“Happy one month anniversary.”
After a long day of work, Genevieve had put up her barn hammock and was swinging gently, listening to the horses chewing their early evening hay. At the sound of her husband’s voice, she opened her eyes. Knox was holding out a small bouquet of wildflowers.
Genevieve took the flowers and held them up to her nose. “Thank you. Happy anniversary.”
“I can’t believe that Dad has let you get away with this hammock idea.”
She held up her pinky. “I told you. Totally wrapped. Care to join me?”
Knox didn’t move to get in the hammock, but she could tell that he was tempted. She scooted over just a bit, not enough to tip the hammock over. “Come on. Live a little, cowboy.”
“Why do I let you talk me into all kinds of odd things?”
“I don’t know.” She held on to the edge of the hammock while Knox sat down. “But I’m glad I do.”
Knox took his hat off, leaned back slowly until his head was next to hers. She leaned forward so he could put his arm under her head. Resting her head on his shoulder, Genevieve curled into his body. She rocked the hammock back and forth a bit to make it swing them gently. Knox placed his cowboy hat on his stomach and at first the muscles in his arms and legs were stiff.
“Relax,” she whispered.
“I feel ridiculous.”
“Relax,” she repeated. “Just listen to the horses and ignore everything else.”
It took him a minute or two, but she felt Knox’s body begin to relax next to her. She glanced up and he had closed his eyes. She loved to be in this hammock, listening to the horses. It had never occurred to her that she would be able to lure Knox into the hammock with her.
“Hmm,” she murmured. “This is nice.”
“Only for you,” Knox said, but this time his voice had a languid quality that let her know that the magic of the hammock was working on him too.
“You have to admit—this is relaxing.”
Instead of answering, Genevieve heard Knox’s breathing change. Her husband could fall asleep faster than any other person she knew. Five short minutes in the hammock and Knox had drifted off. With a happy smile, Genevieve wrapped her arm around Knox’s body, nuzzled her head down into his shoulder, and closed her eyes. In her mind, this was heaven on Earth.
“Why aren’t you moving the herd with Finn and Wilder?”
Crap. The sound of Maximilian’s stern, distinctive voice made her eyes pop wide open. It was like being caught skipping class by the principal. It was her fault that Knox was sleeping on the job in a hammock.
Her husband surprised her. Instead of sitting up at the sound of his father’s voice, Knox stayed where he was in the hammock, his arm still tightly around her.
“They’ve got it handled,” he said. “I wanted to wish my wife a happy anniversary. One month today.”
Genevieve was very curious about Maximilian’s reaction to the news of their one-month anniversary. Her father-in-law didn’t have any response, which in her opinion was an improvement.
Maximilian pointed at her. “I’d like a moment of your time, Genevieve.”
Huh. She had graduated from “young lady” to “Genevieve.” Nice.
It took some doing, and some laughing, but they both managed to roll out of the hammock while Max looked on. Genevieve had never seen Knox allow himself to be so silly in front of his father, nor had she ever seen her father-in-law so silent in the face of so much silliness.
“Did you receive your invitation for the reception?” she asked her father-in-law as she worked double time to keep up with his long stride.
“I’ll be there.”
It would be strange to have Maximilian in their farmhouse—it didn’t seem natural to encounter him anywhere other than the Ambling A. But Jane was giddy with excitement about the party and because of the guilt she felt over the fact that the whole marriage was based on a wager, Genevieve wouldn’t deny her mother anything. She tried to not dwell on how her mother would react once she knew the truth.
Knox walked out to the corral with them. He caught her hand as they walked beside Max. Genevieve looked over at him, once again surprised. Her husband was growing into being his own man, unafraid to be who he was in front of his father. That was the whole reason why he wanted to elope in the first place and now she was seeing that unfold right before her eyes. Knox Crawford was his own man, full stop. And it was plain to see that, however grudgingly, Maximilian was beginning to respect his son’s autonomy.
As they rounded the corner, Genevieve saw her father-in-law’s prized paint stallion in the round pen. Per Maximilian’s instructions, she had contacted a veterinarian trained in advanced acupuncture and laser therapy. It had cost a pretty penny to fly the vet in from out of state, but Maximilian had said he wanted no expense spared to improve the Stallion’s health. The three of them stopped outside of the round pen.
“Make him move a bit, John,” Max said.
The trainer asked the stallion to move to the outside track and trot. Genevieve had been working hard to get this stallion sound. She cared about all of her clients, but this stallion in particular was her way of proving herself to her father-in-law. His opinion of her mattered. After all, he was Knox’s father.
“Look at that,” Max said in a quieter voice than she’d ever heard him use. “Will you look at that?”
Knox put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the top of the head. “You’ve got a gift, Gen. A real gift.”
“I didn’t do that by myself.”
“No,” Max agreed. “You didn’t. But you knew what to do.”
It was moments like this when Genevieve thought that maybe, just maybe, she could make a life as a farrier in Montana. If she could change the mind of a man like Maximilian, there was hope for others to follow.
Her father-in-law turned to her. “I thought Knox was damn crazy hiring you.”
Knox kept his hand on her shoulder as if to lend her extra support.
“I thought he was doing some hippy-dippy millennial equality-of-the-sexes garbage.”
Genevieve had to bite her lip to stop herself from arguing that equality of the sexes was not garbage, but decided to let these baby steps for Maximilian play out.
“But I wasn’t exactly right about that.”
An odd way to admit that he was wrong, Genevieve had to admit.
Finished with what he had to say, Maximilian simply turned on his heel and left.
“That’s the closest I’ve ever heard him come to admitting that he was wrong,” Knox said to her and she heard the amazement in his voice.
Genevieve looked after her towering father-in-law. “Your father is a very odd man.”
Her husband laughed in that hearty way she had come to love. “I can’t really argue with that.”
“Happy anniversary.” Genevieve surprised him with a plate of homemade cookies when they arrived back at their cabin.
“Did you make these?” He took a bite of one of the cookies which was chock-full of white chocolate chips—his favorite.
“I stopped by mom’s yesterday and baked them. I don’t bake for just anyone.” She smiled. “Okay—let me rephrase that. I’ve never baked for anyone before. I hope you like them.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “They’re delicious.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled at him. “And that’s not your only surprise.”
Genevieve put her anniversary wildflowers in a small vase by the sink and then hooked a leash onto Silver’s collar. Knox grabbed two more cookies before he followed her out back.
“Watch this.”
His wife proceeded to take Silver through some basic training sequences, asking him to heel, sit and stay. The puppy performed on command.
“Did you see that?” she asked excitedly. “He’s so smart!”
“When did you have time to do this?”
“I worked with him a little here and there.” She leaned down and took the leash off and gave Silver a big rub on his head. “Didn’t I, handsome?”
Silver pranced around her legs, wagging his tail and barking loudly. It never failed to amaze him how talented his wife was. If a man didn’t feel confident in himself, a woman like Genevieve could be too intimidating for him.
“Thank you.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her again.
“You’re welcome.”
“We should do something for our anniversary. Don’t you think?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’m up for suggestions.”
They all went inside and Genevieve curled up next to him on the couch in a way he enjoyed. Silver, who was growing like a weed, sprawled out on the other end of the couch.
“How about we go to the Ace in the Hole?” she suggested.
“Heck no.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s my anniversary and I don’t want to share my wife with a bunch of sweaty, dirty, drunk cowpokes, that’s why.”
Genevieve wrinkled her nose at him. “Fine.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed.”
“I like the Ace in the Hole.”
Knox ran his fingers through his wife’s hair, loving how silky it felt in his fingers. “How about we go camping? We could find a romantic spot to pitch a tent in the Flathead National Forest.”
Genevieve spun around so she was facing him more fully. “I love that idea! We could cook by campfire...”
“Sleep under the stars...”
She wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively. “Make love in a sleeping bag.”
He put his hand on her face, tipping her head up gently so he could kiss her again. Those lips, so soft and willing, made him want to forget camping and just move into the bedroom. But this was a special night—an anniversary night—and they both seemed to want to celebrate it.
“Have I told you lately how much I love spending time with you?” he asked.
It was rare to see her blush and he felt pleased that he had managed to pull that feminine side of Genevieve out into the open.
“I love spending time with you too, Knox.”
He gave her another quick kiss before he got up. “I’ll throw the camping gear in the truck if you want to grab some supplies in here.”
She nodded. “We’ll probably have to stop by the general store on the way out of town.”
“Good idea,” he agreed before he went out the front door to prep for their impromptu overnight anniversary camping trip.
Genevieve made quick work of packing some essentials for them. She had camped all of her life, so it was second nature to gather up things that they would need. In the bathroom, she threw some toiletries they could share into a bag. When she was rummaging for a small bottle of mouthwash under the sink, she noticed a box of tampons, unopened, in the back corner. For some reason, that unopened box struck her as odd. Sitting on the side of the tub, Genevieve looked at the calendar on her phone and tried to remember when she had her last period. She had been married to Knox for a month today and she hadn’t had a period. This meant that her last period was before the wedding.
“Oh.” She stared at the calendar on her phone. “No.”
She wasn’t irregular. Never had been. And she and Knox had not always been careful during some of their more adventurous, passionate moments. The roll in the hay was just one of many careless moments they had shared.
Genevieve dropped her head into her hands and sat on the edge of that tub for several minutes. It was a biological fact that she could be pregnant. She lifted up her head and stared at the wall. If she were pregnant, what in the world would she say to Knox? No promises had been made other than the promise of a quickie divorce. Yes, Knox had said he wanted to be a father, but not this way. And this wasn’t how she wanted to become a mother either. She wanted much better for herself and any child she brought into the world.
“Gen?” Knox knocked on the door. “You okay in there?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes! I’ll be out in just a minute.”
Genevieve stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. In a whisper, she told herself, “Remain calm and carry on.”
She put a smile on her face and swung the door open.
“Ready?” Knox was waiting for her at the front door.
“Let me just grab something in the bedroom and I’ll be ready to go.” She ran into the bedroom, opened the top drawer of the nightstand, took a handful of condoms out and stuffed them into her overnight bag.
“Okay. I’ve got a change of clothes for both of us, supplies for Silver and for us. We definitely need to stop by the general store and get some food for dinner and breakfast.”
They made a quick stop at Crawford’s General Store for food and some other staples before they headed out of town toward Kalispell.
“The last time we were on this road, we were heading toward our wedding,” Genevieve reminisced.
“It seems like a lifetime ago.”
She looked out the window, her hand on her stomach. “It was a lifetime ago.”
As much as she tried to put the missed period out of her mind, she couldn’t. It seemed unfair not to tell Knox what was going on, but then again, she could get him upset for absolutely no reason. He was so excited about their anniversary, as was she—why ruin it for them both? After the wedding reception tomorrow she would find a way to get her hands on a pregnancy test. Of course, the last thing she was going to do was buy a pregnancy test in Rust Creek Falls. The whole town would know she missed her period before she even had a chance to get the pregnancy test out of the box.
“Are you okay?” Knox looked over at her.
“Yes,” she said with a small smile. “I’m just a little tired, I suppose.”
He reached for her hand. “We’ll go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is a big day.”
“I know. My mom has been driving me nuts!”
Knox found them the perfect place to make camp. Flathead National Forest was right outside of Kalispell and it felt fitting that they should return to the place where they had been wed. For Genevieve, every moment of the marriage had been filled with so many mixed emotions. She was certain now that she was deeply in love with her husband—and there was a part of her that sincerely felt that Knox returned her feelings. But he had said that he loved her only once, when they were making love. Any other time he mentioned the word love, it was framed more in friendship than romance. It had always been push me/pull me with Knox. He would celebrate their one-month anniversary today and then bring up her moving to California tomorrow. Perhaps it was time that she confronted him. Was he just enjoying the ride while it lasted—enjoying their physical chemistry and friendship—while not caring that it would end? Or did he, like her, want something more?
“Come here.” Knox opened his arms to her. They had just finished cleaning up after their meal and the campfire was dying down.
Genevieve sat between his legs, careful to keep a hold of Silver’s leash, and let Knox wrap her up in his arms.
“I’ve never had a friend like you, Gen.”
She cringed at the word friend. Yes, she wanted to be Knox’s friend—of course she did. But was that all she really was for him? A friend with benefits?
“I’m tired,” she said with a sigh. “Would you mind if we went to bed?”
They doused the fire and went inside the tent. Silver curled up in a bed of blankets they created for him while they slipped inside a sleeping bag designed for two. She turned her back to Knox and let him put his arms around her as he liked to do. He started to kiss her neck but she couldn’t concentrate on lovemaking. Her brain was too filled with worries about being pregnant.
“I’m sorry, Knox,” she said in the dark. “I’m so tired.”
He was quiet for a moment. This was the first time she had ever begged off lovemaking with him. Knox kissed her again, this time more platonically.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he told her. “I’m just happy we’re here together, Gen.”
“Me too.”
She said the words but she wasn’t so sure she meant them. She had been happy until she got the scare of her life. An unplanned pregnancy would be a disaster for them now. Knox would be tied to her for the rest of his life when all he’d ever really said out loud was that he wanted things to end in divorce when the time was right.
The whole marriage was a careless decision made by two impulsive people. They’d done something serious based on a frivolous wedding wager. And to make matters worse, they had involved their families, innocent bystanders who would be collateral damage. Genevieve couldn’t stomach the idea of bringing an innocent baby into the bargain and she prayed over and over again for it not to be true until she finally fell into a fitful sleep.