His Texas Baby

by Stella Bagwell

  He looked up at her and something glimmered in his eyes. She couldn’t define the emotion, but whatever it was drew her to him, made her ache to hold him close.

  “Kit.”

  Her name came out as a whisper and she lowered her face to his and pressed her lips to his forehead before moving on to his cheeks and chin and finally his mouth.

  As his lips quickly possessed hers, he eased her down on the bed, until her back was resting against the mattress. Wrapping her arms around him, she urged him closer, while her lips parted to allow his tongue to plunge deep within her mouth.

  A rush of sensations immediately consumed her, causing her fingers to curl into his back, a moan to sound deep in her throat. He left her senseless, she thought, a puppet that only he could bring to life with his kisses, his touches.

  When he finally eased his mouth back from hers, she was already drunk with desire and hungry for more.

  “You should be resting,” he murmured.

  “I am resting,” she purred. “Here in your arms.”

  “We’ve had a long, tiring day.”

  Curling her arm around his neck, she made sure his head didn’t move away from hers. “And it’s been so lovely. I don’t want it to end,” she added.

  Gazing into her eyes, he thrust his fingers into her long hair and stroked it ever so gently away from her face. “I don’t know what you do to me, Kit. But whatever it is isn’t normal. No man should want a woman the way I want you.”

  Want. It wasn’t the same as love. But for the moment it was enough to make her smile.

  She said, “You almost make it sound like a sickness.”

  Groaning, he brought his lips next to hers. “I think it is. Can you cure me?”

  Sighing with pleasure, she closed her eyes and found his lips.

  *

  Two days later, on Tuesday evening, she was entering Mr. Marvel’s stall when Clayton caught up to her.

  “Kitty, do you have a minute? I need to talk with you,” he said.

  “Sure. I’m listening.” She motioned for him to follow her into the stall. “I’m just making my last rounds before Liam and I quit for the day. Is anything wrong,” she asked.

  He let out a heavy sigh and Kitty glanced over her shoulder to see him wiping a hand over his face.

  “I just got off the phone,” he explained. “Dad had to go to the hospital this afternoon with chest pains. Now Mom tells me he’s scheduled for surgery early in the morning.”

  Concerned, she turned away from the horse to give him her complete attention. Although she didn’t know Clayton’s parents all that well, she’d met them a few times and considered them friends. “That quickly? It must be serious.”

  “Blockage. They may try a stent, but it could turn into open heart surgery. The doctors aren’t sure yet.” He grimaced. “I feel like I should be there, Kitty. I know you need me here—especially since—well, you can’t stay on the run in your condition. But—”

  “You don’t need to say anything, Clayton. Your father’s health is the most important thing right now. Your mother needs you there to support her. I insist that you go!”

  He shook his head and she could see the whole matter was weighing heavily on him.

  “I have no idea how long I might have to be gone,” he admitted.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she assured him, then smiled. “I’ll manage. Promise.”

  “Maybe Bella should fly out and help you. I realize she’s busy at the ranch, but you’ll need—”

  Bella was the assistant trainer, who was keeping everything going back at Desert End. To have her here would be a huge help to Kitty, but her presence at the ranch was even more important.

  “I need her at the ranch. The horses there are just as important. You know that.”

  “Damn it, you need another trainer, Kitty. When are you going to break down and hire someone? Now is the time—while you’re pregnant and need the extra help!”

  Now was not the time, she thought desperately. Clayton didn’t know it, but there was too much uncertainty in Kitty’s life to bring another person into the picture. And none of it had anything to do with her marriage to Liam. Too much hinged on the Oaks and how Dahlia preformed. If she failed, everything would be up for grabs, including her home and her livelihood.

  “It’s not possible, Clayton. Maybe in the future. If the barn keeps winning.”

  Flabbergasted, he stared at her. “If! Kitty—”

  “Clayton, you need to be going,” she interrupted sharply. “So go. The grooms will deal with the heavy tasks. Besides, Liam will lend a helping hand, if need be.”

  Only Kitty hoped she didn’t have to ask for Liam’s help. Like Owen had said, once he learned of the predicament her father had left her in, Liam might think differently of her and her reason for accepting his marriage proposal. He might think she’d married him because he was a successful trainer and not because they were having a child together. But she couldn’t let herself worry about that at the moment. She already had so many worries they were about to crush her.

  Clayton remained skeptical. “I don’t like doing this, Kitty. But I really have no choice.”

  “That’s right. You don’t.” She latched on to his arm and urged him out of the stall.

  While he fastened the gate behind them, he said glumly, “My flight is leaving in a couple of hours. I’d better be going.”

  She asked, “Do you need a ride to the airport?”

  “No. I’ll drive.” He turned to face her, his expression torn. “I’ll call or text as soon as I get any news about Dad.”

  “I’ll be praying for him.”

  “Thanks, Kitty.”

  Bending his head, he placed a kiss on her cheek. She did her best to smile as she waved him off. But as she turned back to Mr. Marvel’s stall, she had to fight to keep from laying her head against the cinderblock wall and weeping.

  For the past several months, since her father had died, she’d relied heavily on Clayton. Especially when her grief over losing Will had been so deep, she’d struggled just to get out of bed. Now the days were ticking down. The baby was coming and so was the race of her life.

  “Is something going on that I need to know about?”

  The sound of Liam’s voice was directly behind her and she turned to see he’d walked up without her even knowing it.

  “Clayton is leaving,” she said bluntly.

  One of his brows arched mockingly. “The man kisses you whenever he leaves the barn in the evenings?”

  Kitty stared at him. Could he actually be jealous? No, she quickly decided. A man had to be crazy about a woman before he could be jealous of her.

  “No, he was kissing me goodbye. He’s leaving California and flying back to Texas tonight.”

  Liam moved closer and Kitty desperately wanted to fling herself into his arms and sob against his chest. But she couldn’t break apart in front of her husband. He wouldn’t understand such an emotional outburst and trying to explain her predicament would only make matters worse.

  A concerned frown suddenly puckered his features. “Oh? Is anything wrong at Desert End?”

  Kitty shook her head. “It’s Clayton’s father. He’s been hospitalized and scheduled for heart surgery in the morning. He hates to leave. He’s afraid I won’t have enough help.”

  “I hope you reminded him that you have a husband who knows a thing or two about horses. I’m here to help whenever you need me.”

  With a grateful little smile, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was a relief when his arms came around her and pulled her tight against him.

  “Thank you, Liam,” she murmured, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. “Very much.”

  His hand smoothed a long trail down her back. “You are still keeping your doctor’s appointment, aren’t you? I don’t want you to cancel it just because your assistant isn’t here to take care of things.”

  She lifted her head to look at him. “I didn’t tell
Clayton that I was flying back tomorrow to see the doctor. He already had enough worries about his father. But yes—I still intend to go. My grooms can handle things for a couple of days. My only concern is that Mr. Marvel is scheduled to work before I get back. If you could watch him. And Black Dahlia is scheduled for the Grade II on Sunday. It’s imperative that everything stay on course for her. She has to do well in this, Liam. Otherwise, the Oaks—”

  The sound of approaching voices had them automatically ending the embrace, but Liam kept his hand firmly on her arm as the group of workers passed them by.

  “I understand how important Dahlia is to you,” he said, “but I was thinking that I should go with you for the doctor’s visit.”

  Liam couldn’t possibly understand just what Dahlia meant to her and every person working at Desert End, she thought. But his suggestion of accompanying her to El Paso was enough to push the filly from her mind for the moment and she studied him with a measure of surprise.

  Was this show of concern for the baby’s health or hers? His motive shouldn’t matter, she told herself. Yet she wanted to believe that he cared just as much for her welfare as he did their child’s. But she doubted she would ever know. Whatever went on in Liam’s heart stayed there.

  “Oh, Liam, it isn’t necessary for you to go all the way to El Paso with me. With Clayton gone, I’ll need you here more than ever. The trip will only be for one night and when I get back I’ll tell you everything the doctor said. You do trust me to tell you everything, don’t you?”

  “Sure. I just thought—well, when Felicia was pregnant I didn’t accompany her. She was independent that way and practical. You’re different from her. Very different. And I thought you might like the company. That’s all.”

  Was he trying to tell her that he’d missed the opportunity to be a part of Felicia’s pregnancy, but that he wanted things with Kitty to be different? The idea was bittersweet and for a moment she closed her eyes and wondered how or why she’d ever fallen for a widower. It would have been so much simpler if she’d fallen in love with a man who wasn’t carrying a ghost around with him.

  Holding back a sigh, she glanced at him. “I would like the company,” she said softly. “But the timing is bad. Why don’t we plan for both of us to go next time? I think the doctor might do another ultrasound then.”

  A faint smile touched one corner of his lips. “It’s a date.”

  *

  The next morning Kitty had to be at the airport before seven. Liam insisted on driving her and she didn’t argue the point. She was already dreading the time she’d be away from him, but she was determined not to make an issue of parting. He’d said that his first wife had been independent and practical, so it only made sense that those were the traits he admired in a woman.

  Kitty could be independent when need be. God knows, she’d had to learn how to stand on her own two feet since her father had died. But practicality was another matter. To Kitty, everything in life wasn’t supposed to make common sense or be matter-of-fact. Dreams of the future were as much a part of her as the dirt she got under her fingernails whenever she cleaned out a nasty hoof. And those dreams included romance and a man that whispered love and devotion in her ear. She needed those things as much or more than her ranch and the horses that went with it. Yet as she peered into the future, she wasn’t sure she would have any of those things in her life.

  When they arrived at the airport, the traffic was hectic. Liam finally managed to maneuver the truck through a maze of cars and taxis until he found an open spot near the curbed sidewalk leading into the terminal.

  While he parked, Kitty gripped the small tote carrying the few personal items she’d need overnight and waited for him to come around to her side of the truck to help her to the ground.

  Once the two of them were standing on the sidewalk, she found herself leaning against him and hating to release the grip she had on his arm.

  “Have you arranged for anyone to pick you up in El Paso?” he asked.

  “Yes. Natalie, my racing manager, will be there.”

  A gust of wind swept through the covered access and whipped a strand of Kitty’s hair across her face. He quickly reached for it and her heart ached with longing as he gently tucked it behind her ear.

  If only he would pull her into his arms and tell her that he loved her and would be counting the minutes until she returned, Kitty thought. But love wasn’t on Liam’s mind or in his plans. She had to make do with the physical affection he gave her.

  “Do you have your cell and everything else you need? Money, credit cards?”

  Her throat tightened. “Yes. I’ll be fine, Liam.”

  His hand rested protectively on the upper part of her stomach. “You will call as soon as you’ve seen the doctor?”

  He did care. Very much. So why wasn’t that enough to make the ache in her heart go away? Was she selfish to want more than he was willing to give?

  “I promise.”

  His gaze searched hers for long moments and then with a soft groan, he bent his head and pressed a kiss on her lips. For a brief second Kitty’s hands clung to his shoulders. But all too soon he eased back and gave her a slow smile.

  “You’d better go in. I’m sure the lines are long. And you don’t want to miss your flight.”

  Nodding, she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she said.

  He nodded in reply, and she turned and hurried toward the entrance. She’d gotten only a few steps away when she heard him call out her name and she whirled around, her heart pounding with hopeful anticipation.

  But instead of finding herself suddenly wrapped in his arms, he was still standing several feet away, his hand lifted in a simple farewell. “Goodbye, Kitty.”

  She blinked at the tears burning her eyes. “Goodbye,” she called out to him, then hurried into the terminal before she broke into sobs.

  Chapter Nine

  That night when Liam left barn 59 he didn’t drive straight home. The thought of going home and not finding Kitty there was not at all inviting so he stopped by a local watering hole that racetrack personnel frequented.

  He was sitting at the bar, staring into a mug of dark beer when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. Glancing around, he saw Andy straddling the stool next to him.

  “It’s hell when a guy can’t even go to a bar and get away from his boss,” the young groom jokingly greeted. “What are you doing here, anyway? I didn’t even know you drank beer.”

  Liam grunted with faint amusement. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  “That’s the damned truth,” Andy muttered. “None of us knew you ever looked at a woman and then suddenly you’re married and going to have a baby. The CIA is more open than you are.”

  The barmaid, a young brunette with a wide smile and dark eyes, ambled over to Andy to take his order. After she left to fetch his beer, Liam said, “A person learns more when he listens.”

  “Yeah. If you have someone to listen to,” Andy replied then slanted a questioning glance at Liam. “So why aren’t you home with your new wife?”

  “She had to fly to Texas.”

  “Oh. So she leaves and you’re out drinking. That doesn’t look good.”

  Liam grimaced. “You’re supposed to be watching ten horses. Instead, you’re here drinking. That doesn’t look good, either,” he retorted.

  Andy shrugged and Liam noticed the kid wasn’t even bothered enough to look embarrassed. A fact that hardly surprised him. Andy was an independent sprout who’d always spoken candidly. And even though he sometimes irritated the hell out of Liam, he’d come to respect the groom’s self-confidence.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t shove my share of the work onto Clint. The girls offered to watch the horses while I came over here for a beer. I promised them I wouldn’t be gone long.”

  Liam shook his head. “Andy, you could charm a frog into jumping off a lily pad.”

  The barmaid shoved a beer in
front of Andy and he chuckled as he lifted the mug up to his face. “I didn’t charm, I bribed. Movie tickets for both of them. So why didn’t you go with Kitty? Me and Clint could have taken care of things for a few days.”

  If Liam had thought that Andy was simply being nosy he would have told him to mind his own business. But he understood that this was Andy’s way of trying to be helpful.

  “She’s only going to be gone for one night. And Clayton, her assistant, had a family emergency and had to leave yesterday. I needed to be here to watch over things for her.” Plus, she’d not seemed that keen on having her husband join her, Liam thought, as he wrapped his fingers around the sweaty beer mug. The notion bothered him far more than it should have.

  “Oh. Well, that shouldn’t take much effort. She only has ten horses in the barn. But they are damned good ones,” Andy added.

  Liam took several swallows of his beer then set the mug aside. “What do you know about her assistant? Anything?”

  Andy shot him a quizzical look. “Clayton is your wife’s assistant. You ought to know more about him than me.”

  “He’s worked for Desert End for over a year now. That’s about all I know,” Liam told him. “I just don’t question her about her staff. And she doesn’t question me about mine.”

  “I see. Well, I can tell you that half the women working in the barn have a crush on Clayton,” Andy said with a grimace.

  Liam grunted. “What about the other half?”

  Andy chuckled shrewdly. “They have a crush on you.”

  Not amused, Liam shook his head. “They’ll get over it.”

  Andy reached for a pretzel stick lying in a nearby basket. “Why do you ask? You think he’s not good enough?”

  Liam wiped a hand over his face. It wasn’t like him to speak about such personal things to anyone, even his family. But tonight he felt the need to talk and Andy, with his long hair and tattoos, was an open-minded guy who generally accepted a person no matter how strange or complex the situation.

  “Will never hired fools to work at Desert End. And from what I’ve picked up, Clayton seems to know his business damned well.” He also seemed very close to Kitty and she to him. That bothered Liam. Even if their relationship was platonic, Liam wanted to be the guy that his wife needed and turned to whenever she had a problem.