by Carolyn Zane
Still she waited.
She thought, believed, hoped he would come—if not to the shop, then to her house. But just in case he chose the shop, she had to stay until closing time. She had to give him every minute of opportunity.
He. Him. Nick Russo.
With a sigh, Faith glanced at her watch. Five twenty-five. Maybe she’d been wrong in thinking Nick would prefer a meeting here at the shop—maybe he would prefer the privacy of her house. Maybe he wouldn’t come at all. Maybe…
The bell rang, and she went cold inside. It was him. She didn’t have to turn to face the door to know it. She could feel it. The door closed and slowly, gathering her courage, she turned to face him. He stood, hands in his jacket pockets, shoulders squared, his expression not quite a scowl. Grateful for the racks of clothing between them, Faith clasped her hands together underneath her belly, her way of connecting with Amelia Rose, of reassuring her daughter that everything would be all right.
For a time, they simply looked at each other. Finally he broke the silence. “How are you?” The question was grudgingly polite, the concern minimal, the sincerity nonexistent.
“I’m fine.” She sounded no friendlier, not even as polite.
With a vague nod, he glanced around the shop. Checking to make sure they were alone? she wondered. Was he afraid of someone seeing him there? More than likely, his wife wouldn’t be easily put off by the knowledge. She would wonder what business Nick, the tough-guy cop, might have in a baby shop.
Faith would love to tell her…but, of course, she wouldn’t. Except for blurting out her secret in this afternoon’s weak moment to Wendy, she’d told no one. Not one other soul in town knew, or even suspected, that Nick Russo was the father of her baby.
He moved a few steps closer. Taking up a position directly in front of her, he glanced away, then back again. Like that, his antagonism disappeared and was replaced with bewilderment. “Who are you?”
For a moment she simply stared at him, then she became aware of a sinking sensation in her stomach. “I expected better from you than that,” she said flatly. “If we weren’t alone, if somebody else were around to hear…But we are alone. There’s no one else here.”
“I know your name is Faith—the woman earlier told me that. Have we met?”
Made restless by her disillusionment, Faith turned and walked to the counter. “I knew I would see you this week. I knew you’d come back for Michael and Michelle’s wedding. I even knew you wouldn’t be too pleased by what you saw. But I never imagined that you would be so cowardly as to pretend not to know me.”
“Lady, if I knew you, I wouldn’t be here,” Nick said sharply. “I only came back because.” Breaking off, he grimaced. “Apparently, you think we’ve met before. Pardon me for not remembering, but when was it?”
“We met at your brother’s engagement party.” Her voice was soft, her words as cold as the ice inside her.
“Michael’s engagement party?” He shook his head. “I don’t remember…”
“Oh, please,” she said scornfully.
“Look, I admit, I got drunk that night. There’s not a whole lot about it that I do remember. Did something happen? Is that why you’re acting this way?”
She studied him for a long time, searching for some evidence of his deceit. Once again she found nothing. He looked confused, curious, a little chagrined by his admission of drunkenness and a whole lot blank. He wasn’t playing a game. He wasn’t pretending.
He didn’t remember her!
eISBN 9781459281103
HOW TO HOOK A HUSBAND (AND A BABY)
Copyright © 1996 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
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Printed in U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Excerpt
Dear Reader
Title Page
Dedication
Books by Carolyn Zane
About The Author
Quotes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Preview
Copyright