His Texas Runaway (Men 0f The West Book 41)

by Stella Bagwell

  “That kind of thinking went out the door years ago,” he argued.

  She nodded ruefully. “My father is seventy now. Not that his age is an excuse. But he was raised in a different culture. Where women were expected to remain in the background.”

  “People can change. And a baby has a way of changing a person,” Chandler gently suggested. “Could be that once your father gets a look at his grandchild his whole attitude will soften.”

  A pang of regret hit Roslyn’s chest. “That would be wonderful, Chandler. But I don’t much believe in fairy tales anymore. Do you?”

  His hand slid up her arm and wrapped over the top of her shoulder. For a moment Roslyn thought he was going to pull her into his arms. Or, at least, that’s what every fiber in her body was screaming for him to do. But instead, his fingers began to knead her flesh, which promptly sent rivulets of heat throughout her body.

  “No. But you hiding yourself away from your parent isn’t good, Roslyn. Not for you or your baby.”

  “Maybe it isn’t,” she admitted. “But I’m not ready to risk this freedom I have right now, Chandler.”

  He gave her a wan smile. “Well, talking about Dad’s death a few minutes ago—it made me wish better things for you, Roslyn.”

  Her heart melting, she leaned forward and touched a hand to the side of his face. “It made me wish better things for both of us,” she whispered.

  A groan sounded deep in his throat and then his lips were suddenly brushing against her cheek and over her nose. Softly, gently, he continued on a downward path, purposely avoiding her lips. By the time he planted a tiny kiss in the middle of her chin, her breathing had turned into shallow little sups and her heart was beating with slow, anxious thuds.

  She sighed as the scent of him filtered into her nostrils and filled her head with erotic desires that no pregnant woman should be feeling. But, oh, she was thinking and feeling. And she wanted more from him. So much more.

  “I’ve been thinking about our kiss, Roslyn. A lot.”

  Our kiss. Yes, it had been a together thing, she thought, with one giving as much as the other. During those moments in his arms she’d never felt so connected to a man or so totally and wonderfully lost in his kiss.

  “I would’ve never guessed it,” she murmured.

  His chuckle was low and sexy and caused his breath to warm her lips.

  “Why? Because I haven’t tried to repeat it?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You said it be unwise to kiss me again. Remember?”

  Her hands trembled as she placed them upon his chest. The warmth beneath her palms made her want to push aside his shirt and explore the hard expanse of muscle.

  “I remember. But I could’ve been...wrong.”

  “You were wrong.” His lips lightly grazed hers. “Because something this good has to be right.”

  Wise or not, by now, Roslyn didn’t care. She wanted him. In all the ways a woman could want a man.

  With a tiny groan, she leaned into him and curled her arms around his neck. He reacted by fastening his lips over hers in a searching kiss.

  Instantly, her senses were plunged into a vortex of pleasure so great that it rendered her helpless. All she could do was hang onto him and hope the kiss never ended.

  Unfortunately, Chandler did finally break the contact between them, and as his head pulled away from hers, Roslyn was stunned and embarrassed to feel a mist of tears fill her eyes.

  Not wanting him to guess how emotionally shaken the kiss had left her, she quickly rose from the seat and walked to the edge of the porch.

  As she stood there, staring out at the night sky, she was forced to link her hands together to still their trembling. Yet nothing could stop the quiver that had started somewhere deep inside her and settled in the middle of her chest.

  And she didn’t need a doctor to diagnose the cause of her malady. She’d been struck by a massive dose of fear. She was falling for the wrong man. Again.

  “Roslyn? Are you angry with me?”

  She swallowed and hoped she could speak without sounding like she was choking. “No. Why should I be angry?”

  “I’m not sure. Unless you’re thinking I’m just being a flirt—playing with you.”

  Aren’t you? She pushed the question off her tongue. Asking it would ruin everything. He’d have to admit that he didn’t have serious intentions toward her and that would make it very awkward to work with him at the clinic. No, if she was going to leave Three Rivers with even a shred of pride, she needed to keep the question to herself. And her feelings under wrap.

  “Don’t worry, Chandler. I’m not thinking that you’re getting serious. After all, it was just a little kiss. I’m sure you’ve had hundreds of them. The majority much nicer than mine.” She stepped past him. “If you’ll excuse me, I really need to go in now.”

  Before she was halfway to the door, his hand closed around her upper arm. Her mouth open, she whirled around to confront him, but he didn’t give her time to get one word out.

  He tugged her into the circle of his arms and plastered a long, searing kiss on her lips.

  By the time he lifted his head, she could only stare in total bewilderment at the raw look of desire on his face.

  “Even if I’d had a thousand kisses none of them would come close to being as nice as yours.”

  Too stunned to utter a word, she pulled out of his arms and hurried into the house.

  * * *

  By the middle of the next week, Roslyn felt as though she was a full-fledged employee at Hollister Animal Hospital and she was enjoying every minute she spent there. The four women and two men already on staff had welcomed her warmly and made her feel a part of their little group. She’d not expected that. In fact, she’d feared they would see her as a nuisance they had to endure because she was a friend of Chandler’s.

  A friend. Was that really the right description for the connection between her and Chandler? Not exactly, she thought, as she munched her way through the last of the lunch Reeva had packed for her. She and Chandler weren’t lovers. They weren’t even boyfriend and girlfriend. Well, maybe in her mind they were, but not in reality. And yet with each passing day, she recognized her feelings for him were growing deeper and stronger. And she was helpless to stop them.

  “Well, I could sit out here for at least another hour and enjoy the sunshine, but I’d better get back inside. If I don’t get those orders for meds in they probably won’t be shipped today.”

  Roslyn glanced across the wooden picnic table at Loretta, a young redheaded woman who took care of most of the clinic’s paperwork. She lived some twenty-five miles north in the tiny town of Congress. She was sweet and funny and single, and Chandler often referred to her as Miss Prospector because on the weekends she went digging in creek beds, searching for a stray gold nugget.

  Roslyn enjoyed the woman’s company and the two of them had fallen into the habit of sharing their lunch together in the little patch of fenced-in yard behind the clinic.

  “I should probably go back in, too,” Roslyn said as she gathered up the remains of her lunch. “Chandler was going to return a few phone calls while the rest of us had lunch. He’s probably back to seeing patients.”

  Loretta shook her head. “He never got to the phone calls. A few minutes ago, he left word at the front office that he and Trey were leaving on an emergency call. I don’t expect them back for a while. So put up your feet and rest a few more minutes.”

  Roslyn smiled at her. “If you insist.”

  “I do,” she said cheerily, then headed back into the building.

  With Loretta gone, Roslyn decided to use the quiet moment to call Nikki back in Fort Worth.

  As soon as she told her friend that she was presently at work, on her lunch break, a loud gasp rattled Roslyn’s ear.

  “Work? Are you kidding
me? Doing what?”

  Roslyn chuckled at the shocked tone in Nikki’s voice. “No kidding, Nikki. I’m working at an animal hospital. And you can’t imagine how much I’m enjoying it.”

  “I can’t imagine you at an animal hospital, period. Just exactly what are you doing there? Working as a receptionist or in bookkeeping?”

  Roslyn glanced around the small fenced-in yard. From her shaded seat, she could see a portion of the barn and connecting pens. Jimmy, the other male assistant on staff, was presently tending to a cow. As of yet, Roslyn hadn’t visited the barn area, but she hoped to. She wanted to learn as much about the large animals as she did the small ones.

  “No. I work back in the treatment area. Right now I’m mostly cleaning up and fetching things like medicines and bandages and things like that. I’ve not actually helped to treat an animal yet, but Chandler said I will soon. He says I’m learning fast.”

  “So this isn’t just a grooming-and-kenneling business,” she stated.

  Roslyn had to choke back a laugh. “No. There’s a real doctor here—treating life-and-death situations. In fact, Chandler just finished up a cesarian section on a beagle hound. I got to watch the whole procedure so I’m hoping next time I might get to assist him.”

  “Oh, yuck, you watched something that gross? How could you?”

  Yes, Nikki would find it gross. As much as Roslyn had always loved her dear friend, Nikki had never been an animal-loving, outdoors type of girl. She was the girly type who was always ready to go to the mall and get her nails done. Or spend the afternoon shopping for high heels.

  “Because the dog was in great distress and would’ve died if Chandler hadn’t performed the surgery. Now the mother and pups will all be fine.”

  “Uh, who is this Chandler person you keep mentioning?”

  The center of her universe, Roslyn thought. To Nikki, she said, “He’s the vet that owns the hospital. Actually, I’m living with his family. So that’s how I wound up getting the job.”

  “Oh. So the vet is a man?”

  Roslyn sipped milk from a small carton, but found the self-discipline to keep away from the zip-locked bag of homemade snickerdoodles.

  “Yes. And he’s a very good vet, I might add. He sees tons of patients. Mostly cats and dogs and horses and cows. But he also treats birds and reptiles. In fact, a parrot was here this morning. Poor thing had a case of mites.”

  Nikki’s laugh was full of disbelief. “Roslyn, listen to you! I can’t believe you’re into this animal thing! And why have you started work at this point in your pregnancy? You’re just a week or two away from having the baby.”

  “One of the women on staff needed extra time off for personal reasons, so I wanted to help out. As for the timing, I still have several more days until I reach my due date. And to tell you the truth, I feel much better moving around and doing things. Actually, I’ve never felt better in my life.”

  Or more alive, Roslyn could’ve added. This past week since she’d begun work at the clinic, her whole world had quickly started to change.

  “Well, I’ll admit you’ve never sounded this happy,” Nikki said coyly. “Does that joyous ring in your voice have anything to do with your boss?”

  “My boss? You mean Chandler?”

  “Yes. The vet. Tell me more about him. Is he young? Good-looking?”

  Roslyn groaned. “Don’t even go there, Nikki. And before you start peppering me with more questions, I’ll give you this much. He’s young, but older than me. And yes, he’s very good-looking.”

  “And single?”

  “Determinedly so.”

  Nikki chuckled knowingly. “The challenging type, huh. But aren’t they all?”

  Roslyn closed her eyes and tried not think about a future beyond her time with Chandler and his family. She wanted to cherish each and every day while she was here. Not picture the loneliness that would follow her to California.

  She sighed. “All relationships are challenging, Nikki. Some more than others. Anyway, I don’t expect to run into a man who wants to hitch himself to a single mother.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Ros. You’re everything a man would want.”

  Roslyn glanced down at her burgeoning waistline and laughed. “You should see me, Nikki. I look like a watermelon.”

  Nikki made a scoffing sound. “You’re not going to look that way for much longer. In a couple of months you’re going to have that fabulous figure of yours back.”

  If you’re thinking your thick waistline makes you any less desirable than the next woman, your thinking is all wrong.

  Chandler’s gently spoken words whispered through her head. He’d sounded so sincere and when he’d laid his hand on her belly and felt the baby move, she’d thought there was something akin to love on his face. But a woman could imagine anything when she was looking at a man with her heart rather than her eyes, she thought dismally.

  “Hah! Two months won’t get me there. But thanks for the thought, anyway.” A quick glance at her watch told her she’d been talking longer than planned. “My lunch time is up, Nikki. I need to get back to work.”

  Nikki let out a disappointed sigh. “Okay. I’ll say goodbye, even though I still have tons of questions to ask you. Like when are you coming home? And have you talked to your dad?”

  Home? She’d not known what being home really meant until she’d met Chandler and moved into the ranch house on Three Rivers. But she wasn’t ready to share her feelings with Nikki.

  “I’m never coming back to Fort Worth. Once I get settled permanently you can fly out to see me and the baby. In fact, the baby might need her auntie to change a few diapers.”

  Nikki’s laugh was dubious. “I should warn you that I tried changing a diaper once on my cousin’s first baby. It was disastrous for me and little Caleb. But for you, dear Ros, I’ll take baby-care lessons before I come for a visit.”

  Laughing at that, Roslyn ended the call and quickly made her way back into the clinic.

  * * *

  After a hurried lunch at a little roadside café in Yarnell, Chandler called the clinic to let the receptionist know he’d be returning in the next thirty minutes.

  “Let me drive this time,” Trey suggested, as the two men approached the black truck sitting at the edge of the dusty parking lot. “You need the rest.”

  Chandler responded with a short, dry laugh. “Do I look like I’m getting feeble, or something?”

  “Not even close. You’ve had a long morning, that’s all.”

  Chandler couldn’t argue that point. He’d left the ranch before daylight and hadn’t stopped until a few minutes ago to wolf down a plate of tamales and beans.

  Pulling the keys from his jeans pocket, he tossed them to Trey. “Have at it. Just make sure your foot doesn’t get too heavy. You don’t need another speeding ticket on your record.”

  “Oh, Doc, I haven’t had a speeding ticket in at least, uh...at least three months,” he said sheepishly.

  Chandler grunted. “I’d hate to be your insurance agent.”

  “I don’t know why,” Trey retorted. “He’s making a small fortune off me.”

  They climbed into the truck and as Trey gunned it onto the highway, Chandler gave up and scooted down in the seat.

  “Wake me up five miles before we reach town,” Chandler told him.

  “Sure, Doc. You go right ahead and get you a nice nap. You deserve it.”

  Closing his eyes, Chandler tilted his hat over his face. Yet as sleep-deprived as he was, his brain wouldn’t shut down. How could it? If he wasn’t working he was thinking about Roslyn and wondering why he’d ever been crazy enough to kiss her. Now he wanted more than her kisses. He wanted to make love to her. He wanted to be close to her in every way a man could be close to a woman. But even if she wanted the same thing, the timing was all wrong. She was about to have the baby. And
afterward? He could only guess how she might feel about him when that time arrived.

  The steady hum of the motor was suddenly drowned out by the loud burst of the radio.

  Chandler sat straight up and screwed his hat back onto his head. “What are you doing?”

  Trey jabbed a forefinger at the radio. “Sorry, Doc, I had to turn it up. That’s one of my favorite songs.”

  Chandler’s gaze went from his grinning face to the panel on the dashboard displaying the name of the song being played by the satellite station.

  His jaw dropped as he looked at Trey. “Since when did you start listening to standards?”

  A grimace wrinkled Trey’s lean face. “And what, may I ask, is wrong with listening to standards? Just because I wear cowboy boots caked with manure doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate good music. The kind with melodies and voices that are real and not manipulated with a computer.”

  With a shake of his head, Chandler said, “I’m amazed, Trey. Truly amazed.”

  “Well, I’ll bet if you ask Roslyn, she’ll tell you that she likes standards, too.”

  Chandler rolled his eyes in Trey’s direction. “And how do you know this? You asked her?”

  “Shoot, no! I can just tell by looking at her,” Trey answered confidently. “She’s all class. Nothing trashy about that woman. She has good taste.”

  “Guess you can tell this just by looking at her, too, huh?” Chandler asked drolly.

  “Well, yeah. She has good taste in men. ’Cause it’s pretty obvious that she’s gone on you.”

  Chandler sputtered, “What the hell are you talking about? Who’s been spreading that kind of rumor?”

  Trey shook his head. “Calm down, Doc. No one is talking about the two of you. This is my own opinion and I won’t say anything to anybody. Unless you want me to, that is.”

  “I want you to keep your mouth shut. Period!” Chandler suddenly boomed. “Can you do that for one blessed minute?”

  Trey glanced at him, then fastened his eyes back on the highway. “Hmmph! Guess I touched a nerve.”

  “No. You didn’t just touch a nerve,” Chandler barked at him. “You’ve stomped on about a thousand nerves.”