“Shit, I pissed off the crazy pregnant lady.” The outline of his illuminated lips crooks into a smile. “No kids… Well, I guess I have one now, eh? That feels fucked up to say.”
“I’ve known for weeks and it still feels that way.” I pull his coat tighter around myself, fighting off the chill only a long, boiling hot bath will get rid of. And, apparently, I’m not allowed to have those anymore. Sounds like I’ll be cold straight through to spring. “Eventually it’ll be real, whether we like it or not. And then what are we going to do?”
“We’ve got options. Shotgun weddings can be lovely,” he says.
“Did this shitty truck teleport us back to 1940? Next you’ll suggest shipping me off to a home for unwed mothers.”
“Hey, just throwing shit at the wall.”
“You trust my dad pointing a gun at you? Not sure if that’s courageous or dumb.” I cock an eyebrow. “I bet he’d shoot anyway.”
“True.” His fingers drum on the steering wheel as he thinks. “Okay… We can co-parent and share the baby.”
“Don’t you live in abunkhousewith other ranch hands, like you’re permanently at Boy Scout camp? You think you’re going to bring a baby there? Besides, that won’t work with breastfeeding.”
He laughs quietly, shaking his head. “It’s not like being at summer camp. But, yeah, I see your point. Guess I’ll have to move in with you.”
“Immediately no. I have zero interest in living with you.” With a deep breath, I question my sanity as I mull over what I’m about to offer. “What if I allow you to come over anytime you want to see the baby?”
“So I’ll live with you but pretend I don’t, because I’m going to be there every hour I’m not at work, sweetheart.”
I wonder if I can convince him to leave me alone for the next six months on the grounds that it’s unhealthy to be so stressed outwhen I’m pregnant.
“You agreed to not call me that. It’s condescending.”
“Oh, I thought you changed your mind. Last time I called you sweetheart, you grabbed my cock. Mixed messages, Cass.”
There’sthe Red I know and…tolerate. At least the crude remark eases my worry he’s gone soft.
“Yeah, well, now I’m painfully sober and more likely to cut it off than anything.” I lean against the window, but the cold glass only makes me shiver harder.
“You cold?” He turns briefly to look me up and down before returning his gaze to the dark road. The empty stretch of highway is lit solely by our headlights, thanks to the overcast skies. “Adjust the temperature, if you want.”
“Always, thanks to my crappy thyroid. I’m used to it, though.” Tilting the seat back a bit, I shut my eyes and think warm thoughts. A beach chair in the Caribbean sun. A pool float on the lake during summer. A tanning bed.
Apparently, I fell asleep. Because the next thing I know, I’m being gently shaken awake. There’s drool on my cheek, and Red’s watching me with a thin-lipped smile. I quickly wipe the back of my hand across my mouth and blink until my vision has adjusted.
“Sorry, I was considering carrying you inside, but I was scared you’d wake up and murder me.”
“I would’ve.” I yawn, reaching for the door handle. “Thank you for bringing me home.”
“Anytime, Cass. I told you I’d help you with anything you need.”
My eyes meet his in an unsettling way, and I blindly feel for the door handle. “Red, please stop being a decent guy. It’s freaking me out.”
“Want me to come in and show you how not-decent I can be, sweetheart?”
“Fuck off.” I shut his door and head inside, keeping my stupid, giddy smile well out of sight. Like the cute lead in a ’90s rom-com, I fling my back against the front door the second it closes. I think I might have the tiniest crush on him, and that isso fucked up.
7
Red
15 weeks (baby is the size of a cinnamon roll)
“So, my biggest concern is whether we’re going to be allowed anywhere near The Horseshoe ever again.” Denny pulls open the barbed wire gate, allowing Rob, Colt, and me through on horseback. The sunset’s casting heavy shadows across the ranch, bringing along the crispness of autumn. After a long day of moving heifers and mending fences, beers with the boys would be a great way to unwind, but staying on Cassidy’s good side is more important.
“Of course that’s your biggest concern.” Reaching down from my mount, I smack his hat off as I ride by. “Dave doesn’t know anything yet, and I told Cassidy I’d give her time. So if you go there and run your mouth, I’ll rip you limb from limb. If Cass doesn’t get to you first.”
