A Real Cowboy Never Says No (6 page)

"Oh, God." Taylor leaned forward, searching her face. "Was it good? Was it worth a ten-year dry spell?"

"Eight years, and it was perfect, in the way that it was, but no, nothing really sexy about it." She still couldn't believe she'd been naked with him, but being held in his arms when the grief had been so overwhelming was a gift she'd never forget. Neither of them would have made it through that night alone.

"Wow." Taylor rubbed her forehead. "It's AJ's baby, for sure? Did he know before he died?"

"No. I just found out Wednesday morning."

"Oh,
God.
On the morning of his
funeral?
" Taylor shook her head. "You know, AJ would probably have loved that timing. He'd want you to be looking toward the future instead of wallowing in the past. Can't you see him in heaven, cheering you on as you peed on a stick right before his funeral?"

Mira managed a smile. "This is true. He would have enjoyed that."

"Knowing AJ, he probably did it on purpose. He decided to leave behind a legacy, and figured you were the one woman with enough cojones to kick his dad's ass if he came after the kid. So, yay, girl power, I guess? Maybe you could get like an award or something?"

This time, the laughter bubbled out. "You're insane, Taylor."

"I know. It's my gift. But I'm guessing that since you discovered your MTB status after his skydiving accident, you weren't able to scrape any money from him? All to charity?"

"Yep. And what's MTB status?"

"Mother-to-be, of course. Hello, get with the times." Taylor eyed her belly. "Is it kicking yet?"

"Talking actually. Asked me for cash yesterday. I told it to get a job. I feel like I need to set some standards early on, you know? My dad would never approve of being soft with the kid."

"Amen, sistah. Sheriff Cabot will be watching you." Taylor leaned back and propped her feet up on a cardboard box. "So, what's the old bastard's status?"

"Alan? He knows AJ spent the night after the funeral. He thinks I used my body to convince AJ to change his will. I suspect he's going to try to use me to invalidate the will."

Taylor nodded. "Rock on. So he's after you for money, but in the process of trying to expose you for the deceitful fraud we all know you are, he'll get the delightful surprise of figuring out that when you croon to your uterus, you're actually talking to his grandchild. How fun is that? It's like a cat and mouse game, but he's this shape-shifting, immortally deadly panther, and you're like, a stuffed mouse, staked out in the yard, waiting to be munched."

Mira blinked. "I think my odds are a little better than that."

"Sweetie, no one's odds are better than that when it comes to Alan. Your dad was the only one who could stop Alan. The only reason Alan respected your dad was because he knew that your dad would shoot him if necessary, all in the name of duty, of course, but still. Once your dad died, there was no one to stop Alan. AJ had to forget to open his parachute in order to escape him. You think you can dodge that bullet?"

Mira frowned. "AJ didn't forget to open his parachute. It was faulty." But even as she said it, she remembered all too clearly the Christmas Eve she'd found him on the South Bridge, ready to jump into the freezing water when he was thirteen. If she'd been five minutes later, she would have lost him that night, instead of a few days ago. Deflated, she sank down. "You think AJ killed himself?" She hadn't thought of that, but it was possible.

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know, Mira, but it wouldn't surprise me. You know perfectly well that Alan was trying to buy AJ's company so he could steal it from him and force AJ home. He almost did it too. His reach is incredible. AJ believed in life after death, so, yeah, I think it's very possible he figured the next life was better than this one." She cocked her head. "And now you have to take on Alan yourself. You'll lose, you know. You'll lose the battle, and you'll lose the kid."

Well, there was nothing like stark honesty from a best friend to make a girl more convinced that marrying a total stranger might actually be the least insane choice at the moment. "That's why Chase and I set it up to make it look like I slept with him. He's claiming to be the dad."

"Seriously? You didn't sleep with Chase?" Taylor looked at her thoughtfully. "That's sort of heroic of him."

"Isn't it? After I stopped freaking out at the sound of the words, 'marry me,' I came to the same conclusion."

"It may be control-freak, hero-complex, overcompensating-male 'heroic,' but it also could be simple super-nice-guy 'heroic.'" Taylor settled more deeply into the couch. "Girl, I think you need to tell me everything."

Mira did. Forty minutes and a pint of ice cream later, the entire sordid story had been replayed. Just retelling the facts had reinforced the enormity of the situation she was facing, and the magnitude of the decision she'd made with Chase. "So, I'm heading off to Wyoming to enter into a one-year business contract involving illusionary sex and marriage vows that are total lies. I think it's the perfect foundation for a relationship, don't you?"

"Absolutely. We need more marriages based on lies, abstinence, and the exchange of money." Taylor folded her arms across her chest. "But I have to admit, I'm going to have to veto it. You can't marry him."

Mira's heart fell. "What are you saying? I needed your support. I thought you were on board with it. I'm a little freaked out about moving to Wyoming to marry a guy I barely know. I need a kick in the pants, not someone telling me I can't do it. AJ trusted him, so—"

"I know, I know." Taylor waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure Chase is a great guy, and he'll fulfill his part of the bargain. I trust AJ's judgment. And you do need help dealing with Alan, or you're never going to see your child again. I'm on board with all that."

Mira frowned. "Then why did you say I can't go?"

"Because, my dear friend, of how you look when you talk about him."

Something clenched in Mira's belly, and heat suffused her cheeks. "How I look?"

"Yes. You got a little starry-eyed, girl."

"What? I so did not. I don't even have that gene anymore when it comes to guys."

"You do, and you did." Taylor pried herself off the couch and knelt in front of Mira, putting her hands on Mira's knees, searching Mira's face with the earnestness of a best friend. "You believe in him, Mira. You don't know him, but a little part of you is a little bit in love with him."

"
What?
" She gaped at her friend. "You're insane—"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Yes, we already covered that, and I concur. However, I'm also right. Insane people can be correct a large percentage of the time. And you, my dear friend, are looking at Chase like he's going to swoop in and whisk you off to the land of magic and fairy tales, just like you did with Brian."

Mira snorted, laughing at her friend's description, refusing to give credence to it. "Seriously with that, Taylor? I'm not like that anymore. I don't get dreamy about guys, and I am very clear on the fact that I do
not
want to be rescued by any man, ever again. I'm using Chase to rescue myself. There's a difference. He's like a hammer. Or a roll of duct tape. Things you can use in an emergency to save your life."

Taylor's eyebrows shot up. "Chase is duct tape? Really?"

"Yeah. Not the boring gray kind. He's like that crazy kind with the cool colors. He's pretty duct tape that smells good." She shrugged, recalling his scent when he'd climbed into the tree with her. "Duct tape with a nice voice, too. And shoulders. Great shoulders. He's like designer duct tape—you appreciate how fantastic it looks, but in the end, you use it to tape the fender on your car just the way you'd use any other duct tape. I'm marrying duct tape for the sake of my unborn child. It's pretty basic. No love involved."

Taylor snorted. "You're pregnant, broke, and alone. Your mom just died. Your best friend and the father of your baby just died. You've spent all your money taking care of your mom, and selling the house will barely even cover medical expenses. You are incredibly resourceful and practical, and yes, Chase is definitely duct tape of the highest quality, but you're
seeing
him with your hopeful little heart instead of your practical Girl Scout hands." She sighed. "Besides, what woman wouldn't want to be rescued by a handsome cowboy? Because I heard he was devastatingly handsome, and his rental car wasn't exactly cheap."

Mira bit her lower lip. "I did notice that he's handsome," she admitted. "And nice. I definitely noticed both of those things." Crud. Was Taylor right? Was she really being stupid again, like she'd been with Brian? She was too smart to get emotionally invested in another man, especially when something this important was at stake.

Taylor tucked Mira's hair behind her ear. "You don't need to tie yourself down forever to a man just to get out of this current situation. Marriage is forever, babe. Even if you get divorced, he'll be on record as that baby's father, which gives him rights. Trust me, you don't want that with the wrong guy."

"Parental rights?" Wow. She'd forgotten about that. Weight settled on Mira's shoulders, dragging her down. "I can't fight Alan on my own. You know that." Her hand settled protectively over her belly.

"We'll think of something." Taylor squeezed her hand. "You have several months before you'll start to show. Rushing off to marry Chase is the wrong choice. You're panicking, and you're seeing him through rose-colored glasses because you're desperate."

Mira closed her eyes, trying to quell the rising sense of panic. "I'm not wrong about him. I can trust him."

"Just like you could trust Brian?"

"Dammit, Taylor!" Mira pulled away and stood up. She walked across the room and braced her hands on the window frame, staring out at the tiny, weed-filled yard that her parents had once tended so lovingly. Was Taylor right? Was she being stupid again? Was she overreacting to her situation? She'd always managed to pull herself through every situation. Why would this one be different?

But it was different, because it wasn't only her own life that she had in her hands. It was her baby's. AJ's baby. A child with a horrible, horrible enemy who was stronger than she was.

"I'll help," Taylor said. "You're not alone."

Mira laughed softly, and turned to face her. "Taylor, you travel almost all the time for your job. I love you, but your life is on the road, in every country but this one. You couldn't even get your boss to let you off to come home for the funeral. I'm the one living here, who has to face my life."

Taylor didn't give up. "I have money. I'll give you some."

"Even if you gave me every last cent you had, it wouldn't be enough to fight Alan, and we both know it."

Taylor bit her lip, and gave a slight nod. "He is a pretty rich bastard," she acknowledged with a grimace.

Mira looked around the room. This time, instead of lost memories, she saw only the faded paint on the walls and the tattered carpet. The air was tinged with the scent of hospitals and sick people, and the odor of mold that could never quite be cleansed. "I don't want to be here anymore, Taylor. I almost got out and started a life when my parents got in the accident, and now I am not only free to go, but I have motivation to leave." She met her friend's gaze. "I want to get out. I want to do this. Chase is giving me the chance to start a new life, and I want to do it."

Taylor studied her, then sighed. "Okay, then. Go to Wyoming, but put off the wedding. Get your freedom, get your feet under you again, but don't trap yourself or that baby. Escaping Alan is worth nothing if you get yourself in a trap that will haunt you forever." Involuntarily, Taylor rubbed her ring finger on her left hand. It was empty now, but it hadn't always been.

A chill crept over Mira, remembering what Taylor had endured at the hands of a man that the entire town had loved. "You have a point," she conceded.

"Of course I do. We've both made terrible, terrible mistakes when it comes to men. They were both men we had every reason to believe in, and we were wrong. You don't even know Chase, other than what AJ has said about him." She gave Mira a steely look. "Protect yourself, Mira. Don't fantasize that he's some fairy tale hero. Chase is a man, and by definition, that means he's flawed. Never forget that." She sighed wistfully. "Your dad's not around with his gun anymore to rescue us."

She laughed softly. "I know. He was handy for that, wasn't he?"

Taylor smiled. "He was. Your dad was awesome. That's what your baby deserves, a man with a gun who isn't afraid to use it. Hang on until you find that guy, okay? Don't marry Chase tomorrow."

"Chase is a cowboy," Mira felt compelled to point out. "I'm sure he has guns. He didn't seem the type to resist using them."

Taylor raised her brows. "Fine, he has guns. Will you at least do me the favor of stalling the wedding until you make sure you like what he aims them at? Two months."

Two months felt like an interminable time to acquire the protective shield of marriage to Chase. "Two weeks."

"One month. You won't even be showing by then. It will be more believable if you wait long enough to find out that you got pregnant from your night with him. If you get married
after
you 'find out' you're pregnant with his child, then it makes sense you guys would get married in a hurry. Otherwise, it doesn't ring true."

Mira considered this. "That idea has some validity, from a strategic perspective."

"At last!" Taylor clapped her hands in mock celebration. "The girl finally sees the light!"

"I can't lie to Chase, though. I'm not going to go out there under false pretenses." She walked over to the table and pulled out her phone. "I'm going to tell him that I'm not going to marry him right away."

Taylor stayed her hand. "Maybe you should wait until you're out there. You don't want him to change his mind—"

"I'm not going to lie to him," Mira insisted. "If he decides not to help, then I'll think of something else." She started to dial his number, when a movement outside caught her eye. She glanced up in time to see a long, black limousine pause in front of the house. Her heart started to pound as she watched Alan roll down the back window and peer at the house.