“You comin’, Pete?” Jake called from the barn door.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there. Lester has something caught in his shoe.” He bent over to pick up his mount’s hoof.
“Need any help?”
“Naw. I’m coming.” What was he doing, anyway? Hiding from some female? Even if she was his wife, no woman was going to cause Pete Randall to turn tail and run.
“Where are Brett and Chad?” he asked Jake as he joined him.
“They’ve already headed to the house. I was surprised you weren’t with them. You and Chad seem to have females on the brain lately,” Jake teased.
“Yeah.” She was still on his brain. But he was reluctant to face her. He didn’t want her to know how much he wanted her.
Jake gave him a strange look, but they’d reached the porch. When the two men entered the house, Pete’s gaze scanned the room, searching for the woman he’d just assured himself he didn’t want to see.
Chad was slumped down at the table.
“What’s wrong?” Pete demanded.
“Nothing. The girls went shopping,” Chad said, shifting his chin to his raised hand.
Pete stared at him, stunned. “Shopping? What for? What did Janie need?”
“Didn’t need nothin’,” Red assured him as he handled a pan of biscuits. “They’re just bein’ female.”
“Careful, Red. That sounds like a sexist remark,” Jake said.
“Jake!” Brett exclaimed. “First you’re reading about pregnant women, and now you’re talking about sexist remarks? What’s going on around here?”
Jake looked uncomfortable, but he muttered, “We have to be more sensitive to—to things if we’re going to have women around. I don’t want any more divorces in the Randall family.”
Pete wondered if Janie’s nausea from her pregnancy felt anything like his stomach right this moment. The thought of divorce, of Janie leaving him, was more than he could bear.
But that had been his problem all along, hadn’t it?
The question stunned him. Was that why he’d never sought marriage or any permanent relationship? He feared he might not survive its ending?
He hurriedly dismissed such wayward thoughts. He needed to think about Janie’s actions today. “What do you think, Chad?”
Chad looked up at him in surprise. “Megan’s not leaving me. There won’t be any divorce from my marriage.”
“No! No, I didn’t mean that. I mean about today. What should we do about today?”
Chad still looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
Pete was beginning to question his own sanity. Why was Chad so confused? “I mean about them going off to town.”
Jake cleared his throat. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t go to town, Pete. We’re not holding them prisoners here.”
“No, of course not. I just thought maybe they might get stuck on the road, or have a flat tire, or…” Pete didn’t finish his sentence, because he couldn’t think of any other disasters. He didn’t like realizing he was being ridiculous.
“I do need someone to go into town and pick up the part for the snowplow before we have a new storm,” Jake said, watching Pete. “You want to take care of that this afternoon?”
“I can do it,” Brett said. “I’ve got an order of office supplies I need to pick up. And there are a couple of things I forgot.”
Jake frowned at him.
“What?” Brett asked, bewilderment on his face.
“Pete needs to go into town, not you.”
“But I really do need to add to my list.”
“Give it to Pete. He’ll take care of it for you,” Jake insisted.
Brett snorted in derision. “Pete’s computer illiterate. He’d get the wrong stuff.”
“It’s okay, Jake,” Pete began, realizing how hard his older brother was working to provide him with an excuse to check on Janie.
“Maybe you should both go,” Jake said, ignoring Pete’s words. “That way neither one of you will do anything crazy.”
“Hey!” Brett protested.
Pete didn’t say anything. He was feeling a little crazy today. With Brett along, he’d have to pretend everything was normal.
“That okay with you, Chad?” Jake asked. “I really can’t spare you if these other two go off.”
“Sure. I know Megan will be back this afternoon.”
Pete wished he had as much confidence. Somehow he feared Janie might have decided she’d made a mistake. But he was determined to prove her wrong.
THERE WEREN’T too many choices for lunch in Rawhide. B.J. had agreed to meet them at Marietta’s Sandwich Shop, opened recently by a friend of Janie’s mother.
Janie relaxed as she, B.J. and Megan chatted about fashions, food and gossip. B.J. was just getting to know her way around and had a lot of questions about her customers. Megan, too, wanted to know about some of the people she’d met. Having lived in the area all her life, Janie was supplying the information, among other things, while they ate their sandwiches.
“I love Red’s cooking,” Megan said, “but it’s nice to eat something a little lighter occasionally. Living on the ranch, I’m afraid I’m gonna look like a cow!”
Janie laughed. “I know what you mean. But it takes a lot of calories to keep a cowboy in the saddle all day.”
“Do you miss the work?” B.J. asked.
“Yes, but I guess I don’t have a choice until after the babies are born.”
“And after they’re born, you won’t have any time or energy for ranching,” B.J. added.
“Really? I don’t mean to sound naive, but I’ve never been around babies all that much.”
“Me, neither,” Megan added.
B.J. grinned. “I found one a challenge. I can’t imagine dealing with two babies at once. I think part of the problem is that you don’t get any uninterrupted sleep so you can regain your health.”
“I’ll be there to help you, though, Janie,” Megan hurriedly assured her. “In fact, I’m planning on using your babies as a training experience. Chad is—is interested in having a family.” Her cheeks pinkened, and she looked down at her sandwich.
“I guess we can learn together,” Janie agreed, but her heart was envious of Megan’s happiness. Pete hadn’t had any choice about having a family, and Janie wasn’t sure he would’ve chosen that option if given a chance.
Several acquaintances dropped by to chat with them, and Janie made sure her friends met them all. She was discovering the luxury of having friends nearby, and she wanted to be sure B.J. and Megan settled in happily.
When a warm hand rested on her shoulder, she turned with a smile, expecting another neighbor. Instead, she discovered Bryan Manning.
“Oh, hello, Bryan. How are you?”
“Fine. How about you? Liking married life?”
His penetrating stare brought a flush to her cheeks. She looked down at her plate. “Yes, of course. Have you met B. J. Anderson, the new vet, and Megan Randall, my sister-in-law?”
He barely spared the others a greeting but immediately turned his attention back to Janie. “I was surprised by your wedding.”
“Yes, well, it all happened very suddenly.”
“You told me you weren’t marrying him.”
Janie felt irritation surge through her. She had owed Bryan an explanation, and she’d called him the day before her marriage. He had protested her plans, and he didn’t sound any happier about them now. But it was her business.
“I also called and told you I’d changed my mind, Bryan. That’s a woman’s prerogative.”
“That’s anyone’s prerogative,” Megan chimed in, smiling at the man. “I know because I’m an interior designer and my customers always change their minds. Usually just after I’ve purchased some outlandish piece of furniture that only they would want.”
Janie was grateful for Megan’s lighthearted attempt. It had no effect on Bryan. He was undeterred.
“My offer still stands,” he said insistently, putting his
hand back on Janie’s shoulder.
Her irritation worsened. Shrugging her shoulder so he would remove his hand, she said, “Thanks, but I’ve made my choice, Bryan. I’m not planning on changing my mind.”
“Look, can I speak to you alone? We could move to another table for a few minutes, have a cup of coffee together.…”
“No, Bryan. I’m sorry, but we have nothing to say to each other.”
He seemed almost as irritated as Janie, but she felt no sympathy for him. He was a handsome man, but she wasn’t sure what she’d seen in him. When she’d phoned him, he’d been difficult, but she’d thought he’d understood. Now all he was doing was harassing her.
“Janie, why don’t we go pay our bill and meet you at the door in a couple of minutes,” Megan suggested.
“I’m not sure—”
“Thanks,” Bryan said, nodding to Megan in gratitude.
As soon as the other two left the table, Bryan sat down. “Janie, I know you felt you had to marry the father of your baby, but I was willing to adopt the baby, to let it be mine.”
“Yes, and I appreciate that, Bryan, but I made my choice, and I don’t intend to change my mind.” Apparently he hadn’t heard there would be two babies. But she thought she’d made the right decision even if there were only one baby. She now believed that Pete should have a role in his children’s lives.
If only he wanted to have a part in her life, too.
“Can I at least call you, talk to you occasionally? I can’t just walk away from you.”
Janie almost gasped as she envisioned Pete’s reaction to a call from Bryan, his chief competition. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Bryan. You need to get on with your life.”
“But I love you!”
They were the words she wanted to hear from Pete. Not from Bryan. “I’m sorry, Bryan, but any relationship we had is over. I’m married.”
His hand reached out to cover hers as it lay on the table. Why couldn’t the man understand what she was telling him? She tugged at his hold on her, but he didn’t let go.
“Bryan—” she began, but an icy voice interrupted her.
“Take your hand off my wife.”
She didn’t need to turn around to know that Pete had arrived on the scene and that he was angry.
“Pete, I’ll take care of this.”
“You’re my wife. I’ll take care of it.” Pete reached over’her shoulder and grasped Bryan’s wrist. “Turn her loose.”
“You’re acting like a caveman,” Bryan protested even as he did as Pete asked. “In Chicago, we’re a little more civilized.”
“I’m sure. And if you want to live a long and fruitful life, I’d suggest you hightail it right back to Chicago. Hitting on another man’s wife out here will get you a broken nose.”
“Pete!” Janie protested. The last thing she wanted was a scene in front of half the town two days after her marriage.
“Listen here, cowboy, you’re not going to tell me what to do!” Bryan unwisely responded.
“The hell I won’t!” Pete said. He punctuated his words with a blow to the man’s nose.
Bryan crumpled to the floor, and everyone stared at Janie and Pete.
Chapter Thirteen
Brett, Megan and B.J. rushed to the table, arriving about the same time Bryan hit the floor.
“Pete! What are you doing?” Brett demanded, grabbing his brother by the arm.
“Protecting my wife,” Pete growled.
Janie closed her eyes briefly and then glared at her husband. “I wasn’t in any danger.”
B.J. helped Bryan to his feet. She felt his nose even as she offered him a napkin to staunch the flow of blood. “I don’t think anything is broken, Mr. Manning. But I’m sure Pete will be glad to pay the doctor bill if you want to go see Dr. Jacoby.”
Brett quickly seconded B.J.’s offer, but Pete didn’t. Janie could still see anger in his eyes as he looked at Bryan. She tugged on her husband’s arm. “Pete, let’s get out of here.”
Without a word, he took her hand and led her outside. Once they were apart from the others, he turned on her. “What were you doing with that man?” The anger dripped from his voice.
“Trying to avoid causing a scene,” she replied in kind. “Wasted effort, as it turns out, since you decided to play Tarzan.”
“You wanted to talk to him?”
“No, Pete, I don’t ever want to talk to him again. He was being insistent, which I didn’t like, but I didn’t think I was in any danger.”
Pete looked away, staring across the almost empty street. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “Probably you weren’t,” he said on an exhaled breath. He kept looking away as he continued, “But if I’m Tarzan, you are my Janie, and I won’t have that man hanging around you.”
Janie didn’t know what to make of this man. He both infuriated her and turned her on—all at the same time. Then something occurred to her. “What are you doing in town?”
The guilty look on his face confirmed her suspicions. But he hurriedly said, “Jake wanted me to pick up a part for the snowplow.”
“You were here to check on me, weren’t you?” she demanded. “Do you think I can’t be trusted out of your sight? Do you intend to follow me all over creation?”
“Now, honey—”
“Did I need a note from you to have lunch in town?” She was shouting at him now, unmindful of the people in the parking lot. “Are you afraid I’ll spend all your money? Damn it, Pete! I don’t even know if you have money. You won’t let me do anything. You just want to keep me wrapped in cotton and sitting in a corner somewhere!” She feared she might’ve gone too far, but it felt good to release some of her frustration.
“Janie, are you all right?” Megan asked behind her, putting a hand on her arm.
Janie turned to see Brett, Megan and B.J. watching her, and she promptly burst into tears.
PETE SWEPT JANIE up into his arms and carried her to his pickup. B.J. followed and opened the door to the cab, then closed it behind Janie.
“Pete, emotional swings are normal with pregnancy. Humor her, okay?”
“Don’t you think I should take her to Doc?” he asked, surprised.
“Nope. Everything’s fine. She probably got a little tired today. Let her take a nap, and pretend this crying jag never happened.”
“But it’s so unlike Janie.”
“It’s unlike a nonpregnant Janie. Things are different now.”
You could say that again.
Megan and Brett joined them.
“Are you taking Janie home?” Brett asked.
“Yeah. She needs a nap.”
“But she wanted her car from her parents’ house,” Megan explained.
“So she can run around and get exhausted again?” Pete demanded.
“So she won’t feel trapped,” Megan said quietly. “Pregnancy is new to Janie at the moment, Pete. Letting her have her car won’t hurt anything.”
“And it’s not as if you have a choice,” B.J. argued. “She’s an adult. Adults get to make their own decisions.”
He stared at Janie, sitting in the cab of his truck, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked at him and then hurriedly turned away. She hates me. The thought struck him with such force, he almost reeled back. What was he going to do? Hate was definitely not the emotion he wanted from her.
“Fine. We’ll go by her parents and let her pick up her car. But I’m getting her a cellular phone so she can call if she gets in trouble.”
“Good idea. You take her on back home, and I’ll arrange for the cellular phone,” Brett said. “That is, I will if you can spare the time, Megan, ’cause I don’t have my truck here with me.”
“Of course I can. Why are you both in town, anyway? I thought you were shorthanded at the ranch.”
Pete’s cheeks turned red, but he confessed, “Jake thought up an excuse ’cause I was worried about Janie. I knew she wouldn’t want me to check on her, but—but I was imagin
ing all kinds of disasters.”
“You mean like someone punching another person out and causing a scene?” B.J. teased.
Pete reluctantly grinned. “Something like that.”
After telling them all goodbye, he circled the truck and got in. Janie stared straight ahead.
“Honey, I’ll run you by your folks’ so you can pick up your car. I didn’t think about you needing it.”
She turned to stare at him, surprise on her face.
Finally he’d done something right, thanks to Megan and B.J. Maybe he’d take his marriage problems to those two instead of his brothers. Women seemed to understand other women better than any man did.
JANIE TOOK A LONG NAP, something she never used to do. But she’d learned that everything had changed since she’d become pregnant. And married.
When she came down to dinner, Pete was waiting for her, a wary look on his face. She couldn’t blame him. Her crying had been almost as awkward and bizarre as his scene with Bryan.
But she didn’t want to talk about the afternoon’s events. It brought her emotions too close to the surface. She had to keep her distance from the sexy man she’d married.
Which was hard to do when he took the seat next to her, his broad shoulders touching hers every time he passed a dish to her. It simply wasn’t fair, she decided. Why did he have to be so attractive?
After dinner, she insisted on helping Red clean up. It would give her some distance from Pete. But when Megan volunteered, too, Pete assured her he would help Janie in a voice that brooked no argument.
“You really don’t have to,” she protested anyway. So much for distance!
“You let him be, Janie. He needs to do his share. After all, he didn’t work this afternoon,” Red added, chuckling. “Unless you call rounding up one little stray hard work.”
“I hadn’t strayed, Red. I was with Megan and B.J.”
“And was it Megan and B.J. this old grizzly bear punched out?” Red was more amused by his own humor than his audience was.
“That’s enough, Red,” Pete warned sternly. “This afternoon is best forgotten.”
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