Free Rocky Mountain Vignettes (Six Pack Ranch) by Vivian Arend Page B

shuddered. Jaxi laughed at his instant reaction.
    “You win, hands down. I know damn well I’m not brave enough to go through that.” He linked their fingers together. “In the meantime, though, I know there’s no use in telling you to take it easier, but if you need extra help, you make sure and let me know.”
    “I will.” Jaxi cupped his face in her hands and took in a deep, satisfied breath. “A baby, Blake! We’re gonna have a
baby
.”
    “Looks that way.” He kissed her, soft and slow before heating up and stealing her breath away. She threaded her fingers into his hair and soaked in every moment. Every touch.
    It
was
a good night to celebrate, and Blake seemed determined to make it a memorable one. Which was just fine with her.
     

     
      If you’d like to read Blake and Jaxi’s story you can find it in Rocky Mountain Heat , the first book in the Six Pack Ranch series. 
    There’s an excerpt to try here .

Never Too Far
    This scene features Vicki Hansol and Joel Coleman. The youngest of the six brothers on the Six Pack Ranch, Joel is committed to a summer spent working the family spread. His brand-new fiancée had accepted a position months earlier that has taken her hours away from him to a trail-riding camp. After recently realizing they were in love, having to be apart from each other is turning out to be a challenge.
     
    Timeline: The scene takes place about two weeks following the end of Rocky Mountain Rebel, during the adventures of Rocky Mountain Freedom.
     

Never Too Far
    The internet flickered.
    Vicki jerked upright from where she’d been relaxing against her pillows. “Joel, you still there?”
    Her fiancé’s answer came through increasing static. “Still here, but I think we’re losing our connection. Not only did the video feed go, now I can barely hear you. It’s late, anyway. You need to hit the sack so you don’t burn breakfast in the morning.”
    She laughed even as she stifled the yawn she’d been fighting for the past twenty minutes. “Extra early rising tomorrow. We’re heading to the nearest big city to pick up supplies again. Two hour trip to civilization.”
    “Then I won’t keep you any longer. I’m glad you’re doing well, though. I miss you, sweetheart.”
    “I miss you too. So much.” Vicki clutched the thick quilt wrapped around her shoulders in spite of the fire in the airtight stove. Debated, and then accepted it was the grown up thing to do. “Hey, Joel? You know how you said you’d drive out and visit me this summer?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I don’t think you should. I mean, I want to see you so badly, but…” Static picked up again, and Vicki hurried to finish before she lost the line to Joel, or lost her nerve. Changing their plans wasn’t what she really wanted, but it
was
the mature choice. “I’ve done the trip from the main highway twice now, and it’s a long haul. Add that onto the hours you’d need to drive from Rocky? It’s not worth it. And we should be saving our money. I’ll be back in late August, and we’ll have all kinds of expenses and—”
    “Hey, hey, slow down,” Joel ordered. “You’re moving in with me when you get back, so that’s already taken care of. And you’ll find a job, maybe take a few classes. We’ll be okay.”
    “It’s going to be tight, though. So I think we should stick with Skyping. I know it sucks, but it’s only for a few months.”
    “Four is more than a few.” His words broke up. “Damn. There’s too much interference to do this tonight. Tell you what—next time we talk, we’ll decide, okay?”
    “Okay. I love you.” Vicki put as much emotion in to the simple words as possible.
    “Love you, too. Sleep well.”
    She shut down the internet and closed her computer, this time officially crawling under the covers on her tiny bed in the tiny canvas-sided tent she’d been assigned at Trailblazers.
    She was grateful there was internet access this far into the bush. The assistant cook position