Free Sandy Sullivan by Doctor Me Up Page A

keep the
other cattle away." Elizabeth cut off another piece of dumpling. "What
do you know about Dad's foreman?"
    "Jackson?
Not much. He's been there for a few years, I guess."
    "I've
never seen him before."
    "I
think he avoided you the last several times you've been home. I doubt you two
have much in common. He's a cowboy after all." Natalie laughed. "I
know how you are about cowboys."
    "Marcus
is a cowboy."
    "That's
why I think it's so funny you're attracted to him. Why such
an affinity for them?"
    "I
went out with a few in high school . They always seemed
so egotistical and worried about themselves rather than the woman they're
with."
    "Lost
your virginity to one?"
    "Yep
and he dumped me the next day."
    "That
was high school, Liz. Boys are more worried about getting laid than anything
else including girls."
    "I
know, but it still hurt."
    "I
can imagine so."
    "Who
did you lose yours to?"
    "A
guy in California named Jason Grant. Football hero and
gorgeous. We went out for about six months before we had sex. We lasted
another three before I dumped him."
    "You
dumped the football star?"
    "Yes.
He kept pressuring me to get married."
    "Married
at eighteen? No way!"
    "Oh
yeah. He wanted a wife on his arm when he went off to
college, but when I turned him down, he got mad at me. Smacked
me around a bit. I dumped him immediately." Mabel came over and the
girls ordered pie. "I wasn't about to put up with being smacked."
    "I
would have dumped him too."
    "See,
we're a lot alike you and I."
    "In
some ways, yeah." The conversation died when Mabel
returned with two slices of apple pie and ice cream. "How are the
kids?"
    "Great! Growing like weeds."
    "So when's are you going to have another one?" Elizabeth
asked, running her observant gaze over Natalie's form.
    "We
aren't for awhile. We really don't want anymore this soon."
    "If
you're on birth control, you should be good."
    "Yeah,
but I hope it works. I've missed a day here and there."
    "Be
careful then until you get back on a schedule or you will end up being pregnant
before you want to."
    Natalie
frowned as tears welled up in her eyes. "I hope if something like that
happened, Cade would be happy. I don't want to disappoint him. He's my
life."
    "Oh
stop now. He loves you so much you two make me ill." She grabbed Natalie's
hand and squeezed. "Besides, he always said he wanted a big family."
    "I
don't know how I got so lucky."
    "I
do. Your grandmother."
    Natalie
laughed. "You aren't kidding. She's got her hands in everyone of the kids
who've gotten together lately. She even helped Delaney, Jake and Colby get
things straightened out."
    "Speaking
of. What's the scoop? I know Delaney and Jake got
married…"
    "Oh,
they're in a nice little triad with Colby Mason."
    "Seriously?"
    "Yes,"
Natalie said, drying her eyes with the edge of the paper napkin.
"Apparently Jake and Colby had been lovers before. It's the reason Jake
took off right after high school even though he was in love with Delaney.
They've worked everything out now. They all live together as a happy
threesome."
    "Those
threesome things seem kind of weird to me even though Emma is happy as a pig in
shit with Beau and Brandon."
    "Isn't
she due with another little bundle soon too?"
    "Yeah. Last time I talked to her she was feeling like a cow and ready to burst any
day, but she still had a month to go."
    "I
haven't talked to her in a couple of weeks. No one has mentioned her going into
labor yet so I figured she was still holding onto her little girl."
    "It's
a girl?"
    Natalie
nodded. "The last ultrasound showed a girl. Beau and Brandon are over the
moon. They'll have one of each."
    "See,
I'm not sure I could keep two men happy. One would be plenty for me." She
glanced at Natalie and noticed her deep red blush. "I'd forgotten about
you, Cade and Kale. I didn't mean…"
    "It's
fine. It was a onetime thing. Something to try and be done
with. We didn't plan to make it a permanent thing. I don't think your
brother would handle sharing me