Trish Milburn - Marrying the Cowboy

Skyler pointed toward India’s stomach. “Just wait until you get pregnant.”

India didn’t say anything in response, but the way her mouth twitched at the edges gave her away.

“Oh, my God,” Elissa said. “You already are, aren’t you?”

The twitching turned into a smile as India nodded.

Elissa and Skyler squealed at the same time and wrapped India in a group hug.

“Wait,” Skyler said as she took a step back. “You knew and didn’t tell us?”

“I just found out yesterday.”

Elissa swung a pointed finger between her two friends. “That’s it. No heavy lifting, no stooping, none of that for either of you.”

“Well, how are we supposed to help?” India asked.

“Name your babies after me?”

“What if we have boys?” Skyler asked.

Elissa smiled. “Mason’s a nice name.”

Skyler rolled her eyes.

Elissa laughed. “Those cowboys of yours don’t waste time, do they?”

“Bound to happen when we stay in bed half the time,” India said.

All three of them snorted with laughter. It felt good to laugh, to have good news. It felt normal, and that was exactly what Elissa had told herself she needed to get past her temporary lack of sanity earlier.

“It’s your turn, you know.”

It took Elissa a moment to realize that Skyler was talking to her. “What, to have a baby? Uh, no.”

“There’s nothing wrong with babies,” India said.

“Not when they’re someone else’s little booger and poop factories.”

India shook her head as if saying Elissa was silly to protest. “You would love a baby if you had one.”

The image of Pete’s bare chest and arms came to mind, along with the crazy thought that she at least wouldn’t mind the process of making said baby.

Good Lord, she had somehow misplaced her last brain cell. Maybe it had blown away in the storm and was floating in some Louisiana bayou.

“Is something wrong?” India asked.

Elissa shook her head, perhaps too vigorously judging by the curious looks her friends were giving her. “No, not if you two keep your matchmaking endeavors pointed toward someone else.”

“It’s not us you have to worry about,” India said. “You seem to forget who you live with.”

“No, I’m well aware I share a house with the Cupid of Blue Falls. But I’ve become adept at avoiding her arrows.”

Lord help her if Verona were ever privy to how Elissa had responded to the sight of Pete’s half-naked body. Heat whooshed through her at the mere thought of Pete’s name and the word naked in the same sentence.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” India asked.

“Yeah, just got to get to work. I’m late getting started as it is.”

“Tell us what to do.” India turned as if she would follow Elissa inside.

Though their trio spent a tremendous amount of time together, today Elissa just wanted them to leave. Until she purged herself of inappropriate thoughts about their mutual friend, it was too dangerous to be around them. They knew her just a touch too well.

“Really, there’s nothing suitable for two pregnant women to do. You really want to help me, go suggest someone to Verona to focus her matchmaking hoodoo on. That’s the last thing I need right now.”

“Fine, but you’re coming with us to the music hall tonight,” India said. “There’s a band from Dallas playing that Liam says is really good.”

“I don’t have time.” She gestured toward the damaged building as well as the two demolished greenhouses out back. “As you can see, I have a lot of work to do. And the insurance adjuster is supposed to be here today, though I don’t know when.”

“You’ve been going almost nonstop since the storm,” Skyler said. “You need some downtime.”

Elissa started to protest again, but Skyler held up her index finger to indicate she wasn’t finished.

“Plus, it’s common knowledge that you don’t refuse pregnant women. We get whatever we want.”

Elissa raised an eyebrow. “Does Logan know this?”

“Intimately,” Skyler said with a wicked grin.

Damn if that image of Pete didn’t pop into her head again. Her friends were right. She needed to get out, have a night of fun, dance and purge her head of troubling thoughts. Be the person she always was, the life of the party.

But by the time she finished work for the day and dragged herself home, she wondered about the wisdom of agreeing to meet her friends at the Blue Falls Music Hall. After all, there would be time for dancing and flirting after she got the nursery back up and running.

“Hey, honey,” Verona said as Elissa stepped into the house. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes if you want to shower and get ready.”

Elissa gave her aunt a questioning look.

“The girls told me you all were going dancing tonight.”

“I’m too tired.”

“I know you’re tired, but it’ll be good for you to go out. Pete’s already finished with the bathroom, so it’s all yours.”

“Pete?”

Verona smiled. “Yeah, he’s going, too.”

Elissa’s lips pressed together as she took a calming breath. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

Elissa didn’t buy the innocent look Verona shot her. “You know what.” She glanced toward the hallway to make sure Pete was out of earshot before returning her gaze to her aunt. “Pete and I are friends.”

“Which is why it’s perfect. You already know you like each other.”

“As friends. Jeez, that would be like dating my brother.” Well, not exactly. If she had a brother, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t dwell on the contours of his chest and abs.

“Just give it some thought.”

“No,” Elissa hissed as she heard Pete coming up the hall toward them. “Not one word.”

Verona sighed and went back to stirring the spaghetti sauce on the stove.

Elissa turned to head to her room, where she was seriously considering locking herself, but she ceased moving when she spotted Pete. He’d obviously gone shopping because his old, worn clothes were gone, replaced by a new pair of jeans, boots and a chocolate-brown shirt. He held a new tan Stetson in his right hand. She’d seen him in similar outfits hundreds of times, but the increase in her heart rate made her feel as if she were looking at him for the first time. Her friend had grown ridiculously handsome without her noticing. And it felt really weird to even think that.

She forced herself to act normally, which was way harder than it ought to be. “Hit the ShopMart?”

“Yeah. Not likely I’m going to find my old clothes.”

“You probably wouldn’t want them anymore if you did.”

“True.”

When Elissa met Pete’s eyes, she had the distinct impression he, too, was remembering their awkward run-in at the bathroom door that morning. She hated how her easy camaraderie with Pete felt as if it was slipping away, but she was determined to get it back and put this odd bobble out of her mind.

“Well, if I’m going dancing, I better clean up. I’m wearing about an inch of dirt. Doubt I’ll get many dance partners like that.”

As she moved past Pete, she pictured herself dancing with him. She mentally cursed. She’d danced with Pete a zillion times, and it had never been anything other than two friends goofing off and having a good time. As she stepped into the bathroom, she wondered how in the world she was going to avoid dancing with him until the image of his naked torso didn’t taunt her every time she looked at him.

* * *

AN HOUR LATER, Pete followed Elissa into the music hall. Even for her, she was walking faster than normal, as if she wanted to get away from him. He couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with him startling her that morning. But that shouldn’t have bothered her. It wasn’t as if he’d strolled out into the hall buck-naked.