The waitress passed and Brooke asked for the bill. Her voice sounded scratchy, and she was amazed the woman understood her. What would she do once she’d paid for their meal?
She had absolutely no idea.
She’d started the evening wanting to explore the way Caleb made her feel. She hadn’t expected the experience to last past dessert. After all, what did she have in common with a man who poked cows—or whatever it was called—for a living?
Did she have the nerve to investigate further? She’d never been sexually adventurous. Repressed is the word one of her lovers had used, and all because she liked to schedule their…encounters weeks in advance. She also had a tendency to tell her partner exactly what she liked, but it wasn’t because she was being bossy or picky. She knew what she wanted in a mate. She did intend to spend the rest of her life with this person after all. She had a right to high expectations both in bed and out.
And look where that had led her.
She had three failed love affairs to her credit and tomorrow she had the appointment in Dallas with a paternity Popsicle. Her stomach tightened, forcing her to dig in her purse for the roll of antacids. The day after being inseminated she’d fly to California to arrange the shipping of all her belongings from her apartment to her new home in southwestern McMullen County. She’d never see Caleb again.
The emptiness in her stomach was a new experience.
Perhaps it was time to be spontaneous. Renting the Miata was a baby step compared to what she was actually considering. She popped a chalky tablet into her mouth and washed it down.
“Barbecue too spicy?” The genuine concern in his voice and on his face was both unexpected and touching.
“No, I take these for the calcium.” And for the baby she hoped to conceive.
“Gonna finish your dessert?”
She’d only taken one bite. Caleb had shared the other and killed her appetite for her beloved chocolate with one steamy look. “I…no. I’ll take it with me.”
Start as you mean to go. Book one, chapter one. She’d spent the last ten years chasing success, trying to please her publisher, her accountant, and her parents. She’d focused on external goals—visible signs of success—rather than internal ones. It left her feeling empty, like a fraud who didn’t practice what she preached. When a rival had called her a sellout on a national radio show, she’d acknowledged that he might have a point and vowed to change her focus. The move to Texas signified a shift toward satisfying her emotional needs.
Right now she needed Caleb. Oh dear.
She could tell him goodbye, go back to her motel room and finish this milestone birthday alone, or she could reach beyond her comfort zone and test her resolve to find herself.
Be spontaneous. She suppressed a shudder. Spontaneity went against every fiber of her being.
She needed her Day Planner and a pen. It was vital to consider all the angles before making a decision as important as this one. But she’d left her planner in her car, and if she took the time to get it and map a strategy this opportunity would pass.
Personal growth is only achieved by stepping beyond one’s boundaries. Never let a day go by without taking a step toward your goal. Book one, chapter two.
“M-my motel is just down the road.”
He blinked those lush lashes, one slow sweep of black against his tanned skin, but not before she saw desire ignite in his eyes. Caleb leaned forward and she caught her breath, but instead of kissing her like she thought he would—like she’d hoped he would—he pulled out his wallet and tossed enough money on the table to cover the bill.
“I’m supposed to pay for dinner,” she protested.
“You can buy the condoms. Lady’s choice. Let’s go.”
When he put it like that she wondered if she might have been precipitous in making her decision.
“I—I—” Her bottom might as well be glued to the chair, and even though she made her living as a public speaker, she couldn’t seem to think of a single thing to say.
He paused, his face carefully neutral. “Or I can walk you to your car and point you in the direction of your motel.”
You run out of chances when you stop taking them. Her own words haunted her. She took a deep breath, wet her lips and tried to summon her courage.
Caleb lifted his hat from the extra chair and set it on his head. His expression tightened. “How about I thank you for your company and say good night right here?”
“No, I—” Her mouth was as dry as the Mojave Desert. She swallowed, but it didn’t help. “Caleb, wait.”
She’d never been tempted to sleep with a total stranger. Of course, she’d never been impregnated by a man she’d never seen before, either, but she would be tomorrow.
Be spontaneous.
Every muscle in her body clenched as she prepared to take the leap. She might as well have been jumping out of an airplane for all the trepidation she felt. “You’ll have to tell me where we can buy the…condoms. I’m not familiar with the stores here.”
Fire, hot enough to incinerate her where she sat, flashed in Caleb’s eyes. “There’s a pharmacy on the corner.”
Her parents would say she was suffering from a psychosis. Such impulsive behaviors were certainly a deviation from her norm. But her parents would be wrong. Before she reached her room she’d regain control of her emotions and the situation. But first, she had to get her shaky legs to support her. She wobbled to her feet. “Lead the way.”
He pressed his palm against her spine and escorted her out of the restaurant and across the street to the pharmacy. The heat of his touch transferred through her silk jacket, warming her skin and weakening her knees with the promise of more intimate contact to come.
The pharmacy was a small mom and pop operation. She spotted her latest book on a rack near the back, but didn’t venture over to sign it because Caleb followed one pace behind. She probably wouldn’t have been able to hold the pen anyway.
Brooke snatched the first box of condoms from the shelf and shoved them across the counter to the cashier, hoping she didn’t look as mortified as she felt. Then she looked at her purchase. Oh dear heavens, she’d picked up the jumbo-size box of extra larges.
Caleb said nothing during the purchase, but he arched a dark brow and rocked back on his boot heels when she found the nerve to meet his amused gaze outside the store. “Ambitious, aren’t you?”
Brooke wanted to crawl through the cracks in the sidewalk. She’d never bought condoms before, and frankly, it was embarrassing, but she refused to give up ground by admitting she might have been…overzealous in her purchase.
Cross those self-imposed boundaries and seize the momentum.
She stiffened her spine and stared right back. “Afraid you won’t live up to my expectations, Caleb?”
A slow and devastatingly sexy smile eased its way across his face. “Sweetheart, I’ll do my best or die trying.”
Every cell in her body quivered like Jell-O. Oh. My. God. She was actually going to do this. “My motel is—” Her throat knotted and she couldn’t finish it.
Caleb had no such problem. “Around the corner.” He winked. “Only one in town. The question is whether or not you want my truck parked outside your room.”
The gesture was unbelievably considerate considering she’d picked the man up in a bar and didn’t intend to see him again once she checked out of the motel.
He tucked her hair behind her ear and tilted up her chin. The gentle scrape