Page 68 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

“Will you just open it, silly?” she said excitedly.

He tore the tissue from it and turned it over in his hands. His heart started to pound, and he grinned so wide his face hurt. “You’re—”

“Uh-huh. I’m pregnant, honey!”

“Oh, hell yeah!” He jumped up and took her in his arms, swinging her in a circle. “I love you so much, honey. We’re having a baby!”

JJ came running over. “Where’s the baby?”

Taylor knelt down and picked him up. “The baby’s in Momma’s tummy, sweetheart.”

Colt, still grinning, wrapped his arms around them both. His family was growing now, and he was the happiest man alive.

THE COWBOY’S LUCKY LADY – BOOK FIVE SNEAK PEEK

Dane Weller strodeup to the bar in the historic Purple Cow Saloon, his eyes squinting in the dim light as they ranged around the room filled with cowboys and a sprinkling of women. As he ordered a beer, his gaze settled on the table in the far corner, where a dazzlingly beautiful woman was dealing cards. He started a tab and walked over, but the lady in question never looked up as he stood by and watched her call the play. Blonde and green-eyed, slender yet strongly built, she was a cowgirl to be reckoned with.

Her sure hands flashed in the smoke-filled light as she spun cards to each of the five players at the table. The game was seven-card stud, a serious one for their small town with a five-dollar ante to start. As the hand progressed, it was obvious that the men around the table were unable to keep from glancing at their gorgeous dealer every few seconds—and Dane couldn’t blame them. The other men in the room had the same problem.

He finished his beer and headed to the bar for another. “Carey, isn’t that Alexis Snowden over in the corner? I haven’t seen her since high school, but I think I recognize her.”

The bartender nodded. “That’s her, all right. She’s been in here every night for the last month or so, I guess—plays cards and barely drinks. And she’s damn good at it, too.”

“Huh.” That was intriguing. “So, had she been in before that—playing cards, I mean?”

“Occasionally, but not like this. This is something else. She arrives early and sits over there in the corner, waiting for other players to arrive. She’s really intense.”

What could have caused her to suddenly begin gambling every evening? Dane glanced over at her. “I can see that. She never even looks up.” What was going on with Alexis? He’d been going crazy with boredom since being injured recently, and figuring this out could be a welcome distraction.

Dane was a PRCA bulldogger and, after a nasty dustup with a rowdy steer, he’d come out with three broken ribs and a fractured arm. The bones were in alignment so he hadn’t needed surgery, but he was wearing a splint on his left arm. His doctor had strictly forbidden him from competing in the foreseeable future, so he was recuperating at his family ranch in Horsehead, Texas.

“You know, she lost her folks last year. Head-on with a semi-truck. She’s been running their place by herself ever since. It’s a tough situation,” Carey said.

“Oh, that’s bad. I’m sorry to hear it,” Dane said. How in the world was she running their spread all on her own?

He took his beer and walked back over to the table.

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