The Cowboy's Family Plan

by Duarte, Judy

  The baby’s father, who Trina hadn’t thought she could rely upon, was back in the picture. At least, he had been at her last visit.

  Selena gave a little knock before entering the exam room.

  Trina, who’d been sitting on the table, broke into a happy grin. “Hi, Doctor.”

  The expectant mother was clearly a lot happier than she’d been on the night Selena had first met her at the Stagecoach Inn.

  “How about that,” Selena said, as she set the chart down on the counter. “You’ve certainly developed a healthy pregnant glow over the past few months.”

  Trina laughed. “Well, I’m not surprised.” She held up her left hand, where she sported a diamond on her finger. “Mark asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

  “That’s wonderful. I assume you’re happy about it.”

  “I’m thrilled. And he’s so good with the kids. I worried that he wouldn’t be because he’s never had any of his own. But I guess my old fears and baggage got in the way, and I didn’t give him a chance to prove he was a completely different man from my two ex-husbands. I think I found a keeper this time.”

  Selena was glad to hear it. She didn’t often get attached to patients, but there was something about Trina that tugged at her heart.

  “So how about you?” Trina asked. “Are you and Alex still seeing each other?”

  The question came out of the blue and struck fast and hard. Yet she found herself answering truthfully. “No, we’re not.”

  “Too bad. He’s a great guy.” Trina gave a little shrug. “Just saying, that’s all.”

  Selena wasn’t about to discuss Alex or her decision with anyone, although Trina was right. Alex was one of the good guys, the white hats. And if there’d been reason to believe that Selena had a chance of being his one and only, she might still be seeing him.

  After going over Trina’s chart and determining that everything looked good, Selena measured the growth of her uterus and listened to the baby’s heartbeat.

  “Everything is coming along just fine,” Selena said.

  “Will I be having another ultrasound?”

  “Actually, I’d planned to schedule one at your next appointment.”

  “That’s great. Can I bring Mark in with me? He’s never had a baby before, and... Well, I think he’d like seeing his son.”

  “Absolutely. I think it’s great when fathers are involved with a pregnancy and delivery.”

  Moments later, after Selena told Trina to come back in three weeks, she moved down to exam room number two. As she picked up the chart on the door, she had no reason to believe that this afternoon would be any different from the rest.

  And no idea that Alex Connor, who was already very involved in his children’s pregnancy and delivery, was her three o’clock appointment.

  * * *

  After entering Selena’s office and signing in with the receptionist, Alex took a seat in the busy waiting room.

  It felt a little weird being the only man seated in an obstetrician’s office. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He was the only man without a woman seated beside him.

  But he’d better get used to being here. He planned to take an active role throughout Kristy’s pregnancy as well as the delivery. So he shook off the uneasiness, reached for a copy of Parents magazine and listened for someone to call his name.

  As he scanned the colorful pages aimed at the moms and dads with kids of various ages, he glossed over the articles, unable to focus on anything other than seeing Selena again.

  She’d made it clear that her patients and her practice came first, above romance and a relationship. And he understood that. He just wondered how she’d feel when he asked her to be Kristy’s doctor. He suspected that she’d be okay with it. Why wouldn’t she?

  But now that he was here, now that his heart rate had escalated and his blood was strumming through his veins in anticipation of seeing her again, he wondered if he’d made a mistake in calling her office for an appointment.

  Could he keep emotions from getting in the way? He supposed he’d have to, or he’d need to choose another obstetrician, and he didn’t want to do that. His babies deserved the best, and as far as Alex was concerned, Selena Ramirez was at the top of her field.

  A door opened, and a middle-aged nurse wearing pink scrubs peered into the waiting room. “Kristy O’Malley?”

  Apparently, the woman who’d made the appointments had gotten mixed up about who was coming when, but that was okay. He would just have to straighten it all out once he was behind closed doors. So he set down the magazine, stood and headed for the doorway.

  “I’m Alex Connor,” he told the nurse. “And I’m here for a consultation with Dr. Ramirez. Kristy’s appointment is Monday at ten.”

  The nurse, with her graying hair pulled back in a twist, her brow furrowed and lips pursed into a frown, reminded Alex of one of his least favorite college professors, the one who’d given him a D minus in English Composition. She glanced at the chart in her hand, obviously double checking the name on the paperwork.

  “Kristy is the gestational carrier of my twins,” Alex added, his voice lowered. “I’ll be paying the medical bills, so I wanted a chance to speak to Dr. Ramirez before Kristy came in Monday.”

  “Oh, I see. Maryanne must have flip-flopped the names, but that’s not a problem. We’ll have everything squared away before Monday rolls around.” The nurse looked up and smiled at Alex, no longer resembling the stern English prof. “Right this way.”

  Alex followed her past a scale and several exam rooms until they reached a small office with pale blue walls, a shelf of books and a view of the greenbelt below.

  “Here we are,” the nurse said. “Dr. Ramirez has her consults in her office, rather than in one of the exam rooms.”

  He was glad of that. He’d hate to have his first appointment with Selena be in small, sterile quarters, with him sitting on a paper-covered table and her on a stool.

  The nurse indicated a cherrywood desk, with two chairs in front of it. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let Dr. Ramirez know you’re here.”

  “Marge?” Someone called to the nurse. “You’ve got a phone call on line three.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Marge said to the woman who’d called her name. Then, as the woman approached, she handed over the file she held. “Maryanne, would you please give this to Dr. Ramirez and let her know the next appointment is a consult in her office?”

  “Of course.”

  Marge turned back to Alex. “The doctor shouldn’t be long. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?”

  “Thanks.”

  As Marge left the room, Alex pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. Then he scanned the small office, looking for photographs or personal items that would remind him of Selena.

  Other than a bouquet of flowers near the window and an interesting watercolor behind her desk, it seemed liked a pretty generic office. That was a bit surprising because Selena was anything but generic.

  He wondered what she would say when she heard he was here, rather than Kristy.

  Either way, it really didn’t matter now. He’d come too far to backpedal or to choose another obstetrician at this point—unless Selena wasn’t interested in even becoming professionally involved with him.

  But then again, why would she feel that way? She was a doctor. She’d learned to distance herself from her patients.

  Hell, she’d even distanced herself from him, and he’d been her lover. Albeit for one night.

  One amazing night.

  His heart ached at the memory. Had he made a huge mistake in coming here?

  Using Selena had seemed so logical. But how would it feel to be so close to her again, to have her treat him as a patient, instead of as the friend he’d thought he was, the lover he�
��d once been?

  Right now, it wasn’t looking good.

  He glanced at his wristwatch, wondering how long he’d have to wait. But before he could ponder a guess, the door swung open, and Selena stepped inside, wearing a pink blouse and black slacks, with a white lab coat rounding out the ensemble.

  At the sight of her in the flesh, his heart skipped a couple of beats, reminding him of how much he’d missed her.

  Her lips parted and her eyes widened. Apparently, no one had told her about the mix-up, because she seemed to be doing her own assessment of him.

  “Alex.” His name rolled off her tongue softly, yet weighed down by emotion. “What are you doing here?”

  Before he could find the words to tell her he’d gone ahead with his plan, she said, “I thought this appointment was with someone else.”

  “Kristy O’Malley?” he asked.

  She glanced down at the name on the file, then nodded.

  “I hired her to carry the embryos for me. And I wanted you to monitor the pregnancy and deliver the babies. That is, if you’re willing to do that.”

  She seemed to struggle with an answer.

  “I made this appointment to see you first, to ask if you’d mind.” He studied Selena as if she held the whole world in her hands.

  And in a way, she did.

  * * *

  Selena couldn’t seem to make a move one way or another, into the office or back into the hall. Just seeing Alex again set her heart skidding through her chest. And not just because his visit had been a complete surprise.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t have any idea you were coming in today. And... Well, it’s good to see you.”

  Or was it?

  Not a day went by that she didn’t think about him. And not a night went by when he wasn’t in her dreams.

  “I’m sorry.” Alex got to his feet and faced her, his hat in hand. “I didn’t try to spring a surprise. They probably have me on the list for Monday at ten. But that’s when Kristy is supposed to come in. I wanted to talk to you first.”

  Someone in the office had clearly screwed up, but she couldn’t very well stand here, gawking at the handsome cowboy. So she pointed at the chair he’d been sitting in. “Why don’t you take your seat? Let’s start over.”

  As she made her way behind her desk, she still wasn’t sure what to say. Certainly not the words that begged to be said, like, I missed you. It’s good to see you again. So very good.

  Instead, she cleared her throat and offered him a professional smile. “Congratulations, Alex. I know how badly you wanted those babies.”

  He smiled, as he waited for her to sit, then followed suit. “Thanks, Selena. I was very lucky. Both embryos implanted, so Kristy, the woman I hired, is expecting twins.”

  “I’m happy for you.” And she was. Babies were a blessing, no matter how they were conceived. Besides, in spite of her decision to steer clear of him—romantically speaking—she wanted the best for him, for the family he was creating.

  “So what do you say?” he asked. “Will you be Kristy’s doctor? I wouldn’t want her to use anyone else.”

  Selena was both touched and flattered. But could she get that involved with Alex?

  How was she supposed to keep a professional air about her when she was attracted to the father-to-be? And not just attracted to him, they’d once been lovers. In fact, she’d fallen head over heels for him, which only made it worse.

  So getting involved with him and his baby plan just wasn’t right. Couldn’t he understand that?

  The way he was looking at her, leaning forward, gaze filled with hope, suggested he didn’t have a clue what she was thinking or feeling.

  “Under the circumstances,” she began, “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”

  “What circumstances?”

  The fact that he could be the love of her life—if she knew that he felt that way for her. But that place in his heart would always belong to Mary.

  Still, there were other circumstances that might make things difficult, awkward. So she leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Because we were lovers.”

  “How does that change the fact that you’re one of the best doctors around, and that I want my kids to have the best?”

  If truth be told?

  She didn’t have a clue.

  Having those babies had been Alex’s dream, and even though she’d been the one to end their relationship, it didn’t mean that she didn’t want him to be happy, that she didn’t want the best for him.

  So in spite of her reservations, she found herself saying, “Okay, Alex. I’ll be Kristy’s doctor.”

  He broke into a grin that sent her heart careening through her chest. “Thanks, Selena. I really appreciate this.”

  She knew he did. She’d just have to hope and pray that she hadn’t made the biggest mistake of her life.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Monday rolled around, Selena didn’t need to check the daily appointment list to know who’d be coming in this morning. Once she’d had the consultation with Alex and had agreed to be his gestational carrier’s obstetrician, she’d been counting down the days until Kristy O’Malley’s visit.

  Sure, she was looking forward to meeting the woman. But more than that, she knew, without a doubt, that Alex would be attending that first appointment. The babies were too important to him. So there was no way he’d stay on the ranch and let nature take its course—at least, not after the babies had been successfully implanted.

  By ten o’clock, Selena had already seen three patients and returned calls from two more.

  So far, it was just a typical day at Brighton Valley OB-GYN.

  But next up, in exam room three, Kristy O’Malley and Alex Connor waited for their first obstetrics appointment.

  Selena paused at the closed door, going over the new chart, which held very little information yet, other than the vitals Marge had taken when she’d shown them to their room. However, it wasn’t Kristy’s blood pressure or heart rate she was concerned about, it was her own.

  Right now, as she prepared to enter the room and see Alex again, as she readied herself to meet the woman who was pregnant with his twins, her pulse pounded in her ears. She would soon become fully engaged, fully committed to the pregnancy and to the health of the babies—Mary’s babies.

  But she couldn’t stand here, bogged down by apprehension and a swarm of butterflies in her tummy. She was going to have to put on her big-girl/doctor panties and become the professional she knew she could be. So she rapped lightly on the door, then let herself into the small exam room.

  Sure enough, a woman with strawberry-blond hair sat on the exam table. She appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties and of average height and weight. But it wasn’t so much the new patient who’d commanded her attention. It was the handsome blond-haired cowboy who sat next to her, his hat resting under his chair.

  Her heart rate spiked, and the blasted butterflies went ballistic. How could he do that to her with a simple smile, a soul-stirring gaze?

  Selena tore her attention from Alex, turned to Kristy and extended her hand. “I’m Dr. Ramirez.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” the pregnant woman said. “Alex has been singing your praises.”

  Medically speaking, no doubt. Too bad he hadn’t been singing more personal praises. But Selena couldn’t allow herself to waste time on what-ifs.

  “Alex mentioned that the implantation was done at Family Solutions,” she said to Kristy. “How long ago was that?”

  “It’ll be seven weeks on Thursday,” Kristy said. “I had a vaginal ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, and they saw both heartbeats.”

  After asking the standard questions, she quizzed Kristy about how she was feeling.

  “Tired and a
little nauseous, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Selena was glad to know Kristy had gone through several successful pregnancies already.

  “Dr. Samuels said my due date is August twenty-eighth,” Kristy added, “but he also said the babies would probably come early.”

  “He’s right,” Selena said. “Multiple births don’t always go to term.”

  After giving Kristy a sample of prenatal vitamins to take and some healthy eating handouts, Selena added, “I’ll order your medical records from Family Solutions as well as from the last obstetrician you used, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. My doctor was Bradley Leighton at Parkview OB-GYN in Wexler.”

  Selena made a note of it in the chart, then turned to Alex. “I’d like to give Kristy an internal exam on this first visit. So I’m going to ask you to step out of the room for a few minutes. When I’m done, I’ll also do an ultrasound, which I’m sure you’d like to see.”

  “No problem.” Alex got to his feet, then walked out of the room.

  When the pelvic exam was over, Selena opened the door and asked Marge to wheel in the portable equipment. Then she called Alex back into the room.

  Moments later, with Kristy lying on the table, her still-flat belly exposed and covered in gel, Selena ran the transducer probe over the uterus and watched the screen.

  “There’s the first baby,” she said, as she located Twin A. “See the heartbeat?”

  Alex eased closer. “That’s amazing.”

  Yes, it was. And Selena never tired of looking at the miracle of new life. But even more than that, standing next to Alex, close enough to breathe in his scent, to see the wonder in his eyes, made her happy she’d agreed to be a part of this.

  Her only regret was not being the woman on the table, studying the grainy, black-and-white images of the two tiny babies growing in her womb.

  What Selena wouldn’t do to be able to provide the gift of life to herself as well as to Alex. As it was, she’d have to be content taking on a medical role.

  Returning to the work at hand, she moved on to Twin B, whose heartbeat was strong and steady. “Here’s the second one.”