Heart of Texas Vol. 3 Read Free

there’d been some minor complications with the pregnancy. Despite that—and unlike her husband—the mother-to-be remained calm and confident. Savannah had insisted on a home delivery, overriding Laredo’s protests.
    â€œThis shouldn’t take long,” Jane promised. She hurried over to the hall phone.
    Cal cupped his hands behind his head and watched his wife move through the room, bathed in firelight. Her hair was mussed and her bathrobe hastily tied—and he couldn’t recall a time she’d looked more beautiful. It never ceased to amaze him that Jane had agreed to be his wife.
    Cal had begun to wonder if someone had spiked the water supply last summer. In less than a year most of his friends had married. First, Savannah Weston had met a stranger to Promise named Laredo Smith and subsequently married him. Cal’s own brother had married Ellie Frasier, owner of the local feed store, last September. No sooner had that wedding taken place when Grady Weston asked the postmistress, Caroline Daniels, to marry him—all within the space of a few short weeks. Even Sheriff Hennessey had married his longtime sweetheart, Dovie Boyd.
    It hadn’t been long before Cal fell in love himself.
    At one time Cal, Glen and Grady had been confirmed bachelors. With Cal, it had been a form of self-protection, he realized now. He’d been jilted by a former fiancée and the experience had left him bitter, determined never to fall for a woman again.
    But that was before he’d met Jane. Their first date was arranged by Ellie. At the time Cal had been annoyed and frustrated that his brand-new sister-in-law was matchmaking. By the end of the evening, however, Jane had managed to pique his interest. To his surprise he discovered he was looking for ward to seeing her again. Before he could help himself, he was deeply in love with her.
    A city girl. Worse, one from California. If anyone had told him six months ago that he’d marry a woman like Jane, he would have run screaming into the night. Now he couldn’t imagine living two minutes without her.
    With the phone against her ear, Jane caught her husband’s eyes and blew him a kiss. He grinned, content to wait. Relaxing on the rug, he listened to one-half of the conversation.
    â€œDon’t worry,” Jane was telling Laredo, “you didn’t interrupt anything important.”
    Cal sat upright at that, raising his eyebrows. Didn’t interrupt anything important? He saw that his wife could barely hold in her laughter at his expression.
    But her smile faded as she continued to listen to Laredo. “No…no you were right to phone. How long ago did you say her water broke?”
    The smile left Cal’s face, too. This was more serious than either of them had anticipated.
    â€œHow far apart are the contractions?” Jane reached for a pad and pencil and noted the information.
    Cal had delivered enough calves to know the signs of imminent birth. Savannah and Laredo were about to have their baby during the worst storm of the year.
    â€œI’ll be there within the hour,” Jane promised and replaced the receiver. “Savannah’s in labor,” she told Cal.
    â€œSo I heard.” He stood and she walked over to him and caressed the side of his face. “Looks like we’ll have to put our romantic interlude on hold.”
    â€œI’m a patient man,” he reminded her. He caught her fingers and pressed a kiss into her palm. “What time are we leaving?” he asked, snapping his shirt closed as he spoke.
    â€œWe?” Jane asked, arching her brows expressively. “I’m perfectly capable of delivering this baby.”
    â€œI never doubted it for an instant.” He opened her bathrobe, kissed the valley between her breasts and refastened it.
    â€œI can drive in a storm, too.”
    â€œI realize that,” he said, “but how good are you at keeping two strong-willed