by Ann Roth
“It seems all you needed was one night with a big, strong cowboy,” Kate said. “And what a cowboy he is. Between your pretty face and his rugged features, you’re going to have one gorgeous child.”
The words sobered Lana. “Did you not hear what I said earlier? Sly doesn’t want to be a father. And don’t forget that only last Friday we decided not to see each other anymore. Then there’s the lawsuit.” She buried her face in her hands.
“Eventually the lawsuit will end,” Kate said. “Maybe Sly changed his mind and wants to keep seeing you. He just called, right?”
“It was a mutual decision,” Lana said.
“So what? This pregnancy changes everything.”
“You’re telling me. I can’t even imagine what he’ll do when he finds out. But it definitely won’t be good.”
“You can’t be sure of that. When you discussed kids before, it was all hypothetical. This is real, Lana. A real baby the two of you created.”
“But Sly and I don’t love each other. We haven’t known each other long enough to fall in love.”
Kate waved her hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. “You have the next seven or so months for that. Quit being so negative.”
“I’m just scared.”
“I know, sweetie. I would be, too. But no matter what happens, I’m here for you.”
Profoundly grateful, Lana teared up. “You’re such a great friend.”
“Don’t cry, or I will, too,” Kate said, blinking furiously. “I’d like to open a bottle of wine and toast the pregnancy, but I guess that’s out.”
“For quite a while.” Lana nibbled her thumbnail. “Sophie is supposed to come over on Saturday. What am I going to say to her? Sly is coming over, too, to help convince her that I’m the right person to adopt her baby. I’m not sure I can handle telling either of them about this, let alone both. Then there’s Sunday dinner with my parents and Liz and Eric....” Lana groaned.
“Slow down, Lana. You don’t have to reveal anything just yet. In fact, you shouldn’t. Just in case, you should see a doctor and talk to him or her.”
Lana nodded. She would make an appointment with her gynecologist right away. “Promise me you won’t say a word, Kate.”
“I swear on my grandpa’s grave.” Kate crossed her heart. “I’ll help you clean up the dinner stuff. Then, unless you want me to stick around, I’m heading home.”
“I’ll be fine. And I’ll clean up. You’ve done enough.”
At the door, Lana hugged her friend. “Thanks for being here for me.”
“That’s what best friends are for. I’ll probably be awake for a few hours yet, so if you want to talk later, call me. And thanks for letting me be the first to share in your excitement.”
As soon as the door shut behind Kate, Lana laughed out loud.
A baby!
* * *
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, SLY took a break from his usual chores and checked his watch. Lana hadn’t returned his call from the other night, and he needed to know if she still wanted him to come over the next day. At least that was what he told himself. The truth was, he hadn’t talked to her in a week. He missed her.
He waited until he figured she was home from work before reaching for his cell phone.
“Sorry I haven’t called you back,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to hear from Sophie.”
“And?”
“Not a peep.”
She sounded different somehow, but Sly couldn’t put his finger on what had changed. Her voice, maybe. He guessed their decision not to see each other anymore had something to do with it. That and stressing about Sophie.
Wary now, he asked, “Have you changed your mind about me coming over tomorrow?”
“I hate for you to drive all the way over here if you don’t have to.”
Sly figured she was probably fidgeting the way she did when something bothered her. Everything hinged on whether Sophie showed up. He almost asked for the girl’s phone number so that he could contact her and make sure she followed through. But he figured he should let Lana handle that. Otherwise, she’d probably bust his chops.
“Don’t worry about Sophie,” he said. “Trust me, she’ll approve of your place and the neighborhood.”
Lana’s heavy sigh could mean anything.
“Are you still okay with the decision we made the other night?” he asked.
“You mean about not seeing each other anymore?” A long pause. “Are you?”
She hadn’t answered the question, but if she wanted him to answer first, he would. “To be honest, no. I enjoy being with you.” Dog that he was, he missed kissing her and fooling around.
“Okay, then,” she answered, as if she hadn’t heard what he’d said. “Why don’t you come tomorrow around eleven-thirty.”
Wishing he could read her mind, Sly agreed and disconnected.
Women. He just didn’t get them.
Chapter Eleven
“Hey,” Sly said when Lana answered the door late Saturday morning.
“Hi.” Without meeting his eyes, she stepped aside and gestured him through the door.
He took in her stiff posture, solemn expression and too-pale skin and knew something was wrong.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Still shaking off a flu bug.” She waved her hand toward the living room.
“When we talked yesterday, you didn’t mention the flu.”
“I came down with it last Sunday and it didn’t seem important.” Lana took the armchair, leaving him the sofa.
“I’m lucky I didn’t catch it from you,” he said.
Yeah, instead she’d given him a healthy dose of lust that was impossible to shake.
She gave a distracted nod. Her face, usually an open book, was drawn and tight, as her index finger traced and retraced a wavy line on the fabric of the armchair.
“Did you have to miss work?” Sly asked.
She gave him a puzzled look. “What?”
“Because of the flu.”
“I took Wednesday off. Otherwise, I’ve been feeling okay.”
She didn’t seem okay now, not with the green tinge that suddenly tinted her complexion. She appeared paler, too. More puzzling was the tension emanating from her.
Sly cleared his throat. “We’ve been real busy at the ranch. It seems that no matter how hard my crew and I work at it, there’s always some length of fence to repair or replace. We’ve been digging ditches, too, because the old drainpipes aren’t working anymore.”
He wasn’t about to mention Tim or the fact that, tired of waiting for her cousin to pay up, he’d stopped by the bank and picked up a dreaded loan application.
With an absent look, Lana attempted a smile that didn’t quite make it. “I can’t imagine.”
Enough was enough. “Is it me being here, or is it waiting for Sophie that has you wound up so tight today?” Sly asked.
“Uh...” Her cell made the blip sound that meant she’d received a text message. She glanced at it and frowned. “What a surprise—Sophie won’t be coming today after all.”
She flicked a piece of lint from the knee of her jeans, her hair hanging like a curtain around her face, hiding her expression.
Sly could only imagine what she must be going through. “Let me guess—she wants to postpone for another week.”
“Seems that way. And you drove all the way over here.”
“No worries—I could use the break.” Wanting to lighten the mood, he sniffed the air and licked his lips. “Whatever you’re cooking smells great.”
“It’s a chicken recipe I got from my mother. Sophie ate a lot that day at Big Mama’s, and I made a huge amount of food. What am I going to do with it all?”
“I’ll help you out with that,” Sly t
eased.
Instead of smiling, Lana nodded somberly. “It’s just about ready.”
The table was set for three. Sly helped bring the food to the table, and they sat down across from each other.
Lana had definitely put a big meal together—chicken wrapped in dough, curried fruit, salad and hot rolls. Sly dug in. “This is delicious,” he said, licking his lips in appreciation.
Lana toyed with her plate of untouched food. “Thanks.”
Sly set down his fork. “What’s the deal, Lana? Since I’ve been here, you refuse to meet my eyes, you don’t seem to hear what I say and you sure aren’t talking much. Something’s off.”
With a sigh, she finally met his gaze. “You’re right—I’m upset.”
“About Sophie?”
“Her, too.”
“So it’s me you’re upset with,” he said, mentally smacking his forehead. Of course. “I tried to talk about us when I called last night, but you wouldn’t. I meant what I said on the phone. I don’t want you out of my life.”
He hadn’t planned to say that, hadn’t even realized it was true until now. “If you’re willing, we can work this out.”
Finally she met his gaze, her expression bleak. Her hands twisted together in her lap. “Oh, Sly, I...”
She swallowed hard and with a sickening realization, it dawned on him—she’d met someone. He was a fool. “Who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, keeping his tone and expression bland.
“Pardon me?”
“The man you’re dating.”
She looked puzzled. “I’m not dating anyone. If I were, I’d tell you.”
Sly released the breath he’d been holding. “Then what’s wrong?”
She jabbed her fork listlessly at her chicken before setting it down.
No appetite, pale... “You’re still sick,” he guessed.
Without answering , she nudged the chicken platter toward him. “Please, help yourself to seconds.”
His belly was still empty, but he couldn’t eat another bite. Not with the odd tension simmering in the air. “No, thanks,” he said.
It was painfully obvious that she didn’t want him around now that Sophie had canceled. That stung.
“Thanks for lunch.” Sly pushed his chair away from the table and stood. “I should be on my way, and you should probably be in bed.”
Lana searched his face, her eyes shadowed with indecision, and then sighed. “Don’t go just yet, Sly. There’s something I should tell you.”
Ominous words. But she couldn’t be dumping him—they weren’t together. He sat down again. “Go ahead.”
“I— Oh, jeez.” She covered her mouth with her hand and bolted for the bathroom.
* * *
LANA FINALLY LET go of the toilet bowl and staggered to her feet. She washed her face and rinsed out her mouth. Although she was weak, she felt much better now. This part of pregnancy was no fun at all.
But telling Sly would be far worse.
He was sure to be shocked, unhappy and angry. Lana felt sick all over again.
Keeping the pregnancy to herself until after she met with her doctor seemed the smart thing to do, just in case the tests were wrong and she wasn’t pregnant after all. Yet deep down, she was certain that she was.
As the baby’s father, Sly deserved to know. Not after the doctor’s appointment. Now.
Even if she was shaking clear to her toes.
Squaring her shoulders, she opened the bathroom door. Just outside, Sly was waiting for her. “How are you?”
“Better now.”
He walked her to the living room and sat her down on the sofa with such care and gentleness that she wanted to weep. “Can I get you a glass of water?” he said.
“Yes, thanks.”
While waiting for him to return from the kitchen, Lana steeled her courage.
He watched her closely as she drained the glass, reminding her of an anxious parent. After setting the glass aside, he sat down beside her, tucked her hair behind her ears and peered at her face. “You have more color now, but you should probably be in bed.”
Oh, how she longed to do just that, burrow under the covers and forget all about sharing her news with Sly. But if she didn’t say something to him now, she couldn’t live with herself. “Forget about bed,” she said. “I need to talk to you.”
“So you said right before you threw up. Whatever it is can wait until you’re better.”
“No. You have to hear this now.”
The somber expression on his face and the dark concern in his eyes tore at her. He may not want a relationship with her, but he cared.
“My God, you’re really sick.” Sly was rigid with dread.
Lana forgot her own fears. Wanting only to reassure him that she was healthy, she smoothed his furrowed forehead with a caress. “I promise you, I don’t have cancer or any other disease.”
“Thank God.” He sagged against the sofa cushions, the relief on his face touching her deeply. “My mother died of cancer, and I don’t wish that on anyone.”
“You were eleven, right?” she asked.
He nodded. Lana couldn’t imagine losing a parent, especially at such a tender age. Her worries at that age had centered on being popular and whether her mom would let her go to a sleepover.
Then to lose a father two years later... “That’s so sad,” she said.
“It was a long time ago.” Sly pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “So it is just a bad flu.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze. “It isn’t the flu, either. I threw up because...” Knowing the world was about to change forever, she paused a moment. “Because I’m suffering from morning sickness.”
“I... Huh?” The confusion on Sly’s face was almost comical. But there was nothing funny about their situation.
“That’s right, I’m pregnant.” There. Her secret was out.
“Pregnant,” Sly repeated with a stunned expression. “From that night?”
Lana nodded. “You’re the only man I’ve been with.”
“But you said you couldn’t get pregnant.”
“That’s what I believed. My ex-husband and I tried for four years, first the normal way, then using artificial insemination. We didn’t have any luck. Tests showed that I was the one who couldn’t conceive. That’s why Brent left me.”
“The jerk.” Sly scrubbed his hand over his face. “If you can’t conceive, how can you possibly be pregnant?”
“Because miracles happen?”
“You’re happy about this baby,” he said, looking anything but.
Lana nodded. “I’ve wanted children for as long as I can remember, since I was a child myself.”
Sly glanced at her stomach, which was still relatively flat. “When did you find out about this?”
“Wednesday—the night you called and I didn’t answer. When the phone rang, I was waiting for the results of the first pregnancy test. I took two more to make sure. But even without the tests, I knew. I have all the symptoms.”
Although her body still looked the same as always and she couldn’t yet feel the life growing inside her, she already loved her baby.
Sly frowned. “You waited until now to tell me? What were you planning to do if Sophie had come over today? Spring it on us both together?” He barked out a laugh that totally lacked humor. “Oh, that would’ve been a real kick.” He eyed her coolly. “It’s obvious that you’re keeping the baby.”
She nodded.
“Do I get a say in this?”
His reaction was every bit as bad as Lana had expected. She hated the shuttered expression on his face and the cold look of betrayal in his eyes. Somehow she managed to keep her back straight and her chin high.
“If you don’t want
to be involved, I understand.” She bit her lip. “I wasn’t even going to say anything until I met with my doctor. In case...you know.” She couldn’t even say the words. “But I’m certain that I’m pregnant.”
His expression unreadable, Sly gave a terse nod. “When is your appointment?”
“Tuesday after work.” She planned to leave the day care early.
He blew out a heavy breath. “I can’t believe this has happened. I always use condoms. Always. I wish to hell I’d used them that night.”
Lana hadn’t expected him to jump for joy, but his reaction hurt. She couldn’t stop a bitter smile. “As I recall, you were in too much of a hurry to stop for protection.”
“Because we’re both clean and you assured me you couldn’t get pregnant.” Once again, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “If I’d suspected this could happen I would have taken the extra few minutes.”
“And you think I wouldn’t have? I didn’t plan to get pregnant that night, Sly. But I won’t lie—I’m aching for this baby, and I’m beyond grateful that I have a chance to be a mom. I’m also sorry that it happened this way, with neither of us having a say in what we wanted.”
“That’s something, at least.” He rolled his shoulders as if they were too tight. “I need time to think.”
Lana nodded.
With an odd, humorless smile, Sly stood. “I guess Sophie won’t be coming over next weekend after all.”
Lana hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Probably not. Sly, I really am sorry for springing this on you.”
“At least you told me.”
She started to get up, but he gestured for her to stay put. “I can let myself out. I’ll be in touch.”
Hugging her waist, Lana stared at the empty fireplace until the door clicked shut behind him.
* * *
DETERMINED TO PUSH her troubles from her mind and keep the pregnancy from her family for a while, Lana pulled to a stop in front of her parents’ house for Sunday dinner. Hoping to stave off any nausea, she’d gobbled a few crackers on the drive over. So far, so good.
It was a beautiful May day, the late-afternoon sun still high and warm, and she couldn’t help but feel lighthearted. Not ready to endure lectures or scrutiny from her mother just yet, she headed around to the backyard.