His thumbs reached out and rubbed the soft skin of her chin. It was all she could do to keep from shivering with longing.
“It sure is,” he suggested in a low, provocative tone.
“You’re heartless. You’re cocky and infuriating. You’re a—a smart-assed lawyer!” She ended with a toss of her head.
“I promise I don’t take any of those traits to bed with me. I leave them on the dresser with my wristwatch and billfold.”
The image of Alex, tall, tanned and muscular and shedding his clothes for bed, popped into her brain like a tease from an erotic movie trailer.
Groaning, Sierra twisted loose from his grasp and reached for Bowie’s bassinet.
“Please, open the door. I’m taking Bowie back inside. And you’re leaving,” she said primly.
“Leaving! I haven’t even finished my coffee,” he complained.
“I’m sure you can make yourself another pot when you get home,” she said as she started pushing the bassinet toward the door.
Home. He’d never thought of that damned apartment as home. He was a bachelor. He’d never wanted a home for himself or even thought of what one might be like. Meals on the table and a pretty little wife hovering over him had never been on Alex’s agenda. But tonight, this old house seemed like a place where he wanted to stay and he wanted Sierra to do far more than hover over him.
“All right,” he said crossly. “I’ll leave. But if you think we can just go back to being old college buddies, you’re out of your mind.”
With that he opened the door and helped her push Bowie and the bassinet back inside the kitchen. Once there, Sierra hurried on to the living room with Alex practically stomping on her heels.
“I was out of my mind all right,” she muttered tightly. “For kissing you like I did.”
Exasperation twisted his features as he looked at her. “Well, it sure as hell didn’t feel like a friendly kiss.”
Pushing the bassinet to a stop near the couch, she pulled off the gauze she’d draped over the baby and tossed it to one side. Without looking at Alex, she said, “You’ve always told me I have poor judgment in men. So I’m taking your advice and not making another mistake with you!”
As Alex headed toward the door, he felt sure his ears were blowing smoke and fire.
“Mistake! For the first time in your life you let yourself act like a woman instead of a—a caretaker! And you call that a mistake! I’m outta here.”
Sierra flinched as the door slammed behind him and then, covering her face with both hands, she sank onto the couch. Her whole body was trembling and she was having trouble sucking air into her lungs and pushing it out. Relief didn’t come until tears started rolling down her face.
The next morning, Sierra was still in bed when she heard someone pounding on the front door.
With a groggy groan, she jerked on a long cotton robe and stumbled through the living room.
“Who is it?” she called through the door as she swiped her tangled hair out of her face.
“Your sister. Christina.”
Oh, thank God, she thought. For a second, she’d feared it might be Alex and she certainly wasn’t up to facing him this morning.
Fumbling with the lock, she finally managed to open the door and usher her sister into the house.
At thirty-two Christina was the eldest of the three Mendoza sisters. She was also extremely elegant with a tall, willowy figure and straight, dark brown hair that swung against her shoulders. She was a highly intelligent businesswoman and her job at Fortune-Rockwell had led her straight to the love of her life, Derek Rockwell.
“What are you doing out so early?” Sierra asked as the two of them moved into the living room. Christina and Derek had finally shown up at her parents’ barbecue, but thankfully the food was still out on the table, and everyone had been glad to see them in spite of the late hour. “We just saw each other last night at Mom and Dad’s.”
Christina held up a white bag stamped with a local bakery’s logo. The smell of fresh pastries verified that her sister had experienced a sudden breakdown and had stopped to appease her sweet tooth.
“With Gloria and Jack there, I didn’t get to talk to you all that much. And I thought you might like to share an apple fritter with me. There’s also a cinnamon roll and a chocolate éclair.”
Sierra glanced at her sister, who was dressed in a pin-striped suit, and managed to look both professional and beautiful at the same time.
“Dear Lord, you must really be craving sugar this morning,” Sierra exclaimed.
“I’ve got a busy day ahead of me. I need the extra energy,” she said as she glanced toward the kitchen. “Got any coffee made?”
Shaking her head, Sierra motioned for Christina to follow her into the kitchen. “No. I was still in bed when I heard you knocking.”
Christina placed the sack of pastries on the kitchen table and turned to study Sierra as she began to spoon coffee grounds into a filter.
“Wow. That’s not like you to lie around in bed until seven-thirty. What’s wrong? One of your sleepless nights again?”
Sierra nodded. For years now she’d had trouble sleeping. Her busy mind often refused to shut down and last night it had been working overtime. But unlike other nights when her sleeplessness had been caused by work or family matters, this time the cause had been Alex, and Alex only.
“Yeah. I think I finally fell asleep about five o’clock this morning. And then Bowie woke up and let me know he wanted his bottle. By the time I finished feeding him and putting him back to bed I was so exhausted I fell back to sleep.”
Christina made an apologetic face at her sister. “Sorry, hon. If I’d known it had been one of those nights, I wouldn’t have stopped and woken you. You really should see a doctor about your insomnia, Sierra. It isn’t good for your health.”
“Christina! Have you forgotten all those doctors that Mom dragged me to when I was in high school?”
“Pooh,” Christina scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. “That was years ago. You need to try another doctor. Techniques and medicine have probably advanced a lot since you tried to get help.”
“I have an update for you,” Sierra told her. “I saw one while you and Gloria were living away. All he did was give me sleeping pills and the next morning I woke up so groggy it took me half a day to actually feel energized.” With a shake of her head, she dumped cold water into the coffeemaker. “I’ll just deal with the problem myself. Besides, last night I just had a lot of things on my mind.”
“The baby?”
Christina and Derek had stopped by their parents’ house yesterday evening while Sierra and Bowie were still there. Christina had pronounced Bowie adorable, yet Sierra had sensed a lack of enthusiasm in her sister’s reaction to the baby. But then Christina had always been the most reserved of the family.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a grim look lining Christina’s lovely features. It made Sierra wonder what was really going on in her sister’s head.
“No. Well, I do think about him a lot,” Sierra admitted. “I guess it’s pretty obvious that I’m getting attached to the little guy. But I don’t know any woman alive who could hold a baby in her arms and hang on to her heart at the same time.”
She switched on the coffeemaker and then realizing she’d not cleaned up Alex’s supper mess last night, she hurriedly began to pick up the dirty dishes from the table and toss them into the sink.
Christina eased down onto one of the chairs. “I thought you ate at Mom and Dad’s last night. What did you do, come home and eat again?” she asked as she surveyed the last of the clutter.
Trying not to appear flustered, Sierra picked up a bottle of Tabasco and stored it in the cabinet. “Uh—Alex came by and I fed him some of the leftovers. Sorry about the mess,” she quickly apologized.
“Forget that.” She patted the tabletop. “Come on and sit down with me.”
“The coffee. It’s almost finished dripping.”
Christina frowned an
d pointed to one of the chairs. “Sit. I’ll get our coffee in a minute.”
Retying the sash of her robe, Sierra took a seat and used her hands to try to calm the riot of black curls falling into her face. “Okay. Here I am.”
“Good. It’s about time you realized that it’s okay to let someone wait on you once in a while, instead of you jumping to everyone else’s beck and call.”
Leaning back in her chair, Sierra placed a hand against her forehead and feigned a haughty pose. “Yes, I do deserve to be treated like a princess,” she joked.
Christina didn’t laugh. “You do deserve to be treated like a princess and the sooner you realize that the better.”
A puzzled expression crossed Sierra’s face. “Did you stop by here this morning to give me a lecture of some sort?”
Glancing over her shoulder, Christina saw that the coffee was finished brewing. She rose to her feet and fetched cups from the cabinet. As she poured the brew, she said, “Not exactly. But I will admit that I’m a little worried about you, Sierra. First you go through that awful breakup with Chad—”
“I’m glad about that. It saved me from discovering what a jerk he was later on.”
“Okay. So maybe that was a blessing in disguise,” Christina agreed. “But the baby. Frankly, I’m worried about you, hon.”
Sierra watched her older sister place the filled mugs and paper plates on the table. A look of concern marred her face and Sierra bristled at the idea that Christina had come swishing in here as though she knew best and it was her duty to make sure Sierra walked the right path.
Mentally counting to ten, she shrugged a shoulder. “What’s there to be worried about? I’m taking care of a baby. That’s all.”
Christina eased down into one of the chairs and reached for the bag of pastries. As she handed the apple fritter to Sierra, she said, “And how long do you plan on caring for him?”
Sierra’s brows peaked at Christina’s pointed question. “Since I’ve only had him for a few days, it’s too early for me to make such a decision.”
Christina pulled another pastry from the bag and took a quick bite. “And how do you think you’ll feel a week from now? Two weeks from now? As time goes on, don’t you think you’re going to become even more attached to him?”
“Most normal persons would,” Sierra retorted.
Ignoring the waspish tone in Sierra’s voice, Christina said, “That’s right. And as far as I can see, you’re normal. No, scratch that. You’re not normal. Your heart is bigger than your head. You’ve probably already fallen head over heels in love with the cute little guy.”
Sierra crammed a piece of the fritter into her mouth. “So what if I have?” she asked between chews. “He needs someone to love him.”
Tilting her face toward the ceiling, Christina shook her head. “Oh, my darling sister, don’t you see? Loving Bowie would be wonderful if you intended to keep him as your own. But we both know that’s impossible and—”
“Why is it impossible?” Sierra interrupted.
A tender look of regret filled Christina’s face as she reached over and tucked Sierra’s wayward hair back behind her shoulder. “Child services wants to place the baby in a home with two parents. And with Chad gone, I don’t see you getting married anytime soon.”
Rising from the table, Sierra carried her coffee cup with her as she walked over to the door leading onto the back porch. With the top of the door being constructed of paned glass, it allowed a wide view of the shaded yard and the portion of the porch where she and Alex had sat on the cedar swing. And kissed.
“You really know how to make a girl feel good, sis,” Sierra muttered. “This is just what I need in the morning to get me going for the day ahead.”
“Oh, Sierra, don’t get mad at me. I don’t mean it in a demeaning way. You’re going to find your Prince Charming and when you do he’ll jump at the chance to make you his wife. But that isn’t going to happen just because you have Bowie. And without a husband, I can’t see child services allowing you to keep him for very long.”
Sierra clamped her lips together. She wanted to tell Christina that she and Gloria weren’t the only Mendoza women who could attract a man. She wasn’t a doormat for men to walk on.
Squaring her shoulders, she glanced over her shoulder at her well-meaning sister. “I guess Mom didn’t tell you. Alex told child services that we were getting married.”
The pastry in Christina’s hand stopped midway to her mouth. “Alex? Alex Calloway? No! Mom didn’t say a thing about it,” she said in a quiet, shocked voice. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you say something about it last night?”
Sierra knew she should explain the whole story to Christina, but it felt too good to let her sister think that she was loved by a hunky lawyer like Alex.
“I didn’t say anything because, well, we haven’t set a date or anything. We—uh—we’ve just now realized how we feel about each other.” Maybe that wasn’t too much of a fib, Sierra thought. She and Alex had definitely felt something for each other last night when they’d kissed like there was no tomorrow.
A smile sparkled across Christina’s face. “Boy, do I feel stupid. Here I was doing all this worrying about my sister and now I learn you do have a plan for yourself and the baby.”
Sierra returned her sister’s smile with a wobbly one of her own. “Well, I’m trying, sis. But who’s to say it will all work out.” And that certainly was the truth, she thought.
“None of us have any guarantees, Sierra. But I’ve got to say I think you’re on the right track with Alex. He’s the first man you’ve ever been with who didn’t need emotional therapy.”
Sierra walked back to the table and sank onto a chair. She felt utterly drained and the day was just starting. “Gee, you make it sound like I picked my boyfriends from the mental hospital.”
“Don’t be silly,” Christina scolded. “They were all just a little too needy. If you know what I mean.”
“And you think Alex isn’t?” Sierra couldn’t help but ask.
Christina’s smile turned a bit wicked. “Alex’s needs are those of a typical man.” She winked at Sierra and laughed suggestively. “But I’m sure you’ve already figured that out.”
Sierra hadn’t figured anything out about Alex. She wasn’t even sure why he’d suddenly inserted himself into her life. Sure they were friends and had been for years. But last night he’d not been behaving like a friend. And heaven forbid, neither had she.
Clearing her throat, Sierra pushed herself up from the chair. “Stay put and finish your coffee, sis. I think I hear Bowie. If he’s awake I’ll bring him back to the kitchen so that you can say hello.”
Christina glanced at her wristwatch. “I was about to say I’ve got to leave. But I’ll stay long enough to kiss Bowie good morning. Derek needs to learn he’s not the only male around here to turn my head,” she joked.
Glad that she’d managed to put an end to the subject of Alex, Sierra left the kitchen and hurried to collect the baby.
Chapter Six
Two days after Christina’s visit, Sierra, feeling housebound, decided to go to the market for a few groceries for herself and to restock her supply of baby formula and diapers for Bowie.
That afternoon she was carrying the things in from the car when she heard the phone begin to ring. Since she’d already carried Bowie into the house and placed him in a safe spot on the couch, she forgot about the last of her groceries and ran to pick up the phone.
After a breathless hello, a familiar male voice sounded in her ear.
“Where have you been? I’ve been calling for the past two hours!”
If she’d thought his question had come from male passion, she would have scolded him. But since there was concern in his voice she wanted to soothe him.
“I went to the market,” she explained. “Bowie was running low on a few things. Especially formula.”
“The boy must eat like a horse.”
Pride surged through her as she
glanced at Bowie. The baby was kicking and waving his legs and arms with obvious enthusiasm. Apparently it felt good to him to be out of the confines of the car seat. “He’s growing,” she said to Alex. “He needs plenty of nourishment.”
“I’m glad you brought that up, Sierra. Since we need our nourishment, too, how about going out to dinner tonight?”
Sierra suddenly gripped the phone. “With you?”
He made a sound of disgust. “No, I’m calling to ask you to have dinner with John Gutierrez.”
She frowned. “Who’s he?”
Alex groaned. “Damn it, Sierra, how should I know! I just made up the name. I’m asking you to go out with me—for dinner.”
Sierra felt herself begin to tremble both inside and out. “You mean, like a date?”
“I don’t care what you call it,” he said impatiently. “It’ll be the two of us eating together. No big deal.”
Maybe not to him, Sierra thought. But to her it was a giant deal. She’d been out with Alex before and had even shared a meal with him, but only as a friend. This would be different and they both knew it. Especially after that hot kiss he’d given her the last time they’d been together and then the horrible fight that had followed it.
“I don’t want to leave Bowie with—anyone.”
“I’m not asking you to. He can come along, too. If he starts bawling too loudly we can always get up from the table and take him outside. Like you see all those other harried parents doing.”
Just like they were a married couple with a baby, Sierra thought. The idea caused a wistful sigh to pass her lips.
“All right,” she said. “Where are we going? So I’ll know what to wear.”
A grin laced his voice. “I thought we’d go to Red. Like I said, nobody does food better than the Mendozas. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
At ten minutes to seven, Sierra was ready and waiting for Alex. As she paced nervously around the living room, she caught her reflection in a mirror hanging on a wall behind the couch.
She’d spent an eternity picking out a skirt and then finding a top that looked decent enough to wear with it. Sierra had never been a clotheshorse like Gloria. And since Sierra’s job had never required her to purchase expensive pieces, nearly all of her things were casual.
Fortune's Heirs: Reunion Page 41