Page 20 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy
“Why did you lock me out?” Anders demanded, striding into the tasting room.
“Eeek!” Tinsley jumped. “How did you…?” The fence back there was at least eight feet high.
He rolled his eyes. “That fence was nothing to vault.”
“Superman much?”
“Thank you.”
She barely stopped the smile. No. She could not let his sense of humor and easygoing style seduce her again. That’s why they were both neck-deep in disaster. Anders was so physically attractive she’d barely been able to resist him—and when she’d finally caved, she’d only wanted more.
But it had been his attitude—even-tempered, kind, attentive, curious, adventurous—as well as his work ethic, intelligence and confidence without arrogance that had pushed her over to team Anders.
She’d had a hard time letting him go with a wave and sunny smile.
And that had been dangerous.
And now, even worse, he didn’t seem inclined to move on at all.
“I’m sorry for locking you out, Anders.” Tinsley dug deep for calm. “But you just showed up here unannounced. I’ve got work to do. A new job. A new life to make. I don’t want to talk about this now.”
I can’t.
“I don’t want to be cut out,” Anders said. His voice was low but threaded with tension. “The child is mine as well.”
The child. A person. She’d barely been able to think about the wordpregnant. Then he’d started throwing the B word around. And now child. A small person that would need so much from her. Love. Security.
“I have to go to the ranch and meet with Catalina and tour the vineyard,” she said, nearly running out the front door. She fumbled in her pocket for the key to lock up. Her stomach was in knots, and she could feel her head pulse as if ready to explode from the headache from hell.
Could she take Tylenol when pregnant?
When had she last eaten?
“Tinsley, hold up.” He followed. Of course he did. Her hand shook as she jammed in the key.
“Hey, relax. We don’t have to solve everything today,” he said, suddenly all reasonable, which somehow made her wild swings from fear to belligerence more bewildering.
“Let me,” he said, taking the key and locking the door. “I’ll drive you to the ranch. You can—”
“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped. “Sorry,” she said just as quickly. God, she was becoming her mother. She even had the cold tone.
She wiped her damp palms on her leathers. She had to take these off; she was too hot. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I have a headache and haven’t eaten, and…” She hated making excuses. “I’m still processing everything,” she admitted, forcing herself to meet his searching gaze.
His eyes were so blue. And his lashes were, of course, thick and long and curled at the ends, which always made him look like he was on the verge of smiling. The faint smile lines that were just beginning to feather from the corners of his eyes also made him look like he was about to share a joke and a good time.
“Me too,” he said. “Definitely. I just, ah hell, I didn’t mean to confront you, but I just want to…” He paused, jammed his hat on his head to avoid the late morning sun beating down on them as they stood in front of the tasting room. “I just want you to know, Tinsley, that you are not on your own.”
She pressed her lips together to hold back what would probably sound like a hysterical laugh. The whole point was that she wanted to be on her own. She didn’t want to answer to a man again.
“You don’t get to decide things for me,” she said.
“Didn’t figure you for a coward.”
“I’m not,” she defended herself reflexively.
“All this gorgeous red,” he ran his hand lightly through her hair, “mirrors your sexual and passionate nature.”
Her core went liquid, and her pulse kicked up. Not what she needed to feel with him anymore. She was in trouble enough.
