brides for brothers 02 - cowboy daddy (17 page)

Chad and Megan had continued their kissing game, but Pete, when his turn came around, had glared at her before picking up his cue stick and running the table.

The game was over. Both games.

She’d gone to bed immediately.

With a sigh, she shoved back the covers and swung her legs to the floor. Her big toe stubbed the book she’d been reading. Dick Francis’s latest mystery was on the floor beside the bed. She was going to have to stock her library if she was going to bed at eight o’clock each evening.

The door opened and she grabbed the blankets, clutching them to her chest like some virgin fearing ravishment. Pete stared at her from across the room.

“I didn’t expect you to be awake,” he said in a voice she couldn’t read. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you getting up?”

“In a few minutes. I was waiting for you to finish in the bathroom.”

“If you want hot water, you’d better get in there before Brett.” A smile broke out on his face. “He’s notorious for long ones that leave the rest of us yelping when the hot water disappears. Jake makes him wait half an hour until the rest of us have finished.” His grin was relaxed, letting Janie breathe easier.

“Thanks for warning me.”

Pete looked at his watch. “You’ve still got five minutes.”

Janie wondered if he expected her to parade past him into the bathroom. Not that her pajamas were X-rated. On the contrary, they were cotton flannel. Definitely unsexy. Even so, she didn’t intend to build any intimacy between them.

“Shall I tell Red you’ll be down for breakfast?”

Would a message to Red convince him to go away? “Yes, please, but I probably won’t make it down until after you’re gone.”

Pete stiffened, as if she’d insulted him. Then he began walking toward her. “In that case, I reckon I’ll collect my goodbye kiss now.”

Janie stared at him, her mouth falling open. The man was insane. “But, Pete, we don’t have an audience. There’s no reason to—”

Before she could finish her protest, he’d lifted her up from the bed, holding her against his chest, his mouth stopping her words.

Bacon in a hot frying pan didn’t sizzle as much as her body did at Pete’s touch. His hands slid up her back, caressing her skin, warming it. When one hand moved to her breast, her mind shut down and the heat intensified.

Then she was sliding down his strong body, landing with a thump on her bed.

Pete drew in a deep breath and marched across the room. “See if you can make a pool shot after
that
kiss.”

Then he disappeared from sight.

T
RUE TO HER PREDICTION
, Janie didn’t make it to the kitchen until the men had left. She made sure of it.

As she was eating the breakfast Red insisted on preparing, she asked, “Red, are you going into town today?”

“I’m not sure. Why? Is there something you need?”

“I thought I’d catch a ride over to my parents’. There are a few things I forgot to pack, and I’d like to get my car.”

“You can take one of the pickups,” Red offered.

“But then I couldn’t drive my car back.”

Megan entered the kitchen.

“I know. Maybe I can talk Megan into helping me,” Janie suggested, smiling at her sister-in-law. She explained her need, and Megan quickly agreed to drive her.

“I don’t know,” Red said, scratching his head. “I’m not sure the boys would want you running around like that. You might get stuck or something.”

Megan laughed and crossed the room to kiss Red’s cheek. “Dear Red. There’s nothing you can do to stop us. I have my own car, remember? And we’re their wives, not their personal slaves.”

Red backed off. “Okay, okay.”

“In fact,” Megan said, excitement rising in her voice, “why don’t we call B.J. and see if she can meet us in town for lunch?”

Janie was amazed at the excitement that filled her. She hadn’t realized how trapped she’d been feeling. “That’s a great idea.”

“Here now, you two don’t like my cooking?”

“Don’t be silly, Red. We just need a day out. Janie, we can leave early and shop for the babies’ room. Then, when you and Pete go shopping, you’ll know where to direct him so he’ll choose what you like.”

Megan’s enthusiasm spurred Janie on. After Megan called B.J. and made arrangements for lunch, they began making a list of what they intended to do with their day.

“What am I supposed to tell the boys when they come in for lunch?” Red asked a bit nervously.

“Sit down and eat?” Janie suggested, and giggled.

Red smiled back. “You know those two lovelorn coyotes will be lookin’ for you.”

“Tell them we’ve gone to spend their hard-earned money, so eat fast and go earn some more,” Megan told him. “Now, I’m going to do an hour or two of work before we need to leave.”

“Shall I help you with the dishes, Red?” Janie offered.

“Nope. Won’t take a minute to clean up after you two.”

“Well, then, I’m starting some laundry. I’ll do a load of bath towels first.” With a sense of purpose in her step, Janie headed upstairs to gather the morning’s trail of laundry left by four handsome cowboys.

P
ETE WONDERED
how Janie would greet him. His parting words had shown his irritation with the events of the previous night. He regretted revealing his vulnerability to her.

“You comin’, Pete?” Jake called from the barn door.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there. Lester has something caught in his shoe.” He bent over to pick up his mount’s hoof.

“Need any help?”

“Naw. I’m coming.” What was he doing, anyway? Hiding from some female? Even if she was his wife, no woman was going to cause Pete Randall to turn tail and run.

“Where are Brett and Chad?” he asked Jake as he joined him.

“They’ve already headed to the house. I was surprised you weren’t with them. You and Chad seem to have females on the brain lately,” Jake teased.

“Yeah.” She was still on his brain. But he was reluctant to face her. He didn’t want her to know how much he wanted her.

Jake gave him a strange look, but they’d reached the porch. When the two men entered the house, Pete’s gaze scanned the room, searching for the woman he’d just assured himself he didn’t want to see.

Chad was slumped down at the table.

“What’s wrong?” Pete demanded.

“Nothing. The girls went shopping,” Chad said, shifting his chin to his raised hand.

Pete stared at him, stunned. “Shopping? What for? What did Janie need?”

“Didn’t need nothin’,” Red assured him as he handled a pan of biscuits. “They’re just bein’ female.”

“Careful, Red. That sounds like a sexist remark,” Jake said.

“Jake!” Brett exclaimed. “First you’re reading about pregnant women, and now you’re talking about sexist remarks? What’s going on around here?”

Jake looked uncomfortable, but he muttered, “We have to be more sensitive to—to things if we’re going to have women around. I don’t want any more divorces in the Randall family.”

Pete wondered if Janie’s nausea from her pregnancy felt anything like his stomach right this moment. The thought of divorce, of Janie leaving him, was more than he could bear.

But that had been his problem all along, hadn’t it?

The question stunned him. Was that why he’d never sought marriage or any permanent relationship? He feared he might not survive its ending?

He hurriedly dismissed such wayward thoughts. He needed to think about Janie’s actions today. “What do you think, Chad?”

Chad looked up at him in surprise. “Megan’s not leaving me. There won’t be any divorce from my marriage.”

“No! No, I didn’t mean that. I mean about today. What should we do about today?”

Chad still looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

Pete was beginning to question his own sanity. Why was Chad so confused? “I mean about them going off to town.”

Jake cleared his throat. “There’s no reason they shouldn’t go to town, Pete. We’re not holding them prisoners here.”

“No, of course not. I just thought maybe they might get stuck on the road, or have a flat tire, or…” Pete didn’t finish his sentence, because he couldn’t think of any other disasters. He didn’t like realizing he was being ridiculous.

“I do need someone to go into town and pick up the part for the snowplow before we have a new storm,” Jake said, watching Pete. “You want to take care of that this afternoon?”

“I can do it,” Brett said. “I’ve got an order of office supplies I need to pick up. And there are a couple of things I forgot.”

Jake frowned at him.

“What?” Brett asked, bewilderment on his face.

“Pete needs to go into town, not you.”

“But I really do need to add to my list.”

“Give it to Pete. He’ll take care of it for you,” Jake insisted.

Brett snorted in derision. “Pete’s computer illiterate. He’d get the wrong stuff.”

“It’s okay, Jake,” Pete began, realizing how hard his older brother was working to provide him with an excuse to check on Janie.

“Maybe you should both go,” Jake said, ignoring Pete’s words. “That way neither one of you will do anything crazy.”

“Hey!” Brett protested.

Pete didn’t say anything. He was feeling a little crazy today. With Brett along, he’d have to pretend everything was normal.

“That okay with you, Chad?” Jake asked. “I really can’t spare you if these other two go off.”

“Sure. I know Megan will be back this afternoon.”

Pete wished he had as much confidence. Somehow he feared Janie might have decided she’d made a mistake. But he was determined to prove her wrong.

T
HERE WEREN’T
too many choices for lunch in Rawhide. B.J. had agreed to meet them at Marietta’s Sandwich Shop, opened recently by a friend of Janie’s mother.

Janie relaxed as she, B.J. and Megan chatted about fashions, food and gossip. B.J. was just getting to know her way around and had a lot of questions about her customers. Megan, too, wanted to know about some of the people she’d met. Having lived in the area all her life, Janie was supplying the information, among other things, while they ate their sandwiches.

“I love Red’s cooking,” Megan said, “but it’s nice to eat something a little lighter occasionally. Living on the ranch, I’m afraid I’m gonna look like a cow!”

Janie laughed. “I know what you mean. But it takes a lot of calories to keep a cowboy in the saddle all day.”

“Do you miss the work?” B.J. asked.

“Yes, but I guess I don’t have a choice until after the babies are born.”

“And after they’re born, you won’t have any time or energy for ranching,” B.J. added.

“Really? I don’t mean to sound naive, but I’ve never been around babies all that much.”

“Me, neither,” Megan added.

B.J. grinned. “I found one a challenge. I can’t imagine dealing with two babies at once. I think part of the problem is that you don’t get any uninterrupted sleep so you can regain your health.”

“I’ll be there to help you, though, Janie,” Megan hurriedly assured her. “In fact, I’m planning on using your babies as a training experience. Chad is—is interested in having a family.” Her cheeks pinkened, and she looked down at her sandwich.

“I guess we can learn together,” Janie agreed, but her heart was envious of Megan’s happiness. Pete hadn’t had any choice about having a family, and Janie wasn’t sure he would’ve chosen that option if given a chance.

Several acquaintances dropped by to chat with them, and Janie made sure her friends met them all. She was discovering the luxury of having friends nearby, and she wanted to be sure B.J. and Megan settled in happily.

When a warm hand rested on her shoulder, she turned with a smile, expecting another neighbor. Instead, she discovered Bryan Manning.

“Oh, hello, Bryan. How are you?”

“Fine. How about you? Liking married life?”

His penetrating stare brought a flush to her cheeks. She looked down at her plate. “Yes, of course. Have you met B. J. Anderson, the new vet, and Megan Randall, my sister-in-law?”

He barely spared the others a greeting but immediately turned his attention back to Janie. “I was surprised by your wedding.”

“Yes, well, it all happened very suddenly.”

“You told me you weren’t marrying him.”

Janie felt irritation surge through her. She had owed Bryan an explanation, and she’d called him the day before her marriage. He had protested her plans, and he didn’t sound any happier about them now. But it was her business.

“I also called and told you I’d changed my mind, Bryan. That’s a woman’s prerogative.”

“That’s anyone’s prerogative,” Megan chimed in, smiling at the man. “I know because I’m an interior designer and my customers always change their minds. Usually just after I’ve purchased some outlandish piece of furniture that only they would want.”

Janie was grateful for Megan’s lighthearted attempt. It had no effect on Bryan. He was undeterred.

“My offer still stands,” he said insistently, putting his hand back on Janie’s shoulder.

Her irritation worsened. Shrugging her shoulder so he would remove his hand, she said, “Thanks, but I’ve made my choice, Bryan. I’m not planning on changing my mind.”

“Look, can I speak to you alone? We could move to another table for a few minutes, have a cup of coffee together.…”

“No, Bryan. I’m sorry, but we have nothing to say to each other.”

He seemed almost as irritated as Janie, but she felt no sympathy for him. He was a handsome man, but she wasn’t sure what she’d seen in him. When she’d phoned him, he’d been difficult, but she’d thought he’d understood. Now all he was doing was harassing her.

“Janie, why don’t we go pay our bill and meet you at the door in a couple of minutes,” Megan suggested.

“I’m not sure—”

“Thanks,” Bryan said, nodding to Megan in gratitude.

As soon as the other two left the table, Bryan sat down. “Janie, I know you felt you had to marry the father of your baby, but I was willing to adopt the baby, to let it be mine.”

“Yes, and I appreciate that, Bryan, but I made my choice, and I don’t intend to change my mind.” Apparently he hadn’t heard there would be two babies. But she thought she’d made the right decision even if there were only one baby. She now believed that Pete should have a role in his children’s lives.