Lindsey burst into tears again.
“What?” Tex said. “Hey, now, you didn’t complain the last time. Begged for more.”
Owen cringed and shook his head, hoping to get Tex to shut his big mouth.
“Did you remember to use protection that night, Tex?” Shade asked.
“What? ’Course I did. Don’t know where these loose groupie girls have been, you know? Gotta protect Big Hoss. Wouldn’t want him to catch nuthin’.”
Lindsey swayed sideways, and Owen grabbed her before she collapsed. “You okay?” he asked.
She leaned heavily on him, clinging to his arm for balance. “I think so. I feel a little dizzy.”
And who could blame her? He felt a little dizzy too.
“What’s this all about?” Tex asked. “Y’all are acting kinda strange.”
“You’re going to be a father, Tex,” Adam said. “Well, one of you are. It isn’t mine.”
“We’ll figure out who the father is when the time comes,” Gabe said. “Just shut up about it for now. You shouldn’t get a pregnant woman emotionally upset. It can harm the baby. Owen, help her sit down.”
But if she sat down, that meant she’d be staying.
“What?” Tex said. “She’s pregnant?”
“Just over six months pregnant,” Owen said. “Which correlates to—”
“The Christmas Eve f**k-fest!” Tex interrupted. His eyes widened as one and one made three. “I swear it isn’t mine.”
Lindsey flinched as if someone had slapped her. Now that his initial shock had receded a bit, Owen started to imagine what it must feel like to be her. To become pregnant while having a bit of sexy fun—which he did all the time, so he couldn’t judge her for it—and not know who had fathered the child. How would it feel to be ostracized by your family for making a mistake and have no one to turn to? He wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. But he could help her. Even if the baby wasn’t his. And he prayed to God it wasn’t his. He didn’t want to be a father but at the same time, he didn’t want harm to come to the child. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that no one wanted him.
“Just so everyone shuts the f**k up,” Owen said, “I’ll claim the child until we find out otherwise, okay?” Under his breath he added, “Someone around here needs to take responsibility for the places he sticks his dick.”
Owen eased Lindsey onto the sofa. She immediately covered her abdomen with both arms and gazed up at him with wide eyes. She had the face of an angel with the exception of the dark circles under her eyes. Physically, she was so Kelly’s type it was ridiculous. Kelly couldn’t resist a woman with big blue eyes and a look of innocence about her. But Lindsey wasn’t Owen’s type. Caitlyn was Owen’s type. Why did this have to happen just when he was finally ready to consider a serious relationship again? Another snafu—situation normal, all f**ked up.
“You okay?” Owen asked her.
Lindsey nodded and wiped her tears on the pink-striped T-shirt at her shoulder. As much as he didn’t want to be involved in this mess, Owen couldn’t stand anyone to look so upset. So desperate. So alone. “Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?”
She hesitated and then nodded again. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“That’s not good for you or the baby,” Shade said. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. “Neither is beer and leftover sushi.” He closed the refrigerator door with his foot.
Adam rattled the single remaining peanut at the bottom of the can. “Have a peanut.”
Shade slapped the can out of his hand. “Get the woman some real food. She’s pregnant. Have you ever dealt with a hungry pregnant woman?”
“No.”
“Well, I have and it ain’t pretty.”
“I didn’t mean to get pregnant,” Lindsey whispered, gazing up at Owen imploringly, as if she’d been declared guilty and he was her executioner with a readied ax slung over one shoulder.
Owen smiled at her and smoothed her check with one finger. Her eyes drifted closed, and large tears dripped from beneath her lids. He wished she’d stop doing that already. Did she have any idea what a sucker he was? Actually, that was probably why she’d approached him first.
“I believe you,” he said. “Now don’t cry any more. We’ll take care of you.”
“Let’s go get something to eat before we hit the road,” Shade said. “Then we can ditch her at a hotel until after the next show. We have a few days’ break before our two shows in New Orleans; we’ll get this mess straightened out then.”
Lindsey ducked her head, but she didn’t argue. Owen wondered how she could stand being talked about as if she were a problem, not a person.
“She can come with us to Beaumont,” he said. “It isn’t far. And she’s probably afraid to be by herself in a strange city.”
She looked at him as if he were her personal savior. A warm feeling spread through his chest. He liked helping people, and he was glad they’d found a temporary solution to the situation. Now if he could figure out what he could possibly say to make things up to Caitlyn. He missed her already.
If she’d have him, he wanted her for more than one night. A lot more.
He’d probably have to do something spectacular to regain her trust, but he had no reservations about giving his all to rock her world.
“Tex,” Shade said, “drive out of the city, but stop at a restaurant in some small town.”
Tex was staring at Lindsey as if she had a forked tongue and horns.
“Tex!”
He jerked and forced his attention to Shade.
“Did you hear me?”
“Restaurant. Small town. Got it.” He rushed to the front of the bus and disappeared into the walled compartment that obscured the driver from the rest of the vehicle.
“Thanks for being nice to me,” Lindsey said. She offered Shade a small smile.
“Do you need to stop somewhere and pick up your belongings?” Gabe asked, settling onto the sofa beside her, his long legs extending for miles in front of him.
“My car broke down in Oklahoma. Everything I own that’s not in this bag is there abandoned on the side of the road.”
She lifted her blue-and-white-striped bag, which was about the size of a sofa cushion, onto her lap and hugged it against her.
Gabe patted her shoulder. “How did you get to Houston?”
“What?” Tex said. “Hey, now, you didn’t complain the last time. Begged for more.”
Owen cringed and shook his head, hoping to get Tex to shut his big mouth.
“Did you remember to use protection that night, Tex?” Shade asked.
“What? ’Course I did. Don’t know where these loose groupie girls have been, you know? Gotta protect Big Hoss. Wouldn’t want him to catch nuthin’.”
Lindsey swayed sideways, and Owen grabbed her before she collapsed. “You okay?” he asked.
She leaned heavily on him, clinging to his arm for balance. “I think so. I feel a little dizzy.”
And who could blame her? He felt a little dizzy too.
“What’s this all about?” Tex asked. “Y’all are acting kinda strange.”
“You’re going to be a father, Tex,” Adam said. “Well, one of you are. It isn’t mine.”
“We’ll figure out who the father is when the time comes,” Gabe said. “Just shut up about it for now. You shouldn’t get a pregnant woman emotionally upset. It can harm the baby. Owen, help her sit down.”
But if she sat down, that meant she’d be staying.
“What?” Tex said. “She’s pregnant?”
“Just over six months pregnant,” Owen said. “Which correlates to—”
“The Christmas Eve f**k-fest!” Tex interrupted. His eyes widened as one and one made three. “I swear it isn’t mine.”
Lindsey flinched as if someone had slapped her. Now that his initial shock had receded a bit, Owen started to imagine what it must feel like to be her. To become pregnant while having a bit of sexy fun—which he did all the time, so he couldn’t judge her for it—and not know who had fathered the child. How would it feel to be ostracized by your family for making a mistake and have no one to turn to? He wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. But he could help her. Even if the baby wasn’t his. And he prayed to God it wasn’t his. He didn’t want to be a father but at the same time, he didn’t want harm to come to the child. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that no one wanted him.
“Just so everyone shuts the f**k up,” Owen said, “I’ll claim the child until we find out otherwise, okay?” Under his breath he added, “Someone around here needs to take responsibility for the places he sticks his dick.”
Owen eased Lindsey onto the sofa. She immediately covered her abdomen with both arms and gazed up at him with wide eyes. She had the face of an angel with the exception of the dark circles under her eyes. Physically, she was so Kelly’s type it was ridiculous. Kelly couldn’t resist a woman with big blue eyes and a look of innocence about her. But Lindsey wasn’t Owen’s type. Caitlyn was Owen’s type. Why did this have to happen just when he was finally ready to consider a serious relationship again? Another snafu—situation normal, all f**ked up.
“You okay?” Owen asked her.
Lindsey nodded and wiped her tears on the pink-striped T-shirt at her shoulder. As much as he didn’t want to be involved in this mess, Owen couldn’t stand anyone to look so upset. So desperate. So alone. “Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?”
She hesitated and then nodded again. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“That’s not good for you or the baby,” Shade said. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside. “Neither is beer and leftover sushi.” He closed the refrigerator door with his foot.
Adam rattled the single remaining peanut at the bottom of the can. “Have a peanut.”
Shade slapped the can out of his hand. “Get the woman some real food. She’s pregnant. Have you ever dealt with a hungry pregnant woman?”
“No.”
“Well, I have and it ain’t pretty.”
“I didn’t mean to get pregnant,” Lindsey whispered, gazing up at Owen imploringly, as if she’d been declared guilty and he was her executioner with a readied ax slung over one shoulder.
Owen smiled at her and smoothed her check with one finger. Her eyes drifted closed, and large tears dripped from beneath her lids. He wished she’d stop doing that already. Did she have any idea what a sucker he was? Actually, that was probably why she’d approached him first.
“I believe you,” he said. “Now don’t cry any more. We’ll take care of you.”
“Let’s go get something to eat before we hit the road,” Shade said. “Then we can ditch her at a hotel until after the next show. We have a few days’ break before our two shows in New Orleans; we’ll get this mess straightened out then.”
Lindsey ducked her head, but she didn’t argue. Owen wondered how she could stand being talked about as if she were a problem, not a person.
“She can come with us to Beaumont,” he said. “It isn’t far. And she’s probably afraid to be by herself in a strange city.”
She looked at him as if he were her personal savior. A warm feeling spread through his chest. He liked helping people, and he was glad they’d found a temporary solution to the situation. Now if he could figure out what he could possibly say to make things up to Caitlyn. He missed her already.
If she’d have him, he wanted her for more than one night. A lot more.
He’d probably have to do something spectacular to regain her trust, but he had no reservations about giving his all to rock her world.
“Tex,” Shade said, “drive out of the city, but stop at a restaurant in some small town.”
Tex was staring at Lindsey as if she had a forked tongue and horns.
“Tex!”
He jerked and forced his attention to Shade.
“Did you hear me?”
“Restaurant. Small town. Got it.” He rushed to the front of the bus and disappeared into the walled compartment that obscured the driver from the rest of the vehicle.
“Thanks for being nice to me,” Lindsey said. She offered Shade a small smile.
“Do you need to stop somewhere and pick up your belongings?” Gabe asked, settling onto the sofa beside her, his long legs extending for miles in front of him.
“My car broke down in Oklahoma. Everything I own that’s not in this bag is there abandoned on the side of the road.”
She lifted her blue-and-white-striped bag, which was about the size of a sofa cushion, onto her lap and hugged it against her.
Gabe patted her shoulder. “How did you get to Houston?”
