Page 75 of Kayla's Cowboy
“Well, I know you must have discussed the facts of life with Alex, but maybe I should say something as his father.”
A smile tugged at her mouth. “Or maybe not. While you’re getting along better, I doubt either one of you is ready for that. But don’t worry, I’ve discussed safe sex with Alex and that I hope he waits until he’s older. I’ve also reminded him that protection isn’t always a hundred percent. After all, that’s how he got here.”
“Oh.” A mix of both relief and chagrin filled Jackson’s face. “About that... Maybe I should confess something. The condoms I used when we were in high school might have been a little old.”
“Excuse me?”
“I sneaked them out of my parents’ bathroom. It didn’t occur to me that they stopped needing condoms when I was eight and Mom had a hysterectomy. They were obviously out-of-date, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Do you know how hard it is for a teenage boy to buy condoms in a town the size of Schuyler?”
His shamefaced honesty made her grin. “All things considered, I hope you’re using up-to-date protection now.”
“Certainly.” His eyes darkened and a tingle went through her. She knew exactly what he was thinking about.
Tossing her book aside, she jumped to her feet. “How about riding out and bringing a picnic lunch to the kids? I brought sandwiches since this is Flora’s day off.”
“Coward,” he accused softly.
“No, prudent.” She faced him squarely. “I don’t want a repeat of the other day, Jackson. We’re a Montana rancher and a Seattle businesswoman who once made a baby together. Other than that, we don’t much have in common. Our goals and ideas are on opposite poles. So let’s try to be on decent terms for Alex’s sake and leave it at that.”
* * *
JACKSON KNEW KAYLA was right, but his body clamored to make love to her until they were senseless.
Hell, he ought to be running the opposite direction. He’d broken his personal rules because of her—no women at the house, and no sex with a woman who might be looking for a husband. Not that Kayla was on the prowl for a spouse, but she still wasn’t the kind of woman he’d socialized with since his divorce.
“Okay, I’ll put together some things, and then we’ll go,” he said.
“Aren’t we going to carry it ourselves?” Kayla asked when she saw a third animal waiting patiently under a pack.
“This will be easier, and lets us bring extra water and other supplies.”
Riding quickly, they covered the ground to Halloran’s Meadow, where they saw the kids playing in the water.
“Hi, Mom,” DeeDee yelled. “What are you doing here?”
“We brought food,” Kayla called back. “How does a picnic sound?”
“Spectaculous.”
“Spectaculous? That isn’t a bad one,” Jackson murmured to Kayla as they dismounted and tethered their horses.
“Yeah, except someone already came up with it. She was crushed when she found out, though only for a few minutes. It’s great having a born optimist in the family.”
Jackson could imagine, though he suspected DeeDee’s father was a challenge to her natural optimism. He had a curious urge to provide DeeDee with the fatherly support that Curtis Anderson was failing to offer, and promptly broke into a cold sweat at the thought.
“Are you okay?” Kayla asked.
“Uh, yeah. Sure. Are you going into the water?”
“No, I’ll just sit in the shade and watch. I didn’t bring my swimsuit.”
Obviously he couldn’t suggest skinny-dipping as an alternative, but Jackson would have loved to see Kayla dancing naked in the waterfall. Years ago, on the same day he’d planned to bring Kayla to Halloran’s Meadow for the first time, Marcy’s father had come to the house to say she was pregnant.
Everything had changed after that, but looking back, it was probably the day he most regretted missing. While the meadow had been a favorite of the McGregors for over a century, he’d never brought Marcy there, even after they were married...but he had wanted to share it with Kayla.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THAT NIGHT ALEX found Sandy lying on the backyard lawn, staring up at the sky.
“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’ve just never seen so many stars, aside from when I was on vacation. They don’t look this way in Seattle. It’s awesome.”
“I know. I wish you could have come to Yellowstone with us. We slept outside and could look at the sky all night.”
Two streaks of light shot over them toward the horizon.