Cowboy Love (30 page)

He moaned once and his eyes flittered open. His voice came out in a strangled whisper as he turned his head toward her. "Amy?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she murmured, "I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?"

"A hospital near Chicago."

Frown lines appeared between his eyes. "I don't understand."

"You were here for a show. The bus rolled."

"Wait a minute. How did you get here if I'm in Chicago?"

"The physician in the ER called me."

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "You came because of me?"

"He said you were asking for me. If you don't want me here, I'll leave."

His hand gripped hers so tight, she thought he might break her fingers. "No, don't leave. I need you." His eyes drifted shut and his grip slackened on her fingers, but didn't let go completely. "I love you," he whispered.

His words echoed through her mind as she watched him drift off to sleep, tears rolling down her cheeks. I need you. I love you. Could he really mean what he said? Did he still love her?

* * * *

Dread rippled down her back as she stood outside his hospital room door. He had still been asleep when she left to find something to eat, but the grunts and yells coming from inside the room, told her that wasn't the case anymore.

She took a deep, fortifying breath before she pushed the door open and said, "I'll warn you right now, yelling like that will only piss the nurses off more and you won't get anything."

"What the hell are you doin' here?"

Cocking an eyebrow, she said, "You don't remember?"

"No," he grumbled.

"The physician in the ER called me and said you were asking for me."

"Must have been the concussion."

"Probably, but I'm here now so suck it up because I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't need you here."

"That's not what you said last night in the recovery room."

"Probably the drugs."

She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the anger rising inside.
He just angry. I can't let his anger get to me.

"I brought a couple of hamburgers. Would you like one or do I have to give it to one of the nurses for lunch." His stomach growled and she smiled. "I guess that is a yes."

She handed him the bag as he shot her a scowl, before digging inside and pulling out the food.

"A thank you would be nice."

"You're welcome," she said handing him a cup. "Has the doctor been by?"

He scowled again. "Why do you care?"

"Because I do, Tanner. I wouldn't have come if I didn't."

"You were the one who told me to leave. You said you couldn't handle things the way they were anymore."

"That doesn't mean I stopped caring." She forced herself to swallow the greasy hamburger in her hand.
I can't throw up in front of him, I won't.

"What's wrong?"

She swallowed, hard. "Nothing."

"You look green. I've never seen you look that color before and I know very little makes you sick."

"I…" she squeaked and then dove from the chair, rushing for the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet it before she threw up everything in her stomach.

His concerned eyes met hers as she walked back into his room.

"I've got a flu bug or something."

"You don't look like you are running a fever."

"Never mind." She took her chair again, but stuffed the remainder of the hamburger back in the bag. "Did the doctor say when they would release you?"

"In a couple of days. I haven't seen anyone from the band. Did anyone else get hurt? How bad is the bus?"

"I didn't lay eyes on the bus, but from what I've heard, it's totaled. No one else got hurt as bad as you. Bumps and bruises mostly."

"I'm glad your injuries weren't worse."

"Of course. I would never want you to be hurt."

Silence stretched between them as he continued to eat and she fought the rising nausea in her stomach. She got up and moved toward the window. Looking out over the parking lot below, she wondered what would happen now.
I have to tell him about the baby, but I don't want him to feel obligated to be with me because of it.

"I need to tell you something Tanner, something that has come up in the last couple of days."

She closed her eyes as she tried to form the words on her tongue. "I'm going…"

"Hello again," a chipper voice said as the tall, lanky man barged into the room, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm Doctor Allen. I'm the one who did the pinning on your leg."

"Nice to meet you. When can I get the hell out of here?"

"Patience, son. You'll be out in a day or two, but you'll not be doing much running around the countryside for awhile. The cast needs to stay on your leg for at least six weeks."

Tanner groaned and Amy smiled.
That will go over like a lead balloon.

"And, you will need to do some therapy afterwards to strengthen the muscle again. I realize you aren't from around here so we will discharge you with instructions to follow up with a physician in Dallas."

He's still living in Dallas?

"Fine. Just get me out of here," Tanner grumbled.

"I will check on you tomorrow, and we'll see what we can do to get you home."

"I would appreciate it tremendously, doctor." Tanner's gaze slid to her. "I have some important things to take care of at home."

"I certainly understand, young man. See you in the morning."

Once the physician had left, his gaze whipped back to her where she continued to stand against the wall. "As you were saying."

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant."

"I'm going to have a baby, Tanner, your baby."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious. I had a doctor's appointment a few days ago."

"But you were on birth control."

"Yes, but it's not one hundred percent effective either. Obviously, I am within the two percent margin."

He sighed heavily and laid his head back on the bed, closing his eyes. Not moving for several minutes, she almost wondered if he'd gone to sleep but the tense tick in his jaw told her he definitely wasn't sleeping.

"Say something, please."

"What the hell do you want me to say, Amy? I'm happy? Because I'm not. We aren't even together anymore and you spring this on me."

"I didn't plan to get pregnant either, Tanner. The last thing I need right now is a baby."

He looked her square in the eyes as he said, "How do I know it's mine?"

Anger zinged through her as his words met her ear. "You son-of-a-bitch! How can you even ask me that? I never once cheated on you."

"I haven't seen or talked to you in three months and now all of the sudden you show up on my doorstep per se, telling me you are pregnant with my child."

"You know what, never mind. Obviously you've turned into an asshole over the last three months." She shook with rage and indignation as she grabbed her purse and keys. "I almost thought we could work things out, but forget it. I don't need you and you obviously don't give a shit about me."

* * * *

"You are an ass, Tanner Lewis," Chris yelled as she paced his living room. "I can't believe you turned your back on her."

"I didn't turn my back, Chris," he grumbled.

"Yes, you did. She told you about the baby and you asked her if it belonged to you. You might as well have accused her of cheating on you, and I know damned well Amy would never do that and so do you."

He raked his fingers through his hair. Six weeks, six long, agonizing weeks since he had seen her and she had told him about the baby she carried, his baby. The cast on his leg would come off tomorrow and as soon as it had been taken care of, he planned to visit her and talk. "I know she wouldn't, but she sprang everythin' on me out of the blue."

"That still doesn't mean you accuse her of cheating."

"I'm going to talk to her tomorrow."

"You better." Chris stopped pacing. "Did they find out what caused the accident on the bus?"

"Yeah, severed brake line."

"Then someone is trying to hurt you."

"Looks that way, yes. That's part of the reason I haven't tried to get back together with Amy in the last few months. I couldn't stand if she got hurt in the process."

"She still loves you, you know."

He shook his head. "I'm not so sure anymore. I thought she might when I woke up at the hospital to find her by my bed, but after our argument about the baby, I don't think so."

"You don't know her at all, do you? She jumped on the first plane when she heard you were hurt. She wanted to be by your side and I'm sure it about killed her to see you in that bed. She wouldn't have done those things if she didn't still love you. Question is, do you still love her?"

He paused and looked at Chris. "I never stopped lovin' her. She's my whole world."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"I won't get her hurt in the process of lovin' me. I have to figure out who is doin' this and why."

"But you are going to see her tomorrow right? Straighten things out about the baby?"

"Yes, Chris, I am."

* * * *

The next day, the doctor's removed Tanner's cast and he could drive again. Chris told him Amy bought a house outside of town so that's where he headed. He knocked on the door. She opened wood panel and her eyes went wide, right before she tried to shut it in his face. He swiftly stuck his foot between the wood panel and the doorframe, preventing the green painted entry from closing all the way.

Pushing it open, he walked inside and closed it behind him.

"Get out, Tanner. I don't want to see you."

"Well, too bad. We need to talk or at least I do and you'll listen if I have to tie you to a chair." Her eyes widened again at his threat. "Sit down."

Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, but she did as he told her.

"First of all, I'm sorry I said what I did about the baby. If you say the child is mine, I believe you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand and she closed it again.

"Second, I still love you. I never stopped lovin' you even when you told me to leave. I know bein' with me is difficult at best, with the tourin' and bein' gone all the time, but you have to trust me. I would never do anythin' to hurt you and I could never cheat on you. You have to be willin' to work with me on this Amy, if we are gonna work this out."

"Third—." He watched her stand up and walked toward him, tears shimmering on her eyelashes.

"Third, I love you. I wouldn't have come to Chicago if I didn't. This child," she took his hand and laid it on her still flat stomach, "was conceived in love. It's ours, yours and mine and I want nothing more than to raise this baby with you. I know trust is earned and you've earned mine even if I hate every time another woman looks at you. It's something I'll have to live with because you are doing what you love to do and I can't take that away from you."

"They can look and want all they care to. You are the only woman I want in my life on a permanent basis. The money is better now so you won't have to work as much." She started to protest, but he silenced her with a quick kiss before he continued. "I know you want to and you can if you'd like, but you don't have to. You can come on the road with me, be by my side." His fingers trailed down her cheek before he swiped his thumb across her bottom lip. "I love you." His lips found her mouth again, slipping between the crease to invade her mouth with his tongue.

* * * *

She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them in his hair as she moaned under his mouth, pushing herself against him. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. His rock hard erection strained against the zipper of his jeans and she felt every inch of it trapped between them.

"Amy," he whispered, pulling his mouth from hers and nibbling the corners.

"I want…" His lips moved to her jaw and along her neck, his hand sliding down her arm to take her breast in his palm. When she felt his palm slide across her aching nipple, she moaned, "Oh God!"

He lifted his head for a moment as he murmured, "Tell me. Tell me what you want."

She opened her eyes to meet his as she whimpered, "I want you."

He smiled the smile that made her heart leap in her chest. "Good," he replied. "Because I want you." He swept her up in his arms and headed down the hall to her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

He walked to her bed and lay her down softly on the coverlet, kissing her hard on the mouth before releasing her to toe off his boots. She sat up when he reached for his shirt and pushed his hands away. Her own fingers sliding the buttons from the holes as she kissed the skin revealed with each one that was undone. His body shook as she moved down his chest, tracing the small line of hair that ran to the waistband of his jeans with her tongue.

She reached for the belt buckle at his waist, but he stopped her with his own as he murmured, "Not yet."

She sat back on her heels while he moved toward her, reaching for the small straps at her shoulders, sliding his fingers under one as he pulled it off. His lips following the path down her arm. She moaned when his hot mouth fastened on her already hard nipple through her shirt. She threw her head back, clutching the back of his neck to hold him in place, almost bucking under the pressure of his tongue and his teeth.

While he feasted on her breast, his hand moved to the button on her jeans, slipping it free, before his fingertips slid down her stomach. She felt his fingers slide inside her hot folds, his thumb finding her swollen clit, and she groaned above him, feeling warm liquid spill from between her legs.

He lifted his head as his fingers slid out, and gave her the warmest smile. She scooted to the middle of the bed as he followed on his hands and knees. She reached to remove her shoes and socks, but he stopped her with his hand on her leg. She looked at him questioningly, but all he did was smile again, turning her inside out.

She finally lay back against the pillows as she watched him reach for her shoes, pulling each one off slowly, followed by each sock. He ran his hands over her feet, rubbing each one, kneading them with his hands. She thought she would go crazy with the sensation of having him rub her feet, but when she felt his tongue slide from her ankle to her toes, taking each one in his mouth to suck, she closed her eyes and melted against the pillows behind her.