Susan Mallery: The Rancher Next Door

She hesitated, remembering the conversation she’d overheard when she’d gone to collect her things. Aaron and Suzanne had been fighting. There had been so much pain and frustration in Suzanne’s voice.

“I love you,” she told her stepmother. “I want you to always be a part of my family. You took all of us through our teen years and you never once lost your cool. I want to be as good a mother to Shane as you were to all of us.” She touched Suzanne’s hand again. “Having said that, I want you to know that while I have to make peace with my father because he’s my father, you don’t. You can leave if you want to.”

“I’ve considered that,” Suzanne admitted. “Sometimes I think he’s trying to drive me away, although I don’t know why. As for what I’m going to do…I haven’t decided.” She shook her head. “Enough about that topic. Let’s hear about you. How’s the house?”

“It will be ready in about three weeks.”

“Good. Are you excited to have your own place at last?”

Katie told herself to answer right away. Any hesitation would give away her secret. “Yeah, sure,” she said, but she wasn’t fast enough. Suzanne had known her for years and figured out the truth instantly.

The woman across from her looked inquisitive. “How interesting. You’re not thrilled to be leaving the Darby ranch. I know Hattie is a lot fun to be around, but I suspect she’s not the reason you’re reluctant to go. Could it be someone in particular?”

The waitress arrived with their salads. Katie picked up her fork, then put it down. Suddenly the food wasn’t very appealing. “It’s Jack,” she admitted. “But it’s not simple. I know how I feel about him, but he’s not saying how he feels about me.”

“Have you asked him?”

“Not exactly. But we’ve talked about things and he’s made it clear he doesn’t want anything permanent with anyone.” She refused to discuss the possibility of her pregnancy. There were some things Suzanne didn’t need to know.

“Have you told him you’re in love with him?”

Katie had been taking a sip of her soda and nearly choked when it went down the wrong way. “I’m not in love with him,” she said automatically.

Suzanne didn’t respond. She simply waited, nibbling on her salad and looking expectant.

Katie sighed. “Okay. Fine. I’m in love with him, but he doesn’t care. He’s too busy trying to not be his father to even notice.”

“Then maybe you should tell him.”

“Jack is determined to avoid romantic entanglements.”

“That’s very nice for him, but people don’t always get to choose whether or not they get involved. Sometimes it just happens.”

Katie returned to her office and thought about Suzanne’s words all afternoon. About two-thirty Hattie called to say that Jack was going to be in the area and had offered to get Shane from school. Katie knew her son would be thrilled to see his hero waiting for him in the ranch truck. A little after three, when she was collecting her equipment for her standing appointment with Hattie, she felt a familiar cramping sensation low in her belly.

Katie sank into her chair and dropped her head into her hands. For the past couple of days, she’d been avoiding the obvious. Her breasts had grown tender, she’d puffed out like a water balloon, and now cramps. Her period was well on its way and would start within the next day or so. She could no longer hide from the truth.

There wasn’t any baby. There never had been.

So what happened now? Obviously she had to tell Jack the truth. Disappointment tightened her throat. Without a pregnancy to hold them together, she doubted he would want anything to do with her. On the plus side, the lack of a baby freed her to confess her feelings without having to wonder if he was responding to her or circumstances. Of course she might not want to hear his reply.

The rain had stopped by the time she arrived at the Darby ranch. Shane and the puppies played together by the barn. As she stepped out of her Explorer, she saw that they were all coated in mud.

“It’s not my fault,” Jack said, coming up behind her and taking her equipment bag from her. “I swear, I told him to avoid the mud puddles. Thirty seconds after I turned my back, they all looked like that.”

Shane saw her and waved. Misty ran in and joined the fray. In less than a minute she, too, was the color of wet dirt. Katie decided she had too much on her mind to get upset about something this minor.

“There’s hot water in the barn,” she said. “I guess the dogs can all be washed when they’re done playing, then Shane can take a bath before dinner. No harm done.”

Jack gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks for not being mad.”

She glanced at him from under her lashes. “Don’t thank me. I don’t plan to help you guys wash the dogs. You’re on your own with that one.”

“Figures,” he grumbled good-naturedly. When they reached the porch, he paused. “How was your lunch with Suzanne?”

“Good. I always enjoy seeing her. I don’t think she’s especially happy right now, but hopefully that will change. Aaron is making things difficult, as usual. I wish he was different.”

“He has to want that, too,” Jack said. “It’s always been his decision to be the way he is.”

She turned to face Jack. Everything about him called to her. His good looks, his patience with Shane, the way he took care of his family and the ranch. He was the love of her life and completely out of reach. What on earth had she been thinking to let herself fall for him?

“I could say the same about you,” she replied. “You’ve chosen to be alone. Why is that? Why don’t you have a dozen kids of your own running around here? You’re great with Shane.”

“That’s different.”

“How? A kid is a kid. People either like them or they don’t. You obviously do.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “And don’t you dare tell me this has anything to do with Russell. I’m tired of you blaming everything on your father.”

His gaze remained on her face, his expression impassive. “Why are you so angry?” he asked, refusing to rise to her bait. “Is this about-” He looked at her stomach.

It was, and she hated that he’d figured it out. She didn’t want to tell him. She didn’t want to break the tenuous bond between them, but she didn’t have a choice.

“Don’t panic,” she told him sharply. “I’m not pregnant.”

She waited, hoping he would betray his feelings on the subject, but he didn’t give anything away. “You got your period?”

“Not yet, but it’ll be here in the next couple of days.”

“Do you want to take a test to be sure?”

“I know . I don’t have to take a test. Just trust me on this. It’s a female thing.”

Her eyes began to burn, so she turned away from him. She wasn’t about to lose it in front of him again. Obviously he didn’t give a damn about her not being pregnant, but she was crushed. Now he would have every excuse in the world to walk away from her. She wanted to stop him, but she didn’t know how.

Frustrated, she turned back to him. “Who ended your marriage?” she asked.

“What?”

“You heard me. Who ended the marriage? I know you told me that Melissa left, but there’s more to the death of a relationship than who walks out the door. That’s just a detail. Who pulled the plug first? Was it you? Did you shut her out the way you’re shutting me out?”

“What is this really about, Katie?” he asked. “Are you upset because you’re not pregnant?”

His voice was thick with disbelief, as if it wasn’t possible she could be sorry. Which made her stomach clench more. “I guess you couldn’t be more thrilled,” she accused.