Page 39 of Roping Her In

Paul: Very exciting indeed, Alex! I’m sure Finn or I can catch you up on anything you might miss.

Alex: The pizza? Can you snag me some of that and drop it by Coyote Pass?

Henry: I’ll bring you some pizza, Alex.

Trap: I hate to say it, but I might not make it either. We’re trying to get the house covered before next week’s predicted storms—when is this winter going to end?—and well, Lila Mae authorized me to tell you all that she’s pregnant, so she gets off to a slow start as she’s not quite out of her first trimester yet, and yeah. We’ll see how things go in the next hour.

That baby announcement had started a flurry of congratulations texts, and Finn quickly added his to the mix as well.

I’ll bring you some pizza, Trap, he added. And while everyone is always welcome, if the meetings aren’t convenient for you, you don’t need to feel bad about not coming.

He wanted the meetings to be helpful, not a burden, and Finn had tried having others run them. In the end, they’d all said they were fine with him being in charge, and Finn labored over the meetings, from scheduling who would bring the food, to the topics they needed to discuss in their small town in the Texas Panhandle.

He adored the network of people who’d come together over the years, and he slept great at night knowing that he could put a single word on this text string—help—and he’d have dozens of people on his front porch as soon as they could get there.

No questions asked. They’d just come—and he’d do the same for them.

Conrad: I’ll tell my wife and my sister, and they’ll bring you and Lila Mae some food.

Trap: Uh, Lila Mae wants to tell the ladies herself at the Walker Lady Luncheon.

JJ: Isn’t that the second Thursday of the month? So, like, three weeks from now?

Trap: That seems right.

Conrad: It is, yes.

Tate: Are you telling us we can’t tell our wives about your wife’s pregnancy for THREE weeks? Trap, come on, man.

JJ: Yeah, I don’t like this plan. And PS, Clara Jean is on this text string, so spoiler alert, she already knows. You think she’s not going to tell the Walker ladies?

Rock: Glory Rose is going to be at my house today for a play date. There’s no way I’m keeping this secret if it comes up.

Finn grinned, because Rock hated secrets.

Trap: You guys do whatever you need to do. I’m just telling you what my wife said, and I’d like to stay married.

Another text came in from Edith, and Finn switched over to his message string with her while the cowboys—which also had people like his sister and Clara Jean on it—continued to bicker about who might tell whom what about Lila Mae’s pregnancy.

He found his wife had texted several times, and his chest tightened as he read through them quickly.

We need more bread, she’d said, probably before he’d left the drop-off lane at the elementary school.

And get some of those throat lozenges. Theo’s already coughing a little bit and says his throat hurts.

If there’s going to be leftover pizza from today’s meeting, can we have that for dinner? If not, get something I can put in the oven and make easy. I’m not feeling well either.

Other than that, I think we’re good.

Her newest message had just come in, several minutes behind the others. And Finny, get me a pregnancy test.

The conversation still happening on his cowboys’ thread vanished. The world around him turned white, but he managed to tap to call his wife.

“I knew that would get you on the phone,” she said with a smile in her voice.

“A pregnancy test? Yeah, that’s gonna get me on the phone.” Finn didn’t even know which aisle to walk down to find one of those. “What—? I thought—” He couldn’t seem to finish a thought as his mind short-circuited.

Edith giggled softly over the line. “I’m not saying I’m pregnant, cowboy. Calm down.”