He led the way from the yard with Magda following behind. Once they were through the first gate, he waited for her to come alongside him.
“You’re handling her like a pro,” he said.
“Don’t kid a kidder. Layla takes no handling. I suspect she’d follow Archie just about anywhere, right?”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a good job with her.”
Magda rolled her eyes and chuckled. “So when did you first start riding?”
As they rode through fields and gates, Reno told her about his youth. He and Darren had been hellions, always daring the other to do something stupid. Jumping from the hay loft. Skinny dipping with girlfriends when their parents were away. Bringing totally unacceptable dates to fancy dances and trying to pass them off as college students.
Magda laughed at the last one. “I heard about that. Country club dance. What? A couple of years ago?”
“Really? We got caught that year? No one said a word.”
“Olivia told me. I suspect your sister spilled the beans on that one.”
Cattle dotted the land around the pond, a couple of them wading along the edge. As they topped the hill, they stopped to study the scene.
“I thought you were dead that day.”
Reno looked at her. “I might have been if you hadn’t come to check on me.”
“Doubt it. You’ve got too much life in you to let a little ice do you in.”
He chuckled. “I was so damned cold.”
“I remember.”
“I didn’t think I would ever be warm again.”
Neither of them said anything. Reno was thinking about that night, about making love to her after so many months apart. Remembering how much he’d missed her…had wanted her.
He ventured a glance her way. She was staring off in the distance. He wondered if she was thinking about that night too.
“Reno.”
He turned his horse around and rode up next to her so that they were facing.
“Yes?”
“We might have a problem.”
“Okay. A problem with Layla? Or your saddle?”
She shook her head and looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze. “No, the horse is fine.” She patted Layla’s neck. “In fact, she’s a doll.”
Reno said nothing. Just waited to see what was on her mind, because he knew something was eating at her.
“Remember the night we were together? The night you fell into the pond?”
“Of course.”
“Remember where the condoms we used came from?”
His heart skipped a beat at the memory. “The downstairs bathroom.”
“Right. The special Sarah Jane condoms.”
When she didn’t continue, he said, “If you’re worried that you might have caught a disease because of holes in the condom, don’t. I haven’t been with another woman since you left last summer. And if there are any other consequences, I’m assuming you’d let me know, right?”
She whispered something, but he missed what she said.
“What did you say?”
Tears glistened in her eyes when she looked at him. “I’m late. I think I might be pregnant.”
Chapter Sixteen
Reno took the news much better than Magda had feared. He hadn’t gotten mad or yelled or cussed. He might have called Sarah Jane Mackey a few bad names however.
When they got back to the barn, he leapt from his horse to hurry around to help her down.
“What are you doing?” she asked, frowning at him as he stood beside Layla with his arms outstretched ready to catch her.
“I’m going to help you down.” He frowned. “You should have told me before now,” he scolded.
“Why? I’m not even sure. It’s just that I’m never late and…” She shrugged. “And now I am.”
“You should have told me because you don’t need to be riding a horse in your condition.”
Magda laughed. “Oh good Lord, Reno. Even if I am pregnant, there is no reason I can’t ride a horse.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed. “Do you not know the story of Mitch and Olivia and how Olivia almost lost Adam when she was pregnant with him?”
“Of course I do. But come on…” She slid down from Layla. “She was riding full speed and her horse broke his leg in a hole. We were hardly riding full tilt. Plus, she was like seven months pregnant or something.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, taking Layla’s reins. “I don’t want you riding until after the baby is born.”
She followed him into the barn. “We don’t even know if I’m pregnant.”
“We’ll get married,” Reno said. “As soon as possible.”
That stopped Magda dead in her tracks. “Excuse me?”
“Marriage. I’m not going to let you go through this alone. No, it’s my responsibility. I’ll do what’s right.”
“I’m going to the house,” she said and hurried from the barn.
Telling him was obviously a huge error on her part. He was going all alpha macho man on her. Totally a stupid move. She should have kept this to herself until she knew for sure and then decided whether to tell him or not. But Zeb’s upcoming wedding had her so rattled she wasn’t thinking straight.
Last summer, when she’d left, she’d known beyond doubt that if she wanted to come back, she had a home with Zeb waiting on her. For the first time since her mother had died, she’d had a place to go home to. But now? There’d be another woman in the house. Not that Blanche wasn’t warm and welcoming, but come on. Who wanted their new husband’s adult bastard daughter mooching off them?
So on Friday, Zeb would take a wife and Magda would lose a father.
Slamming the kitchen door, she snorted her disgust with herself. This situation was all her fault. If she hadn’t left Mitch and Olivia’s all those months ago there wouldn’t have been a job opening at Mitch and Olivia’s house. If there hadn’t been a job opening, Blanche Jenkins would have visited her sister and left town without having ever met Zeb.
Yep. All her fault.
She’d dumped herself into another fine mess. Sex with a guy she’d sworn she’d never sleep with again. And sex with a faulty condom. Could she be more stupid?
The compulsion to run swamped her. She grabbed her helmet and keys and headed to the carport. With Darren’s truck totaled, there was plenty of room for her Fat Boy there.
She climbed on, strapped on her helmet and fired her baby up. The roar was the salve her aching gut needed.
Reno came running out of the barn. “Hey. Get off of there.”
“Your roast will be done at six,” she said. “Turn off the crockpot then.” She hit the gas and flew down the gravel drive with Reno running behind her yelling. Looking in her rearview mirror, she saw him throw his hat to the ground. Giving the bike more gas, she picked up speed and zoomed around the bend.
Two hours later, she pulled in front of Leo’s Bar and Grill, a local hangout known for its cold beer and excellent food. She wasn’t hungry, but she was dying of thirst.
The lighting inside Leo’s was notoriously dim, and this evening was no different. The sun had set about thirty minutes ago so her eyes adjusted fairly quickly. Finding an empty stool at the bar, she sat and waved at Leo.
“Hi, Magda,” Leo Mabee said, walking over to where she sat. “Long time, no see. I heard you were back in town.”
“For about six weeks. Just haven’t made it in. Sorry.”
“No problem. Want a beer?” He pulled an iced mug from behind the counter.
Hell, yeah, she wanted a beer. She was dying for a beer. But if by some chance she was pregnant, a beer was the last thing she should drink.
“Better make it a Coke. I’m on my bike and it’ll be dark going home.”
“Sure thing.” He fill
ed a glass with ice and the soft drink. “Want something to eat?”
Shaking her head she said, “Nah. Not hungry.”
Leo wiped the bar in front of her. “I hear Zeb’s getting married this weekend.”
“News travels fast.”
“Well, you have to remember that my sister’s going to be marrying into the Montgomery family, so I get all the family news.”
“Right. She’s marrying Cash. When is that anyway?”
“Sometime after she gets done with her graduate program. I don’t know that they’ve set a date.” From down the bar, a waitress called his name. “Gotta run.”
He sauntered down the aisle toward a waitress who was probably tapping her toe as she waited. Magda knew the type. She needed something from the bar and she wanted it now. Magda used to be like that…impatient to the point of rudeness at times. She’d mellowed. Sometimes she felt much older than twenty-four. Tonight was one of those nights.
“Hey, beautiful. You looking for me?”
A smiled bloomed on her face as she turned. “Maybe I was.”
Darren laughed. “What are you doing here? Reno finally drive you away?”
“Ha. I’m tougher than that. Nope. Just a nice night, and me and my Fat Boy needed some road time. I thought you were shopping for a truck with your sister. You here with KC?”
“Nah. She had to get home to her hubby.” He rolled his eyes in disgust. “Those two can’t be apart for more than a couple of hours, I swear. And when she gets home they’re all over each other.” He made a dramatic shiver. “I couldn’t take it.”
Magda frowned. “You driving a new truck? With a broken leg?”
He chuckled. “Not hardly. Tanya came by KC’s and picked me up.”
“Tanya. Hmm. Recognize the name but I don’t know her.”
“Well, come join us.” He nodded toward a group of people gathered around a table. “It’s not a date. Just a bunch of us having drinks.” When she hesitated, he added, “Come on. It’ll be good for you to meet some new people.”
“Okay. Leo, what do I owe you?”
Leo took her empty glass, refilled it and slid it across to her. “Not a dime.”
“Thanks.” She stood and pulled a five from her pocket and set it on the bar. “Tip.” She walked away from Darren before Leo could argue.
Darren had described the group accurately. There appeared to be no couples in the grouping. Just a bunch of singles having fun.
“I want all of you to meet Magda Hobbs. Magda, this is everybody.” Then he went around the table with names. Tina, Delene, Kimberly, Leslie, Jack, Randy, Tanya and a few more that she didn’t catch.
“Nice to meet all you,” she said. She nodded to Porchia. “Nice to see you, Porchia.”
A good-looking, dark-haired man pulled a chair from another table. “Have a seat,” he said.
“Thanks. I’m sorry, but I’ve forgotten your name.”
“No problem. I’m Max. Max West.”
“Nice to meet you, Max. You grow up here too?”
“Nope. Transplant from California.”
She laughed. “Wow. Me too. Talk about culture shock, huh?”
He smiled and it was a very nice, very powerful smile. She’d bet her Fat Boy that there wasn’t a woman alive who could resist…except her. No problem admiring his smile, even enjoying it, but it simply didn’t twist her gut into knots like a certain cowboy’s did.
They discussed his move and both of their culture shocks when moving to Texas. Appetizers appeared from somewhere, along with another round of drinks. The conversation around the group was loud and boisterous and funny. Magda’s sides hurt from laughing so hard.
When she checked the time on her phone, she was surprised to see that it was after nine. She was also surprised to see five phone calls from Reno and three text messages. When she rode, she kept her phone on vibrate, and she’d apparently forgotten to turn back on the sound. But even with sound, the bar was so loud she probably would never have heard it.
“I hate to be the killjoy here, but I really need to get going.” She stood. “This was a blast. Thanks for including me.” She looked at Darren. “How are you getting home?”
“Well,” he said, drawing the word out into three syllables. “Maybe you could give me a ride?” Hope was etched all over his face.
“Since you’ve got a walking cast, I suppose so. Come on.”
Darren went around the group, giving each woman a quick kiss on the cheek or forehead before he was ready to go. Meanwhile, Max stood and walked over to Magda.
“I enjoyed our conversation,” he said.
“Me too.”
“Can I see you again? Dinner this weekend?”
Magda shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’ve got plans.”
“Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe.”
He handed her a business card, but not before writing a phone number on the back. “This is my work number on the front and my cell on the back. Call me when you find yourself free.”
Tucking the card into her front pocket, she nodded. “Thanks.”
“Ready?” Darren asked.
“Let’s hit it.”
She climbed on the bike and then handed him the helmet. “Wear this.”
He looked at the helmet with distaste. “I don’t need a helmet.” He slid on behind her. “You wear it.”
“Darren Montgomery. You do as I say or you’ll be back inside begging a ride.”
“Yeesh. Fine.”
Helmet on, he took ahold of her waist and gave it a squeeze. She nodded and gave her bike gas and they cruised out of the parking lot toward home.
The D&R was over an hour from Leo’s, so it was after ten p.m. when they got home. Light filtered from both levels of the house.
“Reno’s still up,” Darren said as he climbed off.
“I noticed.” She secured the bike under the carport, pushed the keys in her pocket and took the helmet from him.
When they walked in the kitchen door, they found a very furious Reno sitting at the table.
“Where in the hell have you been?”
Darren frowned. “With KC truck shopping and then I stopped for drinks with some friends at Leo’s. Why? Is there a problem?”
Magda was pretty sure Reno wasn’t talking to Darren, but she acted as though she believed he was and kept walking.
“Not you, Darren. I’m talking to Magda.”
The legs of the chair screeched as he shoved back to stand. “Where have you been?”
Magda stopped and turned. “Out. I think I do get some time off, don’t I?”
“You know what I mean.” He swung back to look at Darren. “Were you on her motorcycle tonight?”
Darren’s face lit up with a broad grin. “Yeah, man. It was great.”
Reno whirled back to Magda. “I cannot believe you were on the damn bike with…with…”
“With Darren?” She cut him off before he could blurt out anything else. “Well, I was. We ran into each other and I gave him a ride home.”
“He has a broken leg,” Reno yelled.
“He has a cast,” she yelled back.
Darren’s gaze shifted from his brother to Magda and back. “What is going on?”
“Nothing,” Reno replied in a biting tone.
“Sure seems like something,” Darren said.
“He’s just pissed because we might have had some fun without him. God knows, nobody is supposed to do anything without his blessing.”
Darren still looked confused.
Reno dragged his fingers through his hair. “I’m going to bed,” he announced to no one in particular. “Darren, I’m going to need some help at the barn tomorrow.”
“Fine.”
“Magda.” He gave her a nod. “I’ll see you in
the morning.”
He stormed from the room like Hurricane Reno.
“Well, that was interesting,” Darren said.
“Sounds like a bad mood to me. Probably worried I’d lay the bike down and hurt your leg again.”
Darren shrugged. “Maybe, but it sure seemed like there was more to it than that.”
Magda winked. “Let Grandpa Reno get some sleep. He’ll feel better in the morning.” At least she hoped he did.
But damn it, he had no right to be mad at her for going for a ride or to order her to stay home. Who did he think he was?
After Darren went to bed, she tackled the mess in the kitchen. The roast and vegetables had to be put away and the dishes washed. While she was up, she might as well mop the floor. There was enough dirt and grime to start a flower garden there.
It was close to midnight when she finally made it up to bed. She stopped outside her closed bedroom door, not sure if she’d find Reno the lover there or Reno the boss. There was neither. Her bed was empty. As she settled down to sleep, she realized she missed having a warm back to lean on. Missed the occasional snore. Missed the frequent kisses even more.
Chapter Seventeen
A bright light in her eyes brought Magda to consciousness. First, she covered her face with a pillow, then she sat upright in bed. Holy cow. She must have overslept. Her phone said it was ten minutes after nine.
She leapt from the bed, threw on some clothes and her fuzzy slippers and headed for Reno’s room. She couldn’t believe that he’d let himself sleep so late.
There was no answer to her knock, so she eased the door open. His bed was unmade and empty. Downstairs, Darren’s bed was much the same way.
The kitchen was a minor disaster area with dirty cereal bowls and dirty coffee cups on the table. The milk still on the counter was close to room temperature but salvageable, so it went back into the refrigerator. The coffee in the pot was cold. Sighing, she dumped it and started a new pot. Since she had the time, she went back upstairs to brush her teeth and put on different clothes.
Texas Bossa Nova (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 5) Page 15
