Page 77 of Cowboy Stole My Heart
Tanner pushed her away and kept hold of the reins and she let him, feeling a little queasy again. If she was going to keep to her schedule for the day, she was going to have to admit that she needed her brother’s help.
“Thanks for today,” she said.
He shrugged. “Just get better so we can go out for beer and pizza tonight. If I’m your groom for the day, you’ll damn well owe me.”
Mia laughed and ducked back into the truck to get a bottle of water. She walked into the kitchen area and opened the fridge. And then she froze. It had been just overthree weeks since she’d last seen Sam, and they’d been together for a few weeks. When had she last had her period? Mia set down the water she was holding, reaching for the table and slowly sitting down.
She had to have it wrong. They’d been careful, there hadn’t been…ohmygod. She’d been sick. There had been that one night when she’d been sick. Had it made her pill ineffective? Had it…holy shit. Shit. Shit.Shit. She’d missed it that night, and the next when she’d still been feeling sick. When she’d still been running to the toilet and not holding any food down.
Mia instinctively looked down at her stomach. Could she be pregnant?
“You coming?” Tanner called out.
She took a deep, shuddering breath and picked up her water bottle again. On second thought she grabbed one for her brother too, and a protein bar they could share. Perhaps she wouldn’t be having beer with her pizza tonight.
“You alright?” Tanner asked, no doubt noticing the fact all color had drained from her cheeks.
“Yep, great,” she lied, passing him the water, feeling her hands shaking, butterflies coming to life in her stomach.
If she was pregnant, she’d deal with it. She loved kids and she had plenty of money. She was in a better position financially than so many single women who might find themselves in the same position. She gulped, palms sweaty. If she was pregnant, everything would be okay. But it sure as hell wasn’t going to stop her from riding or jumping or doing what she loved. And as far as she was concerned, Sam would never find out. He didn’t need to.
“You sure you’re up for the next round?” he asked, eyebrows pulled together.
She smiled wryly at him, going to touch her stomach again but resisting.
“Fords don’t quit,” she said. “Isn’t that why there’s never been a bull you haven’t said yes to riding?” There was no way she was about to confess her worries to her brother though, which meant putting any pregnancy fears aside until she was on her own.
Tanner grinned. “Damn right. Now get your ass up in the saddle then and don’t go turning green again.”
She was glad Tanner was with her. He could be a jackass sometimes, but most of the time he was the perfect mix of over-protective big brother and whip cracker, never letting her get away with anything.
Baby on board or not, she was going to win today, and no one and nothing was going to stop her.
***
Mia’s hand was shaking when she reached for the stick. She’d peed on it and carefully put the little cover back over the end of it, and for the past two minutes she’d been fidgeting and pacing around the bathroom. She even had her door locked, despite the fact that there was no chance of anyone walking in on her.
Pregnant. The word may as well have jumped out and smacked her in the face, it hit her with so much force.
Mia stared at it, unbelieving, and quickly dropped it into the garbage bin. She took a deep breath and ripped the other test from the packet. She forced herself to go again, doing the same thing with this stick, only this time when she put the little cover back on it she fled the scene.
Her kitchen was bathed in sunshine and she quickly poured herself a glass of water, hand shaking as she lifted it to her lips and took a slow, steady sip.
“Hey, gorgeous!”
The glass slipped from Mia’s hand, shattering on the bench, water cascading to the floor.
“Tanner!”
She’d just about jumped out of her skin, his voice taking her by surprise. She’d been in a complete, silent, world of her own.
“What’s got you all jumpy?”
Mia didn’t answer, just quietly bent to collect the larger shards of glass. One cut her palm, but she didn’t care. Tanner appeared with a plastic bag and bent beside her, nudging her, laughing, until she raised her face to him and he saw her tears. “Mia, what’s wrong?”
She just shook her head, wishing he hadn’t come over, wishing she wasn’t faced with telling her brother what was going on.
“Mia?” he set the bag down and took the glass from her hands, eyes full of concern. Tanner wasn’t usually the sensitive one in the family, hell, he was a brute most of the time, but right now, she could see he was feeling her pain and it cut her up even more inside.
