In the morning, he found the best doctor in the city and took her there. Owen was a part of the entire appointment, and she watched his face as they listened to the heartbeat together, longing to reach out and hold his hand. They got pictures of what he referred to as the ‘little peanut’, and when they left he asked her if she wanted some lunch.
Nadine looked at him across the table as they waited for their burgers and wondered if she should tell him that she missed him. “I just have that little trailer, Nadine. I think it’s too small for you to stay there if you want to be here in Texas. I want you to be so that we can see this baby grow. I will take care of everything, but I think the house might be a better place for you to stay. It’s comfortable, and I know that mama will want to fawn all over you.”
“Oh. Okay.” She sipped her lemonade as her stomach twisted and she realized that he didn’t want to be with her. They ate lunch and talked about the baby a little more before he took her to his house and called his mom to tell her about his idea. She was surprised but more than welcomed Nadine into her home, so Owen took her there with her luggage and they got her set up in a spacious room on the second floor.
Nadine stared out of the window after he had left for the night and wished that she could see his trailer. It was plenty big enough for them and the baby, with what she now knew was three bedrooms. Marilyn didn’t know why he wanted her to stay there, but she smiled as she told Nadine to give it time. She knew that Owen would realize that he had a treasure in her and stake his claim.
The two saw each other every day, and in a few nights, Owen asked Nadine if she wanted to go to a BBQ in town that was a popular fundraiser. Nadine didn’t have much in the way of clothes quite yet, but she did have a cute red dress that would be perfect for it along with some cute red heels. They made her that much closer to Owen’s six feet and Nadine put on some red lipstick when she heard him downstairs talking to his mother.
He led her to his SUV and opened the door for her as Nadine smiled and slipped into the seat. Every moment that she spent with him, Nadine was falling for Owen more and more. It had nothing to do with the baby since she knew that he would be there for that regardless of their status. It was just him. He was caring and genuine when he showed that side and incredibly handsome. She loved watching him with his sister, and the way that he gave Cindy all of his attention showed Nadine what a wonderful father he would be. There were so many good qualities about Owen that Nadine couldn’t imagine not being with him too much longer.
At the event, they ate sitting closely together on a bench with friends of Owens. She felt all of his heat as her bare leg pressed against his calf in his worn jeans and Nadine grew distracted from the chit chat that everybody was having at the table. He was happy about the baby, and he told his friends all about it. Nadine realized that she was happy in Texas now. She hadn’t give it a second thought when she had left before, but even then she had missed Owen.
They danced when they had finished eating, both fast and slow. When he pulled her close for a slow dance, Nadine met Owen’s eyes, and they locked together as she felt her body tremble against his. Owen slipped his hands down her body, and she slipped hers around his neck as he pressed his forehead against hers. “I want you,” Nadine confessed to him before he kissed her softly. “I never stopped, Owen.”
“Neither did I,” he whispered against her mouth before he claimed it with another hungry kiss. They held on tightly to each other as they stumbled off the dance floor to say good night. Nadine had been dying for Owen since she returned to Texas and pregnancy didn’t help matters at all. He took her by the hand and led her to his car before pushing her against it and kissing her hard as Nadine moaned. “You looked so good that day that you showed up. I wanted to take you right then and there. I didn’t want to let you leave.” He pulled away just enough to talk before he kissed her parted lips again. “I want you right now, but I need you in my bed.” Owen pulled away and unlocked the door with a jerky movement and wild eyes as she caught her breath.
Owen wanted her. He had not only told her but proved it to everyone inside of that barn. Nadine slipped into the seat as she closed her eyes and silently reminded her hormones to calm down while Owen hurried around to his side. They made their way to the trailer quickly, and he unlocked the door before he pushed it open and pressed her against the wall in a long kiss. Nadine wrapped her legs around his body and pulled him closer with her arms around his neck as their tongues made up for lost time.
She was vaguely aware of them moving, but Nadine only wanted more of his mouth as they kissed each other hungrily. Owen dropped her down on the bed and spread her legs before he pushed her skirt up. “Our baby is inside of you,” he said in wonder before he tugged her underwear down and stroked her aching clit. Nadine arched her back as every nerve ending in her body responded to his touch. She’d wanted sex so much since the discovery of her pregnancy, but it wouldn’t be right unless it were with Owen. Nothing had been right since then.
Owen slipped a finger inside of her before he pressed his mouth against her swollen nub. “Owen,” Nadine moaned as she closed around him and tried to keep him inside of her. His tongue stroked her as he slid in and out, almost enough to provoke the orgasm that Nadine so desperately needed. He pulled away just before she was there to slip the dress over her head. She mumbled in protest before he ran his hands over her body. “You’re so gorgeous, Nadine.”
“Just fuck me,” she murmured, as he squeezed her highly sensitive nipples and parted her legs.
“I’m clean. I always use a condom, and nothing has broken since you. I want you bare tonight and from now on.” Nadine blindly nodded before she felt him slip himself inside of her slowly. “Fuck, Nadine. I have never felt anybody like you before.” He slid deep and pulled back out as their bodies automatically moved together for their union, pressed together as close as they could be. “Come for me, baby.”
Nadine gripped his hair and rocked against him until she was crying out his name as she came hard and fast. He followed, and she felt his heat inside of her as she moaned and found his mouth with hers. Once they’d dropped to the mattress to recover, Nadine stared at him in the light from his lamp and smiled as he met her eyes. “I want the baby to have your eyes.”
“I want her to look like you if she’s a girl. Those gorgeous dark eyes and your lips…they drive me crazy.” Owen told her as he smiled and slid a hand through her dark hair. “I wonder what he or she will look like. I can’t believe that I’m going to be a father.”
“Are you upset about it at all?” she asked him in a curious tone as he stared at her.
Owen had the will in mind, but that had nothing to do with the baby. He wanted that just for himself. “I was surprised, but we were both there when the condom broke. I think it was fate that brought us together. I can’t wait for this part of our lives to begin, Nadine. I just need to memorize this body every night until that day comes.” He slipped his hand over her rounded breast and sucked in his breath. “Beautiful.”
“I am going to stay here now. Here with you.” She was honest as she spoke and Owen raised an eyebrow at her before he kissed her. “That was such bullshit about it not being good enough.”
“It’s so simple. I just got it for some space without a thought to ever sharing it with anybody. We can have a house built instead,” Owen suggested, as she laughed and kissed him. “My mom loves you, though. She enjoyed you staying with her even though she told me to get my act together in private.”
“She did?” Nadine asked him through laughter, as he nodded. She adored Marilyn. Even in her grieving moments, the women was strong and sassy. “Your mama is amazing.”
“I know it. I knew that I would need a strong woman like her before I settled, and I’ve found her. Even when you left me last time, it was for yourself. I can tell that you succeeded there, and I hope that being here won’t be bad as it was for you before,” Owen said in a serious tone as she stared at him.
“
A job doesn’t make up for love. I love you, Owen, and I want to raise our family here.” The words slipped out before she could stop them and Nadine widened her eyes.
“I love you too, hot mama.” They made love again with her on her stomach after he had checked and double checked that it was safe, and Owen didn’t hold back as he took her fast and hard. Nadine gripped the sheets as she bit her lip and felt her body start to release the intense pressure inside of her. “Nadine, I’m coming,” Owen told her in a broken voice as she cried out with him. It was like a rocket as she came again and Nadine felt all of her energy in that motion before she slumped onto the mattress.
He told her that he wanted a proper family dinner now that they were together. Nadine had only caught fleeting glimpses of his brothers over the last few days, and she sensed that they weren’t fans of hers. She nodded and pulled him close as she memorized the feeling of their bodies together.
The supper was a couple of nights away, and Nadine went out to buy a new dress for the occasion. She stared at herself in the mirror on Owen’s closet and took in the sage green material against her body as she ran a hand over her stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but Nadine felt more pregnant every day. She smiled widely at herself. Owen stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, with a tie that matched his eyes draped loosely around his neck. Nadine stepped forward and knotted it before she pressed her lips against his.
They drove to the main house and Nadine met the entire family. The brothers all resembled one another and, from what Marilyn said, their father. Jacob and Tommy were polite at best, but she saw them looking at her suspiciously before glancing at Owen several times during the evening. She was beside Owen and sipping her cider when Tommy cleared his throat. “It’s convenient that you’re here, Nadine.”
“Stop it,” Owen warned his brother, knowing that he hadn’t mentioned the will to Nadine yet.
“You know about our father, but has anyone told you about the will that he left for us?” Jacob joined in, and Marilyn set her napkin down as she glared at her sons.
“Will?” Nadine asked, and Owen gripped her hand tightly.
“The first to produce an heir gets the ranch and the inheritance. Are you sure that that you didn’t know that?” Her eyes widened, and when she looked at Owen his eyes showed the pain that he was feeling. “It will make the two of you very rich, and your life will be very comfortable. Is this even Owen’s baby? Or is this a ploy on your end to take everything after our hard work, Owen?” Tommy asked as Marilyn started telling them to shut up.
“Don’t listen to them, Nadine,” Owen pleaded with her, as she got up and left the table. Nadine ran for the front door and blindly took off over the soft grass to the pond as tears flooded her eyes.
Again, in Texas. Again, over a man who was using her for his motives. Nadine felt so stupid, and she dropped to the bench by the water as she cried all over again.
Chapter Six
Owen found her there an hour later. He dropped onto the bench and stared into her broken face. “You played me for a fool, Owen.” Nadine looked at him. His face was ashen, tie askew and his hair a mess.
“I don’t want the ranch or the money, Nadine. This isn’t about that; it’s about this baby and us.” Owen assured her, as she stared silently at him. “That’s all I want.”
“How much are you getting?” Nadine asked, and he gave a ragged sigh.
“There’s a lot, but I don’t want it. The others can split it for all that I care. I love you,” Owen insisted, as he tried to touch her.
“Stop it,” Nadine told him, as she started crying again. She tried to insist on staying there, but Owen made her go back to the house and made sure that she was safe before he left for the night. Nadine wasn’t caving and refused to talk to him as she closed the door to the spare bedroom in his face.
Nadine had an appointment the following day for the baby, and they drove silently together. Nadine would never refuse him the chance to share in his child’s development, but she no longer trusted his motives with her. The technician doing the ultrasound smiled at them as she asked if they wanted to know what they were having since it was already pretty clear. “Yes,” Owen told her, as he tried to take Nadine’s hand. She dropped it, and the girl looked between the two of them with curious eyes.
“It’s not one hundred percent coming from me, but you are having a girl.” The petite brunette showed them and Nadine felt her joy diffuse some of her disappointment at Owen.
They went right back to the house, and Owen left Nadine watching something on television with Cindy. The girl kept looking at her, and Nadine finally stared back at her. “What?”
“They’re wrong about Owen. Tommy and Jacob are wrong. He loves you,” Cindy told her. Nadine frowned. She was so young. How could she know that? “He talks about you a lot. Owen loves you, Nadine. He has never cared about the money more than you.”
“Why didn’t he tell me about it before they did?” Nadine asked her, and Cindy gave her a wide-eyed stare.
“You have to ask me that?” Cindy’s face showed her that the reaction would’ve initially been the same on Nadine’s part, and she knew that Cindy was right.
Nadine’s face fell as she dropped lower onto the couch and stroked her belly gently. There was a bump there now, and she sighed as she felt something move inside of her again. “I just felt the baby. She just moved.”
Marilyn heard her and rushed into the room as a tear slid down Nadine's cheek. “Cindy’s right, you know. That boy loves you more than he’s loved anything else apart from me.”
“I just wish I would’ve heard it from him. I have so much doubt.” Nadine whispered as Marilyn and Cindy pressed against her stomach with soft touches. “I need some time to think about this.”
While she didn’t leave the state, Nadine also kept to herself for the next week or two. Her pain was evident in her face, and Owen finally called a meeting with his brothers to discuss the will. He told them that he wanted to split the money and give them the ranch as long as they set aside some money for Cindy. Owen planned on moving away from the house and starting anew.
Tommy and Jacob stared at him as he dropped his gaze to the floor in the home office. “You’re having a baby, Owen. That gives you everything.”
“I never wanted the money. I only wanted Nadine and our baby, and I don’t even have that. I’ll just take my share and figure something out.” His voice showed the sadness he was feeling, and his brothers shared a long look. “Let’s plan a meeting with the lawyer and get that set up.”
He left the house feeling broken and lost. Owen decides to go to the rodeo even though that’s what had started all of this, but it normally soothed him and distracted him from the things on his mind.
After a few beers, Owen ran into some friends talking about the amateur bull contest happening in an hour. He decided that it was a perfect distraction. They all went over to the guy running it, and Owen threw his name into the mix. He’d ridden a bull a few times and prided himself in his talent, even asking for one of the wilder animals.
Nadine overheard Tommy and Jacob talking with Marilyn in the kitchen after a nap and walked right into the room. “He’s splitting up the money?” she demanded, and Tommy nodded.
“I don’t even think he wanted that, but fair is fair. He loves you, Nadine. I’ve never seen him like this with a woman before.” Tommy shook his head. “I assumed all wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“Where is he?” Nadine asked as Jacob frowned.
“I heard he’s down at the rodeo acting a fool.”
“Damn it,” Nadine cursed and looked at Marilyn. “Can I use your car? I need to talk to him.”
“Go get your man.” Marilyn smiled as she walked over to get the keys.
Nadine didn’t even freshen up before she left the house in her torn jeans and pale pink t-shirt. She just needed to fix everything. Nadine drove as carefully as she could in the luxurious SUV and parked in the back inste
ad of wasting time finding somewhere closer. She needed to find Owen and tell him that she loved him and that she wanted them to be a family.
Running through the crowd she heard sirens, but Nadine went right to the sounds of cheering to find someone riding a bull. “Nadine? What are you doing here?” She turned to see Cole, who looked stunned to see her.
“Owen James. Where is he?” she demanded as his face fell and he looked around the crowd.
“He just rode and got thrown off. He’s on his way to the hospital,” Cole told her and tilted his head. “Are you with him now?”
“I will be. What hospital?” Nadine asked, and made a mental note to herself as she tore through the crowd to the car. She took a moment to figure out the fancy GPS system before she was on her way through the light traffic as tears slid down her cheeks. Marilyn called as she was driving and Nadine told her what had happened in a flood of tears before she took a sharp right when the robotic voice told her to.
The hospital loomed before her, and Nadine parked quickly and ran inside to a nurse’s station, demanding to know about Owen. The woman told her to calm down as she checked a computer and informed Nadine that Owen was on the second floor of the building, and they could help her up there.
Nadine ran to the elevator and paced as she waited for the car. The baby was moving, and Nadine wondered if she could feel her mother’s stress. At that station, Nadine was joined by Marilyn and her children and they found out that Owen was admitted unconscious with a concussion after a violent ride on the bull. They went to his room, and Marilyn consulted with a doctor while Nadine crept in there to see him alone as she waited for any word.
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