“Is everything okay with the baby?”
“Yes, everything’s okay.” She moistened her lips and clasped her hands together.
He grabbed a box from the chair in the corner, then dragged it over next to his desk. “Have a seat.” He deposited the box on the floor then took a seat in the black executive chair, his pensive gaze still on her.
“Sure.” It was better to sit before she fell. Passing out in a doctor’s office once was enough for her.
“Moon?”
“Yes?” She met his gaze, rolling her tongue along her lips. She was under his captivating spell.
“Why don’t you let me start. I’m sorry about our argument. I was caught off guard by the news. No excuse, but I’ve had time to absorb the fact that we’re having a baby. I don’t think a man can ever be truly prepared to hear those words, but when it’s this soon, and unplanned, it can definitely take you for a spin.”
“I want to apologize too. I freaked out and overreacted. I wasn’t very nice to you. I do hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Of course. We were both under a lot of strain. We need to sit down, take some time and talk things over. That’ll be a good start, don’t you think?”
He seemed somewhat distant and this disappointed her. “Yes, I do.” She nodded dumbly. Could he even realize how much she wanted to bury herself in his arms? That’s where the danger of this situation begun. She found herself vulnerable when it came to him. How would she be when the pregnancy hormones grabbed hold? And then it struck her. She’d been a weepy wreck the last week or so. Oh brother. She was already experiencing the mood swings.
He stood, eating up the distance between them. Their gazes were locked. “Come here.” He held out his hand and she stared for three long seconds, before taking the offering. He pulled her up and dragged her against him, nuzzling his nose in her hair. His breathing was ragged and warm against her cheek. Something passed between them, a silent word—profound emotion. For the first time in her life she realized at this very moment that things, no matter how chaotic or crazy, would be okay. This wasn’t in her plan, but some of the most perfect things in life were unexpected. No matter what the future held, their child would have both mother and father.
He leaned back slightly, staring down at her for a heartbeat before lowering his head. Their lips met and an explosion happened in the pit of her stomach, sweeping into her core. She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies closer, feeling the bulge below his scrubs. He walked her backward until her legs hit the edge of the desk. He grabbed her bottom in his large clasp and lifted her effortlessly, planting her on an open file.
She leaned on one hip and tugged the folder from underneath her. “There. I wouldn’t want to be sitting on someone.” She chuckled.
“I volunteer.” His eyes twinkled.
“I think that’s the best invitation I’ve heard in a long time.” She was right where she wanted to be.
He towered over her, so strong and masculine, making her delicate and feminine. She’d never been a damsel in distress, but there were moments when she wanted to feel protected and secure. Cam was good at making her feel like she would always have him on her side.
She cuddled closer, pressing her tight nipples and aching breasts against his wide chest. He was warm and welcoming. Safe and smelled so good.
“This is something I could get used to,” he whispered next to her ear.
She kissed his smooth jaw. His neck. Then licked his earlobe. “Mm. It feels like forever since I’ve tasted you.”
“I was wondering what was taking you so long to come see me. If I didn’t have a full schedule of patients today I couldn’t have kept myself from Nirvana…from you. Damn. Thank you for coming.”
Pulling back slightly, she batted her lashes. “I was worried about coming here, that you’d send me away.”
“Turn you away? Never.” He smiled and her heart twisted.
“I’m feeling better each second I’m here.” She smoothed her palms down his broad shoulders, to his chest, rubbing her fingers over his flat nipples. He inhaled sharply, tangling one hand in her hair.
“Now, I’m not saying I wouldn’t like to turn you over my knee and swat that beautiful ass for walking away from me, but I’m afraid I’d only end up licking, sucking, kissing…” He pushed home the words by doing those very things to her neck.
She laughed and slightly pushed him away. “You want to turn me over your knee and spank me? Is that a promise or a threat?”
He growled under his breath and reached down to adjust his erection that stretched the material. “These are not the pants a man wants to get a hard on in.”
“Then by all means…” With a swift jerk of her wrist, she dragged down his bottoms and his erection bounced against his stomach, the head already slick with his need. “Let me help take care of that, doc. I think I have a temperature.” She wagged her brows as she slipped from the desk and lowered to her knees in front of him. Her mouth was open, ready to wrap him with her lips when a soft rap sounded at the door.
“Dr. Parker?”
“Fuck me!” he whispered. Moon looked up his body and smiled. His jaw was tight and she swore she heard his teeth clench. “Yes?”
“Your next patient is here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Maria.” He practically sighed the words. A second later, he wound his fingers through Moon’s hair. “Looks like duty calls, sweetheart.”
She stood and kissed him soundly on the lips. “For now, but nothing will save you later.” She winked.
“Baby, if I wanted saved I would be running. You don’t see these sneakers going anywhere, do you?” He cupped her cheeks and lowered his mouth to hers in a passionate, needy kiss that left both of them breathless. When he pulled back his eyes were ablaze and promising. “I want to see you later.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Your cabin or mine?”
“Yours. I better go now before we have company again. Your staff is already going to be questioning what was going on behind that closed door.” She smiled.
He shrugged. “You better hope this goes down or they’ll know exactly what has been going on.” He fixed his pants and adjusted his erection.
She roved her eyes over him, licking her lips. “I can only imagine what I’d be doing right now if the interruption hadn’t come.”
“Sweetheart, you’re not helping the situation. You’d better go before I forget the oath I made to my patients and take you, fast and hard.”
Her stomach flipped. “Okay. I’m going.” She didn’t move.
“Okay.” One corner of his mouth lifted.
She took a step back. “Okay.”
“Okay.” He laughed.
She turned on her heel and ran smack into the door. “Ouch.” She rubbed her forehead, looking back at a grinning Cam. She opened the door and hurried down the hall, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone. She guessed her expression would reveal all of her secrets.
By the time she was back at Nirvana she was still reeling from seeing Cam and being in his arms, even if for a short time. Her stomach growled and she remembered she hadn’t eaten much of anything since her argument with Cam. She had a responsibility to keep herself healthy. She was feeding two now.
The very thought made her smile.
She parked her truck and took the Gator to the kitchen. Just as soon as she stepped beyond the screened door she caught the aroma of something savory. She couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Moon? Over here!”
Nola sat at a high-top table near the window overlooking the mountains. The bandage was gone from her forehead and there was minimal bruising left.
Moon ignored her stomach’s plead for nourishment and crossed through the maze of tables to where the woman sat nibbling on a fry. “Your wound is looking better.” Moon took a seat.
“Thanks to that handsome doctor. He’s checked on me religiously, even gave me an ointment t
hat worked wonders. Not to mention he has hands of magic.”
Oh, don’t I know. Moon dragged herself back on track, and off the callused hands that she hoped to have on her bare body tonight. “I should ask him what ointment he uses.”
“I feel like I might be overstaying my welcome here.”
“Why do you say that? Didn’t Chase invite you to stay longer?”
She nodded and placed her palms flat on the polished table. “Yes…he did…but I will be leaving in a few days.” She blew out a long breath through tight lips, staring down at her cheeseburger.
Moon patted the woman’s hand. “Nola, I know you’ve been through a lot back home, but don’t you have any family? Friends? Aren’t you ready to start afresh?”
A thin shoulder came up and dropped. “No, not really. Since my ex-husband disappeared, I have been alone. We never had any kids.”
A second passed and Moon narrowed her gaze. “I thought you said you and your husband divorced?”
Nola’s gaze came up. “No, I’m sure I said that he left one day while out grabbing something from the store. No note. No phone call. He just vanished.” She swept her hands through the air.
“I’m sorry. That must have been very difficult. Divorce is hard enough, but at least it’s closure that a person needs to move forward.”
She chuckled, but it was cold. “I figure I’m better off without the bastard. I gave him twenty years of my life and he was nothing but a worthless, lazy bum.”
Moon slumped back into her chair, shocked at the roller coaster of emotions she saw in Nola. Then again. Didn’t most betrayed people become angry when faced with a tragic past? Moon remembered it took her a few months before she could say her ex’s name without a growl at the end. “Before you leave, get with me and we’ll shoot the bow and arrow. I know you really enjoy shooting.”
Some of the crinkles disappeared around her eyes and mouth. “I’d love that, hun. Thank you for your kindness. I always look out for those who are deserving.”
“It was nice talking with you, but I better grab something to eat and get back out on the land. I have a dozen things to take care of and I don’t want to be working until nightfall.” She stood.
“You must have plans, my dear.”
“No plans. Talk soon, Nola.”
Inside of the kitchen, she found Deke stirring a pot. “I could smell that chili and I’m starving,” she said as she peeked over his shoulder.
He smiled, tapped his spoon on the side of the pot and set it aside. “How are you, darlin’?”
She liked the bubbly man, always finding that his kind attitude was infectious. “I’m okay.” She scanned the empty kitchen. “Where’s all your help?”
“Sick, except Darius who fell yesterday and twisted his ankle.” He patted his hands on his clean, white apron. She often wondered how he could cook without getting messy.
“So you’re all alone today?”
He nodded. “Just like old times.”
She spotted the basket of vegetables, cutting board and knife laid out on the island. “These need sliced?” She picked up a cucumber.
“Yes…what are you doing?”
She was already standing at the work space, sharp knife in her hand. “I’m helping. I’m not a sous chef by a long shot, but I can cut up vegetables.” She cut off the ends of the cucumber.
“But what about your own work, Moon?”
“I’m working on fencing today so no one will complain. Now, I do charge for my time.” She wagged her brows.
“Is that right? Let me guess, you want a large bowl of this chili?”
“Exactly. Can I? Or, can you spare a bite of cheese and bread?” She batted her lashes dramatically.
“Chili it is.” He was already ladling.
He set the bowl down next to her and she inhaled the steam. “That smells so good I could dump it into a tub and bathe in it.”
He laughed and patted her shoulder. “Don’t go that far. It’s better inside of your stomach.”
As she happily cut up the vegetables and spooned her chili in between, she was so busy in her work she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her.
“Moon?”
The lowered voice made the knife slip. She turned, ready to let the person have it for sneaking up on her, but her words were lost. “What do you want, Cole?”
His right eye was a purplish-greenish color. Cam had really hit him hard. “I-I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“So why are you?” she snapped. “I’m not in the mood to hear anything you have to say.”
“I guess I deserve that,” he moaned.
“And that black eye you’re sporting. I mean, I’ve always known you could be a jerk, but don’t you think you’ve gone too far here lately?”
He took off his hat and laid it against his chest. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
She didn’t want to defend him, but his expression looked sincere. Sighing, she dropped the knife. “We all make mistakes. I appreciate the apology.” She wanted to let things pass. She’d never gotten along with him much, but he wasn’t a bad guy. He just needed to mature.
“Well, that’s what I wanted to say.” He scuffed his boots. “I guess I better get back to work.” He smashed his hat back on his head.
Moon watched him leave, picked her knife back up and finished the last of the carrots.
*****
Cam called Moon for the third time in the last hour. He got her voicemail and hung up. He’d left a message twice and it wasn’t doing any good. He’d been waiting on her for two hours and he was starting to get worried.
That’s why he was headed to Nirvana.
After their conversation today in his office he’d felt confident that things were good between them. Had she changed her mind? He didn’t want to think she was blowing him off, but he understood they barely knew one another and now here they were…having a baby.
He scrubbed his jaw and shook his head.
Damn. This wasn’t where he’d expected to find himself. He should be tense and worried, but actually, he felt pretty damn calm. Although not hearing from Moon as she’d promised didn’t settle well in his gut. He didn’t want to smother her by being the over-concerned lover, but instinct warned him something wasn’t right.
By the time he pulled onto the ranch, his hands were aching from clutching the steering wheel so tight. He noticed her truck was parked in the staff lot and her Gator was gone, which meant that she made it back today. He drove his SUV toward the cattle pen and happened to see Jace.
Cam rolled his window down. “Hey, Jace! Have you seen Moon?”
The other man shrugged. “No. I haven’t seen her since this morning.”
“Do you know where she’s supposed to be today?”
“Over at the south fence. She was in charge of the mending today.”
“Thanks, buddy.” He waved and headed in the direction where he hoped he’d find Moon. The longer it took the more his chest became heavy with worry. He understood all too well that she was independent and didn’t want, or need, anyone trying to take care of her, but this wasn’t like her. She wasn’t the disappearing type. If she was avoiding him, he’d give her space. It’d hurt like hell, but that was what he’d do.
Plain and simple…he loved her. He needed to tell her. Then hope she didn’t misunderstand and think he was only saying it because of the baby. Would she believe him once he showed her the ring? He reached over, opened the glove compartment where the small, velvet box sat since he stopped at the jewelers after he saw his last patient. He wasn’t the most romantic man, but he’d planned to get down on his knee and ask her to be his wife.
Anticipation slithered through him.
He drove up to the fence and looked as far as the eye could see, and he saw no sign of Moon or even that she’d been there working on the fence.
Next stop. Her cabin.
He drove onto staff row. Without shutting off his engine, he slipped out and stepped up to knock on her ca
bin door. When she didn’t answer, he peeked through the window. The place looked empty.
It was best he sent out a message to all of the staff. If anyone knew where she was they’d let him know. Pulling into the administrative offices, he stepped inside of the lobby and smiled at Jennifer who was wrapping up a phone call.
“Hi, Dr. Parker. I didn’t expect to see you this evening,” she said once she hung up.
He leaned his elbows on the counter, reminding himself to stay cool. He couldn’t announce to the world that Moon stood him up and she wasn’t responding to his calls. “I need to speak to Moon. Do you happen to know where she is?”
“Mm…” She tapped the tips of her long nails against the planner as she searched through the day’s itinerary. “I have her down for mending the fence and working with the vet to finish up the last shots for the calves.”
“Has she checked in?”
She gave her head a quick shake. “No. I don’t think so.” She narrowed her gaze. “Things have been a bit crazy around here today.”
“It might be best if we try and reach her by radio. I was up at the south fence and she hasn’t been there today.”
“That’s not like her. You don’t have your radio on you?”
“No. I’m having a hard time getting used to carrying it on me.”
“You wouldn’t be the first.” She laughed. “Now let’s hope she has hers.” She grabbed her radio from the shelf, clicked a button and the static vibrated the line. “Moon, this is Jennifer. Dr. Parker is here and needs to speak to you. Please respond. Over.”
Seconds turned into minutes, and what seemed like months to Cam. Jennifer must have read his frustration. “I’ll try again.”
And still, nothing.
“What’s wrong?”
Cam turned to find Cole standing just inside of the door. Anger coursed through Cam’s stomach. “Just looking for Moon. Have you seen her?” He knew all too well how rough his tone was toward Cole, but when Jennifer cleared her throat, Cam took a deep breath.
“Yeah, earlier. She was helping out in the kitchen.”
Cam turned on his heel and crossed the space in three quick strides. “Do you know if she’s still there?”
A Perfect Cowboy Daddy (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 7) Page 13