The Cowboy's Pride. Charlene Sands

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СКАЧАТЬ looked at him over her shoulder. “Clay, can we talk inside the house? Meggie’s squinting. And I’m pretty sure she shouldn’t be out in this heat.”

      That was the first thing she’d said during their conversation that made any sense. Clay gestured with a nod toward the house. “The door’s unlocked. Take the baby and go on inside. I’ll deal with the cabdriver and your things and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

      “Thank you. Oh, and Clay, there’s a lot of things.” Trish nibbled on her lower lip. “Babies, I’m learning, come with their own set of gear.”

      Trish heard Clay speaking with the cabdriver as she held Meggie tight to her chest and walked along the path where flower beds of white and yellow lilies and purple hyacinth thrived. Everything looked the same as she remembered. With its wraparound veranda supported by polished wood railings and centered by a wide double door, the spacious two-story ranch house embodied old Southwest charm. The first time Clay had brought her here, she’d been awestruck by the expanse and splendor of Worth land and the surrounding Red Ridge Mountains, but she’d been even more enamored of Clay, the man she’d eventually wed.

      She’d planned on having his children, one day. She’d discussed it with Clay in obscure terms for the most part before they’d married. But then Clay’s father passed and suddenly her husband was hell bent on having a baby.

      Right away.

      His sudden change in plans had floored her. She hadn’t been ready for motherhood back then. Heck, she wasn’t ready for it now. The thought of screwing up something as important as raising a child struck fear in her heart. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes her mother had made. But Meggie had come into her life and Trish wouldn’t let her down.

      On a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and opened the front door. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she stepped inside the house. “Oh, Meggie,” she whispered.

      She’d lived in this house with Clay and they’d been happy once. Tears welled in her eyes. She’d missed living on the ranch, but she didn’t know just how much until she stepped over the threshold. She stood there a minute, as sensations flooded her. She and Clay had started a life here, a good life, but obstacles had gotten in the way and as much as he would lay the blame on her, her stubborn soon-to-be ex had played a hand in their breakup.

      Clay’s part-time housekeeper approached the foyer and greeted her with a cautious smile. “Mrs. Worth, it’s good to see you. Welcome home.” Her gaze went straight to the baby.

      “Hello, Helen. I’m glad to see you, too.” But she wasn’t really home. After her brief stay, she’d have no place here anymore. “I’ll be living at the guesthouse while I’m here, but I—”

      “Yes, Clayton has told me. I’ve got everything set for you in there. But, oh my, I wasn’t expecting—”

      “I know. Neither was I. This is Meggie,” Trish said, turning slightly to show her the baby’s face. “Isn’t she sweet?”

      Helen’s eyes softened and she touched the baby blanket gently just under Meggie’s chin. “She’s a beautiful baby.”

      “I think so, too.” Trish brushed a kiss to Meggie’s forehead. The poor child. She had no idea what was happening. They’d traveled across the country to get here, a trip that had taken its toll on both of them.

      Helen waited a split second for more explanation, but Trish held her tongue. Clay’s housekeeper had a momma bear protective streak when it came to the Worth men, and Trish already suspected she wasn’t in her good graces for walking out on Clay and moving back to Nashville. Of course, she doubted Helen knew all the details and she wouldn’t hear them from her.

      “Would you like something to drink?” Helen asked. “I’ve got a pot of coffee still on.”

      “No, thank you. I think we’re just going to sit down in the parlor and wait for Clay.”

      Helen nodded and then looked Trish over as if just noticing her state of dishevelment. “If I can do anything for you, let me know.”

      How about a course in Motherhood 101? Trish could write a book about what she didn’t know about raising a baby. Every spare moment she’d managed this month had been spent poring over parenting books.

      “I will. And Helen, it’s really good to see you.”

      The woman smiled. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

      Trish entered the parlor and stopped short. Her breath caught in her throat, her shoulders sagged. Hurtful memories entered her mind and threatened to exhaust the last shred of her energy. She hadn’t expected this, to feel such overwhelming sadness. She’d put the divorce on hold for nearly a year, unable to face the failure, but now, being here and stepping into this room again after all this time, brought everything back.

      She and Clay had argued—it had become nearly impossible not to during those days—right before she left for an overnight business trip. Trish had come home later that evening when the trip was unexpectedly canceled. With makeup sex on her mind, she strode into the parlor eager to see her husband and put a happy ending on the evening.

      She found Clay with Suzy Johnson. On the sofa. Together. Intimately sipping wine and quietly laughing about God only knows, some private joke they’d probably shared. Everything about that scene screamed “wrong” in a marriage already precariously holding on by a thread. And the last thing she’d needed was the hometown girl, a Worth family friend, hovering, waiting in the wings for a chance at Clay.

      Trish ground her teeth, reminding herself that she couldn’t dwell on that now. She couldn’t look back. She took a seat, spreading out the baby’s blanket and then laid the baby down. Meggie stared up at her with sparkling eyes, kicking her legs like an exercise guru, happy to be stretching out. That’s when Trish saw moisture leaking from the baby’s bloomers.

      “Oh, darn,” she muttered. She’d left the diaper bag in the taxi. She chewed on her lower lip again and shook her head. She had more-than-average intelligence, but Trish couldn’t have predicted in a thousand years how difficult being a single mom would be.

      Motherhood was kicking her butt.

      “Have patience with me, sweet baby. I’m still learning.”

      Just then Clay strode into the room with his usual confident swagger, and her heartbeats sped watching him move across the floor. His jaw tight, and his face flawlessly chiseled from granite, Trish had almost forgotten how handsome he was. She’d almost forgotten his raw sensuality. That and his innate charm had turned her head, even though she’d fought it tooth and nail in the beginning of their relationship. Because while she had refused Clayton Worth’s romantic advances, she hadn’t refused to represent him as his publicist and she’d taken him on as a client. Landing a country superstar even in the final stages of his music career had been a big deal and she’d never mixed business with pleasure. But Clay had other ideas, setting his sights on her. Once she’d stopped resisting the irresistible, she’d fallen deeply in love.

      “You’re the perfect woman for me,” he’d say, before covering her body with his and bringing them both … perfection. And she’d actually believed it for a while.

      He came to a halt a few feet in front of her, a pink polka-dot diaper bag gripped in his hand. “Is this what you need?”

      Her СКАЧАТЬ