Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
Monday morning, Memorial Day, Sly whistled as he met Ace, Bean, and Ollie near the barn.
“You seem happy today,” Ace said with a searching look. “Going to the celebration at Prosperity Park later?”
Every Memorial Day the town hosted an annual celebration and picnic at the park.
“Not this year.” He was giving his crew half the day off, but there was too much to do at the ranch for him to leave.
He should’ve been in a lousy mood for that and several other reasons.
Ollie was still here—that was hopeful news—but he half expected the kid to ask for his paycheck and leave town at any moment.
If that wasn’t enough cause for a sour mood Lana was pregnant, and Sly needed sex, had needed it badly since Saturday night.
But instead of going for what he wanted, he’d concentrated on Lana and drawn his own pleasure from hers.
That was the main reason he felt so good about their whole evening together, so good that not even the prospect of being short-handed could bring him down. “I had a great weekend,” he said.
The foreman’s eyes lit with curiosity, but he didn’t pry. Not that it’d have made a whit of difference. Sly wasn’t going to talk about Lana.
“The wife and I went to some friend’s house and played poker Saturday night,” Ace said. “We beat the pants off them—won two whole dollars.” He thwacked his thighs and chuckled.
Sly grinned. “What are you going to do with all that cash, Ace?”
“It went into our vacation jar, for that trip to Hawaii my wife wants.”
Bean shared that he’d attended a country-and-western concert and was headed for a family picnic at the park later.
Ace glanced at Ollie, who had yet to say much. “How was your weekend, kid? Did you and that gal friend of yours go out dancing Saturday night?”
“Not this weekend.” Not a hint of a smile crossed his face.
“Trouble in romance land?” Ace asked.
Ollie kicked at a hard patch of dirt that didn’t budge. “I gotta talk to Sly.”
“I ain’t stopping you.”
“Alone.”
Ace held up both hands, palms out. “Sure, kid. You want to help me with that clogged irrigation pipe, Bean?”
“I’ll meet you later,” Sly said. When Ace and Bean disappeared from sight, he settled his hands low on his hips and studied his young ranch hand.
“I talked to Tiff.” Ollie scratched the back of his neck.
“Good man. What did you two decide?”
“I guess I’ll stick around for a while—if you haven’t hired my replacement.”
“I haven’t.”
Ollie nodded. It was obvious he’d finished talking.
Sly clapped his shoulder. “Let’s get to work, then.”
Seated in the crowded waiting room of the medical clinic, Lana thumbed through a parents’ magazine. There were several interesting-looking articles she wanted to read, but at the moment she was too distracted.
It was almost time to meet with Dr. Valentine, and there was no sign of Sly.
Saturday night he’d stopped by with takeout.
Technically it hadn’t been a date. Over dinner, she’d reminded him about the appointment.
After the meal, she’d let him kiss her..
.and more. Let him? She’d made the first move.
They’d stopped short of making love—she wasn’t ready for that.
But whenever she thought about the things she and Sly did—and she thought about them constantly—her insides went hot and soft.
Her heart was full to bursting with feelings for him. Risky, but there it was.
He didn’t care as deeply for her as she did for him and probably never would, but it was obvious he cared. Plus, he wanted to be involved in their child’s life. No matter what her own heart wanted, that was the most important thing.
Once her parents knew about the baby, she could relax. Not that telling them would change anything. Their strong belief that family loyalty stood above all else wouldn’t allow them to accept Sly.
There was only one way around that obstacle. The lawsuit had to end in a way that worked for both Sly and her cousin.
As if that would ever happen.
Some sixth sense told her to check the entrance to the waiting room, and there he was. In faded jeans, cowboy boots, and a chambray shirt rolled up at the cuffs, he was tall, handsome, and all cowboy. As he moved toward her with his graceful, long-legged stride, men and women stared openly at him.
He nodded and held her gaze. Her heart lifted and she forgot about her family, the lawsuit, and everything else. Oh, she had it bad.
Moments after he reached her, the receptionist called her name. “I’ll be right there,” she replied without taking her eyes from Sly. “You made it,” she said.
“Sorry to cut it so tight. I got a flat on the way here. I would’ve called, only I was charging my cell phone and accidentally left it at home.”
They made their way to an exam room. A friendly nurse named Janet led Lana to the scale and weighed her, then jotted notes on her chart. “You gained a pound since last month. Way to go.”
Sly raised his eyebrows at that.
“We like our patients to gain thirty to forty pounds over the pregnancy,” Janet explained. “Two to four pounds the first trimester is ideal.” She led them to an exam room, where she took Lana’s pulse and blood pressure. “Everything appears normal. Dr. Valentine will be in shortly.”
“How are you feeling today?” Sly asked when the nurse left.
“I was a little queasy this morning, but I’m fine now. How about you?”
“Doin’ okay.” His gaze flitted over her blouse and pants before his eyes narrowed on her legs. “What’s that on your knee?”
Lana shook her head at a blob of dried paste stuck there, then wet her finger and rubbed at it. “We did an art project this morning. It must’ve—”
The knock at the door wiped the rest of her sentence from her mind. Dr. Valentine entered in her usual cute outfit and low-heeled pumps. Lana liked her. She was a few years older, smart, and friendly.
She grinned. “Dr. Valentine, meet Sly—the baby’s father.”
“So nice to meet you, Sly.”
They shook hands before the ob-gyn turned to Lana. “You had your physical last month. This appointment you get to hear the fetal heartbeat.”
“I can hardly wait!” Lana stole a glance at Sly. He didn’t seem nearly as thrilled, but he was here. That counted for something.
Dr. Valentine smiled. “This is an exciting time. Hop onto the exam table and we’ll have a listen.”
As soon as Lana lay down, the doctor lifted her top, spread gel over her belly, and positioned the ultrasound device over the fetus. Lana heard a whooshing noise. “Is that it?”
“Not yet.” Sure hands moved the device slowly over her abdomen. “Right now, your baby is about the size of a tadpole, so it can be hard to find. Ah, here we are.”
A rapid thump-thump-thump filled the room. “You’re hearing your baby’s heartbeat.”
Overcome with emotion, Lana reached for Sly’s hand.
He grasped on, a concerned expression on his face. “That sounds too fast.”
“Not at all,” the ob-gyn assured him. “At this stage, one-hundred-sixty beats per minute is normal for a fetus.”
“Good to know.” He blew out a relieved breath and squeezed Lana’s hand.
For the first time ever, they were listening to their baby’s heartbeat, sharing the awesome, unforgettable moment together. A look of pure awe passed between them.
“Do either of you have questions?” Dr. Valentine asked when she finished the exam.
Sly had a few she answered before she reached for the door. “Nice meeting you, Sly. I’ll see you again in a month, Lana. Be sure to stop at the front desk and schedule your appointment.”
When they were alone in the little room, he reached for her hand again and cleared his throat. “Now it’s real.”
The wonder on his face and tender huskiness of his voice meant more than Lana could say.
Something had shifted in him, and she was now certain that he was 100 percent on board with the baby.
She realized then that she loved him.