I called Walker. It went to voice mail. I took a deep breath and made my way over to the line to order. I would get my brisket sandwich and head to the doctor’s office.
Calm down, Liza. I told myself. Deep breaths. It’s all just a coincidence.
I SAT IN the waiting room of Dr. Monroe’s office waiting for Liza. When the door opened and I saw her walk in, I smiled, but it quickly faded. Something was wrong. I jumped up and went over to her.
“What’s wrong?”
She handed me her phone and I read a text from Keith. I was confused at first, but then it hit me.
“You saw Keith? Where?”
She swallowed hard. “Rudy’s. I walked right into him. He seemed surprised to see me, but I’m not sure.”
Liza was hell-bent on believing that Keith was following her. At first, I didn’t want to believe her. But when Christine told me that her ex-boyfriend didn’t send her those flowers, I started having doubts.
I pulled Liza to me and ran my hand up and down and her back. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to find out once and for all whether Keith is behind this.” She pulled away and looked into my eyes. I reached up and wiped her tears away. “Please don’t worry.”
She nodded. “I’m trying not to.”
I smiled. “Good. ’Cause it’s not good for the baby. Or you.”
She bit her lip. “I know.”
The door opened and a nurse called Liza’s name. I took her hand and guided her to the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Liza was smiling and tears were streaming down both of our faces as we listened to our baby’s heartbeat.
“Nice and strong at one hundred fifty-five beats per minute.” Dr. Monroe said with a smile.
The gel-covered wand moved on Liza’s stomach. Dr. Monroe clicked here and there.
“By the measurements, we are right were we should be. The baby looks to be about fourteen to fifteen weeks.”
The sound of the heartbeat reminded me of the thundering noise of galloping horses.
Liza let out a small sob and looked up at me. “Sounds like horses galloping.”
My heart slammed. I laughed and kissed her. “I was thinking the same exact thing the moment you said that.”
She giggled and looked back at the screen. “When can we find out the sex?”
Dr. Monroe clicked once more, then faced us. “We should be able to tell next month. You’ll be about eighteen weeks, so if the baby is in the right position, we can tell. Next month we’ll do a 3-D ultrasound so you’ll really see your baby. How does that sound?”
Liza wiped away her tears as she looked back up to me. I leaned down and gently kissed her. I pulled back as Liza said, “That sounds amazing.”
“I NEED TO run some reports for Dad so I’m heading back to the ranch,” Liza said. “What about you?”
We stopped in front of her 4Runner. I pushed a piece of her hair back behind her ear.
“My Dad asked me to stop by and pick up the contract for Wild Fire. Looks like he’s going to a new owner.”
Liza pouted. “I loved that horse. He was a money maker.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, well, Dad sold him for six hundred thousand. So I’d say he made some money.”
My dad, Layton, and I were all heading to Tennessee to check out a horse Layton was interested in. I didn’t really want to leave Liza, but it was going to be a quick, three-day trip. Liza, Whitley, and my mom were planning on painting the baby’s room while the guys were gone. Liza kept saying it was going to be a big slumber party.
I took Liza into my arms and kissed her. We quickly got lost in the kiss as she pushed her hands through my hair. We kissed until we both needed air.
Pulling back, I smiled against her lips. “We’re having a baby.”
She giggled and said, “I know. It seems so unreal.”
“Do you think he’ll know his dad is a famous country singer?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
Liza slapped my chest. “You are so bad, Mr. Moore,” she said, taking a step back.
“I have to get back to work. Dr. Monroe said we can start going to the Fredericksburg office, so I made our next appointment for there.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Driving to Austin was insane.”
She nodded in agreement. One quick peck and she was getting into her 4Runner.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
She smiled. “Today’s a good day.”
I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her back to me. I rested my forehead on hers. “You’re my everything, Liza.”
She smiled and caressed my cheek. “And you’re mine. I love you, Walker.”
Pulling away so I could look into her blue eyes, I winked at her. “I love you too.”
I took a step back as Liza backed out of the parking lot. My heart couldn’t feel any more love for that woman. I turned toward my truck, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my front-left tire. It was flat. Coming closer, I saw a giant slash across it. I stood up straight, looking around. “Fucking son of a bitch,” I mumbled under my breath. I grabbed my phone and called my father, silently thanking God that Liza hadn’t seen the tire.
After talking to my father about my concerns, he said he was going to call Layton and fill him in. I changed the flat with the spare and was about to get into my truck when I heard a familiar voice call my name. Turning around I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Jessica.
She was walking up, dressed to the nines. Her pencil skirt was probably a bit tighter than it needed to be, and I knew her white button-down was for sure too tight. She had it damn near unbuttoned, and her tits were spilling out everywhere. Keeping my eyes focused on her face, I forced a smile.
“Hey, how are you Jessica?” I asked.
“Airports and now doctor complexes. I’m here to get my flu shot. What about you?”
Liza and I had started telling people about the baby so I didn’t think it would be a problem to tell Jessica. I smiled bigger. What I really wanted to do was stand on the tallest mountain and scream that I was going to be a father.
“Just left a doctor’s appointment with Liza.”
Jessica looked in my truck. “Where is Liza?” She asked.
“She left. Headed back to Llano. She needed to get back to work.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Is everyone okay? I mean, you don’t look sick. I hope Liza’s all right.”
I let a nervous laugh escape my throat. “Liza is feeling…different.”