Daddy with a Deadline

by Marilyn Shank

  “Hmm.”

  “Would a house call earn your stamp of approval?”

  “Maybe.”

  Annie retrieved Trent’s cell phone from the kitchen table, and he called Doc Rivers, who agreed to a house call. “He’s coming in half an hour. Satisfied?” Trent asked. “Why don’t you head on home, Annie. You must be tired.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until the doctor checks you out. I won’t rest until I know you’re OK.”

  Trent smiled even though it hurt. Pretty much everything hurt. But having Annie fuss over him was a new experience. And she actually seemed to care about him. They’d switched places, and Trent liked the attention.

  “Never thought I’d see the day,” he mumbled.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing, Annie. Nothing at all.”

  Annie waited in the kitchen while Dr. Rivers examined Trent. She wanted to be in the den hanging on the doc’s every word, but that wasn’t appropriate. After all, she wasn’t Trent’s wife, fiancée, or girlfriend. She was his...

  His what? Their relationship defied description! Trent was like her pretend husband/bodyguard. Or maybe her babysitter. Her thoughts swam crazily.

  Doc Rivers was white-haired, tanned, and fit for his sixty-plus years. He came out to the kitchen. “You’re Annie, right?”

  “Yes. Nice to meet you, Dr. Rivers. How’s Trent?”

  “He took a hard fall. But I won’t hospitalize him if someone can stay with him for the next twenty-four hours.”

  “I’m not sure where Trent’s housekeeper is.”

  “Then maybe we should...”

  “I’ll stay.” Annie couldn’t believe she’d made that offer.

  The doctor nodded. “I’m sure that would please Trent.”

  “Are you kidding? My very existence annoys the man. We disagree on everything.”

  The doctor’s eyes twinkled when he smiled. “You do more than annoy him, my dear. He spoke of you in glowing terms.”

  Annie’s heart skipped a beat. “He did? What did he say?”

  “Patient privacy doesn’t allow me to elaborate. But if you can spend the night, Trent will be pleased. I assure you.”

  Annie blushed. Her cheeks must look as red as the bowl of apples on the kitchen counter.

  “The man fell on his head,” she pointed out. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

  “You may be right.” But the wry grin stayed firmly in place. “I gave him a painkiller with codeine that he can take every four hours. Some folks react to codeine. They get a little, well, loopy is the layman’s term.”

  “Loopy, huh? I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “If he has a concussion, it’s slight. But I’d like him to stay awake as long as possible. If he has any problems, just give me a call. And if you can get the guy to slow down for a day or two, he’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks for coming. I wanted to call an ambulance but Trent refused. He can be very, um, strong-minded.” Annie didn’t use the other adjectives that came to mind: bull headed, immovable, and stubborn to the core.

  “I see you understand Trent. But I’m betting you can hold your ground where he’s concerned.”

  She lifted her chin. “You bet I can.”

  “Nice to meet you, Annie. Call me if anything changes.”

  After the doctor left Annie went to the den to check on Trent. He sat on the couch staring into space. And he did look loopy. Oh dear. She had her work cut out for her.

  “Did it go OK with the doctor?” she asked.

  He hadn’t noticed her come in and jumped at her words. “Oh, hi, Annie.”

  “Hi.”

  “When did you get here?”

  Her sense of panic returned. “I found you in the corral, Trent. Don’t you remember?”

  “Of course I remember. But I thought you left when the doctor came.”

  His thoughts weren’t tracking properly, which caused Annie’s heart to pound. “I said I’d stay until the doc checked you out.”

  He nodded. “Oh yeah. With my head pounding like this it’s hard to concentrate.”

  Annie sat beside him on the couch. “What did the doctor say?”

  “That I should rest a day or two.” He paused and grinned. “And that someone should stay with me for the next twenty-four hours.”

  Hmm. The man remembered some things just fine.

  “I’ll call Rosa,” Annie offered. “I’m sure she’ll drive back from Clinton. You know how protective she is.”

  Trent’s grin disappeared. “Please don’t do that. Rosa will smother me. Besides, she needs some time with her sister.”

  Good. He’d remembered that too. At least part of his brain was functioning.

  His forehead creased into a frown. Because Annie didn’t want him to feel distressed, she told him the truth. “I promised Doc Rivers I’d spend the night.”

  Trent chuckled. A deep, sexy chuckle that rumbled through Annie’s body, stirring up every single nerve ending. “That’s a wicked laugh, Mr. Madison.”

  He winked at her. “Hey, I’ll get bucked off Wildfire more often if it means you’ll spend the night.”

  The surge of desire that flared inside Annie shocked her. Worry and anxiety were enough to manage without battling attraction as well.

  But from the moment this cowboy showed up—unannounced—on her doorstep, she’d felt attracted to the man. She’d tried again and again to shrug off the sensation. To her chagrin, it seemed on the increase!

  At least he was talking—not just staring into space. A moment later his eyelids drifted shut. Trent had amazing eyelashes, Annie noticed. Thick and black, they framed those smoky eyes to perfection. She studied him a few minutes longer and then scooted closer to him on the couch. “Trent? Are you OK?”

  His eyes opened lazily. “What?”

  “Doc Rivers said you should stay awake, remember?”

  “I am awake. I’m awake with my eyes shut.”

  “That’s unacceptable. When your eyes are closed you look asleep to me.”

  He straightened up and blinked a few times. “I see the problem.”

  Trent went back to staring into space, and Annie stared at Trent as he stared into space. “How are you doing now?”

  “Even better than the last time you asked—thirty seconds ago.”

  Annie smiled. Trent had an uncanny gift for making her smile. “Good. Are you getting hungry?”

  “A little. Are you?”

  “I’m pregnant. I’ve been hungry for nine months.”

  He chuckled. “You’re funny.” His eyes drifted shut again and Annie inched even closer and nudged him.

  “Huh?”

  “Your eyes keep closing.”

  “I can’t help it. My eyelids weigh more than usual.” Trent turned to her and smiled. “It’s nice when you cuddle up to me like this. I could get used to it.”

  Annie felt her cheeks flush. “This is not cuddling. I’m only here for...”

  “For what?”

  “For guard duty.”

  “Ouch. You know how to shoot a man down. I thought you liked me, Annie.”

  “I do like you.”

  Trent listed toward her. “Can I put my head down? Just for a minute?”

  Before Annie knew it, Trent’s head rested squarely on her shoulder. Having him so deliciously close made her heart race. “OK, but just for a minute. And keep those eyes open.”

  “Yes, sir. Very good, sir.”

  Trent’s head on Annie’s shoulder felt heavenly. And perfectly natural. And his thick shiny hair looked touchable. Far too touchable. Annie suppressed the urge to tangle her fingers in the strands. He’d probably never know, since he was practically comatose.

  Don’t touch the man, she told herself. Annie took several deep breaths, trying to harness her emotions.

  Trent slumped toward her and looked uncomfortable. “I’ll put my arm around you so you won’t be in that awkward position,” she told him.

  He shifted his
weight and let Annie slip her arm around him before leaning on her shoulder. “Better?”

  “Yeah. Light-years better.”

  Several minutes passed in silence. Annie thought again about tangling her fingers in Trent’s hair but resisted. She did, however, delight in the feel of his muscled body so close to hers. And his masculine scent teased her senses.

  She’d let him rest a minute or two. He’d had a tough morning. Now she could feel his warm breath against her skin. At least she knew he was alive.

  As Trent rested, Annie gazed around his den. While the furniture was sparse, the brown leather couch and upholstered chairs were carefully chosen. A stone fireplace covered one wall. Annie could imagine cuddling on this couch some December evening, sipping hot chocolate with Trent. After he built a roaring fire, they would toast marshmallows. And they’d put up a Christmas tree in the corner. And presents. There would be loads of presents under their tree.

  They. How dare she think in terms of they? Trent didn’t want they as part of his life. He’d told her about his ex-wife’s deception. Dawn had hurt Trent so deeply that he would never consider remarriage or see a family as part of his future. This man flew solo, and Annie had no business making the pronoun plural when Trent wanted it singular.

  But she could still picture Christmas in this room. Maybe because Brad had hated everything about Christmas. The last two years, they’d barely celebrated.

  “Are you staying awake?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Does your head still hurt?”

  “Not like it did. The painkiller really helped.”

  Trent yawned again, then he slumped against her. Keeping the man awake was a bigger assignment than Annie thought it would be.

  “You need strong coffee,” she told him. “And maybe some food. They’ll help offset some of the tiredness. I’ll go make the coffee.”

  Trent lifted his head and sighed. “Are we done cuddling?”

  “We were not cuddling. Come on. You’re going with me.”

  Trent followed without question. Between the bump on his head and the drugs, the man was being downright agreeable. Not the Trent Madison Annie was used to!

  She installed him at the kitchen table and started the coffee perking. “Will you eat a grilled-cheese sandwich?”

  “If you’ll join me.”

  When the coffee was ready, Annie poured Trent a supersized mug and then busied herself in his kitchen. She felt Trent’s gaze follow her every move. Normally that would upset her. But today anything that kept him awake was fair game.

  She put the sandwiches on plates and added potato chips. “You look great in my kitchen,” he said as Annie joined him at the table.

  “Think so?” she asked Mr. Agreeable.

  “Yep, I do. Like you belong here.”

  Those words brought Annie up short. She didn’t belong here. Far from it. If Trent hadn’t been injured, she’d be at home where she belonged. And she would have already told him his tour of duty was over.

  Time to face reality. In a few days, she’d deliver two babies. And Trent would disappear from her life forever.

  Why did reality hurt so much?

  CHAPTER 10

  “YOU CAN LEAVE now,” Trent told Annie several hours later. “My head is fine, I don’t fall asleep every five seconds, and I can remember stuff. Like name, rank, and serial number.”

  They’d been sitting outside on Trent’s glider sipping iced tea. The afternoon was sunny and warm with just a gentle breeze. It rearranged Annie’s hair, making her even more beautiful to him. Trent wouldn’t mind rearranging those curls himself.

  “I’m glad you’re improving,” Annie said. “But I promised Doc Rivers I’d spend the night, and I will.”

  “You have a lot to do before the twins arrive.”

  “Thanks to you, the nursery is ready and the babies’ clothes are in their dresser. So being at the ranch is kind of soothing. Like taking a vacation before my whole life changes.”

  Annie seemed troubled. And something told Trent his injury wasn’t her only concern.

  “How did your doctor’s appointment go this morning?”

  “Oh good, you remembered I had an appointment.”

  “Of course I remembered. I always store important facts.”

  “Maybe your head is working right after all.”

  “I keep telling you that. So what did the doctor say?”

  “My due date’s three days off. If labor doesn’t start by then, Doc Newsome will induce.”

  Trent jerked straight up as panic hit. “Induce? You mean force the babies to come?”

  “Force is a strong word. I like encourage better.”

  “Why not just wait, and let them come when they’re ready?”

  “My weight is where it should be, and the babies are strong and healthy. The doctor says it’s time.”

  Time for the twins’ arrival! Trent’s headache, which had largely subsided, kicked up a notch. This was really going to happen. While he and Annie had prepared for and talked about the twins’ birth, he couldn’t imagine it actually happening. “How do you feel about inducing labor?”

  “I’m so ready. I haven’t seen my feet in months, I can’t buckle my sandals without falling over, and I’ve forgotten how to breathe.”

  “I suppose it’ll feel good to get your body back.”

  “Yes, but it’s more than that. I want to meet the two little people growing inside of me. For months I’ve talked, sang, and read to them so they’d get used to my voice. And now I want to meet them.”

  Annie seemed so certain. So unruffled. But Trent felt just the opposite. He felt like he’d just learned a tornado was heading for Copper Creek Ranch. He could hear the wind howl and see the funnel cloud in the distance. The hard part of his assignment would soon begin.

  “Are you afraid?” he asked.

  “A little. You hear horror stories about labor and childbirth. I hope I’ll be relatively composed and not scream like a banshee.”

  “So what if you scream? You’d be entitled.”

  Her hands rested on her stomach, cradling the little lives that would soon appear. At this moment Annie looked lovelier than she’d ever looked. And Trent realized she’d make a wonderful mother.

  One question had gnawed at him for days. He bit his lip and forced himself to ask it. “Will you have anyone with you in the delivery room? Besides the staff?”

  “I’ve thought about that a lot. I don’t think so.”

  Trent expelled a breath. While he wanted to do all he could for Annie, he’d feel as awkward in a delivery room as a cat in a swimming pool. “There’s no family you can call?”

  “Just my aunt Julia, who raised me after Mama died. I’ll let her know about the twins after they’re born. But I won’t call till I’m on my feet again.”

  Annie was a powerhouse, Trent realized. “You’re the strongest woman I know,” he told her. “I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

  Annie laughed, and the delight on her face made Trent’s heart pick up speed. “You always make me laugh, Trent. I’m going to miss you when...”

  She didn’t finish the sentence. And a gloom settled that was almost palpable. Losing Annie was like cutting off his arm and trying to proceed with normal life. But he couldn’t tell her that. Annie’s goal was to be the best single mom in town. She’d told him so a million times.

  “Let’s not think about that. There’s a lot to do before I take you and the babies home.”

  “True. You’ve made these last weeks much easier for me. Happier too.” When she squeezed his hand, Trent’s heart shot forward like a racehorse at the gate.

  “Are you referring to my first visit, when I scared you to death? Or the time I barged in to paint the nursery? Or the time I tricked you into going to Babyland?”

  “You forgot the time you broke into my house to build the cribs I told you not to buy.”

  Suddenly their gazes locked tight. Annie drew him toward her like a
magnetic force. He couldn’t resist the woman if he tried.

  Maybe she felt it too, because she moved toward him. And then their lips touched in the gentlest of kisses. The kiss didn’t deepen or intensify. It just lingered. And while it stayed wonderfully, amazingly gentle, it was the most passionate kiss Trent had ever experienced. He wished it would never end.

  To his dismay, it did. But a moment later Annie laid her head on his shoulder. And Trent took the liberty of exploring those golden curls with his fingertips. Their softness amazed him.

  Everything about Annie amazed him. He wasn’t kidding when he told her she was the strongest woman he knew. But what he hadn’t told her was she was also the most desirable. Trent wanted Annie: mind, body, and soul. And anything else that didn’t fit in those categories. He wanted all of Annie. Forever and ever.

  That can’t happen, said an inner voice. You’re here on assignment. Annie doesn’t belong to you and she never will. And the inner voice was right.

  Several hours later they sat in Trent’s glider watching the sun go down. “So how do you like a Copper Creek sunset?” he asked.

  “It’s magnificent. Sunsets don’t look this good in town.”

  “That’s because we have cream-of-the-crop sunsets here.”

  “How are you feeling now?” Annie didn’t let more than ten minutes pass without inquiring about the state of his health.

  He couldn’t tell her that every muscle in his body ached. Had Wildfire trampled him while he was unconscious? And if not, how could a person hurt in so many places? Even his elbows, knees, and ankles felt painful and creaky. And his headache had returned with a vengeance.

  “I feel terrific,” he lied.

  She smiled and seemed to believe him.

  “Sure you’re up for a sleepover?” he asked.

  She glared at him. “This doesn’t qualify as a sleepover.”

  “Looks that way to me.”

  “You imagine lots of things, Trent. Lots of things.”

  She had him there. Just tonight he’d imagined Annie here all the time. Annie sharing his life and his bed. How great it would be if the first thing he saw every morning was Annie.