Jace watched Bree go out the front door. Maybe she was leaving—that wouldn’t bother him one bit. He went in the opposite direction, out the slider to the deck.
“What the hell?” he said, seeing Bree sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs. “Are you followin’ me?”
“I was out here first, cowboy. So it’s you following me.”
“You’re ’bout the last person on earth I would want to follow, so you can let go of
that fantasy. I thought you went out the front door.”
Her face turned red, and she clenched and unclenched her fists, as though she wanted to hit him.
“You’re such an…asshole,” she spat.
Jace opened the slider to go back inside. “Been called worse, darlin’.”
Bree opened and closed her mouth a few times, he guessed trying to come up with something that might actually offend him. He was beyond being offended by anything this lady had to say to him. She’d hurt him a few minutes ago, but he wouldn’t let her do it again. He had too many other things to worry about.
He had to find Tucker, and so far, he had nothing to go on. Tuck hadn’t been seen along any of his usual escape routes, there was no activity on his bank account, and he wasn’t using his credit cards. No matter what he decided to do once he knew, Tucker was entitled to know he was going to be a father. Half of him hoped he’d come back and be the man Blythe needed him to be. The other half hoped he’d stay gone. And what kind of man did that make him?
Blythe couldn’t sleep, mainly because the baby couldn’t either. He, she liked to think he was a boy, couldn’t find a comfortable place to rest, so he was doing somersaults in her stomach. She reached over and turned on the light, bringing her sweatshirt up, and leaving her belly bare.
Every so often, a part of him would press against her, and she could see the slight movement on the surface of her stomach. When she rested her hand there, he’d stop moving, as though he could feel his mother’s hand comforting him.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” Jace asked.
He startled her; she’d been concentrating on watching the baby, and hadn’t heard him come in. “Miracle baby woke me up.”
He walked over and rested his hand on top of hers, as he so often did. He leaned down and kissed her belly.
“Go to sleep, miracle baby. Let your mama get some rest.”
Why couldn’t she love him? There were days she was certain Tucker would never come back, but Jace? He was right here, in front of her. Gentle, loving, nurturing, and patient. He said he’d never run out of patience, but what if she never felt the way he did?
He reached up and rubbed his fingers over her forehead. “So much worry tonight. What’s goin’ on?”
“I’m worried about you.”
“We’ve talked about this. Nothin’ to worry about where I’m concerned, darlin’. Nothin’ at all. You’re my life now. You and this little baby.”
“What if I can’t be what you want me to be?”
“Blythe, how many times do we have to talk about this?”
She didn’t need to answer him. He knew what she was saying, and she was right. Every night, when he finally let the sleep he fought take over, he dreamed of her. It was often the same dream. He was making love to her, and each time, she called out Tucker’s name. It would wake him up, and he’d fight going back to sleep again.
Even through his drunken haze, Tucker felt his brother’s warring emotions. He’d alternate between serenity and anguish. When Tucker felt Jace’s peace, he wondered if that meant he and Blythe were together. But what about the anguish? What was that about? Or was it his own anguish he felt? The lines were so blurred he couldn’t tell where he ended and Jace began.
13
Blythe asked Bree to take her out to Billy’s ranch to watch him and Jace train. Billy and Renie would be leaving for Crested Butte soon, where Renie and Willow would stay with Liv and Ben while Billy was on the road. Jace would follow shortly after. Blythe wanted to spend as much time with all of them as she could before they left.
Jace told her he was thinking about quitting saddle bronc riding so he could stay home with her. She told him, if he did that, she would never speak to him again. It was bad enough that he spent most of his time with her; she wouldn’t let him give up something he’d worked so hard for.
He made her promise to come and watch him practice, and to come to some of the rodeos he was competing in. She agreed, particularly when Lyric said it would be a great opportunity for RodeoChat, and she’d go with her.
They were already planning when they’d join everyone in Crested Butte for the big rodeo in Gunnison’s Cattlemen’s Days.
“Hey, Jace, don’t you have a place in Aspen?” Blythe asked.