“It was really nice of you to stop by,” she said, “and I don’t mean to sound rude, but why did you?”
“Because of Carter. Now that the two of you are getting married,” Frank said.
“Married?” Rachel took a step back. “I don’t think so. Not married. Carter and I barely...” She hesitated, thinking that due to her pregnancy, saying she and Carter barely knew each would be really tacky. She cleared her throat. “We’re not getting married.”
All three men glanced at her midsection. “You have to,” Gordon said. “You’re going to have Carter’s baby.”
That was the theory, she thought, still not sure any of this was real, although thinking about it too much sent her into a panic.
“Once you start to show,” Adam said, “won’t you want to be married? I know this is sudden, but Carter’s a good guy to have at your back. I’d trust him with my life. I have.”
She frowned. “Excuse me? How? He works in a motorcycle shop.”
“Right.” Adam shrugged. “Still, I’d let him date my sister.”
There was a recommendation, Rachel thought, not sure if she should laugh or run for the hills.
“You’re all being terrific,” she said carefully. “I really appreciate the support and the welcome, but Carter and I...”
Three pairs of disapproving eyes focused on her.
“That is, I don’t think we...” She pressed her lips together. This was her life. She didn’t have to answer to anyone. If Carter was happy to not marry her, why did these guys get a vote?
But she didn’t know how to say that and for reasons not clear to her, she couldn’t seem to tell the three of them to mind their own business. Maybe it was because they were part of a family and she’d wanted that ever since she’d lost hers.
“We’re dating,” she said at last, doing her best not to wince at the lie. “We’re dating and we’re really hopeful.”
She smiled brightly and prayed that was enough. The three guys nodded.
“Good,” Frank said. “Okay, then. We’ll let you get back to work now. But if you need anything—I mean anything—just call. One of us can always get to you. Okay? You’re not alone anymore, Rachel. You’re one of us.”
With that, they left. She stared after them knowing that the smart, independent side of her should resent the implication that she couldn’t handle things on her own. When in truth, she was really touched by their visit and envious of their closeness. What would it be like to be a part of a family like that?
She drew in a deep breath and reminded herself that she had a more pressing problem. Namely informing Carter that they were now a dating couple. Honestly, she had no idea how he was going to take the news.
CHAPTER SIX
CARTER ARRIVED AT Rachel’s house after work. She’d left a message for him on his cell, saying that his brothers-in-law had stopped by and that she needed to talk to him. She hadn’t said much else, but then she hadn’t had to. He could imagine how the conversation had gone.
As he climbed up the stairs to her apartment, he wondered if any of the three had told her about his real job. Some women were fine with it but others freaked.
She opened the door before he could knock. “Thanks for coming. I just didn’t...” She drew in a breath. “Okay. Come in and we’ll talk, right? Because that’s what rational grown-ups do. We talk. We don’t panic, we don’t allow ourselves to be influenced by the thoughts of others. Especially people we don’t know. I mean, I’m sure your family is perfectly lovely, but they don’t have the right to dictate how I live my life. Plus, I have to say, I hated the disapproval. I understand it, sort of. They care about you and they want you to get what you want. I don’t mind that, either, but you’ve made it really clear you’re not interested in marrying me and who am I to complain? I don’t want to get married, either.”
He’d been content to let her wind down, but when it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, he stepped in to fix the problem.
He moved into the apartment, grabbed Rachel by her upper arms, drew her to him and kissed her firmly on the mouth.
He had a brief impression of heat and softness, then he pulled back. The reaction was exactly what he’d hoped. She stopped talking and stared at him.
“You kissed me.”
“I know,” he said with a grin. “I was there.”
“I didn’t think there would be kissing.”
“There doesn’t have to be if you don’t like it. I didn’t know how else to get you to take a breath. Whatever happened, we can fix it.”
She closed the front door behind him and shook her head. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But I have my doubts.”
He had a feeling she was going to get wound up again, and while he wouldn’t mind the excuse to kiss her a second time, they needed to make a little progress on the information front.
“Tell me what happened,” he said as he led her to the brightly colored sofa and urged her to sit. “Start at the beginning.”
She sank down. He settled next to her and waited.
“Your brothers-in-law came to visit me at school today.”
He groaned. “During class?”
“No, after.” She flopped against the back of the sofa. “How on earth would I have explained them if they’d showed up in the middle of the day? Five-year-olds can ask a lot of questions. I can only imagine the phone calls from worried parents after a visit like that.”
“There won’t be another visit like that,” he told her, knowing when he got home, he was going to have a little talk with his sisters. He appreciated their concern, but this wasn’t their business.
“I hope you’re right,” Rachel told him. “I mean it was really nice to meet them, even if I wasn’t sure who was who, let alone which guy had which sister. But Carter, they think we’re getting married. They sort of implied it was required. I don’t know what I want. I haven’t even accepted the fact that I’m pregnant. I saw the truth on the test sticks, so I have the information in my head, but I really don’t believe it. Not yet. And when I do try to convince myself that it’s real, I start to hyperventilate, and that can’t be good.”
She was adorable, he thought as he watched her sit up and give a good imitation of someone unable to catch her breath.
“Relax,” he told her. “Take a deep breath and hold it.”
She did as he suggested.
“Now let it out.”
She exhaled.
“You’re fine,” he said, wishing he had another excuse to kiss her or even touch her soft wavy curls. Her hair was a tempting combination of reds and browns and gold. He remembered how it had felt in his fingers the one night they’d made love. Of course touching her hair was only one of several experiences he would like to repeat.
“I don’t feel fine,” she admitted. “I feel weird. I don’t want to disappoint your family. I know they’re important to you. But I won’t be dictated to.”
“No one’s dictating.”
“It felt like that.”
“That doesn’t make it real. This is between the two of us. We’ll work it out in the best way for us.”
She ducked her head. “It’s not that simple,” she whispered. “There were three of them and I felt trapped.”
He could imagine. “What did you say?”
She looked at him. “That we were dating and hoping for the best.”
He could live with that. Besides, she looked so dejected and guilty that he couldn’t be annoyed with her. “So you didn’t promise to marry me.”
“Of course not.” She narrowed her gaze. “Are you smiling? This is not funny.”
He kept his expression as neutral as he could make it. “I’m not smiling.”
“It looks like you are. Nothing about this is funny. We�
�re talking about lives on the line here. We’ve made a baby. When I think about that, I can’t breathe anymore. Besides, this is all your fault.”
“Hey, how do you figure? There were two of us doing the wild thing that night.”
“Exactly. But if you hadn’t kissed me like that, I wouldn’t have given in.”
He’d been about to get defensive, but now there was no need. “My kissing won you over, huh?”
She shifted away from him. “Don’t take that as a compliment. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Right. Being a good kisser is a bad thing.”
“It is when it gets two strangers in trouble,” she muttered. “Don’t you dare get smug on me. I couldn’t stand it.”
He was feeling a lot of things, but smug wasn’t one of them. Right now what he wanted most was a chance to kiss her again and cause her to lose control. Not his most sensible plan, he admitted, but a guy could dream.
“Besides,” she continued, “our more pressing problem is your family. You know those guys are going to talk to your sisters and then what? They’ll tell your mom and everyone will think we’re dating.”
And that statement was the answer, he thought suddenly. “Dating isn’t a bad idea.”
She stared at him. “Excuse me? How is that going to help?”
“We can use this. Dating would be the next logical step, under the circumstances. If we were serious about working on a relationship, I mean. So we date. Or tell my family we’re dating. We can even act like we’re dating. Then, in a couple of months, we’ll tell everyone things didn’t work out. Relationships fail all the time. The family will think we really tried and get off our backs and we’ll be free to work out things as we want to.”
She tilted her head. “I like it,” she said slowly. “You’ll be okay with your family and they won’t think I’m awful.”
“They don’t think that now.”
“You didn’t see the looks on those guys’ faces,” she told him.
Carter felt his fingers curl into his palms. He had been delighted when his sisters had gotten married. The more guys in the family, the better, as far as he was concerned. But knowing they’d made Rachel uncomfortable had him thinking about pounding each one of them into a bloody pulp.
“Okay, we’re pretend dating,” she said. “We’ll need some sort of plan and schedule. You won’t be able to see anyone else while this is going on. It wouldn’t look right.”
“Not a problem,” he told her, consciously letting go of his anger. “I’m swearing off women again.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” she asked, her voice teasing. “Look at what happened the last time.”
“Not my fault. You were too tempting to resist.”
She leaned back and laughed. “Oh, please. Me?”
“Yes, you. Don’t you consider yourself a temptation?”
The smile lingered, bringing light to her green eyes. “Not even on my best day, but it’s sweet of you to say so. Now about your job.”
The quick change in topic didn’t give him much time to brace himself. Had they told her the truth or not?
“Want to see a pay stub?” he asked.
“Not especially. But why did Frank and the others act so strange when I reminded them you worked in a motorcycle shop? You’re not on probation, are you?”
He chuckled and held up his right hand. Good news—they hadn’t told her. “I swear I have never been arrested, convicted or incarcerated. Ever.”
“That’s encouraging. They’re all cops and firefighters. Don’t they approve of what you do?”
“I...”
He found himself not wanting to lie to her. She was going to have to know eventually and if she reacted badly, better now than later.
There were rules about who could know and mothers of unborn children fell in the “yes” category. But it was more than just that. There was the woman herself and how carefully she would protect the information.
“What are you thinking?” she asked. “Should I be scared?”
“No. But I will need you to give your word that you won’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you.”
“Or you’ll have to shoot me?” she asked. “What are we talking about? I can’t figure out if I should laugh or make a run for my car.”
“I’m a cop working undercover. This job at the motorcycle shop is part of my cover. I’m working on a case involving counterfeit parts brought into this country from overseas.”
She blinked. “You’re a...”
“Police officer.”
“But your hair is so long.”
He laughed then and, without thinking, pulled her close. “Damn, Rachel, you’re never boring.”
She held herself stiffly for a second before relaxing into his embrace. “You haven’t known me long enough to be bored,” she murmured. “That could come later.”
“I don’t think so.”
His body reacted to her nearness with a predictable rush of blood and need. But he kept the embrace light. They weren’t going to do that again, remember?
He released her and straightened. She studied him.
“They know about the earring?” she asked.
He grinned. “It’s all part of the assignment. I have a gun and a badge if you want to see them.”
“No, thanks. I believe you. So that’s why your brothers-in-law acted so strange. They were surprised I didn’t know the truth.”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“Your mom can’t like what you do. She must worry all the time.”
“She’s used to it. I come from a long line of cops. My grandfather, my great-grandfather. My dad was one. He died before I was born.”
She winced. “I’m sorry. Was it work-related?”
He nodded. “A drunk driver got him while he was on patrol.”
“Oh, Carter. That must have been so awful for your mom and your sisters. And for you, growing up without a dad.”
“I appreciate the sympathy,” he said, “but it’s not necessary. I don’t know any different.”
“Everything is so complicated,” she said. “How did that happen?”
“We made a baby.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “I’m still not comfortable thinking about that. Could we avoid the topic?”
“Not for much longer.”
“I know, but we have a plan, right? Pretend dating.” She grinned. “Does that mean you bring me plastic flowers instead of real ones?”
“Would you like that?”
She glanced around the apartment. “I have plenty of real ones, so I’m good.”
He started to ask what she would like instead, but stopped himself. Pretend dating meant putting on a show, not getting involved in any way. They could be friends, but nothing more.
Friends who sleep together, he thought hopefully, and then reminded himself he’d sworn off women again. He had to. Look at what had happened with Rachel.
Women were the root of all the trouble in his life and he would be better off if he could simply walk away from them.
Then Rachel smiled and he found himself wanting her again. Okay, so he would swear off women after they worked this pretend dating thing out. Maybe they could figure out a way to have pretend sex. That could be fun.
* * *
RACHEL SMOOTHED THE foil on top of the casserole she carried. “I hope this is okay. I didn’t know what to make. I don’t cook a lot but my seven-layer bean dip is really popular at all the teacher potlucks at school. Of course, free food is rarely criticized, so maybe that’s not a good standard. Should I have made something else? An entrée? Or dessert? Is bean dip enough?”
Carter pulled his front door shut and stared at her. “You do that a lot, don’t you.”
/> Rachel found herself momentarily caught up in his brown eyes and the little crinkly lines that formed when he smiled, like now. She had to shake her head to clear her brain.
“I’m sorry, what was the question?”
He chuckled and took the casserole dish from her. “You get wound up when you’re nervous. I like it. Of course the best way to get you back on earth seems to be to kiss you and we both know that’s not a good idea, so we’re going to need another plan.”
She wasn’t so sure. Carter’s kisses tended to totally clear her mind and as nervous as she felt right now, she wouldn’t mind forgetting the reason.
“We’re walking?” she asked as they moved past his truck and her car.
“No point in driving.” He paused and pointed across the street and down one house. “That’s where Mama lives. Merry is next to her. Liz and Shelly live in the other direction. Three houses down and that one on the corner.”
“That’s really close,” she said, surprised he would plant himself in the middle of all that family.
He sighed as they crossed the street. “Yeah, I know,” he muttered. “I wasn’t thinking when I bought this place. It’s too close. One of these days I’m going to move.”
“Still, you enjoy your family and that’s nice.” She could appreciate the need to stay connected. If her parents and brother were still alive...
She pushed the thought away. Not going there right now. She was nervous enough without adding a little heartache to the mix.
She distracted herself by remembering how great Carter had been about the dating issue. He could have gotten upset, but he hadn’t, which made him a good guy in her eyes. Of course he’d already proved himself a good guy by how he’d reacted to her pregnancy. Now that she thought about it, she’d pretty much been one disaster after the other where he was concerned.
They reached the front door of his mother’s house. Carter walked in without knocking and yelled, “We’re here.”
Rachel could hear voices coming from the back of the house, then Nina Brockett hurried out to greet them.
“Late as always. Some mothers would take that as a message. Some mothers would think their only son was trying to say he was no longer interested in visiting his old mother.”
Circle of Friends Complete Collection Page 27