The Forest Ranger's Child by Leigh Bale

if we’ve got any of our ranches in danger.”
    “Ah, I’ve lived in this valley all my life and never seen anything like that here,” Hank said.
    “It could still happen,” Nate said. “The snowpack we’ve had this past winter beats anything on record to date. We’ve probably had a one-hundred-and-fifty-year winter.”
    Lily rested a hand atop her round stomach. “What do you mean by that?”
    “The snows we had this winter probably come only once every one hundred and fifty years. It’s just not normal. I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I want us to take precautions if the excess melt-off might cause a debris torrent to come down on one of our ranchers.”
    “Bah! We’ll be just fine.” Hank waved a hand in the air, brushing Nate off.
    Lily didn’t look so convinced. Her tiny nose crinkled with her frown. “Do you think Emerald Ranch is in danger?”
    At first glance, she looked relaxed, her voice casual, but Nate knew better. He heard the slight catch in her voice and knew his admonition worried her. And he didn’t want this woman to fret about anything except having a healthy baby. “Not yet, but I’ll be flying up tomorrow and then again in a couple of weeks, just to make sure.”
    “I’d like to go with you, if that’s possible.”
    Nate coughed, surprised by her request. But then he realized she was motivated to protect Emerald Ranch, not be near him. He glanced at her stomach, then up to the butterfly bandage covering the small gash on her forehead. A feeling of warmth and protectiveness blanketed him. If he did anything to cause her to lose her baby, he’d never forgive himself. “You can come along, but only if your doctor says it’s okay.”
    “I can call Dr. Kenner’s office today, but I should be okay to fly for a couple more months. I feel fine. And the baby moves all the time.”
    Nate would love to feel the baby’s movements. How he wished he had a right to press his palm against her stomach and feel the little kicks there. The thought of spending the afternoon with her appealed to Nate, no denying it. “Good. I’ll swing by to pick you up around noon tomorrow.”
    “Okay.” She turned and walked toward the house, her long hair bouncing with her brisk stride.
    With her gone, Hank clasped Nate’s upper arm. “Look, Nate, I really like you, but I don’t want you to get Lily all worked up over nothing. She just got home and I don’t want to worry her. Not with a baby on the way.”
    Nate nodded. “I agree, but I don’t think it’s wise to keep her in the dark, either. She has a right to know the dangers, in case she needs to get herself away from the ranch in a hurry. I wouldn’t tell you about debris torrents if I didn’t think they were something to take very seriously. Hopefully nothing will come of this, but if it does, I hope you’ll trust my judgment.”
    Nate walked away, giving Hank no opportunity to argue. Nate knew what he was doing. If he didn’t go up on the mountain and then warn the ranchers of potential hazards, they could blame the Forest Service. Nate had to do everything in his power to ensure that didn’t happen. But his concern for Lily went even deeper. He’d saved her and her child’s life from a flash flood and he wasn’t about to see her harmed by something even worse.
    * * *
    The whir of the helicopter blades overhead stirred up a dust cloud around the tarmac at the small airport just outside of Jasper. Lily shielded her eyes against the afternoon sun and waited beside Nate while the chopper landed. She’d called the doctor the day before and he’d signed a note saying she could go up in the air if she felt well. She should avoid flying in a big airliner after eight months.
    “Come on.” Nate cupped her elbow and led her out onto the blacktop. The sliding door of the chopper opened and Nate helped her step up inside before greeting the pilot.
    “Howdy. I’m Eddie Slater.” The pilot reached across the seat to shake Nate’s