Page 76 of Promised to the Cowboy

“What voice?”

“The one where you’re trying very hard to sound like you called just to say hello.”

I sigh. “Am I that obvious?”

“You’ve been obvious since you were six.” Another gentle silence. “What happened, Evie?”

I look out of the kitchen window. Gabriel is across the yard, one hand resting on the rescue mare’s neck while she sniffs cautiously at his sleeve.

The sight steadies me.

“A lot.”

Mom waits. She always has.

When I was little and came home crying, she’d wait. She said people usually found the truth themselves if nobody rushed them.

I take a slow breath. “Do you remember that rodeo circuit I told you about? The one in Montana?”

“I remember.”

“I met someone. Gabriel.”

“Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Neither was I.”

“So…” I can hear the grin in her voice. “Is he cute?”

I huff a laugh. “Yeah.”

“Just yeah?”

“Mom…”

“Baby, I raised you. If you’ve reduced a man to one syllable, I’m assuming he’s spectacular.”

I laugh properly this time. “He is.”

“What happened?”

I spin the ring on my finger. “I asked him to sleep with me.”

Mom bursts out laughing. “Oh, honey.”

“What?”

“I was expecting a lot of things.” Another laugh. “That wasn’t one of them.”

“It made sense at the time.”

“I’m sure it did.”

I shake my head, smiling. “It was supposed to be one night.”

“And?”

“And it wasn’t.” I swallow hard. “I’m pregnant. Twenty-two weeks.”