THE UNTAMEABLE TEXAN Read online

  Quietly, he moved to the center of the mattress. Easing her into his embrace was not difficult. He spooned her against his chest, settling one arm beneath her breasts. Closing his eyes, he courted sleep.

  * * *

  He groaned. Fire swept through his veins when small hands cupped him intimately. Moving restlessly, he felt his body respond to what was one part torture and one part sheer nirvana.

  His naked body felt overheated. Arousal pounded in his veins and thrust higher and harder in his sex. A slender body pressed close to his. Instinctively, he tucked her beneath him. His erection found a warm, welcoming home.

  With a jerk, he awoke...shuddering...incredulous. “Kimmie?”

  She reached up to kiss him. “I need you, Jed.”

  “The baby?” He didn’t want to stop this amazing dream, but he had to know.

  “The baby is fine. Make love to me,” she pleaded.

  “Hell, yes.” She was soft everywhere he was hard. The room was dark... every sensation magnified. She was magic in his arms, even more so now that a new life grew inside her.

  Sliding a hand between them, he used his thumb to pleasure her where it mattered. Kimberly sighed his name. He wanted to make the experience perfect for her. Slamming the lid on his own impatience, he gave her every ounce of tenderness he could summon. At last, Kimberly cried out, her body cresting in climax as he held her while continuing to rein in his own release.

  When she went limp beneath him, he whispered in her ear. “We could learn to love each other again, Kimmie. The connection is still there.”

  She made no response, leaving him to wonder if she was feeling a fraction of the sexual nostalgia that consumed him. Her silence did nothing to dampen his need, though. Gritting his teeth, he moved wildly, his world fading into black as he came.

  In the aftermath, he held her tightly. Kimberly stroked his hair. She had initiated their intimacy. That gave him hope. Perhaps things were going to work out after all.

  * * *

  When sunlight spilled into the room hours later, he roused bleary-eyed. Kimmie was gone.

  Cursing long and low, he crawled from the bed, wondering for a dazed half second if last night had been a dream. But it wasn’t. He knew that. No dream had ever felt so physically sating, so amazing.

  Wincing in distaste, he donned his clothes from yesterday. He would like to run out to the ranch, but he didn’t trust Kimberly not to sidetrack him someway. So he would keep an eye on her. At least until they made it to the doctor.

  He found her in the kitchen, hunched over the sink, a saltine cracker in her hand. He wanted to ask why she had left the bed without saying anything, but the sheer misery on her face deflected his ire.

  Shaking his head in wonder that he had come to this moment in time, he went to her and encircled her with his arms from behind. “Rough morning?”

  She nodded, groaning when that movement brought a return of the dry heaves. Brushing a tear from her cheek, he scooped her up and carried her to the sofa. “Don’t move.”

  Minutes later, he returned with a cup of hot tea and a cold rag for her forehead. Supporting her as she took a few sips, his heart contracted with sympathy. His poor Kimmie was in no shape to spar with him. But they were at a crossroads, and it was time to tear away the subterfuge and get at the truth.

  After thirty minutes, when he did nothing but hold her and stroke her hair, some of the color returned to her face.

  “Better?” he asked.

  She nodded, her eyes downcast. “You don’t have to stay. I’ll tell you everything the doctor says.”

  He brushed his thumb across one cheekbone. It seemed as if she had already lost weight from struggling with morning sickness. “I’m going with you, Kimberly. Don’t fight it. Everything will be okay.”

  The skepticism in her dark eyes when she looked up at him made him wince inwardly. What would it take to get her to trust him?

  By the time they left the house, Kimberly was feeling well enough to argue with him about taking her own car. “That way you can go home afterward. I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’m pregnant, not dying.”

  He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and kissed her on the nose. “You’ll have to humor me, my sweet. I’ve never been expecting before.”

  She studied his face as if he were the Sphinx, though he was trying hard to give her the message that he was on her side. “You’re not expecting,” she said mulishly. “I am.”

  He tucked her into the car and ran around to the driver’s side. “We both are, Kimmie. And I’m expecting more than you can possibly imagine.”

  That shut her up. For the remainder of the brief trip, she avoided talking at all. Inside the stylish, cheerful offices of the ob/gyn, the receptionist handed over a sheaf of papers and urged them to be seated. The waiting room was full, but there were three doctors in this practice, so hopefully the wait wouldn’t be too long.

  Apparently, the clock didn’t start ticking until the paperwork was complete. Because even after Kimberly turned it in, they had another half hour wait. Jed didn’t recognize anyone in the room, but that didn’t mean anything. The Farrells were well-known around town. If people recognized either Kimberly or Jed and speculated, gossip would spread like wildfire.

  At last, a door opened, and a nurse wearing purple scrubs with a neon-pink print of old-fashioned diaper pins stared at a clipboard and called out a name. “Kimberly Fanning.”

  Jed stood as well, ignoring Kimberly’s death stare. He was bigger than she was, and short of making a scene, she had no way to keep him out. He was determined to be part of this experience, but he would not embarrass Kimberly. Which was why he waited outside the exam room while she changed into a paper gown. Afterward, he went back in and sat on a stool out of the way in the corner.

  The nurse took the usual stats, withdrew some blood, patted Kimberly on the knee and promised the doctor’s arrival shortly. Kimberly also had to make a quick trip to the bathroom across the hall to leave a specimen.

  At last, when the door closed behind the nurse, silence fell. Kimberly sat on the end of the exam table, her gaze downcast. Jed stared at a poster on the wall beside him. The cross section of a fetus made him feel a little queasy.

  He cleared his throat. “You okay?”

  Kimberly looked over her shoulder, her smile wry. “I don’t think so.”

  Rolling to his feet, he stood beside her and stroked her hair. She was vulnerable and scared. Her defenses were down. Though it was perhaps unkind of him, he used the moment to ask the question that had tormented him for weeks. “Why did you walk out on me the morning after the reunion?”

  He felt her stiffen.

  She shrugged, once again looking at her feet. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “When I woke up, I was scared to see your face.”

  “Why, Kimmie?”

  “You were still angry with me about the past. I didn’t know where we stood.”

  “Neither did I,” he admitted, wincing inwardly that two supposedly intelligent adults could be so clueless when it came to each other. He reached for the stool and rolled it closer so he could look at her face. “Maybe we need to trust each other a little more,” he said.

  She nodded slowly. “I didn’t do this on purpose, Jed.”

  “That never crossed my mind,” he said firmly. “But we are where we are, and we need to plan for the future.”

  The doctor’s arrival cut the conversation short. The brisk woman with chin-length blond hair introduced herself to Kimmie and then looked at Jed. He and the physician had known each other since they were in diapers. “Are you here as the father?” she asked bluntly. Clearly, Kimmie didn’t have the same last name.

  “I am,” he said.

  The doctor pursed her lips. “Would you mind stepping into the hall for a moment?”

  Jed opened his mouth to argue, but the woman’s question was really a demand. “I’ll be right outside,” he said, and left the room.

  * * *

 
Kimberly exhaled, not realizing how tense she had been.

  The doctor smiled. “The Farrell men can be a bit overpowering. My job is to make sure everything is okay with you and the baby. Do you want Jed in here with you? Some newly pregnant women prefer privacy in order to ask me questions.”

  “It was an accidental pregnancy,” Kimberly admitted, feeling the tears well up again. “I don’t know why I’m so weepy.”

  “Hormones,” the doctor said. “And even unplanned pregnancies can be wonderful, so don’t worry about that. I’m assuming you want to keep the child?”

  Kimberly gaped. “Of course.”

  “Good. I’ll do a quick vaginal exam, and then we’ll let the daddy come back in for the fun stuff.”

  The next few minutes were filled with the necessary procedures regarding female reproductive health. When the doctor pushed back and removed her gloves, she typed a few things into her laptop and pulled up Kimberly’s file. “Based on your last period, I’d say you’re about six weeks along.”

  Hearing the confirmation of what she had suspected made Kimberly a little woozy. In seven and a half months she was going to be a mother. Dear Lord...it didn’t seem real.

  The doctor opened the door and summoned Jed. He took a seat at Kimberly’s shoulder, glancing at her face as if to gauge her mental state. She managed a smile. The obstetrician squirted a blob of clear jelly on a wand-like instrument and began the ultrasound.

  Nothing on the computer screen looked like anything more than gray and black lines. But the doc seemed pleased. She adjusted a knob and smiled. “There’s the heartbeat,” she said. “You can see it even if it’s too early to hear it yet.”

  * * *

  Jed held his breath, awe flooding his chest with wonder. Such an everyday miracle, and yet to him and Kimberly, it was unprecedented. He took her hand in his, pleased when she gripped it tightly.

  Afterward, the doctor spoke to them about prenatal care and vitamins and dos and don’ts and then departed to see the next patient. Jed tried to take it all in, but he had a funny buzzing in his ears. He stepped out again, this time so Kimberly could get dressed.

  When she opened the door, he stared at her. “Ready to go?”

  She nodded, her expression impossible to read. After a brief pause at the front desk to check out and hand over a copay, they were free to go.

  Outside, he took Kimberly’s arm. The skies were nasty-looking, and the winds had picked up. “Come back to the ranch with me. I’ll feed you lunch and you can take a nap.”

  “I’ll be fine at home.”

  The fact that she was already drooping gave him patience with her intractability. “Please, Kimberly. It’s a wretchedly hot day. Let me pamper you for a little while. You deserve it.”

  Big brown eyes searched his face. Her shoulders lifted and fell. “It’s Drew’s house. I’d be embarrassed.”

  “It’s my house, too. And if it’s that important to you, I’ll park around back and sneak you into my room.”

  Her face turned red. They had executed just such a maneuver on one memorable night when they were in high school. “Okay. I do love Willowbrook.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m glad you were with me today.”

  The quiet admission startled him. Fierce satisfaction made him grip the steering wheel. It was a start.

  Back at the ranch, Jed kept his promise. They slipped inside without witnesses. In his bedroom, he settled Kimberly on top of the covers with her back propped against the headboard. He handed her the television remote. “Entertain yourself. I’ll put together some lunch and be back shortly.”

  Despite Kimberly’s desire to remain incognito, Jed enlisted the housekeeper’s help in preparing an indoor picnic. The humidity outside was too heavy to make an al-fresco meal enjoyable.

  When he returned, arms laden with all sorts of goodies, he found Kimberly asleep again.

  She roused when he made a noise. “Sorry,” she said, yawning. “I can’t seem to stay awake.”

  He set down the tray. “I think that’s probably normal, isn’t it?” Without waiting for an answer, he dragged a small occasional table near the bed and pulled up a chair. “Do you think you can eat?”

  Kimberly nodded. “Once the sickness fades, I’m ravenous.”

  He hid a grin when she proved the truth of her words. Ham sandwiches on homemade sourdough bread, fresh fruit and small slices of pound cake with strawberries disappeared in short order.

  Afterward, he pushed the table to its original location and joined Kimberly on the side of the bed. Half turning, he cupped her face in his hands. “I want you to marry me, Kimmie.”

  She flinched. And it hurt. “Jed...”

  “Jed, what?” He kissed her softly, well aware that her lips and body language were more receptive than her words. If she had shown the slightest interest in pushing him away, he would have stopped. But she moved against him, resting her head on his chest. “What if all we have is sex? We don’t really even know each other.”

  “Great sex is not a bad start. And we have history...don’t forget that.”

  “You’re taking this too lightly.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I swear I’m not. Maybe we should try the sex thing again. Play to our strong suit.”

  Her head came up, and she smiled at him wryly. “You’re such a scoundrel. No wonder no female has ever tamed you.”

  “If anyone could, it’s you.” He put his heart and soul into the words, making them a pledge.

  Kimberly searched his eyes, looking for what, he wasn’t sure. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  She hadn’t answered his proposal, but no man worth his salt chose talk over action. Jed was no different. Perhaps he could convince her in a more visceral way. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Kimberly unbuttoned his shirt. “You heard the doctor. We won’t hurt the baby. And you’ll make the baby’s mother very, very happy.”

  Her smile dissolved the last of his resistance. In hushed silence they undressed. His hunger for her was every bit as biting as it had been the night of the reunion, but today was different. He was different.

  Easing her onto her back, he leaned over her and gently rubbed her stomach. “We created a new life, Kimmie.” The knowledge still astonished him...made him grateful and humble.

  She stroked his arm. “Yes. But we aren’t a couple, Jed. We’re not the same people we were in high school.”

  “No, thank God. Because that young guy wasn’t smart enough to know when to fight for something. I could let you go this alone. But that’s not what I want. Haven’t you ever wondered why neither of us has married?”

  “Because no one else would have us?”

  Her attempt at a joke didn’t make much impact. He was mesmerized by her full, lush breasts. Her raspberry-colored nipples responded to his caress by tightening. “You are so incredibly beautiful,” he muttered. “I was a fool to let you go. You hurt my adolescent pride, and I told myself I didn’t need you. But I was wrong. It’s taken me too damn long to figure that out.”

  She shivered visibly, her lips parting on a sigh. “I’m tired of running from you, Jed. And though you may not want to hear it, I’m pretty sure I’ve always been in love with you. But this conversation wouldn’t be happening if I weren’t pregnant.”

  Now he understood. And he felt ashamed for not telling her sooner. But there had been plenty of distractions. “Not true,” he muttered hoarsely, wishing he had dealt with this confession earlier so he could concentrate on giving her the best sex of her life. “I wasn’t in Royal by accident yesterday. I came back to talk to you.”

  Her eyes widened. “Truly?”

  “Truly. I swear it. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in crises at work. But six weeks was long enough. I was pissed when I woke up in the hotel that morning and you were gone, but I finally realized that you were probably as scared as I was. It’s not easy to admit that another person holds your happiness in her hands.” The urgency of his
desire was transmuted by the need to make her believe. “I can’t walk away this time, Kimmie. I won’t. I love you.”

  Emotions flitted across her face. Doubt. Wonder. And finally, a painfully tentative smile. “I believe you, Jed. I really do. Because I’ve walked the same road. Had the same arguments with myself. But we need to take some time and think this through. I don’t want to get married out of necessity.”

  He entered her slowly, his gaze locked with hers. Was it hope he saw there?

  “It is necessity,” he said, groaning. “Because I can’t live without you.”

  * * *

  Kimberly felt a rush of pleasure so intense it took her breath. Jed was silent now. He moved in her skillfully, taking them both to the edge. Even as he shuddered in her arms, she came apart, as well. The knowledge that a tiny life grew inside her womb made the moment all the more sweet.

  She was almost asleep when an eerie noise caught her attention. “Jed...listen.”

  He leapt to his feet and started throwing clothes at her. “Tornado sirens. Hurry, Kimberly.”

  Willowbrook Farms was a large-enough property to warrant more than one storm shelter. They would head for the nearest one just in case. As she struggled into her dress, she wished they had opened the drapes. “Do you think we’re in danger?” It had been a very long time since Royal had seen any really bad storms.

  Jed wrapped his arms around her for a swift, reassuring hug. “This is probably a precaution. But I’m not taking any chances.”

  Her fingers gripped his. Running beside him down the hall, she stumbled and gasped as they lurched out into the hot muggy October afternoon. In the distance, a funnel cloud dropped from the sky. Dear Lord. Fear stopped her dead in her tracks. “Jed. Oh my God.”

  For two, maybe three seconds they watched the monster form, huge and ominous. Her skin chilled at the sight of its dreadful power. Unless a miracle happened, life in Royal was about to change irrevocably. The baby on the way would bring its own chaos, but in a much more benevolent way.

  Jed took her hand, urging her on. He must have sensed her near panic, because he tried to distract her. “Concentrate on the baby, Kimmie. As soon as they give us the all clear, you and I are going to make some plans for the future.”