Victoria Chancellor - Coming Home to Texas

“Sometimes nature takes over and we become better parents than we could have imagined.”

“I’ve heard that. I’ve also seen parents who tried awfully hard and were terrible at the job.”

“I’m not going to be terrible. I’m going to be a terrific mom. I’m going to ask my mother how she raised such a great kid—namely, me—and then follow her example.”

Travis laughed. “All that and modest, too.”

“Darn right.”

She looked down at her plate and saw that she’d eaten all of her chicken and potato salad, along with a handful of grapes. She and Travis had been talking so intently that she’d been oblivious.

“Did you have time to unpack?” he asked as he reached for her plate.

“I don’t mind living out of my suitcase. I’m used to it.”

“Jodie, why don’t you unpack? You’re going to be here awhile.”

“I am?”

“Well, aren’t you going to try to talk me into getting married? Or have you changed your mind?”

She shook her head. “No. But like I mentioned, I’m on a really tight schedule. I’m counting down nine months!”

“Giving me a week or so isn’t going to make any difference.”

“It might!”

“Jodie, given the fact that we’re both tall and not skinny, I don’t think this baby is going to be a tiny little thing. We’re not going to pass it off as premature.”

“Well…”

“Just unpack, relax and enjoy a short vacation in Ranger Springs. Get to know the people. Get to know me.”

“So I’m supposed to relax while you make the most important decision of my life?”

“That’s right.”

“How about you go ahead and decide, then we can both relax?”

“I’m going to defy my basic nature and not rush into this decision.”

“You were willing to rush into my hotel suite in Monte Carlo!” she exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. Probably not the smartest move when she was still trying to get his compliance, but she could only take so much baiting.

“That was…different.”

“Make an exception!”

“About getting married? I can’t do that, no matter how much I like and respect you.”

“You…you like me?”

“Of course I like you. Do you think I sleep with women I can’t stand?”

“No, but—”

“Even though I like you, I can’t just jump into marriage. I have to think this through.”

“What do you want, legal agreements? No problem. I’ll have my lawyers draw up a prenuptial. I’ll make whatever promises you need if you’ll just cooperate.”

“Give me some time, Jodie. I want to do what’s best for all of us.”

“I know what’s best! I’ve already explained what we need to do and why.”

“No, Jodie. You know what’s best for your career. I’m talking about our lives and the life of our baby.”

AFTER THE MEAL, Travis excused himself, saying he had some chores. In truth, he just needed to get away. Away from Jodie’s tempting presence. Away from his chaotic thoughts. Since she’d arrived back in his life a few hours ago, she’d turned his thinking completely around. His future now included a child—and possibly a wife.

But for how long? Jodie said she expected their marriage to be “temporary.” He didn’t like the sound of that. In his opinion, temporary items tended to be inferior in quality and comfort.

He liked to build things to last.

Fortunately the showers had stopped shortly after Jodie arrived. The ground was soft, the dry winter grass slick with rain, but not enough to keep him indoors. He saddled one of the horses he’d purchased from Hank several months ago, glad he had the acres and the time to ride. There was something about being in the saddle that cleared his head, centering him in this suddenly mixed-up world.

His favorite spot was only a fifteen-minute ride away, just over a small hill and around a stand of pecan and live oak trees he hadn’t yet thinned. He’d have to do that later in the year for firewood. Using a chain saw and a hatchet was right up there with chest thumping for manly pursuits.

At the base of the hill was a small swimming hole formed by the springs for which the town was named back in the 1880s when a Texas Ranger was shot by outlaws. According to local lore, a widow living nearby had nursed him back to health using water from the spring.

Travis wasn’t sure whether the story was true or not, but the spring was a refreshing relief from the summer heat. On this cool, late winter day, he wouldn’t be swimming, but he still liked to visit the spot where the water bubbled up from the underground aquifer and ran out into the stream that bisected the town.

Usually the peaceful spot helped him relax. But today, as the sun set and the sky turned to deep pink and mauve, he knew he didn’t have answers. Should he marry Jodie—even temporarily? The idea didn’t set well with him. He and Jodie needed to find a compromise, but all she wanted was a temporary husband to satisfy her contract.

He didn’t want to be anyone’s disposable husband. But did he want to be a permanent part of Jodie’s life when he’d sworn he’d never marry again?

Jodie spent some time soaking in the big bathtub in Travis’s guest suite, wondering where he’d gone so suddenly after the early dinner he’d served her. It had been dark for several hours and he hadn’t returned. Should she go looking for him? Call someone? Where would she report a missing rancher? Dialing 9-1-1 seemed extreme when the man in question was probably just avoiding further discussion of their situation.

She sighed and decided the water was too cool to stay in any longer. She rose from the tub, then went through her nightly ritual of brisk towel-drying and moisturizing. Her skin was one of her best features. She took very good care of her assets.

After dressing for bed in a short gown and longer robe, she wandered into the bedroom. She wasn’t used to having so much free time. She should have picked up a new novel to read, but she hadn’t been thinking clearly. She’d just impulsively booked a flight to Texas to talk to Travis.

The father of her baby.

“Could you want to be a daddy, Travis?” she murmured as she looked out the window. There were lights in the barn, but she didn’t know if they were automatic or if it meant someone was working in there. If Travis was there, avoiding her.

The house was so quiet that she turned on the small CD player she found in the entertainment cabinet. After searching through several country-western stations, she located one that played some generic sort of easy listening. Curled up in a chair where she could see the barn, she let the tension drain out of her as the music flowed in. She shouldn’t be sleepy, but she was, perhaps because of the time zone change, perhaps because of the pregnancy.

Outside the window, a branch from a tree swayed in the night wind. She felt the hypnotic pull, aware that she was drifting off, but not caring at the moment. She was safe and warm, she’d presented her plan to Travis, and all she could do was wait for him to agree.

TRAVIS REMOVED HIS BOOTS in the mudroom, walked quietly over the cold slate floors, then toward the master bedroom. Before he went looking for Jodie, he needed a shower and a change of clothes.

He hadn’t found solace at his favorite spot, but he had been able to think while he’d cleaned out stalls. His barn now sported the cleanest floors, the most spotless feed buckets and the neatest tack room in the entire Hill Country.

And he’d come to some conclusions. He needed to throw out his vow to never marry again. Jodie had presented him with the one reason that would get him back to the altar—a child. He wouldn’t have married for companionship or sex or any other reason since he could have all those things without the problems a wife represented. His past experience had made him associate marriage with manipulation, frustration and disappointment. But that was marriage based on love—or more accurately, two people who thought they were in love. He and Jodie didn’t suffer from that delusion. If they married, it would be for sound, logical reasons.