When Love's Gone Country (Sequel two of the Embracing Love Trilogy) (3 page)

“I guess.”

“Come on. I’ve got my barf bags and the truck’s all packed. Let’s get on the road.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“All right then, you’re the boss.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Alex smiled, the worry lines on his forehead disappearing with the motion. “I thought you might.”

When they were settled in the truck and Alex double-checked that the trailer brake lights were working properly, he headed for McDonald’s to get Purity a Diet Coke, then they hit the freeway.

After about ten minutes, Alex asked, “Your stomach okay?”

“Fine.”

He nodded, satisfied that she was feeling okay.

Purity held back a smile. If he could carry the baby to term, he’d do it in a heartbeat. She wondered how he’d handle morning sickness, cramps, back aches, hemorrhoids and the myriad of other side effects she’d read about.

“I can’t wait to ride a horse,” Pure said.

“You’re not riding a horse.”

“Why not?”

“What if the horse bucks you off?”

“The horse won’t buck me off. I’ve been riding for years. I know what I’m doing. Besides, I’m only in my first month.”

“Even more reason to be careful.”

“I’m not going to be racing or jumping or anything. Just a gentle walk in an open meadow or something.”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Alex, you can’t seriously think I’m just going to sit in a chair for eight months? Haven’t you heard about the women who work in rice patties? They squat down, have their babies and keep right on working.”

“I’m not going to discuss this. It’s not safe for you to be riding a horse.”

“Then I guess roping a steer is out of the question, too.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Women don’t have that many restrictions when they’re pregnant. I don’t even have a high-risk pregnancy. Now, if you were talking about Meg, I’d understand.”

“Women should be taken care of during their pregnancy. It’s just not right.”

“It’s actually better for the woman and the baby to do gentle exercise and keep active.”

“I’m not going to discuss this.”

“Maybe you should come to one of my I’m Going to be a Mommy classes. They’re really interesting and have tons of information.”

“I’m not going to be a mommy.”

“Maybe they have an I’m Going to be a Daddy class.”

“I don’t need a class. I need you to keep yourself and our baby safe.”

Purity noticed Alex’s jaw was set in a rigid stance. No use talking to him anymore now. Funny, it was that same jawline that sent shivers of chill bumps down her spine. She loved to lay kisses along it until his body began to relax.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about how sexy you are.”

“You were not. You were thinking of a way to get me to change my mind.”

“No. I was remembering the chill bumps you gave me one of the first times I saw you. It was strange because every part of my body was heating up nicely at your presence, but I still had the shivers.”

“Now you’re just changing the subject.”

“Yes, I am. Ever since I told you I was pregnant, we haven’t been close. Does it worry you? Do you think you’ll harm the baby?”

“Do we really have to talk about this?”

Purity put her arm on Alex’s. “It’s okay. We talk about everything in class, including sex. A lot of guys get really nervous about doing it once they know the woman’s pregnant. It’s totally natural.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing you can do to harm the baby. Well, unless you throw me down a flight of stairs or something.”

“Purity!” Alex’s horrified expression made her regret the words immediately.

“I didn’t mean that you’d ever do that, just that that would be the only way you could actually do any kind of harm. It would have to be deliberate and pretty violent. Our having sex wouldn’t be enough to do any damage.”

“I really need to concentrate on the road.”

A vein in Alex’s forehead was pulsing.

“Sorry. Are you more worried now than you were before?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Okay. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it up again for the entire trip.”

“And after that?”

“I’m not making any promises after that.”

Alex sighed. It was going to be a long eight months and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to handle the stress. If anything happened to Purity or the baby, well, he didn’t know what he’d do. They were everything to him.

Thirty-five minutes later, Purity texted Meg and Courtney that they would be arriving in Alene in about twenty minutes. Meg’s schedule had them meeting for brunch at the Moon Spirit Lodge. It boasted a buffet that folks came from miles around just to eat. Nestled in the woods next to a waterfall, it was the perfect place to begin their ranch adventure.

“You did good, Meg,” Courtney said as they piled out of the van and began stretching their legs.

“Thanks. I have amazing Google-Fu skills.”

“What’s Google-Fu?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s like Kung-Fu, except instead of using your body, you use your fingers and your brain to search the internet.”

“Brad’s pretty good with Diego, does that mean he has Dog-Fu?” Jacob said.

“I guess it does.”

“Better than dog poo,” Jeremy said.

“And now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming,” Courtney said. “Pure and Alex are only about ten minutes away.”

“I’d love to come back here and stay for a weekend,” Meg said to Bobby.

Bobby wrapped his arm around her. “It’s so close and an easy drive, sounds good to me.”

“Oh. My. Gosh!” Jeremy’s mouth dropped half-way to the pavement. “Look at that car!”

“Now, you’re busted,” Meg said.

“You rented that, Dad?” Jacob asked.

“Guilty.”

“Can we sit in it?” Jeremy asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I think we may have just lost our passengers. A convertible tops a dog,” Court said.

“Once the shine wears off, the dog will be the winner. Boys and dogs are a forever combination.”

“I think boys and cars are a forever combination, too.” Courtney glanced at Brad and then jabbed him in the ribs good-naturedly. They’d spent the last three weekends in car lots looking for the perfect truck. Court was convinced there was no such thing. Brad seemed to find something that wasn’t quite right with every pick-up he looked at.

“Boys and their toys,” Meg said. “Do they ever grow up?”

“I hope not,” Bobby said with a grin.

Chapter Four

“Did you guys stop for ice cream, too?” Jeremy asked.

“No, why?” Bobby asked.

“There’s something sticky on the door handle.

Meg turned her body toward the waterfall to hide the flush creeping up her cheeks. She wasn’t quick enough, Courtney caught the move.

“Sticky stuff?” she teased her friend. “Just when did you and Bob arrive here?”

“We were a bit early.”

Courtney giggled. “And everyone thinks you’re the shy, innocent one.”

“Keep your voice down.”

“I’m whispering. My voice doesn’t go any lower.”

“I knew we’d get caught.”

“That’s half the fun.”

“It really was.”

Brad and Bobby turned their attention to the lodge. “How old do you think these trees are?”

“Really old,” Bob said. “It looks like they built the lodge right around them.”

“Roots must run deep.”

Brad tried to put his arms around one of the bases, but they only made it halfway around.

Jacob joined them, looking up. “Hey, what’s that up there?”

“Looks like a tree house,” Bobby said.

“There’s another one,” Jeremy yelled from the car.

“We have eight of ‘em. Welcome to Moon Spirit Lodge.” A silver-haired Indian holding a carved wooden cane with an eagle at the top stepped forward.

“We didn’t see you there,” Brad said.

“I’m always here. Sometimes you see me, sometimes you don’t.” The man with the weathered face looked down at Jeremy. “You like these trees?”

Jeremy nodded his head vigorously.

“I had you pegged for a climber right from the get-go.” He looked at Jacob. “Not you, though. You’re more of a cave dweller, like having something solid at your back.”

“Are there caves around here?”

“Sure. Lots of ‘em. They’re hidden. You have to search to find them.”

“Is there a map?” Jeremy asked.

Courtney and Meg were intrigued by the man’s tone of voice and mysterious aura. They joined the others.

“This lodge was built many moons ago to celebrate Chief Atonga’s marriage to lovely Marion Little Bear. You are standing on the boundary that used to separate the two tribes. On the eve of their wedding day, they signed a pact to join together, erasing the divide and becoming a new tribe. That day never arrived.”

“Why?” Jacob asked.

“Not everyone wanted the tribes to merge. Factions from both sides found them and drove arrows through their hearts.”

“I’m not liking this story very much,” Meg said.

“There is more. A love that strong doesn’t die when blood no longer flows through the body. Their spirits found one another under the midnight moon by the waterfall. They made their sacred vows to love one another and remain together for eternity.

When the two tribes realized they had not succeeded in keeping the lovers apart, they honored the agreement to merge and the boundary was dissolved.

They built Moon Spirit Lodge in the shadow of the waterfall where Marion Little Bear and Chief Atonga solidified their vows to one another.”

“You okay, Mom?” Jeremy asked.

Tears were streaming down Meg’s cheeks. “Yeah, honey.”

“You know your Mom always cries at sad stories,” Courtney said. “And happy stories and funny stories and—”

“All right, leave me alone. I’m a crier, so sue me.”