny looked tired, but she was glowing with happiness, and that outweighed everything else.
Tucker held a teeny bundle in his arms, staring in astonishment at his little girl. The grin he flashed Dustin was blinding. “God, you need one of these, stat.”
Dustin was getting steamrolled by his entire family. He ignored the comment—a baby-drunk brother-in-law couldn’t help himself, he supposed—and focused on Ginny. “You look amazing, and I’m glad she’s here safely. Congrats.”
She accepted his kiss then held her hands out to Charity. “Please don’t be scared by the family. They’re all high on baby fumes right now.”
“I’m floating about five feet off the ground myself, so I get it. Congratulations.”
“What’s her name?” Dustin asked quietly, slipping in behind Charity and squeezing her shoulders.
Tucker stood then gestured to the chair with his head. “Nope. You gotta hold her to hear her name.”
What Dustin wanted was to pull Charity into his lap and have them hold the kiddo together. What he did was settle her in the chair and pass the baby from Tucker to her arms. Then he knelt, curled his hands around Charity’s shoulders, and looked into the baby’s eyes.
“We’d like you to meet Demetria Joy,” Ginny announced. “Demi for short.”
The baby twitched, nose wrinkling as she squirmed briefly then settled back into the curve of Charity’s hold. Eyes only partially open, she looked as wrinkly and puckered as all newborns.
“She’s so beautiful,” Charity said reverently. “Hello, Demi. So nice to meet you.”
Dustin exchanged a grin with Tucker then focused back on the baby. “Hey, Demetria Joy. Welcome to the family.”
19
By Tuesday afternoon, Dustin was ready for a little time off.
Hurrying to make it back to the ranch on time after checking fence lines, both he and Shim were covered with a fine layer of dust from riding hard.
Dustin steered his horse close enough he could land a solid pat on Shim’s shoulder. “You rode well today.”
“For a moderately talented rider?” his friend teased.
They grinned at each other then turned their horses back toward the barn, walking them slowly to cool down.
“I feel bad we haven’t had more time together so far this summer,” Dustin confessed. When Shim gave him an odd look, Dustin continued. “You got here, and I was gone. Since then, I’ve mostly been doing stuff with Charity or with my family. I suck as a friend.”
Shim waved a hand at the comment. “Don’t be such a princess. We already talked about why you weren’t here at the start. Spending time with Charity makes sense for many reasons. And your family is just this huge juggernaut you couldn’t avoid if you tried, and there’s noneedfor you to try.” He turned his horse toward the arena, shoulders lifting in a soft shrug. “I’m here at Silver Stone for good—or at least until the end of this contract. We’ve still spent time together every day, even if it’s only been saying hello at lunch. I’m good, so fuck off with the guilt trip. It’s annoying to listen to.”
Dustin snorted. “Yes, sir.”
Shim winked. “I am putting in my request for your presence at a guys’-only event, though. I won a river rafting fishing trip for four during August. It’s on the Bull River, near Crowsnest Pass. Interested?”
“Hell, yes.” Dustin’s brain went into overdrive. “You got ideas for the other two guys?”
“Open to suggestions.”
“We’ll talk later.” Because Lionel and Keith from Crooked Creek would eat up the activity and be good company. “But first put my name down in stone.”
Shim nodded then checked his watch. “Hell, give me your horse. You need to go get ready.”
“I can—” Dustin protested.
