An Heir For The Texan. KRISTI GOLD
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as best we can tell from the ultrasound. I’m not exactly sure when I got pregnant. I found out the morning Dallas and I married the second time.”
“Second time?”
Paris laughed. “It’s a rather strange tale. The first time we married for all the wrong reasons. I needed a job and Dallas needed a wife before his birthday to keep control of the ranch, thanks to J.D.’s stipulation in the will. As it turned out, my ex-husband lied to me about my divorce being finalized. Dallas threatened him, I quit my position as designer for the new lodge and then he realized he couldn’t live without me, so we married in earnest. End of story.”
And quite a story it was. “I’m glad it worked out for you both.”
“So am I.” Paris flinched. “I swear, Junior here is playing soccer with my rib cage. Dallas is always asking me if the baby’s kicking so he can feel it.”
“Do you mind if I do?”
“Not at all, and thanks for asking. I’ve had complete strangers coming up to me in the store and patting my belly like a pet without my permission.”
Georgie laid her palm over the place Paris had indicated, and received a tap as a reward. “Wow,” she said after she moved her hand away. “Definitely a strong little guy. Or girl. Do you know the gender yet?”
Paris shook her head. “We’ve decided to be surprised.”
“Any names picked out?”
“If it’s a girl, Carlie. And if it’s a boy, Luke.”
“Please tell me that Luke isn’t the short version of Luckenbach to carry on the tradition of naming the kids after Texas cities.”
Paris grinned. “Funny you should mention that. Dallas thought it would be clever to name him Luckenbach, which I immediately nixed since it would be difficult for a child to spell it. Of course, he then came up with a whole alternate list, including Midland, Odessa, Arlington and the crowning glory, Texarkana.”
“Glad you decided on Luke and Carlie.”
They exchanged a laugh followed by Paris pressing her palms in her lower back. “These spasms are not fun.”
“I remember that pain and pressure. It makes it very hard to sleep, especially when it’s coupled with having to go to the bathroom five times a...” Her words trailed off when she realized she’d completely given herself away.
Paris raised a brow. “Sounds to me like you’ve had some experience with pregnancy.”
She saw no reason to lie to Paris at this point, at least about her child’s existence. “Actually, I have a five-year-old son.”
Paris’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t know that.”
“Aside from my mother and father, no one around here knows.”
“Not even the Calloways?”
“Not yet.” But if all went as planned, they would eventually know... As soon as she figured out how to tell the father.
“What about your son’s dad?” Paris lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m being too nosy.”
“It’s okay. I appreciate having someone to talk to. He hasn’t been in the picture.”
“I’m so sorry, Georgie. I hate it when a man doesn’t take responsibility for his child.”
“He doesn’t know.”
Once more, Paris looked stunned. “Why?”
“It’s complicated.” More than anyone would ever know.
Paris sent her a sympathetic look. “I can do complicated, but only if you want to talk about it.”
Although she’d only known Paris for an hour, Georgie sensed she could be objective, and nonjudgmental. Not to mention she’d kept the truth bottled up far too long. “When I found out I was pregnant, I tried to contact him and discovered he’d recently married. I didn’t want to rock that boat.”
“Is he someone you met in college?”
“No. He’s from around here. That’s one of the reasons I decided to return here to set up my practice. I needed to be close to my family, as well.”
“Then you plan to involve him in your son’s life.”
She hadn’t even planned how she would tell him. “Whether or not that’s an option would solely be dependent on his attitude. He’s not going to be thrilled that I’ve kept him in the dark for so long.”
Paris remained silent for a few seconds, as if she needed time to digest the information. “Georgie,” she began, “do the Calloways know this mystery man?”
She hesitated a moment to mull over how she would answer, and how much she would reveal. “Everyone knows everybody around here.”
Paris turned and began to fold a dish towel. “Okay. It’s not Dallas, is it?”
“Heavens no.” Georgie realized the comment was borderline rude. “Don’t get me wrong, Dallas is an attractive man, but he’s always treated me like a kid sister.”
Paris laid a palm on Georgie’s arm. “I wasn’t exactly serious. I can tell there’s nothing between you two. Which leads me to another question. It’s your decision whether to answer or not.”
Georgie braced for the query. “Ask away.”
Paris leaned back against the counter and studied her straight on. “Is it Austin?”
Georgie studied the toe of her boot. “Well...uh... I...”
“I know you two have been involved before,” Paris continued. “And I can tell you still care about him by the way you look at him.”
If Paris had noticed, what about the rest of the Calloways? What about Austin? Had she really been that obvious? “Yes, I cared about him a lot a long time ago, and in some ways I still do. Unfortunately I made the fatal mistake of letting those feelings get in the way of logic six years ago.”
“Then if you do still care about him, Georgie, you should tell him you have a child together.”
“I never actually said he’s the father.”
“You haven’t denied it, either.”
Georgie resigned herself to the fact that she couldn’t get out of this predicament without digging a deeper deception hole. “All right. Austin is Chance’s father. We got together the night after the reading of his father’s will. He was upset when he learned about J.D.’s double life, and I wanted so badly to comfort him. That’s how we conceived our son.”
Paris sent her a sympathetic look. “Austin is a good man. He’ll understand why you felt you couldn’t tell him at that point in time.”
If only she could believe that theory. “I had every intention of telling him, but when I found out he was married, I didn’t have the heart to mess up his life. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. But when I learned he was divorced right before I finished vet school, I realized maybe I’d been wrong. Now he’s going to hate me for not telling him sooner.”
“He’s going to be angry, but I doubt he’ll hate you. And I know he won’t hate having a son. That’s why I believe you should let him know, unless you plan to keep your son hidden until he’s an adult.”
She needed more time to think. She needed to get home before her mom called.
With that in mind, Georgie turned to Paris and attempted a small smile. “I’m going to take everything you’ve said into serious consideration. In the meantime, if you don’t mind—”
“Not saying anything to anyone?” Paris returned her smile. “I promise I won’t mention