Say Yes to the Cowboy

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “No.”

  He tilted his head toward the one sitting on the counter. “If you’d chop, I’d be much obliged. Knives are in the—”

  “Knife block. I see it.” She rinsed off the onion and the cutting board. “What reasons?”

  “First off, would sex hurt the baby?”

  A flush of desire made her lady parts tingle. “Not unless it’s of the ‘swinging from the chandeliers’ variety.” She started cutting up the onion.

  He chuckled softly. “We had that kind a time or two.”

  “I remember.” She sniffed.

  “Are you crying?”

  “Nope. Just a slight reaction to the onion. I’m fine.”

  “Want me to take over?”

  “Absolutely not. I’ve got this.”

  “If you’re sure. Your eyes are watering.”

  “Potent onion.” She sniffed again and laughed. “Really. I’m not getting emotional.” She finished chopping the onion.

  He washed his hands and pulled a bandanna out of his back pocket. “Let me wipe your eyes. You have tears running down your cheeks.”

  “I know, but I promise you I’m not crying.” She put down the knife and lifted her face.

  “I believe you. I can tell the difference. Hold still.” He leaned in and carefully wiped away the tears. “So I have to ask. Did you research the subject of pregnant ladies having sex?” He dabbed at her eyes with the bandanna. “Because if you did, I can’t help but be curious as to why.”

  “Obviously because I’m planning to take a lover.”

  He sucked in a breath. “Please tell me that’s a joke.”

  “It’s a joke. Although you and I have no commitment to each other, so if I wanted to, then—”

  “Let it be me.” He took her by the shoulders. “Please, Tess. I know I have no claim, but the thought of you with some other guy makes me crazy.”

  She looked up at him. “That’s a very strange statement for you to make.”

  “Why?”

  “Judging from how you described your love life when we were in Texas, you have a new girlfriend in every town. Yet you expect—”

  “Whoa, whoa. Where did you get the idea I have a new girlfriend in every town?”

  “You said you never wanted to be tied down and you’re a highly sexed man. So, logically that adds up to lots of casual encounters with different women in different parts of the country.”

  He smiled. “That would make me quite the Romeo, wouldn’t it?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “’Fraid not, ma’am. When you and I got together, I hadn’t enjoyed that particular activity in at least six months. Let me think. No, it was seven. And there’s been no one since our little episode.”

  “Why not?”

  “Let’s just say that I wanted a little longer to savor my memories.”

  “That’s very sweet.” Her image of him changed yet again. “I guess I just assumed, because you’re so good at it, that you’ve had a lot of practice.”

  His smile widened. “It’s like riding a bike.”

  “With some guys, yes. With you it’s more like painting a picture or singing a song.”

  His gaze held hers. “I don’t know how you can say a thing like that and not expect me to kiss you.”

  Her pulse rate shot up. Once he kissed her, the game would be over. They’d never stop with a kiss.

  “But I won’t kiss you, much as I’d love to.” He let go of her and backed away. “I didn’t tell you the other reason we’re not in the bedroom right now.”

  She swallowed. “Which is?”

  “You might think I seduced you just so I could get what I want.”

  “Meaning sex?”

  He shook his head. “The chance to be our baby’s dad.”

  Chapter Nine

  Zeke had surprised himself with his level of self-control, but then again, a lot was at stake. Ever since Tess had arrived, he’d longed to touch her, hold her, even place his hand over the gentle swell of her belly. If he had a loving relationship with her, he’d be allowed to.

  If someone had asked him months ago whether he’d have these sentimental feelings, he would’ve laughed. Not this cowboy, he would have said with a cocky smile. And he would have been dead wrong.

  He and Tess worked in silence finishing up the meal preparations. He’d remembered to turn on the oven in advance, which was a miracle, all things considered. They put two potatoes in to bake along with the meat loaf and he had the makings for a salad when the meat loaf was nearly ready.

  The storm continued to rage outside, which seemed appropriate considering the battle he was having with himself. He’d never spent this much time with a woman he wanted without making some kind of physical overture. Stroking her arm, squeezing her hand and drying her onion tears didn’t really count, at least not for much.

  He’d had one chance to kiss her and he hadn’t taken it. She wouldn’t have stopped him. He’d bet his truck on that one.

  Yet he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his chance to be a father by taking her to bed. Maybe doing that would make things better between them, but it could also make them worse. Back in April they’d enjoyed each other without thinking of the future. Now they wouldn’t be able to think about anything else.

  Once their meal was in the oven, she walked to the kitchen window and stood, arms wrapped protectively around her middle, as she gazed out at the storm. If they were in a different emotional place, he could move in behind her and guide her back against his chest. They could watch the rain together.

  He’d never expected to want that kind of closeness with anyone. But living near Thunder Mountain had thrown him together with several loving couples and he’d had to grudgingly admit he envied them a little.

  As it was, he wasn’t sure what to do while they waited for dinner to cook. “Sorry there’s nowhere else to sit. I don’t notice it so much when I’m the only one here.”

  “That’s okay.” She turned to him. “I keep forgetting this is a movie star’s house.”

  “Doesn’t look much like it with no furniture, sawhorses sitting around and tarps rolled up in a corner. But it will. Phil and Damon have a vision for this place. It’ll be gorgeous when they’re finished.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Matt’s spending Christmas here with his girlfriend Geena, so Phil and Damon plan to have it ready by then.” And his son would be due in January. He desperately wanted to spend Christmas with Tess but he didn’t know if she’d allow it.

  “You won’t be living here then.”

  “God, I hope not. I need to get back to work. I was thinking I’d take some time off around Christmas, though.” Hint, hint.

  “I usually spend Christmas with my folks in Laramie.” She made a face. “Although I might not be welcome this year.”

  “Why not?”

  She swept a hand toward her stomach. “They don’t approve of unwed mothers.”

  He’d had a solution for that. “Maybe they don’t approve, but this is their grandson we’re talking about.”

  “I know and I’m hoping that makes a difference, but they’re very critical people. No telling what they’ll read into this considering I couldn’t get pregnant with Jared and then some tall, dark stranger comes along and bam, I’m PG.”

  He didn’t think he’d like her parents much. “You can soft-pedal the stranger part and play up the Thunder Mountain angle. Throw in my movie star brother if that helps any.”

  “It would make things worse. They think of Hollywood as the equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah. They firmly believe that good girls don’t get pregnant unless they’re married. I doubt I’ll get a pass because I’m having their first and probably only grandchild.”

  So sh
e’d rejected his proposal knowing her parents would have wanted her to accept. Obviously she wasn’t a slave to their approval and he admired her for it. “Why would he be the only grandchild?”

  “I have no siblings and I doubt I’ll have the good fortune to get pregnant twice.”

  “I predict you’ll be able to have as many kids as you want.”

  “Now there’s a bold statement. What are you basing it on, pray tell?”

  “Just a gut feeling.” He hadn’t known he’d say that, yet it felt right. Several things had to fall into place before his prediction could come true, but they were all within the realm of possibility. As she stood in the glow of the kitchen’s soft light, he imagined her surrounded by her children. Because it was his fantasy, he visualized two towheads and two with dark hair like his.

  He longed to close the gap between them and take her into his arms. Then he’d kiss her and promise to do everything in his power to make that picture a reality, including booking a room at their favorite Texas hotel during her fertile period. But since he couldn’t say or do any of that, he came up with another idea.

  “We have some time before the meal’s ready,” he said. “And my phone’s charged. What if we spend the time looking up baby names?”

  She stared at him as if he’d sprouted a second head.

  “Or not.” Apparently he’d just stepped on sacred ground. “We could play cards. I like playing solitaire old school, with real cards. But gin rummy’s fun for two—”

  “We can check out baby names.”

  “Are you sure? Because a moment ago you looked as if I’d suggested adding a side of grub worms to our dinner.”

  “I was surprised.”

  “I could tell.”

  “I assumed I’d be the one to...”

  “You definitely get the final say. I’d just like some input.”

  She studied him for a moment. “That’s fair. I should at least find out if there are any you hate.”

  “Elmer and Hubert. And I just realized I’m not crazy about Marvin, either.”

  She grinned. “You’re safe on all of those.”

  “Then let’s sit and call up a baby name site.”

  She picked up her purse from the counter where she’d laid it down.

  “Do you have a list going already?”

  “I don’t, believe it or not.” She dug out a small notepad and a pen. “I was saving it for later when I’m big as a house and we have six feet of snow on the ground.”

  “Look, if you’d rather not...”

  “I want to. You’re here and I’m here. We have time on our hands.”

  “True.” How did that old song go? Something about time on my hands and you in my arms. He walked around and pulled out a chair for her.

  “You have beautiful manners, Zeke.”

  “You can thank Rosie. She’s a stickler. That’s why I got in trouble for not calling you back. And I’m very sorry for that.”

  “I know you are. It’s okay.”

  “Like you said, maybe it’s better that you told me in person.”

  “Maybe.” But she didn’t meet his gaze.

  He straddled his chair backward instead of drawing it up to the table where he’d end up playing footsie with her again. That had been way too much fun.

  “Okay—” he looked at his phone “—starting at the first letter. Do you have anything against A names?”

  “Not as a general category.”

  “Then here’s one. Abelard.”

  “I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”

  “Not. He would get beat up at school every single day.”

  “Unless,” she said, “he went by Abe. That might be okay.”

  “Are you saying you want Abelard on the list? Because I can guarantee that his teachers won’t call him Abe, especially on the first day. They’ll say the whole blessed thing and our son’s life will be a living hell for the rest of the year. I’m aware of this because my first name is Ezekiel.”

  “I never knew that.”

  “Which is how I prefer it, but you’ll have to write my legal name on the birth certificate so I have to fess up. Ezekiel Manfred Rafferty.”

  “Manfred?”

  “I know, right? Ezekiel’s a big enough load for a kid to carry, but add on Manfred and you’d better hope he’s either a scrappy little guy or too cute for words.”

  “Which were you?”

  “Both.”

  She burst out laughing. “And modest. Don’t forget modest.”

  He was making her laugh, and that was a good thing. They’d done a lot of laughing in that hotel room but they’d been too serious recently. “How do you like Andrew?”

  “Not bad, but you’ve skipped a whole bunch if you’re already up to Andrew. Just start with the first one and go through them all. That way we can—”

  Lightning hit so close they both leaped up at the same moment the house was plunged into darkness. A loud crash followed, along with the crack and tinkle of breaking glass.

  Zeke tapped the flashlight app on his phone. “Stay here. I’ll investigate.”

  “I most certainly won’t stay here.” She pulled her phone out of her purse. “Two lights are better than one. Let’s go.”

  “At least let me go first. I’m wearing boots and there’s probably glass everywhere. I have a bad feeling I know what happened.” He started down the hall. “There’s a big tree in the front yard. I’ll bet a branch came through the picture window in the master bedroom. I only hope it wasn’t the whole tree.”

  “And that we can find a way to keep rain from coming in through a broken window.”

  “That, too.” He reached the doorway and moved his light around. “Damn.” A branch as big as his thigh had split from the tree and now lay across the windowsill. It extended about five feet into the room but, fortunately, didn’t quite reach the bed.

  Jagged pieces of glass littered the floor and rain from the broken window was already creating puddles on the hardwood floor. Good thing the floor was being replaced. Still, he couldn’t allow water to accumulate and seep into the walls.

  “Yikes.” Tess peered around him. “What now?”

  “I’m thinking.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, first I’ll get a tow rope around that branch and use my truck to pull it back out into the yard.”

  “I could guide it from in here.”

  “You might be able to, especially if you wear gloves. I’m pretty sure Damon and Phil left a couple of pairs here. At the very least you can yell out and tell me how I’m doing. But you’ll need to be in the room and I’m worried about those flimsy canvas shoes you’re wearing.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Not good enough. A piece of glass could slice right through those thin rubber soles. Wait! I have it. Stay here a sec. I’ll get you some boots.” The left side of the room was relatively clear of glass as he walked to the closet, hauled out his show boots and grabbed a thick pair of socks from the top dresser drawer.

  He brought them to Tess. “Let’s go back to the kitchen so you can put them on.”

  “Are those rhinestones?”

  “Yes, ma’am. You saw the show. Don’t you remember the glittery stuff?”

  “I guess so. I was concentrating on your amazing stunts with those ropes. Are you sure I should wear these? They’ll get wet.”

  “You won’t be wading through a creek in them, so they’ll be fine. And I won’t be worrying about your feet.”

  When they got back to the kitchen he left to find some gloves while she took off her shoes and put on the heavy socks and his boots. He returned to find her standing beside the table, her flashlight shining on the boots.

  “Do I look stylin’ or what?”

  “Y
ou look a lot better than the guy who owns them. But will they work?”

  “Well enough.” She took a few tentative steps. “I wouldn’t want to run a foot race but if I don’t move too fast I’ll be okay.”

  “Here’s some gloves, although don’t feel you have to manhandle that tree branch. If you can help guide it through, great, but be very careful of the glass that’s still in the window.”

  “Must be a really old window. All the broken windows I’ve seen shatter into a million little pieces, not those big jagged ones.”

  “I’m sure it’s old. Be careful of the pieces on the floor, too.” He had a sudden scary thought. “Is there any chance you’ll fall down in those oversize boots? That would be worse.”

  “I’ll make sure I don’t.”

  “You know what? Let me do this. I can pull the branch out by myself. I don’t want to risk having you injured in the process.”

  “Sorry, but that’s not how I roll. You loaned me these snazzy boots and I’m going to make use of them.”

  “But—”

  “No arguments, Ezekiel Manfred Rafferty.” She reached up, pulled his head down and kissed him firmly on the mouth. Then she took a couple of careful steps back. “Understood?”

  He was so shocked by her kiss that he didn’t react. He just stood there like a man carved from stone.

  “Now go lasso that branch and get it out of Matt’s bedroom. I’ll supervise from inside.”

  He snapped out of his trance. “Yes, ma’am.” He automatically touched the brim of his hat before he went out the front door.

  He was soaked by the time he made it to his truck. The wind whipped his wet clothes against his body so, technically, he should be shivering from the cold. He barely noticed. She’d kissed him. Hot damn.

  Chapter Ten

  Kissing Zeke might not have been the wisest move, but Tess hadn’t been able to help herself. He’d loaned her his show boots to protect her feet. How gallant was that? She’d lived in cowboy country all her life so she knew what boots like these must have cost. They were probably the most expensive item of clothing he owned.

  But he wasn’t worried about the boots. Instead he was worried that because they were too big they’d make her clumsy and she’d fall onto broken glass. At this point she wasn’t sure whether his concern was for her, the baby, or both, but she appreciated his gesture no matter what the reason.