was first formed on the earth. Alana thought that her head might explode if he didn’t get through his prayer so she could talk to Pax. It seemed to her like everyone in the church sighed when he got around to saying, “Amen.”
Then, as luck would have it, everyone in the church wanted to stop them, shake hands, hug them, and wish them well. Her father beamed. Pax was the perfect gentleman. And Alana couldn’t wait to get outside so she could tell him that she’d been off the pill for a month. She’d been so busy with spring planting, calving season, and getting the first cutting of hay in the barns between the rains that she’d forgotten to fill her prescription.
“You kids are on your own for Sunday dinner,” Matt said as they left the church. “I’m meeting my poker buddies for Mexican in Tulia.”
“But Daddy, we always have Sunday dinner together,” Alana said. “It’s Mother’s Day.”
“That was before you got engaged.” Matt patted her on the shoulder. “You go on with Pax and have a good time. Don’t worry. Joy understands.” He disappeared into the crowd heading for the door.
“I thought we might go up to Amarillo. We always take Mam to a little pizza parlor on Mother’s Day,” Pax said. “Is that all right with you?”
She looped her arm into his and pulled him along. “I’d love to see Iris. Haven’t talked to her in months.”
As she and Pax made their way across the parking lot to his truck the folks that had missed them in the church kept stopping them to have a few words. When they finally reached his truck and climbed inside, she let out a heavy sigh and blurted out, “I’ve been off the pill for a month.”
“Don’t worry, honey, I used protection.” He smiled across the console.
“Praying for a crop failure during church doesn’t work so well,” she said.
“I used a condom,” he told her.
“I didn’t see you…” She blushed.
“I guess I was distracting you well, then,” he chuckled.
She slapped him on the arm. “Did you come prepared for that? Dammit! Did you plan on having sex?”
“Plan on it? No, but I always stay prepared.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“And you planned on seducing me?” she asked.
“I did not,” Pax protested, “and if I remember right, you started it.”
Alana let out a whoosh of pent-up air. “Thank God for that. All I need is for Trudy to be right about me being pregnant.”
“Well, honey, if you were, I’d marry you,” Pax said.
“You already are,” she reminded him.
“My kids are going to grow up with a father and, hopefully, a mother who sticks around to see them ride broncs, graduate from high school, and attend all the other important events in their lives.” He drove out of the parking lot and headed out of town.
“You’re pretty definite about that.” Alana was so relieved that Pax had used protection that she had to concentrate on the countryside out her window to keep her tears at bay. Someday she wanted children, but not now. She had too much on her plate to even think about bringing a baby into her chaotic world.
“Yes, I am,” Pax said. “Grandpa and Mam were good to us and raised us well, but I was always envious of you kids who had both your parents.”
Alana knew the story about Pax and Maverick’s life, how Iris and Tommy Callahan, their grandparents, had stepped up and done what parents should do. Iris had brought cupcakes to school. She and Tommy had both made sure that the boys got to their rodeo events, helped them with animals to show at the fairs, and even attended FFA dinners with them. There couldn’t have had better grandparents than the Callahans, but she could see his point.
“I always envied you having Iris,” she whispered. “When Mama died, I wished that she was my grandma.”
“Well, I damn sure was jealous that you had Matt,” Pax told her. “Especially after Grandpa died.”
She turned her head so she could look at him. “Guess life don’t promise us beds of roses.”
“Yeah, it does,” he argued. “Only life don’t take the thorns off.”
“You got that right,” she told him. “But I’m sure looking forward to having Sunday dinner with her.”
“Even though it’s only pizza?” he asked.
“Yep,” she answered. “Sounds wonderful.”
“Cravin’ it, are you?” he teased.
“Yep, and you get to get up with the baby at the three o’clock feeding every night,” she popped off.