The Heart of a Cowboy

by Charlene Sands

  "She came to town about a year ago."

  Case raised a brow. "She specialize in delivering babies?"

  Sarah turned to him and nodded. "She's an OB/GYN, if that's what you mean. She has a great reputation. Reid and I researched all the doctors in the area and she seemed to have the best credentials. I have a lot of faith in her."

  "That's good, Sarah. When's the baby due exactly?" he asked. He had one more rodeo event scheduled this month, but he wouldn't go, if it were close to the baby's due date.

  "I'll know more after today's appointment, but Dr. Michaels thinks the baby will come in about four weeks."

  "You and Delaney go to those classes and all?"

  "Yes. She took me to six childbirth classes. She prom­ised to come back when it's time. She'll be a great labor coach, having gone through it twice already."

  Case shuddered at the thought of witnessing the baby's birth. Selfishly, he was glad Sarah had Delaney to rely on to be there for the delivery. Case had pulled many a calf and pony in his day, but it ended there. He knew nothing about delivering babies.

  When their brief conversation died, Case glanced at Sarah out of the corner of his eye. So pretty, he thought, with her long golden hair blowing in the breeze. He wit­nessed her tucking the strands that had brushed her cheeks, back behind her ear. He wished he had the right to run his fingers through her hair, to let the golden lights play over his hand.

  She was a feisty one, though, with her chin raised in­dignantly. She wasn't going to make today easy on him. But he'd secretly admired that trait in her. He'd put her through a lot as kids, but she'd never buckled under. One thing about Sarah Johnston, she always came out swing­ing.

  The usual thirty-minute ride into Prescott took Case over forty-five, going ten miles under the speed limit, just to make sure Sarah was comfortable. He'd been careful on the pitted road not to hit any big potholes.

  Once in town, Sarah directed him to Dr. Michaels's office building. She was nearly out the door, before he stopped the truck. "Thanks, Case. You can come by for me in about an hour."

  "Hey," he said, bounding out of the truck in time to help her down. She hung on to his arm, mostly for bal­ance as he helped her feet hit the ground. He'd like it fine if she'd keep her hands on him, but she pulled away from him real quick. "Not so fast. I'd like to come and meet the doctor."

  "W-why?" she said, curiously. "Why? This is the doctor who's going to deliver my nephew, isn't it?"

  "Could be a niece, Case. We don't know for sure and yes, Dr. Michaels will do the delivery." "Well then, I'm coming with you." "But, I thought you had errands to run in town." "That can wait. This is more important." Although the thought of the delivery scared the dickens out of him, Case was just plain curious about this whole birth pro­cess. He needed to understand things, like how would he know that Sarah was in labor? What were the signs? What if Sarah had trouble?

  Another shudder ran down his spine. Damn, the whole thing made him jittery.

  "I don't know, Case," she said, a doubtful expression marring her face. There was mistrust there, too, along with a large dose of reluctance.

  "You can decide inside," he said, glancing at his watch, then taking her arm gently. "Or you might be late for your appointment." Once inside the office, Case took a seat next to Sarah in the waiting room. For all anyone knew, they must have appeared like a loving expectant married couple. Case breathed in her subtle flowery scent, noted her shapely legs peeking out from her pretty dotted dress and mar­veled at the serene glow on her sweet face. Damn, being near Sarah still had a powerful effect on him. If he could claim Sarah as his, he would and be done with it, and they'd really be the loving couple they seemed to portray. But Case knew beyond a doubt that would never happen. "Mrs. Jarrett," the medical assistant called from an opened doorway.

  Sarah struggled to rise. Case stood and helped ease her up slowly. He laid a hand on the small of her back and. guided her to the door. She stopped and turned to him. Case didn't want to bully her again. This had to be her decision. "I'd really like to come in with you, Sarah," he said softly.

  Sarah stared into his eyes for a moment and he noted wariness mixed with reluctance, but when she relented with a brief nod, Case felt a small sense of relief that he'd won this round with her. The medical assistant led them into a small examining room. There, the assistant asked Sarah to step up onto the scale. "Don't look," she said firmly, before she took off her shoes to get on.

  Case stifled a chuckle and glanced out the window. "Wouldn't dream of it." He'd never understand a woman's vanity. Sarah was as big as a house, beautifully so, but still she worried that he'd find out how much she weighed.

  After her temperature and blood pressure was taken Dr. Michaels walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Case. Confusion mingled with uncertainty and she gave Sarah a questioning look "Mrs. Jarrett," she said, darting a glance from her chart to Case and back. "I'm sorry, I was under the impres­sion—''

  "Oh," Sarah said quickly, "this is Case Jarrett, Dr. Michaels, my husband's brother."

  "Identical twins?" she asked, realization dawning in­stantly.

  "Yes," Sarah answered.

  Case put out his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

  After blinking once, Dr. Michaels took his hand. "Nice to meet you, too. Are you planning on attending the birth, Mr. Jarrett?"

  "No, he's not," Sarah put in. "My sister will be here for the delivery. You might remember her. She took me to all my appointments during the summer."

  "Yes, I do remember her. Well, then, let's get started. You're due for an ultrasound, I see."

  After the doctor did an assessment of Sarah, checking, measuring and answering her questions, the assistant brought in the ultrasound machine. "Here we go," Dr. Michaels said, once Sarah was all hooked up. "You might want to stand a little closer to Sarah's side of the bed, Mr. Jarrett. The screen isn't very large."

  Case positioned himself by Sarah's side and watched in utter fascination as the doctor applied a jellylike sub­stance to Sarah's abdomen, then moved an instrument around slowly. The picture on the screen appeared to take form and Case witnessed a miracle in the making. Awe­struck, he asked Dr. Michaels, "That's the baby?"

  "Uh-huh, but the little babe doesn't want to turn so we can see the sex. Healthy one, though."

  "Are you sure, Doctor?" Sarah asked, motherly con­cern apparent on her questioning expression.

  "He looks fine to me, Sarah. The baby's got a steady strong heartbeat."

  Case watched the baby move around on the screen. He glanced at Sarah, captivated by the look of joy and se­renity on her face. He was so moved, he had to put his hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly she reached up to touch his hand. The contact ripped right through him and the solid rhythm of his heartbeat went a little crazy.

  "He's beautiful, isn't he, Case?"

  "Couldn't agree with you more," he said, completely taken by the moment. "He's so small."

  "But it doesn't feel that way to me," she said softly.

  "No, I don't suppose."

  Case cleared his throat, humbled by what he was wit­nessing. "But he or she is keeping us in suspense. Don't know if we should paint the nursery blue or pink."

  Sarah slowly lowered her hand away. "The room is yellow and green, Case. Delaney and I already painted it."

  The magic of the moment was suddenly gone. Sarah had made herself perfectly clear. She wasn't including him in with her plans for the baby. He couldn't say he blamed her, with him showing up spur of the moment and expecting...what had he been expecting? He knew damn well Sarah wouldn't welcome him home. But he was the baby's uncle. He did have some rights in that regard.

  "I'd like to speak with Dr. Michaels privately now, Case." she said gently.

  He nodded. "Sure thing. I'll be in the waiting room."

  Dr. Michaels shot Case a thoughtful expression, then handed him a brochure about what to expect when the baby comes. "Here you go. Interesting reading,
when you get the time."

  "Thanks, ma'am," he said, grateful for small favors. "Appreciate it."

  Case sat in the waiting room staring blankly at the brochure. For a minute there, he thought Sarah was soft­ening toward him. They'd shared a moment of sheer joy and fascination, witnessing the baby make its subtle movements. Case had never experienced anything quite so awe-inspiring. And the look on Sarah's face was worth a thousand eight-second rides.

  From behind, he heard Sarah's voice. She was making her next appointment at the reception desk. Case stood and faced her. She smiled tentatively and he walked to­ward her.

  "Ready to go?" she asked.

  "I'm about famished. C'mon, we're going out to din­ner. Anywhere you want."

  Case silently groaned when Sarah suggested a diner notorious for health food salads and soy dishes. The lady certainly wasn't going easy on him. No sir. And soft sweet Sarah knew exactly how to hit a man below the belt.

  He put a hand to her back and led her out to the truck. "Tofu Sally's, it is," he said, unruffled. "I can hardly wait."

  Sarah shuffled her salad around on her plate, aware of Case's eyes on her. He'd been watching her intently as they sat at the diner and ate their meal. He'd already polished off two veggie sandwiches without complaint and was working on peach pie with two scoops of some soy concoction of ice cream.

  "So, the good doc thinks the baby will arrive right on schedule?'' he asked, after taking in a forkful of pie.

  "Yes, four weeks and counting," she replied.

  ‘‘And Delaney will be able to get away in time?''

  "Yes, she's going to leave the girls with her neighbor during the day. Her husband Chuck will be able to handle the rest. She's going to stay at the ranch one week."

  "Good. That must take a load off your mind."

  "It does. I don't know..." she began and the urge to cry suddenly reached up and grabbed her. Overwhelming feelings of melancholy, of grief, of her gratitude toward her sister, descended on her at once. She managed to hold back tears, but her voice cracked a little. "I d-don't know what I w-would have done without her d-during the h-hard times."

  The usual hard edge in Case's eyes softened a bit, and he said carefully, "Your sister wants to help you, Sarah. She loves you."

  "I know. It's just that she's sacrificed so much already for me."

  "Delaney wouldn't think of it that way."

  Her sister had postponed their family vacation to Ha­waii just to stay with her for the summer. She'd left her husband for weeks at a time, and disrupted her house­hold. Sarah hated asking anything more of her. Being an independent soul and having lost her parents at a young age, Sarah had gone all through her adult life without depending on anyone. Except Reid. But that was differ­ent, she surmised because married people were supposed to help and support one another. Without Reid by her side, Sarah knew she'd be on her own. The grandmother who raised her and Delaney passed away three years ago.

  If she had to, she'd face childbirth alone, too, but De­laney insisted she wanted to be a part of the baby's birth. She'd been enthusiastic about the delivery and so caring that Sarah would never be able to fully repay the favor, or show Delaney just how much her selfless help had meant to her.

  "Delaney has been wonderful," she said, thinking aloud.

  Sarah noticed that Case had stopped eating. Half a slice of pie still sat on his plate. Oh Lord, that's all she needed. Make the man feel so sorry for you that he loses his gigantic appetite, Sarah. "Your ice cream is melting, Case."

  He grinned and lifted his spoon. "Never could take a teary-eyed woman."

  "I'm not teary-eyed," she said with indignation. It was better to spar with Case than have him feel sorry for her. Sarah hated the moods that came hand in hand with preg­nancy. Often she knew she was being irrational or just plain difficult, but she was powerless to stop it. "Yes, ma'am."

  A dollop of ice cream landed on his chin and stayed there. Without conscious thought, Sarah leaned over and wiped away the droplet with her finger. Case grabbed her finger gently and peered deep into her eyes, holding her hand to his chin. Temptation and danger cast a dark spark in his gaze. Sarah's heartbeats sped up just looking into those eyes. His touch did things to her, things she didn't want to encourage or entertain yet she'd certainly felt it and was powerless to slow the pace of her heart. ‘‘If you were any other woman," he said, letting her imagination take hold, "this might have gotten interesting."

  Sarah knew all too well what happened when Case got "interested." For about five minutes in his life, she'd been the object of his desire on her prom night. That evening had been a disaster. Not only had Case tricked her but he'd also made Sarah doubt herself and her love for Reid. That had been a hard pill to swallow because of all the men in the world, Reid Jarrett deserved her love completely and unconditionally. He was a good man, solid and sure. Sarah had been enraged with Case and his hard-hearted game. He'd proven outright that he could never be trusted.

  "But I'm not," she responded firmly, removing her hand from his chin, "any other woman."

  She was his brother's pregnant widow and a woman who would always be wary of him. That about sized it up. She couldn't allow her bouts of loneliness to sway her resolve.

  Eyes twinkling now, in direct contrast to the hot look he'd just given her, he had the good sense to back off. "No, ma'am. You're certainly not just any woman, Sarah." He lowered his voice. "I've always known that."

  The soft way he said those words brought unexpected tingles and Sarah hid her smile. At eight months preg­nant, Sarah wasn't used to hearing too many compli­ments.

  She put her head down and toyed with her salad.

  "Well hello, cowboy," a deep sultry voice called from across the room. Sarah snapped her head up to find Case frowning, then followed the line of his vision. Josie Mil­ler, one of Case's old girlfriends, sauntered up to the table. The leggy redhead had eyes only for Case.

  "Hello, Josie." Case seemed to eye her with typical male scrutiny.

  "How've you been, Case. Long time, huh?"

  "Yeah, I'd say it's been a long time." Case pushed his dish away and stretched out. ' 'Just got back in town, actually. I took Sarah to her doctor's appointment to­day."

  Sarah wanted to scream from the proprietary way Case had thrown that bit of information out. She'd just barely allowed him to accompany her to that appointment and

  Case made it sound as if...as if they would be sharing more than her medical appointments.

  Josie's wide smile faded, glancing from Case to her. "Oh, hello, Sarah. When's the baby due? You look like you're ready to pop."

  "Babies don't pop, Josie," Case said, coming to Sarah's defense before she had a chance to respond. It more than irritated her that Case would be answering questions on her behalf.

  "The baby's due in about one month, Josie."

  "Oh, that so?" Josie swung her hip in Case's direc­tion, but he didn't appear to notice.

  "Yes," Sarah answered. "I can hardly wait."

  Josie tossed her long red hair off her shoulder. ' 'I bet. You plan on being the surrogate daddy, Case?" The woman seemed truly intent on his answer.

  "Well, I, uh." Case blinked and fumbled with an an­swer. "Not exactly."

  ' 'My child will know who his father is, Josie. And that Case is his uncle." Sarah hoped she left no room for doubt.

  ' 'I see. Sure. The three of you all, living in that little ole ranch house together. Seems to me, that baby might get a teeny bit confused."

  Heat surged up Sarah's throat and stung her face. She couldn't look at Case. She couldn't look at Josie. The woman hit the nail right on the head. Sarah had been thinking that very thing ever since Case showed up yes­terday. She hadn't expected his arrival and now all sorts of doubts were filtering in about their living arrangements once the baby came.

  She'd planned on keeping Reid's memory alive by speaking of him often and showing her child pictures of his father. But Case was the spitting image of Reid. With al
l three of them living under one roof, things could get confusing all the way around.

  "I'm sure you folks will work it all out," Josie said smugly, then directed her attention back to Case, "but if you get at all tired of the family scene, Case, you have my number. Don't hesitate."

  Case pursed his lips and nodded grimly. '"Night, Jo­sie."

  "Same to you all," she said sweetly. "She's not subtle," Sarah said, once Josie returned to her table across the diner. Sarah decided to keep Josie's marital problems to herself having never been one to gos­sip. But the fact remained Josie had been married and divorced twice since high school.

  Case chuckled, his tight face giving way to a smile. "She never was." "You liked her once." "I liked a lot of women, once." He let out a deep sigh. "Those days are long gone."

  Sarah found that hard to believe. Case Jarrett with his devastating good looks and aloof attitude had been a heartbreaker. He liked women, all kinds of women and had always been the first to admit that. "You don't mean you plan on settling down, do you?"

  That could solve her problem. If Case had a wife, then Sarah wouldn't feel so doggone awkward with him un­derfoot.

  Case shook his head. "Noooo. Settling down means getting involved with a woman. I've just about sworn off females."

  "I give you about a week, Case." "I'm serious," he said, leaning forward. "I'm going to focus on the ranch and...uh—"

  "And?" Case was holding something back. She could see it in his eyes and in the way his shoulders stiffened.

  "Nothing, Sarah. You ready to go?"

  "Yes. I'm all through."

  "Let's get on back home," he said impatiently.

  Sarah cringed inwardly at how Case used the very same expression Reid would whisper in her ear when he was impatient to get Sarah home. To make love. They'd spend a long sweet night together, loving.

  How different her life was now.

  There'd be no more nights of love and no more sweet embraces.

  The only thing she had to look forward to was the arrival of the baby. That would be enough to see her through long lonely nights.

  On the way home, Case pulled up to the Beckman Bridle Homes trailer located just outside of Prescott. The sign out front showed a planned community with a coun­try club, golf course and boasted five hundred new "bri­dle path homes." Hell, every damn ranch within a twenty-mile radius was a bridle path home. And if the path wasn't there, you simply mounted your cow pony and etched one out of the land.