Page 53 of His First Baby Rodeo

“Well, hold on,” Marilyn said. “Just because he’s not at home, that doesn’t mean you can’t find him and talk to him. That tour’s got to have some publicity, right? We can find out where they are right now.”

“What are you suggesting?” El asked. “Are you saying you think I should… fly out and see him?”

“We don’t know how far away he is,” Marilyn said. “What did you say the name of the tour was?”

“It’s the Western Rodeo Classic,” El said. Marilyn had a point. She could always find out where Mac’s current stop on the tour was and meet him there. It seemed like a big deal, going to all that trouble — but then, thiswasa big deal, and it deserved a grand gesture if anything ever had.

Marilyn scrolled the screen on her phone. “Oh, you’ll never believe this, El,” she said.

“What?”

“They’re in Oklahoma City.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. They’ll be there for the next three nights, so you could totally drive out and see him. It wouldn’t even be as far as if you’d had to drive to Texas.”

El paused. “I don’t know,” she said.

“Now you don’t know? You seemed so sure about what you wanted to do.” Marilyn reached out and rested a hand gently on El’s shoulder. “Are you having second thoughts? Or are you just struggling with following through now that you know it’s actually possible?”

“I’m not sure,” El admitted. “I mean… he’s in Oklahoma, Marilyn. If he wanted to see me, he knows where I am.”

“That’s true,” Marilyn said. “But he doesn’t have all the information. He doesn’t know there’s this new reason why heshouldwant to see you. Don’t you think that would change the way he felt about it?”

“I honestly have no idea,” El said. “He’s not the kind of guy who’s looking to start a family. I can easily imagine him just being frustrated by this whole situation and wanting nothing to do with it.”

“If that’s the case, you should at least find out,” Marilyn urged. “Better to know now and get your heart broken a little than to always wonder.”

“I wouldn’t get my heart broken,” El protested.

But deep down, she knew better. Everything that had happened so far would pale in comparison to the way she’d feel if she told Mac she was carrying his baby and he rejected her. And the fact that he’d been in Oklahoma and hadn’t bothered to see her didn’t bode well. The two of them hadn’t ended on good terms, she knew that. But even so, if she had known he was here, she would have had a hard time staying away from him. Apparently he hadn’t had the same problem. And that made it much harder to contemplate the task of reinserting herself into his life, no matter what the extenuating circumstances might be.

“I’ll go with you,” Marilyn offered.

Impulsively, El reached out and hugged her. It had never occurred to her that Marilyn would support her so wholeheartedly — but of course she would. She understood a bit of how El was feeling right now. No matter what happened with Mac, at least El could know that she would have someone during her pregnancy. She would have someone standing by her as she navigated the early days of raising a child.

If I’m forced to do this alone, it will be difficult — but I’ll be able to do it.

She was reassured at the thought, and she found herself beginning to relax. Telling Mac the truth would be difficult, and shewouldbe handing him the power to break her heart. But then it would be behind her. And the fact that she could see a future beyond that conversation, no matter how he responded, helped her immeasurably.

“All right,” she said. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble, I’ll take you up on that.”

“Of course,” Marilyn said. “I know I wouldn’t want to go alone if it was me.”

“I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me,” El said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Marilyn.”

“You’re my sister,” Marilyn said. “You should know that I’ve always got your back, El. I’m always on your side. No matter what.”

The promise made El feel impossibly safe and warm, loved in a way that gave her strength. “It means so much to know that I’ll have my family, even if Mac wants nothing to do with me after this.”

“You’ll always have us,” Marilyn said.

“Do you think Jeff will feel the same way when I tell him?”

“Of course he will. All he cares about is that you’re happy. If he’s upset with anyone, it will be Mac, not you.”

“I don’t want that either,” El said. “I don’t want their friendship to be damaged because of what happened between me and Mac.”

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