Because getting this close to each other—and they were becoming more enraptured with every passing moment—was not part of their original agreement.
* * *
GINGER WAS STILL in bed the next morning, nibbling on a saltine and taking long slow breaths in through her nose and releasing out through her mouth, when Rand strolled in.
As usual, he had hit the complimentary daily breakfast buffet at the main house, and had thoughtfully brought something back for her. This morning, it was spinach and artichoke quiche, fruit compote and a decaf latte. He set the repast on the night table beside her bed.
The aroma, pleasant as it was, sent her severely challenged equilibrium even closer to the edge.
Looking sexy as ever in a T-shirt and jeans, Rand sat on the edge of their bed. “Your mom called. She wants us to have dinner with her this evening.”
Reminding herself that she had successfully battled the malady thus far, Ginger struggled to contain her nausea. “Just us, or is your mom invited, too?”
“It’ll be the four of us.”
She wiped a bead of sweat from her temple. “This is starting to be a regular thing. Although I’m not so sure it’s a good thing.”
Her mother was too nosey; his mom too observant and astute.
He grinned in agreement and offered her a hand. The moment Ginger sat all the way up she knew she was in trouble. She shoved him out of the way and, hand to her mouth, ran for the bathroom.
By the time she finished, tears were streaming from her eyes. Afraid to venture too far from the commode, she sank down on the cool tile. Rand knelt beside her. He placed a cold wet towel on the back of her neck, and handed her another for her face.
“So much for jalapeños,” Ginger joked weakly in an effort to cover her humiliation.
He shoved the damp hair from her forehead, agreeing gently, “So much for morning sickness....”
Amen to that, Ginger thought. What a horrible way to start the day.
He slid her another tender look, then rose and returned a second later with a glass of ice water and lemon slices. “That’s supposed to help.”
“Reading up again?” She took a cautious sip.
He gently helped her to her feet. “I like to be prepared for whatever comes my way. And since you admitted you’d been feeling nauseated the last few weeks...”
Ginger paused at the sink to brush her teeth and rinse with a mint-flavored mouthwash. With his arm around her waist, she made her way back to bed. She sank onto the rumpled sheets, wishing she hadn’t just disgraced herself in front of him. Talk about sexy...
She was glad he was there anyway. Just having him near made her feel better. She let her gaze drift over every ruggedly handsome inch of him. “You’re too gallant for your own good. You know that?”
The faint hint of a smile curved of his lips. “What can I say?” He covered the back of her hand with his. “It’s a family trait all the McCabe men share.” His grip was warm and comforting. Sighing inwardly, Ginger turned her palm over, so she could hold on to him.
The moment drew out.
Another inscrutable look. A tantalizing grin.
Her nipples peaked. “You can’t possibly be thinking what I think you’re thinking,” she accused.
But he was.
“See?” His voice was low and a little rough. He kissed the back of her hand, the inside of her wrist. “I’m not so gentlemanly, after all. Especially when this is one of our rare mutual days off.” He worked his way up to her elbow. “Besides, what better way to get that newlywed glow going before we see the two moms?”
She stared down at the sight of his lips on her skin. Their lovemaking the night before had been enough to have her falling in love with him. Another bout might make it last forever.
And the vows that bound them together were not the everlasting kind.
Determined to protect both of them, from as much hurt and disappointment as possible, Ginger curled a hand around his biceps. “Actually, there is something else that needs to be done before we see our mothers.”
Intrigued, he lifted a brow and gestured for her to continue.
“We need to finish drawing up the terms of our marriage contract.” It was only half done and at this rate, they’d never be ready for their next meeting with the family law attorney.
Her suggestion had the effect of a bucket of cold water poured over his head. His expression went from playful to recalcitrant, just like that. “You really want to do that today?” Before they ended up making love again?
“Yes, I do. So....” Resolutely, she tossed back the covers, went to the fridge, came back with their half-finished list and a pen. “Let’s get started.”
* * *
“WHAT HAVE THE two of you been doing today?” Cordelia asked when Rand and Ginger met up with the two moms at the Summit Inn.
“Working on our postnup,” Ginger said.
Cordelia and Josie exchanged glances rife with maternal concern.
Not wanting to get into that again, Ginger asked the moms the same question.
Josie said, “Preparing for the Q and A session with the Boernes. I know we haven’t won anything yet—”
But she expected her company to win. Ginger expected Wyatt Drilling to make it to the semifinals, too. Everyone did.
“It just makes sense to be prepared,” his mom finished.
Abruptly, Ginger wondered if she should have been doing the same instead of just waiting around for the announcement. She hadn’t been worried about the Q and A; to date, she’d spent so long engineering her oil-recovery plan she knew the facts of her proposal inside and out. Maria was equally prepared to discuss the actual drilling process.
Ready to learn from one of the best, however, since she now had access to Texas’s most famous lady wildcatter, Ginger looked at Josie. “If you don’t mind my asking, how do you get ready for that?”
“I have someone on my team grill me.”
Ginger’s mom looked at her. “I could do that for you,” Cordelia offered.
“That would be fine, Mom. But I really need to get someone who knows the ins and outs of oil exploration. Like Maria, my drilling partner.”
“Oh.” Cordelia briefly looked hurt. Her next idea hit just as suddenly. “Rand can’t do it?” she asked with all the tenacity of a veteran helicopter mom.
Ginger shook her head. “There’s a firewall between us. We can’t discuss the bids.”
Josie conceded, “I can’t help her, either, since my company is competing against hers.”
Cordelia turned back to her daughter. “Maybe you should take this as a sign, then, and just drop out.”
“No!” Rand, Ginger and Josie all said in unison.
Ginger knew her mom meant well; that didn’t necessarily help. “I’ve gone too far for that, Mom,” she explained with as much patience as she could muster. “Now, what did you want to tell us this evening?”
“Actually, it’s what I’d like to show you. So if you don’t mind coming along for the ride—” Cordelia ushered them all into her Cadillac.
“I have to tell you, I have really fallen in love with this little town,” Cordelia said as she drove to a Craftsman-style home on Oak Street.
Ginger immediately recognized it as one of the homes in the Realtor brochures Rand had been perusing the evening before. Except now there was a “sold” sticker across the front of the yard sign.
Cordelia parked in the driveway and got out. “Let’s go in, shall we?”
Ginger had a sinking feeling. “Mom.” Ignoring Rand and Josie McCabe’s perplexed expressions, she dug in her heels. “What did you do?”
Cordelia waved her hand dismissively. “I want you to see the inside first.”
Feeling a migraine coming on, Ginger pressed he
r hands to her head. “Tell me you didn’t buy this for us as some sort of an over-the-top wedding gift.”
Cordelia affirmed, “I didn’t buy it for you.”
Ginger’s whole body sagged in relief.
The older woman turned the key in the lock and opened the door onto one of the nicest interiors Ginger had ever seen. She turned with a smile, announcing, “I bought it for me.”
* * *
RAND HAD NO idea what to say. Nor, if their expressions were any indication, did his mother or his wife.
“You bought this home,” Josie repeated to Cordelia, as if saying the words out loud would somehow shed light on the situation.
Cordelia walked through the spacious, well-lit rooms. “Initially, I wanted a place to stay when I’m in town, visiting.” She turned, admiring the sunny yellow walls and gleaming wood floors. “Then I thought about how far the drive was between San Angelo and Summit, a good four hours under the best of circumstances, sometimes a lot more. And the fact that there are no easy commuter flights between the two places. So I decided I would move here instead.”
Ginger stared at her mother, all the color draining from her face. “Tell me you didn’t quit your job.”
“I quit my job.”
Josie’s hand flew to her heart.
At least his mom knew what a mistake this was, Rand thought wryly.
“But only because I got one here,” a beaming Cordelia continued.
“Where?”
“With Claire McPherson—at the Red Sage guest ranch.”
Coincidentally, Rand thought, where he and Ginger were now living.
“Apparently, they’re short-staffed for events in their party barn. And with the busy summer season coming up, she was delighted to have me on board.”
Ginger slumped down on the staircase. She looked so wobbly, Rand sat beside her and put his arm around her.
“What about your house in San Angelo?” she asked.
Cordelia shrugged. “I put it on the market. Since it’s in such good shape and I priced it reasonably, it won’t take long to sell.”
An uncomfortable silence fell.
Ginger stared at her mother in abject misery. “You realize I haven’t actually won any work here yet, Mom.”
Unperturbed, Cordelia walked over to a window and adjusted the shade, so even more light poured into the room. “You will, honey. But even if you don’t, it’s my understanding that Rand has plenty of work.”
Ginger stiffened and got to her feet. “What does that have to do with me?”
It was Cordelia’s turn to look annoyed. She sent her only child a chastising look. “Plenty, since you’re his wife, and part of being his spouse is creating a warm and loving home for him.”
Rand rose. He hated to be in the middle of this, but since his name had been mentioned, he had no choice. “Ginger’s been doing fine on that score,” he said easily.
“Really?” Cordelia spun toward him. “You forget. I’ve seen the way the two of you have been living.”
Ginger huffed. “So?”
Cordelia stepped forward, her hands knotted at her sides. “How many home-cooked meals has she prepared for the two of you? Has she prepared even one?”
Rand nodded, making no effort to disguise his pleasure. “We had chili with all the fixin’s last night,” he announced.
“Chili that I made and brought to you,” Cordelia corrected. “Had I not...”
“Food isn’t the issue here,” Josie interrupted her.
Cordelia sniffed and folded her arms in front of her. “Really? I beg to differ.”
“Rand and Ginger’s privacy is,” Josie asserted.
The two mothers-in-law stared at each other in stony silence.
“And to that end—” Rand interjected.
“I think everyone should back off,” Ginger put in. Her expression distraught, she headed blindly for the door.
“Believe me, I would—” Cordelia cut her off at the threshold “—if I thought you were coming even close to meeting your husband’s needs. Don’t you see? Your marriage to Rand will fail as surely as your first failed, if you don’t put your husband first!”
Rand wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders. “Our marriage will fail if we don’t put each other first,” he corrected her. Able to see Ginger was at her limit, which in his view was understandable, he continued mildly, “And to that end, I think Ginger and I should take a rain check on dinner this evening.”
Sagging with relief, Rand’s mother quickly added, “Actually, I’m feeling rather tired, too.”
Cordelia glared at Josie in disbelief. “You’re siding with them?”
The lady wildcatter shrugged her shoulders in abject surrender. “I’m not siding with anyone. I’m just saying we all need a time-out.”
“Amen to that,” Ginger muttered beneath her breath.
They all looked at each other. It seemed everyone was in agreement except Cordelia. “I’ll drive you back, then,” she said stiffly. She ushered everyone outside onto the front porch and locked the door behind them.
The two older women headed for the car, but Ginger hung back. “Rand and I are going to walk.”
Cordelia started to argue, then stopped. “Suit yourself,” she said. Face rigid with hurt and disapproval, she got in the car with Josie and drove off.
Silence fell between Rand and Ginger. He was glad his wife had opted to walk back to their vehicle, which was still parked at the Summit Inn. They needed time alone. It was a pleasant spring evening. And the distance wasn’t all that far.
Ginger raked her hands through her hair. She shook her head in disbelief. “What a nightmare.”
Rand took her hand in his, gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I guess you weren’t kidding when you said your mom was a helicopter parent. Up to now, I thought it was kind of cute, the way she kept butting in, trying to help.”
Her eyes glittered with frustration. “And now?”
He shrugged. “Frankly, it’s a little scary, realizing she could drop everything to follow us to a job site.”
Ginger leaned into Rand’s touch. “She pulled herself together once, when she reacted like this, after my dad died. I’m sure she can do it again.”
Figuring she needed more than simple hand-holding, Rand tugged her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. “And in the meantime?” he asked, feeling the rapid beat of her heart.
Ginger blew out a weary breath and turned tortured eyes up to his. “We brace ourselves for even more interference.”
* * *
HOW ARE YOU doing?” Josie asked Rand several days later when she ran into him outside city hall.
“Okay,” he said. Given the fact he had been locked in the Boernes’ attorney’s office for at least twelve hours every day with the other members of the independent review board, evaluating all the proposals and red-flagging any potential problems, for the upcoming Q and A sessions.
“And Ginger? How has she been?”
Not as well, Rand admitted silently. She was on pins and needles as she waited to find out whether she would advance to the semifinal round or be eliminated. But he figured his mom knew that.
“Are she and Cordelia still on the outs?” Josie prodded.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Josie waited, sensing there was more. Needing to unburden himself to someone, Rand continued, “The day after Cordelia told us about the move to Summit, she came over to the cottage to apologize.”
Josie paused. “What’s wrong with that?”
Rand rubbed at the tense muscles in the back of his neck. “Cordelia also dropped off a binder of favorite family recipes.”
His mom winced. “Let me guess. Ginger hasn’t been near a stove since.”
He
nodded. “Not that this is necessarily a problem except that Ginger hasn’t wanted me to cook anything for us, either. Instead she asks me to bring takeout for both of us every night on my way back from town.”
Rand had humored Ginger, like countless expectant dads before him, because she was hormonal and totally stressed out. However, the “not cooking anything on principle” was beginning to get old. Especially when they had a freezer full of homemade dinners.
Rand studied his mom. “You understand where Ginger is coming from, don’t you?”
Josie nodded. “This is a very tough business to break into, for anyone.”
Rand remembered that little bit of family history. “But you made it happen anyway.”
“Over both my parents’ objections, since my dad thought the oil business was no place for a woman and my mother wanted me to be part of Dallas society.”
Rand smiled, still not really able to envision his tomboy mother making her official debut to the social elite in a white gown and gloves, although he had seen the photos that proved she had indeed endured what she had considered the ultimate in public humiliation. “You quit that, too.”
“Not until after my debutante years.” Josie sighed. “And not without enduring a lot of quarreling with both my parents. Ginger is a strong, smart, independent woman, Rand. She’ll figure out a way to handle Cordelia, same as you and you brothers have all found ways to deal with me when I’ve meddled in your lives.”
Rand was glad his mother had finally backed off. It helped, not having to bicker with her, too. It also helped being able to come to her with his problems, at least when it came to understanding women. “What should I do in the meantime?”
“Be there for Ginger. But don’t, under any conditions, try to tell her what to do.”
That, Rand already knew. “And when it comes to Cordelia?”
Josie paused, thinking. “I’m not sure how successful I’ll be, but I’ll try to get Cordelia to ease up a little.”
“I’d appreciate it. Ginger’s got enough on her plate right now without dealing with her mom’s disapproval.”
THE TEXAS WILDCATTER'S BABY Page 13