with typical male scrutiny.
“How’ve you been, Case. Long time, huh?”
“Yeah, I’d say it’s been a long time.” Case pushed his dish away and stretched out. “Just got back in town, actually. I took Sarah to her doctor’s appointment today.”
Sarah wanted to scream from the proprietary way Case had thrown that bit of information out. She’d just barely allowed him to accompany her to that appointment and Case made it sound as if…as if they would be sharing more than her medical appointments.
Josie’s wide smile faded, glancing from Case to her. “Oh, hello, Sarah. When’s the baby due? You look like you’re ready to pop.”
“Babies don’t pop, Josie,” Case said, coming to Sarah’s defense before she had a chance to respond. It more than irritated her that Case would be answering questions on her behalf.
“The baby’s due in about one month, Josie.”
“Oh, that so?” Josie swung her hip in Case’s direction, but he didn’t appear to notice.
“Yes,” Sarah answered. “I can hardly wait.”
Josie tossed her long red hair off her shoulder. “I bet. You plan on being the surrogate daddy, Case?” The woman seemed truly intent on his answer.
“Well, I, uh.” Case blinked and fumbled with an answer. “Not exactly.”
“My child will know who his father is, Josie. And that Case is his uncle.” Sarah hoped she left no room for doubt.
“I see. Sure. The three of you all, living in that little ole ranch house together. Seems to me, that baby might get a teeny bit confused.”
Heat surged up Sarah’s throat and stung her face. She couldn’t look at Case. She couldn’t look at Josie. The woman hit the nail right on the head. Sarah had been thinking that very thing ever since Case showed up yesterday. She hadn’t expected his arrival and now all sorts of doubts were filtering in about their living arrangements once the baby came.
She’d planned on keeping Reid’s memory alive by speaking of him often and showing her child pictures of his father. But Case was the spitting image of Reid. With all three of them living under one roof, things could get confusing all the way around.
“I’m sure you folks will work it all out,” Josie said smugly, then directed her attention back to Case, “but if you get at all tired of the family scene, Case, you have my number. Don’t hesitate.”
Case pursed his lips and nodded grimly. “’Night, Josie.”
“Same to you all,” she said sweetly.
“She’s not subtle,” Sarah said, once Josie returned to her table across the diner. Sarah decided to keep Josie’s marital problems to herself having never been one to gossip. But the fact remained Josie had been married and divorced twice since high school.
Case chuckled, his tight face giving way to a smile. “She never was.”
“You liked her once.”
“I liked a lot of women, once.” He let out a deep sigh. “Those days are long gone.”
Sarah found that hard to believe. Case Jarrett with his devastating good looks and aloof attitude had been a heartbreaker. He liked women, all kinds of women and had always been the first to admit that. “You don’t mean you plan on settling down, do you?”
That could solve her problem. If Case had a wife, then Sarah wouldn’t feel so doggone awkward with him underfoot.
Case shook his head. “Noooo. Settling down means getting involved with a woman. I’ve just about sworn off females.”
“I give you about a week, Case.”
“I’m serious,” he said, leaning forward. “I’m going to focus on the ranch and…uh—”
“And?” Case was holding something back. She could see it in his eyes and in the way his shoulders stiffened.
“Nothing, Sarah. You ready to go?”
“Yes. I’m all through.”
“Let’s get on back home,” he said impatiently.
Sarah cringed inwardly at how Case used the very same expression Reid would whisper in her ear when he was impatient to get Sarah home. To make love. They’d spend a long sweet night together, loving.
How different her life was now.
There’d be no more nights of love and no more sweet embraces.
The only thing she had to look forward to was the arrival of the baby. That would be enough to see her through long lonely nights.
On the way home, Case pulled up to the Beckman Bridle Homes trailer located just outside of Prescott. The sign out front showed a planned community with a country club, golf course and boasted five hundred new “bridle path homes.” Hell, every damn ranch within a twenty-mile radius was a bridle path home. And if the path wasn’t there, you simply mounted your cow pony and etched one out of the land.
“Case, what are you doing here?” Sarah asked.
“I was thinking I’d go in there and give those land agents a piece of my mind.”
“I don’t think they’ll come around again.”
“Look at that sign, Sarah,” he said, gesturing toward the large painted signpost. “Doesn’t appear to me that they’re going to give up. Looks as though they got this whole thing planned and nothing’s going to stop them. I heard that five ranches have already agreed to their terms.”
“Case, I can’t say as I blame them. The smaller ranches haven’t turned a profit in years. Those folks were just barely holding on. The offer came at a good time for them.”
“And what about McPherson’s barn? Don’t folks care that these people they’re selling to have no compunction?”
“I know it seems suspicious, Case, but we have no proof that Beckman Corporation had anything to do with that fire. Could have been an accident.”
He scoffed at that. Case was certain that barn burned down because of foul play. He wasn’t going to let anything like that happen at the Triple R. He doubted the corporation would buckle under just because one woman lifted a rifle and shooed their agent off the property. Brave as she was, Sarah just didn’t have it in her to truly intimidate another living soul. That Merriman fella probably just decided to leave the pregnant woman be and find another approach.
“Besides, Case. It looks like they’re closed for the day.”
Case did a cursory glance and found Sarah to be right. Everything looked locked up good and tight as the small Closed sign on the far right window indicated.
“Yeah, guess you’re right.” Case would have to deal with them later. It was best Sarah not be around when he did. He wouldn’t want her to get upset if things got ugly.
Case
