LITMIR.BIZ

       Two

      Tucker hadn’t missed the sheen of moisture in her eyes or her attempt at humor. From the white cowgirl boots to the froth of tulle and lace, she looked like a refugee from a hillbilly comedy show, but in her case, the clothing didn’t define the woman hiding behind the caricature. In their short time together, he’d seen determination, warmth and an effervescent spirit. He admired the first and as a man, could appreciate the rest. He also sensed she was far more lonely than she wanted anyone to know. Given her circumstances? Totally understandable. He decided to play along. For now. “Ah, no,” he said, hiding a grin. “Braxton Hicks are like false labor.”

      “No, really?” she said dryly, giving an exaggerated roll of her eyes. A moment later, she tilted her head to study him from under creased eyebrows. “How would a man like you know somethin’ like that? You married?” He caught her checking out his left hand where it lightly gripped the steering wheel.

      Biting back a bark of laughter, Tucker shook his head. Settling down was the last thing on his mind. “Nope. But that big family I mentioned? I have brothers and cousins. Some are married with kids.” And his cousin-in-law Jolie, a nurse, had schooled everyone on the stages of pregnancy and birth when his Barron cousin Kade and wife, Pippa, went through the process. His gaze strayed to Zoe’s belly again. Her hands were laced over it and he found the gesture...sweet.

      Tuck eased off the brake, realizing he’d stopped in the middle of the road. Good thing there wasn’t any traffic. “So tell me something.” He glanced at her, waiting until she faced him to continue. “Were you serious about it being a shotgun wedding?”

      An expression he couldn’t immediately decipher flickered across her face. She shifted to stare out her side of the car, and he thought she’d ignore his question. Then he heard her sigh.

      “That there would be a very long story. Are you sure you wanna wade around in my can of worms?”

      And that there was a good question, he mused. By stopping and picking her up, he’d dived headfirst into her mess, and to be honest, his curiosity was getting the better of him. “It’s a long drive to Nashville. We’ve got time.”

      “Well, sir, you’ve asked for it. Question becomes, where should I start?”

      “The beginning always works for me.”

      “True, that. So...about nine months ago, I was singing my way from honky-tonk to roadhouse, and one night, I was fillin’ in as a singer for the house band at Shooter Jake’s.” She looked his way to see if he was following along. “You’ve heard of it?”

      He nodded. Shooter Jake’s, in Dalton, Georgia, was one step up from a roadhouse, but the owner had an ear for music and a willingness to give talented newcomers a chance. He wasn’t going to admit precisely how familiar he was with the place. It had been Jake himself who put Tuck on the trail of the band he’d just auditioned.

      “So anyway, it was a one-night deal. Their lead singer came down with something and couldn’t perform. Mr. Jake introduced me to ’em—the band, I mean. Come dark, there I was, front’n center on the stage.”

      “Okay?” He wondered if maybe one of the band members was responsible for her current condition.

      “That night I was singin’ my heart out and there was a guy sittin’ there at a table. He was downright good-lookin’, if you know what I mean?” She cut her eyes toward him and winked. “Not as handsome as you, but dang close. Anyway, he bought me a drink. And then another. And so on, until...well, you get my drift.” She paused and waggled her finger in his direction. “Now, I might not be a good girl, but I ain’t normally stupid, even if I’ve drunk way more whiskey than is good for me. We took precautions but...” She sighed. “Sometimes, stuff happens. Come mornin’, he went his way while I went mine.”

      “Uh-huh.” Tucker was fascinated, despite his better judgment.

      “Well, due to circumstances...” She patted her belly. “That stuff happened. I bought a test to confirm it.”

      Tucker had the insane urge to touch her belly. “It was obviously positive.”

      “Yup. So, I went lookin’ for the man. I figured he had the right to know, seein’ as he was the daddy and all.” She glanced over at him. “I mean, wouldn’t you want to know?”

      He considered the question. “Yes, I would.”

      “Took me two months to track Redmond down, and by then, it was a little late to be doin’ anything about the situation.” Her chin rose in a stubborn jut. “Not that I would have, even if that’s what he wanted. That solution is fine for some people, but not me.” She rubbed her belly with one hand, a gesture both protective and soothing, and one Tucker thought she was unaware of. He found it...endearing.

      “So...” Tuck stretched out the word. “You wanted him to marry you?”

      “Oh, hell no! I mean really, it’s not like love had a thing to do with it.” She inhaled deeply and breathed out slowly. “And I wasn’t out to trap him. I’m not that kind of woman.”

      Given that she was running away from her wedding, obviously not. Tucker said as much. “Since you’re here with me and not on your honeymoon, I sort of figured that.”

      Zoe blinked rapidly at him. “I told you my life has turned into a soap opera. Are you sure you want to know all this?”

      At his nod, she continued. “I didn’t discover until too late that I shoulda just hightailed it outta there. Redmond let on that he was prouder than a bantam rooster about bein’ a daddy, but did he take care of me or help with doctor bills? Nope. That sonavagun dragged me all over the South, stallin’ every step of the way.” She dropped her voice as she mimicked. “Just one more job, baby girl, then I’ll give you some money.” She rolled her eyes and grimaced. “I plead pregnancy hormones because if I’d been in my right mind, I would have ditched that man way before I did.”

      “Uh-huh.” He didn’t hide the dubious tone in his voice.

      “Trust me, I’m serious. Anyway, we were down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.” She started to say more but caught herself. “Let’s just say things went downhill. He turned out to be a...well, Redmond liked the ladies. A lot. And it got him in a whole heap of trouble.”

      Tucker didn’t like the way her voice sounded. “What kind of trouble?”

      “Unbeknownst to me, he took up with another man’s wife. And got caught with his britches down. T’make a long and sordid story short, there was a shoot-out. Red walked away. The husband didn’t.”

      She heaved out a sigh and rubbed her side.

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