HER SECRET, HIS BABY

by Tanya Michaels

  He leaned toward her, catching her waist in his hands and tipping her almost off balance as he pulled her forward. She thudded against him, soft and curved in all the places he was hard, and his heat went straight through the thin material.

  He threaded one hand through her hair, angling her head to deepen their kiss until it felt as if they were fused together. Sensation built in the very core of her. Dazed, she realized that she’d begun rocking against his lap. He bit her earlobe, not hard enough to hurt, but just enough to penetrate the sweet hazy fog of desire enveloping her.

  “Are you sure about this, sweetheart?” He took her chin in his hand, meeting her eyes and seeking assurance.

  “Completely. All the stuff we unwrapped earlier is wonderful, but this is the only gift I really wanted today.”

  Needing no further urging, he reached down to tug off his belt while she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. When he was stripped down to dark boxer-briefs, he repositioned her on his lap, kissing her like a man in a frenzy, leaving her mouth only to skim kisses across her sensitive collarbone. Meanwhile, his fingers traced maddening circles over her breast, not yet touching the sensitive peak. Without warning, he replaced his hand with his mouth, suckling her through the silky nightgown.

  She cried out, her inner muscles clenching, tension already spiraling through her, pooling low where she was wet and wanting. Under his skillful attention, it wouldn’t take long for her to detonate in his arms. “Garrett.” She clutched the back of the sofa with one hand, crushing the upholstery in her fingers as she ground against him. He was hard as stone beneath her.

  “Right there with you, sweetheart.” As he shifted the hem of her nightgown to position himself, the straps slid down her shoulders. He tugged them farther, exposing her breasts to the cool air as he flexed his hips upward to enter her. He went slowly at first, not penetrating completely, savoring the moment and giving her time to adjust. But then he gripped her hips and thrust, wrenching another ecstatic scream from her. Her nerve endings were on fire with need. Using the back of the couch for leverage, she moved with abandon until the mounting tension began to ripple and spasm and finally exploded outward with such force it nearly blinded her for a second.

  With a shout, he plunged into her one last time, then cuddled her against his chest.

  Eventually, she realized she was practically panting and cursed herself for not having the forethought to place a glass of water nearby. “That...” She couldn’t quite catch her breath enough to finish her sentence. But that was okay. There were no words adequate enough to capture what they’d just shared.

  Chapter Twelve

  Pale October sunshine stole through the window, and Arden experienced a childish urge to hide underneath her sheets. She resented that it was morning already and expressed her opinion with a rude noise along the lines of a raspberry.

  Next to her, Garrett propped himself on one elbow. “You don’t have to get up yet, you know. I realize some insensitive SOB kept you up half the night.”

  More than half, but that wasn’t why she was feeling peevish. “I’m not tired. I just don’t want... You’re like a living, breathing sci-fi anomaly.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “Is that some sort of compliment on my performance? If so, I’ll take it. But I don’t get it.”

  “I think you disrupt the flow of time somehow. Whenever you’re around, time flies so quickly it’s unnatural. Then when you’re gone...it feels like whole civilizations rise and crumble in the days when I don’t see you.”

  He sifted his fingers through her hair. “I miss you, too.”

  When he climbed out of bed to take a shower, he invited her to join him, but she was feeling too blue to thoroughly appreciate the experience. He paused in the bathroom doorway. “You are going to be here when I get out, right? No running off and leaving me a note?”

  That succeeded in drawing a smile. “One of the benefits of having sex with a woman in her own home is that she’s unlikely to flee afterward. Of course, one of the drawbacks is that there’s no room service.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” he told her. “I saw eggs in your fridge last night. You stay put, and think about what you want in your omelet. I owe you a breakfast in bed.”

  Thirty minutes later, he made good on his promise. He sat against her headboard, shirtless and barefoot, while she snuggled next to him in her favorite robe. She only had one breakfast tray, so both of their plates were balanced on it, giving them an excuse for extra closeness.

  She moaned her appreciation at the fluffy, perfectly seasoned eggs. “This is terrific. How am I going to let you leave?”

  “Maybe you don’t have to. I did a lot of thinking while I was cooking. Dad always said I was stubborn, but I guess his lectures are finally sinking in.”

  She wasn’t exactly following his train of thought, but as soon as he’d said maybe he didn’t have to go, her heart had thumped happily. “You don’t need to return back to the ranch soon?”

  “No, I do. It’s my job, and my life. I explained it wrong. When I leave, what if you came with me? My dad’s been telling me since the day he met you that if I had the brains God gave a turnip, I’d take you off the market once and for all.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “Off the market?”

  “Marry you. And he’s right.”

  “You can’t be serious.” Her brain whirled. What had happened to “let’s not rush this” and “you deserve to be courted”? Okay, yes, they’d taken a big step forward last night, but she hadn’t realized it was tantamount to getting engaged.

  “Of course I am. I wouldn’t joke about this.” He swung his feet over the side of the bed, and she knew he’d be pacing within minutes. “Our baby received so many presents yesterday. Wouldn’t the best gift be a stable home, a mother and father under one roof? We both know how important family is. Don’t you want to provide that for the little one?”

  She resented that line of reasoning. It sounded too much like he was trying to guilt her into the biggest decision of her life.

  “It’s the smart thing to do,” he pronounced, irritating her even more.

  “So if I don’t say yes, I’m dumb and a bad mother?”

  “What? How the hell did you make that leap?” He narrowed his eyes. “Wait, why wouldn’t you say yes? We’ve both wondered how we’re going to make this work long distance. You’re alone here. At the Double F there’s someone who can share the middle-of-the-night changings, built-in babysitting so you can keep working. Or you could stop working. I’ll take care of you.”

  Now she shot out of the bed, too. It was a reminder of everything intimate they’d shared during the night—back before she’d wanted to throttle him—and she didn’t want to acknowledge those memories right now. “I’m not alone here! I have Justin and Layla and my studio. And, yes, I plan to keep working. I love being a photographer, and I spent a lot of time building a professional reputation and cultivating word-of-mouth marketing. You would expect me to drop all of that without a second thought?”

  Apparently, he would. He had.

  He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. It looked as stressed out as she was feeling. “Is this really so out of the blue, so unthinkable? In less than two months, you’re having my baby. In a perfect world, we’d have more time to plan and discuss, but we didn’t go about any of this perfectly.”

  Irrational tears burned her eyes. Last night had seemed pretty damned perfect. For that matter, she’d accumulated a number of “perfect moment” memories in Garrett’s presence, even when it had been something as small as laughing until her face hurt over the world’s ugliest souvenir pen. But to hear him tell it, he’d merely been making the best of a bad situation.

  Suddenly devoid of energy, she sank back down to the mattress. “You said your father’s been goading you to get mar
ried since the day he met me? We weren’t even dating then.”

  “True, but he knew we were about to be parents. If we get married before Thanksgiving, our child will—”

  “Before Thanksgiving?” Was he delusional? They’d never even discussed this before now, and he wanted to throw together a wedding in five or six weeks? Tears burned her eyes. He’d gone from telling his family there was “nothing romantic” between them to insisting she become his wife. Obviously marriage meant very different things to each of them. “Garrett, why do you want to marry me?”

  “I told you. The baby des—”

  “My answer is no.”

  * * *

  GARRETT HAD LEFT Cielo Peak in a raging bad mood that did not improve on his drive to the ranch. Arden had been unreasonable. She’d admitted she was miserable without him, but she refused to take the logical step so that they could be together. Even though it would make them both happy. Even though it was best for the baby.

  Despite knowing his parents would want to hear about the shower and ask how she’d liked their gifts, he drove straight past their house. He needed to be alone. But fate had something different in mind. He’d barely removed his boots when his doorbell rang. He held his breath, debating how to proceed. He couldn’t really ignore his own parents the way one might a door-to-door salesman.

  “Son?” Brandon called. “We need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  It had better not be about Arden. He’d had enough of his father’s unsolicited advice on that front. I tried, Dad. She’d trampled his proposal with all the violence of a stampeding herd.

  Years of ingrained obedience won out, and he opened the door for his father. Garrett did a double take, noting that his mom had been crying and that even his father’s eyes were puffy. He experienced a moment of emotional vertigo— Oh, God. Had Will Harlow lost his battle with renal failure? “C-come in.” Garrett cast his hand out to the side blindly, looking for something that would steady him.

  They filed into the living room, no one speaking, until finally, Caroline said, in a voice so small it was almost inaudible, “Your father suggested that we invite Will for Thanksgiving next month. He has no family, and he’s been so ill. It would be the charitable thing to do. And I just...couldn’t. I couldn’t go on not telling him anymore.”

  This wasn’t about a downturn in the man’s health? This was about Thanksgiving? Garrett’s gaze dropped, zeroing in on his parents’ joined hands. They were here as a unified front? Brandon hadn’t driven into the mountains to process news of his wife’s duplicity?

  “You’re not mad?” Garrett asked without thinking. “You don’t care?”

  “Of course I care, son. Especially for you. Your momma tells me you’ve been going through hell this last month, and I’ve never been prouder of you. You want to help a man who’s critically ill, despite your anger. You tried to protect your momma by keeping her secret, but through it all, you’ve felt a strong pull of loyalty to me? We raised you good. And you had reason to be hurt. But only the two people in a relationship can truly understand what’s happening between them.”

  Sometimes even fewer than two. Garrett, for one, had no idea why Arden had thrown away what could have been an amazing future.

  “You don’t know what that time was like for Caro, what I was like. I have a son, and Will may be dying. In light of those facts, holding a grudge seems pretty pointless. We just wanted you to know you don’t have to hide it anymore. And we both fully support whatever you decide about the kidney donation. Suffice to say, Will Harlow won’t be joining us for Thanksgiving. Not that I suppose it makes much difference to you. We figure you’ll be in Cielo Peak.”

  With Arden, they meant. It was going to be difficult to feel thankful after her rejection.

  Despite his relief over Brandon finally knowing the truth and his admiration that his parents had managed to weather such a significant betrayal, Garrett felt hollow. How could he be this bereft? When he’d first learned about Pea—about the baby, he’d assumed he and Arden would parent separately and platonically. It was only very recently that he’d begun to believe they could have more. They’d been on one date. How could he mourn the loss of something he’d never truly had?

  His gaze went involuntarily to his parents’ still-linked hands. Just because he’d never had something didn’t mean he couldn’t recognize the value of it.

  * * *

  THREE TEENAGERS POSED against a pumpkin-patch backdrop in Halloween costumes ranging from zombie cheerleader to a two-headed mummy. But the scariest thing in the studio was Arden’s unshakable gloom. What was the point in a soon-to-be mom taking a principled stand on her right to keep working if she chased off all her clients with her morose attitude?

  “Great shots, girls.” She put the camera away, trying not to think about when she and Natalie had been that age, the silly moments like these—funny BFF photos, staging “chance” run-ins with boys they liked, never having any idea the twists and turns their lives would take.

  After the giggling teens had chipped in their money and selected the photo they wanted for their joint package, Arden was alone—free to put her head on her desk and cry her guts out. Except she couldn’t. The woman who’d cried at greeting cards, soup commercials, random puppies she passed in the park and internet banner ads was completely empty. She’d been dry-eyed since Garrett stomped out of her house last week, unable to wash away the memory with cleansing tears.

  Although she hadn’t spoken directly to Garrett, Darcy Connor had suddenly discovered numerous reasons to call. The woman was obviously checking on Arden and the baby and making covert reports.

  “Knock, knock.” Layla stood in the doorway. As the teenage girls had happily announced, today had been an early release day for local schools. “This is an intervention.”

  “What?”

  “Today, we close the studio early, go to your place and eat chocolate-covered caramels while we watch action movies with lots of car chases and explosions. Then, tomorrow, you start shaking this off, or I think your brothers are taking a road trip to the Double F and doing some damage. You remember your brothers, right? Big strapping guys who love you and are worried sick?”

  “I’m not trying to worry any of you,” Arden said apologetically. “I just...hurt.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Layla came around the desk to give her a hug. Then she pulled a caramel-filled chocolate medallion out of her pocket. “Here, want to get a jump start on the gorging?”

  “No.” Arden swatted the candy away. It made her think of Garrett. Big surprise. Everything made her think of Garrett.

  “If you miss him so much, you could call him.”

  “And say what? Layla, the guy expected me to marry him without ever mentioning his feelings for me. He thinks it’s rational to get married for the baby’s sake, and, you know what? He may be right. There are probably people who do that and make it work. But I’m holding out for more than rational. He made it sound like a good mother would want her child to have a loving home with both parents, and I do. Enough that I’m willing to wait for the right situation, for a man who actually does love me. A man who gives his future with me the due consideration it deserves. I can’t just pack up and leave Cielo Peak!”

  Layla narrowed her eyes at her, lips pursed.

  “What?”

  “Don’t scream at me...but are you sure you can’t?”

  “Hey! You’re one of the reasons I’m staying. Do you want to get rid of me?”

  “What I want is to see you happy. I know we couldn’t go out for spur-of-the-moment pizzas if you left, but even living in the same town, we spend half our time on the phone. You’d be moving to a ranch, not the far side of the moon.”

  “I have a business I started from scratch. And the thought of leaving my brothers...”

  “Maybe you’d be setting a go
od example for them,” Layla suggested quietly. “Colin can’t seem to find his way back to happiness, and Justin is too afraid of being happy to give it a fair shot. If you seized happiness with Garrett, it could give them hope, a blueprint to follow. I agree the man’s proposal sucked, but let’s look past that for the moment. Do you think he could make you happy?”

  Arden stared into space, recounting all the small and not-so-small ways he’d done just that, the unexpected joy he’d given her.

  “C’mon, you can think it over on the ride to your house.” Layla had already picked up Arden’s purse and was bringing the red wool coat to her. “You said Garrett goes in for testing next week? Maybe you can call him Sunday night, after you’ve both had a chance to calm down and reflect. Wish him luck on the medical stuff and see how you feel talking to him.”

  Conjuring a ghost of a smile, Arden stood. “You’re a very wise woman.”

  “That’s what I tell my students. Let’s go. Bad action movies await.”

  “I don’t think so.” Arden gasped, gripping the edge of her desk. “My water just broke!”

  * * *

  ALL THE OTHER ranch hands had called it a day. Garrett should, too. It was cold and dark. But where else would he go? His house was too quiet, too lonely. And up at his parents’ house, Caroline’s admission seemed to have brought her and Brandon even closer. With the weight of her secret lifted, Caroline was practically giddy. She danced around the kitchen to her old records while baking, a constant smile on her face. The house was full of the cinnamon-spiced aroma of pumpkin pie and happiness.

  He’d rather be out shivering in the barn.

  The cell phone in his pocket rang, and he had to remove one glove to answer it. He almost ignored the call since he didn’t recognize the number. “Garrett Frost,” he announced himself.

  “Frost? This is Justin Cade.”

  Garrett groaned. Was the man planning to kick Garrett’s ass because he’d displeased Arden? “Look, if you’re calling to bust my chops, you should know I tried to do the honorable thing.”