Suited to be a Cowboy (23 page)

A soft knock on the hall door interrupted his thoughts. He
rolled to the side and stood, crossing his room to open the door.

“Thought I’d let you know dinner’s ready,” Sheila said. “I
reheated the pizza.”

“Thanks, I’ll be right there.”

She started to turn, then faced him. “Are you all right?”

He hesitated, wondering why she asked. “I’m not the one
who was held hostage. I should be asking you that question.”

“Ha! Marcus is a wimp. I enjoyed serving that coffee pot
upside his head. He deserved it.”

Jimmy chuckled. “Yes, I guess he did at that. Still, I’m
glad it turned out okay.”

“And I’m glad you didn’t come storming in to play hero. I
heard Marcus saying how he’d fix you and the two-timing, um, ah, well, you
know. He was waiting for her to sign some papers and for you to come through that
door. What he got was a S.W.A.T. team with such big rifles, it put his little
derringer to shame. What a hoot! I haven’t had this much excitement in years.”

Her grin was infectious. “Well, I’m glad you were
entertained by it all, but I hope this marks the end of the ranch’s
excitement.
We’ve had enough.”

“Yes,
siree
! We sure have. About
time for some happy moments around here.” She shot him a secretive smile. “Well,
I’ll see you at dinner.”

Before he had a chance to say another word, she was gone.
He closed the door and went to wash up, satisfied that he’d made the right
choice. If anything had happened to Melissa, he’d never forgive himself. He
arrived in the kitchen to see everyone already seated around the old oak table.
“Smells good in here,” he said. “I love pizza.”

“We waited for you, so dig in,” Sheila said.

Conversation was general as they talked about their
favorite foods during dinner. Tension filled the air, and Melissa wasn’t saying
much, but he chalked it up to the afternoon’s events.

*
* * *

The phone company repaired the line in record time, and
Melissa automatically checked the office line for messages. The real estate
agent’s voice came as a complete surprise, and not a pleasant one either. The
woman had left a message for Jimmy saying that she’d located another property
he might be interested in and would add it to tomorrow’s itinerary.

How could Jimmy sit there looking so innocent when he’d
gone behind her back to seek out other properties? Was he tired of living here
already? Tired or bored with
her
? It
couldn’t be easy having to carry her everywhere. Maybe she should have rented a
wheelchair instead of depending on him so much, but he hadn’t seemed to mind.

Tomorrow!
When
had he intended to tell her? Of course, with everything that had happened, when
would he have had the time?
In the
courtyard,
said a niggling, little voice at the back of her mind. He’d had
plenty of time to tell her then. Why hadn’t he? Could it have slipped his mind?
No, not likely.

She’d known all along that his dream was to own his own
ranch, so why did this come as such a shock? Because she loved him and hoped
that, maybe, he loved her too. Thoroughbreds R Us was a big ranch and
encompassed thousands of acres. If his heart was set on raising cattle, he
could do that here. Would he want to? Should she make the offer?

Melissa gave her head a shake and caught him watching her,
a quizzical expression on his handsome face. She’d wait and see if he said
anything after the others left the kitchen. If not, well, she wasn’t certain
what her next move would be. One thing was sure, if he were intent on leaving,
she wouldn’t try to stop him. She wasn’t going to plead with him or beg him to
stay. If he could live without her after all they’d shared, then he wasn’t the
man for her. Somehow, she’d find the will to live without him in her life—baby
or no baby.

“I think I’m going to retire early tonight, maybe catch up
with a few friends online.” Jimmy pushed away from the table. “See you in the
morning.”

Melissa hoped her disappointment didn’t show. Her longing
gaze followed him as his tall, muscled form slipped out of sight. Missing him
already, she wanted to run after him, but she couldn’t. She took heart from his
parting words, knowing she’d see him in the morning. Would he tell her of his
plans then?

Aaron interrupted her thoughts. “Can we watch a movie,
Mom?”

“Sure, as long as it’s not a horror flick. We’ve had
enough of that today.”

John helped her walk to the living room, while the kids raced
ahead of them. They decided to watch a comedy—laughter being sorely needed
tonight. But to Melissa’s consternation, it didn’t hold her interest. Her
thoughts wandered as the movie played on. Bursts of laughter sometimes
interfered, but didn’t stop her from thinking.

She wished she could walk on her own. Why did she have to
twist her ankle today? She had enough problems. Her mind kept insisting that
she confront Jimmy and demand some answers. But she wasn’t altogether sure she
was ready to hear them. Why, oh why had she allowed herself to get involved
with an employee? Especially one who she knew wasn’t in it for the long haul.

The movie finally ended and she sent Aaron off to bed.
John walked her to her room. She leaned heavily on him, kind of a hopping walk
so she didn’t put weight on her sore foot. It was so much easier to have
Jimmy’s aid, nicer too.
All those
muscles!
He seemed to carry her without any effort at all, never once
breathing hard or breaking a sweat from his burden. That led to thoughts of the
previous night when their sweat-slicked bodies found completion and they came
up gasping for air.
Oh, yeah!

“Do you need anything else, Melissa?” John asked as they
reached her room.

“No, I can manage from here. Thanks, John.”

“You’re welcome. I must take my rascals home and put them
to bed. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, good night.” She hobbled inside and locked the door behind
her before hopping to the bathroom.

On her way to bed, she stopped and looked toward Jimmy’s
room. The light was still on, but he’d closed the blinds, effectively shutting
her out.
So be it!
She crawled into
bed and pulled the covers over her nude body. Bone tired, emotionally and
physically, she should have fallen fast asleep. Instead, she tossed and turned,
hit her cast on the headboard, and groaned aloud at the pain radiating up her
arm. It was too much effort to get back up for pain meds, so she suffered
through it. Dawn was lightening the sky when she fell into a fitful sleep.

“Melissa! Missy! Are you all right?”

Sheila’s voice through the door roused her from slumber
enough to open one eye and glance at her bedside clock. It was
9:30
. “Yes, I’m fine. Just overslept.”

“Thank goodness. You had me worried. Should I wait for
you?”

“Just a sec.” Melissa swung her legs out over the bed and
stood up, testing the strength of her sore foot. “I can manage okay this
morning. Thanks, Sheila.”

“All right. I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

Melissa dressed hurriedly, foregoing a shower in the hopes
of catching Jimmy before he left. She headed to the kitchen, her ankle throbbing
before she was even halfway there. Sheila, bless her heart, was ready with an
icepack for her and, seeing her falter, helped her traverse the last few steps
to the table.

“Thank you, Sheila. Where is everybody?”

“Fed and off to do their own thing, I expect. Anyone in
particular you’re referring to?”

“Well, Aaron, of course.” Melissa picked at her cast,
trying her best to still the tears that threatened.

“Of course.” Sheila smirked. “John took all three kids
riding.”

“Oh.”

“And Jimmy left in his truck.”

“Oh, okay.”

“He never said where he was going, just that he’d be back
for lunch. That man sure does love my cooking.”

“We all do.”

“I’ll have your breakfast ready in a jiffy.” Sheila said,
turning toward the stove.

“Just toast and coffee this morning. I’m not feeling all
that well.”

“A body needs more than that to keep going. Always start
with a good breakfast, I say.”

“All right. I’ll try.” But she’d only eaten a few bites
when she had to make an awkward dash to the bathroom. Sheila followed, kindly
holding her head as she puked her guts out.

“Do you think it’s the babe already?” Sheila asked.

“No, blame it on a rough night and a lack of sleep. I’ll
be fine. I’m going back to my room to lie down.”

“Okay, I’ll help you get there without falling on your
face. You’ve turned awful pale.”

“I hate being sick.”

Sheila tucked her in and brought her a cool cloth, laying
it across her forehead. She also placed her cell phone within reach and a
bucket next to the bed…
just in case.

Melissa closed her eyes and slept.

*
* * *

Jimmy returned to the ranch thoroughly disappointed in the
properties he’d seen that morning. The first one didn’t have nearly enough
acreage. Though the second might be a possibility, it was severely run down,
the pastures overgrown with shrubbery and weeds, and the third didn’t have a
drop of water running through it. Might be fine for a farm, but not a cattle
ranch. His agent said she’d keep looking, and that would have to do for now.

He parked the truck by the barn and went in search of a
cup of coffee, surprised to find the kitchen empty again. At least the coffee
pot was on. A new one he saw. He grinned and grabbed a mug, poured it full, and
headed outside to sit in the courtyard. When he saw Sheila coming out of
Melissa’s room, a bolt of worry assailed him.

“Hi, Sheila. What’s up?”

“You’re back earlier than expected.”

“Yep, couldn’t find what I wanted so there was no sense
sticking around. Is Melissa all right? She didn’t fall again, did she?” He’d
barely taken his eyes off her door.

“No, she didn’t fall, but she does have a touch of the
flu…or something.”

“Does she need help? I can go sit with her.”

“She’s sleeping. Best let her rest. I’m going in to get
lunch started.”

She smiled and left him standing there, undecided whether
to follow her or go to his room. In the end, he went to check on Melissa.

He pulled a chair up to the bed and sat holding her hand. Watching
her sleep, he felt like a voyeur. Melissa was so beautiful that he found it
hard to look away. In sleep, none of the worry creased her porcelain doll
beauty. She didn’t look sick. Her cheek was cool to the touch, so no fever. He
removed the now warm cloth from her forehead, rinsed it out in the bathroom
sink, and replaced it. Her eyelids flew open, her startled gaze colliding with
his concerned one.

“What are you doing in here?”

“Sheila told me you were sick, so I came in to check on
you. How are you feeling?”

“Fine, you can go now.” She jerked her hand out of his
grasp.

Was she dismissing him? What was going on here? “What if I
don’t want to leave?”

“Did you buy it?” Anger flashed in her eyes.

“Buy what?”

“One of those properties?”

“How did you know?”

“She called here and left a message for you. I, ah, forgot
to tell you.”

Hope rose so fast Jimmy thought it might choke him. “Uh-huh.”

“Stop grinning. It isn’t funny. Did you buy one, put an
offer in?”

“Nope.”

She looked at him, her face a mask of confusion. “Why not?”

“Before I answer that, can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, I guess.” she said.

“Why are you so angry?” He picked up her hand, needing to touch
her, and rubbed his thumb back and forth across her palm. She could have
snatched it away from him, but she didn’t.

“Because I thought you were happy here.”

“I am happy here.”

“Then what? Why do I sense there’s more to this than just
wanting your own spread?”

“We became involved. I stepped over the line and figured
it would be easier to keep a good working relationship if I lived elsewhere.”

“Hey, you weren’t the only one involved. Have you heard me
complaining?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“Not at all. I wanted you…still want you. Can you handle
that?”

“But I’m just a nobody, wannabe cowboy. I don’t deserve
you.”

She sat up in bed. “You are somebody. You’re a damn fine
cowboy who thrives on paperwork and horses. You’re also a decent, loving, and
caring person who enjoys carrying me everywhere. Who could compete with that?”
Melissa smiled at him and his world rocked.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you, you big oaf. Now answer the
question.”

Confusion hit as he thought back over their conversation. “What
question?”

“Why didn’t you make an offer on one of those properties?”

He could list the excuses or tell her the truth. In light
of her confession, he decided to tell her the truth. “None of them felt like
home. I love you, Melissa. I don’t want to leave you.”

“Phew! I’m glad that’s settled. Will you marry me, cowboy?”

“What?” He chuckled. “Are you serious? You could have any
man you want.”

“Good, because I want you. I’ll take that as a yes.”

“But what about having another child or children? I’m not
sure we should take the chance.”

“If it’ll put your mind at ease, we’ll do the DNA test, but it may already be too late.”

He must have looked as dumbfounded as he felt, for she
continued. “We forgot to use protection one night.”

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Melissa.”

“I’m not, but we better hurry up and get married. Can’t
have the neighbors talking.”

He gazed into her eyes—eyes filled with love—for him, and
he knew he’d found home at last. “No, we can’t have the neighbors talking. And
yes, Melissa, my love, my heart, I’d be delighted to make you my bride.” He
gathered her close and kissed her, passion rising swifter than a flash flood.
He gently pulled away. “I’m sorry. I forgot you were sick.”