Parker (15 page)

Parker understood. “And you never expected
for some cowboy to come along and interrupt your plans.”

“It never dawned on me.”

He grinned. “I’m glad I interrupted your
plans.”

One corner of her mouth drew up. “Me too. But
Parker, I’m afraid that we’ve done something that is going to
totally interrupt all of our plans. Mine and yours.”

He scooted forward and grasped her hands.
“Reba, whatever we need to work through, we will. I know I was
upset when Callie told me all of those things about who you are and
the death of your husband. It was a lot to handle, on top of
everything else going on in my life. I overreacted and freaked out
a little. I don’t like the limelight, and here you are a
celebrity.”

“Sort of,” she added. “It’s not a big
deal.”

“It
is
a big deal. To you and to
others. And dammit, it’s not me, so I should have stayed out of it.
What I
should
have done is be happy for you, told you I
supported you in whatever you wanted to pursue. But the thing that
worried me the most was that you weren’t ready for a
relationship—that I wished I had known you were a recent
widow—because I would have behaved myself a bit more and respected
where you are right now at this point in your life.”

Reba narrowed her gaze. “Parker, I
practically seduced you. I was ready for you and wanted you. I
didn’t want you to know about Jack because I was afraid you would
do exactly what you said—pull away and give me space—and that was
the last thing I wanted or needed. So I deliberately kept that
information from you.”

“You wench.”

“Yep. I am. And you might think me more of a
wench once you hear what I have to say next.”

For some reason, his heart clutched in his
chest. “Reba, you’ve been trying to say something for a while now.
What is it?”

She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Parker,” she said softly, “I’m pregnant. You and I? We’re going to
have a baby.”

****

Reba watched his eyes grow wide and then
glance off. He dropped her hands and sat up straight.

“Pregnant?”

Her next words rushed forward. “I’m
thirty-nine years old, Parker. I am as shocked as you. I was told
years ago, when I never got pregnant with Jack, that I couldn’t. I
wasn’t worried about birth control because I knew I couldn’t get
pregnant. But I was wrong. I had a blood test two days ago.”

“We’re having a baby?”

She sighed, unsure of where this was heading.
It could be good, or it could be bad.

Parker jumped down and paced, right then
left, in front of her.

“Say something, please.”

He looked at her.

“We’re going to have a baby.”

“Yep. I’d say block out the month of March on
your calendar. We’re going to be busy.”

She could see the wheels spinning in his
head. Then all of a sudden, Parker threw back his head and let
loose with one helluva cowboy yell. “Wooohee!” Then he tossed his
hat into the air.

I might cry
. He narrowed his gaze at
her then and moved toward her. She scooted to the edge of the
tailgate and took his hands in hers, drawing him closer, and
wrapping her legs around his waist.

“I love you, Parker McKenna,” she
whispered.

Parker gazed into her eyes and cradled her
face in his big hands. “I love you more, Reba Morris. Marry
me.”

Reba blinked. “Marry you?”

“Yes. Marry me. Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Tomorrow.”

“Can we do that?”

“We sure as hell can.”

Fireworks went up behind him and Reba watched
the fire in his eyes rival the colors in the sky.

“Yes.”

He grinned and gently pushed her back onto
the blanket. He lay beside her, turning her body to face him. Reba
absorbed the power of their attraction, chest to chest, heart to
heart.

Parker placed a hand on her tummy. “We’re
having a baby.”

“Yes, Parker McKenna, we are.”

He trailed a hand down her tummy to her hip
and dragged a forefinger along her thigh. “We won’t hurt the baby
if we….”

Reba put a finger to his lip. “No. In fact, I
think it’s good for us. Happy mama, happy baby…”

“Happy daddy.” He lifted her chin and peered
deep into her eyes. “Are you happy, Reba Morris?”

Reba leaned in and touched his lips with
hers. “Ecstatically happy, Mr. McKenna.”

A second round of fireworks lit the sky over
their heads.

Parker leaned in and claimed her lips. Her
heart. Her life.

Epilogue

Blog Post, July 5
^th

Bekah’s Cottage Blog

Written by Reba McKenna, aka Bekah

Hi, folks! I have some exciting news to share
with you today. I’m going to be taking a little time off from
blogging in order to get a jump start on my new life and to prepare
for some next steps in my business world!

Yes, Bekah has been a little naughty, and
guess what, she’s landed herself a cowboy! Now, in case you are
offended by the naughty part, don’t be. I don’t mean to offend
anyone. It’s just that I can’t stop kissing my hunky cowboy
husband, and I need some time away from the cottage for a
while.

Yes, you heard that right. I said “hunky
cowboy husband.” I got married!

I know you don’t know anything about my
private life because I’ve purposely kept it that way, but once I am
back in the blogging saddle—in about a month or so—I’ll be opening
up my life a little more to share with you.

Now, Hottie Hubby Cowboy wants to remain
semi-anonymous—meaning he does not want to be the center of
attention. You know how guys are sometimes, so I will definitely
honor his wishes. But that doesn’t mean I might not sneak a pic of
his lovely backside to post once in a while—we just won’t tell
him.

But, there are a couple more reasons why I
need some time away from the blog. One, I have landed a new book
deal, and you will be hearing more about that later. And two, there
is also going to be a cable television show! And yes, more
information coming soon. But most importantly, Hottie Hubby Cowboy
and I need to join our households and make some plans for the
future.

You see, he already has a big ranch house
(but it’s really time for an update—and you know me, how can I
resist?) And I already owned my own small cabin, which I had
recently renovated through and through, and I am dying to show you.
That cabin now will be my new cottage, and the place where I will
host my television show, prep for my blogs, etc. Essentially, it’s
my workplace, and my getaway. Hottie Hubby Cowboy has his own
little cabin getaway too, so why not me?

Well, more on that in the future.

And then there is the family dynamic. I’ll be
totally honest, we’re not spring chickens, but we are still young
enough to procreate, and we want a family. So…

Lots to do, lots to do.

In the meantime, please rest assured this
blog is not going to be neglected! I have plenty of blog posts
already written and recipes galore that you have not seen yet, so
my new assistant—my sister-in-law Callie—is going to be taking over
for me while I’m gone. She’s awesome, and you will love her.

Seriously. You. Will. Love. Her.

Be nice, okay? And I’ll see you in a
month.

Love, Bekah, aka Reba McKenna

THE END

THE MONTANA MCKENNAS

The Long Road Home

The Montana McKennas Prequel
by Jan
Scarbrough and Maddie James

Brody
by Jan Scarbrough

Callie
by Maddie James

Parker
by Maddie James

Mercer
by Jan Scarbrough

Meet Brody, Callie, Mercer and Parker—the
four siblings in the clan of James McKenna, a Montana rancher.
Growing up on the ranch was a great life, until Callie and Parker’s
mother passed away, leaving James a widower. It wasn’t long,
though, before he remarried, bringing stepmother Liz into their
lives, along with her son, Brody. Not long after, James and Liz
added a new McKenna to the family, when daughter Mercer was
born.

Brothers and sisters are prone to
disagreements and this Brady Bunch family of step, half, and full
siblings is no exception. As they grew up and became adults, their
lives scattered to some extent, but there is one thing that will
bring them all back together again—to home, hearth, family, and
possibly even, love. Their father’s last wish.

****

If you like your cowboys with a little more
heat, you might be interested in
The Montana Heat
series by
Maddie James writing as Bella Masters. The McKenna cousins on the
Parker side of the family have a whole lot to learn about falling
in love….

Now available:

Corporate Cowboy
by Bella Masters

ABOUT MADDIE JAMES

Whether writing traditional contemporary
romance or building paranormal worlds, bestselling romance author
Maddie James pens stories that frequently cross a variety of
romantic subgenres. Sweet or spicy, suspense or comedy, western or
time-travel, her heroes and heroines always chase one thing—the
happily-ever-after
. Whether they realize it or not.

Maddie is a Food Network junkie, a wannabe
gardener, a by-the-seat-of-her-pants cook, and a closet hermit. She
works/writes every day in her converted sunroom office and wouldn’t
have it any other way. She frequently rescues stray pets and plants
and an occasional antique wicker table. All of these quirky topics,
and more, make their way into her books.

Visit Maddie’s website
:
www.maddiejames.com

Connect on:

Twitter

Facebook
or
MJNovelist

Goodreads

If you enjoyed Maddie James’s cowboy romance,
Parker: The Long Road Home

please consider telling others and writing a
review.

You might also enjoy these western/cowboy
romance novels

published by Turquoise Morning Press:

Rawhide and Roses
by Maddie James

Broken
by Maddie James

Secrets
by Cat Shaffer

Romantically Yours!

www.turquoisemorningpress.com