“No problem, sugar. I hate to see you like this. Is one of your horses sick?”
“No, no. Nothing like that.”
“Then what is it? You can tell me. I’ll help if I can.”
How she hoped he’d help. How she hoped he wouldn’t be completely disappointed.
She took a deep breath. “Chad, I’m pregnant.”
* * *
Chad inhaled, and his heart nearly skidded to a stop. Pregnant. Baby.
How many times could one man—one man who intended to remain single and childless—endure those words?
Within seconds, Chad relived the hellish two month nightmare he’d withstood the previous year—only a week after he’d buried his mother.
“Well, hi there,” the pretty blond woman said when he opened his door on a warm summer evening. She held the hand of a little blond toddler.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” Chad asked.
“Don’t you recognize me, Chad?”
“Uh…well. I’m sure sorry. Can’t say that I do.”
“Surely you remember that night we spent in Denver four years ago? During the stock show?” She winked. “I know I’ll never forget it.”
Stock show? Chad recognized her then. He’d met the woman at a party Angie and Harper had thrown. He and Dusty’s brother, Sam, had taken off with this woman and her friend, barrel racer Sydney Buchanan. They’d gone to dinner, and then back to his hotel room…
“Yeah, yeah, Laura, right?”
“Linda.” She continued to smile, but tension laced her lips.
“Linda, okay. What can I do for you?”
She let go of the little boy’s hand and pushed him forward. “I’d like you to meet your son.”
* * *
Silence. His face had turned to granite. Had he gone completely devoid of emotion? Catie stood, pondering. Should she say something else?
Finally, “Good joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“That’s ridiculous. You can’t be pregnant. We used protection.”
“Yes. I know. But after that first night, I found one of your condoms by the trash in the morning. It… It had a tear in it.”
“Impossible. I use the best there are. I’ve never had a problem before.” He stood up and paced. “How can you be sure?”
“I’m a few days late. I drove into Murphy this morning and bought a home pregnancy test. It…was positive.”
“Only a few days? Then that could be a mistake.”
“Yeah. It could be, but it’s not. This is the same thing they use at doctor’s offices, Chad. They’re so sensitive now that you can detect pregnancy before you even miss your period. I’ve already missed mine.”
“Come on. You’re going to a doctor. The best in Denver. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”