Do You Take This Cowboy? by Jeanne Allan

Author:Jeanne Allan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-06-10T04:00:00+00:00

Birdie thanked Luke for the flowers and accepted his flattering words about her baby. When he asked her what she intended to name the baby, she smiled shyly at J.J. “I thought I’d name her Jacqueline Ann, after you and my grandma. I’ll call her Jackie Ann.”

Pleasure washed over J.J. at the unexpected compliment. “I’d be honored to have your baby named after me, but...” She hesitated, unsure how to proceed. “What about the baby’s father?” she finally asked.

“Some father. The doctor said Ad’s knocking me around is probably what caused Jackie Ann to come early.” Birdie’s face turned red as she tried to keep from crying. “Ad was here this morning. When I told him I wasn’t gonna come home on account of his hitting me and maybe hurting the baby, he started yelling at me. The nurse came in and made him leave, but he said he’d take the baby away from me. He said I was too stupid to be a mama.”

“He had no business coming to see you. He must have been issued a seventy-two-hour no-contact order,” JJ. said.

“My dad picked him up at the jail. He told Ad I had no business airing our dirty laundry in public. Like Jackie Ann’s nothing but dirty socks.”

“Don’t worry, Birdie,” Luke said. “Nobody around here is going to let Ad take the baby away from you.”

Birdie looked at JJ. “I want a divorce. I know you aren’t a lawyer anymore, JJ., now you’re Luke’s wife and all, but Luke said you were a big lawyer in Denver. You’ll get me a divorce, won’t you? I can’t let Ad hurt Jackie Ann.”

JJ. gently touched Birdie’s restless hands. “I’m sure there are a number of good lawyers around here. Luke will help you find one.”

“I know I don’t got the kind of money you must have cost, but I’m gonna get a job and I can send you a little something every month.” Birdie picked at her blanket.

“Money has nothing to do with it, Birdie. I don’t—”

“I know you don’t need money, married to Luke and all.”

“Being married to Luke has nothing to do with it. I don’t do divorce work.”

“You could try and talk Luke into letting you do this one thing, couldn’t you? I don’t want to cause trouble between you and Luke, honest I don’t, but Luke’s crazy about you. He’d let you be my lawyer if you wanted to.”

J.J. looked at Luke as he stood silently at the foot of the hospital bed. He stared impassively back. J.J. wondered how many other people had heard from Luke she used to be a lawyer in Denver. Birdie’s words painted a clear picture of what J.J.’s life would be if she stayed married to Luke. Not that she’d been considering doing such a stupid thing. “I do not need Luke’s permission to take a case,” J.J. said in a frosty voice.

Birdie’s lower lip wobbled. “I guess you only work for important people.”

“That’s not it. I don’t—”

“I know Jackie Ann and I are nobody.

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