The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) (10 page)

What if she was pregnant? What about all her dreams?

Sadness rippled through her. She wanted children and maybe she even wanted them with Jake. But not now—not right as she was headed out into the next stage of her life. How could she possibly do nearly five years of college in a field as challenging as veterinary medicine and raise a child at the same time, especially with a husband consumed with ranch work?

She could read between the lines of what Jake had said last night. While she hadn’t grown up on a ranch, she knew all about what it took to run them. Rancher’s wives did ranch chores, too. Plus they kept a large house, ran interference for the hired hands, who tended to get into trouble in their spare time, raised their families, and participated fully in community activities as well. She simply didn’t have time for all that.

She wasn’t going to give up her dream for Jake’s, either. She was one hundred percent sure of that. There was no way this could work, but… if she was pregnant, she wouldn’t give up the child.

So what would she do?

And why had Jake run away and stolen the evidence?

She turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. Back in her bedroom, she searched her suitcases for a suitable work outfit and hurriedly got dressed. As she clattered down the stairs to the main floor, however, another thought struck her and stopped her cold. One hand on the banister, the other gripping her purse, she teetered on a step.

Had Jake sabotaged the condom deliberately? Was he trying to make her pregnant so she had no choice but to stay?

She scanned the area below her, focusing on the dirty dishes still in the sink in the kitchen and the haphazard way Jake’s belongings filled the living room. She recalled the messy bathrooms and the disaster of Jake’s bedroom. Maybe Jake wasn’t the man she thought he was. Maybe Jake cut corners whatever he did.

Fury filled her as she stormed down the rest of the stairs. She was going to find Jake right now and tell him exactly what she thought of him, and then she’d pack her bags and get the hell out.

Her anger propelled her all the way to Gladys’s pasture where she guiltily realized she’d forgotten all about the beast. She’d forgotten to pick up more corn on the cob, the bison’s favorite food, too. As she neared the fence she spotted Gladys right next to the spot where Hannah normally stood each morning to talk to her and leave her a treat.

Hannah’s heart squeezed as she realized Gladys must look forward to those morning treats. Usually the bison stayed away from the fence, not coming to retrieve the corn until Hannah left for work. Now she was close enough to touch. Not that Hannah would do something so foolish. When she got close, Gladys raised her head a fraction and huffed out a breath. Was that a greeting?

“I’m sorry. I forgot your corn.” Hannah wondered if she could get some on her lunch break. Gladys huffed again and moved an inch closer. Hannah held her breath. Did the creature want to be touched? Had she made a connection with this giant animal?

As she bent down to look Gladys in the eye, the bison suddenly snorted and wheeled away. Surprised, Hannah nearly fell back, but an iron grip on her bicep prevented her from doing so.

“Came to talk to my lunch, did you?” Holt said.

“She’s nobody’s lunch.” Hannah regained her footing and yanked free of him.

“Oh, someone will be happy to eat her, I’m sure. Just as soon as I sell her to the local butcher.”

“You promised…”

“Did you sleep with my son last night?”

Hannah flushed hot and only just resisted clapping her hands to her cheeks to hide their color.

Holt looked amused. “I guess you did after all. I thought Jake was telling tales.” He bent forward to peer at her. “I’d say more than sleeping went on, too.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Hannah turned to leave.

“Not so fast. Your bison’s won another day on the ranch, but you’ve got thirteen more nights to go. Jake’s no slouch at one night stands. What I’m trying to teach him is the benefit of a sure thing for a lifetime. The wife and I are getting older. I thought our grandkids would have learned to ride by now.”

For one split second Hannah saw a trace of sorrow flit over the older man’s face. She blinked and it was gone, but it shifted her perception of the situation. A little.

“Grandkids?” she repeated.

“I thought the ranch would be crawling with them, given I have four sons myself.” Holt surveyed the pasture in front of them.

“Do you have brothers and sisters?” She wasn’t sure why she was prolonging the conversation. This was the first time she’d seen a softer side to the old man, though. She was curious to know more.

“No, ma’am,” Holt said. “I was the only youngster on the place when I grew up.”

Hannah bit her lip. There was no way the rancher standing beside her would admit to any weakness, but he’d exposed one nonetheless. Holt wasn’t known for his wide circle of friends. Maybe he didn’t know how to get close to people and make those friends, so he thought he’d build a circle for himself through his family. He wouldn’t be the first person to do that. Now his boys were dragging their feet on creating the next generation. All except Rob, anyway.

And maybe Jake.

Her hand went unconsciously to her stomach and she wondered again if the torn condom could possibly lead to a pregnancy. She glanced up to find Holt staring down at her. His eyebrows lifted but before he could speak she shook her head.

“Don’t look at me. I already told you I’m not having children any time soon.”

Holt put his hands up in a placating gesture. “I know, I know. But you also told me you wouldn’t sleep with my son.”

“That’s…”

“The truth,” Holt said. “And I’ll tell you another truth. You’re a slob.”

Hannah stiffened at this new attack. “I am not!”

“I just stopped by Jake’s cabin looking for you and I beg to differ.”

Outrage straightened her spine. “That’s your son’s mess, not mine.”

“As of right now, my son’s mess is your mess.” Holt leaned in to make his point. “And it’s her mess, too.” He waved at Gladys. “And I don’t like messy critters on my farm.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Hannah couldn’t believe this. A second ago Holt had almost seemed human. She’d been mistaken, obviously.

“I’m saying clean it up by the time my wife and I come to dinner tonight or the next meal I eat will be bison burgers.” He turned to go, but Hannah dashed around and stopped him with a hand on his chest.

“You said if I slept with Jake for fourteen days Gladys would be safe. You promised!”

“Well, now I’m saying that cabin better be clean for fourteen days, too, and you’d better have one hell of a dinner on the table each night for my son. And for me and my wife tonight at six o’clock. I have a full day of chores ahead of me and I’m bound to be hungry.” He pushed past her toward the barn. “By the way, Lisa has a sweet tooth, so serve something good for dessert. She prefers a formal table setting, too.”

Hannah gaped at him as he strode stiffly across the frozen ground away from her. Dinner? Clean the cabin? She worked until five-thirty. How on earth could she pull that off?

And did she even want to? What kind of sick, twisted game was Holt was playing? What new demand would he make tomorrow if she went along with these ones today? She looked at her wrist. She was already late for work. Bella depended on her. So did their clients.

She still hadn’t found Jake to give him a piece of her mind and figure out what to do about the ripped condom. Should she call into work and go see a doctor instead? Get a pill to take so she could stop worrying?

She should, but she wouldn’t. As much as it made sense to do so, she just wasn’t wired that way. Whatever happened next, she’d deal with it, even if it overturned all her carefully made plans.

She placed her hands on her abdomen trying to channel information out of it. Was she pregnant? Could she possibly be?

Wouldn’t she know?

“Did my brother knock you up already?”

She spun around with a gasp to find Ned watching her, his head cocked to one side. “Why the hell would you say that?”

He mimicked her, leaning back and cupping his abdomen with his hands as if he were pregnant. “Doesn’t take a genius to decipher that gesture. So was it Jake who knocked you up, or Cody?”

Her mouth dropped open. “It sure as hell wasn’t Cody!” Too late she realized how that sounded. “It wasn’t your brother, either. I’m not pregnant.”

“If you say so.”

“Ned! I mean it—I’m not. Don’t you dare say anything—to anyone!”

“Why not? You’re going to marry Jake, aren’t you? Did you have a little condom trouble? Or just forget to use one altogether?”

Was he for real? “Who said anything about marriage?” Her voice slipped into a higher register.

“Jake did. Said we should expect a wedding by Christmas—just as soon as he talked you out of your crazy career plans. He prefers his women where he can keep an eye on them. It’s kind of a Matheson thing.” He turned to leave. “Ginger tea is supposed to help with morning sickness, by the way. You look a little pale.”

“Damn it! I don’t have morning sickness.”

“Yet.” He strode away.

“I am not pregnant!” But he was gone.

Giving up, she turned on her heel and stalked off to her truck to head into town. She’d call every ranch around these parts during slow times this morning to find a home for Gladys. And if that didn’t work, she’d take the afternoon off. She wouldn’t let Holt boss her around anymore and she wouldn’t give Jake another chance to trap her in a marriage she wasn’t ready for. Career nonsense? Had Jake really said that? She’d had enough of the Mathesons.

Especially Ned.

Just as Jake
had hoped, Mia Start was working the till at Dundy’s Hardware store. He rounded up a couple of items, brought them to her register and smiled when she began to ring them up.

“Hi, Jake. How’s it going?” As usual, Mia had pulled her long, dark hair up into a ponytail near the top of her head. It made her look younger than her twenty-one years. It made Jake feel old.

“I’m good. Ran into Fila earlier, though. She wasn’t looking so hot.” Now that he was here executing his plan, he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. He’d told himself that with a houseful of guests descending on Ethan and Autumn, Mia might like to move out just like Hannah had. He figured Autumn was stashing the two women somewhere on the ranch, but that couldn’t be as comfortable for Mia as having her own room. He was just doing her a favor. Now that he was faced with her, he had to admit that the only person he was helping was himself.

Mia’s hands stilled. “Fila? What’s wrong with her?”

In for a penny, in for a pound. He braced himself to tell the lie as convincingly as he could. “She seemed upset. Something about moving somewhere temporary? Not having a place for herself? She was crying too hard for me to understand her.”

“Crying?” Mia’s eyes widened. “I knew she wasn’t really comfortable with the idea, but…”

“Sounds like she had a real hard time back in Afghanistan.” Jake cringed. Normally he prided himself on being honest. It was true Fila had a lot to get over from the time she’d spent as a captive abroad, but he had no idea if she was upset about her upcoming move out of the Big House.

“She did seem down this morning. I thought it was because Hannah left the ranch. How’s that going by the way? The two of you living together?”

“It’s going great. The cabins my brothers and I have each have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. They’re perfect for sharing.” He didn’t think it wise to mention that he and Hannah had only used one bedroom the night before.

“I wish I could afford something like that. I feel like I’ve sponged off of Autumn and Ethan long enough.” Mia slowly began to ring up the rest of his things.

“Ned’s looking for a subletter,” Jake said quickly, seeing his chance. “He’d be happy to have you take his guest bedroom. He’d like some extra cash to save up to buy a new truck.”

“Really?” She brightened, then quickly frowned. “But Ned… he’s kind of got a temper.”

“That’s all for show. He never acts like that at home.” God would surely strike him dead for that whopper.

“I don’t know…”

“He’s hardly ever in the house, anyway,” Jake blustered when it looked like Mia would decide against it. “He works all day and most nights he’s tinkering in the shop he’s got out in one of the barns. Have you ever seen the stuff he builds?”

She shook her head.

“He can do anything mechanical. Fix anything.” It was the first time Jake could ever remember bragging about his younger brother, but it was true; Ned was a whiz with gadgets and gears. He kept all the equipment on the ranch running. Jake didn’t know what they’d do without him—it would cost a fortune to hire a mechanic every time something broke down. “What kind of rent are you paying at Ethan’s place?”

“Five hundred dollars a month.”

Jake made a sympathetic face. “Heck, Ned would take three hundred.”

“The five hundred includes food, too.”

“Ned will provide the food. And sometimes you can eat with Hannah and me. It’ll be fun. In fact, why don’t you come by tonight for dinner? I’ll make sure Ned’s there, too. Afterward, he can take you to his place so you can look it over and make up your mind. Six o’clock okay?”

“Okay.” Mia nodded, beginning to smile. “Yeah. That sounds great!”

‡
Chapter Eight