“Okay. I’m parked in back. I’ll meet you at the town house.”
“Right.” He started to leave and then turned to her as if remembering something. “Oh, and I saw that baby, the one all the fuss is about. Chase, I think his name is. Cute kid.”
Mary Jane moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “Connor O’Hara, Mrs. Maitland’s nephew, is over in booth four with Janelle Davis, the woman who says she’s the baby’s mother.”
Morgan studied the couple. “Ellie said there was a problem with birth records, but it’s hard to believe it would take this long,” he murmured at last.
“Anything’s possible, but something about the whole setup seems fishy to me.”
“They have a lot to gain. It took me about five seconds to realize that Maitland Maternity is a gold mine for the family, although it’s obvious that’s not why they’re all so dedicated to it. That’s the best part—everybody’s working for love, not financial reward. But I can understand why being part of that family would be a very attractive prospect for someone who cared about money.”
Mary Jane glanced at Janelle and Connor eating their pie. “I would guess they do. I only know one thing about them for sure, and it’s enough to put me on guard.”
“What’s that?”
“They’re lousy tippers.”
MORGAN FOOLED with the bird feeder, tightening the wire hook holding it, while Mary Jane changed clothes. It didn’t take his mind off her being up there removing clothes, but at least while he was outside in the patio he couldn’t hear her doing it. He had to admit the weather was getting quite warm and humid on this May afternoon. Waiting inside her air-conditioned town house would be more comfortable. But not safer.
He’d be fine once she’d changed clothes and they could get on their way, he told himself.
Wrong.
When she came out to the patio to find him, he nearly swallowed his tongue. Her cotton tank top was sliced off just beneath her breasts, and her low-slung pants hugged her hips. In between was a nicely rounded, incredibly sexy, bare pregnant belly.
She took one look at his face and started back into the house. “Okay. It’s too revealing. I’ll change.”
“No, wait!”
“I saw your face. You were shocked that I’d show my tummy like that. I was wondering if I dared wear these pants, but nothing else feels comfortable and it’s so warm today. I should probably get some maternity clothes, but I’ve been resisting doing that.”
“Mary Jane, you look fantastic. What you saw on my face wasn’t disapproval.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No.”
“Then—”
“Never mind.” He wasn’t about to explain what his expression had meant and he didn’t dare stay out on the patio with her any longer or the neighbors would get a real show watching him worship her tummy the way it should be worshiped. He headed into the house. “We’d better get going before the stores close.”
“The one I was thinking of stays open late,” she said as she followed him through the door and reached to flick the lock closed. “It’s a great discount place.”
He figured she was thinking of his pocketbook again. But this was a fantasy shopping trip, one he’d been dreaming about for years, long before he’d had a baby on the way, and he didn’t want to spoil it by considering price.
“We can go to the discount place last,” he said. As they headed out the front door, he heaved a sigh of relief that he’d escaped her town house without seducing her. But seduction wasn’t far from his mind. When she turned and leaned toward the door to lock the dead bolt, he admired the sexy curve at the small of her back. He wondered if she had on the fudge-flavored lipstick this afternoon or if she’d chosen caramel. Or if there was a third flavor he hadn’t experienced.
But he couldn’t kiss her to find out, so he settled for treating her like a princess. “Let’s go to your favorite baby furniture store first, so we can see how much we’re saving at the discount place.” He had no intention of buying anything but what she loved.
“That’s an idea.” She shoved her keys into a trendy little shoulder purse and started down the walk toward his truck. His truck. Watching Mary Jane, pregnant with his baby, walk toward that big red truck was one of those perfect moments he hadn’t experienced very often in his life. He paused to appreciate it before he followed her.
“How do you know I have a favorite baby furniture store?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Just a guess.” He suspected she was dying to go all out on this baby business, but she’d probably held back because she didn’t think it was her place. He was prepared to give her full rein.
“Well, I do have a favorite,” she confessed as he opened the passenger door for her. “I’ve been there about ten times already.”
“And it’s not the discount place.” He gave her a hand into the truck, and for one glorious moment he touched the warm skin at her waist. He almost groaned with delight.
“No, it’s not the discount place. If you insist we can go to my favorite store first.”
“I insist.”
“Okay. I’ll direct you.”
“Great.” He closed the door and walked around the front of the truck. He’d love to have her direct him, but not to the furniture store. That first night she’d taken charge and directed him to the most heavenly spot in the universe. He wanted her to direct him there again, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get over it.
Ellie had offered him a job, and he hadn’t turned her down flat. He’d told her he’d think about it, and he couldn’t decide whether to tell Mary Jane about the offer. Sooner or later she’d find out, considering the way news traveled around here.
He didn’t know how Mary Jane would react. For one thing, if he took the job it would blow the whole house-sitting caper out of the water. He wanted Mary Jane in that house. Nothing else seemed right to him.
There was an obvious solution to this convoluted mess, but a solution like that shouldn’t be proposed in haste. Although his heart soared at the idea, he wasn’t sure if it was the most selfish one he’d ever come up with. Mary Jane was only twenty-two. She deserved more experiences before she made forever-after commitments.
Swinging into the cab, he breathed in the scent of new upholstery and the wildflower scent of Mary Jane. He’d had a ball driving this truck the past two days, but now he knew what had been missing from the experience.
“This is a very nice truck,” she said. “I can see why you fell in love with it.”
“I’ve already thought of a drawback, though. With no back seat it’s no good for a little baby.”
“My car would take a baby seat,” she said. Then she blushed. “Of course that has no bearing on anything.”
“When I’m down here it would be very handy. I appreciate the thought.” He wished they didn’t have to dance around this whole subject, but for her sake, they needed to. With her hormones going crazy, she didn’t know what she wanted. He started the engine and the radio came on.
“You’re listening to country?”
“Sure, why not?”
“You’re from New York, that’s why not!”
“What’s the matter, don’t you like country?”
“I love country, and in Austin it’s practically against the law to listen to anything else. It’s only that I’m surprised you’ve got it on by choice. I hope you don’t think you have to, or anything.”
“I found out I like it, but mostly I think it goes with the truck. Probably goes with the truck better than I do.”
She gazed at him. “I’d have to say you look mighty fine driving this truck, Morgan. As if you’d been driving one forever.”
He put the truck in gear and glanced at her. “Thanks. Then maybe I can get away with it. Now where’s this baby furniture place?”
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, boxes containing a crib, a changing table and a rocking chair decorated with rainbows were safely stored in Garrett’s garage. Mary
Jane settled back in the truck’s passenger seat as Morgan pulled out of Garrett’s drive.
She’d been completely dazzled by the shopping trip. Morgan had refused to consider anything that didn’t fit her dream for the nursery. Then he’d treated her to dinner at a restaurant far too fancy for her outfit, but one she’d secretly been dying to try. She hadn’t felt self-conscious about how she was dressed after he’d promised her that she was the most fascinating woman in the room.
He turned down the volume on the radio. “This has been a long day for you. I hope I didn’t wear you out by dragging you out to buy furniture.”
She laughed and leaned her head against the seat. “Are you kidding? I loved every minute.” She had taken Morgan to her friend Lana’s shop, Oh Baby! Lana had been thrilled to show them her very best, and for a few hours Mary Jane had felt as if she, Morgan and the baby were a real unit. It was a very special feeling, indeed.
“I really like the rainbows,” he said.
“I’m glad. Do you realize we bought all that stuff without ever looking at the bedrooms? What if the one that’s perfect for the nursery has wallpaper full of pastel hydrangeas?”
“I take it that would be bad.”
“It would be terrible. You’d raise a daughter who would think pastels and primary colors look good together. She’d grow up with no color sense, have no idea how to dress herself, become a hopeless outcast in high school and require hours and hours of counseling to reprogram her.”
He chuckled. “Then we’d better check out the situation. I might have to hire somebody to replace the wallpaper, because we’re not returning those rainbows.” Pulling to the side of the road, he checked for traffic and made a quick U-turn. “Let’s go look at the bedrooms.”
His dedication to her vision of rainbows thrilled her to her toes. “Did you get keys and not tell me? If you have keys and you didn’t say so, I might have to strangle you.”
“No keys. But today I bought a flashlight for the glove compartment. We’ll peek through the windows.”
“What a cool idea. I suppose technically we’ll be trespassing.”
He pulled into the drive and headed for the darkened house. “You can stay in the truck if you’re chicken. I can report back on the wallpaper situation.” He stopped the truck and opened his door.
“And the snake situation.”
He slammed the door shut. “The what?”
She couldn’t help laughing. “You’re out west now, pardner. When it warms up, the snakes come out.”
“What kind of snakes?”
“Boa constrictors,” she said with a grin.
“Okay, now I get it. You’re playing with the greenhorn’s mind, right? Well, I happen to have seen a few documentaries on the Discovery Channel. Boa constrictors live in the jungle.” He glanced at her. “Don’t they?”
She took pity on him. “Yeah, they do. But seriously, we do have rattlesnakes. We’ll use the flashlight to make sure we don’t step on one by accident.”
“Or maybe we should forget about the whole thing.”
“Now who’s chicken?”
“I’m thinking about you walking around out there in your sandals,” he said.
“I’m an Austin girl. I can take care of myself.”
Opening the glove compartment, she took out the flashlight. “And I’ve been dying to see what the rest of the house looks like. Let’s go.” She opened the door, whipped the light over the ground and hopped down.
“Mary Jane!” He leaped from the truck and ran after her as she started toward the house, sweeping the ground with the flashlight beam as she walked. “Let’s forget this. It’s probably a bad idea. Let’s go get you a big piece of chocolate cake for dessert instead.”
She turned to him. “Chocolate cake is good, but some things are even better than chocolate cake. Looking into the windows of this house and visualizing how the nursery furniture will look is one of them. Come on. I’ll protect you.”
Muttering under his breath about taking foolish chances, Morgan walked beside her toward the house.
From a lifetime of living in Texas, she’d become used to the creatures that shared the place with her. She wasn’t about to go walking through high grass in the dark, but the area around the house had been beautifully maintained. The grass was clipped short and the bushes had been trimmed several inches off the ground. If any snakes were around, she’d be able to see them instantly.
But she thought Morgan’s concern was kind of cute. “I’m guessing this is a bedroom.” She pointed the flashlight beam at a window.
“Probably is.” Morgan seemed to have relaxed a little.
She had to angle the flashlight beam before they could see anything. “Looks like white walls to me, and hardwood floors, like in the living room.”
“Yep.” Morgan stood close to her and cupped his hands around his eyes as he peered into the room. “Looks like a bath through that door.”
She became very aware of his body, which brushed against hers as he shifted his weight to get a better view. She felt the need to make small talk. “This room faces south, so it’ll get shade in the summer and sun in the winter. That would be perfect for a nursery.”
“Winter sun’s good.” His voice sounded deeper than normal. “Ready to go back?”
It was probably a good idea, she thought. Tramping around in the dark with Morgan could be dangerous, and not just because of snakes. “I’d love to see the window seat,” she said.
“We could come back tomorrow.”
“Just a quick peek.” She backed away from the window and started around the end of the house, making sure no reptiles lay in their path.
“Okay.” Morgan sounded resigned to his fate as he followed her.
“I promise we can leave after that.” She really needed to see that window seat. It was one of the main features that drew her when she tried to decide if she should house-sit for him. Maybe it would be a dinky window seat, and then she could be more objective about the house-sitting proposition.
Turning the corner of the house, she saw a generous bay window. Damn, if that was the window seat, she was hooked.
It was the window seat. A shaft of moonlight came through the trees, giving her a view of wide cushions on a beautifully crafted base tucked inside the curve of the window. She sighed softly.
“Is that what you had in mind?” Morgan asked, coming to stand beside her.
“Oh, yes.” She looked around at the backyard trees that would give plenty of privacy to anyone sitting there. Or two people sitting there. An image of making love on that window seat took hold of her and wouldn’t let go.
“You belong there,” Morgan said. His voice had taken on that husky quality again.
Her heart pounded with anticipation as she turned to him. Yes, it was dangerous standing here with him in the dark. And so exciting she couldn’t bear to leave. “I do want the house-sitting job,” she said.
He gazed at her. Although the darkness hid his expression, his quickened breathing gave a clue as to what he was thinking about. “I’m beginning to wonder if it’s such a good idea.”
“Are you?” She lifted her face to his. “Why?” She knew why. She was tempting him, and she knew it. She couldn’t seem to stop.
“Mary Jane.” He spoke her name like a plea for help.
She wasn’t in a charitable mood. Her pulse raced out of control as she moistened her lips and moved closer to him. “Yes?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MORGAN HAD BEEN so sure he could maintain his control, right up to the moment when he lost it.
And he really lost it. He nearly lifted Mary Jane off her feet as he crushed her against his chest. The flashlight dropped to the ground with a soft thud as she wrapped her arms around him.
That was all the encouragement he needed. Taking a breath, he delved deep into her mouth. Cherry. The flavor tonight was cherry. He was wild about cherry. He was wild about the warmth of her bare back against his palm. Sliding his hand
under the short top, he found the catch of her bra. With hardly a moment’s hesitation, he released it.
He heard her breath catch, and then she eased slightly away, silently inviting him to touch her. If only she hadn’t been so eager, he might have had a chance of regaining some part of his control. But when he reached under her top and closed his hand over her breast, she moaned with happiness. That moan made him forget everything but the tension that had been building for days.
That tension soon had him leaning down and nuzzling her top and bra aside. Her nipple was tight and hard by the time he found it with his tongue. He shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t…couldn’t help himself. Surrendering to a drive stronger than conscience, he filled his mouth with the fullness of her breast.
Whimpering, she dug her fingers into his scalp and urged him on. As if he needed urging. She tasted of sweet innocence and wild abandon. So much warm, perfumed skin to explore. He moved from the glory of her breasts down the valley between her ribs.
Dropping to his knees, he kissed the soft swell of her belly. His baby cradled inside Mary Jane. It was a potent combination, and desire settled heavily between his thighs. Yet he knew he would deny himself the pleasure of making love to this woman. He might be weak, but he wasn’t that weak.
He indulged himself as much as he dared. Grasping her hips, he brushed his mouth against her skin here, and here, and over here. Turning his head, he rubbed his cheek against her tummy, loving Mary Jane, loving the baby she carried.
Her whispered words drifted in the night air. “I want you, Morgan.”
“I want you, too.” He swirled his tongue inside the depression made by her navel.
“Come home with me.”
He leaned his forehead against her belly, breathing hard as he fought with his demons. Finally he placed one last kiss on that inviting expanse of skin and rose slowly to his feet.
“I would give ten years of my life to be able to make love to you tonight,” he murmured.
“I’m not that expensive.”
“You’re even more expensive than that. I’d have to give away all my self-respect, too.” Gently he searched out the loose ends of her bra.
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