The Birth Mother
Page 18
“I think you’re insane,” Brandon said when he was done.
“Maybe so.” Rafe chuckled. “But you have to admit it would get her attention.”
“Couldn’t you just call like a normal brother?” Emma muttered when Rafe walked up to her car. When she’d seen the revolving light on the top of the black-and-white Cherokee, her first thought was that she was exceeding the speed limit. She’d pulled over, kicking herself for not paying better attention, when the sheriff himself had climbed out of the Jeep and approached her. As soon as she saw his grin, she’d known the traffic stop was bogus.
“I thought you’d like to hear the news,” Rafe said as he leaned in her window. “Harper’s back in town.”
Emma stiffened. “You pulled me over to tell me that?” In the weeks since he’d been gone, the intensity of her heartache hadn’t faded a bit. She still missed him like crazy, especially now that she knew she was carrying his child. Thank goodness she’d sworn Janie to secrecy! Emma didn’t know which would be worse, for Brandon to feel obligated because she was pregnant or for him to reject the child on the basis of its family tree.
Now Rafe straightened with a sheepish expression. “I thought you might like to know.”
“Brandon’s arrivals and departures are of no concern to me,” Emma huffed. If she’d been Pinocchio, her nose would have hit the windshield. It was because she was so interested in news about Brandon that she had to reject it.
“I’ve got to go,” she said, her hand on the gearshift.
“It’s not his arrival that’s so interesting, it’s his mode of transportation.”
With an exasperated sigh, Emma gave in to her curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“He’s driving a ninety-four Taurus.”
“He rented a car, so what?”
Now Rafe looked smug. “I ran the plates. The car’s in his name.” He cleared his throat. “I called an acquaintance at the Reno P.D. Some huge casino complex they were building has gone bankrupt. Guess who was the principal investor?”
Emma gaped. “Not Brandon?” Was it the project he’d mentioned to her? The biggest thing he’d ever undertaken?
Rafe nodded and then his radio crackled to life. He cocked an ear. “I have to run,” he said hastily. “I’ll talk to you later.”
As he turned away, Emma stuck her head out the window. “Next time can the lights!”
She was waiting for a red light a few minutes later, thinking over what Rafe had told her, when she noticed a dusty Taurus parked at the Mini-Mart where Patty worked. Emma didn’t believe in coincidences. She was about to look away when she saw Brandon emerge from the store.
What Rafe had told her was true! Maybe the light would change and Brandon would be spared the humiliation of knowing she’d seen him.
To her chagrin the light remained stubbornly red until he pulled in behind her. Her green Chevy wasn’t that easy to miss, but she ignored him all the way back to her apartment, rationalizing that she couldn’t be expected to recognize him in the white Ford. To her surprise, he pulled into the Austins’ driveway right behind her.
At least it was way too soon for her to be showing. Emma took a deep breath and got out to face him.
“Brandon!” She feigned surprise. “What are you doing here?” She didn’t comment on his car; she was too busy drinking in his appearance.
His face was leaner and there were new lines around his eyes. Strain was evident in his expression. Emma’s heart went out to him in a rush. Had he lost everything?
“I’ve leased out the house in Reno,” he explained. “I’ll be staying at the ranch for a while.”
So it was true. “Don’t be discouraged,” she blurted, forgetting all about playing dumb. “You were successful once, you can do it again.”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you really believe in me that much?”
“Of course,” Emma said, stepping closer. “It was never about your money.”
Brandon’s frown cleared. “It was never about Lexine, either.”
Emma froze. “W-what do you mean?”
“You used her as a shield to hide behind, but she wasn’t the problem.”
The leap from his financial future to Emma’s birth mother left her dizzy. Lexine had tried to wipe out his family and now he said it didn’t matter?
“I didn’t hide behind anything,” Emma retorted. “You couldn’t handle the truth.”
Brandon brought his face closer to hers. “You didn’t give me a chance.”
“I was afraid,” she gulped, suddenly shaking.
“Afraid of what?” His voice had dropped to a whisper, his gaze was intent on hers.
The truth came to Emma in a rush. “Afraid you’d leave me again. Afraid I couldn’t hold you, afraid I wouldn’t fit into your world and that mine would bore you.” She couldn’t believe she’d let all that pour out of her.
“Did it ever occur to you that I had fears, too? I’ve been alone a long time. I didn’t know if I could open up enough to hold on to a woman like you.”
“’Like me’?” she echoed.
“Warm, loving, generous, willing to share herself both physically and emotionally.”
Emma blushed and looked away. “You’re strong and protective,” she murmured. “You have good instincts.”
“But I lost you,” he insisted.
“Only because I was afraid. I’m a coward.”
He cocked his head. “Sounds like we’re both cowards alone. Let’s find out how we’d do together.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, her voice shaking.
The instincts that had served Brandon so well in business were shouting at him now, urging him to take the next step. He was a man who’d always listened to his instincts. “Marry me,” he said, a surge of love threatening to choke him.
Emma’s eyes welled with tears. “Do you mean it?”
“I’ve never meant anything more. We belong together, the two of us against the world.”
She took a deep breath. “Actually, you’d better make that the three of us.”
He frowned, puzzled, and then he noticed that her hands were pressed against her stomach.
Protectively.
His eyes widened as shock rippled through him. He stared into her anxious face.
“I’m pregnant,” she said as he searched for his voice. “I just thought I should tell you before this goes any further.”
“Are you okay? Have you seen a doctor?” Worry for her was uppermost in his mind.
“Yes,” she said, “and yes. Are you upset?”
“Upset?” he echoed. “Emma, I’ve never been so happy.” It was true. The woman he loved was carrying his child. He caught her into his arms, careful not to crush her. “Please say you’ll marry me.”
“My background doesn’t bother you?” she asked, pulling free.
“Background?” he repeated, puzzled.
“Lexine.”
“Do you love me?”
“Oh, yes.” Her eyes were misty and a smile curved her lips.
“That’s all the background check I need. Now, are you going to marry me or not?” he asked.
“Of course,” she cried, smiling through her tears. “And it doesn’t matter that you’ve lost all your money. Rafe told me. We’ll do fine. Don’t you worry.”
Emma had only meant to reassure him, but to her consternation he stiffened. Then he hugged her and she could feel him shaking in her embrace. When he released her, she stared into his face. Had the reminder of his bad luck pushed him over the edge?
To her surprise, he was grinning widely. “I’ve got a confession to make, too,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I didn’t lose any money. I’m still rich. Rafe and I cooked this up so you’d talk to me, that’s all. Please don’t be mad at us.”
Emma looked at the Taurus and then back at Brandon. “You pretended to be poor so I’d talk to you?”
He nodded. “Am I forgiven?”
Emma slid her arms around his neck.
“No more dumb ideas,” she said. “No more keeping things from each other, agreed?”
Brandon bobbed his head. “I promise.”
“In that case, I’ll marry you,” Emma said. “And I won’t hold the fact that you haven’t lost all your money against you.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear it.” Brandon dipped his head and stilled her laughter with a kiss.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Pamela Toth for her contribution to the Montana Mavericks series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7013-2
THE BIRTH MOTHER
Copyright © 2001 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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