Cowboy for Keeps by Cathy McDavid

the twentieth century.”
    “Oh, her.”
    She rolled her eyes.
    “I thought your commercial business was doing well.”
    “It is. Pays the bills. Keeps me busy and out of trouble.”
    “But you want more.”
    “What can I say? I crave fame and success. You understand.”
    He did. The success part, anyway. He also understood how
reaching for the stars could result in a spectacular fall.
    “Mostly, I want people to look at my pictures and do more than
say isn’t that nice.” The wistfulness from earlier returned. “I want them to get
goose bumps. Be inspired. Moved to tears. Have their perspectives changed. Heck,
maybe even their lives.”
    “Wow.”
    “I know it’s a lot.” Her cheeks reddened. “And I sound like an
egomaniac.”
    “No, I’m just...impressed. And jealous.”
    “Of what?”
    “You’re lucky to be so passionate about your job. Most of us
head off to the office, put in our eight hours and head home.”
    “Didn’t you have that kind of passion when you were at
Triad?”
    He nodded. “I figured on a promotion every few years and
staying put till I retired. I never thought for one second it would end like it
did.”
    “Or that Richard would take over your job?”
    “That, either.” He tamped down the anger that still hovered
just beneath the surface.
    “You must hate him,” she said sympathetically.
    “Not hate.”
    “Despise?”
    “I held a grudge. Hold a grudge,
don’t get me wrong. But I’m not angry at him. Not over the company-wide
downsizing and his promotion.” Conner rubbed his closed fist on his thigh. “He’s
also trying to do right by you and the baby, and I respect that.”
    “You think I should marry him?”
    “I think you should consider it. Seriously. He can take good
care of both of you. Provide a financially stable life.”
    Unlike Conner.
    “What about love?”
    “You said yourself you’ll always care for him. And you loved
him once. Enough to get engaged.”
    “I think I was enamored with the idea of being in love. And
vulnerable at the time.”
    Because of him? Conner was hesitant to ask, not sure how he’d
respond if she answered yes.
    “Richard was everything I thought I was looking for then.” She
stared forlornly at the horizon.” I’ve been unfair to him, and I won’t compound
it by marrying for the wrong reason.”
    Conner saw her point. But he’d been raised by parents who
instilled traditional values in him. “Richard’s trying to do the honorable
thing. You might be happier than you think you’ll be.”
    “We both know that a marriage license is no guarantee. My
father left when I was a child. Yours when you were, what? Eighteen?”
    “Twenty.”
    “And I bet being older didn’t make it hurt any less.”
    “My argument exactly. If Richard were to bail on you and the
baby—”
    “Then I’d go after him.” She finished Conner’s sentence for
him. “I don’t need a marriage license for that. But he won’t bail, because he
isn’t the kind of man to abandon his child. Like you said before, he’s
responsible. Dependable. He’s paying for any medical expenses my insurance
doesn’t cover. Agreed to buy baby furniture and clothes. List me and the baby on
as beneficiaries on his life insurance.”
    It was difficult for Conner to concentrate with their legs
glued together, her chest rising and falling, and those laser sharp eyes
fastened on him.
    “What about visitation?”
    “I’ll make sure Richard has every opportunity to play as large
a role in our child’s life as he chooses.”
    “It’s not the same as a kid living with his dad. Just look at
your own childhood.”
    She bristled. “This really is none of your business.”
    “You’re right,” Conner admitted, chagrined.
    “Would you marry someone you weren’t crazy about?”
    “That’s just it.” Conner quit listening to the voice of reason
and leaned in. Lowered his head. “Richard’s a damn idiot for not being crazy
about you. Any man in his right mind would