Page 8 of Big Gruff Cowboy

I can’t keep the smirk from my face. I already look forward to seeing my girl’s soft belly round and knowing it’s because she’s carrying my kid. “I’m way ahead of you on that.”

Before he can answer, his phone rings. He picks it up with a frown. He flashes it at me, so I can see that Lizzy is calling. The fear is evident in his tone. “Yeah, oh, Sadie? Is my girl OK?”

I can’t imagine the pain Walt has lived through. He spent so long searching only to discover years after the fact that his daughter eventually overdosed.

“She’s tipsy? No, you did the right thing calling. I’ll be there to pick her up as soon as I can.”

As he’s ending the call, I push to my feet. “She’s yours, but she’s mine too. I look after what’s mine.”

Lizzy

“Noah Maple is the prettiest cowboy I’ve ever seen,” I tell Sadie while we’re in the kitchen of her donut shop. It’s the coziest in here, and I feel safe with her.

“Aww, darling, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” Noah says from his place in the kitchen doorway.

I gasp. Now, he knows. He knows he’s the prettiest, and I’m a little bit smitten because he’s nice and smells good too. “Oops, I think I just spilled the beans.”

Sadie nods, looking sympathetic. “I think so too.”

“Is she ready?” Noah looks at Sadie.

“I’ll walk you two out,” she says when I try to hop off the counter and it goes all tilty on me again.

“You have dreadful floors,” I tell her as she clutches one of my arms.

“They’ll be magically fixed by tomorrow morning,” she promises as I lean on her. She helps with the tilting.

Noah holds open the bakery door then opens the passenger door of his truck. “In you go, sweetheart.”

“I’m not getting in your truck!” I protest.

His full lips twitch like he thinks this is the perfect time to smile. It is not. It is the perfect time to be serious. “Your grandfather is worried about you.”

I look to Sadie and explain what this is. “I know how babies are made. It can happen in there!”

His stupid mouth is still almost smiling and looking very kissable. “Not when you’re intoxicated it doesn’t.”

I have to keep Sadie in the loop, so she doesn’t feel left out. It’s no fun being the left out one. “He wants me to have his babies. He’d make pretty babies.”

Sadie looks at Noah. “Are you sure you’ve got her?”

Noah grasps my elbow and propels me toward the truck. My arm goes all tingly where he touches me. All of me goes tingly. I think Noah Maple might be magic. “Yeah, she’ll be fine with me.”

Sadie leans in and buckles my seatbelt. “I’ll call to check on you in the morning.” Then she leans close and whispers in my ear. “Be good for Noah and let him be good to you.”

Her words make my eyes wet. “I need another donut.”

“Soon.” Noah promises as he gets into the driver’s side. “Let’s get you home.”

Noah likes to sing. He softly sings along to all the songs on the radio. It’s not fair that he’s pretty to look at and sings pretty too.

One song is about a boy who falls in love with a girl that he doesn’t want anyone to take. He glances at me as he sings. He’s frowning as the traffic light casts a red glow on his face.

“Don’t you look at me,” I tell him as he starts the truck forward. “You get squinchy around your eyebrows and it makes me want to kiss you.”

He chuckles. “Can’t say I’d object to you kissing me.”

“No! Kissing leads to babies. No babies.”

---