Page 46 of The Christmas Cowboy

“Well, there you go. And it sounded like her friend didn’t believe it either.”

A short time later Christy and her friend walked by their booth on the way out. Christy stopped and said, “Oh, I didn’t realize you were there, Letty. And Cici too.” She glanced at Val and added, “It’s…Val, right?”

“Yes, Val McFarland. Liam’s wife. But you knew that didn’t you? Otherwise, why bother to talk so loudly?”

Christy flushed while her friend didn’t say a word. Val didn’t think Christy had expected to be called out.

“Oh, yes. Sorry. I’d forgotten we met at the Stroll,” Christy said.

“Right,” Val said, and went back to eating.

Christy and her friend had barely left before Letty and Cici started laughing. “Good one, Val,” Cici said. “Did you see her face?”

Val shrugged. “I thought about tripping her, but I restrained myself.”

“You know you don’t have anything to worry about, don’t you? Obviously, I don’t know Liam as well as you do, but he seems like a true blue kind of guy.”

“He is,” Letty said.

“I know.” She tried to blow it off, but it was hard. Marietta being as small as it was, Val suspected Christy knew Val had lived next door to Liam all her life. But she couldn’t figure out why the woman suddenly thought Liam was available when he’d told her himself he was married and introduced the two of them.

“I heard her last boyfriend dumped her recently,” Letty said. “Maybe that’s why she’s after Liam.”

“It takes a lot of cojones to proposition a guy in front of his wife.” Not that she had, exactly, but close enough.

“No cojones,” Letty said. “She’s just an ass. She always has been, although I don’t think Liam knew that when he asked her out.”

“I say we go get hot chocolate and listen to the Christmas music they’re playing in all the stores,” Val said. “And forget about what’s-her-name.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cici said.

“Me too,” Letty said.

Chapter Eighteen

Afew dayslater Liam asked, “What’s wrong, Val? You’ve been super quiet.” Ever since she’d run into Christy at Grey’s. Val hadn’t mentioned it, but Cici had told him what went down. He hadn’t thought she was worried, but maybe she was.

She looked up from brushing Starlight. “Do you regret not being a bachelor anymore?”

“Why would you ask me that? No, I don’t regret it.”

“I can’t help thinking that it would make things so much easier if I lost the baby. Then I feel guilty for even thinking that. Because I don’t want it to happen. I want the baby.”

He wasn’t sure she’d believe him, but he said, “I do too. Want the baby, I mean.”

“Do you really?”

“I really do.”

“It seems unfair that you’re taking responsibility for a baby that’s not even yours.”

“It’s not unfair. I chose to do it.”

“To help me.”

Partly. “It helped me too. What’s this about, Val? We’ve talked about this.”

“If your goal was to get your mom to marry Clint, then it’s a failure.”

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