Chompin' at the Bit (Horse Play Series Book 2)

by A. D. Ryan

  With a smile from Madison before she opened the fridge to grab what she would need for lunch, I walked over to the table for what I expected to be the most awkward card game in the history of man.

  Chapter 30. Something is Amiss

  “I won’t be long,” Madison told me as we entered Wayne’s place after closing up the barn for the night. “I just need to make a quick list of what all he’ll need for the week.”

  With Bones on our heels, we walked into the house, and the smell of Wayne grilling his food in the backyard hit me. When I recognized Wayne’s dinner as steak, I grew concerned—especially considering her stomach was still a little sensitive.

  She looked up at me with a smile, though. “Guess Dad’s about to eat. Come on, this’ll only take a second.” She tugged me into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Dad! I’m here!”

  “Hey, Madi! I’m just out here cooking. I’ll be right in,” he replied.

  “No, that’s okay. No rush. I’m just checking to see what all you need from town. Is there anything non-food related? Razors? Shaving cream? Shampoo? Anything?” she inquired, bending over to rifle through the fridge a little.

  “Nah, just groceries, kiddo. Thanks.”

  Madison closed the fridge and pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the drawer next to it so she could jot a few things down. Then, she moved to the pantry and looked around in there. As she started writing a few more things on the pad in her hand, Wayne entered the room with a plate in one hand and a beer in the other. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Evenin’,” he replied, setting his dinner on the counter. “I’m just going to go wash up before eating. Feel free to leave the pup here. If I don’t see you kids when I get back, you have a good trip into town.”

  I noticed Madison’s eyes wander to the very rare steak, and I feared the worst. “Madi, why don’t you go grab the truck? I can finish the list,” I suggested, in hopes to get her out of the house before she threw up all over Wayne’s meal.

  “Hmm?” she asked, almost as though she wasn’t really focused on anything. “Oh, um. No. I’m almost done. You can go grab the truck, though. I’ll meet you out there.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Mmhmm,” she hummed, offering me a smile that seemed off.

  Nodding, I backed out of the kitchen, watching her the entire time and hoping that she didn’t get sick. Once I felt certain she was okay, I walked out the front door and toward our place to grab the truck. I pulled to a stop outside Wayne’s place minutes later and waited for Madison to appear. She didn’t. Guessing that she probably got caught up in a conversation with her dad, I went back inside.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed upon entering; Madison had just shoved a forkful of dripping red meat into her mouth and was chewing eagerly while she cut into another slice.

  “Madison, what the hell—?” both Wayne and I said in unison as he entered the kitchen from the other entrance.

  The silverware clattered to the plate as Madison brought her right hand up to her lips, swallowing the masticated piece of meat in her mouth. “Oh, God,” she mumbled through her fingers, her eyes darting back and forth between her father and me like she had no idea what she’d just done. “I—I—” She dropped her gaze to the steak on the counter. “Sorry?”

  Wayne seemed concerned as he stepped closer to Madison. “You feeling okay? You know that’s real beef, right? Not like that ham you try to pass off as real pork?” Even though I was still really fucking confused and worried about what we just walked in on, I smirked.

  Madison’s hand fell from her lips, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “You know about that?” she asked, evading the first half of what he said.

  “Never mind that …” He picked up the steak, and I watched Madison eye it, licking her lips and then looking ashamed. “What’s going on?”

  Frowning, Madison shook her head. “I don’t know. It just smelled so good. Maybe my iron’s low? I’m so sorry.”

  It wasn’t iron; there was something much deeper to blame here.

  “We should go,” I suggested as my mind ran rampant with thoughts that maybe we hadn’t actually dodged the bullet like we originally thought this week.

  Madison smiled sheepishly at her father before dropping her eyes to the floor as she crossed the room to me. She seemed almost disappointed in herself for indulging in a little red meat, when she really had no reason to be. Clearly, her body was craving something it needed. Probably for a good reason.

  We drove in silence for about fifteen minutes before I finally spoke. “Do you want to talk about what happened back there?”

  “I honestly don’t know. One minute, I’m finishing up the list, and the next, I’m staring at Dad’s steak, practically salivating. I’ll make an appointment with my doctor to have my iron levels checked. I’m sure that’s all it is,” she said, but there was something in her voice that told me she might not believe her own theory.

  “What if it’s not?” I said, tightening my grip on the wheel and waiting for her to get angry.

  Through my periphery, I saw Madison turn to me. “Well, what else could it be?” she asked with a light laugh.

  “What if you’re pregnant?”

  Her laugh died in her throat. “Pregnant? Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I got my period on Sunday. I’m not pregnant.”

  She sounded pretty convinced. Who knew; maybe it was just low iron and I was over-reacting.

  “You’re sure?” I asked. “Should we pick up a test? You know … just to be sure?”

  “Jensen. I’m not pregnant. I think I’d know by now.” Honestly, it sounded more and more like Madison was in denial. “While we’re in town, we need to pick up some food for camping too. Ice for the cooler, food, drinks.” She was changing the topic, probably hoping I would let it go.

  “Drinks?” I asked, still ninety-nine percent certain I was right.

  She nodded slowly. “Yeah. Water, maybe some tequila—because you know Kyle’s going to want to go there.”

  “I’d really feel better if we just picked up a test,” I tried to suggest, only to be shot down again. She told me that because her period was earlier than she expected that a test probably wouldn’t even give us a conclusive answer, and that she would talk to her doctor the following week when she went to discuss her iron levels.

  If she wasn’t willing to pick up a test today, then I would have to take matters into my own hands. No matter the consequences. I knew I ran the risk of pissing her off, but I had to know. We had to know …

  How the fuck did women choose between all of the different pregnancy tests?

  I stood in the Family Planning aisle of the pharmacy late in the afternoon on Friday—the day we were to go camping with everyone. Madison still didn’t want to believe that she could be pregnant, and I couldn’t seem to think of anything else. So, after feeding her a line about needing to pick up a few last minute supplies for camping, I was able to sneak out of the house.

  True, I probably should have been forthcoming with her and told her that I went out to grab a pregnancy test, but I didn’t want to risk a fight in front of her dad. While I knew I would probably still face Madison’s wrath, I was hoping that she’d just laugh it off and pee on the damn stick to prove me wrong—it seemed like something she would do. I hoped.

  To make this never-ending situation even worse, my dad showed up that morning to check on Halley and update a few of the horses’ inoculations. He told Madison that Halley’s leg was much better and that she’d be safe to start training her. He didn’t see any reason anymore why she might not be able to compete, contrary to his findings after she first hurt herself.

  Madison and Wayne were over the moon to hear it, and she couldn’t wait to start working with her and Tom next week. How was she going to react if this test turned out positive and she wouldn’t actually be able to start training for next season?

  Feeling hopeless, I placed my face in my hands and groaned. She was going to f
ucking hate me for doing this to her, and I was fairly certain I wouldn’t be able to handle that.

  Sick of my own indecisiveness, I looked up and grabbed the first box I saw. It was pink and the caption read “results five days sooner.”

  I took my purchase to the front counter where a young woman glanced at the box then up at me before cocking an eyebrow questioningly. Unable to think of anything witty to say—and realizing that now might not be the time for shenanigans—I simply smiled, making her giggle and blush, before paying. She put the receipt in the bag, and I grabbed it before climbing on my bike.

  The entire ride home, I tried to play out every possible scenario so I wasn’t caught off guard. In some, Madison would smile and take the test from me before retreating to the bathroom. I liked that one best. The others varied from her being so pissed off she would storm away upon my pleading with her to just humor me, to her huffing exasperatedly, but complying regardless. I tried not to think of anything worse. I wanted to believe Madison wasn’t capable of murder.

  After pulling into my parking spot next to the truck, I sat on my bike in silence for a few minutes before heading into the house. My nerves were shot as I walked through the front door to find Madison at the kitchen island with her back to me. I watched her pack a bunch of food into the cooler while Bones lay at her feet, breathing deeply as he slept. As she continued to add food and bottled water to the storage container, I noticed that she was quietly singing to the soft rock station that was playing on the radio, swaying her hips in time with the quiet music.

  When I closed the door, she turned around, her smile bright as it stretched across her face. “You’re back.” She looked down as Bones woke abruptly and skittered across the kitchen floor to greet me as I entered the room. “Did you get what you needed?”

  I swallowed my fear. “I did,” I replied with a nod, my voice hoarse as I held out the small brown paper bag.

  Madison eyed the bag, her eyebrows pulling together with confusion as she looked back up at me. “What did you buy me now?” She took the bag from me, still smiling wide, which only made my response more difficult to voice.

  “A pregnancy test.”

  Her eyes snapped up to mine, and she kind of laughed. “What? Why? Is this because of yesterday? I told you, it was just low iron. I get weird cravings after my period all the time. This is just the first time I’ve ever acted on one.”

  Well, so far, so good, she wasn’t pissed. So I pressed a little harder. “I know, and I want to believe that, but I’m just not so sure anymore. I mean, it’s not only the steak, baby. What about in the barn the other day?” I asked, hoping to remind her of how she came at the slightest touch.

  She smirked. “Are you doubting your mad skills?”

  This time I laughed. “Not at all,” I replied, moving forward and gripping her hips. “I just want us to be doubly sure before we head out with everyone, okay?” I looked deep in her eyes, hoping she would just agree. “Please?”

  There was heavy silence between us before she exhaled softly. “Fine. But you better be prepared for a world of ‘I told you so’s,’” she warned.

  “I am,” I said, relieved. “So, you’ll take it now?”

  “Yes, I’ll take it now.”

  Together, we made our way toward the main bathroom where she stopped in the doorway and pushed me back. “You can stay here. There’s a little added pressure here. I don’t want to get stage fright,” she joked lightly before closing the door.

  I paced back and forth in front of the door, time creeping along at a snail’s pace, my anxiety climbing with every second that passed. I stopped in front of the door several times, stopping myself from asking how everything was going because I was pretty sure only ten seconds had passed.

  I should have read the box to see how long this was supposed to take and then set the timer on my watch. Actually, that probably would have been like watching a pot of water until it boiled. It would seem I wasn’t cut out for stressful situations.

  When I heard the toilet flush, I rushed the two inches to the door and gripped the casing tightly as I waited for it to open. When it didn’t, I groaned quietly and pressed my head against the cool wood. I didn’t want to rush her, but I couldn’t help but feel a little impatient. Okay, a lot impatient.

  After what felt like forever, Madison walked out. Her expression was unreadable, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  Nervously, I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging slightly out of impatience the longer she remained silent. “Well?” I asked.

  With what looked like a subtle hint of a smile, she held the test out for me to see. Desperate to know, I grabbed it—not once thinking that she just pissed on it—and looked at the little window that would tell us our future. I stared for a length of time I knew to be entirely too long, especially considering the response was as clear as day, before raising my eyes back to hers.

  “How accurate is this?” I asked.

  Chapter 31. Under Wraps

  So many feelings rushed through me in that one moment. Mild irritation that Jensen went out and got a pregnancy test without telling me, relief that he had done it, and finally a strange combination of confusion and happiness upon seeing the second line appear in the results window.

  I shrugged. “I’ve heard false positives are rare. Like, really rare.”

  “So …?” Jensen let his word trail on for a moment as his eyes fell back to the test.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” I finished for him, letting my lips curve up into a small smile—even if I was still a little scared about how fast this was all happening.

  Not another word was spoken as Jensen swept me up into his arms and twirled me around the room. It then became clear that my previous assumptions of him being disappointed earlier in the week were correct. And, if I was being honest, I was a little upset about it too; I had really warmed to the idea of a perfect mix of Jensen and me.

  Jensen let me slide to the floor, the smile on his face bright and so full of love. He must have seen a tiny flicker of my conflict, because his smile fell. “Are you okay with this?”

  My eyes blinked several times as I let his question really sink in. “What?” I brought my hands from around his neck and cupped his jaw. “Yes. I’m okay with this. It’s sooner than I’d have liked, but we’re not exactly known for taking things slow, are we?”

  Jensen seemed to relax before me, leaning forward to press his lips to mine. In that moment, everything seemed all right; he was right when he said as long as we were together we could tackle anything our lives threw at us. Our embrace was cut short when there was a soft knock on the front door.

  “That’ll be Willow and Brandon,” I whispered, our noses still brushing as I looked up at him through my eyelashes.

  “God,” Jensen sighed softly. “I can’t wait to tell everyone.”

  Quickly, I placed my hands flat on his chest and pushed back a little, my eyes suddenly hard and serious. “No. We’re not telling anyone yet. It’s too soon.”

  “Baby,” Jensen said, his hands resting on my hips.

  I shook my head, cutting his argument off at the pass. “Please. Just give me time.” A look of worry flashed in his eyes before I smiled again. “I’m going to go and put this away. Will you get the door?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, his voice low and wavering.

  As I made my way toward our room, I couldn’t get the look on his face out of mind. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell our friends and families, but we just found out. Shouldn’t we be allowed a little time to adjust to the news ourselves? Not to mention, what if something happened and we lost the baby? It would be hard enough for Jensen and I—especially Jensen, after everything he’d been through—to deal with. I couldn’t do that to our families as well.

  After making sure the box and test itself were well stashed away in the trash bin of our bathroom, I made my way back out to the kitchen to see Willow and Brandon sitting at the table
with Jensen.

  “Madi!” Willow hopped up from the table and rushed over to me. She had her arms around me for maybe half a second before she pulled back and looked up into my eyes. “How was Calgary?”

  “Amazing, as always. It was the perfect weekend. Just what we needed.” I led Willow to the table where we sat and talked about the trip until Kyle and Lilah showed up.

  Jensen kissed me on top of the head as he passed. “I’m going to go and help Kyle unload the ATV. We’ll be right back.”

  “Sounds good,” I told him, placing my hand on his when it rested on my shoulder.

  “I’ll come and give you guys a hand,” Brandon offered, standing up and stretching. “I could use a stretch after that three hour drive. That way it’ll give the ladies a chance to visit.”

  As soon as the door closed behind the guys, Willow turned to me. “Okay, seriously, are you okay? You and Jensen seem tense.”

  Lilah nodded. “Yeah. I only just got here, but even I can tell something’s going on.”

  “I assure you everything is fine.” I offered them my most convincing smile, pushing my chair away from the table. “C’mon. Let’s make sure we have everything.

  Once we confirmed we had everything, we headed outside to find the guys were just closing up the trailer attached to Kyle’s Jeep after unloading the ATV.

  “So, we’re pretty sure everything’s accounted for,” I tell Jensen. “Did you need a hand securing it to the quads?”

  Jensen smiled, walking toward me. “That’s okay, sweetheart. I got it.”

  The excitement in the air was electric as we all climbed on our quads. It didn’t take us long to reach the site, and we decided to start setting everything up before making a safe fire pit.

  Kyle suggested a friendly competition was in order to see who could get their tent set up first. I laughed and was just about to tell him he was being ridiculous when Jensen confidently accepted his challenge. Jensen and I totally dominated the whole thing; we had our tent standing and secured to the ground in about fifteen minutes—not too bad considering we’d never set it up before. Of course, Bones was helpful in distracting the others by jumping on their tents as they tried to set them up. He was a good boy.