Page 16 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy
How was this even happening?
“Why not tell me?” He bit out the question.
“Climb off your superior custom saddle, cowboy. The nickname suited what I was doing, and you were trying to get under my short skirt just like every other bull rider, businessman and cowboy attending the sponsor events.”
Her tone was dismissive. Anders felt both shamed and angry and the flare of jealousy was especially unwelcome.
He pinched his nose and breathed in deeply.
They were going to raise a child together. They had to learn to communicate without emotions getting in the way.
“Let’s start this again.” He dug deep and cleared his throat, feeling like he’d swallowed a Brillo pad. “Please. Tinsley.”
He tried out her name and liked the way it tripped off his tongue.
“I am sorry I was a jerk when you tried to talk to me at the arena.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“I was shocked at your…” He waved his hand vaguely in her direction and then jammed his hand in his pocket, feeling dumb.
Somehow, she managed to arch one eyebrow while still nailing him with the stink eye—not what he was used to with women, well, with anyone. He was golden. The charming Wolf. He rarely pissed anyone off.
“I didn’t do this to myself,” she said. “And I certainly wasn’t planning a pregnancy.” She turned away and hissed something under her breath he couldn’t quite hear because his heart still thundered in his ears.
“I know,” he said knowing he was handling this badly. He’d not slept last night. “I took precautions, Tinsley. I always do, but…” He trailed off. No excuses. From the moment she’d uttered the P word—well, not the exact moment, but the moment it had sunk in that he’d had an epic birth control fail—he’d known what he had to do.
Tinsley’s face held no give.
Damn. She was really going to make him work for it.
Her right. You effed up both your lives.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply, but that didn’t seem enough either. He was really floundering. “Let’s start over.”
“How?” She laughed as if amazed at the concept that they could communicate as friends.
Because we’ve seen each other naked.
“It took guts to come to me,” he admitted and then winced. It shouldn’t have taken guts.
He’d been with a lot of women. More than his share, he conceded, feeling like he had a mouthful of sawdust.
Tinsley should trust him to do the right thing by her and her child, but why would she? He’d had one foot out the door the minute he’d walked in. He’d congratulated himself on his honesty and that he and Tinsley had agreed on the score.
“Let’s sit down. Have a conversation.”
He looked around the tasting room. No tables or chairs. And the apartment upstairs also had been empty of furniture.
“Anders, stop playing nice.”
“I’m not playing anything,” he said, offended.
“You’re a player. I knew that. It’s fine for the proverbial roll in the hay, but not for anything long term.”
Where was she going with this? He felt his usually barely there temper kick up a notch. What exactly was she accusing him of—hit and run?
“And that’s fine,” she emphasized. “Because I didn’t, and I don’t want anything long term with you.”
