Page 11 of Fierce Protector

“Do you know how that horse got injured?”

She gave him credit for keeping up with the change in topic. “No. Do you?”

“There’s no way it happened on a nail or fence. Someone did this to her knowing it will end a rodeo horse’s career. And the ranch would lose a lot of money.”

“The family is aware of some crimes going on around here. Demi—”

“Look, I have another house call to make. This isn’t the only ranch with a sick animal.” Being of average height, her legs weren’t anywhere near as long as his, but she managed to rush to her vehicle and jump behind the wheel.

He definitely could have stopped her if he wasn’t so stunned by the news she’d dropped on him.

And boy, did she know the feeling well. Every day for the past week since she found out, the minute she woke up, the pregnancy was the first thought in her head, and it was the last one before she fell asleep at night.

A baby.

She attempted to shut the car door in Ledger’s face, but he grabbed it and held it open.

The crease between his dark brows told her that he was pissed off. Thunderous.

Dangerous.

A cord of sensation yanked low in her core.

Dammit, the last thing she needed was her body to respond to him—again.

“Demi, wait.”

She sent him a look. “Ledger, we need to talk—but this isn’t the time.”

“When?”

Oh god, the gritty demand in his voice made her nipples harden.

She had to keep it together. “I know where you are.”

She pulled the door shut, forcing him to step back. When she drove away, she refused to glance in the rearview mirror.

As a veterinarian, she’d gotten pretty good at shoving her concerns to the back of her mind. Gripping the wheel, she focused on the road leading to the Springvale Ranch.

When the owner’s call came in right after one from the Gracey, she heard the worry entwined with the gruff tenor of Mr. Vale’s voice. Over the years of working with the man, she had come to know that his bark was bigger than his bite.

Not unlike Ledger. Or so she guessed. After her one-night stand, she never thought to see the side of him she did today.

At the memory of what she’d walked into, her lower belly clutched.

Ledger, covered in blood and toting a rifle. The weapon looked like an extension of him and made her almost positive the man was ex-military.

She forced her mind away from the hot man who had fathered her child…with extreme difficulty…and centered on the animal who required her services next.

The Springvale Ranch could be classified as more of a hobby farm. Over a number of years, Mr. Vale had downsized. Now he only kept a small herd of cows and a few horses on top of the standard chickens and goats. When he called about a downed horse, he told Demi that he suspected colic.

Like her focus was totally shot, her mind swung back to the Graceys’ horse. As usual when leaving a call, she ran through the scenario and questioned if she’d done everything to the best of her ability. Asking those questions helped her amp up her game and skill set. She prided herself on being a damn good vet, and being the only one in a fifty-mile radius meant she got a lot of experience.

Being in a fifty-mile radius of the only twenty-four-hour pharmacy means something else entirely.

Ugh. She never expected to see Ledger again. She definitely wasn’t prepared to answer questions about the pregnancy either.

Walking into the Graceys’ barn and seeing the man she’d experienced mind-blowing pleasure with, had shaken her. It was a wonder she kept her hands so steady while reattaching the severed tendon.

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