The Baby Truth

by Stella Bagwell

  But learning she was a part of the Calhoun family and figuring out her place in it was not the thing that was dominating her thoughts right now. Her happiness, her whole future depended on Jett. She wanted her home to be more than this house. She wanted it to be in his heart.

  Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door opened and Jett entered carrying a large mug. As she watched him come to her, a sweet, hungry longing filled her, and she realized that her journey to Nevada had given her more than she could have imagined. Not only had she found her family, she’d learned what love was really all about. The question now was whether Jett had learned it or had merely been mouthing words he knew she wanted to hear.

  Sitting beside her, he carefully handed the mug to her. “I made you some hot chocolate. Maybe it will help revive you.”

  “Thanks. I’m already feeling better.” Wrapping both hands around the warm mug, she took two long sips before asking, “Is Bella already in bed? I didn’t see her when we came in a few minutes ago.”

  “I ran into her in the kitchen, and while I made the hot chocolate I explained everything that happened at the Horn.”

  “Was she as shocked as I still am?” Sassy asked.

  Jett chuckled. “Bella works in a law office. Nothing surprises her anymore.” He stroked a hand along the calf of her leg. “She’s very happy that you’ve found your family. And so am I.”

  With his head slightly bent, the light from the lamp glistened over the waves of his dark hair. Sassy itched to set the mug aside and reach for him, to slide her hands through his rumpled hair and drag his mouth down to hers. So many days had passed since she’d been in his arms and she’d spent each one of those days aching to be near him, yet determined to keep her distance. Now, just the brief memory of his saying how much she meant to him was chipping away at her resistance.

  “Are you?”

  He looked up to meet her gaze. “I don’t know where that question is coming from. From the very start I’ve wanted you to find the identity of your real parents. I’m just sorry that your mother is gone and you’ll never be able to know her.”

  She sighed. “I’m not sure that she and I would’ve ever had much of a relationship, Jett. The past probably would’ve always stood between us. But I’m going to try not to judge her. Especially when I’ll never know what was going on in her life—the troubles she might have been going through. For all we know she could’ve been frightened and running from someone, and left me at the orphanage in order to make sure I was safe.”

  “You’re right. We don’t know her circumstances. So I hope you can forgive her. After all, she did carry you for nine months and give birth to you. That has to count for a lot.”

  She nodded. “I have forgiven her already, Jett.”

  Leaning closer, he asked, “What about me? Have you decided to forgive me?”

  Her heart began to thump at a high rate. “You said some unforgivable things to me and Noah. You even fired him. That was—”

  “Noah isn’t fired,” he corrected her. “I apologized to him as soon as you two returned to the barn. And fortunately he understood and forgave me for behaving like a jealous idiot. The question now is, do you pardon me for not recognizing days ago how much I love you?”

  Doubt and hope tussled inside her as she searched the depths of his brown eyes. This man had stood by her side from the very beginning. She had to believe he would remain there for the rest of their lives.

  “Love? Days ago?” she questioned.

  Groaning, he plucked the mug from her hands and placed it on the nightstand before he gathered her into the circle of his arms. “Oh, my darling Sassy, when I saw you getting ready to leave it was like someone had stabbed me with a knife. I love you. I can’t let you go. You and the baby mean more to me than anything. I want us to be married. I want the three of us to be a family. A real family with love tying us all together.”

  She eased her head back from his shoulder to look at him. “But your marriage to Erica was—”

  He cut her off. “Was wrong from the start, Sassy. I didn’t understand what she was going through or why she was behaving so irrationally. All the time I was trying to give her what she needed, I didn’t understand she simply wanted my heart.” With both hands, he gently cradled her face. “I feel guilty about that now, Sassy. But I also feel so very, very blessed that you’ve come along and taught me that love is real and powerful and means more than anything I can buy or touch or see.”

  Tears of joy rushed to her eyes. “Oh, Jett, do you really mean that?”

  “If you’ll let me, I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much I mean it. Do I get the chance?”

  Her soft laugh fanned his face. “Now that I’ve caught my cowboy, I’m not about to let him go.”

  Bending his head, he placed a long, tender kiss on her lips.

  “Does that mean you’re going to let me lie down beside you?”

  Enchanted by the masculine beauty of his face, she traced a finger along the bottom of his lip. “What is Bella going to think if you don’t come out of my bedroom tonight?”

  A clever grin twisted his lips. “She’s going to think her brother has finally come to his senses.”

  Laughing softly, Sassy scooted across the mattress to make room for him, and once she was tucked into the curve of his body, her cheek resting against his shoulder, she realized her search had ended. She was finally home to stay.

  Epilogue

  Ten months later, a soft autumn sky shed a hazy light across the open range, coating the purple sage and creosote bushes with a golden hue. As the old work truck bumped over the cattle trail, Sassy clung tightly to the baby in her arms while her husband kept darting surreptitious glances at the two of them.

  A few short days after she’d learned she was a Calhoun, their small but beautiful wedding had taken place on the Silver Horn. Like a proud father, Orin had given her away, while Bella had acted as her maid of honor. Somehow Jett had talked Noah into standing as his best man, and a thrilled Finn had been a proud groomsman. In spite of the short notice, Frankie Cantrell and her daughter, Alexa, had flown to Nevada to attend the ceremony and meet Sassy’s new family. Her brothers had told her it was the first time they’d had a party in the house since their mother had died and everyone had enjoyed the celebration.

  Six months after the wedding, shortly after the Fourth of July, Joshua Jett Sundell, J.J. for short, had been born. “A little live firecracker” Jett often called their son, and given his bright red hair and temperament to match, Sassy agreed that the moniker was fitting. Right after J.J.’s birth she’d contacted Barry’s father in Colorado to tell him about the baby. Douglas Landers had been very grateful to hear that a part of his son lived on and had come to see the baby a few weeks later. Jett and Sassy had taken an immediate liking to the man and had invited him to come as often as he wished to visit his grandchild.

  As for the Calhoun family, since the night Bart had revealed the truth about her parentage, many changes had taken place. Bart was learning he couldn’t earn forgiveness from anyone by making demands or threats. Amazingly he was beginning to soften somewhat and seemed to be trying to loosen the tight rein he’d tried to keep over everyone on the Silver Horn. As for Orin, Sassy was growing closer and closer to her father. The more time she spent with him, the more she understood that his brief connection to Marcia Stapleton had never been planned. With Claudia shutting him out, he’d been in a lonely and vulnerable state and Marcia had recognized him as easy and wealthy prey. And from her brothers’ reactions to learning about their father’s indiscretions, she could see they also understood how it had happened. The only question left was why Marcia had cut all ties to Bart, but the fact that she was dead and gone made that part of the puzzle seem insignificant now.

  Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Sassy asked, �
��Exactly where are you taking us, Jett? It’s almost supper time and Bella is cooking pork chops. They’ll be cold before we can get back.”

  “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “This trip will be worth eating a cold chop. I promise.”

  With a good-natured roll of her eyes, she kissed her son’s cheek. “J.J., I think your daddy has something on his mind that he’s not telling us.”

  Jett chuckled. “Actually, I do have something on my mind. I’ve been thinking about the ranch and how well it’s been doing. Cattle prices are up and it’s time we started expanding and adding to the herd. I was talking to our neighbor, Jim Flores, the other day and he hinted that he might be willing to sell some of the land that adjoins us.”

  “That sounds exciting. When do we start?”

  Smiling smugly, he said, “Oh, how about as soon as we top this next rise?”

  Sassy was trying to figure out what he meant by that, when the trail took them over a low hill and there, spread across the range in front of them, was a huge herd of Black Angus cattle nipping at the dried autumn grass.

  Her mouth flopped open as he braked the truck to a halt. “Where did those come from? I didn’t know you bought more cattle! There must be fifty or sixty head out there!”

  “Exactly one hundred. Orin thought that would be a nice round number.”

  “Orin? What’s he got to do with this?”

  She shifted in the seat so that she was facing him and he automatically reached to take J.J. from her. As he settled the baby in the crook of his arm, he said, “Those cattle are a gift to his first and only grandson and to you.”

  Slapping a hand over her gaping mouth, she stared out the window. The herd represented a small fortune.

  “Oh, Jett, this is too much.” Ever since Bart had revealed the truth about her parentage, Sassy had refused to take anything from the Calhouns. She’d even had Jett write up a document stating she wouldn’t receive money or gifts from the family, but Orin had torn up the paper, just as she’d torn up Bart’s check. It was all about what was behind the giving, she realized. And accepting Orin’s gesture of love was far more important than proving she wasn’t a gold digger.

  “According to Orin it’s not nearly enough. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t show up with more gifts in the coming months. He can see his daughter is becoming a fine ranch woman and that makes him very proud. It makes me very proud, too,” he added.

  Reaching over, she squeezed his knee. “All those years I worked as a maid I used to dream about what I’d like to be if I ever got the chance to go to college. But I could never think of one thing that I could really connect to. I thought I lacked ambition or something. ’Cause what I always enjoyed the most was going down to the barns and spending time with the cows and horses. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing after all.” She shot her husband an impish grin. “Now that I’m married to a rancher.”

  He grunted with amusement. “If I remember right, you once called me a lawyer disguised as a cowboy. I guess I’m a bit of both.”

  “You’re a very fine lawyer, too,” she said with obvious pride. “That’s why you’re getting more clients every day.”

  “Well, I never expected to build a clientele overnight. And since I only work in town three days a week, that makes building my private law practice a slow process. But the clients are beginning to come.”

  Her expression turned serious. “Are you sorry you agreed to stay and work as the Calhouns’ lawyer the other two days of the week? I know how much Orin and my brothers wanted you to still be a part of the Silver Horn. And, to be honest, so did I.”

  “I’m not sorry about anything, Sassy. With you as my wife I feel like I’m part of the Calhoun family, too. When Orin begged me to stay on, I couldn’t refuse him. And with Bella helping me with the Silver Horn projects, the workload there is much lighter now. But branching out with my own law office has given me a new sense of purpose in my legal work.” He reached across the seat and patted her cheek. “Let’s get out and take a closer look at the cattle. We can always put those chops in the microwave.”

  Laughing, she agreed, and they left the confines of the truck to walk closer to the grazing cattle.

  Standing close to Sassy’s side, and with their son snuggled against his chest, Jett pointed toward the herd.

  “Look at the cows, J.J.,” he said to the boy. “By the time their babies have babies you might have a little brother or sister. What do you think about that?”

  J.J. was looking around him with wonder and Sassy knew that years from now, when he was old enough to appreciate the story, his parents would tell him about the day he first became a real cattleman.

  “I don’t know what J.J. thinks about that idea,” Sassy said with a naughty grin, “but I think we need to go home and talk about this in the bedroom. Between the sheets.”

  “And in my arms,” Jett added.

  He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips. When he lifted his head, Sassy sighed with contentment. “You know, we’re making this ranch into a mighty fine place.”

  His smile full of love, he touched a fingertip to the end of her nose. “A mighty fine ranch. And the home I always wanted. Our home.”

  An overflow of emotions suddenly glazed her eyes with tears. “Oh, Jett—”

  “Aw, honey, what’s wrong?”

  She smiled through her tears. “I’m just thinking back to when I first came here to Nevada. I was pregnant and so alone. Now I have you and our son. And I’m so happy.”

  With the baby’s cheek resting against his, he used his free arm to curl around her shoulders and draw her close to his side. “Before you came, my darling wife, I thought I had all I needed. But you showed me that a man doesn’t have anything until he has love.”

  * * * * *

  Will all those Calhoun boys stay single?

  See what happens to Rafe in

  HIS DESERT LILLY!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A BREVIA BEGINNING by Michelle Major.

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  Chapter One

  The street was deserted in the early-morning hours. Sunlight slanted over the roofs of the brick buildings as Lexi Preston huddled on the front stoop of a dark storefront. She rested her head in her hands and watched the wind swirl a small pile of autumn leaves. The air held a chill, but it felt good after being stuck in her car for the last day and a half.

  Almost six months had passed since she’d set foot in Brevia, North Carolina. She couldn’t imagine the reception she’d receive, but was desperate enough not to care. Her eyes drifted shut—just for a minute, she told herself—but she must have fallen asleep. When she blinked them open again it was to the bright sun shining and someone nudging a foot against hers. She scrambled to her feet, embarrassed to be caught so off guard.

  “What the hell do you want?” Julia Callahan’s voice cut through the quiet.

  Lexi backed away a few steps. Yes, she was desperate, but Julia had every reason to hate her. Still, she whispered, “I need your help. I have nowhere else to go.”

  Julia’s delicate eyebrows rose. Lexi wished she had the ability to communicate so much wi
thout speaking. She could almost feel the anger radiating from the other woman. But Julia’s furrowed brow and pinched lips did nothing to detract from her beauty. She was thin, blonde and several inches taller than Lexi. The epitome of the Southern prom queen grown up. Lexi knew there was more to her than that. After all, she’d spent months researching every detail of Julia Callahan’s life.

  “You tried to take my son away from me.” Julia shook her head. “Why would I have any inclination to help you?”

  “I made sure you kept him in the end,” Lexi said, adjusting her round glasses. “Don’t forget I was the one who gave you the information that made the Johnsons rescind their custody suit.”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Julia answered. “It doesn’t explain why you’re on the doorstep of my salon. Or what kind of help you need.”

  Lexi crossed her arms over her chest as her stomach began to roll. She should have stopped for breakfast on the way into town. “They found out it was me,” she continued. “Dennis and Maria Johnson fired my father’s firm as their corporate attorneys. Several of their friends followed. We lost over half our business.”

  Her voice faltered as memories of her father’s rage and disappointment assaulted her. She cleared her throat. “In response, my dad made a big show of humiliating me in front of the entire firm. Then he officially fired and practically disowned me.”

  Lexi had worked for her father’s firm since she graduated from law school six years ago. Following in his footsteps, doing whatever he expected, had been her overriding goal in life. She still lived in the apartment he’d paid for since college. Her eviction notice had come two days ago.

  She drew a steadying breath. “He said he regretted the day I’d come into his life. That I’m nothing more than...”