Cowgirls Don't Cry(39)

“Jess?” he murmured.

“What’s happening between us?”


“I don’t know, but it’s twisting me in knots.”


“Me too.”


“But unless you wanna add more fuel to Francie’s fire, you’d better stop lookin’ at me like that.”


“Like what?”


“Like you want…well, mostly like you don’t hate me.”


“Brandt, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you. It’d be easier if I could. But I can’t. Not by a long shot.”


Whispering to him while staring into his eyes created an odd sort of intimacy.

When he didn’t say anything, just continued gazing at her with those compelling eyes, she felt that pull between them get stronger.

“Landon McKay?” the nurse said from the doorway.

Another untimely interruption, but Jessie didn’t dwell on it, nor did she bother seeing where all the curious looks were coming from in the waiting room. She stood, wincing when she shifted Landon to her left side. She thought she’d built up a strong set muscles from working with horses and hauling hay bales, but holding a toddler for hours on end used a whole different muscle group.

Brandt noticed. “What’s wrong?”


“I’ve been holding Landon nonstop since Sunday. My arms are sore. My back is sore.”


“I’m sorry. I wish—”


“It couldn’t be helped.”


“Let me take him.” Landon was so exhausted he went into Brandt’s arms without fussing.

The wait for Doctor Monroe to appear was remarkably short. She bustled into the room. Frowned.

“Has the nurse been in yet for a height and weight check?”


“No.”


“Gotta do that first. Strip him down and Fiona will be right in.” Then she left.

Landon hated getting naked. So by the time they’d undressed him down to his diaper, he was screaming mad. He wouldn’t stand so the nurse could measure him. They ended up using the baby scale to weigh him. He was fighting Brandt at every turn, giving Jessie such pitiful eyes, that she had to look away.

Which made him madder yet.

Doctor Monroe bustled into the room. Brandt gave up and let Landon run to Jessie, screaming,

“Mama, mama, mama,” throwing himself at her.

Jessie froze. The tension in the room doubled. “That’s the first time he’s called me that.”


“I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before. To some extent, given the circumstances, the women in his life are interchangeable,” Doctor Monroe said.

“Like father like son,” slipped out before Jessie could stop it.

Doc Monroe ignored her, but she felt Brandt’s probing gaze.

Once Landon was seated on Jessie’s lap, he was fairly docile. He let the doctor poke and prod him, all the while she kept up a light chattering tone that soothed him. When the doc checked his ears, she sucked in a sharp breath. “Kid’s got an ear infection all right. Poor thing.” She rubbed his bare back before she rolled away to jot down notes. She addressed Brandt. “Did Landon’s mother tell you if he’s allergic to penicillin?”


“No clue.”


Doc Monroe looked at Jessie. “Was Luke allergic to penicillin? The allergy tends to have genetic properties.”


“No, far as I know Luke wasn’t allergic.”