Cowgirl Rescue (Selkirk Family Ranch Book 3) by Irene Vartanoff

Author:Irene Vartanoff [Vartanoff, Irene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-04-18T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Tess was driving back toward the main ranch house when she saw Paula’s plane landing. She detoured to the air strip. JD wasn’t there. Paula expertly landed her small plane. A couple of ranch hands arrived to service the plane and get it ready for the next takeoff.

Paula climbed out, slowly and carefully. She looked pale and ill.

Tess rushed to embrace her. Her best friend felt too slender and fragile “Paula. Are you feeling sick?”

Paula took a breath and seemed to steady herself. She flipped back her curtain of chin-length, straight dark hair. “It’s good to be on land. I felt as if I was having a very unwelcome massage. Too much vibration.” She put a hand on her protruding belly protectively.

Tess called one of the hands to help her lead Paula to a folding chair. “Sit down and rest. I’ll get Davis to bring over a vehicle that won’t jolt you.” She swiftly made the call, still alarmed at Paula’s paleness. “Pregnancy doesn’t agree with you.”

“No, it doesn’t. But I want JD’s child. I want a family.”

Tess leaned down and put an arm around Paula’s shoulders. “You’ve got us all. You’re a Selkirk now. You even changed your name to ours. Addie didn’t.”

“I wanted to belong to JD. To be one of the family.” Her face showed her pain and chagrin. “But I’m having trouble adding to the number of Selkirks. Your mother did, too, she told me, but this is worse. I’m worried I’ll never be able to carry a baby to term.”

“Then why are you flying at all?” Tess straightened and put her hands on her hips. “Isn’t that a strain you shouldn’t risk?”

“JD wanted me to come get him.”

Tess shook her head. “You always did make yourself a doormat for JD. Sure, you put up a good front before you got together with him. Since then, he’s been the cock of the roost.”

“He needed to be the man. He’s a strong man still, despite his losses.” Paula obliquely referred to JD’s war injuries.

“At the price of your babies? Tell him to get another air taxi service. It’s not as if our family doesn’t have the bucks to hire another pilot. I’ll bet half the veterans in the homes were pilots in Iraq. They’d probably be happy to fly JD anywhere.”

“I—I’ll think about it.” Paula was uncharacteristically hesitant. She must be feeling much worse than she let on.

Davis drove up in a sport utility. “It’s got good springs. We can take it slow, too.” He helped lift Paula into the high-riding vehicle. That she let him was telling. Paula was always so full of energy, so independent and self-reliant. Today she was a shadow of her former self. Except for the baby bump.

Davis drove them back to the ranch house slowly and carefully. When they reached the kitchen door, he insisted on helping Paula down, but she wouldn’t let him carry her into the house.

Miss Betty burst out the door, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s wrong?”

“Paula’s not feeling well,” Tess said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.