Cowboy Fever (31 page)

Teague shifted in the plastic chair.

“You okay? I can't believe they're making us wait this long.” She looked up at the receptionist. “How much longer?”

“Could be a while,” the woman said. “A half hour, maybe.”

Jodi groaned.

“It's okay,” Teague said. “Gives us time to talk.”

“About what?”

“The baby.”

“The baby?” Jodi winced. Shoot. The rumor had apparently moved fast.

He nodded, his jaw set in an expression she recognized. It was vintage Teague—a stubborn, mulish expression that told her he'd made up his mind about something and he wasn't about to be dissuaded.

“I wanted to tell you it doesn't matter. We're a team, Jodi. We're a team when it comes to Troy, and we'll be a team for the baby too. I don't know if you can get over all the things that happened between us. I don't know if you want what I'm offering. It's—it's not much. But we belong together—you, me, and the baby. And Troy.” He sucked in a long, shuddering breath. “I was worried I'd just make things worse. I was afraid you wouldn't want it to have the Treadwell name, because—well, because.” He made a vague gesture. “But between the two of us, we can make damn sure nobody hurts him. Or her. Or, um, whatever.” He flushed and sat back, exhausted.

Jodi stifled a smile. “The Treadwell name?” she asked.

Teague stared out the window as if a flock of purple aliens had just landed on the lawn outside the emergency room doors.

“Teague, is that some kind of proposal?”

He still wouldn't look at her, but he swallowed hard and nodded. “Look, I know I'm not the best man in the world. I'm like a scratch-and-dent special, you know? Damaged goods. But I'd—I'd do anything for you. And I thought maybe that counted for something.”

“You want to
marry
me?”

“A kid should have a father.”

She shook her head. “Teague, there is no kid.”

“But you said—you…”

“I'm not pregnant.”

He stared at her. “You're not?”

“No. What made you think that?”

“I don't know. You said something about having kids soon, and then Darla said you bought prenatal vitamins. And you had pickles and ice cream.”

She laughed. “I didn't buy prenatal vitamins. I picked them up by accident, and Darla blows everything out of proportion.” She shook her head. “The truth is, nobody around here can believe I just wanted to come home. They all think I have some dark inner secret.”

“So there's no baby.”

“No. I still don't understand what made you think that.”

“I asked if you had kids, and I figured you probably did, because it had been four years and why would you be single? Why wouldn't you have moved on? And you said ‘not yet,' or something like that, and it sounded like you meant you were going to.”

She shook her head. “No. I never moved on.” Now it was her turn to play with the place mat.

“Then why did you come back?”

She shrugged. “The ranch, partly. And partly—I don't know.” She sighed and looked up at him. “Like I said, I never moved on.”

***

Teague scanned Jodi's face, wondering if he could have heard her right. If she was saying what he thought she was saying.

All those years he'd spent trying to be worthy of her—had she been thinking of him too?

She met his eyes and he knew he was right. And he knew the two of them belonged together. They always had. And somehow, while he'd been building himself up, Jodi had been returning to her roots—and now they were meeting in the middle, a perfect match.

He scanned her eyes again, just to make sure he was right.

He was.

Jodi stepped out of her pickup to see Teague tinkering with the mower. His foot was still swathed in a white hospital boot, but he was getting around all right. Luna lay in the sun a few feet away.

“She's finally relaxed,” Teague said, nodding toward the dog as Jodi approached. “She knew we belonged together all the time.”

“Yeah. Animals know,” Jodi said. “Oh, and speaking of animals, I got you a present.”

She trotted back to the truck and pulled her purse off the front seat. As she carried it back to Teague, a fluffy head poked out of the top.

“Honeybucket?”

Jodi hoisted the tiny pooch out of the bag and set him on the ground. The little dog ran around in a circle once, twice, three times, then headed straight for the barn.

“I think we're going to have to keep him clipped,” Jodi said.

“I think we're going to have to give him a new name,” Teague said. He turned toward the barn and whistled. “Spike! Come on, Spike!”

The dog let out a high-pitched bark and ran over to sit at Teague's feet.

“I'm not sure what he's going to do around here,” Teague said. “A ranch dog should have a job.”

“I know. Courtney said his job was to love her, but she didn't think he performed up to standard,” Jodi said, rolling her eyes.

“Bet she wishes she had him back.”

“I know.” Courtney had been convicted of the murder of her father and was adjusting to life at the woman's prison in Rawlins. “I feel bad for her. I'm not sure she knew what she was doing. She needs help.”

“She knew. Sometimes I'd catch her with this look on her face, like she was plotting something. Trust me, she knew.”

“Well, I guess Spike could love the baby.”

“The baby?” Teague creased his forehead. “But you said there was no baby.”

“There is now,” Jodi said, patting her stomach. “That's where I went before I picked up your new pet. The doctor's office.” She watched the truth dawn on him, bit by bit, and was relieved to see a smile tilt his lips slightly, then grow into a full-on grin.

“Mine?” he asked.

“Of course.” She punched his arm. “Remember that first time at your house?”

“Do I.” He grinned. “Best night of my life. Up to that point.” He slung an arm around her shoulder. “There have been a bunch of good ones since.”

“Well, we kind of forgot to be careful.”

“Hey, I forgot my name that day, so I guess it's understandable.” He pulled her close, then held her out at arm's length, scanning her face. “You think it'll be okay?”

“Doctor says it's healthy.”

“No, I mean… it's a Treadwell. I always said I wouldn't…”

“And I always said you should.” She met his eyes, trying to burn her words into his brain. “Teague, look how you turned out. You grew up in that miserable trailer, with parents who did nothing but fight and drink—and yet you're successful, good, and kind.” She gestured toward his house. “This baby's going to grow up here. A little Teague, or a little Jodi. He's going to have the best start a baby could have. He'll be amazing.”

Teague nodded, then cocked his head. “He?”

“I don't know yet, but I have a feeling. He'll have everything you didn't, Teague. Everything we can give him. He'll turn out fine.”

“I guess you're right. He'll be fine, because he'll have the most important thing of all.”

“What's that?”

He pulled her close. “Two parents who love each other.”

“You're right.” She raised her face to his. “They love each other like crazy.”

The End

Thank you to all the usual suspects: my parents, Don and Betty Smyth; my family, Scrape McCauley, Brian Davis, Scott McCauley, and Alycia Fleury; and my friends at B&N Cheyenne.

Thanks are also due to the parents, therapists, kids, and horses who taught me about therapeutic riding, including Anita, Kelly, and Kati at Cheyenne Therapeutic Riding Center and the amazing Helen Sinclair, who gives so much time, love, and dedication to children with autism.

Autism affects one out of every 150 children today, and families struggling with this challenge deserve all the help and support you can give them. If there's a therapeutic riding center in your area, please consider giving a donation or scholarship and help a child enjoy the tremendous benefits of Equine Assisted Therapy.

If you're interested in learning more about therapeutic riding, the following organizations are a great place to start:

Cheyenne Therapeutic Equestrian Center (http://www.ctecriding.org/home)

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (http://www.narha.org)

After dabbling in horse training, chicken farming, and organic gardening,
Joanne Kennedy
ran away to Wyoming twenty years ago and was surprised to discover that cowboys still walk the streets of Cheyenne. Her fascination with her adopted state's unique blend of past and present led her to write contemporary Western romances with traditional ranch settings.

A member of Romance Writers of America and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, she is the author of
Cowboy Trouble
and
One Fine Cowboy.
Her next contemporary Western romance,
Tall, Dark and Cowboy
, will be released in November 2011. Joanne loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website, www.joannekennedybooks.com.