Men to Trust: Boss Man / The Last Good Man in Texas / Lonetree Ranchers: Brant

“Go home and eat healthy. I’ll prescribe vitamins. You need to be in the care of a good OB/GYN specialist as well. I know one in Victoria I can send you to,” she added when Violet looked even more terrified. “She’s discreet.”

Violet ground her teeth together. “This isn’t how I planned my life.”

“Life is what happens when you make other plans,” Lou quoted. She frowned. “I don’t remember who said that, but it’s absolutely true.” She gave Violet a long, smiling look. “You’ll make a wonderful mother.”

A mother! In the terror of the moment, Violet had lost track of things. But now she realized that there would be a miniature version of herself or Blake. She felt…odd. Her hands went to her flat stomach in wonder. There was a baby inside her!

“Now you’re getting the picture.” Lou laughed. “There’s nothing quite like the feeling a woman gets when she realizes there’s a tiny life inside her body. When I knew I was pregnant, I could hardly believe it,” she added. “I was excited, and then afraid, and then I walked around in a daze of daydreams.” Her eyes misted. “It was the happiest nine months of my life. I can hardly wait to do it all over again, but we wanted to wait until our little boy was older. It’s hard to handle a baby and a toddler and a profession, all at the same time.”

Violet smiled, feeling torn by emotions. “I’ve always wanted children. I just hoped…well, I’d have liked being married.”

“Tell Blake and you will be,” Lou suggested.

Violet shook her head. “I can’t tell him. Not now. Maybe not ever.”

“He has an obligation to help support his child, Violet,” Lou said firmly. “You didn’t get pregnant all by yourself. As for keeping it from him, that isn’t going to be possible. Not in a town this small. For one thing,” she said, “when you get this prescription filled, everybody in the pharmacy is going to know what’s going on,” she added, writing it out. “It’s for prenatal vitamins.”

Violet had that base covered, at least. “I’ll drive up to Victoria and get it filled,” she said doggedly.

“All right, ostrich, hide your head in the sand while you can,” Lou said amusedly.

“I can do this,” she said firmly.

“Sure you can,” Lou humored her. She handed Violet the prescription. “No heavy lifting for the first trimester. And get plenty of sleep.”

“Plenty of sleep. Right,” Violet muttered, foreseeing sleeplessness that might never end, from worrying about her condition and her mother’s health.

Lou patted her shoulder. “You won’t believe me, but in five or six months, you’re going to look back on this day and smile.”

“If I were a gambler, I’d take you up on that,” Violet said heavily. “But thanks, Dr. Lou.”

Lou watched her go with worried eyes that Violet didn’t see. She wondered how in the world Violet was going to manage.

Blake knew that Violet had been to see Lou Coltrain because he’d seen her coming out of Lou’s office on his way home from work. The visit, combined with the hunted look on Violet’s face when she came in to work the next day, told the whole story. He cursed himself for what he’d done to them both. If he’d kept his head, if he’d used protection, if, if, if…! Now he was going to be a father and he had to marry the mother of his child or disgrace himself and Mrs. Hardy as well as Violet. He hated the whole idea of giving up his freedom. He hated the idea of a child in his life. He wasn’t family man material.

But he was a responsible man and he had a conscience. He was going to have to act. He didn’t want Violet doing something desperate.

If he told her that he knew about her condition, she’d know that he was asking her to marry him out of duty and she’d refuse. So he had to hide his real feelings and pretend to have a change of heart while there was still time. He had a poker face. He could pull it off. After all, what choice did he have?

When it was quitting time, he went out to the main office. “Violet, how about a cup of coffee and a steak and salad at Barbara’s Café?” he asked carelessly. “You can take a salad home to your mother.”

Libby and Mabel hid delighted smiles, said their good-nights, and left at once to give the couple some privacy.

Violet stared at her boss curiously. “Supper? With you?” she stammered.

He forced a smile. “Supper with me. Are you game?”

“People will talk.”

He shrugged. “So?”

She felt a little better. At least he liked her enough that he wasn’t backing away from gossip. Maybe there was a little hope for the future after all. She smiled. “I’d love to!”

“Good. Call your mother and we’ll walk over to Barbara’s after we lock up.”

“I’ll do it right now!”

Barbara served three meals a day, and her café was always crowded after quitting time. Today was no exception. When Violet walked in with Blake Kemp, conversation muted at once and all eyes turned toward the couple in the buffet line.

They chose steaks and salads, and Violet placed an order to go for her mother. But she insisted on paying for her own order, to Blake’s dismay.

“Talk about independent women,” Blake murmured dryly as they sat down to eat.

“Mama raised me that way,” Violet said simply, smiling. “She said we need to depend on ourselves and not impose on other people.”

“I never thought of steak as an imposition,” he mused.

She laughed. “Thanks for the offer, anyway,” she replied.

He finished his salad in short order and started on his steak. He didn’t use condiments. He noticed that Violet didn’t, either.

“What sort of music do you like?” he asked abruptly.

She hesitated with a piece of steak halfway to her mouth. “I like country-western and classical. And some hard rock,” she added impishly.

He laughed. “Actually, so do I.”

“Do you like to read?”

He nodded. “I like ancient history and biographies.”

She smiled sheepishly. “I like women’s fiction and books about gardening and gourmet cooking.”

He searched her eyes. “Your mother said you like astronomy.”

“I do,” she agreed. “But I can’t afford a telescope.”

He leaned forward. “I have a twelve-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain.”

That was an expensive composite telescope, part refractor and part reflector. She’d dreamed of owning something so large and efficient. She gasped. “You do?”

He laughed. “I spend a lot of time outside at night. Since I live so far out of town, I don’t have problems with light pollution.”

“I’ll bet you can see the craters on the moon,” she sighed.

“I can see inside them,” he corrected.

She whistled softly. “I’d love to look through it.”