Chapter One
On the last day of March in the small town of Medicine Creek, Wyoming, Riley Thompson stood staring anxiously out the front window of her house on Adams Street. Beyond the porch roof, the slowly darkening sky was clear.
Tonight is the night, Riley silently vowed. Tonight, she would finally tell her secret lover, Josh Bravo, that they were having a baby.
She would tell him as soon as he walked in the door, tell himbeforehe gathered her into his lean, hard arms and kissed her. It mattered that she speak up before he kissed her. Because Josh Bravo’s kisses had a tendency to turn her brain to mush.
But not tonight. She simply couldn’t put it off any longer. She was twelve weeks along and starting to show. The evidence was slight as of yet, just the softest outward curve to her belly. So far, he hadn’t noticed—or if he had, he hadn’t said a word about it.
But tonight, everything would change. Tonight, she and Josh would finally start figuring out where to go from here.
No one would interrupt them. Josh’s son, Shane, was with his ex-wife. And Riley had taken her son, Dillon, to his beloved Grammy Annette’s house for a sleepover. Riley and Josh would have plenty of time to talk.
All she had to do was lead him straight to the sofa when he walked in the door and gently urge him to sit down. Then she would lay the truth on him. All it would take was two simple sentences.
Josh, I’m sorry but there’s been a little screwup with my contraception. I’m pregnant. It’s yours and I’m going to keep it.
Okay, that was three sentences. But three sentences should be easy. Three sentences should be out of her mouth in ten seconds, max. She just needednotto stall, not to get flustered or second-guess herself. Not to get sidetracked while looking into his clear hazel eyes or staring at his mouth that still, after six months of kissing him every time they were alone, she could not get enough of.
If she hesitated, he would reach for her.
And she would melt into his arms. Once he put his hands on her, she would be lost. All her good intentions would fly right out the window. Josh was a really good kisser. Just thinking about his kisses made her pulse pick up.
Honestly,Josh Bravo? She never would have guessed that sex with Josh could be so absolutely, amazingly out of control.
After all, she’d known Josh all her life. They’d been friends forever. Back in second grade, he’d chased her around the playground threatening to slime her with a big, warty toad.
Who knew that more than twenty years later, after he’d been married and she’d been married and their sons had become best friends, he would come over one October night to play poker with a few other friends and be the last one to leave?
He had kissed her. One kiss.
And everything changed…
Blinking away the steamy memory, Riley watched as Josh’s big crew cab slid in at the curb. When he got out and started up the front walk, she backed away from the glass so he wouldn’t catch her staring out.
The doorbell rang.
Her heart stopped—and then began pounding like it would bust open the walls of her chest.
“Deep breath,” she reminded herself in a whisper and then made herself draw in air deeply and let it out nice and slow.
Her knees were a bit shaky as she went to let him in. He spotted her through the fanlight window in the top of the door, and he smiled.
Straightening her shoulders, she drew another slow, careful breath and pulled the door wide.
“Hey.” Those gorgeous hazel eyes gleamed at her, making her heart rate spike and her breath come too fast.
She wanted him. A lot. All these months she’d been waiting for the wanting to fade a little. That hadn’t happened. If anything, it just kept getting stronger.
“Hey.” She stepped back.
He crossed the threshold. And then they just stood there, looking at each other. His fine mouth curved in another slow, knowing grin. She shouldn’t grin back.
But she did.
“Riley,” he said, low and gruff. “I’ve been waiting all damn day…”
She gulped and reminded herself again that it was time—past time. She had to tell him. He had a right to know.
