The Cowboy and His Baby

by Jessica Clare

  Behind him, Cass gave a choked little sound, as if she was about to start crying, too. “Dustin,” Eli warned.

  “Right. Come on, Annie. You and I should go talk.” Before she could protest, he slid an arm under her knees and around her back, hauling her against him. Jesus, she definitely weighed more than he’d imagined, thanks to the pregnancy. He didn’t stagger, though, and he wasn’t about to put her down, no matter the little sounds of protest she made in her throat as he held her.

  Spidey barked at him, his leash dragging behind him.

  “Come on then, Spidey. You too, Moose.” He headed down the long hall to his room. Naturally it was the furthest from the living quarters, but he managed to open his door and carefully deposit Annie on his bed. Even as he did, he winced at his room. It wasn’t very tidy. He had clothes everywhere, and the bed wasn’t made. Then again, he wasn’t expecting company, so he couldn’t be blamed for it. Even so, he flicked an old T-shirt off the foot of the bed and fluffed the pillows for Annie. “Lie down.”

  “S-stop being so n-nice to me,” she cried.

  He noticed his boat pamphlets sitting on the nightstand and swept them into the drawer, then slammed it shut. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re being n-nice to me and I ghosted you,” she sobbed. “You should hate me.”

  “I might hate you,” Dustin agreed, gazing at her huge belly. “First tell me if that’s mine.”

  She gasped, glaring up at him through her tears. Her eyes were brilliant green, and he wanted to smile at her indignation—and the pillow she tried to launch at him. “You ass! Of course it’s yours! Would I be here if it wasn’t?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me. I didn’t think you were the type of girl to run out of town after we had sex, but here we are.”

  Annie tried to sit up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “This was a mistake,” she muttered. “I’m leaving—”

  “No, you most certainly are not,” Dustin told her, grabbing her ankles and putting her feet back up on the bed. “You need to relax and stop crying, and then we can have an adult conversation about what the hell’s going on and why there’s so much puke in the living room.” And why you’re pregnant, though he didn’t add that last part. She was a little prickly at the moment.

  Her hand went to her brow, and he noticed there was a greenish cast to her pale skin. Uh-oh. “I got upset, and when I get upset, with the baby pressing against my stomach, it all sort of comes up.” She grimaced, fluttering her other hand over her rounded belly. “And then I threw up, and that made Cass sick, which made me sick again and . . .”

  “Right. Well, don’t worry about it. I’ll get it cleaned up. Do you need some water? Something to eat?”

  She gave him a miserable look. “No.”

  “Can you stop crying long enough for us to talk, or should I leave you alone?”

  Two fat tears slid down the sides of her face. “No.”

  Dustin heaved a sigh. Her weeping was tearing at his chest, making the burning anger he’d been carrying for the last few months dissolve. Yes, he was still mad, but it was hard to yell at a crying pregnant woman. “No, you don’t want me to leave, or no, you don’t want to talk?”

  “I’m not sure what I want,” she admitted.

  Yeah, well, that made two of them. “You want to tell me how this happened, then?” He gestured at her belly.

  She sat up in bed, her eyes narrowing in anger. “Are you serious?”

  “Yep.”

  Her jaw clenched before she answered. “Well, when two people start to kiss—”

  “You know what I meant.” He liked her sass more than her tears. His mouth twitched with amusement.

  “Probably when the condom broke.”

  “I thought you got a morning-after pill?”

  “I did. It didn’t take. Apparently they don’t take if you’re ovulating.” Annie’s hands slid to her belly and she caressed it. “I never thought about the ovulating thing. A couple of weeks after I got home, I started to get sick. Strong smells bothered me. Took a pregnancy test and . . . yeah.” She shrugged and gave him a defiant look. “And I’m keeping it.”

  “I figured that much.” Her belly was enormous and he tried to count back in his head. “How far along . . .”

  “Thirty weeks. Ten more to go, more or less.” She shifted on the bed, clearly uncomfortable.

  Dustin moved to her side, adjusting pillows and fluffing one so she could put it behind her head. She lay back, sitting up and propped up by the pillows in his bed. She was beautiful. Pregnant as hell, but still beautiful. Fierce longing shot through him, mixed with pleasure. She was pregnant with his baby. His woman. His Annie. And she was carrying his son . . . or his daughter.

  The thought humbled him and filled him with joy all at once.

  This was what he wanted, he realized. More than any boat, more than escaping the mountains or seeing the world. He wanted Annie in his life, and he wanted their baby. He’d never wanted anything so fiercely in all his life, and the thought staggered him.

  Was this how his father had felt when he’d married his mother after getting her pregnant? Suddenly he understood.

  And Dustin wasn’t going to let Annie get away again. “So what happens now?” He kept his tone casual, easy. If he pushed too hard too fast, she’d go running again.

  Annie’s brows drew together and she gave him a funny look. “What happens now? In ten weeks, I’m having a baby, that’s what happens.”

  “I meant, what about us?”

  She looked worried. “Dustin, there is no ‘us.’ Whatever we had died when I left Wyoming.” A flash of guilt crossed her face and she seemed sad. “I wanted to tell you about the baby just to be nice. You don’t have to be in our lives. I’m not asking for child support. I’m not asking you to put your name on the birth certificate. I’m not asking for anything, but I thought you should know that there will be a baby.”

  Not be involved? Not be with her? That wasn’t what he wanted at all. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And what if I want there to be an ‘us’?”

  Annie’s expressive eyes grew even sadder. “After what happened, I don’t think there can be an us.”

  He moved to the bed, took her hand in his. “Thing is, I don’t know what happened. You left and wouldn’t talk to me. You want to tell me what it was so I know how to handle it when it comes up again? So I can fix it for the future? Because I don’t want you running off again. I want you to stay so we can figure this out.”

  She bit her lip, gazing down at their joined hands. For a moment he thought she was going to pull away, but she only sighed and looked up at him, leaving her hand in his. “So after you left . . . that night . . .” Her cheeks flushed bright red. “I went to the pharmacy to get a morning-after pill.”

  “Okay.” He waited.

  “And then I met some woman there with big blonde hair who called me a skank and told me that she was your girlfriend.” Annie’s look turned accusing.

  “What?” He did a double take. “Theresa? Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. And I was feeling vulnerable and . . .” She spread her hands. “All of these things just added up and I thought I’d been lied to.”

  “Wait wait wait. What things added up?” Dustin jumped off the bed, pacing, because he was getting pissed all over again—not at her, but at Theresa. At the situation. Hell, at the world. “What are you talking about?”

  She wrung her hands again. “The looks people were giving me in town. The fact that everyone that knows your name smirks and talks about what a Lothario you are.”

  “A Lothario . . . and you believed them?” He shook his head. “Annie, I’ve never done more than a date or two with any girl around here. I certainly never slept with any of them.”

  “Yes, but how did I know that? And everywhere I went, people
were telling me what a manwhore you were. Everyone was warning me about you and how you were going to use me. I freaked out.” She kept twisting her hands. “I’m never the girl anyone pursues. I didn’t think you liked me for me, and I felt stupid.”

  “And you didn’t think to ask me about this?” He crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to get angry.

  “It was a vulnerable moment,” Annie said defensively. “And Theresa was beautiful. Just your type.”

  “My type,” he said, voice flat. “Blonde and loud?”

  “Like I said, it was a mistake. Cass corrected me.” She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. “And I realize I was a jerk to run off.”

  “Yeah. Double jerk for deciding not to tell me about the baby until now.” He couldn’t decide if he was pissed or relieved that he hadn’t done something wrong. Either way, he’d lost eight months he could have spent with her, watching her belly grow, sharing those moments with her . . . and sharing a bed.

  When she buried her face in her hands again, though, he felt like an ass. This couldn’t be easy for her, either. Dustin moved back to her side and sat down on the bed next to her, hugging her against his chest. She was back, and that was all that mattered. “I’m sorry.”

  “You have a right to be mad,” Annie told him. “I shouldn’t have acted the way I did.”

  “In a way, I understand it. A little. Though I’m still frustrated that it took eight months to bring you back.”

  “Reshoots,” she told him, straightening a little and wiping her face.

  “What?”

  “I’m here for three days because of reshoots for the movie. After that, I’m going back to Los Angeles.”

  His entire body stiffened in angry frustration. “So you didn’t come back to see me or tell me about our child. I’m just an afterthought in your career.”

  “That’s not how I meant it,” she said softly. “I was hiding—I admit that—and being forced back here forced me to be brave.” Annie turned toward him, her eyes big and sad. “I don’t want you to feel obligated about any of this. We used a condom. You don’t have to be part of the baby’s life. I know you don’t want to end up like your father.”

  “I’m not thinking about my father right now. I’m thinking about you and me. Are you going to give me a chance?”

  “A chance for what?” She looked genuinely confused.

  “A chance to show you that I care for you? That how I feel for you doesn’t have anything to do with my father, or Theresa, or the baby, or anyone else? It’s how I feel about Annie Grissom?” He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “This has been broken for eight long months.”

  Her eyes went soft, her expression so sad that it made him ache all over. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” she whispered.

  “Then make it up to me. Give me a chance to get to know you again.”

  She bit her lip. “All right. When I get my room number in town, you can—”

  “Nope,” Dustin told her quickly. “You can stay here with me. My bed’s more comfortable than the hotel room and this will give us a chance to spend time together. And I can take care of you.” When she hesitated, he brushed a sweaty lock of hair back from her face. “You were sick earlier. You’re tired. I can see circles under your eyes. Let me take care of you, Annie. You and our baby.”

  Her gaze slid to his mouth, as if she was thinking about kissing him. “I need to be at the hotel at six in the morning so the crew bus can take me out on location.”

  “Not a problem. I’ll pick you up, too.”

  “And is it okay if Spidey stays, too?”

  He chuckled. “As if I’d part you two. I’m surprised you still have him.”

  “I couldn’t give him away. He’s my buddy.” She smiled, the expression tentative, and it broke his heart. He wanted to hug her all over again. She hesitated. “Are you sure it’s all right if I stay with you?”

  “Of course.” He didn’t add that he wanted to tackle her if she thought about leaving. He didn’t want her to leave his sight at all. Not until he’d convinced her that she belonged at his side.

  Annie nodded. “Do you mind if I lie down, then? I’m tired and I’m not feeling so well. Being pregnant means I get tired easily.”

  Immediately he felt like an ass. Of course she didn’t feel well. She’d been sick in the living room and here he was, grilling her about their relationship. “You lie down and I’ll get you some crackers and hot tea.”

  “Decaf, please,” she told him, and he nodded.

  He helped her get adjusted in the bed, tucking her under the blankets. She looked small and fragile despite her belly, and it made him want to protect her, to keep her safe from anything that might upset her.

  She had to let him help her, though, and that was going to be the sticking point.

  When he was satisfied that she was comfortable, he went out into the kitchen and put on the kettle. Eli was in the living room, and Dustin could hear the carpet steamer running. He dug around for crackers, found some, and then headed over to Eli just as the man was wrapping the cord, his task finished.

  “Just so you know, Annie’s going to stay with us for a few days,” he told Eli.

  The other cowboy just nodded.

  “And I’m gonna need to take care of her. Driving her to her shoot and picking her up and all.”

  “You do what you need to do,” Eli told him. “Ain’t a problem.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Eli studied him. “You want me to clean out the baby’s room so she has somewhere to stay?”

  The baby’s room? With Cass’s delivery date so close? The ranch’s bedrooms were all being used except for the small office, and Eli and Cass had recently painted it and converted it to a baby’s room, complete with crib and white, lacy blankets and stuffed animals. It was ready for the baby. Cass wouldn’t mind, though. She had a big heart. And Annie would probably find it adorable . . .

  But he wanted her with him.

  “No, she’s staying with me,” Dustin said. When Eli opened his mouth to speak, Dustin cut him off. “If anyone asks, there’s no extra room in the house. None at all. She stays in my bed.”

  “You want me to lie,” Eli said slowly.

  “Yes.”

  “All right then.” He smirked.

  He went back to the kitchen and waited for Annie’s tea. Damned thing seemed to take forever, and he was impatient to get back to her. While he waited, he went and found her car keys and moved her car to the carport, getting her luggage out of the back so she’d have something to change into. As he crossed the living area, he noticed that Moose was curled up in the big dog bed by the fire, and Spidey was a little bundle at his side, still wearing his leash and harness. He snapped his fingers. “Come on, boys. You can come lie down, too.”

  The dogs got up, trotting over to him. Moose’s fluffy tail wagged so widely that he nearly knocked down Spidey, who just watched him with his big, dark eyes. He scratched Moose’s head and then bent down, unharnessing Annie’s dog before heading on to the bedroom, pets at his heels.

  Crackers. Tea. Right. He set the suitcase inside, made sure the dogs were settled, helped Spidey into bed with Annie (who was sleeping), and then went back for the tea and crackers. When he returned to the room a moment later, though, she was sitting up, trying to reach one foot.

  “Here,” he told her. “I’ll get that.” Dustin set the beverage and snacks down on the nightstand and then knelt in front of her. Her boots were loose, soft, fuzzy things, but when he pulled one off, he saw that her entire foot itself was swollen. “Is this normal for pregnant ladies?” he asked, a little worried.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” she told him between yawns. “Happens every time I’m on my feet for longer than five minutes.”

  “Well then, I’ll make sure you stay off of them.” He tugged her other boot
off and then rubbed her arches. When she gave a little moan of pleasure, he gritted his teeth, because his cock didn’t seem to understand that she was pregnant. “You just relax and I’ll rub your toes for you. Maybe we can make the swelling go down.”

  “You’re so nice to do this for me,” she told him, sighing. When he said nothing, she added, “I’m sorry I was so awful to you. I was . . . scared.”

  “Scared?” He had to ask. He’d told himself that he wasn’t going to push her, but some things you couldn’t let lie. “Scared of what?”

  “You and me, I guess.” Spidey pushed himself into her arms and she held him close, lying back on the blankets with him tucked against her side as Dustin rubbed her feet, flexing and massaging each toe to try and make her comfortable. “I’ve always been the dumped, never the dumper. It’s hard to date in Hollywood or in the movie business when you don’t have breast implants or hair extensions or any of that. Guys expect a certain look. My mother aggressively pursues that look. I . . . don’t. And of course, there’s the fact that my father told my mother that she should abort me when he found out she was pregnant.” She toyed with one of Spidey’s ears. “I saw Theresa, and heard her words and . . . I just assumed the worst.”

  “Yeah, you did.” He gently propped her feet up onto a pillow, then pulled the blankets close to her. “You could have talked to me.”

  She kept fussing with the dog’s ear, avoiding eye contact. “I just thought I’d been stupid. You never wanted me to come over, remember?”

  “Just because I figured we’d have more privacy in town. Guess that was wrong.”

  “Mmm. That didn’t help things, though. I felt like I’d ignored all the warnings everyone gave me about how much of a player you are.”

  He’d never paid much attention to his reputation around town. Never thought it’d be a bad thing to be known as a flirt and a player—after all, it’d keep the expectations in check. If no one figured he was much for a relationship, there shouldn’t be any hurt feelings when the inevitable split came. But now he saw that it was a problem. Now that there was Annie in his life—and a baby on the way—it was time to fix things.