Ten months before, Allyson had been apprehensive about her new life in Montana, even with Trever by her side. Now here she stood in front of the white two-story colonial farmhouse with the honey brown shutters and large porch, rubbing the small bump of her stomach. Everything had worked out better than she could have expected.

They had waited six months to walk down the aisle, giving her time to adjust, and Trever had wanted his post-concussion syndrome to be better controlled on the migraine medication. He said he didn’t want her to be stuck with a defective husband. To her it wouldn’t have mattered if the migraines continued, she’d have still married him.

Everything was working out and the migraines had disappeared. Vezio’s attorneys got most of the pending charges against him dropped and the couple that stuck he was found innocent of. Money had paid off those that could be and the others were afraid of what would happen if Vezio was convicted. Even if she had tried to bring murder charges against him, he’d have most likely found a way to get around them. In the end it looked like that had turned out okay. At least he hadn’t caused any problems for them and they were able to put that all behind them.

“What do you think, Mrs. Alexander? Is it everything you hoped it would be?” Trever came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, laying his hands over hers.

“It’s beautiful.” It was more than beautiful. It was more than she could have hoped for when he told her what Patrick had come to Montana to meet with him about. While the house was a close match to the one she grew up in back in Texas, the land surrounding it was larger, with more cattle, horses, and a lot more work than she had expected. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am.” His hand slid down to her stomach. “I want our child to know the joys of what we had. To be raised on a ranch with more animals than they know what to do with. Where they can run free and we don’t have to worry about them running into the street and getting hit by a car, or kidnapped from our front yard. We were raised to be independent, to respect our elders, and to be hardworking. There wasn’t another way when you lived on a ranch. Don’t you remember the joys of it when we were kids?”

She nodded. “I never thought I’d leave the ranch. It was more than just where I grew up, it was home. There was no freer time than to be out on horseback rounding up the cattle with Dad. Galloping through the acres with the wind in your hair.”

“There was always somewhere we could sneak off to when we wanted to be alone.” He pressed his lips to her neck just below her ear. “Think of all the memories we can make here, all we can give our children.”

“A ranch…” Looking back on everything they’d been through, she’d have never figured they’d end up there. Being forced to sell the family ranch and then leaving Texas for good she thought her ranching days were over. Now, five months pregnant, she found herself staring out onto their land. It was a fifteen-minute drive to downtown, close enough that they’d be able to continue the life they started there. It was perfect because Donna and she had grown close over the last few months. They were the first girlfriends she had since high school.

“I never thought we’d end up here but what can I say? When the owner wanted to retire Patrick bought him out. This place is one of the best providers for Alexander Distribution and he didn’t want to lose it. The house is remodeled and the staff keeps the ranch running smoothly, but he needs someone to oversee the place. That’s where we come in. We can still turn him down.”

“No!” The word was out of her mouth before she thought she even knew the answer. “I guess I want to stay. I think our little girl agrees.” She took hold of his wrist, moving his hand over to where she’d felt the baby kick for the first time.

“Is that…?” Without moving his hand, he came around to stand in front of her. “Our son is kicking.”

She tipped her head back and laughed. “Our daughter,” she stated again, a little firmer.

“Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter as long as our child is healthy.” His grin spread across his face. “The best thing is, by overseeing this ranch I’m not going to miss a moment of this baby’s life. No missions, assignments, or anything that will take me away from the two of you.”

“I wonder if we can put up with having you around that much.” She laid her hand on his chest. “It will sure be different having you around again. Ethan has been keeping you pretty busy with Safety First Security assignments since we got back from our honeymoon.”

“How about we go inside and make up for lost time?” He took her hand in his. “I love you, Allie.”

“I love you too. Today, tomorrow, and forever.”