“Really?”
“Really.” He wiped his fingers on a paper napkin. “But maybe you only noticed me because of the punch.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“That’s right—the remnants of your high school crush meant I was irresistible to you,” he teased.
“Maybe it was the punch,” she teased back.
He grinned. “Well, now that you’re not under the influence, what do you say to the two of us spending some time together, getting to know one another better?”
Under other circumstances, she would have said “absolutely.” She wanted exactly what he was offering, but she knew any time they might have together was limited—not just because he would be returning to Thunder Canyon in the New Year, but because her baby bump was growing every day.
If you don’t tell him, I will.
With Kristen’s voice echoing in the back of her mind, Kayla opened her mouth to finally confess her secret. “Before you decide that you want—”
“I’m sorry,” Trey said, as his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen. “My cousin, Claire.”
He looked at her, as if for permission.
“Go ahead,” she said, grateful for the reprieve—and then feeling guilty about being grateful.
He connected the call. “Hey, Claire.”
Whatever his cousin said on the other end made him wince. “TMI.” He shook his head as he listened some more. “So why are you calling me?” Then he sighed. “Okay, text me the details—but that ‘favorite cousin’ card is wearing pretty thin.”
“Problem?” Kayla asked, when he disconnected.
“She wants me to pick up diapers. Apparently, she bought a supersize package at the box store in Kalispell yesterday, but she left them in the car and Levi has the car at work, Grandma’s out getting her hair done, she doesn’t trust Grandpa to buy the right size and she needs diapers now.”
“And you didn’t even know diapers came in different sizes?” Kayla guessed.
“I never really thought about it,” he admitted. “Except about two minutes ago and more in the context of ‘thank God I don’t have to think about stuff like that.’”
She frowned as she folded up the blanket. “Stuff like what?”
“Any and all of the paraphernalia associated with babies. I swear, you can hardly see the floor in Claire and Levi’s room for all of the toys and crap strewn around.”
Toys and crap.
Well, that was an enlightening turn of phrase. If she’d been under any illusions that Trey might be excited about impending fatherhood, the phone call from his cousin had cleared them away.
Thank God I don’t have to think about stuff like that.
His phone chimed and he glanced at the screen again. “She actually texted me a picture of the package, to make sure I get the right ones.”
“Then I guess you’d better go get the diapers.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “She really did sound desperate, although I’ll spare you the details that she didn’t spare me.”
“I have to head over to the newspaper office, anyway,” she reminded him. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Wait.” He caught her arm as she started to move away. “You were in the middle of saying something when Claire called.”
She furrowed her brow, as if trying to remember, then shrugged. “I don’t remember now.”
Liar, liar.
She ignored the recriminations from her conscience as she headed back to her truck.
* * *
When she got to the newspaper office and glanced at her own phone, Kayla saw that she had three missed calls and four text messages—all from her sister.
She sat down behind her desk and finally called her back.
“What did he say?” Kristen demanded without preamble.
“Hi, Kristen. It’s good to hear from you. I’m doing well, thanks for asking, and how are you?”
Her sister huffed out a breath. “We covered all of that when I talked to you earlier. Now tell me what he said.”
“I didn’t tell him,” she admitted.
“How could you not tell him? Wasn’t the whole purpose of your meeting with him today to tell him about your baby—his baby?”
“Yes, that was the purpose,” she agreed. “And I was trying to come up with the right words to tell him what I needed to tell him.”
“That you’re pregnant with his child.”
She sighed. “I’m aware of that fact.”
“If you can’t even say the words over the phone to me, there’s no way you’re going to be able to say them to Trey.”
“I know,” she admitted. “And those words are going to turn his whole world upside down.”
“Probably a lot less than the baby that’s going to come along in a few more months,” Kristen pointed out reasonably.
“Not just a baby, but all the toys and crap that go along with a baby.”
“What?”
She sighed. “Claire called and asked Trey to pick up diapers for her, and he went off on a little bit of a rant that made it pretty clear he isn’t ready to be a father.”
“Ready or not—he is going to be one.”
“I know,” she said again.
“The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be,” her sister warned.
She knew it was true. And she knew that she’d already waited too long, but with Trey’s disparaging remark ringing in her ears, the truth had lodged in her throat. So many times, she’d tried to imagine how he’d react to the news, but every time she played the scene out in her mind, the mental reel came to a dead stop after she told him about the baby. She simply could not imagine how he would respond. His comments today gave her a little bit of a hint, and not a good one.
“The baby’s moving around a lot now,” she admitted. “The whole time I was with Trey today, I could feel little flutters, as if the baby was responding to the sound of his voice.”
“Maybe he was,” Kristen said. “Or maybe my nephew was kicking at you, reminding you to tell his father about his existence.”
“I don’t know if the baby’s a boy or a girl,” she reminded her sister.
“It’s a boy,” Kristen said. “And a little boy needs his father.”
“What if...”
“What if what?”
But Kayla couldn’t finish the thought. A single tear leaked out the corner of her eye—not that her sister could see, of course, but in true Kristen fashion, she didn’t need to see her to know.
“Are you crying, sweetie?”
“No.”
“Kayla,” her sister prompted gently.
“One tear is not crying,” she protested.
“It’s going to be okay,” Kristen said. “But only if you tell him.”
“What if he doesn’t want our baby?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “What if he hates me for getting pregnant?”
“You didn’t get pregnant alone,” her sister said indignantly. “And if he couldn’t be responsible enough to make sure that didn’t happen, he has to be responsible for the consequences.”
RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS: BITS & BITES
The spectacularly refurbished Maverick Manor has been doing steady business since it opened its doors last December. Rumor has it the exquisite honeymoon suite is in particular demand and has already been booked for the wedding night of dashing detective Russ Campbell to Rust Creek Falls’s sexy spitfire waitress, Lani Dalton.
In other news, a truckload of our neighbors from Thunder Canyon recently rode into town bringing Presents for Patriots. The group included DJ and Allaire Traub with their pint-size son, Alex; Shane and Gianna Roarke, who will obviously be adding to their family very soon; Clayton
and Antonia Traub, with children Bennett and Lucy in tow; and Trey Strickland, who is apparently planning to spend the holidays with his grandparents. Take my advice, single ladies, and slip a sprig of mistletoe in your pocket just in case you’re lucky enough to cross paths with the handsome bachelor while he’s in Rust Creek Falls!
Gene folded his newspaper and set it aside. “Better watch out,” he told his grandson. “The Rambler announced your return to all of the eligible women in town.”
“As if the news hadn’t spread farther and faster through the grapevine already,” Trey noted.
“Something wrong?” Melba asked him.
“Why would you think that?”
“You’ve been pushing those eggs around on your plate for five minutes without taking a bite.”
He lifted a forkful to his mouth and tried not to make a face as he swallowed the cold eggs.
“I heard about your lunch with Kayla Dalton on Monday,” Melba said.
He didn’t bother to ask where she’d heard. In a town the size of Rust Creek Falls, everyone knew everyone else’s business.
“In the park,” she continued, shaking her head. “Why on earth would you take the girl to the park in December?”
“The park was Kayla’s idea,” he told her.
Melba frowned at that. “Really?”
“And it was a nice day.”
“Nice enough, for this time of year,” his grandmother agreed. “But hardly nice enough for a picnic.”
“You should take her to Kalispell,” Gene said.
“Why would I take her to Kalispell?” he asked warily.
“For a proper date.”
He looked across the table at his grandfather. “You’re giving me dating advice?”
“Somebody apparently has to,” Melba pointed out. “Because lunch in the park in December is not a date.”
He didn’t bother reminding her again that it had been Kayla’s idea—clearly nothing he said was going to change her opinion.
“You should take her somewhere nice,” his grandmother continued.
“Speaking of going places,” he said. “I’m heading to Kalispell this afternoon to do some Christmas shopping. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?”
“I was there to get my groceries yesterday,” Melba said. “You should ask Kayla to go with you.”
“Grandma,” he said, with more than a hint of exasperation in his tone.
She held her hands up in mock surrender. “It was just a suggestion.”
And because it was one he was tempted to follow, he instead got up and cleared his plate from the table, then headed out the door.
Chapter Six
The following night Kayla had volunteered to help with the wrapping of Presents for Patriots at the community center. She wasn’t surprised to see Trey was also in attendance, but she deliberately took an empty seat at the table closest to the doors—far away from where he was seated.
She wasn’t exactly avoiding him, but after the way they’d parted at the conclusion of their lunch date, she wasn’t sure of the status between them. She knew that nothing he’d said or done absolved her of the responsibility of telling him about their baby, but she couldn’t summon up any enthusiasm to do so. Instead, she chose a gift from the box beside the table and selected paper covered with green holly and berries to wrap it. There was Christmas music playing softly in the background and steady traffic from the wrapping tables to the refreshment area. The mood was generally festive, with people chatting with their neighbors and friends while they worked.
Despite the activity all around her, Kayla was conscious of Trey’s presence. Several times when her gaze slid across the room, she found him looking at her, and the heat in his eyes suggested that he was remembering the night they’d spent together.
She was remembering, too. Even before she’d learned that she was carrying his child—an undeniable reminder of that night—she hadn’t been able to forget. She’d had only one cup of the spiked punch—or maybe it was two. Just enough to overcome her innate shyness and lessen her inhibitions, not enough to interfere with her memories of that night.
That evening had been the realization of a longtime fantasy. She’d had a secret crush on him all through high school, but she’d never let herself actually believe that he could want her, too. But for a few hours that night, she hadn’t doubted for a moment that he did. The way he’d looked at her, the way he’d kissed her and touched her, had assured her that what was happening between them was mutual.
But the next day, he hadn’t remembered any of it.
Or so she’d believed for five months.
Now she knew that he knew, but he was prepared to act as if nothing had ever happened. Unfortunately for Kayla, that wasn’t really an option.
* * *
“Instead of staring at her from across the room, you could go over and talk to her.”
Shane Roarke’s suggestion forced Trey to tear his gaze away from Kayla. He pulled another piece of tape from the roll and resumed his wrapping.
“What?” he asked, as if he didn’t know what—or rather whom—his friend was talking about.
Shane shook his head. “You’re not fooling anyone, Trey.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
But of course it was a lie. He’d noticed her the minute she’d walked through the door. He’d watched her come in, her nose and cheeks pink from the cold, and waited for her to come over and take the empty seat beside him. Her eyes had flicked in his direction, and his heart had pounded in anticipation. Then, much to his disappointment, she’d turned the other way.
“I’m talking about the pretty brunette across the room. The one with the big blue eyes and the shy smile who keeps looking over at you almost as much as you’re looking at her.”
“She’s looking at me?”
Shane glanced at his wife and shook his head. “Was I ever this pathetic?”
“No,” Gianna smiled indulgently. “You were worse.”
Her husband chuckled. “I probably was,” he acknowledged, reaching over to cover the hand that his wife had splayed over her enormous belly. “But look at us now.”
Trey did look at them, and he was surprised by the little tug of envy he felt. He never thought he wanted what his friend had—certainly he wasn’t looking to add a wife and a kid to his life just yet. But maybe, at some future time down the road.
For now, however, he couldn’t stop thinking about Kayla. He’d told her that they could forget what happened between them on the Fourth of July, but it was a lie. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since that night, and now that he was back in Rust Creek Falls, he was eager to spend some time with her and to rekindle the chemistry that had sparked between them five months earlier.
“And look at his corners,” Gianna said, interrupting his musing.
Trey followed her pointing finger to the package in front of him. “What’s wrong with my corners?”
“They’re lumpy.”
“Shane’s corners weren’t so great, either, until you started helping him,” he pointed out.
“That’s true,” Gianna agreed, pushing back her chair. She came around the table to his side. “Come on.”
He eyed her warily. “Where are we going?”
“To get you some help.”
He looked across the table at his friend and coworker; Shane just shrugged. Trey reluctantly rose to his feet and let Gianna lead him away. His steps faltered when he realized where she was leading, but she only grabbed his arm and tugged him along until they were standing by Kayla’s table.
“You look like you know what you’re doing,” Gianna said to her. “Maybe you could help Trey with his wrapping?”
Kayla’s pretty blue eyes shifted b
etween them. “Help—how?”
“Show him how to fold the ends of the paper, for starters. He’s making a mess of everything.”
“You’d think a man who trains horses could handle a roll of paper,” Kayla noted.
“You’d think,” Gianna agreed. “But he can’t.”
“But I can hear,” Trey pointed out. “And you’re talking about me as if I’m not here.”
“Sit,” Gianna said, nudging him into a chair.
He sat.
“Good luck,” she said to Kayla before she went back to her husband.
“I’m sorry about this,” Trey said.
“About what?”
“Gianna dragging me over here.”
“Why did she?”
He shrugged. “Partly because I was making a mess of everything. Mostly because I was paying more attention to you than my assigned task.”
Her cheeks flushed prettily. “I’m sure you weren’t making a mess of everything.”
“You haven’t seen me wrap anything yet,” he warned her.
She handed him a box. “Give it a go.”
He let his fingertips brush against hers in the exchange, and smiled when she drew away quickly. He laid the present on the paper and cut it to size, then wrapped the paper around the box. He was doing okay until he got to the ends, where he couldn’t figure out how to fold it.
“You really do suck at this,” she confirmed, amused by the fact.
“I’m not good with the paper,” he admitted. “But I’m a tape master.”
Her lips twitched, just a little, and her brows lifted. “A tape master?”
He demonstrated, tearing off four short, neat pieces of tape onto the tips of each of his fingers, and then transferring them one by one to secure the seams of the paper.
“Not too bad,” she allowed.
“I have other talents,” he told her.
“What kind of talents?”
He tipped his head closer to her and lowered his voice suggestively. “Why don’t we go for a drive when we’re finished here and...talk...about those talents?”
“I have a better idea,” she said. “I’ll cut and wrap, and you tape.”
Merry Christmas, Baby Maverick! Page 7