Shoulda Been A Cowboy (39 page)

“
How do you think I found out?”

So Keely hadn't tattled. “It doesn't
matter.”

“
Oh, but it does matter. I should've found
out from
you
.”

“
Sorry. I just…wasn't thinking
straight.”

“
Lucky thing you won't have to think for the
next two days, because, princess, I'm gonna be stuck to your
side like a burr. So get dressed so I can take you home.”

Cam made no move to leave the exam room. “Why
don't you wait out front? It'll just take me a minute.”

“
Huh-uh. What if you fainted? And hit your head? I
am not taking the chance that anything will happen to you.”

“
Fine.” She dressed quickly. Cam paid the
doctor's bill and escorted her—heck he practically
carried her—to his truck. The sun burned her eyes. She slipped
on her sunglasses.

About halfway home, Cam said, “When I heard you'd
passed out and were nauseous, I thought…maybe you were
pregnant.”

Domini froze.

“
I know we haven't been married long, but if
it'd turned out you were pregnant, I…well, I wouldn't
have minded. Not at all. I just wanted you to know.”

She faced out the window. She had to tell him the truth.

And if Cam decides to walk away?

She loved him. Now she knew the true meaning of
selfishness because she didn't know if she could let him go.

 

***

 

Cam tucked Domini in bed, called the station and
requested a couple of sick days. He jotted down a grocery list. He
paced until it was time to pick up Anton.

At the school, he rested his butt against the passenger
side of his pickup and kept his eyes peeled for the boy. Cam whistled
and Anton looked his direction. The kid smiled as he hustled toward
him. “Hey, Cam.”

“
Heya, sport.”

“
I didn't know you were picking me up
today.”

“
Your lucky day, huh?”

“
Uh-huh. We doin' something fun?”

“
Not really, unless you love grocery shopping.”

Anton groaned and hefted himself into the cab.

“
How was school today?”

“
Okay.”

“
Have any homework?”

“
Nope. Where's Domini?”

Cam turned the corner and waved at Mrs. Jackson walking
her toy poodles. “She's at home. She ain't feeling
too good.”

Anton was quiet. Too quiet. “Is she gonna have a
baby?”

“
No.” He sent Anton a sideways glance. “What
makes you say that?”

“
People have babies after they get married. I
thought maybe now she's got a baby in her tummy.”

I wish.
Maybe then Cam could
believe she'd stick around. She hadn't called him today
when she'd gotten ill, but she had called him when she had car
trouble? That bugged the crap out of him. Add in the fact she
wouldn't share a bank account with him, she insisted on buying
all the groceries and Cam wondered if they had a marriage or a
business arrangement.

It is a business arrangement. She only married you
for Anton. Once she gets him she'll be gone.

Cam didn't believe that. He half believed Domini
loved him. But the last thing she needed right now was the added
stress of him demanding to know how she felt about him.

“
Cam?”

“
Hmm?”

“
What's wrong with her?”

“
She's tired and it's making her
sick.”

“
What do we hafta do to make her get better?”

Cam smiled at Anton's use of “we” and
his offer to take care of the woman who took such good care of both
of them. “Make sure she rests and eats right. We'll be
eating a lot of steak. And burgers.”

“
Who's cooking?”

“
Me. Why?”

He blurted, “Because you're a really bad
cook.”

Cam said nothing.

A hint of fear shone in Anton's eyes. “Are
you mad?”

“
Because you told the truth? Hell no. But you're
right, sport, I'm a shitty cook.” He shot him a look.
“Sorry, I'm not supposed to swear in front of you.”

The kid actually rolled his eyes.

“
So, I'm a bad cook, yet I need to feed my
wife…what do you think we oughta do?”

“
Eat at Dewey's every day?”

“
Nope. Try again.”

“
We could ask Dave to help us. He knows everything
about cooking.”

“
That's a great idea.”

Anton's face lit up. “Really?”

“
Yep. We've gotta stop at Dewey's and
get Domini's purse anyway, so we'll see if Dave can give
us some pointers.”

Armed with detailed instructions, Cam and Anton picked
up several steaks before they headed home. Domini was sitting on the
front deck when he pulled up.

Gracie barked and waited by the truck for Anton. Damn
dog was completely smitten with the boy. And Anton had done a
one-eighty when it came to Gracie's behavior. The dog minded
Anton better than him sometimes.

Cam unloaded the grocery bags. Anton hauled them in the
house, leaving Cam alone with Domini. He climbed the steps slowly.
“You wanna explain what you're doin' out of bed,
Mrs. McKay?”

“
I was lonely for my boys. Gracie was antsy so I
thought I'd sit out in the fresh air.”

My boys.
He leaned down and
kissed her. “Getcha ass back in bed, woman. Now.”

“
I love it when you go all caveman on me, Deputy.
Makes me all tingly.”

Does that mean you love me?

Not going there. Not now. “I could toss you over
my shoulder and drag you inside.”

“
Will you wear a sexy jungle print loin cloth
too?”

“
You have a filthy mind, woman. That's why
I—”

Love you.

Shit.

Domini's eyes narrowed. “That's why
you what?”

“
That's why I plan on doing nasty, raunchy,
dirty things to you for hours when you're better. Now get in
bed.”

After Anton finished chores, which the crazy kid seemed
to enjoy, they unwrapped the meat and fired up the barbecue. They
read through Dave's instructions—twice—but it
didn't help.

By the time they finished “cooking” the
steaks were burned beyond recognition. Both he and Anton stared at
the charred chunks of meat. Finally Anton said, “We suck.”

“
Yep. We seriously suck.”

“
I don't think Gracie will even eat it.”

Gracie whined.

“
Can I make a suggestion?” Domini said from
the doorframe.

Cam wheeled around. “You're supposed to be—”

“
In bed. I know. I'm anemic, not an invalid.
You don't have to wait on me. And I'm thinking it might
be best if you don't try to cook for me either.”

Cam and Anton exchanged a glum look.

“
Here's the deal, how about if I cook and
you guys do everything else.” She shook her head at the burned
disks. “Was that…steak?”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
Choice cut steak.”

She winced. “We definitely cannot afford for you
guys to massacre any more meat. Do we have a deal?”

“
Deal.”

 

***

 

“…
sparsely…” Anton looked up
at Domini. “What does that mean?”

“
Umm…very little?”

She glanced over at Cam and he nodded.

“
You don't know?”

She bumped Anton with her shoulder. “English isn't
my native language, remember? It takes a minute for me to translate.”

“
So when you're thinking in your head, are
you thinking in Ukrainian? Or in English?”

“
When I first moved to the U.S. I only thought in
Ukrainian. But the longer I've been here away from people who
speak my language, it's English that pops into my head first.
But there are always words that throw me off. Like sparsely.”
She tousled Anton's hair. “Did your mom speak to you in
Bosnian?”

“
Nope. He didn't like it.”

“
It's about time for bed, sport.”

“
I know.” Anton jumped off the couch,
securing his book under his arm, and lingered in front of Domini.
“Are you gonna tuck me in?”

“
Yes. Then I'm tucking myself in.”

Anton opened the front door and Gracie bounced in. Her
tail wagged so hard her body swayed as she followed Anton down the
hallway to his bedroom.

“
Sometimes I forget that English isn't your
native tongue,” Cam murmured. “Will you teach our kids to
speak Ukrainian?”

Domini let her head fall back on the cushion and closed
her eyes. “Do you think Anton will ever talk about Rex? Or will
he just avoid the issue if we let him?”

Kind of like she'd sidestepped his question. Cam
decided not to push it. “Give him time. I know we all wanna be
one big happy family from the get go, but it'll take us all
time to adjust.”

“
Are you adjusting, Cam? Now that you've got
a kid and a wife? Do you want us to be a big happy family? When all
this chaos you never wanted is destroying the serenity of your
haven?”

No, now I've got everything I ever wanted
.

Domini wasn't the only one who'd mastered
the art of deflection. “I'll double check I shut the
grill off while you tuck Anton in.”

Domini was already in bed when he returned to their
bedroom. Cam stripped, unfastened his prosthesis and slid beneath the
covers.

Immediately Domini wrapped herself around him. She
kissed his biceps. And his collarbones. Her lips skimmed his throat.
“Cam?”

“
Mmm?”

“
Touch me.”

“
Domini. Baby, you're supposed to take it
easy.”

“
So love me nice and easy. And slow. You love to
torture me. Take your time with me, Cam.” She sank her teeth
into his earlobe. “Please. I need you.”

Cam was helpless to resist. He didn't want to
resist. He kissed her. Teased her. Showed her with his hands and his
mouth and his body how much he loved her.

When he slid inside her, surrounded by her warmth and
softness and strength, he realized she made him a whole man and it
didn't have a damn thing to do with his missing leg. It had
everything to do with filling his heart.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“
We don't have to go. In fact, I think we
oughta stay home. You
have
been sick.”

Domini tied the laces on her tennis shoes. “Not
sick, Cam. Anemic. I'm feeling much better after being babied
by you guys for the last two days. I want to enjoy the gorgeous day.
I'm tired of being cooped up inside.”

“
There are gonna be a million people there,”
Cam warned. “And my family will grill both of us on our
marriage, if we're gonna start havin' kids—”

Her stomach knotted, but she tossed out a breezy, “Maybe
they won't, since we already have a kid.”

Anton and Gracie burst into the kitchen. “Is it
time to go yet?”

Domini gave Cam a we-don't-want-to-disappoint-Anton
look.

Cam sighed. “Fine. But if you look the slightest
bit faint, we're comin' home and I'm tyin'
you to the bed for a solid week.”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Her lips slid
to his ear and she whispered, “Is that a promise, Deputy?”

“
Yep.”

“
Good because I miss that side of you. You've
been too careful with me lately. You know I won't break.”

He eased back to look at her face. “Domini, I—”

“
Are you two gonna suck face or are we going?”

“
Suck face. Definitely.” Cam teased his
mouth over hers and her heart jumped.

“
Yuck. We're outta here.” The sliding
glass door slammed.

Domini stepped back. “We'll be lucky if any
of the doors in this house survive until his teen years.”

Cam went still.

“
What?”

“
Ah. Nothin'. I just can't imagine
Anton a teenager.”