The Cowboy's Family Plan

by Duarte, Judy

  “Why the change of heart?” she asked.

  He shrugged, holding back the truth. Okay, so some old habits were hard to break. But he wasn’t ready to lose out on an opportunity to date Selena and see what became of it. Neither did he want to risk laying all that on the line and having her throw it back at him. So he offered her another reason on the list, which was just as honest but a bit lower in terms of importance. “I’ve enjoyed our time together.”

  Her once-guarded expression relaxed, and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve liked it, too.”

  “Good. Then let’s go to Anita’s tonight.”

  She pondered it for a beat before saying, “All right. You drive a hard bargain.” Then she tossed a smile his way before taking her file of notes and placing it in her handbag.

  Alex still planned to hire a gestational carrier, of course, but why scare Selena off with his family plan before they’d had a chance to decide if they were willing to be a couple?

  Once he knew that she was in it for the long run, he’d add two newborn babies to the mix.

  In the meantime, while they were dating, he would do a little more research on those agencies that were on the list she’d given him. He could also look over the information that Family Solutions was sending to him.

  But Selena didn’t need to know about any of that just yet.

  * * *

  Anita’s was located in one of several two-story houses on Third Avenue, just three blocks from the quaint shops that lined both sides of Main Street.

  At one time, the redbrick building had been the home of Edmond Calhoun, Brighton Valley’s first mayor. Back in the 1990s, the Calhoun family had sold the property to Dale “Sully” Sullivan, who’d converted it to a bakery and sweet shop. But about ten years ago, the baker retired and moved out of state. So Sully put the house back on the market.

  Shirley Salas and her husband purchased the building next and turned it into a restaurant. Because most of Shirley’s recipes had been handed down to her from her husband’s mother, she’d named the eatery Anita’s, after her mother-in-law.

  It hadn’t taken long for word to travel, and Anita’s soon became a favorite of the locals.

  Not only was the setting homey, with its antique furnishings and colorful southwest artwork, but also the food was to die for. In fact, some of the dishes were almost as good as the meals Selena used to have when she visited her abuelita, who’d been, at least in Selena’s opinion, the absolute best Mexican cook in the world.

  Because Anita’s was located just down the street from Selena’s house, she and Alex decided to take both vehicles and meet outside the restaurant.

  Finding a parking space wasn’t always easy in this part of town, especially during the lunch or dinner hours, so Selena left her car in her own driveway and went inside the house, where she left her lab coat. She also took a few extra minutes to apply a fresh coat of lipstick and to run a brush through her hair. Then she walked several tree-lined blocks to meet Alex.

  Just as she’d suspected, he had arrived first and was now waiting for her.

  He stood near the steps that led to the entrance, a grin splashed across his gorgeous face. Even without boots and a hat, the man had a boatload of cowboy charm that Selena found amazing—and more than a little appealing.

  “Have you eaten here before?” she asked as she joined him on the sidewalk.

  “Every chance I get. How about you?”

  “Not nearly as often as I’d like to.”

  “Then I’m glad I chose the right place.” He placed his hand on her back and walked with her up the steps. After opening the door, he followed her inside the restaurant.

  A silver-haired hostess wearing a turquoise peasant-style blouse and a black skirt greeted them with a friendly smile. “Good evening. Welcome to Anita’s.”

  “Two for dinner,” Alex told her.

  The woman gathered up the menus, then stepped away from her station. “Please come this way.”

  They crossed the ceramic tile floor to the carpeted stairway. As the hostess led them up to the second floor, the lights overhead flickered off and on.

  “Goodness,” she said, slowing to a stop. “I’m not sure what’s going on with that. It’s happened a couple of times this evening.”

  When the flickering stopped, she continued to lead them to a room that had once been the Calhouns’ library.

  Selena scanned the wall-to-wall shelves laden with books, giving it a unique setting.

  “It’s been a slow night,” the hostess said. “So you’ll have the room almost to yourselves.”

  The only other diners in the room, an elderly couple seated near a cozy brick fireplace, were drinking coffee and having flan for dessert. So they’d probably be leaving soon.

  Indicating a white-linen-draped table for two near a window that looked out on the street, the hostess asked, “How’s this?”

  “It’s fine,” Alex said, pulling out a chair for Selena. “Thank you.”

  They’d no more than settled into their seats when the busboy brought them water with lemon, a basket of warm chips and a bowl of salsa.

  “Your waiter will be right with you,” the young man said, before leaving them to study their menus.

  Selena really hadn’t needed to look over the offerings. She’d decided on a bowl of albondigas when Alex had mentioned it earlier this evening. The traditional Mexican meatball soup had always been a family favorite.

  After the waiter, a heavyset man in his mid- to late-fifties, took their orders, they munched on chips and salsa while making small talk.

  Alex asked her about college, about her decision to go to medical school.

  “I wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember,” Selena said. “So going to med school was a given.”

  In spite of her efforts to put Max Culver, her college sweetheart, out of her mind, Alex’s question about school triggered the memory she’d tried hard to forget.

  While in her second year of school, she’d actually considered marrying Max. In fact, she’d even thought about changing her major to something that wouldn’t require as much education or as many student loans to secure a degree. But then Max had thrown a wrench into those plans, which ended up being a good thing, she supposed.

  Once she’d licked her wounds and shaken off her disappointment, she’d focused on her studies, graduating with honors.

  “How did you end up in Brighton Valley?” Alex asked.

  “I did my residency at the medical center here, then went to work with Dr. Avery for a while. When I learned he was retiring, I took over his practice.”

  Before Alex could quiz her anymore, the waiter brought their food—the taco combination plate for him and a bowl of soup for her.

  They’d only begun to eat when the lights flickered again.

  “There must be a short in the wiring,” Alex said as he scanned the room.

  Selena glanced out the window, spotting the streetlight that shone steadily, suggesting the problem was limited to the restaurant. When she returned her gaze to Alex, the electricity went out.

  “Well, thanks to the fire in the hearth,” Selena added, “we’re not completely in the dark.”

  “I guess we can consider this an unexpected adventure.”

  And a rather romantic one at that.

  Yet before she could savor the aura and the handsome man sitting across from her, Selena’s cell rang. If she weren’t a doctor, she might have ignored it, but the tone told her it was the hospital calling.

  “Excuse me, Alex.” She reached into her purse and pulled out the phone. When the line connected, she answered, “Dr. Ramirez.”

  “Selena, it’s Darren Chin. I just admitted Bella Hastings, one of your patients. Since you have a note in your chart to be notified i
f she went into labor, I thought I’d better give you a call.”

  Bella had miscarried three times in the past and had finally made it to the seventh month. Selena cared about all her patients, but Bella was special.

  “Thanks, Darren. Tell her I’ll be right there.” Selena ended the call, then looked across the table at Alex. “I’m sorry. I need to go to the hospital.”

  “I didn’t realize you were on call tonight.”

  “I’m not. It’s just that... Well, I have a high-risk patient who’s gone into premature labor. She and her husband have struggled with infertility for years, and she’s gone through a lot of heartbreak. So I’d like to be there.”

  “I understand.”

  Before Selena could respond, the waiter approached their table holding a flashlight. “I’m sorry, folks. The electricity is out, and the kitchen has shut down for the night. So we have to close for safety purposes.”

  “No problem,” Alex said. “If you’ll get our bill, we’ll be on our way.”

  “Actually, our cash register isn’t operating, so your meals are on the house tonight.”

  Selena scooted her chair away from the table and stood, waiting for Alex to do the same. Then she grabbed her purse.

  The waiter shone his light, leading the way to the stairs.

  When they reached the door and stepped outside, the streetlight illuminated their steps as they made their way to the sidewalk.

  “Does this happen to you very often?” Alex asked.

  “What do you mean? Power outages, or hospital calls?”

  “Both, I suppose. We’ve been to restaurants on three occasions, and you’ve had to help a woman in premature labor the first time and now you’re rushing to the hospital to see about another. That’s two out of three. And then, back at the ranch, there was Gus.”

  She found herself smiling at his assumption. “No, I’m afraid that’s a little unusual. Why?”

  “I just figured it might be par for the course when a man dates a doctor.”

  Is that what they were doing? Dating?

  She supposed they were.

  Her heart twisted at the thought of the risk she was taking by getting involved with a man who might never forget his late wife. But something told her there was a better question she ought to be asking herself.

  Did she dare not to?

  Chapter Eight

  Outside Anita’s, Alex stood with Selena under the golden glow of the streetlight, reluctant to say good-night, yet knowing she needed to hurry.

  “Thank you for dinner,” she said.

  He chuckled. “It was on the house, remember?”

  She smiled. “Still, you invited me.”

  “Then you’re welcome.”

  Alex placed his hand on Selena’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

  “Thank you,” Selena said. “I’ll take you up on the offer.”

  Overhead, the evening sky was filled with bright, twinkling stars, and the autumn air was crisp. It would have been a nice night to walk Selena home, rather than drive her.

  He would have been tempted to slip his hand in hers, to let her know how proud he was of her, how glad he was to be her...

  To be her what? Her friend? That didn’t quite cut it. But then again, “girlfriend” sounded juvenile.

  Lover came to mind. And if he’d actually had the opportunity to walk her home, to wait for an invitation to come inside...

  Instead, he opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb into his truck. Then he slid behind the wheel and backed out of the parking space.

  “Where to?” he asked.

  “Five blocks north, then take a right on Hawthorne.”

  When they reached the intersection she’d mentioned, he headed right on Hawthorne, a tree-lined street with homes that had been built in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The neighborhood appeared to be quiet, and the kind Norman Rockwell might have used as a model for some of his artwork.

  “This is it.” Selena pointed to a pale yellow house with brick trim and a dark green door. “It’s not much, but it’s where I call home.”

  Alex wasn’t sure why she downplayed the place. It certainly looked appealing to him, with its manicured lawn and all the lush plants and flowers that lined the path to the stoop. Two ceramic pots of red geraniums flanked the front door, which sported a floral wreath.

  He pulled along the curb and shut off the ignition. Before he could slide out of the driver’s side, go around to her side and open the door for her, she let herself out.

  “So what time will you pick me up Friday evening?” she asked as though it was all decided.

  He couldn’t stop a smile from stealing across his face. The last they’d left it, she was going to think about going with him to the Stagecoach Inn.

  Apparently she’d decided to go. And he was grateful for that. It was nice to know they were both feeling a natural pull toward romance.

  “The line-dancing competition starts at eight,” he said. “Is seven o’clock too early for me to pick you up?”

  “No, that’s fine.”

  He waited a beat, then did what he’d been dying to do all evening. He kissed her good-night.

  As he’d come to expect, her taste was just as unique as her scent, and so was the way she melded into his arms. A man could get used to kissing her senseless. And as much as Alex was tempted to kiss that soft spot behind her ear, to trail kisses along her throat, to let the hormones and pheromones take over as they moved on to the next step toward intimacy, he released her instead, knowing she had to go.

  “Good night,” he said. “Sleep tight.”

  “You, too.”

  He offered her a parting smile, then turned and headed back to his truck.

  If he’d ever had any qualms about dating Selena, their arousing kisses had taken care of that. They’d also left him planning to give her a good-morning kiss in the very near future.

  * * *

  True to his word, Alex arrived at Selena’s house a few minutes before seven on Friday night. When the doorbell rang, she’d just come out of the bedroom, where she’d been double checking her appearance. After all, she didn’t wear snug-fitting jeans very often, so she couldn’t help taking another gander in the full-length mirror to study the way the denim hugged her hips.

  She looked all right, she supposed. But instead of seeing the familiar professional woman who usually peered back at her, her image reflected a small-town Texas gal who reminded her of the teenager she’d once been.

  Of course, tonight she filled out her cotton T-shirt and jeans in a way she’d never been able to do back then.

  Okay, enough of that. Shaking off any lingering insecurity, she hurried to answer the door, where she found Alex standing on the stoop.

  He wore the cowboy garb she’d seen him in the first night she’d met him—boots, jeans and a Western shirt, as well as a heart-thumping grin that set her heart on edge.

  As he scanned the length of her, the boyish glimmer in his eyes morphed into a full-blown, dazzling smile.

  She ran her hands along her hips, dreading the way those old insecurities crept back after she’d done her best to shake them off just moments ago. But she’d never been to a honky-tonk before, so she hoped she’d chosen the right thing to wear.

  “You look great,” Alex said, as if he’d been reading her mind or sensing her uncertainty. “Every cowboy in the place will be doing double takes at you all night long. I’m going to have to stick close to you so some other guy doesn’t try to horn in on my position.”

  She almost told him that he didn’t have a worry in the world, which was the truth. But she wasn’t ready to make a revelation like that yet. So she tossed him a playful grin instead. “I doubt that’ll be the case, but if so,
you’re the only cowboy I’m going home with.”

  Going home with? The moment the words rolled off her tongue, her cheeks warmed at the unintended sexual innuendo.

  If Alex thought anything of it, he didn’t say anything, thank goodness. So rather than dwell on the slip of the tongue or draw attention to it, she reached for her purse, which she’d left by the front door.

  “You know,” Alex said, as he stepped aside to let her out of the house, “I probably should have asked you if we could go earlier than this.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because the Stagecoach Inn is a popular place, especially with the TGIF crowd, and it’s probably going to be tough to find a parking space.”

  “Then why don’t you leave your car here? It isn’t all that far. I don’t mind walking. Besides, the weather’s been especially nice today.”

  “All right. That sounds good to me.”

  After Selena locked the front door, they started down the sidewalk together.

  It was still light out, but the setting sun had already begun to paint the western horizon in amazing shades of pink, lavender and gray.

  She wondered what the sky would look like hours from now, when their date was over. There would be a full moon, she suspected, and a scatter of bright stars. It would probably make a lovely ending to their date, a romantic sight on their way home.

  Without conscious thought, her slip of the tongue came back to mind. You’re the only cowboy I’ll be going home with.

  That was true. And the thought of inviting him into the house was far more appealing than it should be.

  Or was there a good reason inviting him in—to the house or her bed—was so appealing?

  Why fight something that was merely a natural progression to romance? After all, if their goodnight kisses were any indication of how good sex would be, making love was sure to be magical.

  Maybe she ought to see how tonight went, then decide what to do.