Page 76 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy
“John somehow, unfortunately, learned of your whereabouts.”
Tinsley’s blood ran cold. “John’s married. Why would he care where I am or what I’m doing?”
“He doesn’t, except likely he feels relief at his narrow escape.”
“Feeling’s mutual.” She tried not to feel the blow. Everything was still her fault apparently.
John. The liar. Cheater. The man who’d accidentally bruised her neck and had asked if she liked it rough. John, who hadn’t apologized for cheating, killing her dreams, hurting her, and had instead blamed her for interrupting him by arriving unexpectedly at his office and making a “childish scene.” What was she supposed to do now? Congratulate her mother on once again taking John’s side?
“Why bother coming, Mother?” Tinsley tried to keep her face and tone pleasant.
Tinsley reached for anger to smother the hurt she should no longer feel.
Anders had been more supportive and loving—yes, loving—than either her father or her mother, and his family had welcomed her. Even when he was on the road with the tour, they’d invited her to dinner and to swim and to ride horses.
Her mother couldn’t even hug her after five years. Her mother hadn’t even held her when she’d run home shocked and crying and bruised. Instead her mother had forced her back into the town car to go apologize to John and beg him to return the six-figure engagement ring she’d thrown at him.
But Tinsley had run, leaving everything behind except her purse.
“What are you doing here? Why waste your advantages and education to serve swill to hick tourists?”
“I am happy,” Tinsley said, keeping her voice low and grateful that her mother, although cold, calculating and cutting, was not one to make a public scene.
That brought her mother’s astonished attention back to her.
“Dear Lord. You look like you got a boob job.”
Tinsley cringed. The last thing she wanted to do was tell her mom she was pregnant. Even though she was only in her second trimester, she didn’t want to subject her baby to her mother’s derision.
“Please tell me why you are here, mom.”
“John asked me to come.”
“Why?”
Please let him, if not be happily married, at least not be thinking of divorce.John and her parents had many investments together and served on the same boards. And both her father and John had political aspirations.
“John saw a video of you.”
“And?”
Her mother looked like she’d just had a lime shoved in her mouth. Amazing she could make an expression after all the facials, Botox, and nips and tucks.
“Did you really let some cowboy slurp whiskey off your breasts in public?”
“Oh, that video. It was a whiskey promotion. I was modeling,” Tinsley improvised.
Her mother was stunned into blessed silence.
“I am not quite sure what to say,” her mother finally said. “Are you really that broke?”
“No. I earn a great salary and I enjoyed marketing spirits and now I’ve added wine events and tasting room manager to my portfolio. The whiskey shot was just for fun.”
“Fun?”
“You can Google it.”
“Don’t be snide.”
