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“I don’t speak Spanish and I have no clients there. Plus, my other children are here.”
“They’re adults. One’s even married with a kid of her own, Maggie. For fuck’s sake, cut the umbilical cord.”
Shit, that had been the wrong thing to say.
Her mouth tightened, but she didn’t say anything. Had he got away with it?
She settled William in his crib, snatched Henry from Jon’s arms and put him in the crib by the window. She left the room, still silent. He took a moment to enjoy watching his sons fall into a doze, then tiptoed out of the room and went to the living room.
Through the window, he saw Maggie in her car backing out of the driveway. Shit, she hadn’t told him she was going anywhere. She wasn’t supposed to be driving right now. He bet he was in the dog house. “Jon, you’re the biggest idiot,” he said under his breath.
“Something wrong?” asked his mom.
Jon slumped on the couch. “Yeah, your son is stupid.”
Distant wails came from the nursery. Both babies had started crying at the same time.
“You want me to check on them?” asked his mom.
“Nope, they probably want their dad.”
He stood and walked into the nursery. He picked up a screaming Henry. Despite him telling her he didn’t need help, his mother was close on his heels and took William out of his crib. Jon rubbed Henry’s back and his screaming diminished, turning to little sobs now and then. Jon was about to put him back into his crib when he threw up on the front of Jon’s sweatshirt.
“Don’t worry. Go and put that in the wash. I’ll clean up Henry,” his mom said.
“You think he’s sick?” Jon asked. “Maybe I should take his temperature.” Sweating, he ran his hand through his hair. He was having his first panic attack as a new dad. He knew he shouldn’t. Babies spat up all the time. However, these were his sons. Worry and panic were in order.
“He’s fine. Go take that shirt off.”
Jon took off his shirt and headed to the laundry room. He’d just started the wash when his mom walked in.
“You know I’d miss you if you stayed here, but you have to think of Maggie and her career too.” Mom leaned against the kitchen counter.
Jon swallowed. “I’m being selfish, aren’t I? I mean, not wanting to do the whole intern thing here.”
“You could at least give it a try.”
Jon nodded. Yeah, he owed Maggie that much.
* * * *
Maggie hadn’t gone far. She wasn’t supposed to drive yet but she’d taken the fastest way to get out of the house, away from Jon. He’d told her they’d be honest with one another about everything, yet Julie had known what he planned to do before Maggie had.
If he wanted to go back to Mallorca, fine. She gritted her teeth against threatening tears.
No, it wasn’t fine. She couldn’t live without him now. She had to have him in her life twenty-four seven. She loved him like nothing else in this world. Being without him for just a day would break her heart.
* * * *
Maggie headed back into the house. Miguel had returned from his sightseeing expedition, and the three of them—Jon, Julie and Miguel—were in the kitchen making sandwiches for lunch.
“Now that the babies are awake, why don’t Miguel and I take them to the park in the stroller so you two can talk?” Julie said.
“That’s a great idea,” Jon said.
Maggie stood in the doorway. “Have the babies been okay?” she asked.
“Perfect sweethearts,” Julie said. She and Miguel put them in their strollers.
Maggie waited until they were heading down the driveway to turn and face Jon.
“I’m sorry if I made you cry,” he said. He pulled her in close and rubbed his nose against hers.
“I can’t live without you,” Maggie said.
“Same here.”
Maggie rested her head on his shoulder. “Is it just the doctor thing you're nervous about giving up?”
Jon took a deep breath. “No. If I’m honest, it’s the whole thing with us. I know this might seem crazy. I mean, in the beginning you were apprehensive about us getting involved because you said I’d grow tired of being with you because you’re older.”
She nodded.
“Truth is, and I’ve never let you know this, but once I fell in love with you I was worried that one day you’d grow tired of not being with a guy your own age and—”
She put her fingers over his lips to stop him saying more. “Jon, I can assure you I’ll never grow tired of you, ever, not even in another life.”
“Maybe if we were married I might feel different about making a permanent move here.”
“I thought you didn’t want to ever get married,” Maggie said.
“I didn’t, but don’t you remember when we were dining in the restaurant that night? You said all guys say that and then a girl comes along, changes the man’s mind and he looks at her and says, ‘I want her to have my babies’.”
She looked up at him.
“You were right.”
She was about to say something but he stopped her by putting his hand over her mouth.
“That girl is you and seeing how you’ve already had my babies. So… How about we take the next step and become husband and wife?”
Maggie had never wanted to remarry, but Jon had opened her mind and her heart. If he was willing to do something he had vowed never to do, then she’d give marriage a second chance.
“I’d be happy to be your wife, Dr Gunderson.”
Also Available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:
Then Came You
Vanessa Devereaux
Excerpt
Chapter One
“What’s the weather like in Chicago?”
Gillian closed her eyes and soaked in the richness of his voice. Whenever she listened to Connor O’Riordan talk it sent shivers down her spine…
the good kind
.
“It’s turned a lot colder these last few days. We had some snow last night,” she said while doodling on the notepad on her desk. He was her last sales call of the day.
Save the best to last
.
“Yeah, we’ve had some too but nothing that stuck around for long.”
She wondered if he’d taken her call in his office. Gillian imagined him sitting at the desk, leaning back in the leather chair that most people would have thrown out or donated, but he’d told her he’d hung onto it because it had belonged to both his dad and his grandpa. His cowboy boot-clad feet were probably resting on it…hat, also cowboy, pushed back away from his forehead.
“So when are you coming back here to show me all the new drugs you have for my animals?” he asked.
The sexy voice had jolted her out of that train of thought.
“It won’t be until after the New Year. Jensen Pharmaceuticals has cut back on trips for all its sales reps.”
“Shit, this bad economy…not even a pretty lady can pay me as many visits these days, damn.”
She laughed. Biggest flirt and flatterer she’d ever met. Had been since the first time she’d introduced herself to him two years ago. Not that she didn’t love all the attention he bestowed upon her. She’d thought he was like that with all women until she’d taken him out for a meal on the company’s expense and he hadn’t batted an eyelid at one lady all evening. A few, including the female bartender at the restaurant, had been drop-dead gorgeous but he’d kept his eyes and attention only on Gillian the whole time they’d dined together.
She put her fingers on her lips.
Connor had kissed her on the last visit to his ranch. She’d been packing away the new vaccines she’d been showing him when he’d grabbed her, pulled her in close to his body and his very hard and ready-for-action cock had pushed into her belly. She hadn’t found it inappropriate because the sexual tension between them had been brewing for well over a year. She knew it and he’d obviously sensed it too.
It had been oh so tempting to get lost in the moment and take things to the next stage. Gillian had imagined him picking her up, carrying her to his ranch house, them ripping off one another’s clothes, kissing non-stop as they headed up to the bedroom. The only thing that had prevented that from happening was the image of Davey, Gillian’s boyfriend of three years, popping into her head as Connor eased his tongue into her mouth. She very gently pulled away so as not to offend him. She hadn’t been tactful just because he was her best customer but because he was an all-around nice guy and she had a soft spot for him.
“You’re thinking about him… I mean, your boyfriend, aren’t you?” he’d asked as he’d stroked the edge of her cheek with his pinkie as they’d gazed into one another’s eyes after the kiss.
“Yeah, I’m afraid to say I’m not the type of woman who cheats.”
He’d tapped her on the nose. “I can appreciate that. In fact, I like that quality in a woman. The problem is now you’ve told me what a loyal lover you are it makes me wish you were my lady more than ever.”
She’d given him a quick peck on the cheek in response to that very nice compliment. Under any other circumstances she would have gone ahead and let him kiss her, undress her, make love to her or whatever he had planned for the two of them. It could have been an awkward moment for them but in no way had she felt embarrassed by what had happened between them. In fact, she’d been flattered because Connor was a hell of a nice-looking guy. A little over six feet in height, baby blue eyes, dark hair that sometimes had a wave to it—on some of her visits to the ranch she’d even seen some cute curls sneaking out from underneath his cowboy hat.
“If I don’t leave now, I’ll be sorry and I’ll also miss my flight because I need to return the rental car first,” she’d told him.
“If you and your boyfriend ever break up will you promise me you’ll tell me, right?”
Not that she ever saw her and Davey going their separate ways. In fact, she guessed the whole marriage, white picket fence and babies thing was in their future but she didn’t want to deflate Connor’s hope that one day she’d be free to sleep with him.
“Sure, you’ll be the first to know.”
He hadn’t. That had been Gillian’s sister.
And now with the sales call she’d just made to him, it was the first time since she and Davey had ended their relationship that she’d had a reason to speak with Connor. She’d assured him she’d let him know if they broke up and, as well as being a woman who didn’t cheat on her man, she kept promises too.
“Davey…my boyfriend and I broke up six weeks ago.” It had come out quickly before she could think about the consequences. Now he’d know she was a free woman again. She’d have until January when she travelled to Wyoming to think about whether or not she wanted to pursue their obvious physical attraction. “I promised I’d tell you,” she added. Shit, now she felt embarrassed. Maybe he’d forgotten about their conversation and the promise she’d made him. It had been eight months ago and just maybe he was seeing someone now. Gillian felt herself getting flushed in the face.
“Sorry to hear that…okay, I’m not. Well, maybe sorry for you. How you doing? I know you’d been together for a while.”
She knew he genuinely meant what he’d said because out of all her customers he was her favourite and not just because of his looks. He’d always been very polite and always the perfect gentleman. He’d held open the car door for her, pulled out a chair and dusted it for her to sit on as she’d showed him all the drugs and vaccines. He’d even carried her across a large puddle when it had rained one time she’d visited. It might have been 2011 but women still loved chivalry. Well, at least she did.
“I’m doing fine. In fact, better than I thought and the best thing is we’re still very good friends. Only problem is Thanksgiving’s going to be tough. My parents are heading to Florida early this year and my sister and her husband are going to Vermont to visit his folks. I don’t think I’ve ever spent a holiday all by myself.”
“No other relatives to hang out with?”
“Sure, a few cousins, not sure what their plans are. But I’m hoping a friend will invite me to Thanksgiving dinner or at least for a drink.”
Now she’d told him all this she was starting to feel down in the dumps. Gillian hoped she hadn’t come across as downright depressing because he was always so upbeat with a smile on his face.
“Jeez, if I didn’t have to look after this place I’d fly to Chicago and keep you company.”
“That’s very sweet of you.”
She heard a male’s voice calling to him.
“Hey Gillian, I have to get going because one of the horses is about to give birth.”
“Okay, and it was nice talking to you and I’ll keep in touch before my next sales call.”
“Look forward to seeing you. Now you take care, okay?”
“Will do and you too.”
She pressed the end call button. Her stomach did a flip. She didn’t usually get excited about sales calls but she was already looking forward to January rolling round.
* * * *
“You think we can handle this without calling the vet out here?”
Connor should have been paying attention but right now all he could think about was Gillian Matthews, prettiest sales rep…cutest woman he’d set his eyes upon and the fact that she was now available. Pretty blue eyes, dimples on each cheek, gorgeous blonde hair that hung around her shoulders like spun gold shining in the sunlight.
He pushed his hat back further on his head. Shit, if he didn’t make a move soon some guy would nab her and he’d be left out in the cold again. Could even be another rancher who would sneak in there before him when she made the rounds in January. He couldn’t have that because he’d had his heart set on romancing and, okay yes, he was an honest guy, getting her between the sheets too, since the first time he’d met her.
“I said do you think we should call a vet?”
A man’s voice jarred him out of his current train of thought. Shit, he hadn’t been paying attention.
He rubbed the horse’s belly. “How long has she been in labour?” asked Connor.
“A couple of hours, but she seemed fussy this time around. That’s why I thought I’d fetch you to look at her.”
“I think she’ll do just fine but keep your eye on her and call me again if there’s any sign of her or the foal being in trouble.”
He patted the horse’s nose then made his way out of the stables and back to the house.
One problem quickly taken care of. Next thing to deal with… How to get together with Gillian as soon as possible.
* * * *
Gillian closed her appointment book and looked out of her office window. It had started to snow while she’d been talking to Connor. The weatherman had predicted no precipitation until the weekend. She no longer trusted those guys and had thrown her boots into her tote bag when she’d left her apartment that morning.
She took off her dress shoes, threw them into the bag then slipped on the boots. Gillian glanced at the clock on her desk. If she got a move on she could reach her yoga class before the snow got too heavy.
Heading out of the office, she nodded to a couple of her co-workers then made her way to the elevator.
As Gillian stepped outside the building, she pulled up the hood on her jacket and headed down the road, slipping a few times on the now slick sidewalk. Falling snow hit her in the face as she turned the corner and approached the old brick building where her yoga class was taught every Thursday night. She put her hand on the knob to pull the glass door open when her cell phone rang. She rushed inside the lobby as the wind picked up, removed her gloves, dug into her bag and pulled out the phone.
“Gillian Matthews,” she said.
“You sound out of breath.” It was Connor…again. She smiled.
“I am. I’ve been hurrying to get to my yoga class because it’s started to snow here.”
“So this is a bad time for us to chat?”
Gillian slipped off her coat while balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder. “There’s never a bad time where my customers are concerned. Every call’s important to me.”
“Problem is I’m not calling you as a customer.”
You’re not?
Her heart beat faster.
“I’m phoning you as just a regular guy who’d like to invite you to spend Thanksgiving at my ranch.”
Her heart raced now and, despite the chilly lobby with its concrete floors and walls, she felt a warm rush throughout her body.
Connor…Wyoming…Thanksgiving…has a very nice sound to it.
She’d been so busy thinking about him and the invitation that she hadn’t realised she hadn’t even responded to his suggestion until he spoke again.
“You still there, Gillian?”
“I’m sorry, the connection was hazy there for a minute or two.” She didn’t want him to think she was either ignoring him—or, for that matter, lost for words.
“So what do you think?” he asked.
“Are you sure you want me visiting during a holiday celebration? I mean, don’t you have family coming for Thanksgiving or anything?”
“Sure I do. My brothers and their families, one of my cousins and his family, plus the guys who work on the ranch and their families will all be here for the big meal.”
“Connor, I don’t think you need me imposing on that.”
“Bullshit. I hold it in the barn, not the house, it’s just for a few hours and then they all leave and I’m on my lonesome. Now, you wouldn’t want to see me in that state, would you?”
She laughed. A lady from her yoga glass walked into the lobby, tapped the snow off her shoes and nodded to Gillian as she walked by and up the stairs to the yoga studio.
“Now, if you’re worried about being alone with a strange cowboy, I can get some people to vouch for me.”
Alone with a strange cowboy…a hunky cowboy…um, that has a nice sound to it too.
“No need for that. I’ve known you for two years,” she said.
“So you’re accepting my invitation?”
Gillian swallowed. Would this be okay with her company? She hadn’t read any rules where it said an employee couldn’t stay with a customer. Okay, she and Connor probably weren’t going to play Monopoly or cards while she was there. Shit, the thought of what they might and probably would get up to made her stomach quiver and her pussy pulsate.
“All right, yes, I accept.”
Gillian was sure her panties were already growing damp with just the thought of being all alone with Connor. And she was going to make it a mini vacation. After all, why go all that way just for a few days?
“And, Connor, if it’s okay with you, I have a few days’ vacation due me so I’ll arrive on the Tuesday evening and leave on Sunday, but if that seems too long to have me as a guest, you just tell me, okay?”
