Saving The Cowboy (BWWM Pregnancy Romance) (3 page)

Chapter Six - Parker

              There was a level of respect when a woman has been cooking that his father had taught him very early on. When a woman says dinner is ready you drop whatever you’re doing and head inside to eat it. A happy cook is a good cook, that’s what he had always told him. He shoved his phone back in his pocket with a sigh and gave Becca a smile. He made his way over to her and picked her up in a hug before she swatted him away.

              It took a moment before he thought to turn around, but when he did he was floored.

She was beautiful, there was no other way to put it. She stood there watching him, her hands clasped together in front of her. She was of average height and that was the only thing about her that was average. Her skin looked as if she was kissed by the sun for hours and had a healthy glow. She was curvy, in all the right places, but petite. He walked over to her and stuck out his hand.

              “You must be Jasmine.”

He gave her a half smile and she returned it. There was something exotic about her that drew him in. Her eyes were like liquid honey and to say he was attracted to her was an understatement. His father was looking down on him right now and laughing, he could almost hear it.

              “Send for a stranger to have a baby with and you get a beautiful woman.”

              With a sigh, he held the chair for her to get settled and made his way across the table from her. There was something about her smile that made him want to be closer to her. Her eyes were striking and deep down somewhere he knew he was in trouble. He had specifically gone in search of someone different, someone from far away from here, and it had backfired. She certainly didn’t look like she was from around here, yet at the same time she looked as though she was right where she belonged. She held herself with a humble sort of grace, her movements fluid and shy, yet when she passionately talked about her family her eyes came to life.

              “So you have a sister? That must be fun.” He sipped at his glass watching her reaction.

“It can be, but she is 15, so she can be a bit of a handful. She recently discovered boys, so I’m doing my best to point her in the right direction.” She smiled at him.

“What about your mother and father?”

“My father does the best he can with her, like I said she can be a handful. My mother, she died when I was young. I miss her though. I was 12, just figuring out I was a girl.”

The tone was somber for a moment before he decided to change the subject.

“Have you ever been to Texas before?”

“No, not at all. To be honest when I was choosing a path to take I assumed it meant Texas, New York.” She gave him a half smile. “I felt ridiculous when they handed me the ticket for the flight here, I asked twenty questions. I looked like a complete fool.”

“I don’t think you could ever look like a fool Jasmine, and I just met you.” He gave her another half-smile.

Chapter Seven - Jasmine

              He was gorgeous. There was something rugged about him that she appreciated. He obviously worked hard and loved the ranch. Being no stranger to hard work they had that in common. Dinner was a light hearted affair and they chatted happily about nothing serious. After the delicious meal was cleared away, he asked her to join him in the study to go over some paperwork.

              “I’d be happy to as soon as I help Becca clean up from dinner.” He frowned at her and before he could tell her no she gathered up the remains of the food and carried it into the kitchen. She could tell he was a man used to getting his own way, but she refused to be bullied into changing her ways. She didn’t come here to be pampered she came for a purpose. After she helped the fluttery Becca clear up from dinner, she made her way into the study where he was waiting. He had a frown on his face and she ignored it as she took a seat in a chair near him.

“So tomorrow I have an appointment for us both with Dr. McCann. She just wants to discuss the process and procedure. Can you be ready at 10? I figured we could have lunch after and discuss the plan for the remainder of your time here.”

              “Tomorrow? Yes, that sounds good. I am sure you are anxious to get the process started.”

She saw him hesitate before he said what was on his mind. “Jasmine I want… need this to be a painless and quick process. The staff here are well paid to do their job. You don’t have to help them. You are here for other reasons.”

She felt the anger rise up in her immediately. She hadn’t felt like part of his employees until now. She supposed his good looks weren’t going to carry his bad personality.

“I appreciate the clarification on my position, Mr. Jackson, I wasn’t trying to do more than…required of me, I was simply helping. I am not use to having people wait on me.” She stood to leave. “I’ll be ready at 10.”

***

              The day came too quickly for her. She was still trying to get used to her surroundings and the heat of the Texas summer.

She was surprised at herself last night. It usually took much more than that before she got upset, but there was something about him that sets her on edge. She dressed casually for the day ahead and met him in the front of the house. He seemed to be brooding over something and she decided to let him. It would do no good to try and understand him, he didn’t want her to get that close to him that much was obvious.

They made their way into town where they met with the doctor. She was a sweet woman and took care to explain everything about the process. They decided to set the date for next week for the first try. She assured them it may take more than once and she knew Parker wanted it done as soon as possible.

“I just want to make this clear to you both that this may take more than a couple rounds before we have any real results. Some things take time, and all of the conditions have to be just right for things to work. My best advice to you is to be patient.” She smiled down at Jasmine who blushed slightly.

***

Lunch was a much different affair. He seemed to be watching her more than before. She wished she could get inside his head and see what he was thinking. They chatted about the house and touched on his father for a moment.

“What about your mother? I don’t mean to pry, if you don’t want to share that’s fine.” She took a sip of her water.

“She died when I was a kid, I remember how she smelled more than anything else, like lotion and lilacs.” He gave her a smile.

They both sat lost in thought for a moment. She saw him watching her again and felt something start to burn deep down inside. She would have to be very careful around him.

              They made their way to the lawyer’s office in town. He was all business, but a nice man and had all the necessary paperwork drawn up.

As soon as they signed off on everything, Parker took her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze and they made their way over to City Hall. It was quaint and cute, they stood in a room and she brushed off something on his shirt.

They spoke their vows and it was as if time had suddenly slowed down. She saw him smile at her as he said the final “I do.” It wasn’t until an hour later when they were back in the car that it occurred to her that she was married.

It all had happened so fast. She had always thought she would marry for love one day, but saving a ranch and helping her family was reason enough. She was still thinking about it when she heard a knock on the door before dinner. She opened it and Parker stood there with a small box.

“I know this isn’t traditional in any sense of the word, but, I thought this was a necessary part of it. In case anyone asks I don’t want to seem like the guy who didn’t at least make it official.”

She opened the box and found a solid gold band that he slipped on her finger. It was a perfect fit and she smiled up at him as he flashed the matching one on his as well.

“I suppose we will get used to the feel of it.” He gave her that half smile of his that drove her crazy.

The days went by quickly, Parker would be at the house for meals and to check on her. He always seemed to have some quick second to give her grief about something and she would give it back to him. He would often touch her hand as he went by or her arm and the same feeling would consume her again. She refused to let herself feel anything for Parker Jackson.

He was, by all accounts, dangerous. She was about to carry a baby for him, and eventually, leave it. Sometimes it would do her well to remember what she was here for. She sat waiting at the doctor’s office for Parker to come out. He went in first for his part in the process and she noticed the blush on his face when he sat back down in the lobby. He squeezed her hand lightly before she went back and she smiled at him. They could be creating a life this afternoon.

The idea was powerful and she took a moment to get a drink of water as she made her way back to the room. Dr. McCann talked her through every step and there was only some slight discomfort. Before they made any move to leave the doctor came back in to discuss their options.

“As I mentioned before, this rarely works on the first try, though it’s not impossible. I understand you’re in a unique situation Mr. Jackson, but let’s check in next month and see where things stand.” She shook hands all around. Parker looked almost nervous and he helped her out to the car.

              The ride home was quiet, he would glance at her from time to time and she closed her eyes to rest. She was on bed rest the next two days and the idea of it was torture. She had never had so much down time in her life. As they made it to the house he opened the door and helped her to her room. She gave him a smile as he tucked her into bed. He was gentle as he did it and she started to give him grief right away.

“As an employee, will I be allowed to have food today, I am starving?” He frowned before realizing she was joking.

              “I guess I’ll have to feed you then.” He left and she laughed at him as he went.

              He returned with a small feast of chunks of ham and cheese and some soft bread. They ate together and talked about the upcoming rodeo. She could tell he felt strongly about it.

              “Why aren’t you going? It’s obvious you love it?” She took a long drink of water.

“I wish I could, it’s just the ranch. I need to oversee things here. Plus there is so much to do, to get ready for the baby.”

The reality of what they were doing was brought to the surface and they both stopped for a second.

He knew an opportunity like this may not come up again and he leaned in and kissed her soft at first then deeper.

Her head was spinning as she felt his lips on hers. She had thought about it more than once, despite trying her best to ignore it. They broke apart and her heart was still fluttering wildly. This was a bad thing and something she had wanted to avoid. Someone would get hurt, there was no denying that. She watched him take a step back and her body reacted to him leaving as if she was missing something.

“I’ll… leave you to get some rest. I know I should say I’m sorry Jasmine, but I’m not. I don’t know what this is with us but, there is something there and I know you feel it too.”

              He left her then and she laid her head down on the pillow lost in thought. She usually had a firm handle on her emotions and her body. She hadn’t reacted like this to someone in a long time. She thought about their situation until finally she fell asleep.

              The bed rest seemed to drag on until, finally, on the third day she was able to get up and move around.

Parker had missed dinner the last two nights and was working long hours on the ranch doing one thing or another. She missed him, she couldn’t deny it. There was so much to consider in every step they took and it was all a jumble now. Nothing made sense and all she thought about was the kiss they shared. Finally, a week after their appointment Parker made his way into the kitchen for dinner.

“I’m not pregnant. I thought you should know it didn’t work.” She looked over at him and saw his scowl. “I’m sorry, Parker. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

“I should apologize to you, Jasmine. I think when I kissed you I felt a lot of different things about it.” He glanced over at her.

“I’m sure you have a lot of emotions going on about all of this Parker, it can’t be easy. I’m sure you were just excited about the possibilities, that’s all.”

She gave him a smile and the atmosphere in the room changed.

***

              The next month went by quickly.

Jasmine was enjoying her time there, more than she thought possible.

She and Parker would have dinner and walk the paths in the garden, both talking about their day. It was increasingly obvious that they were getting closer, but neither wanted things to end. So they never brought up how they were feeling. By the time she had been there for 6 weeks or so she had adjusted to her new surroundings.

She had found a way to tame her mane of hair, and she would spend her mornings with Becca in the kitchen before she would walk the gardens. She loved the feel of the sun on her face and Texas had plenty of that. Parker was gone most days and she was left to find her own entertainment. She did a lot of reading and over time even that left her feeling as though she was wasting her days. Finally, she decided to try and find a job in town. It would give her something to do, something to help keep her mind off of Parker, and what she was doing here.

              She eventually found something, helping coordinate activities at a senior center. She loved it, it gave her a sense of purpose and it was only part time. It left her plenty of time to go home and walk the gardens in the afternoon, and be there to help with dinner.

It also gave her some extra money to spend on the day to day things she needed, she didn’t want to ask Parker for money for those things. It would only bring her purpose here in focus, and although she was very aware of it, she would much rather enjoy being in the fantasy world she was in currently.

              Dinner was becoming a strained affair every night he was there, which was increasingly less and less. He would laugh and smile with her and yet keep her at arm’s length. As the days turned into weeks she rarely saw him and even her job couldn’t occupy her enough, she missed him and his tall tales. 

She missed his face, his presence. He made her feel safe and protected and yet she also felt empowered by him. Maybe he was having second thoughts about their arrangement? Maybe she had done something wrong. She couldn’t address it, couldn’t fix it unless he told her something. She decided to give him some space, until the next time he was here, then she would get some answers and make the best decision for herself. If he had changed his mind she needed to know, she wouldn’t stay here, living in his house because he felt sorry for her. It was probably because the first two rounds of invitro hadn’t worked. Maybe he had lost faith in her ability to give him what he needed. She knew he had a deadline to meet, time was of the essence. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Every time she went in she hoped it would work, for Parker. She would be lying to herself if she didn’t want the honor of carrying his child. She had grown to care about him a lot over the last few months.