Page 35 of The Christmas Cowboy

“Thanks, Letty. I’d forgotten that,” she drawled sarcastically.

“All I’m saying is that your pregnancy shouldn’t be a problem. Not to be indelicate—” Val snorted a laugh. “How far have you gone? First base? Second base? Third base?”

“We’ve kissed.”

“And?”

“That’s it.” She thought about that and added, “He put his hand on my ass once when we were kissing. I don’t know what base that is.”

“I don’t think it’s a base. Well, damn.” She frowned. “Were they good kisses?”

Val fanned herself and smiled. “Amazing.”

“That’s good, at least. Are you sleeping in the same bed?”

“Yes. For all the good it’s done.”

“I’m sorry, Val, but I just don’t see the problem. Put on that nightie I gave you, which I doubt you’ve worn, or he’d have been on you in a heartbeat, get into bed and kiss the man. If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Of course it is. He’s a red-blooded American male. And if I know Liam he hasn’t slept with anyone since before Cici came to town.”

“How do you know he and Cici didn’t sleep together?”

“She told me they didn’t.”

Well, that was one thing she didn’t have to worry about. She didn’t think he’d still be stuck on Cici if they hadn’t even slept together. Plus, he’d told her he wasn’t in love with his brother’s wife and never had been. Thank God. That would have been messy.

“This is going to sound stupid. But I don’t want to have sex with him just to scratch an itch. I know he’s not in love with me. But I’d like to think I’m more than a willing body.”

“You’re in love with him.”

“I always have been.” And now she had to figure out how to make Liam fall in love with her. After she worked out how to get him to have sex with her. Was it really as easy as Letty said? Put on her sexy nightie and say, here I am?

Maybe she should talk to him about it. Be honest. Say something like, ‘Hey, Liam, are you horny? Because I am. So let’s fix it.’

She almost laughed. No, that was sure not going to happen. She was doomed. At least until Liam decided it was time, and surely he couldn’t last forever.

*

“I’m going tosee the new doctor today,” Val told Liam late that morning.

He was in the round pen with Curly, one of the new arrivals, but at her words he walked over and looped the reins around the top fence post. “What new doctor? Are you sick?”

“No. I need a new OB/GYN. The one I first saw was in Livingston, but I’d rather have my doctor here and I need to establish myself with one. My other doctor gave me the name of a new OB/GYN in Marietta, so I called her for an appointment. They managed to squeeze me in today. Her name is Dr. Young. Luckily, I don’t think her practice is full since she’s so new.”

“When is your appointment?”

“Three thirty. Why?”

“So I can go with you. Let me talk to Les and make sure he can take care of things.” His day wasn’t super busy so he should be able to swing it.

“You don’t have to go. It’s early and nothing much is going to happen. At least, I don’t think it is.”

“I should still go with you.”

“What if someone sees you?”

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