Free Baby Mine (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 1) by Faith Loveright

passes.”
    Jeff tipped his head back and laughed. “Dude, you have got it so bad, you can’t even seem to see it with your own two eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great. This Madeline woman is good for you, big brother. I can see that if you’d let yourself give in to what you’re feeling, you’d be happy. For the first time since that horrible day when Vic was killed in that accident. You’ll have to forgive me, if I want what’s best for my brother. I know that Victoria would have agreed with me. You’ve got to stop fighting this, Eric. It’s time to let yourself live again.”
    “You make it sound so easy. Like I could just snap my fingers and turn off my feelings for my dead wife,” he said, nodding towards the headstone. “I loved that woman for over a decade, Jeff. You can’t just decide to let it go and start something new, just like that,” he grouched, snapping his fingers for emphasis.
    “Well, it doesn’t sound to me like you’ve got much of a choice, big brother. You are moving on, in your own mind at least, with or without meaning to. My advice to you is to just … let it happen.”
    “Easy for you to say,” Eric mumbled under his breath. Jeff chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Yeah… it is easy for me to say, and if you’d stop being such a martyr, it would be as easy for you to do as it is for me to say.”
    Giving his older brother one last pat on the back, Jeff stood up and walked towards where he’d left his horse beside Eric’s. “Just… think it over. Victoria would have wanted to see you happily moved on with your life.”
    Eric looked down at the headstone and cleared his throat after Jeff rode away. “Well, I guess, where answers go, that one couldn’t have been clearer… I suppose you expect me to say I understand and that I’ll be happy to give you what you want. All I can do is offer to do my best. I can’t promise you much, but if what you just sent my brother to tell me is how you really feel… I’ll do all I can to make you happy.”
    It was with a heavy heart that he strode away from the grave site and hopped back on his horse. It was time to stop fighting so hard and think about what his intense desire for Madeline, really meant.

Chapter 9

 
    The next morning when Madeline came down the stairs, she stilled at the sight that greeted her. Eric was standing in the middle of the kitchen wearing only a pair of jeans and his boots. Droplets of water ran down his bare chest towards his waistline and she wanted to lick them from his hot skin.
    This was far from the first time she’d ever looked at the man and had naughty thoughts. The further along her pregnancy got, the more often the thoughts bombarded her. Moments like this weren’t exactly making things any easier. A lump of nerves formed in her throat as she stepped into the room.
    “I thought you’d be out in the barn by now…” she said, waddling to the fridge to grab something to eat.
    “Came back in an hour ago. I didn’t have the heart to wake you. You don’t get nearly enough rest as it is, these days. I’m glad that you aren’t trying to work. As it is, every time you flinch, I wonder if it’s time to worry about getting you to the hospital.”
    The surprise on her face was clear and he couldn’t help but grin as he tipped the cup of coffee he was holding to his lips. He knew that she hadn’t come to expect anything but surliness from him. He’d been a grumpy bear ever since he’d moved her in to the house with him and he knew why. What’s more, he was fairly sure she knew the reason for his bad mood too.
    “Sorry I was so late coming in last night,” he said, hiding his smile behind his mug. “I decided to go down to the cemetery. Ran into my little brother there…”
    “Oh? How is Jeff?”
    Eric raised his eyebrows and lowered the cup to his side. “He was surprisingly full of insight for a change. For a guy who wants nothing to do with a personal relationship of