After a few awkward moments, they found their rhythm. Undressing each other in silence, they discovered an intimate accord. Quick smiles...the occasional hitched breath when he removed her lacy undies or when she saw the strength of his erection.
As he reached for a condom, she stopped him, her cheeks flushed. “I’m on the pill. And I’m okay...I haven’t...”
She stuttered to a stop when he put his fingers on her lips. “I understand. You don’t have to worry about me, either, I swear.”
After that, they clambered into bed like an old married couple, settling between the soft, smooth sheets with simultaneous sighs.
“I’m nervous,” she said.
Tenderness overwhelmed him. Tenderness he would have sworn was long dead. “At the risk of sounding wimpy, me, too.”
She chuckled. “You’re a lot of things, Jed, but wimpy isn’t one of them.” She ran her hands up his arms, her thumbs delineating muscles and sinew. “I truly didn’t know how special it was...what we had back then. Men like you are unusual.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” He settled between her thighs but didn’t move. The effort cost him, but he hovered on the brink of some important revelation.
“You don’t have anything to prove. Even as a teenager you were confident. That self-assurance enabled you to be kind to those who needed it. Tender with me. Gentle in your strength. I loved you for that. And admired you.”
He hadn’t been kind in his thoughts. When she cut him loose, he had wanted to strike back...to make her suffer as much as he was. But as an eighteen-year-old kid, it had been more important to hide his pain. To act as if her defection meant nothing to him.
He had allowed his pride to get in the way back then. Would things have been different if he had come back to Royal immediately and faced her? Could he have changed the course of fate?
Neither of them would ever know. But now was another story.
Dragging his attention from the past, he looked down at her. The wide-eyed feminine gaze bespoke want and need and a healthy dose of wariness. He understood all three.
Gently, he stroked her breasts, first one and then the other, gauging her reaction in the way her eyelids fluttered shut and her back arched. Her skin was softer than a kiss.
Losing patience in the face of raging hunger, he moved between her legs and entered her slowly. The feeling was indescribable.
“Hell, Kimmie.”
Slim legs wrapped around his waist, ankles locking at the small of his back. “What? What’s wrong?”
He shuddered, closer to the edge than a virgin youth with his first female. “I thought I had embellished the memories.” He sucked in a breath. “I don’t understand what you do to me.”
He felt her heart pounding against his. Sweat dampened his forehead. Slowly, he moved in her, desperate to stave off the imminent explosion.
Kimberly urged him on, tilting her hips to force him deeper. “I don’t need your gentleness tonight, Jed. Give me everything...please.” Her hoarse cry told him she was part of the insanity.
He took her...again and again. The bed rocked with the strength of their passion. She fought him, clung to him and at last, flamed with him in a blast of incinerating heat.
But when he awoke half a dozen hours later, she was gone.
Three
October...Royal, Texas
Jed swiped his arm across his forehead, wondering who had gotten the calendar wrong. The oppressive heat and humidity sure as hell didn’t feel like October. But that was Texas for you. Always something new. Blink twice and the weather could change.
He’d spent the last three hours in the barn with Drew, consulting with a veterinary wizard they’d flown in from Kentucky. His brother had big plans to make Willowbrook Farms even larger and more impressive that it already was. One of Jed’s jobs was to make sure that the financial bottom line remained healthy.
Drew was especially interested in buying out the small farm owner whose land butted up against Willowbrook. Jed had seen the curvaceous blonde a time or two, and he figured Drew had his work cut out for him.
Drew planned to drive into town in an hour or so. He’d suggested Jed go with him so they could meet together with their banker. Jed jumped at the idea, especially since he had plans of his own. Immediately after the reunion, he’d had to rush back to Dallas for an emergency. Though he’d wanted to search for Kimberly and confront her, he had to be patient. What he wanted to say wouldn’t work over the phone.
He should have learned his lesson the first time they were together in high school. Kimberly might enjoy having sex with him, but she neither wanted him nor needed him in her life.
What he had wanted was closure, and he achieved that—right? The truth had come out, and he now knew why Kimberly had broken up with him a decade ago. He even reluctantly agreed with her conclusions, if not with her methods.
So why did he keep seeing an image of her hair spread across his pillow and her eyes smiling up at him?
* * *
Three hours later, after a very successful bank meeting, Jed waved at Drew as Drew headed back to Willowbrook, leaving Jed behind. Jed had brought his own vehicle on the pretext of stopping by the club. The Texas Cattleman’s Club, founded in the early part of the last century, was an icon in Royal, a haven for the men—and more recently women—who made up the heart of the beef industry. Also on the rolls were oil barons, real-estate moguls and other movers and shakers. Many a financial deal had been sealed at the TCC, usually accompanied by a shot of aged whiskey. Even without the human lineage, the building was historically significant.
Dark wood and leather furniture and the scent of fine cigars accented what had once been an all-male bastion. Jed was a member of the Dallas branch, but he always enjoyed coming home to the place where his dad had spent so many happy years with his fellow Texans.
Today, however, he had another objective in mind. Traffic was heavy in Royal during the afternoon. Jed was forced to circle several blocks before snagging a parking space. Unlike many places, Royal’s downtown district still thrived.
Jed pulled up to the curb and got out, prepared to walk the quarter mile to his destination. Even with the heat, the day was beautiful.
He was headed to Kimberly’s home. He’d already called the business where she worked and ascertained that she had the afternoon off. His plan took a detour, however, when he saw Kimberly walking his way. She didn’t notice him at first. She was texting, her head down, her concentration on her phone.
He stood in her path and waited for her to notice him. It didn’t take long. Their eyes met across a distance of five yards. Kimberly stared. Her face flushed bright red before the color drained away completely, leaving her pale and drawn. “Jed...”
He rushed to close the gap between them, his hands going out instinctively to steady her. But whatever she had intended to say was lost when her legs crumpled, and she fainted at his feet.
* * *
Kimberly awoke to a pounding headache and the sensation of doom. Keeping her eyes closed sounded like a good idea, but that cowardly impulse would only last for so long.
She moved restlessly, feeling perspiration trickle down her back. When she sat up, her head swam uncomfortably. The man she had been so surprised to see sat next to her behind the wheel of a nondescript sedan, staring at her, eyes narrowed.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
She wet her dry lips. “Fine.”
“Liar.”
He had apparently carried her to his car, reclined the passenger seat and placed her there.
“How long was I out?”
“Three or four minutes. I was giving you two more before I headed for the hospital. Want to tell me what’s going on?”
Her stomach flipped over hard. “I don’t know what you mean. It’s hot today. I was surprised to see you.”
“The girl I remember wasn’t such a fragile flower that a little warm weather and an unexpected meeting could take her down.”
When she put her hand on the car door, Jed started the engine and locked all the doors from his side. “I’m taking you home.”
“I have to get back to work. I went to the bank to make a deposit. They’re expecting me to return.”
His steely-eyed gaze brooked no opposition. “Bald-faced lies, Kimberly? I already spoke to the shop. I was coming to see you, because they said you had the afternoon off.”
She didn’t bother defending the indefensible. “I can walk from here. It’s not far.”
“I’ll take you.” Turning on the engine, he pulled out into the flow of traffic. Frantically, she sought for a way to get rid of him. “This wasn’t necessary, but thanks for the ride.”
As they approached the home she had shared with her grandmother for so many years, she winced. The yard was ragged, the bushes in bad need of a trim. Paint peeled beneath the gutters, and the vinyl siding could use a wash.
Ordinarily, things didn’t seem so bad, but she looked at it now with the eyes of a stranger. Only Jed wasn’t a stranger. Not really.
He put the gearshift in park and came around to the passenger side. Unlocking her door, he scooped her into his arms, ignoring her protests. At the doorstep of her house, he waited for her to fish out her key and then took it from her. Whenever she left home, she cut off the A/C completely to save money. Hot air greeted them as they entered.
Jed closed the door with his hip and strode into the living room, depositing her gently on the couch. “What do you want to drink?”
“Anything in the fridge.” This was a nightmare.
He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he must have realized that the stifling atmosphere needed to be addressed. “Don’t move,” he said. He disappeared. Moments later she felt a whoosh of cool breeze as the air-conditioning kicked on. In no time, Jed was back, carrying a glass of iced tea. He gave it to her and placed his hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel like you have a temperature.”
The tea was full of ice and no lemon. Exactly the way she liked it. “I told you. I’m fine. It must have been the heat.”
His gimlet-eyed stare made her want to squirm, but she withstood it defiantly.
Jed gave in...or at least retreated. “May I use your restroom?” he asked.
“Down the hall. Second door on the right.”
When he disappeared, her spine slumped. Pretending to be chipper was difficult when all she wanted to do was sleep until Christmas.
Her head flopped back against the sofa. Eyes closed, she tried to ignore the fact that her life was falling apart.
When she heard his returning footsteps, she couldn’t even summon the energy to sit up and pretend. At least that was true until Jed’s outraged voice stung her nerve endings.
“What in the hell is going on?” he asked.
She bolted upright, her heart racing. “What do you mean?” And then she saw it. A small, white, plastic stick. One she had tossed in the trash can only last night. Well, hell. “I can explain,” she said weakly, wishing she could summon another faint.
Jed stalked in her direction, stopping to stand over her like a one-man judge and jury. “You’re pregnant.” The emotion in those two accusatory words was a mixture of disbelief and anger. “You said you’re on the pill.”
She wiped damp palms on the skirt of her cotton sundress. “I was. I am. But I’d been taking antibiotics for a cut on my foot. I didn’t know that made a difference. I’m sorry.” His stunned silence irritated her. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, sit down.”
Her co-conspirator in lunacy fell into a chair opposite her and stared at the little blue symbol. “Pregnant,” he said, the word laden with astonishment. “When were you going to tell me?”
She saw the stunned look in his eyes and had to squelch the urge to utter more apologies. The deed was done. “I took a test two weeks ago that was positive. But I wanted to be sure. That one is from last night. I haven’t even been to the doctor yet.”
“I want to go with you.”
From the implacable expression on his face, she concluded she had no choice. “I have the next two days off from work. My appointment is first thing in the morning. But Jed...”
“What?”
“We don’t want to stir up gossip. And you shouldn’t feel obligated. This is just a routine visit to confirm what I already know.”
He frowned. “You’re carrying my child. I’ll be there.”
All at once, the stress of the last week rolled over her in a suffocating tide. She hadn’t seen him in almost six weeks. And this surely wasn’t how she had imagined running into him again. Quietly, she began to cry.
Jed scooted over beside her, drawing her into his arms. “Shh, Kimmie. Everything’s going to be okay.”
She cried until her chest hurt. Having him here would have been wonderful if she hadn’t wrecked any chance they might be happy. No man wanted to be hog-tied by a baby he hadn’t expected. And certainly not Jed.
The minutes ticked by, but still he held her. Finally, she ran out of tears. In their place was a great chasm of uncertainty. What was she going to do? “You don’t have to worry,” she said, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes. “I can take care of the baby on my own. I won’t ask you for anything.”
The bleak expression in his eyes matched the twist in his lips. “You never have, have you? I would have given you the world, but you didn’t want anything I had to offer.”
“That’s not fair,” she muttered.
“You want to put a different spin on it? Even the reprise of our relationship wasn’t enough to make you think twice. You left my bed before the sheets were cold.”
She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat threatening to choke her. Jed was as masculine and arrogant a man as she had ever met. But she had hurt him. And more than once, it seemed.
“I was rattled and upset. I thought you only wanted a one-night stand, along with your answers. I know I should have stayed, but I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
She couldn’t answer that question...not without making herself painfully vulnerable. Beyond the curtains, the sun hung low in the sky. “Thank you for bringing me home,” she said. “I’ll write down the doctor’s address so you’ll know where to meet me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Kimmie.”
“There’s only one bed.”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you won’t see reason, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“I’m not kicking a pregnant woman out of her bed.”
“Fine. You’re the one who won’t sleep.”
Their gazes clashed, hers defiant, his inscrutable. “We could share the bed,” he said.
His steady words made her dizzy. Jed wanted to share her bed? Even now? The thought sent chills down her spine. Memories of the reunion evening at the hotel were never far from her mind. Sex with the grown-up Jed had been little short of earthshaking.
When she didn’t answer, he turned his back and walked out of the room.
The evening passed in slow motion. Jed ordered a pizza. They ate in front of the TV, drinking sodas and watching an old movie from their high school days.
At nine, Kimberly excused herself and took a shower. She was still learning to accept the crushing fatigue as a consequence of her pregnancy. By the time she dried off and dressed in her favorite football jersey and knit shorts, she could barely keep her eyes open.
She made her way down the hall to the living room, her damp hair tucked on top of her head. Jed was still watching TV. “I’m going to bed now,” she said.
He nodded, though he didn’t take his eyes off the television. “I’ll stay up for a while. Good night, Kimmie.”
Well, that was hell on her ego. Six weeks ago the man couldn’t keep his hands off her. Now she could have been his maiden aunt for all th
e notice he gave her. She wanted him badly. He represented everything that was familiar and dear in her rapidly changing life. But she didn’t have the courage to proposition him outright.
She climbed beneath the covers and pulled them to her chin. The empty feeling in her chest scared her. Though she had feigned confidence in front of Jed, she was scared. Really scared.
Fortunately, her body demanded sleep, eliminating the possibility of insomnia in the face of her problems. Curling on her side, she tucked a hand under her pillow and closed her eyes, comforted by the fact that Jed held watch in her living room.
Four
Jed muted the volume on the television and leaned forward, elbows on knees, head in his hands. Kimberly was stubborn, but he had her beat. Whatever her feelings for him, or lack thereof, he was determined to care for her and the child. He would tolerate no argument on that score.
Kimberly was having a baby. He let that thought roll around in his head. His baby. He had never thought much about kids. Maybe in the back of his mind he had always assumed that one day...
Well, one day was now. Because on a summer night back in August, he had let his libido take the driver’s seat. As unexpected as the news was, now that he had taken a few minutes to think about it, he couldn’t find it in his heart to be upset. He and Kimberly faced a few hurdles. But they were going to be parents.
When he was sure she was asleep, he grabbed a quick shower and wrapped a dry towel around his hips before quietly sliding beneath the covers on the opposite side of the bed. He was tired, but not so tired he could ignore the woman who breathed softly beside him.
Unbidden, the memories of their night at the hotel washed over him, tightening his muscles and kindling his arousal. He wasn’t an animal. He could hold her without making love to her.
The fact that she had walked away from him a second time stung his pride, but more than that, it made him sad. Even so, she was his to protect. And so was the baby. Their baby.
THE UNTAMEABLE TEXAN Page 3
