Then he walked away, fighting the desire to crawl into bed with her and cuddle her against him, protecting and loving—no, caring for her. That’s right. Caring for her. He didn’t love Janie, of course. But he cared about her.
He just had to convince her that caring was good enough.
JAMIE STARED at the ceiling, biting her bottom lip to stall the tears that pooled in her eyes. Was she being stubborn for the sake of stubbornness? Should she give in to Pete’s determination?
With a sniff of her nose, she answered those questions. No, she wanted the best for her baby…and for her. Pete would be a good daddy. But she wanted a husband, too. Someone like her father, who loved his wife more than anything.
She’d never doubted her father’s love for her, his only daughter, but she had always known that he loved her mother even more. And that was as it should be.
When Pete loved her, not just their baby, then she’d accept marriage with him. Until then, she’d hold out. Even if it meant being alone.
“WHERE’D YOU GO?” Jake asked when Pete appeared in the big barn housing the indoor arena where they worked their animals away from the harsh Wyoming winter.
“I followed Hank back to his place. I figured he’d need help with Janie.” He pulled his Stetson down farther over his eyes, hoping his brother wouldn’t read the turmoil he knew was there.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Are we going to have a wedding?”
Pete looked anywhere but at Jake. He loved his brother, but he was going to have to disappoint him. “Not yet.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Pete, you only have a few more months. Don’t you think you ought to make some plans?”
He whirled around to stare at Jake. “I’m trying to figure out what to do. But you know how stubborn Janie can be.”
Jake nodded. “We’ll think on it together. There’s got to be some way.”
“Some way for what?” a throaty feminine voice asked behind them.
Both men spun around to face B. J. Anderson, the new veterinarian to the area. She and her aunt and four-year-old son lived in a house on the Randall ranch. Though she’d only been there a week or two, already she was fitting in well.
“Hi, B.J.” Pete said, forcing a smile in greeting.
Jake simply nodded.
“Is there a problem I can help with?”
“Nope,” Jake said emphatically.
B.J. didn’t seem to take offense at his blunt dismissal of her offer, but Pete had another reason for apologizing.
“Don’t mind Jake. He’s not used to being around females.”
“That’s all right. I didn’t intend to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted.”
“Well, actually I might ask you a question or two, if you don’t mind. I mean, you being a female and all.” Pete watched her carefully to see if she would mind offering advice.
Though her gaze fell first on Jake, as if to determine whether he would forbid any exchanges, she smiled at Pete. “Well, I’m definitely female, so ask away.”
Now that he had someone to advise him, Pete didn’t know exactly how to begin. He looked helplessly at Jake.
“Don’t expect me to lead this discussion. It wasn’t my idea to drag a stranger into it.” Jake glared at B.J.
Pete saw B.J. stiffen, and he figured she’d walk away, but instead her chin rose just slightly and she turned a little more pointedly toward Pete. It reminded him of Janie’s stubbornness.
“What’s the problem? Something to do with a female?” B.J. asked encouragingly. “You have a cow with a problem?”
“No! No, it’s not about a cow. It’s not professional. I mean, for a vet. I—I’m going to be a daddy.”
Though B.J. was momentarily stunned by his words, she quickly offered her congratulations. “That’s wonderful, Pete. When’s the wedding?”
Jake snorted, and B.J. looked at him in surprise. “Did I say something funny?”
“You could say that,” Jake drawled.
“That’s the problem,” Pete hurriedly said. “She won’t agree to marry me.”
B.J. tilted her head to one side, as if seeing him for the first time. “Did you ask her?”
“Of course I did. She—she said no.”
“Is there someone else she’s going to marry? I haven’t seen you dating anyone since I’ve been here, so—”
“No! She’s not going to marry anyone else!” When Pete realized he was shouting, he drew a deep breath before explaining, “She’s been seeing someone else, but the baby is mine.”
“She’s not still seeing him?” Jake asked quickly, a frown on his face.
“I don’t know. He showed up today and—and he proposed marriage. Told Hank the baby was his,” Pete hissed, anger filling his voice.
“Oh, my,” B.J. said with a sigh. “Wyoming is a lot more interesting than my old stomping grounds in Kansas City. This sounds like a plot line on one of the soaps my aunt watches.”
“So tell me what to do,” Pete ordered.
B.J. looked first at Pete and then Jake. “About what?”
“How do I get her to marry me? I’ve told her she’s going to, but Janie’s as stubborn as a mule.”
B.J.’s lips curved into a slow smile. “You told her she was going to marry you?”
“Yeah. And she is.” Pete had to keep believing his words because if he didn’t, he’d go crazy.
B.J. chuckled. “Pete, haven’t you ever heard you catch more bears with honey?”
“What do you mean?”
“She means,” Jake began, his voice laden with sarcasm, “you should waltz around Janie with flowers and candy in your hands.”
B.J. shot a cool look at Jake before she spoke. “Flowers and candy are a start. But a woman agrees to marry a man when she believes that she matters to him more than any other woman in the world. Have you convinced her you love her?”
Pete’s face turned red, and he looked away. Jake moved closer to his brother and muttered, “That’s a useless emotion.”
B.J. appeared even more stunned by that pronouncement than by Pete’s imminent fatherhood. “I beg your pardon?”
“Look, B.J.,” Pete said, desperate to explain things before Jake exploded. “Our experiences with females have left the Randall brothers a little scarred. I told Janie I’d take care of her and the baby. That’s all she needs to know.”
B.J. gave both of them a considering look that had Pete squirming before she smiled at him. “Then, Pete, I’m afraid you’ll have a hard time convincing Janie to marry you. Women don’t want to be taken care of—they want emotional commitment.”
Pete didn’t like the way this conversation was going.
“The woman isn’t the only one who wants commitment,” Jake intervened, his voice harsh with emotion.
Pete knew his brother was thinking of his own failed marriage. They had all suffered through the breakup. Since Chloe, Jake’s ex-wife, had been the first female on the ranch since their mother’s death at Chad’s birth, twenty-six years ago, their exposure to life with a female had been an unhappy one.
To Pete’s surprise, B.J. smiled at Jake. “Once bitten, twice shy?”
“You’re damn right,” Jake returned, for once appearing to agree with the vet.
“Well, then, boys, I have one bit of advice for you—you’d better get your snake-bite kit ready, because Pete here is going to have to stick his neck out if he’s going to convince his woman to marry him.” With a smile and a wave of her hand, she strode out of the barn.
Chapter Four
Lavinia insisted Janie take it easy the next day. After the high drama she’d experienced, Janie didn’t argue. It was a relief to wake up without losing her breakfast. That was a start in the right direction.
She spent most of the day in her father’s office. Though she participated in the actual running of the ranch, she also did a lot of the paperwork, using her c
omputer skills to update the files.
After college, she’d considered moving to Casper to find a job, but her father had offered her a paid position with him. After all, he’d pointed out, it was her heritage. Who better to help him?
She’d agreed. Her heart was on the ranch. She loved the life-style. And it had kept her close to Pete Randall. That thought brought a big sigh.
“Janie?” Lavinia called just before she appeared in the doorway. “There’s a flower delivery for you.”
Janie was surprised. The florist in the nearest town charged a fortune to deliver to the ranches, so the thrifty ranchers seldom bothered with that city tradition.
To her astonishment, she had two deliveries, both huge floral arrangements. The deliveryman was waiting in the kitchen, the flowers on the table, a huge grin on his face.
“Hi, Buddy.” She’d gone to high school with him.
“Hi, Janie. Looks like you got yourself two beaux.”
She gave him the cash she’d pulled out of a desk drawer for a tip before she came to the kitchen and thanked him, not anxious to add to the rumors that would be flying around the countryside.
“Aren’t you gonna open the notes before I go?” Buddy asked, lingering.
“Nope.”
“Want to know who they’re from?” he asked hopefully.
“Nope. But thanks for bringing them, Buddy,” she added pointedly, walking him to the door.
“No problem. Thanks for the tip.”
She waited at the door until she saw his truck drive away before turning to face her equally curious mother. “I guess I have no excuse to avoid reading those notes now. If those two put anything in them that will cause more rumors, I’ll kill them both!”
“Maybe they’re not from those two boys chasing after you. Could be from—from a business acquaintance,” Lavinia offered, a smile on her face.
“Yeah, sure.” Janie unpinned the first envelope and read it.
Dear Janie,
I wanted roses, but the florist said she didn’t have any. But these flowers are to assure you of my love. Think about my offer.
Love, Bryan
With a groan, she put the note down and unpinned the second.
Janie,
Don’t forget what I said.
Pete
Hysterical laughter bubbled up inside her. How typical of the two men. Both had been discreet. But what a difference.
“Well? Are they from Pete and Bryan?” Lavinia asked.
“Of course,” she acknowledged with a sigh.
“Thoughtful.”
“Mmm. Yes, but sure to cause a lot of talk. When I start showing in a few weeks, everyone is going to remember these flowers, and gossip will spread all over the county.”
“Honey,” Lavinia said, a rueful smile on her face, “when you start showing with no wedding ring on your finger, gossip is going to run rampant, flowers or no flowers.”
“I know. Are you sure you don’t want me to go away, Mom?”
Lavinia crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her daughter. “No, I don’t want you to go away. A little gossip is not going to splinter our family.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Janie whispered, hugging her tightly in return. “I think I’ll go finish my work.”
Two hours later, her mother again summoned her to the kitchen, where she found a grinning Mr. Jones. Ever since she could remember, as a child she’d visited his store, a modern-day general store, in Rawhide, clutching her allowance in her hands, eager to spend it on his motley collection of merchandise.
“Mr. Jones! How nice to see you,” she greeted him with a smile, but behind that smile was a search for the reason for his visit.
“Howdy, Janie. Nice to see you, too. But I’m here on business.”
“Business?”
Instead of answering, he nodded toward the kitchen table. For the first time, Janie noticed the two packages on the table, each with its own huge bow.
“What are those?” she asked, dread building in her.
“Gifts, with special delivery instructions. The biggest boxes of chocolate I had.”
She assumed his broad smile meant the fees for special delivery had been handsome, in addition to his finally unloading merchandise that had lingered on the shelf too long. “I see. Well, thanks for making the delivery.”
Her mother handed her some bills for a tip, but when she offered them to Mr. Jones, he refused. “No, no, that’s not necessary. They paid me well. Enjoy the chocolates,” he added before leaving.
Janie looked at her mother and sighed. “This is ridiculous.”
“Yes, it is, but I suspect it’s also amusing the entire community. It will take you a while to live this courting down.”
“It will take a while to eat all those chocolates, too. And if I do, I’ll have a new nickname, ’the Blob.’”
“Well, open them up. I feel like a chocolate break,” Lavinia said, and poured them each a cup of coffee.
When Hank came in half an hour later, he found both the females of his family sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by their bounty. “What’s going on?”
“Have a piece of candy, Daddy,” Janie offered.
“What’s the occasion?”
“Your daughter is being courted by her two suitors.” Lavinia picked up another piece of chocolate. “And I’m enjoying it.”
“Damn! What’s wrong with those boys?” Hank fumed. “Don’t they know it’ll cause a lot of talk?”
“Oh, Hank, just sit down and have some chocolate.”
Hank followed his wife’s suggestion. But he suddenly wondered if he should’ve sent Lavinia chocolates every once in a while. She sure seemed to be enjoying Janie’s.
WHAT DID HE DO NOW? Pete asked himself. He had sent flowers and chocolates yesterday. When he’d called last night, he talked to Hank, but Janie had refused to speak to him. Seemed like his gifts didn’t help any.
What else could he send her?
What else could he do?
“Well?” Jake asked, walking up beside him.
“Well what?”
“Did you send the flowers?”
“Yeah, and candy, too.”
Brett paused beside them, cocking one eyebrow. “Kind of expensive, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but Janie’s worth it. Only, she wouldn’t even talk to me on the phone last night.” Pete frowned at the cowboys on the cutting horses in the arena as if it were their fault.
“Not a good sign,” Brett said calmly.
Why not be calm? His future wasn’t at stake, Pete thought glumly.
“Now what?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know. I can’t figure out what to do.”
“Maybe something a little more personal. Anyone can order flowers,” Brett stated.
“Anyone with a lot of money,” Jake added.
“Manning sent her flowers and candy, too.” Pete wasn’t sure how much money the man had, but he seemed as determined as Pete in his pursuit of Janie.
One of the cowboys called from across the arena. “Pete? Telephone.”
Jake had had phones put in all the barns several years ago. It saved them a lot of steps. Pete figured one of the rodeos he’d been in contact with had a question about the animals he was going to supply.
“Hello?”
“Pete, it’s Hank. I figured you might like to know that Lavinia sent Janie into town to do some grocery shopping. If she won’t talk to you on the phone, she can’t refuse to speak to you over broccoli.”
“Okay, I’ll track her down there. Thanks, Hank.” Whether it was in produce or dairy, she’d talk to him, all right.
JANIE NAVIGATED the streets of Rawhide with reluctance. She hadn’t wanted to come to town so soon after the flowers and candy. But her mother needed some things right away. Besides, the weatherman said another snowstorm was moving in. It didn’t pay to be short of supplies during the winter.
At least it was the middle of the day, when most people would be at wo
rk. She pulled into the almostempty parking lot at the only grocery store in town.
Inside the store, she unbuttoned her coat, the sudden blast of heat thawing her out quickly.
“Hi, Janie,” one of the checkers, Elizabeth Munger, called. Janie had gone to school with her, too. “Buddy said you’ve been getting some special deliveries.”
Janie smiled and waved but kept on going. She hoped if she ignored those gifts, everyone would forget about them sooner. Pulling her mother’s list out of her coat pocket, she began pushing the grocery cart up one aisle and down another, piling supplies in her cart.
“Hi, Janie. Figured you or your mother would be here,” an older woman said. She was the wife of the rancher on the other side, opposite the Randalls.
“Hi, Mrs. Fisher. Stocking up?”
“You bet. When one of those storms hit, you know the menfolks will tend to the cows first and the roads last. Don’t want to be caught short of the necessities…like chocolates.” A big grin accompanied her teasing.
Janie smiled back, but she started pushing her cart again.
“Well, if that ain’t a coincidence,” Mrs. Fisher exclaimed, drawing Janie’s attention. The woman was staring over Janie’s shoulder, and she couldn’t resist turning around.
“Hi, Janie, Mrs. Fisher,” Pete said. “I just came into town to pick up a few things for Red.”
“Really?” Mrs. Fisher said, her eyebrows soaring. “I thought Red always did his shopping on Mondays.”
“He forgot some things.”
Janie decided escape was the best plan while Pete was still talking to Mrs. Fisher. She resumed pushing her cart only to have one of Pete’s big hands grab hold of the push bar.
“See you around, Mrs. Fisher,” he said with a nod before turning to Janie.
“Turn loose of my cart,” she whispered. To her surprise, he did as she asked, but he strolled along beside her.
“Why won’t you talk to me, Janie?” he asked.
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