The Cowboy and the New Year's Baby by Sherryl Woods

Author:Sherryl Woods
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: State & Local, History, Ranchers, General, Contemporary, Romance - General, Fiction, Romance, United States, Unmarried mothers, Modern fiction, Adult, Historical, Romance & Sagas, Romance - Contemporary, Fiction - Romance, Non-Classifiable, Texas, Southwest
ISBN: 9780373242917
Publisher: Silhouette Books
Published: 2000-01-15T13:14:31.203000+00:00

Chapter Nine

Hardy headed straight for Garden City the minute he and Trish wrapped up work on Saturday. He needed a drink. He needed a heavy dose of uncomplicated flirting. He needed to go home with a woman who wouldn’t wake up in the morning with expectations.

Of course, as usual lately, what he needed and what he got were two different things.

Harlan Patrick was seated at the bar, listening raptly as his wife performed her latest song in a test run before a very friendly audience. In this one, the romance had a happy ending and the tune was upbeat, reflecting the state of their marriage. Hardy was a whole lot more comfortable hearing about broken hearts. Those songs reaffirmed his cynical conviction that real love didn’t exist.

Harlan Patrick gestured toward the vacant bar stool next to him. “Join me. I’ll buy you a beer.”

Hardy figured the beer would come with strings attached. Harlan Patrick would probably waste no time pumping him for information about Trish and the state of the romance everyone in the Adams clan was hoping for.

“Sure, why not?” he agreed, hiding his reluctance. Hoping for at least a temporary distraction, he added, “Laurie sounds good.”

Harlan Patrick’s expression brightened. “She always does.”

“The song’s a little different from her usual.”

“Yeah. She’s worried about it, too,” he admitted. “She thinks happiness is boring and that she’s losing her edge. I keep telling her she could sing the phone book and her fans would be ecstatic.”

“I’m sure she finds that reassuring,” Hardy commented.

“No, as a matter of fact, she gives me the same ‘oh sure’ look you’re giving me.”

“Does she have another concert tour coming up?”

As Hardy expected, Harlan Patrick’s expression soured.

“Not for a few more months, but that’s too soon for me. I’m hoping there’s enough time for me to persuade her to do a television special instead.”

“You really hate it when she’s on the road, don’t you?”

Harlan Patrick nodded. “And now with two kids, there’s even more reason for her to stay put, but I learned my lesson a few years back. If touring makes her happy, I’ll figure out a way to live with it.”

Laurie wrapped up her set, strolled over and put her arms around Harlan Patrick’s neck. “Hey, cowboy, buy a girl a drink?”

“You’ve got it,” he said, brightening at once.

Laurie grinned at Hardy. “So how much work did you and Trish actually get done today?”

“I see the White Pines grapevine is alive and well,” Hardy noted, ignoring the question.

“Indeed. Between Kelly, who packed the lunch, and Sharon Lynn, who crept next door to peek in the windows, we pretty much know everything,” Laurie said with unrepentant glee.

“Then why ask me?”

“Confirmation, of course. Plus spin. These secondhand reports lack all the juicy details.”

“Too bad,” Hardy grumbled. “Because I’m not talking.”

Harlan Patrick regarded him speculatively. “Is that so? I wonder why?”

“I never kiss and tell,” Hardy said.

“Of course you do,” his friend contradicted. “Why do you think the guys in the bunkhouse wait up for you? They’re living vicariously through you.

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