Life in Blayne was ever-changing, and yet there were some constants that remained. You still woke up to the owl in the middle of the night at least once a week, and whenever it rained, you seemed to find yourself under the sheets out Jaehyun’s name.

May was always the first person you turned for any news about anything regarding the people in Blayne and equally the one person you avoided the longest when you wanted to keep something to yourself.

Because Jaehyun wasn’t back yet from his second rodeo circuit, and you didn’t want anyone to know the news you had to share before telling him in person.

You knew, however, that her sister June was far too observant for you to keep it to yourself. “You’re glowing, dearie.”

“Huh?”

“You,” your mother-in-law said with a knowing smile. “Are carrying my first grandchild, aren’t you?”

“What? Oh no. Just a lot of plans for the resort, ha-ha-ha! I need to go see Dad about them right now,” you announced hastily, rushing along the property towards Jeffrey’s office. Once inside, you caught your breath, and the man across from you quirked an eyebrow at your flustered state.

“I thought I was going to be late,” you mentioned with an awkward laugh, diving into the seat across from him. You then noticed the sandwich he had beside him and held your breath.

The smell made you want to gag.

“You’re acting weird today, Y/N.”

“Maybe I’ll come back.”

“We have a lunch meeting,” he reminded you, and you could feel yourself turning green. Jeffrey sat forward with some interest. “You know, when my wife was pregnant with Jaehyun, the smell of tuna made her morning sickness more prominent.”

“Oh, really? Funny. Ha-ha.”

“He’ll be back tomorrow,” Jeffrey mentioned as a satisfied expression crossed his face the longer he stared at you.

And your non-existent stomach.

You managed to deflect the attention from you back to the meeting, and by the time you returned to the office, you felt more exhausted than usual.

“Hard meeting?”

“It’s even harder keeping your secret!” you groaned at Natalia, who blinked at you blankly. “Everyone thinks I’m the one who’s pregnant!”

Natalia dashed to your side to cover your mouth. “Don’t say it so loud! We’re only three buildings down from the diner, and I’m sure my mother-in-law has super hearing.”

“When do you both plan to tell her?”

“Considering we’ve only gotten married a month ago, I’m not exactly looking forward to telling May that I’m three months pregnant already. I need more time.”

“I’m strangely coming out with the symptoms you should have the longer I keep quiet about this, Nat. Hurry up and announce it so I can feel better.”

Your best friend giggled. “I was so worried I’d have morning sickness and food aversions. I’m blessed to have neither so far.”

“Well, take them. Because this fatigue is driving me nuts,” you announced as you slumped down into your chair, looking at your agenda for the afternoon.

The housing phase of redevelopment was almost complete. Three years ago, when you started this whole journey, you had no real understanding of what you were about to embark on. Resort matters aside, seeing new life come to Blayne was more rewarding than you ever expected. When the new families moved into the first set of homes you had built with your team fitted into the community with little trouble, you had been proud of your endeavours.

But it had only been the start.

With Jaehyun on the road for three months at a time, it had made it tough to soldier through at times. Having Natalia and Avery certainly kept you going, and when Jaehyun returned with a trophy and a second-place cheque from his first rodeo, you knew it wasn’t going to be the end to him running barrels.

But it did mean you got to have a wedding that was still being talked about a year after. And the money Jaehyun won went into the ranch, surprising both his parents when he handed it over. This not only helped improve the running of the place but assisted in hiring more men.

The Jung’s were producing the finest animals and at a higher production rate too.

You now lived in the homestead with your husband and dog Bandit, and once the house on the back half of Avery’s property was built, you weren’t far from the couple who had since followed you down the aisle.

Dorothy had been a little saddened when you didn’t marry her Jacob, though with the newcomers it meant his own Belle – literally named that – had arrived, and there was an unspoken competition of who would be getting grandchildren first out of the couples.

You weren’t sure you were ready for that life yet.

Which was why both June and Jeffrey had thrown you off earlier with their adamant and pleased demeanours.

Shaking your head at the whole ordeal, you launched into work until Avery came to pick up his wife at six. “Enough for now, ladies.”

“I’ve just got some things to finish up on here. Go ahead without me,” you assured, and the happy couple fare-welled you, talking about what to make for dinner on their way out.

It was then that you realised that you hadn’t eaten all day. Going over to your bag to pull out the lasagne you had made the night before and had leftovers of, you went to the microwave in the kitchenette of the office and pulled the lid off.

You barely made it to the bathroom before you threw up what little you had in your stomach. Standing back up, you groaned.

All you had done was open the container and smelt your food.

“Stupid Natty escaping these symptoms,” you grumbled and went back to your desk. However, the fatigue grew, and you decided it would have to wait until tomorrow.

Once home, you didn’t even bother to eat, heading upstairs to your bedroom and fell asleep instantly.

“You need to eat, to keep up your strength,” a voice instructed, and you squinted against the early morning sun to find June sitting next to you on the bed. You looked at the porridge she had prepared and then at her face.

She smiled brightly. “I know it’s miserable, but you need to eat to make your way through this first trimester.”

“I’m not pregnant, June.”

“Is that so?” she asked, still smiling smugly as she guided the spoonful towards you.

Relenting, you took a mouthful before responding. “You’re so much like Jaehyun. He says that all the time.”

“Is that so?”

Glancing up at the doorframe, you bounced out of the bed and over to your husband, wrapping your arms around him emotionally.

Tears ran down your cheeks, and soon you were blubbering incoherently.

June smirked. “I did that also. Up until fourteen weeks.”

“Mum,” Jaehyun said with a grin, and you glanced between the jovial pair and shook your heads.

“It’s not me. It’s Natalia who is pregnant. I’m keeping her secret, though, now not so much.”

“Natalia’s pregnant?” June queried, and you nodded your head. She brooded for a moment and then patted her son on the arm. “It’s like you and Avery then.”

“Mum, come on! I’ve just come home a winner. Don’t make me feel as if I’ve won even more in life.”

“I’ll let you settle in with your wife. Make sure she eats everything, dear,” June instructed again, waving you both off.

Peering at Jaehyun curiously, you gasped when he picked you up and carried you back to bed. Jaehyun pouted at you. “You’re not well?”

“Just a bit of fatigue.”

“And food aversions, morning sickness and glowing skin, so I’ve been informed.”

“Her imagination is running off with her, Jae. There’s no way…”

He grinned as you recollected the weekend you drove to meet Jaehyun recently for, having missed him too much to remain in Blayne alone. It had been a spur of a moment thing, and you hadn’t prepared for anything.

Especially not how passionate you’d be with one another over that weekend.

Jaehyun, after smoothing the covers over you again, picked up the spoon June had left in the bowl of porridge. He seemed to share the same smug expression his parents had held over the past two days.

You groaned. “I can’t be!”

“Have you tested?”

“No, but that’s because it’s Natty who’s pregnant. I’m just going out in sympathy.”

Jaehyun cocked his head to the side. “It’s a good thing my mother is so eager for a grandchild. She’s left you a goody bag downstairs.”

“You’ve just walked in the door. How are you this calm?”

“Well, call it weird, but I had this sense things were going to be different once I was back.”

“You just won the rodeo circuit three days ago, of course, things are different.”

“I’ve decided that was my last one,” he announced, and you blinked repeatedly at his revelation. “I’ve done what I set out to achieve. Now that I’m the national barrel racing champ, I have nothing else to prove to myself. It’s up to the other riders to go for it from here out.”

“But you love the barrels.”

“I do, so I’ll open up our first rodeo centre here at Blayne. Reckon you might know someone incredibly talented in development who could help me find the right place and design it for me?”

You grinned. “Really?! I love this idea.”

“It means I can still train myself, I can teach the next generation of talent, and be home for my family as it grows.”

“Jaehyun!” you cried exasperatedly, throwing the covers back and heading downstairs on a mission. “I’m going to put you out of your misery right now!”

Your husband followed you as you reached into the paper bag from the pharmacy June had gone to in the township over to get you the tests. Shaking the box you held, you then marched back upstairs and followed the instructions.

Five minutes later, you were at a loss for words.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Jaehyun breathed as he glanced over your shoulder at the results. “At least you can own these symptoms you’re experiencing now.”

“I’m pregnant.”

“That you are, baby,” he told you as he enveloped you in a warm embrace. You had gone cold, and your legs trembled with the shock. “You okay?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“Don’t you want to be?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly planning it just yet,” you admitted, staring at the test you still held. “I don’t know if I am ready to be a mother. Seriously! How are you this calm?!”

“Because I’m ready, and if there’s anything I know about you, Y/N is that you’re adaptable.”

Smiling slowly as the overwhelming feeling subsided, you let out a huff of air. “I guess I really am.”

“I want to.”

“No way,” Jaehyun remarked, shaking his head firmly.

“Jaehyun, I’m pregnant, not incapable.”

“Still, riding horses is dangerous. Wait until our daughter is born.”

“Our son will love horses just like you. I’m just helping him catch the horse bug before he comes out,” you said, moving towards Roger’s stall in the stable.

Jaehyun stepped in front of you and slung his hands on his hips. “Daughter, son, foal even! You will not be going for a ride.”

“I feel good now,” you assured him, ducking under his arm. “Women ride horses all the time when pregnant. In the Expectant Mothers Facebook group I belong to, there’s at least seven women who are riding. One had her baby last week. She was overdue and tried riding her horse Vincent just to get the ball rolling. It worked.”

“Curse me for humouring you in getting better internet reception out here,” he muttered and then shook his head. “You’re not overdue. You’re still cooking our baby, and I don’t want to harm that process.”

“On Roger? The first time you put me up on him, you called him safe as houses.”

Jaehyun sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “There’s no convincing you otherwise, is there?”

“Of course not,” you mentioned gleefully, patting Jaehyun on the shoulder as you went to fetch your saddle. You struggled only a little, but once you got it adjusted on Roger’s back, Jaehyun shook his head and went off to ready Blaze.

You even managed to mount Roger on your own. After finding it impossible to do up your pants and bending to the ground a mere mission these days, you were proud of your achievement of getting in the saddle.

“You forgot something,” Jaehyun told you, and you frowned until he produced a cowboy hat from behind his back. You gasped at the present and hastily placed it on your head. Jaehyun marvelled you for a moment. “How has it been years since you came to Blayne, and this is your first hat?”

“I’m a real cowgirl now.”

“We’re not going above a jog, Mrs Cowgirl,” Jaehyun announced, and you glanced at your husband with a grin.

“Says who?” you challenged, clucking at Roger and kicking him up his gaits into an easy lope. Running across the fields, you laughed happily as dusk slowly changed the blue skies to vast reds and purples. Slowing to a walk when you reached one of your favourite trees on the property, you looked over at Jaehyun who couldn’t hide his smile.

“That felt good!”

“Don’t think I’m going to allow you to ride all the time,” he warned, and you nodded.

“Admittedly, it knocked the air out of me a bit. I’m more breathless these days.”

“You look beautiful up on a horse still.”

“Am I meant to look anything less than that?” you teased, and Jaehyun rolled his eyes, helping you out of the saddle.

Once the horses were happily grazing, Jaehyun pulled you into his arms as you both watched the sunset.

“Even after all this time, the banter is strong between us.”

You glanced up at him with a wry grin. “Did you expect us to become complacent with one another?”

“Not at all. You’re still that strong-willed woman who turned up complaining about mobile data and no power.”

“And you’re still the trickster cowboy who I wanted to hate right away.”

“You couldn’t, though,” he concluded, and you sighed dramatically.

“If only.”

“You’d be Jacob’s wife?”

“Stop it! Poor Jacob doesn’t deserve this!”

“Damn right, he doesn’t deserve any of you. Just me.”

“Is that so?”

Jaehyun laughed. “Isn’t that my line?”

“I’ve been here long enough to have basically picked up on all your ways, Mr Cowboy.”

“Miss City, Miss Adaptable and now Mrs Cowgirl. What’s going to be your next nickname, huh?”

“Whatever it is, I’m happy to be yours.”

“We should consider names for our child instead, shouldn’t we?”

“I’ve got three already. You’ll need to catch up.”

“Three? Don’t assume I don’t already have more than you.”

“It’s not a race, Jaehyun,” you reminded, turning around to face your husband.

He smiled lovingly as he gazed down at you. “No, the race is already done. You won me over years ago.”

“I once joked about how Blayne was like a Nicolas Sparks novel. Who knew that it would become the storyline I needed all along.”