understandable.”
Rosie appeared in the doorway. “Dinner’s ready. But you don’t have to come right away if you need more time.”
“I do need some time.” Zeke glanced her way. “I wouldn’t be fit company right now, anyway. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take a rain check on dinner.”
“Your decision, but I made another rhubarb pie.”
“Thanks, Rosie. At least I know you’re not too mad at me for not returning Tess’s call.”
“I wasn’t mad, son. Just a little disappointed. If you feel the need to head on back, I’ll save some of the pie for another time.”
“That would be great.” Crossing the room in three long strides, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “And thanks for setting me straight on this deal.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned back to Tess. “I’d like to ask a favor, if I may?”
“What’s that?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stick around for another day or so. Give me a chance to get my bearings before you go back to Casper.”
“I don’t want to impose on your foster parents.”
“It’s not an imposition,” Rosie said. “Stay as long as you like.”
Zeke nodded. “Good, then. It’s settled. I’ll be back tomorrow. Ladies.” Touching the brim of his hat, he walked out the front door.
* * *
Zeke made the trip back to Matt’s ranch on autopilot. He couldn’t have said how he got there but, sure enough, there he was parked in front of the house. He sat in the truck for a while, unable to summon the energy to go inside.
Against all odds, he’d created a child, something he’d vowed never to do. Worse yet, the kid was a boy. He’d decided years ago that girls were more resilient. They bonded with each other in some mysterious way that strengthened them against disaster.
But a boy—specifically his boy—could end up battling demons alone. That had certainly been Zeke’s experience. And when this as-yet-unnamed boy figured out that his father had abandoned all parental responsibility? Guaranteed he’d have demons.
Eventually, Zeke climbed out of his truck, went into the house and stripped off his good shirt so he could do his exercises. And because he lost track of his repetitions, he ended up in more pain than usual. He bypassed his prescription pain medication in favor of a beer.
Sitting on the front porch on one of the folding chairs, he drank the beer and contemplated his options. He didn’t have a lot of them, and none were part of the life he’d imagined. But as the beer mellowed him out, he allowed his thoughts to dwell on Tess.
She was beautiful, way prettier than he’d remembered. He’d heard that pregnancy gave women a special glow. It might be true because she’d seemed lit from within. Her eagerness to have this baby was appealing. Hell, it was more than that. Her enthusiasm about bringing a new life into this world turned him on.
Yeah, there it was. The naked truth. Tess had been a great lover, and he had fond memories of their time in that Texas hotel room. But Tess as the mother of his child transformed her into a woman of irresistible appeal. If the attraction he’d felt back in April could be compared to a backyard fountain, this new emotion was more like Niagara Falls.
He wondered if his reaction was connected to some primitive urge to claim the female who’d successfully welcomed his bid for immortality. He hadn’t realized at the time how unlikely this mating had been. Knowing that he’d overcome the condom barrier plus her apparent infertility made him feel...okay, it made him feel like one heck of a stud.
But when he wasn’t mentally strutting around like the prize rooster in the henhouse, he was scared spit-less. He’d had reasons for avoiding fatherhood and none of them had changed just because he’d accidentally gotten a woman pregnant. He had skeletons in his closet, and Tess had every right to know what they were.
On the other hand, maybe he didn’t have to drag out those skeletons in the next twenty-four hours.
* * *
During dinner, Tess broke the news of her pregnancy to Rosie and Herb. That’s when she learned that Rosie considered the unborn baby her future grandchild.
“I realize that’s slightly unconventional.” She passed Tess a basket of warm yeast rolls. “But most of those boys call us Mom and Dad, so why not? Babies need grandparents to spoil them rotten.”
Tess laughed, charmed by the prospect of Rosie and Herb as her son’s grandparents. “I suppose they do. Mine treated me like a princess. I came along after they’d given up on having any, so I really did get spoiled. I’m sad that they’re gone now. They would have loved fussing over another baby.”
“Of course they would! Sophie—that’s Damon and Phil’s daughter—is the light of my life. She’ll be a year by the time your little guy is born. That’s old enough for her to understand that she has a new baby cousin. I can’t wait to see them together. It’ll be adorable.”
“Yes, well...” Tess had allowed herself to get carried away by Rosie’s enthusiasm. “I’m not sure how often I’ll get over here. I’ll do my best but...”
“Oh.” Rosie shared a quick glance with Herb. “You’ll have to excuse me, Tess. I was so focused on the baby that I didn’t think about anything else. Zeke will be back on the circuit by then, not living next door. I shouldn’t make assumptions about how the two of you will work everything out. For all I know, you’re going to travel with him.”
She shuddered at the thought. “I plan to raise the baby on my own.”
Rosie gave a little gasp of surprise. “Does Zeke know?”
“I told him tonight.”
Herb frowned. “And what did he say?”
“Not much. But when we met he told me he didn’t want kids. In my opinion, a reluctant father is worse than no father at all.”
Herb’s frown deepened. “But Zeke has a financial obligation to his son.”
She met Herb’s worried gaze. “Legally, yes, but I’m relieving him of that. I’m financially capable of raising this child and, despite my right to child support, I couldn’t in good conscience take money from a man who won’t be participating in the process.”
Rosie and Herb greeted that statement with a long silence. Tess wished circumstances could be different for these two wonderful people. But this baby was a gift and she refused to let him become an obligation to anyone, least of all the man who’d unintentionally fathered him.
Finally, Rosie took a deep breath. “I can understand why you feel that way. But we’d love to be part of the process, so I hope you’ll bring that sweet baby over to see us now and then.”
“I will.” She reached over and squeezed Rosie’s arm. “I promise.”
After
