A Cowboy’s Gift
Code of the West
Rodeo cowboy Gus Holt and school teacher Mary McLean have a history. Once upon a time they’d been going to say, “I do,” and commit themselves to each other forever. Then Gus realized just how long forever was and panic had set in. He’d handled it badly, without a doubt. He never should have said he’d rather be dead than wed. But 20 year old rodeo cowboys are not famous for their tact.
Still, that was almost a dozen years ago. It doesn’t seem quite fair to Gus that Mary should still be holding it against him.
But she is. She has to. Because she doesn’t dare give in to feelings that have never died.
It’s perverse, Mary thinks, how Gus can simply walk back into her life and turn it upside down, how he can make her want things she knows she shouldn’t want — not from him, at least!
She’s older now. And wiser. Better defended. She is, in fact, armored behind a pregnancy! What could possibly be a better defense than that? A footloose guy like Gus will take one look and run in the other direction.
Gus is shocked. No doubt about it. But when no father-to-be appears, he decides he might just hang around.