Expecting His Brother's Baby (Baby Bonds #3)

by Karen Rose Smith

  “That’s a great idea,” Molly said, brightening. “And since he’s mom’s older brother, she’ll listen to him.”

  Suddenly the door to the kennel opened, and Seth Buchanan stepped inside. He was six feet tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes and a friendly smile. “Hi, there. I’m between patients. Sherry said you came to pick up Molly. I heard you were in an accident. How are you doing?”

  “I’m good. All recovered now. Just waiting for the baby.”

  “How’s Feather?”

  “She’s great. Come spring, I’ll really be able to work with her.”

  “Brock was in last week for ointment for one of the horses. I understand he’s been working with Feather, too.”

  “You and Brock know each other?”

  “Sure. I used to tag along with my dad when he made ranch calls. I was a couple of years older than Brock, but that didn’t seem to matter much. We fished together plenty of Saturday afternoons.”

  Kylie heard footsteps outside the kennel. When she looked through the panel of glass, she saw Sherry showing the woman with the cat carrier into one of the examining rooms.

  “It looks as if Tango is ready for her rabies shot,” Seth commented.

  Kylie grinned. “Tango?”

  “I don’t name them, I just treat them.”

  While they were talking, Molly had picked up the pup and settled her back in her cage. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Uncle Seth?” she asked.

  He checked outside and then looked back at his niece. “Sure.”

  Kylie said to Molly, “I’ll wait for you in the reception area.”

  As she opened the door to head that way, Seth called, “You take care. If I don’t see you before, you have a good holiday.”

  Kylie saw the compassion in his eyes, and she knew he knew the holiday would be hard for her. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe Alex was gone. It just seemed as if he were away, and he’d be walking in the door again anytime. A lump formed in her throat and she couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes.

  Blinking rapidly, she just nodded at Seth, and said, “You have a good holiday, too,” then escaped out to the waiting area where she could compose herself before she took Molly to the leather goods store.

  A half hour later, Kylie stood beside Molly at the cashier’s desk, watching the little girl count out her money. With her uncle’s bonus, she had just enough saved to cover a pair of gloves for her mom that were on sale and a wallet for her dad.

  When the buzzer above the door announced a new customer, Kylie looked that way and was stunned to see Brock. He came toward her, a cautious expression on his face, and she knew that was because this meeting was no accident.

  “Let me guess,” she said as he approached her. “You had this sudden, overwhelming need to buy a new belt.”

  “Actually, I need a coat to keep me warm through a Wyoming winter.”

  “And you just happened to decide today was the best day to buy it.”

  “I stopped at the clinic. Seth said you were headed this way.” When she continued studying him relentlessly, he admitted, “It was your first day back at work. I wanted to see how it went.”

  “I would have told you when I got home.”

  She was giving him no quarter and he began to look exasperated. “All right. I suspected you’d be tired after working and shopping, you wouldn’t want to cook, and you might appreciate supper at the Silver Dollar. That’s all.”

  Her attitude softening a bit, she commented, “And since we’d have two vehicles, you’d just follow me home.” She did really like the new truck he’d bought her. It had all the latest gadgets.

  “You seem to have all the answers.” His voice was dry.

  “No, just the obvious ones.” The truth was, his protective streak made her feel cared for. Alex had never done anything like this. Never tried to be protective. Never tried to keep her safe.

  She had to stop comparing.

  Even if Brock was looking after her out of a misguided sense of responsibility, she did appreciate it. It just took some getting used to.

  “Molly and I were going to stop in at Flutes and Drums. I finished another beaded purse for Lily to put in her display case.”

  Flutes and Drums was the gallery that carried Dylan’s photographs and prints, as well as other artists’ works. Lily had been carrying Kylie’s beaded coin purses for the past year, and that brought in extra money, too. Tourists were willing to pay exorbitant amounts for hand beading. This time of year, Lily sold them in the gallery as well as on her Web site.

  “You two go ahead. I really do want to check out the sheepskin coats.”

  “And what will you do with that once you’re back in Houston?” She had to keep reminding herself he wasn’t going to stay.

  “I travel to cold climates. It’ll come in handy then.”

  Always ready with an answer, Brock didn’t do anything without good reason. That aspect of his personality hadn’t changed.

  Glancing over at Molly, Brock saw she was engaged in conversation with a clerk. They were discussing the snake-skin boots behind the counter and how much they cost.

  “Seth was concerned about you when you left. He said he mentioned the holidays and you choked up.”

  “It’s hormones.”

  “I think we both know better than that.”

  “I’m okay, Brock. Really.”

  His frown deepened. After a few seconds, he asked, “Are you and Seth good friends?”

  That question had come out of left field. “He’s been taking care of the Warner horses for years.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  She saw something in Brock’s eyes then that she didn’t like. She didn’t like it at all. Because she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Seth is the veterinarian who takes care of Saddle Ridge’s horses,” she told him flatly. “And I think I just changed my mind about having dinner with you. I’ll get home on my own just fine.”

  When she would have turned away from him, he caught her arm. “Kylie, I wasn’t accusing you of anything,” he assured her in a low voice.

  “Weren’t you?” Her words were almost a whisper. “Did you think because Alex was gone so much I tried to find other company? Well, I didn’t. The horses were my company. Seth is a friend who cares about what happens to me. That’s all.”

  “You put up with a lot from Alex, and it would only be natural to turn to someone.”

  “I turned to Gwen and Shaye. I don’t need a man to comfort me…or to define me.”

  Still, Brock didn’t release her. “You asked me the fidelity question, Kylie. Why is it so different when I ask you?”

  All at once, she realized she expected Brock to know her, to trust her, to automatically believe she was telling the truth. Alex had betrayed her. Brock’s wife had walked out on him. She had no right to be judgmental or self-righteous.

  She sighed. “Molly and I will meet you at the Silver Dollar in about twenty minutes. Is that all right?”

  Brock’s gaze was intense as he nodded, then moved away to examine sheepskin jackets.

  Kylie’s heart beat faster as she joined Molly at the cash register, finally understanding that she and Brock didn’t know each other at all.

  Brock hung his hat on the caddy in the kitchen, not knowing how he was going to stay at Saddle Ridge until after Kylie delivered her baby. Every time he turned around he bumped into a memory, most of them bad. Besides that, when he looked at Kylie, he wanted things that could never be. All he’d ever wanted to do was escape Wild Horse Junction. All she’d ever wanted to do was put down deeper roots.

  Tonight, he knew he’d hurt her. Although she’d asked a question aimed at him about fidelity, questioning her was somehow different. He wasn’t sure why or how. It just was. Because of that, their meal had been anything but companionable.

  He hung the new, sheepskin jacket on the hook under his hat and waited for Kylie to remove her parka. When she did, she avoided his gaze and he k
new he had to confront what had happened. “Tell me what you’re thinking.” It was more of a demand than a request, and he half expected her to get defensive.

  Instead, she took a lighter tack. “Most women don’t think in the linear, one-track fashion. What I’m thinking at any moment can get very messy.”

  Taking her coat from her, his fingers brushed hers. The immediate, sharp jolt that forked through him had nothing to do with static electricity and everything to do with what had always been between the two of them—an attraction he’d constantly denied.

  After he hung her jacket beside his, he said disapprovingly, “You’re being evasive.”

  “I’m being truthful.”

  With a frustrated, exhaled breath, he dug his hands into his front jeans pockets. “You want me to apologize.”

  She didn’t pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. “No, that’s not true. I didn’t want you to have to ask the question in the first place. Did you think I could be carrying Seth’s child instead of Alex’s?”

  He couldn’t deny the thought had passed through his mind.

  Kylie shook her head, her hands fluttered in front of her and then she turned and went into the living room. He followed her and caught her before she could go up the staircase into her bedroom and shut him out.

  “What did you think I was going to do?” she asked, her voice catching. “Pretend this baby belonged to Alex when it didn’t? Brock, for goodness sakes. Are you so cynical that you’d believe I’d be that deceitful? Would I even care about Saddle Ridge if I were in love with another man?”

  “It’s a valuable piece of property.” He knew he was playing devil’s advocate now and he didn’t know why he was doing it.

  “I worked so hard to keep Saddle Ridge going so Alex and I would have a future. So we’d have a family who could have a future.”

  “I was jealous,” Brock finally admitted.

  Her eyes widened in surprise.

  “Jealous that Seth had a proprietary air toward you. That he knows who you are now, and I don’t. He has a genuine affection for you that made me wonder if he was going to move in now that Alex is gone.”

  “Move in?” She was struggling to understand what he was thinking.

  “Not move in literally. But move in…get friendlier, suggest dinners, bring the baby presents, move into Alex’s place. Or fill the spot Alex never could…or would. Why wouldn’t you turn toward a stable, caring guy like Seth after what Alex put you through?”

  She sank down onto the sofa murmuring, “And I thought I had a messy thought-life.”

  If this conversation weren’t so damn serious, he’d have to smile. He dropped down beside her, wishing he’d never gotten involved in this discussion…wishing he’d never asked the question in the leather shop.

  “I’ve always thought you were beautiful. That weekend after your graduation, you kissed me and I responded. I shouldn’t have. You were too young. I was too old.”

  “You’re only five years older than I am.”

  “Back then, that made a big difference. You and Alex were the same age. That weekend, he told me he was going to marry you.”

  “He what?”

  “I figured the two of you already had something going…that when you kissed me that night, you were grateful for the gift, and I responded to a kiss like any man would.”

  “Alex and I didn’t have anything going. I’d never even kissed a man before that night.”

  Now he was truly shocked. “You and Alex had been friends all of your lives.”

  “Yes, friends. We got really close after your dad died. After…” She hesitated a moment. “After you came back here married.”

  What could he say? That their timing had been off? That everything would have been different if he hadn’t gotten married? That everything would have been different if he would have pushed aside Alex’s wishes and his desire to marry Kylie? Even so, Brock still didn’t think anything would have changed. She had still been too young for him, or he had been too old for her. He’d wanted a life away from Wild Horse Junction. He’d wanted a career that would set him above being a rancher. He’d wanted to make his mother proud and her dreams come true. And his dreams? They weren’t defined back then. They weren’t defined now. Kylie’s were, and he admired that about her.

  At least his dreams hadn’t been defined until this moment. Realizing dreams were wispy images that were elusive, he let real desire rush through him. Reality could be better than a dream. Grasping here and now seemed so much more important than the future.

  Kylie’s blue eyes were filled with questions, and maybe even anticipation. He knew her feminine ego had been wounded badly by Alex’s betrayal. More than anything, he wanted her to know she was a beautiful, desirable woman. Her hair was long and silky and slid across her shoulders whenever she moved. Her bangs were long, touching her eyebrows—eyebrows that were honey-colored, darker than her hair. For as long as he’d known Kylie, he’d never seen her in full makeup. A touch of lipstick was all she ever wore. Now only the slightest coating of it remained, making her lips slightly pinker than they would be naturally. He was more aroused than he wanted to admit, just looking at her…just thinking about kissing her.

  “Brock.” His name was a whisper and consent to an unasked question.

  “If I kiss you again, we’re both going to regret it.”

  “Are you so sure?”

  No, he wasn’t sure. His life was twisting and turning and changing. So were his intentions, his thoughts, his memories. And his dreams. Whereas he once knew exactly what he wanted, now his goals seemed nebulous. His divorce had made him throw more attention into his work. He’d focused on the parts of his life he could do something about—earning a living, saving for retirement, doing the best job he could for anyone who hired him, putting in long days so he’d sleep at night, stowing his sex drive in the deep freeze because he didn’t want a one-night stand or the complications of a relationship.

  Now that sex drive was fully awake and raring to go. Corralling primitive tendencies that could get way out of hand, he forced himself to concentrate on Kylie. When he lifted her chin and traced his thumb over the soft point, her lips parted. Still, he didn’t hurry, didn’t command, didn’t take. Rather, sliding his hand to her cheek, he held her gently, leaned in, then finally let his lips brush hers. Lips on lips, yearning cut so deep inside of him, he felt as if a horse had kicked him in the stomach. But then pure adrenaline shot through him. As Kylie’s softness tempted him, he was remembering how deeply a man could need and how hungry a man could get. Kissing Kylie took him to a place where the wind blew, where mustangs roamed free, where water fell over cliffs and sunlight glazed the world in a glorious glow.

  Their mouths opened. Their tongues questioned and then quested, took and then received, satisfied and taunted. He couldn’t get enough, and she couldn’t seem to, either. They went deeper, longer, wetter, until his hand slid from her face to her breast and he held it in his hand. Her breasts were fuller since her pregnancy and that fullness ratcheted up every nuance of fire and sensation.

  When he stroked her, she pressed into his hand. Her soft moan told him she liked what he was doing. Her hand reached out and he realized she was unfastening the buttons on his flannel shirt. When he anticipated her hands on him, he thought he might spontaneously combust. If she was going to feel his skin, then he was damn well going to feel hers.

  Her hand slipped between the plackets of his shirt, and his groan was gut-deep. His hand dropped from her breast, passed down her side to lift her sweater. But when he did, he felt the tautness of her stomach…and he froze. The baby kicked under his hand. He remembered the night she’d asked if he wanted to feel, and he’d shut down.

  She was carrying Alex’s baby. Feeling the child inside her move, the reality of Alex’s son or daughter became even more evident. This baby would bind Kylie to his brother for the rest of her life.

  Soon she was going to have his brother’s baby. And,
in spite of what Alex had done to her, he knew she still loved him and would grieve for him for a long time. Brock had been second-best to Alex all of his life. He wouldn’t be that now with him dead.

  She must have known what he was thinking. She must have sensed his shock at feeling the baby move. She leaned away the same moment he did.

  His eyes opened and so did hers. They stared at each other while they breathed in unison, gaining control over desire that had flared too quickly and still hadn’t ebbed away.

  “You felt the baby kick,” she said softly.

  “Yes, I did. Soon you’ll look into your baby’s face, see Alex and remember everything you loved about him. That’s all that will matter.”

  He saw that she wanted to protest, yet couldn’t, because what he’d said was the truth.

  Crossing her hands over her belly, she stared straight ahead for a few moments. Then she gazed at him again. “You don’t have to stay. I’m back to work now. Somehow, Dix and I will manage.”

  “Do you want me to go?”

  “No, I don’t, but for selfish reasons. I feel safe with you here. Like I don’t have the burden of the world just on my shoulders.”

  “You and Dix can’t handle this place over the winter. You know that. Besides the regular chores, when snow comes, Dix will have to lay out feed for the cattle. Not to mention the fact he’ll have to cut more wood and make sure the horses are exercised.”

  When she laid her hand on his forearm, that desire he’d rounded up so expertly slipped out of the pen again.

  She was still a bit flushed and her lips were pink from being kissed. “Let’s call the real estate agent soon,” she suggested. “Let’s sell off those sections and get the capital I need so you can leave.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

  “It’s the only solution. I should have done it before now. I was trying to keep Saddle Ridge intact. But that’s not as important as getting it running again. With the money I can hire somebody part-time who can stay after the baby’s born. I don’t want to be an obligation to you, Brock. Not ever.”