Lone Star Longing (Hearts of Broken Wheel, #1)

by Fredrick, MJ

  She reached over and took his hand, placed it on the mound of her belly.

  “Is he moving?”

  “Not right now. They’re sleepy. But maybe if you keep your hand there for a minute, you can feel them.” Plus, she just wanted his touch.

  Even with her eyes closed, she could feel every part of him go still.

  “They?”

  Chapter Twenty One

  HER EYES FLEW OPEN and she immediately registered the shock and betrayal in his expression. Oh, hell. She hadn’t wanted him to know like this. She sat up, dislodging his hand, which fell limply to the ground between them.

  “Ah. Yeah. I was going to wait to tell you but at my last doctor visit, I found out. I’m having twins.” Despite having rehearsed different ways to tell him, she stammered over the words.

  She didn't think she’d ever seen Beck move so fast. He was crouched, then standing, in two moves.

  “I’m going to go blow up Hailey’s tube.”

  “Beck.” She couldn't get up as fast as he did. She was no longer relaxed, but that hadn’t translated to coordination. She rolled onto her knees, then pushed herself to her feet to follow him to his truck. “Beck. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. I told you, I’m getting the compressor while I’m thinking about it.”

  “You’re upset with me.”

  “I’m not. I’m just, wow, I can’t wrap my head around what you just told me, and I’m wondering how important I am to you. First you didn't tell me yourself that you were pregnant. You let me find out with the rest of the town which is—” He lifted his hand toward the sky, then let it drop. “Fine. We didn't know each other that well. But now, geez. It’s been two weeks. How come you didn't tell me you were having twins?” He yanked open the driver’s side door, keeping it between them.

  She could see the tension in his face, in lines of his mouth that she hadn’t noticed before. He kept track of when her appointments were? Why?

  “I only told Dad and Poppy. They’re the only ones who know. Now you. I was—I was working things out, about how I was going to deal with it. One baby on my own is one thing, but two babies....” She let her gaze drift away.

  He slammed the door closed and glared at her. “And what did you decide?”

  She put a hand on her belly, taken aback by his vehemence. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you had to work out what you were going to do, you said. What did you work out?”

  She shook her head, confused. “I—my dad and I are still working through the logistics.”

  “So you’re keeping them.”

  She was staggered by the words, the tone. “I’m—that’s my plan. It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but...that’s the plan.”

  “I had—Jesus, Lacey, I had something to talk to you about. A plan, I guess. But Jesus. You couldn't tell me?”

  “I haven't exactly seen you a lot lately,” she pointed out, refusing to get defensive. Why was he so invested in her life? But if she was honest with herself, she knew he would be upset that she didn't confide in him right away. That made her hesitate in telling him, which delayed it longer. “You’ve been working, I’ve been working.”

  “You could have made time. You could have told me you had something to tell me and we could have met up somewhere.”

  “I thought you were avoiding me, that was why I hadn’t seen you.” The babies were moving now, agitated by her mood, apparently. She pressed her hand to her side, as if she could reassure them with her touch.

  “Geez, Lacey, are you okay?” His expression shifted to one of concern instantly. He didn't touch her, but bent toward her, ready to support her.

  “Babies are moving. Weird that just a couple of weeks ago I could barely feel them and now I feel them from both the inside and outside.” She took his hands and put them on her stomach.

  He went still like he needed to concentrate to feel them, and then a smile spread across his face as one of the babies bumped against his hand.

  “Jesus, Lace.” His gaze went to hers. “There’s two in there?”

  “Two.”

  “Does Jesse know?”

  She drew in a breath, her first instinct to break contact. “He made it clear he doesn't want to have anything to do with us.”

  “Yeah, but you’d think he’d want to know this. He’d want to know he’s the father of two kids.”

  “Beck, you were there. You saw what happened.”

  “I think you should try to tell him.”

  She knew he was right, but wondered at his insistence. What did it matter to him if she told Jesse or not? She could already tell Beck what his answer would be.

  “Not. My. Problem.”

  And the idea that he’d see twins as a problem instead of, well, babies, told her everything she needed to know about the father of her children. He wasn’t going to come running back to her for two babies, when he’d cut her loose for one.

  “Twins. Geez. I didn't expect that.”

  Something in the way he said those words, that kind of hopelessness, had her breaking contact. “No, neither did I. They don't run in my family. But my dad and I have it covered.” She stepped backward over the parking block. “Look, I don't want to ruin today arguing. I’ve been looking forward to it for too long. So you blow up that inner tube. I’m going back in the water.”

  Beck watched her walk away, and knew he couldn't tell her what was on his mind, not now.

  Twins. Wow. He thought he’d thought of everything, but not that.

  He wanted to tell her he was looking at building a house on his mom’s property. He knew she didn't like that property, because of what had happened on the bus, but he had weighed his options, and it was the best one for him, when he worked out the cost of property, putting in septic and water and electricity. No way could he get it all done by the time the babies were born, no matter how much he paid the guys from San Angelo to come and do it.

  He wanted to tell her, but he wanted to make sure she was well and clear of Jesse first.

  He tore open the box with Hailey’s inner tube, plugged his compressor into the lighter and got to work.

  But what he really wanted to do was follow Lacey into the water.

  PROBABLY HE SHOULD have listened when Sofia told him to apply sunscreen, because he winced a little as he pulled his dry t-shirt over his head. The drive back to town wasn't going to be all that fun.

  He wished he could get Lacey in his truck for the ride back. Maybe it was foolish to try to talk to her with all their friends around, but she had avoided him since he’d reacted badly to the news about the twins. And yeah, he could admit he’d reacted badly.

  He was just going to have to wait.

  They had decided to get dinner in Brackettville before heading home. The small town didn't have a ton of options, but they found a place that offered a little bit of everything.

  Beck made a point of sitting next to Lacey. He’d been upset with her earlier. Well, no, not upset. Hurt. He’d thought he was a bigger part of her life. He was going to make sure she understood that he wanted to be.

  “What are you getting?” he asked, perusing the menu. “I’m starving.”

  “Something I can't get at home,” she murmured. “Fried catfish, I think.”

  “That sounds good.”

  They ordered wings as an appetizer, and everyone but Beck and Lacey ordered beer.

  “You can drive my car,” Poppy said to Lacey. “If I have too much?”

  “Of course,” Lacey said. “I’ll be a designated driver for a year or so.”

  Well, that blew Beck’s plan of getting her into his truck for the ride home. He sighed and reached for a straw for his water.

  Then winced.

  “Sunburned?” Lacey asked.

  “I think a little.”

  “I thought you put on sunscreen.”

  “I did, before I went in the first time. I should have reapplied.” And he had probably missed some spots, though
he’d considered asking Lacey to apply it for him. He just hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask her. It seemed a little too intimate, and he thought his outburst earlier had alarmed her.

  “My skin’s feeling a little tight too,” she admitted, patting her cheeks. “I think I was a little too cavalier about being in the shade.”

  “Yeah, it’s the reflection of the sun on the water that gets you.”

  “It’s okay. I have aloe vera at home. I can get you some when we get to town.”

  “Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

  “Hey, did y’all hear Austin Driscoll is due to come back to town this week?” Sofia asked.

  “That’s Dr. Austin Driscoll,” Con said. “At least he’d better be a doctor after the town paid for his med school.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn't come back otherwise,” Lacey said quietly.

  “Are you going to start going to him instead of driving into San Angelo?” Poppy asked.

  Lacey grimaced. “That would be so weird, going to him for that. I’m going to stick with Dr. Fredrick, until it gets closer to the time. I don't mind having an excuse to go into San Angelo once a month.”

  “Poppy and I have been working on making the space above the office into an apartment,” Sofia said. “I mean, it had the kitchenette and bathroom already, but we cleaned it up and got some hand-me-down furniture and are trying to make it as welcoming as possible.”

  “He’ll live above the office? That will suck” Beck said. “Never getting away from your job. How long does he have to serve here to fulfill the commitment?”

  “I think it was ten years, but I’m not sure,” Lacey said. “I’ll ask my dad. I’m surprised he didn't say anything about Austin coming home.”

  “So we need to do something nice to welcome him home, since you know he doesn't really want to be here,” Poppy said.

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe a picnic in the park, or a party at The Wheel House.”

  “Do they have showers for doctors who are just starting out? You know? To get them the supplies they need?” Hailey asked.

  “I don't know, but that’s a great idea,” Poppy said, pulling out her phone. “No internet connection.”

  “How would we even know what he needs?” Lacey asked reasonably. “And whatever he needs, we probably couldn't afford, anyway.”

  “Unless we all pitch in, take up a collection, maybe?”

  “I don't know if the town will want to pitch in after they paid for med school, but I think we should definitely invite everyone to the party. He’s not going to be happy about coming back here.”

  “Why not?” Hailey asked. “He’s too Big City now?”

  “Honestly, I don't know, but he didn't leave under the best of circumstances,” Lacey said. “I don't know if you ever heard the story about the bus accident?”

  “The one you all were in?” Hailey circled her finger to include all of them.

  “Well.” Lacey glanced at Beck, then at Con, uneasy. “Yeah. Austin’s mom was the bus driver, and the town blamed her for the accident. It was really terrible, because she died in the accident, and then Austin had to deal with his grief and with all the things the people in town said about her.”

  “Why did he agree to come back, then?”

  “I think it was too late for him to back out, or something. There was a contract, from the minute they paid for his first semester.”

  “But wow, to get out of college with no debt, just to have to serve ten years?”

  “I know, it’s a big deal, but it’s not going to be easy for him to come back. We’re going to have to make sure we make him feel welcome.”

  The girls got to work planning the party for next Saturday. Even though they were excited he was returning, Lacey was right. He couldn't be too excited about it. He had not left under the best circumstances and he had to carry some resentment.

  Add to that, no one in town appeared to have kept up with him. That couldn't make the transition easier.

  Beck wondered, though, if Austin’s welcome home party might be the best time to talk to Lacey about his plans.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  THE WHEEL HOUSE LOOKED really nice on Saturday. Hailey kept the place open to the public who might show up not for the party. But just to be clear, there was a huge homemade banner hung over the stage, proclaiming, “WELCOME HOME, DR. DRISCOLL.”

  As expected, no one from town wanted to pitch in for a gift, but the seven of them had pitched in to buy him a defibrillator for his office. Beck had winced at the price, but not for himself. He was more worried about how the others could afford it.

  Beck hadn’t seen Austin since he’d gotten back in town. He’d heard Poppy and Sofia had been on hand to greet him, along with Lacey’s dad and the other members of the town council who wanted to give him a tour of his new place. They’d furnished both the office and the apartment with the barest basics, from what Beck had heard. Maybe they shouldn’t have pooled their money, and just given him things he needed for his office and his apartment.

  Beck almost didn't recognize the man who walked through the gate into the party. Austin had been a scrawny kid, wore glasses, pale, played in the marching band, the stereotypical nerd. Smarter than all of them put together, pushed by his mother to make the best use of his mind, to make something of himself.

  The man who walked through the gate wearing Baylor colors was tall, fit and as tanned as if he’d been on the water with them last week. No more glasses—contacts, probably. But the smile was the same, tight, anticipating the worst.

  Beck strode toward him, grinning, hand extended. “Austin, man, is it good to see you.”

  Something in Austin’s eyes brightened as he looked up at Beck. “Hey, I didn't know you were in town. I thought you’d joined the military?”

  “Did, went to college, worked for a bit on the race car circuit, came home to check on Mom and I’m staying a bit.” Involuntarily, his gaze drifted, looking for Lacey, who he’d seen around but couldn't find now. “Had to be on hand to welcome you back. How’s it looking over there?”

  “Man, this place is worse than I expected,” Austin said.

  “This place?” Hailey asked as she passed by, pointing to the ground, eyebrows disappearing in her hairline.

  “The town,” Austin said. “So much has deteriorated since I left.”

  “Lots of people moved north to work in the oil fields,” Beck said. “I’m working up there myself. But the town is, it’s good. It’s good to be back here, after going so far, so fast.” He wasn't just saying that to make Austin feel better, either. He liked it here. Not just Lacey, but he liked the pace, the rhythm that Broken Wheel kept, that they resisted breaking out of. “It’s comfortable.”

  “For you, maybe.”

  “We’ll get you transitioned back in.” Beck guided Austin to the table they’d set up with a tablecloth and paper plates, decorated with flowers from Poppy’s garden, the gift bag, and the cake that Marianne Skyler had made.

  “Sounds like a cult,” Austin muttered as Poppy hugged him enthusiastically.

  Con stepped forward, a little hesitantly. Con as a rule wasn't hesitant about anything, but the two hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, and the last time they had, well, Con’s dad was holding Austin’s mom accountable for his daughter’s death. Austin paused a moment, then offered his hand. Con smiled and took it as Javi and Ginny stepped forward to welcome him.

  Beck turned to see Lacey carrying a foil pan, beside her dad who was carrying a grocery bag and trying to take the pan from Lacey, who of course wouldn't allow it. She wasn't going to admit she needed help even from her dad. Why did Beck think she’d take it from him?

  He really liked how she dressed to accommodate her belly and the heat, cute little flowing halter tops that left her arms and shoulders bare and floated over her belly. She’d pinned her hair at the back of her neck, and damn, she just looked good.

  And was here with her father, so he needed to dial
back his reaction.

  Her face brightened and she ran forward to throw her arms around Austin. Now her, Austin wrapped his arms around, dipped his head to her shoulder, held onto her long enough that Beck wanted to step in.

  Then Austin stepped back and dropped his hand to Lacey’s belly. “When did this happen?” He looked past her, met Beck’s gaze. “Is this yours?”

  “No, ah. No.” Lacey disentangled herself from him. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “Am I going to be delivering it?”

  “Not if I can help it,” she laughed. “We’ll talk later.”

  He touched her face. “You look amazing, Lace.”

  “You look pretty great yourself. Not the same at all.”

  “Yeah, well. I could hardly get worse.”

  She hugged him again. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Yeah, Lace, I’ve missed you, too.”

  Beck’s heart turned over in his chest. The intimacy between them was nearly as painful as if he’d seen her with Jesse.

  He wanted to talk to Lacey, but she stuck by Austin’s side, like his security blanket. Beck didn't remember them being all that close in school. Beck was glad the party had a good turnout, though. A lot of people came to welcome the new doctor to town, town council people, business people.

  But damn, did Austin have to hog all of Lacey’s time? And he kept touching her tummy, real casually, like he had a right to do it. Beck had been the one to take her to her first appointment, had been beside her when Jesse turned her away. Why did Austin get to touch her when Beck only did so with her permission?

  He recognized the jealousy that he never recalled experiencing before.

  Finally Lacey pulled away to cut the cake, and Beck stepped up beside her to help her serve. She cast him a grateful sideways smile as she sliced the cake and slid it onto the paper plates he handed her, then he added a fork to set it on the table for people to grab.

  “Thanks for doing this, Lacey,” Austin said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on her waist. “I can’t believe you went to the trouble.”