The Last Cowboy In Texas (15 page)

Aggie paused to smile uncertainly. “We sure wasted no time getting that going.”

“You sure it’s not Steve’s baby?”

“Very sure. The one thing Dr. Carlson did not want was pregnancy messing up his lifestyle. We made certain it never happened.” Her face went red. “I won’t go into that.”

“You don’t need to, but this was very fast. You’ve only known JT a few weeks.”

“Five weeks, but it was that first night. Had to be. I fell so madly for him I didn’t think about anything except loving him. We got to know each other pretty well that night. Really well, if you know what I mean. Endlessly.”

“Well enough you’ll marry the guy and have his kid?”

“I’ll gladly fill his new mansion with them, Paige. This is the one thing I’ve always wanted more than anything.”

“Even more than saving little frogs?”

“Especially more than messing with those horrible little creatures. Ugh! Just the thought of having to touch those creepy things makes me sick.”

“Why were you so intent on what you were doing if you felt that way?”

“I thought I wanted to be married to a handsome professor who’d fulfill my fantasy of having a modern family.”

“Steve Carlson was the wrong guy for that dream.”

“Tell me about it. But JT is perfect, if you don’t worry too much about his spoken language.”

“Well, he’s handsome enough. You two should have some delightful children, Aggie. And yes, to answer your original question, I’d be honored to be your wedding attendant.”

Aggie hugged Paige with tears in her eyes. “Having you there will make it a lot better for me. I don’t know anyone around here but you and
Troy
.”

The name triggered Paige’s curiosity. “By the way, did JT pick out a best man?”

Aggie’s eyes went shut. “Not yet, I think. I don’t know.”

“Well, as long as it isn’t Troy Roberts, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, Paige. I’ll be in touch to pick out gowns and such as that. This will be a whirlwind thing so we may have to compromise on colors and styles. But that’s okay.”

“Aggie, what about your family?”

The redhead stuttered, “I—uh, haven’t gotten around to telling them about JT and me.”

Paige stared her down. “Don’t you think you should?”

“I suppose. Oh, there are so many things to think about...”

From Aggie’s expression, she knew what the problem was. Her folks, probably the uppity
St. Louis
County
variety, would be offended by their daughter’s choice of mate. Uppity or not, she deserved their support, especially since she was about to add a new generation to their number.

“Well, I’ll help you with that too, if I can. Let me know what you want, Aggie. We’ll turn this into a wonderful time for all of us.”

All but me.

Chapter Nine

Cil had brought Paige’s manuscript downstairs to read it with better lighting in the den, so hooked on the story she didn’t hear Ozzie arrive unexpectedly. He walked in on her to see her draped across her easy chair, one leg dangling over a chair arm and swinging back and forth, her total concentration on the journal in her hand.

“Must be some pretty good stuff you’re reading there, Cil.”

She jumped, dropping the book on the floor. “Oh! Ozzie, you scared me. Why are you home this time of day?”

“Last I noticed, I come home for lunch at noon every Tuesday. It is Tuesday, isn’t it?”

Cil’s face flamed as she glanced at the clock. “Yes, dear, and noon, too. I must have lost track of time. I’ll have your sandwich ready in a few moments. Are you in a hurry?”

“Not especially. What were you reading just now?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just some stuff Paige wrote.” She grabbed the manuscript book and closed it, grasping it tightly in her hands.

“She writing political opinion pieces again?”

“No. Nothing like that.” From the look on her husband’s face, he wasn’t going to let it go. “She’s writing fiction, if you must know. Pretty good stuff, too.”

“You don’t say. Could I look at it?” He walked across the room and held out his hand.

She handed it to him. “She’s into historical romance, darling. Can you imagine that?”

He shook his head. “I can’t. Well, let’s see what she has here.”

He opened the notebook and began reading. When he dropped into his chair and kept reading, she slipped into the kitchen and hurriedly assembled a bowl of tuna salad. After she had sandwiches made, she put them on a tray along with two glasses of milk and a bowl of chips and took them into the dining room.

“Ozzie? Lunch is ready.” She heard him grunt, but he didn’t come to the table. “Ozzie, I thought you wanted your lunch.”

“Yeah, okay. Just a minute. This is really good writing, sweetheart. I don’t get all gushy over romance as you well know, but this is engaging work.”

She smiled, realizing that if he liked it, it had to be good. Very good. Maybe good enough to publish. “You think she should send it to a publisher?”

He put the story down and sauntered into the dining room. “I do, indeed. In fact, I have a notion to send it in, myself. Not under my name, of course. But I know an editor or two that might like to have their names connected to Paige’s story. It’s good stuff. Damn good.”

Cil shook her head. “I don’t think Paige would want you to get involved in her project. If she knew you and I were even reading this, she’d be upset. I can encourage her, I think. Give me the names of the places you’d send it and I’ll suggest them to her.”

“That may be, but I don’t see how a little boost would upset her. Doesn’t she know you’ve been reading it?”

Her face flamed again. “Not exactly. She knows I’m aware of it, but not that I’ve been reading as she writes.”

“Hmm. Snooping, huh? That could set our little darling off like a damn roman candle.”

“You’re right. I’ll find a way to encourage her without upsetting the apple cart.”

“I hope. She’s been strung pretty tight lately, like the E string on a violin. I wish she and
Troy
could get past their problem with Missy.”

“I do, too. Well, here’s you lunch. Let’s sit and eat so you can get back to the paper.”

Her mind had been working furiously, trying to come up with a way to get Paige’s book noticed. She’d just thought of something and couldn’t wait for Ozzie to get back to the office so she could go into action.

* * *

Cil pulled out the half dozen writing magazines she’d gotten her last trip into Branson. She’d gone through four of them without finding the article she knew she’d seen somewhere. The fifth held the key—a treatise on publishing historical fiction. Actually a how-to on prepping one’s manuscript for submission.

On one of her excursions into Paige’s quarters, she’d discovered the motherlode; three large notebooks, each holding a complete romance. What’s more, they were obviously a series with common characters and continuous action. The fourth, the one she’d been reading when Ozzie saw her, was also in the series but not quite complete. If only she could get a publisher to accept the first book, she was sure Paige’s career would be off to a fine start.

After carefully putting everything back so Paige wouldn’t suspect she’d been into her things, Cil took the first book downstairs and, following the format specified in the article, typed page after page into her own computer. She would transfer the book, exactly as Paige had written it, onto the computer until she had it all. Then she’d send the file to the email address of a publisher, along with a query letter, following the guidelines in the treatise. It was time to learn whether her daughter was a true writer or just another wannabe.

She was still typing when she heard Paige’s car in the drive. Hurriedly stowing her stealthy effort, she shut the computer down seconds before her daughter came in and plopped down in a chair opposite her.

“Afternoon, Paige.”

“Hi, mom. How are you doing today?”

“I’m just fine, dear. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess. Hadn’t noticed. It’s a day, like every other day.”

“Honey, you have to enjoy what you have, while you have it. This thing with Missy has really got you down, hasn’t it?”

“I’m just fine. Dad home yet?”

“No. Wasn’t he at the paper when you left?”

Paige shook her head. “I didn’t notice. Might have been.”

Cil held back a tart response.
Oh dear. This child is in worse shape than I imagined.

* * *

On Wednesday morning, after Ozzie and Paige had left, separately, for the paper office, Cil scrambled to get her computer up and running. She’d have the whole morning to finish transcribing Paige’s manuscript onto the file. Once it was done, she’d send it off. As she worked, she had a thought that it might be better to use the editorial contacts her husband had mentioned.

On the other hand, she was unsure whether Ozzie could keep a secret. Better to do it herself and wait to see if she got results. She did send the manuscript to a publisher her husband had known for years, using the information he’d given her. As a close friend, she hoped the man would at least look at Paige’s story. By afternoon, she’d sent the work into cyberspace and the deed was done, for better or worse. Better, she hoped.

* * *

Paige had just picked up the phone to call her when Aggie came into the paper office. In the short time that had passed, she felt they’d gotten really well acquainted. Aggie had opened her heart, letting out all the pent-up frustration of the years of waiting for the right guy to come along. Now he had and she’d wasted no time staking her claim.

“Hi, Paige. I’ve got great news.”

“You told your parents about the wedding.”

“Not that good.” The redhead’s countenance fell. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

“Aggie, the wedding is next week. You’re running out of time, don’t you think?”

“That may be, but every time I pick up the phone, I freeze. Dad is going to kill me.”

“Because you’re marrying a cowboy?”

“Not just that. Dad had always expected that I would take my place in society back home. That won’t happen now.”

Paige rose. “So, you’re ashamed of JT because he’s not good enough for your family? Maybe you’d better rethink things.”

“No, damn it! I’m not ashamed of him, Paige. I love him and I’m going to have his baby, remember? This is just hard.”

“Life is hard but we don’t put off living. You should call them now and let them know. After all, your baby will be their grandchild. How ashamed can they be of that?”

The woman grimaced. “You’re right. I’ll do it.”

“Anyway, you said you had great news. What’s up?”

“I found the most darling wedding dress, in my size and everything. And they have some neat bridesmaid gowns too. Do you have time to go to
Springfield
with me to pick one out for you?”

“Sure. Let me tell Dad and we can go now if you’d like.”

“That would be wonderful. Oh, Paige, I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to have found a friend like you.”

From the look on Aggie’s face, Paige knew she needed a hug. One wouldn’t be bad for herself about right then, either. They exchanged a happy embrace and went to the outer office where Paige conferred with her dad for a moment.