“People might go there once or twice, but they’ll come back to you. Will those vets respond to a message at seven o’clock on a Sunday evening? Will they open the clinic on Christmas Eve because someone’s Lab had a seizure under the dining room table? I think not.”

  “You’re probably right.” Julia had always reacted to emergency situations, no matter how inconvenient the timing, because she loved animals and because she viewed it as part of the job. She made a turn down the next aisle on her way to the drinks section. She paused in front of shelves of tampons and Midol, thinking. When was the last time she’d had a period?

  Despite the fact that she had polycystic ovary syndrome, her periods were surprisingly regular. Normally, she knew exactly when to expect it, but she’d gotten distracted by her sprained ankle, and…come to think of it, shouldn’t she have gotten it during that stretch while she was on crutches? In her ear, she could hear Sofia still talking, but Julia’s mind had gone elsewhere as she stared at the feminine products.

  “Hey! Are you listening?” Sofia asked a minute later.

  “My period’s late,” Julia said, knowing she could be blunt with her friend.

  There was a pause as Sofia processed this, but her friend recovered quickly and jumped into problem-solving mode. “Okay, that can happen for a lot of reasons. I mean…is there any chance you’re pregnant?” Sofia asked.

  Julia had confided in Sofia about her one-night stand with Jake in the cabin. “No, couldn’t be. I’ve got PCOS. I couldn’t get pregnant after one time of unprotected sex. That would be insanely against the odds.”

  “Maybe, but Caitlin got pregnant from one night with Brian. Maybe it runs in the family. Those Thorne men must be pretty virile.”

  “Stop,” Julia said, wanting to clamp her hands over her ears.

  “Relax. I was teasing you,” Sofia said. “You’re probably not pregnant, but buy a test and be sure. After you see it’s negative, we’ll have a good laugh at movie night and down the cocktails that Caitlin can’t drink.”

  That sounded like a sensible plan. Julia said goodbye to Sofia and moved a few feet down the aisle to the pregnancy tests. There were so many choices. She started reading boxes. All of them claimed to be highly accurate, but did she want to put her faith in just one test? In the end, she selected three and tossed them in her cart.

  Her heart was still pounding when she left the store and started the drive home. Of course, a pregnancy would be inconvenient when she was trying to build her veterinary practice, fend off the competition, and manage stud fees for Twister. She’d have to take maternity leave, which meant hiring a vet to temporarily see to her patients. And once her maternity leave was over, how would she handle childcare? What would happen when emergencies required her to leave home in the middle of the night? She didn’t have any family in the area, and while she had good friends, there was a limit to how much she could ask of them. She’d be a single mom with all the worry and limitation that came with the title.

  Calm down, she told herself. Her mother would come help her, at least for a while. And she’d be excited about a grandchild. Her mom had been with her during those doctor’s visits when she was a teenager and learned that she’d likely never have children. They’d cried together on the drive home, both of them missing something they’d never have.

  And who was to say she was even pregnant at all? She was probably getting ahead of herself. Her period was late. That happened all the time to women. Sofia was right. This would all blow over, and she’d go on with her life without a hitch because she wasn’t pregnant.

  With Jake’s baby.

  She huffed out a sigh. She liked him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to have a baby with him. He was exactly the type of man she’d sworn she’d never date again. Bossy, macho, wanting to control everything. She ran through a list of his flaws.

  Unbeckoned, a list of his virtues popped into her mind as well, including his kindness, his warmth, his integrity, and also his hands and his mouth and…well. Their night together had really been something. The idea of a new life coming out of that seemed, actually, kind of miraculous and amazing. She felt a little burst of hope, mingled with fear. Was all of her rationalization because she couldn’t handle the idea of being pregnant—or because she couldn’t handle the idea of being wrong about being pregnant? It was something she’d told herself she could never have. If Jake had actually given her this gift, what would that mean for her? For the two of them?

  She had no idea how he felt about the idea of fatherhood. Heck, she had no idea how he felt about her. That night they’d gone for a drive, she’d believed that he wanted her. If their kiss had continued and led to something else, she wouldn’t have said no to making love with him again in the bed of his truck under the stars. He’d been the one to back away. She didn’t really know why. He’d made a clear choice, though, and since her ankle healed, he hadn’t shown his face. Not once.

  Was that how he’d approach fatherhood? She couldn’t be sure. He was a mix of bravado and insecurity, which she found annoying, but a little fascinating, too. She knew he was close with his nephew, but did being the fun uncle mean he was qualified to be a dad? Did he even want the role? And what would his relationship with her be, going forward? Would they be able to co-parent without disrupting each other’s lives?

  She still had dreams of meeting the right man and falling in love. Children had been off the table for her for a long time, but she still imagined that it was possible to have an amazing, supportive partner in life. How would she meet this man as a single mom? Women did, but it was that much tougher.

  As she pulled onto her land, she had a sudden image of Jake glaring at her future fiancé who would be stepfather to his kid. Or worse, getting along great with her imaginary husband. Though wait, why did that feel even worse? She rubbed her hand over her breastbone and took a deep breath. She was a mess. And there was only one way to resolve it.

  She grabbed a bag from the seat next to her, got out of the truck, and opened her front door. Wellington and Fay came running out, circling around her. She paused to pet them briefly on her way to the bathroom with the tests. She’d start the test and unload her groceries while the timer ticked down. Then at least she’d know—and she’d be able to work out a plan from there.

  As she closed the bathroom door and looked at herself in the mirror, she forced herself to admit the truth. If the tests were negative, part of her would be relieved and the other disappointed. The idea of having a baby had taken hold of her. She’d get to be a mom. Despite the obvious obstacles, that would be such a blessing.

  She opened the first package, determined to know one way or the other.

  Julia’s palms were sweaty when she stepped onto the porch of the Thornes’ ranch house. When all three tests had been positive, her mood had swung wildly until she sat down and let herself feel the joy of the moment. Fortified by that joy, she’d made a quick call to Sofia to let her know, and then she’d driven over to Jake’s ranch to tell him instead of joining her friends for movie night.

  She knocked on the front door and waited.

  “Julia,” Jake’s mother, Laura Thorne, greeted her with a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you. How’s your ankle?”

  “Much better. Thanks. Is Jake around?”

  “He went into Darby Crossing on some errands, but he should be back soon. Come in and have a cup of tea.” Laura held the door open for her in invitation.

  “No thanks.” Julia stayed on the porch. Laura was lovely and kind and had known Julia all her life. If Julia went inside and started talking with her, then the truth would spill out. She needed Jake to be the one to hear it first. “I just need a minute with Jake,” she insisted. “I’ll wait here for him. It’s such a nice night to be outside.”

  “If you’re sure?” Laura asked, studying her.

  “I am.” Julia almost wondered what Laura could read on her face.

  “Make yourself at home, then.” Laura disappeared back into the house, and Julia sat in a rocking chair to wait.

  A few minutes later, she saw his truck approach on the long driveway. Her stomach kicked over in anticipation as she stood. She’d tried to rehearse the right words, but she didn’t know what those were or how he’d react. For herself, she was excited about what was to come, but she knew it could change the tenuous friendship she felt she’d built with Jake.

  Jake parked and got out of the truck, a smile on his face at the sight of her. Okay, that made this a little easier.

  “Howdy,” he said, coming onto the porch. “Everything okay? You look worried.”

  “I’m fine. I mean…” Julia trailed off. Maybe she should have waited, taken more time to figure out what she wanted to say, but it was too late to consider that now.

  “What is it, sweetheart?” His voice was gentle.

  “Something unexpected occurred,” she said, feeling her way through the words. “That night in the cabin I know I said that I couldn’t get pregnant, and I thought that was true. It’s what I’d been told, but…I did. I’m going to have a baby in about seven months.” His face went completely blank. She really needed him to say something, but he seemed knocked speechless, so she went on. “It didn’t seem possible since the odds of this happening to me are so small, but I took three pregnancy tests. I don’t think there can be any doubt.” She paused again, hoping for some kind of reaction, but got nothing. “I know it’s a shock, but I want you to know that I plan to keep the baby. I’m really excited to be a mom. How much you want to be involved, though, is entirely up to you. I won’t expect anything.” She still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, so when he wrapped her in a huge hug and lifted her off her feet she was surprised and happy and overwhelmed.

  “Congratulations,” he said as he put her on her feet, keeping his arms around her. “Congratulations to both of us. Wow. A baby. I’m going to be a dad. That’s…I never thought.”

  “So you’re okay with this?” she asked.

  “Hell, yes,” he said. “And just to be clear, I want to be part of our baby’s life. The idea of having a kid right now, when we weren’t expecting it, is scary, but exciting. Where do we start getting ready? Do we shop for baby stuff? Brian and Caitlin could give us some pointers there. Did you make a doctor’s appointment yet?”

  “Not yet. I’m just glad that you’re glad.” She was still a little shocked at how easily he’d accepted what she’d told him.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? Kids are awesome.” He was still smiling, which made her heart lighter. “Should we go tell my mom? And then I’ll call Brian and Amy. Did you talk to your mom yet?”

  “No,” she said, wanting to stop him from rushing ahead. “I only told Sofia, and that’s just because we were supposed to get together tonight. I needed to explain to her why I’d be coming here instead. But she can keep a secret.”

  He tipped his head to the side, his eyes searching hers. “Why is it a secret?”

  Well, part of the reason was because she hadn’t been sure if he’d want anyone to know. But even with that concern laid to rest, there were other issues at hand. “To be honest, I’m reluctant to tell anyone until after the first trimester. The first three months are when most miscarriages happen, and with my condition, I’m at higher risk,” she explained. She’d done some research before coming over and had the facts. “Please, let’s hold off for a few more weeks.”

  “If that’s what you want,” he said, but she could tell he wasn’t thrilled about it.

  “You tell Brian everything, don’t you?” she guessed. She knew the bond between them was tight.

  “Pretty much, but he can wait if you don’t want anyone to know,” he said, and she felt a little guilty because she had confided in her closest friend. “We can talk about it more later. For now, we should celebrate.”

  “No champagne for me,” she said with a laugh.

  “I had something else in mind.” His fingertips grazed across her cheek. “A kiss?”

  She nodded, feeling a little breathless. His lips touched hers, softly at first, as if he were savoring the moment. The kiss deepened and their bodies came together as it continued. It was the best kiss of her life, but somehow it was different from the other ones they’d shared. This one was deeper, more intimate and emotional. Maybe it was their baby growing in her womb, but she felt that it might be something more.

  10

  Julia laid the three dresses she owned on her bed, eyeing them suspiciously. One was too fancy. Her mother had bought it for her to wear to a cousin’s wedding a few years earlier. It was baby blue and even had a little ruffle along the hem—not her style at all. She needed to give that one away. The other dresses were a sleeveless sheath and a wrap dress with a full skirt. They were her all-purpose dresses, hauled out for every special occasion she’d been dragged to over the years when her usual wardrobe of simple, practical clothes that could withstand dog vomit or horse drool didn’t fit the bill.

  Of course, her preferred way to deal with not having the right wardrobe for parties was simply not to go. She was happy to support her friends through the important milestones in their lives, but parties just weren’t her scene. Never had been. She was far better with animals than people. She was okay with her circle of close friends, but a crowd of people? She shuddered. She’d rather face stampeding cattle. And right now, when she had so much on her plate—with her vet practice and her worries about the competition and the baby that she wasn’t telling anyone about yet but that she thought about all the time—well, getting dressed up and going to a community dance was just about the last thing she would have chosen to do. But it hadn’t exactly been her choice.

  Jake had suggested it. And then he’d attempted to sweet-talk her into it. He’d tried insisting on it, but that hadn’t lasted long once she started glaring at him. As a last resort, Jake had gone behind her back and bought her a ticket. He’d tossed it on her kitchen table three days ago when he’d come over to talk about baby stuff.

  They’d spent several evenings together lately, researching baby names, looking up the best brand of diapers and the like, figuring out what they’d need in terms of strollers and changing tables and all the rest. It was amazing how much stuff babies required. And it was downright overwhelming how many choices there were. Just seeing page after page of web results for something simple like bottles was enough to make her head swim.

  For that, if nothing else, she was glad to have Jake in this with her. To her shock, he seemed to love doing the research into what brands and styles and models of everything were the best. And he’d gotten surprisingly into looking up cute baby toys and clothes online. She’d never thought she’d see the day when Jake Thorne, tough cowboy, would spend hours cooing over baby onesies with pictures of puppies on them, but it had happened just the other night. It was surprisingly endearing, adding another layer to her odd, perplexing relationship with him. The relationship that currently seemed to consist of friendship with the occasional kiss.

  And now included him taking her to a dance. Not that he was actually taking her there. It certainly wasn’t a date. He’d never actually said anything about them going together. When he talked about it, he mostly mentioned that she would have a good time, or that it would be a shame for her to miss it when practically the whole town was planning to attend.

  The community center, lost to fire the year before, was being rebuilt, and the dance was the final fundraiser to pay for the new building. Though it was really just icing on the cake since the rodeo had raised so much money for the community center already. The funds from the dance—being held in a large tent in the parking lot of the old community center building—would probably go toward special programs or equipment. It was a good cause, a worthy cause. Just…not an occasion that she usually would have felt the need to attend herself. But Jake had bought her the ticket, and she’d promised that she would use it, so here she was.

  Of her two all-purpose dresses, which was appropriate for a local dance? She sighed. This was so not her territory. She almost texted her mom for advice, but then she’d have to explain why she was wearing a dress and who had convinced her to go to a dance. Her mom would want details, and she wasn’t ready to share yet—not when there was still so much she was keeping a secret. Soon, she’d tell her about Jake and the baby. But that wasn’t something she was going to worry about tonight.

  She shoved the blue ruffled dress back into her closet. Then she picked up the sheath dress to put it on. It went over her head just fine, but refused to slide down her body like it should. She tugged and pulled, eventually getting it into place. But when she tried to do up the side zipper, she knew it wasn’t going to happen. She hadn’t noticed pregnancy changing her figure enough to impact her everyday clothes, but apparently it was enough to ruin the fit of this dress.

  She huffed and puffed as she struggled back out of the dress. When she was free, she tossed it on the bed and sat down. Maybe she’d just text Jake and tell him she was feeling queasy or had a headache. Anything to get out of this evening.

  But she couldn’t. He’d been trying to do something nice for her, since her friends were going. He’d been so adorably excited about the idea of her having a nice night out. For him, she could tough it out if the red wrap dress fit. She snagged it up and wrapped it around her. The style was more forgiving and easily tied on the side. Across the chest, the dress was tighter than she remembered it being. She studied herself in the mirror. She had cleavage for the first time in her life. Huh. It took getting pregnant to achieve that. Who knew?

  She dug a pair of black flats from her closet and put a ribbon headband in her hair to hold it back from her face. She was going to leave it at that, but then she spied her basket of makeup, which she hadn’t touched in months, and decided that she might as well give it a shot. Tonight was the night for a bit of glamour. She applied mascara, a tad of blush, and red lipstick. There, at least she looked dance-worthy, even if she didn’t feel it. After a quick check on her animals for the night, she drove to Darby Crossing.