Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,10
most of it came from the possibility that his child could be taking root inside of her even as they spoke.
At the thought, he suddenly felt lightheaded. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. A cool hand rested on his forehead, and he opened his eyes to see Maisy standing there, looking concerned.
“You okay?”
Nope. He wasn’t okay. He was freaked out and had been ever since seeing the condom in his wallet. He reached behind him and touched the lump on the back of his head. “Did the doc give me any painkillers?”
“He might’ve if you’d stayed longer. But I’ve got some ibuprofen.” She opened a cabinet above the sink and took out a bottle of Advil. She handed it to him, then filled a glass with water. Once he’d taken three, she held out her hand. “Give me a couple.”
He set down the glass of water and tapped two tablets into her hand. “You shouldn’t be driving with a busted collarbone.”
She popped the ibuprofen into her mouth and then picked up the glass and downed the rest of the water before she replied. “And you shouldn’t be walking around with a busted head. But there you have it. We’re just a couple of stubborn rodeo bums who don’t know what’s good for us. Now I’m going to finish getting gas and get back on the road. You need to lie down.”
“My stomach can’t take riding in the back of this swaying trailer.”
She studied him for a second and must’ve seen that he wasn’t going to relent. “Fine. Come on then.”
He pulled on a t-shirt and followed her out of the trailer. He was more than a little surprised to see his old Ford pickup hitched to the back. He wasn’t so sure it was legal to double-tow, but he was damned happy Maisy hadn’t left old Belle behind. It had been his granddaddy’s. And even though it broke down every other month, it held a special place in his heart.
Although towing a trailer and a vehicle made the fifty-mile trip to Simple slow going. They didn’t pull under the entrance sign of the Double Diamond ranch until well after dark. Before they reached the ranch house, Sawyer figured there was something they needed to discuss.
“I guess you should probably take a pregnancy test,” he said. “Or can you take them this soon?” God, he hoped so. He couldn’t deal with the guillotine hanging over his head for much longer.
“About that.” There was a long pause. “I . . . uhh . . . started my period.”
Overwhelming relief swept through him and he slumped back in the seat and covered his face with his hands. For the first time since finding the condom, he felt like he could breathe. “Thank God . . . oh, thank God.”
“Yeah, you certainly wouldn’t want to have a baby with me.”
Maisy’s sarcastic tone had him lowering his hands and staring at her. “And you’d want to have a baby with me?”
She snorted. “Are you kidding? You’re the last man on earth I’d want to have a baby with. If I ever decide to have kids it won’t be with someone just like my daddy.”
It was the worst insult she could’ve given Sawyer.
Sam Sweeney had been a mean asshole who pulled pranks on all the Double Diamond boys when he’d worked at the ranch. He’d put vinegar in Cru’s canteen. Put Val on an unbroken horse. And loosened Sawyer’s saddle so he almost fell off while riding. When Chester and Lucas found out about the pranks, they’d fired Sam and kicked him off the ranch. No one gave much thought to Sam until Maisy came looking for her father a few months back. He had disappeared after leaving the Double Diamond, and it took both Lincoln and Dixie to solve the mystery of what happened to him. Sam had been shot and killed by the ex-sheriff. Sawyer hadn’t wanted Sam dead, but he certainly hadn’t liked the guy either.
“I’m nothing like your father. He was a mean-spirited jerk who enjoyed pulling pranks on young—”
He cut off when Maisy suddenly slammed on the brakes. He grabbed onto the dashboard and reached an arm across Maisy. When they came to a complete halt, he realized why she had stopped so suddenly.
A horse stood in the middle of the road. A damn fine-looking black stallion. Its eyes were wild and its coat lathered as if it had run a long ways. The reason it wasn’t running