Coming Home to Texas

by Victoria Chancellor

  That floored her. She couldn’t think of one coherent comment to his remark…and all it implied. So she snapped, “Oh, yeah? You and who else are going to carry me into the house?”

  “Give me a break. I could carry you if I wanted to.” He still looked a little angry, but the ferocity had left his expression.

  “Well, don’t try it. I’m not responsible for broken backs.”

  He grinned at that, then threw back his head and laughed. Moments later he smiled down at her and said, “Come on up to the house, Mrs. Whitaker, and talk to the press. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  Jodie couldn’t think of a thing to say as Travis took her hand and led her into the house. Mrs. Whitaker. She hadn’t thought of herself as Mrs. Whitaker before. Mrs. Travis Whitaker. How did she feel about that name?

  Was Mrs. Whitaker a different person than Jodie Marsh?

  Chapter Nine

  “Well, your story has already been picked up. The engagement photo I ran in Friday’s edition did the trick. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have the exclusive on the wedding photos. I thought about putting out a special edition, but I decided that since I didn’t do that for Prince Alexi, I shouldn’t do it now. So the photos will run on Friday.”

  “Exclusive for now. Our photographer will be releasing the official photos as soon as I approve them,” Jodie reminded Thelma.

  “Oh, yes, I know. But this time I got to break the story. That’s very exciting for an old woman like me!”

  “You’re not an old woman,” Travis told her. True, she had gray hair in the style of many grandmothers, but Thelma maintained a vitality that made her seem younger than her sixty-something years.

  “Perhaps you could do a follow-up story on us later,” Jodie suggested, which made Travis cringe inside. He didn’t want or need publicity, but he’d taken on the role of a celebrity’s husband when he’d married her yesterday.

  “Sure,” he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “But nothing too personal, okay?”

  “Not even for Architectural Digest?” Jodie asked, nudging his arm.

  “Well, perhaps.” There hadn’t been a feature about him in that prestigious magazine yet, but there’d been some smaller stories about a couple of residences and one of his public buildings in Phoenix.

  “I thought so.”

  “That would be good publicity for your business,” Thelma mentioned.

  “Yes, but I didn’t marry Jodie to get a feature in a magazine. I’d just as soon we have some quiet time.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Thelma said, patting his hand as though he were a five-year-old. “But the perks don’t hurt.”

  Jodie laughed at that, the sound lifting his mood. He hadn’t made her laugh lately. He hadn’t even given her much to smile about.

  “On the down side, I have to mention that some of those more aggressive reporters will be in town soon. Travis, I know you remember when Prince Alexi was in town that first time. This will be almost as bad as that day at the gazebo when he held the press conference.”

  Travis remembered it well. He’d stood beside Charlene Jacks and watched as the prince had told a huge lie to the world. As the cameras had snapped off photos, Alexi had told everyone that he wasn’t with Kerry Lynn Jacks, while, in fact, they’d been driving around Texas and falling in love.

  Come to think of it, they’d had to get married, too. That marriage had worked out well. Of course, unlike himself and Jodie, Alexi and Kerry claimed they were madly in love.

  “We’ll handle the reporters,” he told Thelma.

  “I’ll get Neil and Felicia on the problem. Maybe they can make some arrangements so the press isn’t just hanging around, waiting for a photo op.” Jodie paused, glancing at him, then back at Thelma. “Also, I’ll be back in California on Tuesday for a meeting that was already arranged before we decided to get married. I’ll work in a few interviews there, to take the pressure off Travis.”

  After Thelma left with promises to call them when she heard from other journalists, Jodie turned to him from her place near the window. Sunlight gilded her hair and emphasized the curves of her figure.

  “I’m sorry your life has become more complicated since I showed up last week.”

  “No, you did what you thought was best,” he said as he locked the door and appreciated the calm of his house.

  “Maybe, but I should have thought this through more before I said we had to marry. This isn’t fair to you.”

  “Despite the temporary inconveniences, I’m glad you came to me. I want to be a father to our baby.”

  “Still, I feel—”

  He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging away some of her tension. “Jodie, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “Mmm, that feels so good.”

  “Come with me, Jodie. I’ll make you feel even better.”

  “I smell like a horse.”

  He kissed her neck. “So do I. Let’s get cleaned up together.”

  She looked back over her shoulder. “Like in Monte Carlo?”

  “This is our honeymoon,” he whispered.

  She reached up and caressed his cheek, looked deeply into his eyes, then grasped his hand. “Come on. We’ve wasted enough time.”

  He led her through the kitchen, down the hall and into his master suite. A sense of urgency overtook him until he realized he was practically dragging Jodie through the house. He’d probably be able to think more clearly if his blood hadn’t deserted his brain for parts farther south. He had to get himself under control before they got naked or he’d completely disappoint both of them.

  She giggled, breaking into his chaotic thoughts. “And here I thought you might be a reluctant bridegroom.”

  “At the moment,” he said, pausing beside the shower stall, “I’m an overeager bridegroom.”

  Jodie pressed close and looped her arms around his back, smiling seductively. “I do like a cooperative husband.”

  “And I do like…you,” he said. He kissed her, absorbing her warmth with the traces of not-quite-springtime air and horses and leather. He smoothed his hands down her back, willing himself to go slow. She’s carrying your child, he told himself.

  But then her fingers found his belt and buttons and desire exploded in his brain. “Go slow,” he murmured.

  “Why?” she said, laughter in her muffled voice as she nuzzled his chest.

  He knew she didn’t want to hear him tell her one more time to be careful. To remind her that she was pregnant and her life had changed, no matter what she believed about being healthy and fit and practically indestructible.

  “Come on, slowpoke,” she challenged, pulling his shirt from his jeans.

  “Lesson one on making love to a cowboy,” he said, grasping her hands and tugging her toward the padded bench beside the big whirlpool tub. “Boots come off first.”

  Jodie laughed and pushed him onto the bench, then went to work with more enthusiasm than skill. Her levity and his sobering thoughts allowed him to regain some control. By the time she’d removed his boots and socks, and started on his jeans, he knew he willed himself to calm down, to be careful. One of them had to be…

  He pulled her up when her lips started a path down his chest and abs. Not a good idea if he were to go slow. Instead he kissed her and started to work on her clothes, undressing her as efficiently as possible as she moved and wiggled and generally played havoc with his senses.

  “Remind me to admire your bathroom later,” she said, peeling herself out of her jeans. He barely had time to admire her long legs, strong thighs and curvy hips before she reached for him again. She backed him toward the shower stall, tugging his briefs down.

  Within a minute they were both naked and breathing hard beneath the steaming water. “Just like Monte Carlo,” Jodie whispered in his ear, nipping his lobe with her teeth. Shivers raced down his spine. His long-denied libido urged him to give in to the passion. To press into her as he�
�d done that first weekend and to lose himself to the rhythm she demanded. But he couldn’t. Go slow. She’s carrying your child, he silently chanted.

  “Travis,” she moaned as he pressed her against the tile, bent his knees, grasped her hips and eased inside. He concentrated on her pleasure with measured strokes and gentle pressure until she gasped and tightened around him. Not even then would he give in to her pleas or the demands of her body. Or his. He continued to go slow until he pushed her over the edge one more time. Only then did he allow himself to climax, holding her tight and drinking in the sound and feel and smell of their passion.

  They washed in silence, both of them still breathing hard when Travis turned off the water. He sluiced water from his eyes and smiled at Jodie.

  She was frowning back at him.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, reaching for a towel. “Is something wrong with you?”

  “No!” He felt like placing his hands on his hips and demanding what she meant by that remark. Instead he reached for a towel and began to briskly rub himself dry. “I feel wonderful. I thought you did, too.”

  “Oh, I feel fine. But you…you weren’t very enthusiastic.”

  “You’re critiquing me?” He wrapped the towel around his hips and tried not to glare.

  “No! Well, yes, but I didn’t mean it like that.” She wrapped the towel around her and tucked the end securely over her breasts. “I suppose I was just expecting a little more urgency. I got pretty carried away, but I don’t think you did, and frankly, Travis, that just isn’t like you. Or at least, the you I knew in Monte Carlo.”

  “Things are different now.”

  “Because we’re in Texas? Or because we’re married?”

  “No, because we…because I needed to be a little more careful. Things are different. You’re pregnant. We need to—”

  “Don’t say it again!”

  “Jodie, don’t be upset.”

  “Oh, Travis, how can we be arguing again, right after we…after the first time we made love since our wedding.” She ducked her head, but not before he saw an unnatural shine in her eyes.

  He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. “Jodie, holding back while making love to you was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. But I could never forgive myself if I let passion take over and I hurt you.”

  “Or the baby.”

  “Right.”

  “Travis, are you going to be able to think of me as anything other than a pregnant woman for the next seven months?”

  “Of course.”

  She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. “I want things to be like they were before.”

  He felt a great tenderness, a warmth stronger than the passion he’d experienced before. The intensity of his feelings surprised him, but he tamped down those emotions and focused on making his wife understand. Just as he couldn’t allow himself to make love to her unchecked, he couldn’t become irrational about their relationship.

  “We can’t go back, Jodie. We can only go forward.”

  “You’re right, but—”

  “We’re going to work through these challenges. We just got married, and that takes some adjustment. We’re both intelligent adults. We can overcome anything.”

  He said that to her with great confidence, but inside he wondered if intelligence and maturity had much to do with the confusing feelings he was trying desperately to keep under control.

  JODIE LEANED BACK in the thickly padded leather seat as soon as the pilot turned off the seat belt sign. Flying first class was a luxury she appreciated now that she could afford the ridiculous cost. Cramming her tall, overly curvy body into a regular coach seat was torture. In a few months, she reminded herself, she’d be even more uncomfortable flying as her size increased with the pregnancy. Where would she be, she wondered as she placed a hand over her stomach, when she felt the baby move for the first time?

  The past three days had been a roller-coaster ride of emotional highs and lows, of physical attraction and mental challenges, culminating with making love in the shower. Travis alternatively infuriated and intrigued her, to the point where she didn’t know how to feel about him or their marriage.

  Jodie put on her headphones to block out the noise on the plane. The problem was they didn’t really have a marriage yet. They’d had a wedding, and now a wedding night. After making love, they’d dressed and gone on with making dinner, chatting and sleeping together in his bed. Legally she was Mrs. Travis Whitaker, but inside she was still Jodie Marsh, independent career woman.

  She knew many people couldn’t understand her need to succeed, but she considered her body and her looks as a tool. She didn’t believe she was overly vain or self-absorbed. She took care of herself—her skin, hair and general health—because they were all important to her profession, not because they were particularly important to her. Although, she did have to admit, she was fond of the perks such as facials, massages, pedicures and manicures.

  While she was in California, she’d devote two or three days to her career and the new contract, which would provide her with both financial independence and flexibility. When she got back to Ranger Springs, she was going to concentrate on her marriage, she vowed as she twirled her sparkling diamond wedding band around her fingers.

  She felt a strong surge of emotion when she thought of her new husband. Travis had saved her career and she didn’t want him to regret that. She also hoped that they could build on the renewed intimacy they’d started to share. But could she risk her heart when she knew Travis wasn’t particularly understanding about her career? When he’d become angry several times over misunderstandings?

  They were so different in many ways. She wanted their relationship to last forever because Travis was more than just her baby’s father. He was her lover, her husband, and now the most important person in her world. Together they’d be parents to a precious new life.

  She’d made a commitment to him and their child. Before she’d left, she’d become his bride. When she returned to his ranch, she was going to learn how to be a wife.

  TRAVIS HAD TRIED TO concentrate on the preliminary drawings for the new cultural center, but his thoughts kept straying to Jodie. What was she doing in California? Was she getting enough sleep? Did she miss him at all?

  “Probably not,” he muttered. He hadn’t been Mr. Charming much of the time, getting angry when he should have been more patient. He’d jumped to conclusions, which made him wonder why. He didn’t think he was trying to sabotage their chances to succeed at this marriage. But if he wasn’t, what was he doing? What had made him so touchy?

  Sexual frustration, he thought. Being abstinent in the same house, on the same honeymoon, with Jodie had driven him crazy. Their last night together had barely taken the edge off. He was eager for her to return home so they could make more progress on their marriage.

  Of course, he wasn’t going to give in to the urge to go crazy in the bedroom. Not while she was pregnant. They would be careful, because that was the right thing to do. That didn’t mean they both couldn’t enjoy each other immensely. He planned to prove that to Jodie real soon.

  He welcomed the phone call from Hank on Wednesday afternoon as a welcome distraction from work.

  “You and Jodie looked pretty darn good in that photo Thelma took for the local paper. She was showing it around the café. You clean up real well,” Hank joked.

  “Gee, thanks, and this from a cowboy who smells like horse about ninety percent of the time.”

  “Wendy doesn’t mind, and that’s all I care about.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet.” Travis knew that when Hank had fallen, he’d fallen hard for the English lady.

  “But you didn’t even get your picture in the tabloid. The one where they claimed Jodie was marrying some mysterious Texas millionaire rancher.”

  “Yeah, I saw that one. I expected them to claim I was a two-headed alien or maybe Elvis in disguise.”

&n
bsp; “Maybe they’re going to say that Jodie is having an alien baby.”

  “What?” How in the world could Hank know something that private. Well, not the alien part, but the having-a-baby part. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Oh, you know those stupid magazines. They’re always claiming alien babies or alien abductions.”

  “Oh.” He felt an enormous sense of relief. He didn’t want Jodie to think that he’d blabbed their secret to his friends as soon as she’d left town.

  “We wanted to invite you and your bride over to dinner again on Friday. Wendy’s got a wild idea to do a traditional English meal. I’d just as soon grill a couple of steaks, but you know how she gets, and especially now, with all these food urges. I swear, you’d think kidney pie would just about turn her stomach. But no, she’s got to have some!”

  Travis chuckled. “You sure can’t get that anywhere else in Ranger Springs.”

  “Nope, and probably for a good reason. So, can you come for dinner? I’ll even get her to fix a roast or something more normal in case Jodie doesn’t like British food. I don’t want to eat all this stuff alone.”

  “I’m sure dinner that night will be fine. I heard from Jodie and she’ll be home tomorrow.”

  “Good. It must be a real bummer to have her gone when you should be on your honeymoon.”

  “Gee, thanks for reminding me. I’d completely forgotten what I might have been doing instead of working.”

  Hank laughed, but while his friend formulated a snappy comeback, Travis began to wonder why he wasn’t in California with Jodie. Why was he sitting at home? She hadn’t invited him, that’s why. Had she just not thought about asking him, or was there a reason?

  “So about seven o’clock,” Hank was saying.

  “Can I bring anything?”

  “I’d say a dozen hamburgers, just in case, but Wendy would box my ears.”

  “I hear you. Okay, we’ll be there. If you think of anything you need in the meantime, give me a call.”

  “Sure thing. Pretty lonesome out there by yourself?”