Page 1 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

Chapter 1

Maggie and Cameron Ridge sat on their couch, attempting to cuddle each other while their giant dog forcibly cuddled them, stretching overtop them and filling all available spaces.

She had a book in hand, resting on the dog’s chest, and he was trying to watch the game around the dog’s airborne hind leg.

“We should get a cat,” Maggie said suddenly. He muted the television and looked at her.

“Why, exactly, would we add to this menagerie?” he asked.

“To give the dog a friend. He gets so lonely when we’re at work.”

“You want to get a pet for our pet?” he asked.

“Not just that. Lately I’ve been feeling like, and don’t freak out, but maybe a tiny bit of baby fever. I have the strongest desire to cuddle something so hard.” She ground her fist into her open palm.

“Hello, I’m sitting right here, your adoring husband. Cuddle me,” he said.

“You don’t smell right,” she said.

“Ouch.”

“No, I mean you smell incredible, but it’s not the right smellto get rid of this feeling. I need something tiny and loaded with baby pheromones to quell my raging estrogen. It’s like when The Hulk goes green but instead of stomping around in anger destroying things he picks them up and loves on them.”

“You know I don’t understand it when you talk comic book. But I have a brilliant idea: instead of a cat, why don’t we, I don’t know, have a baby,” he suggested.

“You’re playing pretty fast and loose with the word ‘we’ there. ‘We’ won’t have morning sickness, and ‘we’ won’t gain thirty pounds, and ‘we’ won’t have to push it out of ‘our’ body, and ‘we’ won’t have to make difficult decisions about work when it’s over.”

“No, but ‘we’ will do the hard work of caring for it together, of picking up the slack for each other when one of us is lagging, and this half of ‘we’ is extremely looking forward to seeing you pregnant.” He attempted to shove the dog aside to reach for her, but the dog was having none of it and instead pushed its foot into Ridge’s face.

“I don’t think I’m there yet, but I’m closer,” Maggie said. She kissed her two fingers and reached over the dog to place them on Ridge’s lips.

“If the dog has his way, we’ll never procreate,” Ridge complained.

“He wants to be our only baby forever,” Maggie agreed. “But you will love being a big brother,” she added to the dog, scratching his belly.

“I could go for some of that, too,” Ridge added hopefully, and she laughed. “Laughter, great, that’s what I wanted from that statement.”

“You have to know how to handle the dog,” Maggie informed him. “Smokey, ball.” The dog jumped down and ran eagerly for his toy basket and squeaky ball. Meanwhile Maggieclosed the gap between them and slid her arms around Ridge’s neck. “You know, I’m not ready for a baby, but I wouldn’t mind a practice session, a pre-baby-making warm up, if you will.” She leaned into him, bit his ear, and he tossed aside the remote.

“No way I’m saying no to that,” he said, and then the doorbell rang. They froze, debating whether or not to answer it. “Were we expecting someone?”

She shook her head. “Better answer it.” In their world, surprises were usually bad news.

He stood and held up a finger. “Don’t lose our place.”

“Librarians are aces at bookmarking,” she assured him.

He had no idea who might be calling unexpectedly, but even so he couldn’t have been more surprised to see his boss standing on his doorstep. “Colonel, sir,” he said, automatically standing at attention, despite having been out of the navy for a few years now.

“As you were,” the Colonel said. It was probably his most oft-used phrase because he was the kind of man even civilians came to attention for.

“Come in, sir,” Ridge said, stepping aside to allow him entrance.

Maggie stood when he entered the living room, but not to come to attention. Instead she stepped forward and hugged him. “Colonel, what a nice surprise. Can I get you a piece of peach pie, sir? I just pulled it out of the oven an hour ago.”

“I can’t resist your pie, Maggie, thank you,” he said, returning her hug.

She left the room to dish the pie, and Ridge’s eyes followed her with wonder. He would never get used to the fact that a man who inspired such terror in others—and rightly so—treated his wife like a long lost, much cherished daughter.“Have a seat, sir,” Ridge offered, drawing his attention back to the man before him.

---