Page 101 of Knot my First Rodeo

The thought follows me all the way outside.

The porch swing creaks softly beneath me while I tuck one leg underneath myself and stare out toward the pasture. A breeze drifts through the yard carrying the scent of cut grass and horses. Somewhere near the chicken barn, one of the hens starts making enough noise to suggest she's accomplished something impressive.

I envy her confidence.

The screen door opens behind me, and I don't have to turn around.

The porch boards creak once and the swing shifts slightly.

Briggs.

For a minute, neither of us says anything. The swing rocks gently beneath us, a wind chime rattles somewhere near the corner of the house.

"You've got that look."

I glance sideways. "What look?"

"The one where you're thinkin' yourself into a problem."

I immediately look back toward the pasture. Which probably tells him exactly what, or who, I’m thinking about.

His shoulder brushes mine lightly as the swing moves. Not enough to be obvious, but enough that I notice. My fingers tighten slightly around the can of Full Throttle resting in my lap.

"We didn't use protection.”I blurt out.

Briggs stills. "What?"

"We didn't use protection," I repeat quietly.

I finally glance over, and Briggs is staring at me. He doesn’t look angry or annoyed, just very focused.

His eyes widen. "Oh, fuck."

My stomach drops. "See, that's pretty much the reaction I was afraid of."

"Autumn."

Something about his tone makes me sit up straighter.