Free Kissin' Tell: Rough Riders, Book 13 by Lorelei James Page A

“Girl, that baby is gonna come out swearing a blue streak if you keep talkin’ like that.”
    Tell started laughing too.
    After a minute, she cracked a smile. “Pay no attention to the hormone-crazed pregnant lady cussing like a McKay.”
    “Look, Jess, you and Brandt are feeding off each other’s anxiety. Brandt sees that you’re uptight, then he gets uptight and paranoid that something is wrong with you or the baby, something that you’re not telling him because you don’t want him to worry. Which makes you even more uptight and you don’t want to talk to him about it because you believe your worries will just add to his. See how this goes?”
    She nodded and started to cry.
    “Oh Jesus. Don’t cry. Brandt will kill us both if he thinks we made you cry.”
    “These last two months I’ve cried enough that it doesn’t even faze him anymore.” She sniffed and set her hand on her belly. “Hey, little kicker, that was uncalled for.”
    “Can I feel it?” Tell asked.
    Jessie placed his hand off to the left side. “He’s too big to show off his soccer-player imitation, but he gives me plenty of knee and elbow action.”
    He couldn’t believe how hard and tight the skin stretched over her belly was. Then he felt something move beneath his palm. “I know you’re tired of bein’ pregnant, but this is just so damn cool. Yours and Brandt’s baby is in there.”
    She set her hand over the top of his. Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you. When I’m feeling bloated and I can’t stretch my maternity shirts over this massive bump and I can’t put on my boots and just want it to be over, I forget this is a miraculous thing. And I’ve wanted it for so long.”
    “I suspect things will settle down once the little bugger makes his appearance,” Dalton said.
    “I hope so. Thanks, guys. Now I know Brandt’s tension wasn’t just my pregnancy paranoia. I just wish there was something I could do for him short term that would relax him.”
    “I know one thing that will relax him completely. Guaranteed. A b—”
    Tell shoved his younger brother. “Really, Dalton? That’s how you help, by suggesting Jess gives him a blow job—”
    “Whoa. No! I was gonna say a big tumbler of whiskey! Sheesh.” Dalton shoved him back. “Perverted much, bro?”
    Jessie giggled. “I have a hard enough time getting out of a chair, say nothin’ of getting down on my knees.”
    “And with that…we’re sending you home to your husband.”
    They followed her back to the house—still weird to think of it as Brandt and Jessie’s place. After Casper sobered up, he’d announced he wasn’t returning to live in Sundance and handed over his house to Brandt and Jessie. They’d hired Chet and Remy West for a complete remodel. Happy as he’d been for his brother and sister-in-law to have the family homestead, the place he’d grown up in wasn’t his home any longer.
    On the way to drop Dalton off, Tell asked, “Is it poker week?”
    “Got postponed since everyone is scattered. Cam and Domini took their kids to Disney World. Colby is testing new stock at Cash Big Crow’s, which means Cord and Colt are swamped. Kane and Kade are checking out a bull sale in Montana. Quinn and Libby and their kids are in Arizona at Gavin’s, which means Ben’s up to his ass. Keely and Jack are on some tropical vacation.”
    “Won’t be long before the poker games end altogether.”
    “You’re probably right.” Dalton tipped his hat back. “You think Ben told anyone in the family about our card skills?”
    “I doubt it. I will say that it does suck, pretending that we’re lousy players.”
    “I remember someone talking about us havin’ bad poker faces.” Dalton laughed. “I wanted to prove them wrong, until I realized I was proving them wrong and they didn’t have a clue.”
    “You never said if you won or lost in Deadwood.”
    Dalton cocked his head. “I didn’t, did I?”
    And he didn’t intend to, either. “Asshole. Looks like