Page 57 of All in with the Maverick Montana

“Yeah.”

“And the father… Is he,” Shane winced, “around?”

“He’s alive and well, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m not quite sure about the state of their relationship.” Amy said that it wasn’t good, and he’d left her, hadn’t he? He’d chosen someone else. Married that girl, even. But how did you say no to Tru McCoy? If he wanted back in this baby’s life…

“That’s rough,” Shane said.

“I’ll say.”

“Well, from where I’m sitting, you’ve got two options. One, you walk away. You let her go. She moves on. Has her baby. Plays happy house with her kid and the baby’s father.”

Josh didn’t like that option. “And two?”

“You fight for her.”

“Did you fight?” he asked, wondering about this girl that Shane had chased across Montana.

“For a while, yeah. We had our problems. Not surprise pregnancies, mind you. But we tried to make it work. I tried.”

Josh wanted to try. He did. But the real question was, did Amy want him to fight for her? Did she want him when she could have Tru? The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Why would she ever choose him over Mr. Hollywood Heartthrob? Josh didn’t think he could handle that rejection. He didn’t think he could bear to fight and lose. To let Amy and Tru stomp all over his heart.

“You gonna be okay?” Shane asked.

Josh glanced around the darkened property. There were still a couple chores to do. So even if he wasn’t okay, there were things to be getting on with. “I suppose so. I gotta check in on the cattle once more before bed.”

“You want help?”

“Nah. It’ll be good for me to keep busy. Get my mind off Amy and the baby.”

“If you need anything,” Shane said, getting to his feet, “let me know. Even if it’s just a lift to the bar tomorrow to pick up your truck.”

“Thanks,” Josh said. “That’d be great actually. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

Josh watched Shane walk back down the drive to his truck. When he was gone, Josh forced himself to his feet. All he wanted to do was go inside and go to bed and hope some of this turned out to be a bad dream. But the animals needed things and they didn’t care much for matters of the heart interrupting their dinner. Josh switched into his dusty, muck-covered work boots and headed out to the barn.

He called in the cattle, making sure they were fed and watered. Then he popped down to the horse stalls, mucking them out quickly before he called them in for the night.

When he was finished, he stood in the doorway of the barn and whistled. Bella and Mac trotted toward him. Bitsy stood out in the field, just a shadow against the blue-black sky, as stubborn as ever. Josh got the other two horses settled in their stalls before he returned for Bitsy, marching out across the field to get her. He brought a halter with him and strung it over her head so he could guide her back.

“Can we not do this tonight?” he said. It wasn’t lost on him that Bitsy had bonded so well with Amy these past weeks. Was she missing her favorite person too?

She huffed in his face, and Josh took that as a yes.

Josh led her back to the barn as raindrops started to fall. They pattered against the roof as he got Bitsy into her stall for the evening. She immediately dunked her head in the bucket of water, taking large gulps. Josh leaned against the gate, watching her for a moment. Bitsy had really taken to Amy, but without her here, she got on with business as usual. Maybe that’s what he needed to do too.

Maybe Tru coming tomorrow was for the best. It was certainly best for Amy. For her child. It didn’t matter that his heart ached at the thought. He could never compete with the glamour and jet-setting. He couldn’t give Amy or this baby everything they deserved.

Shane had said he could fight for Amy, but if he stood in Tru’s way, all he’d be asking Amy to do would be to give up a life of certain luxury.

Josh thumped the stall door. “Night, ladies. And Mac,” he said, listening to the soft braying of the horses as he left the barn, slumping through the rain to the house. He was soaked to the bone before he reached the porch, but that didn’t matter. It was just another box to check off on the long list of things that had sucked today.

What really sucked was the fact that he couldn’t stop envisioning everything he could have had: Amy moving into his place. Her clothes in his closet. Maybe a horse of her own in the stables.

That was probably the hardest part of today. Giving up that dream. It was foolish of him to let his mind plan for a future.

To long for it.