The Tycoon's Charm: The Tycoon's Paternity AgendaHonor-Bound Groom

by Michelle Celmer

  “I guess I did.” She touched Katy’s cheek. “I just don’t like to see my baby unhappy. And like you said, maybe he’s not the man we thought he was. He must be pretty special if you fell for him.”

  “Well, it’s all a moot point because Adam said himself that he’ll never get married again. And even if he did, if he wanted me, I would always feel as though I was competing with Rebecca. I don’t think she had a clue how lucky she was.”

  “Probably not. Your sister took a lot of things for granted.”

  She sat snuggled up to her mom, like she had when she was little, and found herself wishing she could go back to those days. When things were so much less complicated, and her life actually made sense.

  “You should probably call Adam back,” her mom said.

  Yeah, and she should probably apologize for the “quickie” remark. In all fairness, if their roles were reversed, she wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of the mother of her child sleeping around.

  It wasn’t Adam’s fault that she’d fallen for him, so it wasn’t right to take out her frustrations on him.

  “I’ll call him right now.”

  Her mom gave her one last firm squeeze, then got up from the couch. Katy hit Redial, expecting Adam to be fuming by now, but when he answered he sounded humbled.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I owe you an apology,” he said, totally stunning her. “I overreacted. I’m used to being in charge, being in control, and with you so far away, I’m feeling a little…well, helpless, I guess.”

  She knew that hadn’t been easy for him to admit. “I’m sorry, too. That remark about Willy was uncalled for. Of course you have every right to be concerned. And for the record, I’m not sleeping with him or anyone else. Nor do I intend to.”

  “I don’t suppose you would reconsider moving here until the baby is born.”

  Good Lord, what a nightmare that would be. As if this wasn’t complicated and heartbreaking enough. “I can’t, Adam.”

  “Just thought I would ask.”

  “And, just so you know, I wasn’t sick. My mom overheard what I said about us sleeping together, and I could tell she wanted an explanation.”

  “How much did you tell her?”

  “Everything.”

  She could practically feel him grimacing. “I thought you wanted to wait until we knew for sure.”

  “I did, but not telling her started to feel like lying. And she took it surprisingly well.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “She’s telling him tonight. He may not take it so well.”

  “He doesn’t happen to keep firearms around?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, but he hasn’t pulled his rifle on anyone since I was sixteen and he caught me behind the stable kissing one of the ranch hands.”

  “You are kidding. Right?”

  “Nope. Not only did the guy get fired on the spot, I think he had to go change his shorts.”

  “I guess I should watch my back, then.”

  “Nah. If my dad was going to take you down it would be in the chest. Or if he really wanted you to suffer, the gut.”

  “Now you are kidding,” he said, but he sounded a little nervous.

  She laughed. “Yeah, I’m kidding.”

  “So, you’ve been feeling okay?”

  “I’ve been feeling great.”

  They eased into a conversation about her pregnancy, and he told her about the test he’d read of on the internet. They made plans to bring it up at her next appointment in three weeks. They ended up talking for almost an hour. She lay in bed later, replaying the conversation over and over, wishing things were different. Both anticipating and dreading her doctor appointment. Sometimes she missed Adam so much, the feeling sat like a stone in her chest. She knew seeing him face-to-face would only make it worse. Yet she longed to be close to him again. And she was terrified that if he got too close, if he wanted to make love again, she wouldn’t be able to tell him no.

  She tossed and turned all night and woke so late the next morning she missed breakfast, but Elvie kept some scrambled eggs and bacon warm for her. After she ate she went searching and found her mom in the chicken coop.

  “Sorry I slept in.”

  “That’s okay. Your body is changing. You need more rest than before. I used to get exhausted in my first few months.”

  “Is there anything you need me to do before I lock myself in the office?” It was her day to do the payroll and order supplies.

  “Nothing I can think of.”

  Katy turned to leave and her mom added, “I talked with your dad last night.”

  Katy’s heart gave a resounding thud. She had completely forgotten that she was going to break the news. “So, what did he say?”

  “He said he sort of had the feeling something was up with the two of you,” her father said from behind her. Katy swung around to find him leaning in the coop doorway. “And he said that while he’d prefer to see you married and settled down, a baby is a blessing. No matter whose it is.”

  “Thank you, Daddy,” she said, and all of a sudden she was on the verge of tears.

  Then he came over and hugged her and she did start crying.

  She felt terrible for thinking he would be angry, and expecting the worst. As far as parents went, hers were pretty darned wonderful. It made her wonder, as she had so many times before, how could Becca have taken them for granted?

  As long as she lived, it was a mistake she would never repeat.

  * * *

  The day of Katy’s appointment couldn’t come fast enough.

  Adam told himself it was because he was eager to learn about the baby’s progress, but the truth was, he’d missed her. Since their phone conversation, when he’d accused her of sleeping with her friend Willy, they’d been talking a lot more often. Usually in the evenings, after he left work and she finished her chores. He had never been much of a talker. He was more the silent-observer type, but that turned out not to be a problem, because Katy did enough talking for the both of them. And the more they talked, he found himself opening up to her.

  It was astounding how different she and Becca really were. While Becca had been complex and at times intractable, Katy was so…uncomplicated. And honest. If she said something, she meant it. There were none of the games women seemed to like to play. He found himself calling more often, making up excuses to talk to her, just so he could hear her voice.

  Though he’d known many women in his life, he’d never actually been friends with one. Sadly, he realized, not even Becca. They used to talk when they were first dating, but now he wondered if she was only telling him what she thought he wanted to hear. Katy in contrast didn’t pull any punches. If she felt strongly about something, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. At times quite passionately. But he liked that she challenged him. Because in all honesty, given his position of power in the corporate sector, not many people stood up to him.

  He considered her more of an equal than most of his “rich” friends and colleagues.

  The day of the appointment, when Reece pulled the limo into the lot at the fertility clinic and saw her truck already parked there, Adam experienced an anticipation that he’d not felt in a very long time. He didn’t even wait for Reece to get out and open his door. And when he walked inside and saw her standing near the elevator, something deep inside of him seemed to…settle. Followed promptly by the yearning to pull her into his arms and hold her.

  She smiled brightly when she saw him, her skin glowing with good health and happiness. Just the way he imagined a pregnant woman should look. She was dressed in her girls’ clothes, and though she looked sexy as hell, he knew she would look even better wearing nothing at all. But the last thing either of them needed was to complicate this situation, and sleeping with her would do just that.

  But damn, what he wouldn’t give to take a quick nibble of her plump, rosy lips.

  “Hi, stranger,” she said as he app
roached her, rising up to give him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. It took all his willpower not to turn his head so it was his lips she kissed instead. There was an energy that crackled between them. The same sensation of awareness he’d felt when they kissed the first time.

  “You look fantastic,” he said.

  “Thanks. I feel great. My friend Missy is jealous because by this point in all four of her pregnancies she was sick as a dog.”

  The elevator opened and they stepped inside. He touched her back, to guide her, and electricity seemed to arc between them. And he knew, from the soft breathy sound she made, the slight widening of her eyes, that she felt it, too.

  When they signed in at the doctor’s office they were called back immediately to an exam room. Adam waited in the hall while she changed into a gown, and he was only in the room a minute or two when Dr. Meyer knocked.

  “So how have you been feeling?” he asked Katy. “Any morning sickness?”

  “None at all. I feel great. A little tired sometimes, but I just go to bed earlier.”

  The doctor smiled. “Sounds like a reasonable solution. You’ve been taking the vitamins I prescribed?”

  “Every morning. And our cook has been filling me up on vegetables and whole grains.”

  “Excellent.”

  He asked her a few more questions, then took her blood pressure and pulse.

  “I need to do an internal exam,” he said, looking from Adam to Katy, as if he wasn’t sure Adam would be staying or not. And frankly neither was Adam. But Katy smiled and said, “That’s fine.”

  It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been up close and personal with every conceivable inch of her body anyway, but the doctor was still very discreet.

  “Everything seems to be progressing well,” he said when he was finished. “Why don’t you get dressed and meet me in my office.”

  After he stepped out of the room, Adam said, “Thanks for letting me stay.”

  “I’ll bet seeing that makes you pretty happy to be a guy,” she joked.

  “Men have their own indignities to endure,” he said, but spared her the gory details. “I’ll wait in the hall for you.”

  Katy emerged a few minutes later and they walked down the hall to Dr. Meyer’s office.

  “Do you have any questions for me?” he asked when they were seated.

  “We’ve been reading up on DNA testing,” Adam told him, and asked about different options. His opinion was that if they wanted to do the test as soon as possible, the safest way would be through amnio.

  “I have a question, too,” Katie said. “My mom was telling me how fast her labors were, and since I’m two hours away, I’m wondering what that could mean for me. So far my pregnancy has been just like hers were. I’m afraid that if I go into labor and have to drive all the way to El Paso, I might give birth in the truck.”

  “I didn’t realize you lived so far from here,” the doctor said, looking concerned. “Do you have a regular ob-gyn closer to home you could see?”

  “I’ve been seeing Dr. Hogue since I was twelve, and he delivered both me and my sister.”

  “I know Dr. Hogue. He’s a very competent physician.”

  Adam wasn’t sure he liked that. “Shouldn’t she be seeing you?”

  “Honestly, as long as her pregnancy remains uneventful—and I have no reason to believe it won’t—I see no reason why Katy shouldn’t see her regular physician. I’m sure he’ll have no problem keeping me apprised of her progress.”

  Meaning Adam would be driving to Peckins for her appointments instead of Katy coming here.

  “Are you upset?” Katy asked him when they left the office and walked down the hall to the elevator.

  “Not upset. I wish you would have discussed this with me first.”

  “I know, and I would have, but it was something my mom brought up this morning before I left. And while I like Dr. Meyer, I think I’ll be more comfortable seeing Doc Hogue. He knows me.”

  Adam could object, and insist she see Meyer, but why? What was his justification?

  It would be an inconvenience for him. Though no more than it was for her. And since she was the pregnant one, wasn’t it safer if he did the traveling? And she had a valid point about getting to the hospital. “If that’s what you want, then of course.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it, smiling up at him. “Thank you, Adam.”

  Their eyes met, then locked, and he felt it like a fist to his gut. His palm buzzed, then went hot where it touched hers. He wanted to kiss her. No, he needed to. And he was 99 percent sure she was thinking the same thing.

  As if caught in a magnetic pull their bodies began to move in closer, her chin tipped upward, and his head dipped.…

  Then the damned elevator door slid open and people stepped out. Katy jerked back, breaking the spell.

  He cursed silently as he followed her on and they rode it down to the first floor. They walked though the lobby and out the door. It was overcast, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The weathermen had been predicting rain.

  “Sounds like there’s a storm headed this way,” he said.

  “I better get going,” Katy said. “So I beat it home.”

  “But you just got here. I thought we could spend some time together.”

  “I really have to go.”

  Reece pulled up to the curb to meet him, but Adam gestured for him to wait, and followed Katy to where her truck was parked.

  “You could at least let me take you to lunch.”

  “I don’t think so.” She seemed in an awful hurry to leave, and she wouldn’t look at him.

  He took her by the arm and turned her to face him. “Katy, what’s wrong?”

  “I just really need to go.”

  “Why?”

  She glanced around, like she worried someone might be listening. “Because you almost just kissed me, and if I stay, you will kiss me.”

  “Would that be so terrible?”

  “Yes, because after you kiss me you’ll make up some stupid excuse why I should come to your house, and I will, because at this point my brain will have completely shorted out. And we won’t be there thirty seconds before we’re naked and…well, you know the rest.”

  “Would that really be so terrible?”

  “I’m not a yo-yo. You can’t say one minute that it would complicate things, then try to jump me the next. It’s not fair.”

  She was right. He was sending mixed signals like crazy. He cared for her. More than any other woman he’d been involved with, maybe even Becca, but this relationship had no future. Not a romantic one anyway. To let himself love her, to care that much, would make it that much more unbearable if he ever lost her.

  Though he wished it were possible, he couldn’t give her what she wanted. What she deserved. A man who would love her, and marry her.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  A bolt of lightning arced across the sky to the south.

  “I really have to go,” she said.

  “You’ll call me and let me know when you make your appointment.”

  “Of course.”

  “And let me know that you got home safely.”

  “I will.” She hesitated, then rose up to press a kiss to his cheek, lingering a second before she turned and climbed in the truck, and as he watched her back out and drive away, he could swear he saw tears in her eyes.

  Fifteen

  As soon as Katy got home from El Paso she called and made an appointment with Doc Hogue, then she texted Adam with the date and time, because frankly she was feeling too emotional to talk to him. It took everything in her not to sob all the way home. The way he looked at her…for a minute she let herself believe that he wanted her. As close as they had become lately, she thought he was going to tell her that he’d made a mistake, that he loved her.

  Why did she keep doing this to herself? Even if he did love her, there was no rational way to make it work. They could try a long-distance relationship, but that would only la
st so long before they grew apart. She’d seen it happen before to friends who had boyfriends in the rodeo and the military.

  When she chose to be with a man, she wanted be with him. Not one hundred and fifty miles away. Not that she could be with a man who didn’t want to be with her. But she was happy that she and the father of her child—if it was her child—would be good friends. Still, she was almost relieved when he called her a week before the doctor appointment to say that he had to fly out of the country and wouldn’t make it back till two days after her appointment.

  “It’s imperative that I go,” he told her.

  “It’s okay,” she assured him. “Things happen. Besides, it’s only my third month. I seriously doubt anything exciting will happen.”

  “I wanted to meet the doctor.”

  “So you’ll meet him next month.”

  But next month didn’t happen, either. Two days before her appointment Adam caught a nasty flu virus.

  “You sound terrible,” she said when he called to tell her, dousing her disappointment.

  “I feel terrible,” he croaked, his throat so raw and scratchy he could only speak in a coarse whisper.

  “Do you have a fever?”

  “One hundred and one. Celia won’t let me out of bed and she’s been force-feeding me chicken soup.”

  “Good. It sounds like what you need is rest.”

  “I’m sorry, Katy,” he rasped.

  “For what?”

  “I feel terrible for missing another appointment. Not to mention the amnio. I wanted to be there with you.”

  And she had wanted him there. She didn’t like feeling that she was in this alone. But he couldn’t help that she was sick.

  “I’ve heard it’s really not that big of a deal. They’ll numb me so I won’t feel a thing. And, no offense, but I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near you right now. The last thing I need is the flu. Just take care of yourself and you’ll be better in time for the next appointment.”

  Her mom went with her to her appointment, and after her checkup, it was off to the hospital for the amnio—which really wasn’t all that bad. Doc Hogue had already warned her that it usually took six to eight weeks to get the results—in some cases even longer, and she knew the waiting would be torture.