The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) (23 page)

When Jake explained what he needed, Luke made a face. “Why don’t you just let her go?” he said.

Jake bristled. “Why would I do that?”

“You’re obviously not on the same page. You want to stay here, she wants to go to Colorado. And this whole pregnancy thing—what’s that about?”

“It’s about the condom breaking.” Jake clenched his fists.

“Are you sure? Or is she just using it as an excuse to make you do what she wants you to do?”

Behind him, Mia’s eyebrows shot up.

“She’d never do that.”

“Sure she would. Let her go,” Luke said. “No pregnancy, no problem. Am I right?”

Mia spoke up angrily. “A baby isn’t a problem.”

“It is when it’s not wanted,” Luke said.

Jake grabbed him by his collar before he finished the sentence and yanked him to his feet. “Surprise or no surprise, you better believe that baby is wanted. Grow the hell up, Luke.” He slammed him back in the chair. “Sorry for the disturbance, Mia.”

“That’s okay,” she said automatically, but he could tell it wasn’t. He’d never seen the young woman upset before. Her face had turned an odd shade of white and her lips were compressed in a thin line. As he let himself out the front door he hoped for Luke’s sake he had a good defense ready for what he’d just said.

He was going to need it.

‡
Chapter Twenty

W
hat was Jake
worth to her?

Hannah curled up under the covers in her shirt and panties and tried to answer that question. Was she willing to compromise to be with Jake?

How much?

Becoming a vet was non-negotiable. The work called to her like nothing else did. And having a veterinarian on a ranch would be a helpful thing, not a hindrance.

She’d assumed that after her years of school she’d join Bella in the pet clinic, but she didn’t have to. In fact, after her time with Gladys she’d found herself growing interested in livestock. That was Bella’s brothers’ specialty. Craig’s clinic handled cattle, horses and other farm animals. Bella took care of pets almost exclusively. Hannah had no doubt there was room in Chance Creek for an additional vet of either kind. Both Bella and Craig had been overworked for years.

Could she open her own clinic on the Double-Bar-K?

What about Jake wanting to attend school? She pulled out her phone and logged onto the motel’s Internet access. Checking out Montana State’s agricultural programs, she found several that she could see would interest him and felt ashamed she hadn’t even stopped to ask which one he’d applied to. He was so fascinated by the idea of sustainability. That’s why Gladys had caught his interest in the first place. Evan Mortimer was interested in sustainability too, and he had money to invest. Could their interests meet in the middle somewhere?

One of the reasons ranchers in this part of the state didn’t ranch bison was a lack of infrastructure. What if she concentrated her veterinary practice on unusual and exotic farm animals? Could she help open up the area to more experimentation in livestock? Could she, Jake and Evan work together?

She sat up straight, feeling hope for the first time but almost as quickly she slumped again. What about Holt? What about the Double-Bar-K?

Could Ned and Luke step up to fill the gaps temporarily while Jake went to school? Would Holt allow a bison herd on the ranch? What would happen when Jake finished school and wanted to get back to work on the Double-Bar-K? Would it be too hard to partner with Ned? Would Holt even allow it?

So many questions and ifs—but for the first time she considered the people around them and how their dreams and plans might dovetail into hers. She and Jake had a whole community of friends and family who might support their journey.

But she’d have to trust Jake. And he’d have to trust her, too. They’d have to learn to make sure both were being served by their actions instead of basing all their plans only on themselves.

Could they do it? Would Jake want to?

She picked up her phone.

Thank God Hannah
had finally called. She hadn’t said much—just asked him to come to the motel in town. Jake had just opened the door to his truck when he spotted his father’s Chevy rumbling down the dirt track. Holt pulled in next to him and rolled down the window. “Going somewhere?”

“I’m going after Hannah.”

“That’s good, but I’ve got news for you first. I’ve just been to see her.”

“How did you know where to find her?” Jake demanded. It burned him to know that Holt could guess her whereabouts when he hadn’t been able to.

“How many places are there to go in this town? She’s at the Big Sky Motel.”

“I know—she just called.”

“Well, she’s waiting for you, but there’s something you need to know first.” Holt looked grim and Jake’s heart sunk.

“What’s that?” He braced himself for some new blow. His father seemed to love to provide them.

Holt hesitated. He looked old tonight. Almost… sad. “I’m sorry, son. There’s no baby this time.”

“No…” Jake trailed off and looked away. “Hell,” he said quietly.

“There’ll be other chances in the future. Hannah needs you to be with her, though. Go talk to her.”

“I will.”

“And son?”

Jake hesitated, his hand on the door. “Yeah?”

“Don’t let her use this as an excuse to postpone the wedding. The two of you need to get hitched more than ever. Come to dinner on Saturday night. We’ll hammer out the details.”

Jake nodded. He couldn’t even think that far ahead. He climbed in his truck and started the engine. He wanted to ask what Holt had said to her, but didn’t want to waste any more time. His father waved, turned his truck around and headed back toward the main house. As Jake drove down the long lane and toward town, he had to swallow hard a couple of times. No baby. He felt its loss as if he’d already held it in his arms.

When he reached the Big Sky Motel, he took the stairs two at a time to the second floor and banged on her door. “Hannah? Open up.”

After several agonizing moments, Hannah opened the door. Her hair fluffed in its usual halo around her head. Her face was white and strained, her eyes lined with red. She was dressed only in her shirt and panties and he could tell by the disheveled covers she’d been curled up in bed.

“Are you okay?” He pushed his way into the room and gathered her into his arms.

“I… got my period.”

“I know,” he said softly. He pulled back and searched her face, expecting relief or at least acceptance. What he saw instead mirrored his own reaction. Bitter disappointment.

Tears brimmed her eyes. “Oh, Jake.”

She didn’t need to say anything more and neither did he. He pulled her in close, wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

While she showered,
Jake ordered a pizza and when she got out of the bathroom he tucked her into bed, heaping the covers around her. When the pizza arrived he made sure to block any view of her the delivery boy might get. She appreciated his concern for her privacy. She felt too raw, too vulnerable to come in contact with anyone.

Anyone except Jake.

They ate in silence, Jake sprawled out next to her on the bed. He kept close to her, pressing his leg against hers as if he knew she needed some contact to keep her grounded. She hadn’t expected such an ache inside her chest at the loss of the idea of being pregnant. She had no idea she’d become attached at all to that idea, much less would mourn its absence.

“I would never go to school and leave you behind,” Jake said at one point.

“I know.” She did, too, now that she thought about it. Jake would never steal her dream but he might get caught up in it. She leaned against him. Why had she jumped to such awful conclusions?

“Are we going to be all right?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But I had an idea. A start of one,” she amended when he turned to face her. She filled him in on her interest in treating bison and other alternative livestock. She spoke about Evan’s interest in bison as well and the fact he and Bella were looking for land to build on. “Maybe there’s some way we could work together.”

Jake nodded slowly. “I’ve actually been thinking the same thing. I scheduled a meeting with Evan and Bella for tomorrow night.”

“Really? What will you say to them?”

“That we should join together the way Ethan, Jamie, Rob and Cab have done on the Cruz ranch with their families.”

“What about your Dad? Will he go for it?”

“I don’t care anymore. He’s promised to let me head up the Double-Bar-K soon. Sooner than you think,” he added. “When I’m in charge I’ll share most of the management duties with Ned and Luke. I’ll give them more of a say than they’ve ever had before. They’ll like that. In exchange, I’ll carve off a corner of the ranch for a bison herd. I’ll ask Evan to help fund it. I know he’s interested. And if I give Ned and Luke what they want, they’ll be on our side, too. That’s how we’ll get through the next few years, by asking our friends and family for help. By the time you’ve gone through vet school and I’ve gotten my degree, we’ll be sitting pretty. There are all kinds of things we can do.”

She could only stare at him. “You really think Holt will let you do that?”

“I know he will. You just get busy planning that wedding. I’ll take care of everything else.” He bent down and kissed her nose. “I love you, you know. We’ll make this work.”

“But how do I pull a wedding together in two weeks?”

“Simple.” He kissed her again. “You ask for help.”

‡
Chapter Twenty-One

W
hen Jake drove
Hannah home early the next morning, flakes of snow were drifting down. This far into December it was high time for a real snowstorm. It suited his mood, too. Quiet. Cold. Drifting. He bundled Hannah into the house and back into bed although she protested that it was far from necessary. Since Ned and Luke were already covering his morning chores, he cleaned up the previous night’s clutter and made both himself and Hannah a large breakfast which they ate in bed. Afterward, they leaned against the headboard with their laptops and alternately talked and researched all the choices ahead of them.

After lunch Hannah insisted on getting up, taking a shower and getting dressed in preparation for their dinner meeting with Evan and Bella. Once in a while he saw a sad look cross her face and he knew she was thinking of the baby they wouldn’t have just now, but she was bouncing back already, buoyed up by their impending wedding and the idea of partnering with Bella and Evan. They prepped the house and meal together, moving easily around the kitchen as if they were an old married couple. Jake was nervous about Evan and Bella’s reaction to his proposal, but he decided that even if they said no, he and Hannah had other options. The important thing was that they were together.

Evan and Bella arrived at six, rosy-cheeked from the cold. Jake had worried the meeting would be awkward but he forgot all about that within a few minutes. Bella and Hannah moved into the kitchen as Bella updated her about the state of the clinic and Evan joined him in the living room after Jake fetched him a cold beer.

“I hope you brought me here to take me up on that joint venture,” Evan said right away.

“Actually, that’s exactly why we invited you,” Jake said. “I think I’ll be able to clear the way for a herd on the ranch in a month or so.”

Evan nodded. “That’s great. I’d hoped we’d have our own place by now. I planned to offer some of our land for the project if you’d help oversee the herd in exchange, but we still haven’t found a place that has everything we need.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll happily provide the land if you’ll foot the bill for the herd.” Here was where it got sticky. “I wish I had the cash, but…”

“That’s just fine. That’s what my trust is for—investing in new ideas. Ranching bison definitely qualifies. Just let me know when you’re ready to get started.”

“Right after the wedding.” Jake reached out to take Hannah’s hand as she and Bella joined them. “Two short weeks.”

“Where will you go on your honeymoon?” Bella asked Hannah.

“We’re not taking one. Instead, both of us are starting classes in February.”