Chapter 9
Physical exercise relieved the tension in a way nothing else could, so Trent spent Sunday morning mucking out stalls and cleaning tack. Whenever one of the McLintocks showed up at the barn, he laughed and joked with them as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
In the afternoon he took Gigabyte out. He put a lot of miles on that gelding before finally bringing him back to his stall for a thorough rubdown. Desiree must have spied him riding in because she came to see him while he was brushing Gigabyte.
He politely turned down her invitation to have dinner at the ranch house. The meal he had cooking in his crockpot was a good excuse, but his real reason was that he needed time alone to order his thoughts.
Or not. After a mostly sleepless night, he admitted he couldn’t make a decision about Brittany without talking to someone. He only trusted one person to give him advice on a life-changing issue like this and Dallas was on duty at the firehouse until Tuesday morning.
He slogged through Monday morning collecting data for a new client, and Monday afternoon he texted his brother at the firehouse, asking him to call when he had a chance.
Dallas responded within minutes. “Hey, bro, what’s up?”
“I need to talk to you about…a problem I’m wrestling with.”
“I’m all ears. Just be aware if a call comes in, I’ll have to hang up.”
“I’d rather talk in person. Do you and Angie have plans tomorrow?”
“Not specific plans, but she’s taking the day off. We haven’t spent much quality time together recently and we’re both getting snarly about it. We’ll be hiding out at the house, making up for lost time, if you know what I mean.”
“I do.” And he envied the hell out of his brother right now. “This is a big ask, but would you be willing to stop by here on your way home in the morning? I won’t keep you long, I promise, but there’s something I need to discuss.”
“I can do that, or I could carve out some time on Wednesday. Angie has a wedding project she needs help with but I could get away for an hour or so if you need to talk. She’d understand.”
“Wednesday’s too late. I have to make a decision by tomorrow night.”
“Is this about whether to make an offer on the cabin? Because I don’t think Cheyenne’s in any hurry to?—”
“It’s not about the cabin.”
“I can’t imagine — uh-oh, a call just came in. I’ll stop by in the morning.” He disconnected.
Trent slept better that night knowing he’d see Dallas in the morning. But he was awake before dawn and prowling through the cabin, a mug of coffee in his hand, his nerves raw, while he waited for his brother.
He could save himself this agony if he simply decided not to consider Brittany’s plan. Then he wouldn’t have to talk to Dallas. He could tell him the problem was solved and send him home to Angie.
Why wasn’t he doing that? Because he was considering Brittany’s plan. He couldn’t put the concept out of his mind for more than five minutes at a time. He needed to bounce it off his big brother and get his reaction.
Finally he threw on a jacket against the cool May morning and took a refill of coffee out to the porch. The table and chairs on the far end belonged to Cheyenne. So did a fair amount of the furniture inside, since Cheyenne had moved into Kendall’s fully furnished place.
If Trent bought this cabin, and he fully intended to, he’d see if he could purchase the furniture as part of the deal. He liked it. He and Cheyenne had similar tastes.
He eyed the chairs, started to sit in one, and changed his mind. He needed to keep moving. Pacing the length of the porch, he sipped his coffee and listened to the birds waking up in the tall pines on either side of the flagstone walkway.
The sound of a truck on the road brought him to a halt. He set his mug on the rustic table. Moments later Dallas’s dark blue F-150 pulled in next to his tricked-out 250. The colors were similar, except his was a deeper navy with a pinstripe.
Rance had talked him into a fancy rig and he didn’t regret it. Driving it always lifted his mood. But it had also set the stage for his current dilemma.
Opening his door and climbing out, Dallas called out a hey.
Trent did the same. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” He took the steps two at a time and shoved back his hat. “So what’s got your undies in a bunch?”
“It’s Brittany.”
“Brit? Ella’s friend?”
“Yep. I bartended Saturday night and she was at the Buffalo celebrating her birthday with Ella and Faye.”
“Okay.” Dallas gazed at him. “Then what?”
He rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat. “She left her purse and came back to get it. She’d walked there from her house, so I finished closing up and took her home. And then….” He glanced at his brother. “I slept with her. At her suggestion.”
Dallas blinked. “I’ll be damned. Well, that’s probably a good thing. You— wait a second. Don’t tell me you didn’t use a?—”
“I did. Both times.”
“TMI, bro.” His brother snorted. “But I’m happy for you. Are you going to see her again?”
“She’s coming by after closing tonight, which is why I need to talk to you.”
“What for? Sounds like things are going along just fine. Nice choice, by the way, not that you need my stamp of approval. Everyone likes Brit. She’s a lot of fun.”
“She wants to have my baby.”
“She what?” Dallas’s jovial smile turned to open-mouthed shock. “What the hell, Trent?”
“She wants a baby and hasn’t found anybody she’d like to marry. She hopes to follow in Desiree’s footsteps and have a kid anyway. With my help.”
“You must have misunderstood. Was she drunk? I’ll bet she was drinking those red, white and blues. Or she was pranking you. No way would she?—”
“She was dead serious. She just turned thirty-one, and I can see her point. Guys don’t have to worry about age so much, but women do. Then there’s Desiree, who’s demonstrated that a woman doesn’t need a husband to have a bunch of kids.”
“Desiree’s an unusual woman. Not many could pull off what she did.”
“According to Rance, Brittany’s no ordinary lady, either. Nobody’s equaled her stint as the high school mascot.”
“The school mascot, huh? I didn’t know that, but it fits. She’s a bundle of energy. Maybe she has what it takes to work Desiree’s program.” His gaze sharpened. “Are you thinking of going along with it? Is that why I’m here?”
He nodded. “At first I told her no and hell, no. But she had some good arguments why it would be a solution for both of us. I don’t plan to get married again, and?—”
“Of course you don’t. You’re only six months away from that bloodbath. Eventually you’ll heal. You’ll regain your faith in love and you’ll find a wonderful woman. You’ll have those kids you want. I know you don’t believe me, but?—”
“You’re right, I don’t believe you. But let’s pretend all that will come true. It’s gonna take a while. Since I’d rather hang out with women my age, I’m in the same fix as Brittany. I’ll be racing the clock.”
“You keep calling her Brittany. Did she ask you to?”
“No, I just like it.”
Dallas studied him. “And you like her.”
“I do. I have a lousy track record regarding women, but I don’t think she has a hidden agenda.”
“Probably not. She and Ella have been tight ever since they were in grade school, which is a good sign. I’ve never heard anything negative about Brit. I like her, too. But do I think you should go along with this goofy idea? No, I don’t.”
“Are you saying that Desiree had a goofy idea when she conceived her kids this way?”
He opened his mouth. Closed it again. Shook his head. “She did what was right for her, but?—”
“Were the dads of those kids idiots for going along with her plan?”
“I’m sure they had their reasons.”
“Well, so do I.”
“Only because Cheryl tore you to shreds. I know you’ve had it rough, but falling in with Brit’s baby plan isn’t the answer.”
“I didn’t think so either at first. I’m not surprised at your reaction. It made me argue from Brittany’s point of view, which was helpful. Opened my eyes quite a bit. Thanks.”
“I’m trying to talk you out of this, dammit.”
“I know you are, and I appreciate the effort. I get why you’re against me doing it.”
“But you’re going to, aren’t you?”
“Looks like it.”
Dragging in a breath, Dallas let it out slowly. “Then I’ll support you.”
His chest tightened. “Thanks, big brother. That means a lot.”
“Who do you plan to tell besides me?”
“Brittany.”
That brought a reluctant smile. “Besides her.”
“I figure she and I will talk about it. I’ll let you know what comes out of that. In the meantime, you can share it with Angie.”
“You’re okay with me telling her?”
“Are you okay not telling her?”
“No, but I?—”
“That’s what I thought. Just ask her to keep it to herself for now.”
“She’ll do that. But you’ll run out of road pretty quick. Mom and Dad are flying in day after tomorrow.”
“I know. I’ll find a time to tell them, too. It’s not like they’ll spread the word.”
“They won’t, but eventually everyone will?—”
“Assuming this works.”
“Do you have any doubt?”
“No, not really.” He couldn’t explain why he was so certain, but he was. By the end of the week, Brittany would be pregnant. By the end of the month, he’d be a confirmed dad-to-be.