Chapter 6
Jake stayed for two weeks and then he finally left. Bella was a mixed of emotions, which she seemed to be having more of than normal. For some reason, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, whether he was there or not, but it was much harder to deny her feelings for him when she ended up getting to know him. He was as sweet as he was handsome and she had forgotten how lonely she had been since her husband passed. Her heart was still delicate though and she worried about those feelings. She had promised herself that she would never love again, but it was hard not to care for Jake.
She tried to forget about him and was soon given something else to worry about. The last few days since he’d gone, Bella had been feeling drained and getting sick in the mornings. It wasn’t like her and she chalked it up to a nervous stomach. By the fourth morning, she was starting to think that it was something else. When she looked at her calendar and the quotations for each month, she knew it was something else.
“Shit.”
Bella sat there for a long time, thinking about what that meant. It was bittersweet to find out. It was something she had wanted since she’s gotten married, but never like that. She had expected it to be with Carlos. Not a one night stand.
But Jake wasn’t really a one night stand anymore. They hadn’t had sex again, though they did share a few kisses. She had gotten to know him though and the more she had been around him, the more she had started to like him more. But like and good sex was not enough to raise a child with a person, someone that she wasn’t even dating. He might freak out.
She didn’t know how she was going to tell him, but she knew she had to, eventually.
***
Eventually didn’t come until her hand was forced. It was time for her quarterly pickup and she had 4 horses to bring back. Thunder was staying behind with her, but the rest would all be off to new owners. She had a few to pick up, more than usual. When she complained about the extra two horses, Betsy had dropped another bombshell.
“Oh, well Jake is coming down with another trailer.”
“Okay that is better than having to make a second trip.”
“He’s going there to stay.”
Bella knew that she had told her over the phone instead of in person, because maybe she would have had more objection grounds. “I don’t need any help down here mom.”
“He’s really good Bella. He can do more there and you can teach him, but he has the gift.”
“I know it’s just, I like it out here by myself.”
“You shouldn’t. That big old house has to get lonely.”
“You are just full of surprises today aren’t you? I have one of my own.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
She left it at that and Bella was almost home before she got a call from Betsy again. Her mother liked to be in control and the one thing she hated was a surprise. If something was brought to her at the last minute, she did not have time to plan.
“So what is the surprise? Am I going to like it?”
“I’m driving. I will see you in a bit.”
“Okay, but are you bringing anyone with you?”
“In a way.”
Bella hung up again, enjoying her discomfort a bit too much. She forgot that she hadn’t told Jake yet and she sobered up thinking about it. There was nothing she could do though, the bump was already visible on her short frame and all of her clothes were getting tighter as she grew. Her anxiety grew as well, the closer she got back home.
About twenty miles from her destination, one of the trailer tires blew and she was left on the side of the road with no spare. She called Betsy back to get one of the spare tires at the ranch. Betsy said she would send one down in a few minutes, thirty minutes later it was Jake that showed up. Looking down at her stomach, she pulled her loose jacket over herself and smiled at him.
Jake stopped with the look, so different than how she had looked at him before. There was a vulnerability and desire that she had always kept hidden from him. He wanted to kiss her, but was afraid to break the sudden spell that she had over him.
“Thanks for coming Jake. I don’t know why I took that tire out. I think it was for a load of feed and I just never put it back in.”
“I’m just glad I could be here to help.”
“You are pretty helpful, aren’t you?”
He turned around and moved closer suddenly.
“Any help you need at any time.”
“Like on call?”
He pulled back and had an embarrassed look on his face. She had gone from hot to not in just minutes. He never knew where he stood with her, but he knew that soon they would be around each other all the time and she would not be able to brush him off so easily. It would be different if she didn’t desire him as much as she did. He could see it in her eyes sometime, still remembering the raw moment when he first arrived. It is what gave him hope.