Nashville Rebel

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  Moving the eggs around on her plate, she glanced up at him. What if she didn’t want to leave later? What if she started craving a real relationship with Tommy, something committed, something long and lasting and deep? She would be in major trouble if that happened.

  “Do you think you’re going to be sick?” he asked.

  She stilled her fork. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Do you think you’re going to get morning sickness and all of that?”

  “I don’t know. Most women do, I guess. But there should be ways to alleviate it. I’ll talk to my doctor about it, just in case.” She studied him in the overcast light. The clouds blocked the sun, creating a hazy ambience.

  He refreshed his coffee from the carafe on the table. She was drinking herbal tea. She knew that caffeine wasn’t good for pregnant women.

  “When are you going to call your doctor?” he asked.

  “Today, as soon as his office opens. I’m hoping they can get me in within the next few days. But maybe it would be better if you didn’t go with me to any of my appointments.”

  Tommy frowned. “Why not?”

  Because having him there might make her feel even closer to him, and she was already struggling with those feelings. “I think it’ll create some problems.” In all sorts of ways, she thought. “You’re too famous to walk into my doctor’s office without anyone recognizing you. And since it’s an OB-GYN, it might make people wonder what you’re doing there. Another patient might snap a picture of you and Tweet about it. And then the media will start speculating, and our plan to keep this under wraps could fall to pieces.”

  His frown deepened. “So we’ll arrange to go through a private entrance like I do with my doctor.”

  “I don’t want anyone making special allowances for me. Besides, it could still turn into a three-ring circus if someone on the nursing staff is a fan of yours.” She knew how giddy people got in his presence, especially the young, crush-crazed types.

  “You didn’t have a problem with this last night.”

  “I was caught up in the moment. But now I’m thinking a bit more clearly.” Or she was trying to, anyway.

  “I understand that having to deal with my celebrity can get overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be the three-ring circus you talked about.” He leaned forward in his chair. “I can get you your own private physician, and he or she can come to the house. You can have your appointments right here.”

  “Oh, my goodness, Tommy. That’s way too much. I want to see my own doctor in his own office. And I want to do it by myself.”

  He expelled a hard sigh. “All right. But when we announce that I’m your baby’s donor, you’re still going to have to cope with the media side of this.”

  “I know. But I’ll be geared up for it by then. Plus, I won’t be living here anymore. I’ll be at my house, and you’ll be working toward getting back on the road.” They would be separate entities. Or at least that was the plan.

  He sent her a concerned look. “You’re not having second thoughts about staying here now, are you?”

  Yes, she most definitely was. But she didn’t want to bring her fears to his attention. Nothing would be worse than falling in love with him. She knew what a disaster that would be. Yet even as panicked as she was, she wasn’t ready to give him up completely.

  “Are you?” he persisted.

  “Am I what?” she replied, confused.

  “Having second thoughts about staying here for the next twelve weeks?”

  “No,” she lied. But with any luck, she would be prepared to part ways with him by then.

  “I’m really glad you’re going to stay.” A devilish smile spread across his face. “You’re as beautiful as ever, Soph. Sexy, too. Pregnancy suits you.”

  She clucked her tongue, playing down his desire. “You say that now, but you’re not going to think I’m sexy when my hormones kick into gear.”

  “Nothing is going to change how hot you are to me. Now, get over here, little mama, and climb onto my lap.” He patted his thighs for effect, flirting shamelessly with her.

  Was it wrong that she liked him calling her “little mama”? Or that she wanted him as badly as he appeared to want her? She gave up the fight and flirted with him, too. “I’m not going to bump and grind with you over breakfast. But if you sit perfectly still, I might come over there and give you a long, luscious kiss.”

  He flexed his hands. “I won’t move, I promise.”

  She left her seat and scooted onto his lap, looping her arms around his neck. He groaned, and she kissed him soft and deep. When she broke her lips away from his, he nuzzled her cheek.

  “So is there anything new going on with you?” she asked. “Besides making your best friend pregnant?”

  “Ha ha. Funny lady. Actually, I’ve been thinking about going to Texas to see Matt. And I’d love for you to join me. If your doctor says it’s all right for you to travel, do you want to go? Maybe even this weekend?”

  “Oh, wow. Really? That soon?” She’d spent a portion of her life being on the road with Tommy, and now he was suggesting a quick getaway. But maybe a little vacation would be a nice change of pace. “I’ll check with my doctor. But I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Pregnant women travel all the time.”

  “I’ll need to call Matt to arrange it, but he told me before that I could visit anytime. It’ll certainly be a lot more fun having you there, sharing the experience with me. Since Libby has been going back and forth and is returning to Texas this weekend, we could offer her a seat on my plane with the three of us making the trip together.”

  “I like that idea. It would be good for you to get to know your brother better.” And Sophie could get to know Libby better, too. With everything that had been going on, they hadn’t seen each other since the picnic at Kirby’s.

  “Then it’s a date.” He rocked her gently, keeping her on his lap. “Since it’s a recreational ranch, there will be plenty of things for us to do. The weather is nice at this time of year, too.” He paused and added, “Of course, for now we can’t reveal that I’m Matt’s brother. But Matt and I already have a cover story, where we’ll just say that we’re friends.”

  She understood that they were protecting Matt’s identity until the book came out. Just as Sophie was protecting the secret of her pregnancy until she was further along.

  But the biggest thing she needed to protect was her heart, and keep it far, far away from Tommy.

  * * *

  Sophie was used to flying on Tommy’s private jet. It was the same plane he used when he toured. At the moment, he was kicking back in one of the bedrooms, and Sophie and Libby sat side by side in the main compartment.

  “This is so luxurious,” Libby said, with her big blue eyes all aglow. “Up until now, I’ve been taking commercial flights. Kirby pays for me to travel first class, though, so I can’t complain.”

  “How’s the book coming?” Sophie asked, curious about the process.

  “I’m working on the rough draft, so it’s moving along. I still have a few more interviews to conduct, but I can fill those areas in later.” Libby tucked a strand of her wavy blond hair behind her ear. “I still need to talk to you and Tommy about the details of your donor agreement and how much of it you’re comfortable sharing in the book.”

  “We can discuss all of that this weekend. It won’t really matter because by the time the book comes out the news will be public knowledge anyway.” At that point, Sophie would have gotten used to people knowing who her baby’s donor was.

  “Yes, but it’s important for me to tell it in the way you and Tommy want it to be told. For example, do you want me to disclose the fact that you’re together?”

  Sophie’s heart bumped inside her chest. “We won’t be together by then.” Libby obviously knew that Sophie and Tommy were lovers. Kirby probably told her, maybe even in reference to
the book since that seemed to be a concern of Libby’s. “Me moving in with Tommy was just a temporary arrangement while I became pregnant. I’ll be staying just a bit longer now, but it’s still going to end.”

  The blonde flashed a dimpled smile. “Are you sure about that? If it was a regular donor situation, you wouldn’t have been together to begin with, and now that you’re pregnant, you’re still together. That seems more like a relationship than a business arrangement to me.”

  “It isn’t.” Sophie defended the absurdity of remaining Tommy’s bedmate. “I’m only staying with him through my first trimester. Then I’ll be going home.”

  “And you’ll stop...sharing a bed?”

  “Yes, definitely.” She tried to sound less worried than she was. She didn’t want to admit that she had fears about falling in love with him.

  Libby shifted in her seat. She sat near the window, with clouds floating by. “I hope I’m not meddling, but I think you’d make a great couple.”

  Sophie shook her head, trying to keep calm. This wasn’t a conversation she’d expected to have. “It just seems that way because Tommy and I are such close friends.”

  “Yes, but that’s what gives you the background for developing a relationship. And it’s obvious how strong your chemistry is.”

  Determined to lessen the significance of their attraction, she waved her hand, brushing it off. “That’ll go away.”

  “Really? How? Just by willing it away? Matt and I tried to have a no-strings affair and now look at us.”

  Engaged and raising a family together? None of that applied to Sophie. “It’s different for me and Tommy. We only got together so I could have my baby. I never would have been with him otherwise. He’s just too much of a player.”

  “I’m aware of Tommy’s history. But he doesn’t seem that way now that he’s with you.”

  “That’s just an illusion.” A magic trick, she thought. “He’ll go back to his old ways when the newness of what we’re doing wears off.”

  “I guess you know his patterns better than anyone.”

  “Yes, I do.” She knew how flighty he could be, how easily distracted, and she couldn’t imagine him being any other way. “Besides, I’m not interested in having him as my partner.” She knew better than to want the impossible.

  “Okay. But if things get complicated, and you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener.”

  “Thank you. That’s sweet. But I’m fine with how things are.” Or so she kept telling herself.

  Either way, she didn’t think that Libby believed her. Matt’s fiancée seemed to know that Sophie was struggling with her feelings. She just hoped that Tommy didn’t figure it out, too.

  Ten

  The Flying Creek Ranch was a magnificent place. Sophie loved the layout of the land and the vast beauty of the Texas Hill Country. Some of the regular activities included horseback riding, hayrides, hiking, swimming, fishing, skeet shooting, campfires, barn dances, horseshoes and Ping-Pong.

  Matt insisted that they stay at his house instead of in one of the guest cabins or at the main lodge. The single-story, custom-built home he shared with Libby and Chance was beautifully crafted, big and woodsy with stone floors.

  Sophie had already gotten a glimpse of the three of them together at Kirby’s, but seeing them here in their own environment was even more compelling. But that wasn’t the half of it. Tommy’s interaction with Chance was really doing a number on her.

  She stood in the doorway of the den and watched them from across the expansive room. Tommy was playing a video game with Chance and getting along brilliantly with the boy. Typically Tommy didn’t click with children; it wasn’t his forte. But soon after they’d arrived, six-year-old Chance started following Tommy around like a wolf cub, drawing him into the kid zone.

  Dang it, Sophie thought. She was already worried about falling in love with Tommy, and this wasn’t helping. Still, it made her heart glad to know that he was honing his kid skills.

  Nonetheless, Chance was kicking his ass in the game. Funny, too, because it was a rodeo game and Tommy could ride mechanical bulls like nobody’s business. The virtual ones? Apparently, not so much. But he was still enjoying himself. He laughed every time he screwed up, with Chance ribbing him along the way.

  Libby came up beside Sophie and whispered, “They’re cute together.”

  “Yes, they are.” She spoke quietly, too. “So cute, so sweet.” But she was trying not to get sucked too deeply into it, at least not where it would knock her into a lovesick abyss. “This is the first time Tommy has bonded with a child.”

  “Then I’m glad it could be with Chance.”

  “So am I.” She moved away from the door, making sure their conversation remained private. Libby followed her down the hall and Sophie said, “You’d never know it by the way Tommy is playing that game, but he’s an incredible cowboy. We already talked about him teaching my child to ride and rope. When we were kids, he helped me be a better cowgirl.”

  “Your relationship with him is really special—to be such close friends for so many years. You did right by choosing him as your donor.”

  “Thank you. It’s important for me to hear you say that.” Especially since Sophie was in a state of emotional distress. “I’m not doing as well as I let on earlier.” At this point it didn’t make sense to pretend, not when Libby already appeared to sense the truth. “But I’m sure you figured me out.”

  “I can tell how Tommy affects you.” She put her hand on Sophie’s arm. “He has a powerful presence.”

  “I’m afraid of falling in love with him.” She couldn’t bear to need more from him than he was capable of giving. She would never recover from the problems it would cause.

  “I understand how daunting your concerns must be. But maybe in time loving him will seem like a good thing.”

  “I hope so.” Because for now just the thought alone made her ache.

  * * *

  On Saturday night, a barn dance was under way. But at the moment, Tommy sat next to Matt at a rustic wooden table, away from the crowd. They’d already eaten a country-fried meal, and now Libby, Sophie and Chance were line dancing, leaving the men by themselves.

  Tommy’s celebrity had caused a stir, but he didn’t mind. Earlier, he’d taken tons of selfies with other guests and signed cocktail napkins and whatever else they gave him to scribble on.

  He’d made nice with the cover band, too. He’d sat in on a couple of old country tunes with them. He’d also offered to Tweet a link to a YouTube video that featured their original material. Overall, they were a damn fine group of musicians, talented in their own right.

  Tommy checked out the line dancers. Chance was doing what he could to keep up, but he missed most of the steps, turning the wrong way nearly every time.

  Amused, Tommy said to Matt, “You need to teach that pint-size cowboy to dance.”

  His half brother chuckled. “I’m working on it. But dancing doesn’t come easy to him. He’s a hell of a roper, though.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard. He’s a great kid. Being around him is making me more excited about the baby Sophie is going to have. It’s still really early, but it’s kind of cool to touch her stomach and know there’s a little peanut in there.”

  Matt picked up his beer. “So you’re going to call it Peanut Talbot?”

  Tommy laughed. A second later, he realized that he had no idea what Sophie was going to call her child. They hadn’t discussed what her choices might be. But to make things clear, he said, “It’ll be more like Peanut Cardinale. It’ll have Sophie’s surname.” That much he did know.

  “Oh, of course. Sorry. I have my mom’s last name, too.”

  Tommy nodded. “Are she and her husband going to stop by the dance tonight?” Matt’s mom lived on the ranch with a man she’d recently married.

  “They shou
ld be here soon. She’s interested in meeting you.”

  “I guess it’s only fair since you met my mom.” It was strange, too, to think about the way their mothers had catered to their father back in the day, giving Kirby whatever he wanted. “What’s on your birth certificate? Who’s named as the father?”

  “It says ‘unknown.’ Whenever anyone asked about him, I’d just say that he was a drifter and that my mom never even knew his real name. But that’s what I was instructed to say.” Matt set down his half-empty beer. “When Kirby first started coming around, I didn’t know he was my dad. Eventually I sensed it, though. And then my mom told me the truth.”

  “At least it didn’t take you by surprise. That must have made it a little easier.”

  “Yeah, I suppose it did. Is your name going to be on the birth certificate for Sophie’s kid?”

  “No. But we’re still going to tell him or her who I am.”

  “It sounds like you have it all worked out.”

  “We certainly tried to.” Tommy glanced at Sophie, thinking how natural she looked in this setting. A moment later, something inside him went tight—he felt a sudden fear about how easily she could shut him out of her child’s life. Of course, that was a stupid thing to think about. Why would Sophie do that to him? He wasn’t going to contest their agreement or try to be the dad. Yet Sophie seemed different now that she was pregnant. More cautious, he thought. He even got the sinking feeling that their friendship could be on the line. And if Sophie stopped being friends with him, then he wouldn’t get to see the child, either. He would be left out in the cold.

  “There’s my mom,” Matt said suddenly, interrupting Tommy’s mental ramblings.

  He turned and saw an attractive fiftysomething brunette heading toward them. As for her husband, he was tall and lanky, fair-skinned, with thinning gray hair and a kind face. He already knew that their names were Julie and Lester.