Page 66 of Wyoming Heart

Almost boneless with pleasure, he got back into his clothes so that she wouldn’t be any more embarrassed than she already was.

He gathered up her own clothing and went to the bathroom door. “I brought your clothes,” he said. “Are you all right?”

The commode flushed. There was running water. She came to the door and only opened it a slit. She couldn’t bring herself to look up past his chin. She eased one hand out the door for her clothes.

“Get dressed,” he said quietly. “Then we’ll talk, okay?”

She didn’t answer him. She took her clothing inside and closed the door.

THEREWASAminibar in the room. He got himself a cola and pulled out a ginger ale for her. Probably it would be the only thing she could keep down. He felt ashamed of himself. She’d been compromised by the alcohol and he’d taken advantage of it. Well, not really. He’d been compromised by it as well. He couldn’t actually remember how they’d wound up in this room.

While he was working on the memory, she came slowly out of the bathroom and sat down on the sofa. He pushed the soft drink over to her.

“Thanks,” she said heavily.

“I don’t even remember how we got in here,” he said, pushing back his damp hair. “You got sick downstairs...”

She nodded.

He took a sharp breath and sipped his drink. “I’m sorry. I don’t...”

“I don’t, either,” she replied. She grimaced. “I’ve never had a drink of hard liquor in my life.”

“I have. But not enough to compromise me, until now.” He studied her quietly. “You were a virgin.”

She colored furiously and took another sip of her drink, almost enough to choke her, because she remembered all too well losing it in the most erotic manner she’d ever encountered.

He made a face. “I guess that’s a memory you’d rather not have. Sorry.”

“We both had too much to drink.”

He nodded.

“We should go home,” she said after a minute.

He didn’t need to ask if she’d been taking a preventative. He was sure she hadn’t. And he wasn’t used to being expected to provide protection, so he’d had nothing with him. Even if he had, they were both too involved too quickly for him to have thought of it.

Great, he thought privately,now she’ll get pregnant and she’ll have it made until the kid graduates. All the money she’s never had...

He stopped abruptly. She thought he was a working cowboy. She had no idea who he was, really.

“You don’t have to worry about...anything,” she said after a minute.

“You’re taking something?” he asked hopefully.

She hesitated. “Yes. I’m...taking something.” She was. Vitamins. But he didn’t need to know. He’d go back to Texas pretty soon and if she got pregnant, he’d never know. She thought about a baby and she felt warm all over. This was a complication she didn’t need, but she’d wanted children all her life. She wasn’t even upset about the possibility. But a roaming cowboy, well, he’d be worried that she’d want to garnishee his wages or something. She wasn’t like that, but he wouldn’t know it. He wouldn’t need to know it.

“Oh.” Odd, that he was disappointed. Because just at the last, he’d been thinking about babies. Mina, with her homemaking skills, would be a natural at taking care of a baby. He’d thought of a family, himself, but the sort of women he carried around with him didn’t predispose him to fatherhood. He’d grown cynical, when woman after woman laughed at the thought of getting pregnant.

“So you don’t have anything to worry about,” Mina said.

“I wasn’t worried,” he said gently, and he smiled at her. It was a different kind of smile than he’d ever given her. It made her feel warm, protected.

She sipped more of her soft drink.

“You’re right, though. We should get home. It’s very late.”

He got up and she followed suit.

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