But since Sagebrush was small, residents could have long memories. She might as well tell him something about Darren. “I met a doctor at a medical conference. We had a long-distance relationship for a while. He was from Lubbock and he asked me to move here.”
“So you did.”
“Yes, I did. But it didn’t work out. I moved in with Tessa, and the rest, as they say, is history. We shared the house together for a year before Emily moved in with us.”
“And now you’re there alone.”
She didn’t respond.
Pushing his plate away, he asked casually, “Have you decided what you’re going to do about working after the baby’s born?”
She became wary. “Not yet.”
He leaned forward and placed his hand over hers. She was at once electrified and scared by the feeling. But she didn’t pull away…no man’s touch had ever made her feel the way Grady’s did.
His eyes seemed to become a deeper blue as he assured her, “You don’t have to make all the decisions yourself.”
“I’ve made decisions for myself for as long as I can remember.”
He leaned back and his jaw set. “I told you before I want to be involved in my son’s life.”
“I understand that. But all this is very new to me and I’m taking each step carefully. Right now, all I’m concerned about is my baby’s health. Surely, you can see that.”
The look in his eyes gentled a bit. “I can see it. That’s one reason why I think you should stay here through the weekend to make sure your sugar is stable, your arm is healing and you don’t overdo it when you shouldn’t.”
If she stayed, she might find out who Grady really was…what kind of father he might be. She had to know if custody became an issue. “If I’m not in the way, if I don’t interfere in your life too much, I’ll stay until Sunday.”
Somehow she had to figure out how to let Grady help her while maintaining her independence. If that wasn’t a dilemma!
All she knew right now was that Monday she’d be returning to work.
After all, her career was her baby’s future, too.
Dressed in Grady’s shirt that night, cold with the early December wind blowing against the house, Francesca went into the bathroom and retrieved her meter from on top of the sink. She wasn’t sure whether to hate the little device or be grateful for it. Every time she used it she thought about everything that could go wrong. On the other hand, using it protected her baby’s health, as well as her own. After washing her hands, she inserted the test strip into the device, pricked her finger and let the drop of blood flow onto the strip.
“Does that hurt?”
Francesca smelled leather, damp flannel and man. Mixed with all of it was Grady’s unique scent. She remembered nuzzling his shoulder—
“I use a different finger each time. It’s not bad.” The silky shirt had molded to her as she’d prepared materials and used the machine. Now Grady was staring at her tummy under the fabric. His gaze on her was like a caress.
She tried to keep her tone light. “I’m going to have weight to lose after the baby’s born.”
“Not much. You haven’t gained weight anywhere but at your stomach.”
Where he’d laid his hand this afternoon. Yes, he could tell where her weight was and wasn’t.
She checked the meter readout.
“Good or bad?”
“It’s good. Your mom’s cooking must be just what I need.”
“If I tell her that she’ll be here every day, so I’d better do some cooking and see how we do.”
Francesca started putting everything away, but he stilled her hand. “I know you’re determined to go home Sunday. But will you be able to take good care of yourself? How can you cook with one hand?”
“You’d be surprised what I can do with one hand,” she teased.
They both must be remembering the same pictures because she could feel her cheeks heat up and she thought he looked a little flushed, too.
“I promise you, Grady, I’ll continue to check my sugar levels. I will take care of myself. This baby means everything to me.”
“You aren’t thinking of asking for sole custody, are you?” He released her and held up his hand. “Before you answer that, you should think about the benefits of having me share care of our baby, and of having an extended family who will love this child, too.”
The idea of an extended family panicked her. Would they be judging her? Would they be waiting for her to mess up so Grady could have more control?
“Hey, what did I say?” he asked, looking at her curiously.
“Nothing.”
The bathroom was small. Grady was close.
“We have to be honest with each other, Frannie, or we’ll never have a good chance to be parents together.”
“I can’t tell you all my thoughts.”
“Just the important ones,” he prompted.
What to say and what not to say? “You and I see family very differently. Besides, I have the feeling that yours could all gang up on me to persuade me to see their way—your way.”
“I wouldn’t let them do that.”
She searched his eyes, looking for the truth, hunting for what she’d never found before. The moment was fraught with memories of that night on his couch, the hunger in his kiss, the sensual magic of his touch. She couldn’t be seduced by chemistry, or a roughly handsome face or gentle hands that could easily turn not quite so gentle.
He leaned in closer and she would have backed away, but his words were as seductive as everything else about him. “I won’t hurt you, Frannie. I won’t hurt our baby. And I certainly don’t want to get hurt myself. We don’t have to jump into anything. We can just take it as it comes.”
With that, his lips settled on hers, gently nibbled, then claimed a real kiss. Soon her good hand was on his shoulder, her other at her side. But he wouldn’t let her be awkward about it. He slipped his fingers around her waist, pressed her growing child against him and tasted Francesca thoroughly and well.
Francesca felt dizzy. The kind of dizzy that could make her lose her good sense…and her perspective…and her heart. She knew should run in the other direction. But Grady’s hands held her, gently but firmly. His kisses promised passion that she already knew was red-hot. But that one night had been an aberration. She didn’t talk to strange men for an evening and then have sex with them. Maybe what she’d been trying to prove to herself that night was that she was still a woman in every sense of the word…that a man other than Darren could desire her.
She hadn’t counted on that night affecting her so. She hadn’t counted on ever seeing Grady again. But now here she was, pregnant with his child, staying at his ranch. His attitude could turn in a minute and his concern for her could change to a need to control. She had to watch for it. She had to make sure she wasn’t sinking into a situation like that again. Not with her baby involved.
For one thing was true. She would never stay with a man like her father. That’s why she’d broken off her relationship with Darren. That’s why she had to watch Grady carefully.
This was always the awkward part, ending desire too soon.
Even before she’d pulled away, Grady had let go. He didn’t turn away to catch his breath. He didn’t look down on her as if she were the one with something lacking. Rather, he said, “You really don’t want to be here, do you?”
“No,” she admitted.
“And you really didn’t want me to kiss you.”
“That one’s not so easy.”
He looked surprised her answer wasn’t definitive. She was surprised, too.
“Then I didn’t read the signals wrong.”
“You read confused signals,” she responded with a sigh, turning away from him and the sink, thinking about running, yet knowing she had to stay and explain. “I’m attracted to you, Grady. That’s obvious.” She turned from him.
But he was quick and caught her before she entered her room. “You can run for a while, bu
t eventually you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on in your head.”
“No, I don’t have to tell you. That’s the point. We have separate lives. We’re going to live separate lives. The baby might bring us together every now and then, but we probably won’t know each other any better then than we do now.”
“You’re wrong about that.” There was an edge to his tone. “I intend to learn everything I possibly can about you. By understanding you, I’ll understand our child.”
She was startled by his insight and she didn’t like it. Yet she knew he was right. “Don’t try to close me in, Grady. I’ll just work that much harder to break away.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No. That’s just the way I am.”
Shadow had padded into the bathroom when he heard them talking. Now he looked from one of them to the other. When Francesca went into her room, he followed her inside.
She crouched down on the floor with Shadow and wrapped her arms around his neck.
When Grady finally turned and left, she felt like crying.
Shadow licked her chin and she held on to him tightly. When she left, she was going to miss him.
Chapter Four
All night Francesca had tossed and turned, thinking about Grady’s kiss. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t just been thinking about it—she’d been reliving it.
The smell of coffee and toast, the sizzle of eggs in a frying pan wafted into her room as she opened the door after her morning routine. She was going to feel awkward with Grady, no doubt about that. Then she thought about the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra because she couldn’t hook it. Thank goodness she’d had Grady gather sweatshirts. There were so many things she still couldn’t do for herself. But there were so many things she could do, too. She could manage.
Shadow had slept with her again last night, and early this morning Grady had opened her door to let him out. She’d pretended to be asleep.
When she’d shared an apartment with Darren, living together hadn’t been like this. At the end of their relationship, any time they’d spent together had been fraught with tension. But it was a different kind of tension than she felt with Grady…because here she almost felt at home.
That feeling practically panicked her. From experience she knew sharing a home with a man eventually hurt. Sharing a home with a man always came to an end.
When she stepped into the kitchen, Shadow woke up from his nap in front of the fireplace and came to meet her. After she bent to pet him, she straightened. Her gaze collided with Grady’s and neither of them seemed to be able to turn away. Then the eggs in the cast-iron frying pan began smoking.
“I hope you like your eggs well-done,” she joked.
He grimaced. “I like them over easy, but not black on top. Are you interested in one?” he asked with a wiggle of his brows.
“Do you know how to make poached?” she teased.
He scowled. “I understand eating healthy, but you’re eating for two.”
Yes, she was. “That’s why I’m going to have yogurt, granola and fruit.”
“And maybe a scrambled egg?” he suggested.
He was trying so hard. She had to admit she liked that. She liked him. She hadn’t had many people in her life who had pampered her. Not until Tessa and Emily had come along. And now Grady.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice going gentle.
“I’m thinking that you’re being good to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She was saved from answering by the chime of the doorbell. The caller didn’t wait for Grady to come to the door to answer it. It opened and a beautiful young woman, possibly in her late twenties, pushed it open wider with her knee, her arms full.
“Hi,” she called brightly, making her way into the kitchen as if she knew the house well. She looked at Francesca and then smiled even brighter. “I’m Laurie, Grady’s sister. I brought some things I thought you might like—my own trail mix that’s all natural and a cranberry-apple fruit salad.” She looked shyly at Francesca. “I also brought photo albums. There are some good shots of Grady.”
Grady’s sister really was a beauty, her wavy black hair tied back in a ponytail, her crystalline-blue eyes lighter than her brother’s. She was wearing a yellow down jacket, and white acrylic fur framed her face.
“Did Mom send you?” Grady asked, sotto voce.
“Of course not. I wanted to meet Francesca myself.” After she laid everything on the counter, Grady’s sister came over to Francesca and extended her hand. “It’s good to meet you,” she said, sounding as if she meant it. “Grady hasn’t told us very much, so we have to see for ourselves. I don’t want to make you feel awkward or anything, but the whole family is interested in you and your baby. We want to help however we can. That’s what we’re here for.”
Francesca absolutely didn’t know what to say. This was a stranger offering her help.
“I think you’ve shocked her,” Grady suggested, half joking, half serious. He set the platters of food on the table and motioned for them all to sit.
“Is there enough for a third?” Laurie asked.
“Sure is. I always make more, hoping Francesca will eat it.”
“Is the baby very active?” Laurie asked, sitting at the table.
Francesca took the chair across the corner from her. Shadow settled at her feet as she answered Laurie’s question. “He seems to be getting more active every day. Maybe it’s because I’m a neonatologist, but all the charts I’ve always used, the sonograms I’ve seen, all the explanations I give to parents mean so much more to me now. At this stage he’s already a little person.”
“I have two little boys, three and six,” Laurie explained. “I still take out their sonogram pictures and look at them. I like to compare what they were then and who they are now. That’s why I keep so many pictures around, I guess. Mark, my husband, can’t quite understand it. He thinks the albums are good enough. But I want to memorize both of them at every single stage and never forget. Do you know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Francesca assured her softly. “In theory, anyway. You want to keep the happy times in a special pocket and pull them out whenever you need them. And the photographs aren’t just for you, I’m sure. They’re for your kids, too. They need those pockets full of fun pictures. Every child deserves to have too many happy moments to count.”
Grady was studying her curiously and she was afraid she’d said too much. “Grady told me you live in Sagebrush in one of the new sections over on the east side.”
“We’re in a town house for now. Maybe in a few years we’ll be able to buy a house.”
“I told you if you need a down payment—” Grady began.
“You know Mark and I want to do it on our own. After Seth goes to kindergarten, I’ll see if the optometrist I used to work for still needs help. Mark works at the post office,” she told Francesca. Then she glanced over at her brother, who was almost finished with everything on his plate. “Did your mustang arrive yet?”
“Sure did. Vince brought her over yesterday.”
“Do you know Vince?” Francesca asked Laurie.
She nodded. “There was a storm when he was chief of police here. He helped coordinate cleanup in our neighborhood. He did a great job of it. I got to know him a little bit then because we had a power line down in our yard. I take my kids to his wife, Tessa. Since you’re a doctor you probably know her.”
“I used to live with her,” Francesca replied with a laugh. “She and I were housemates, and then Emily Diaz moved in with us. But since Tessa reunited with Vince and Emily married Dr. Jared Madison, I’m alone there. That’s why your brother offered to give me some help for a few days.” She didn’t want Laurie to think this was a permanent arrangement.
Laurie leaned closer to Francesca. “I was really surprised when he said he was bringing you to the ranch. He never invites anybody but family here.”
�
�Laurie…” Grady warned.
“Well, you don’t.”
“It’s not as if I have a lot of spare time.”
The two women exchanged a glance. Laurie was the one who piped up, “Men don’t need a lot of spare time to have a little fun. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Francesca told herself not to look at Grady. Don’t look at him. Yet her gaze skidded around the table, right to his plate and up to his face. He was staring at her, too. They were both thinking about that night in the saddle shop. Had they had fun? Or had there been too much heat, too much passion, too much intensity to call it fun?
Laurie must have realized she’d insinuated something she shouldn’t have. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to set my foot in it. I don’t know anything about how you met, or how—” she waved her hand in the air “—you got pregnant.”
Grady pushed his plate back and stood. “And you’re not going to know. That’s private.” He glanced at Francesca. “The problem is, my family doesn’t understand the meaning of the word private. They think they can poke their noses in wherever they like. Since you’re here today,” he addressed Laurie, “is John coming tomorrow? And maybe Liam the next day?”
“Don’t be silly. Besides, Liam’s having all that fun. I’m sure he wouldn’t even think about making you trail mix.”
Grady laughed. “I’m sure he wouldn’t. But he and John both will want to see the mustang.”
Francesca could tell Grady might complain, but he loved his family. How would it feel to have a family like that? She simply had no idea.
“Let’s go over to the sofa and look at the albums,” Laurie said to Francesca, heading there herself, albums in her arms.
Francesca realized she’d eaten more than she usually did as she’d listened to Grady and his sister. “I’d love to look at the pictures. Especially any you could blackmail Grady with.”
Both of them chuckled as Francesca followed Laurie to the sofa. Francesca made sure Laurie was on her right side so she could hear her better. Shadow, coming over to join them, hopped up next to Francesca, though he did look over to his master to see if that was acceptable.
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