Friends, Lovers...And Babies! (The Baby Bet #2)

by Joan Elliott Pickart

  Oh, dear heaven, how she would miss him.

  The good news was that she was going to be a mother, would have a precious miracle, a tiny baby, to love and nurture.

  Deedee sighed.

  The good with the bad. The bad with the good. That’s how it was, the bottom line. She’d learn to live with that. Somehow.

  She straightened and placed her hands on her flat stomach.

  “We’ll be fine, little rabbit,” she whispered. “We’ll be a team, just the two of us, together.”

  My goodness, she was tired, felt emotionally and physically drained. She wanted nothing more than to go home, crawl into bed and sleep.

  She glanced at the clock.

  Forget that wish. She was working until she closed the store at eight o’clock. Ryan had telephoned that morning and said he had something important to share with her. They’d agreed he’d come to Books and Books at eight, they’d buy a pizza and go to her apartment.

  Had that call from Ryan been just hours earlier? It seemed like an eternity since they’d made those plans, because so much had happened between then and now.

  He had something important to share with her? Boy, oh, boy, did she have something to share with him. The sad part was that her “something” would cause him to walk out of her life.

  Deedee sniffled and fought against threatening tears.

  Get a grip, Deedee Hamilton, she ordered herself. She’d read the material she got at the doctor’s office to find out the do’s and don’ts for a mother to be. She’d concentrate on her pink rabbit, be happy, feel blessed. She’d stay in an upbeat mood if it killed her.

  Until Ryan got there.

  Until it was time to say goodbye to the magnificent man she loved.

  She took a wobbly breath, then produced a bright smile as a customer entered the store.

  It had been a long day, Ryan thought as he parked in front of Books and Books.

  He turned off the ignition, but didn’t move to leave the Jeep. He was twenty minutes early for his eight o’clock arrival, but had been unable to sit in his apartment a moment longer.

  He was in love with Deedee Hamilton, he thought incredulously. He’d actually fallen head over heels in love. He was, to quote Ted, “down for the count.” Even more amazing was the realization that he was ecstatic about that fact.

  The ghosts of truth from the past had been dealt with, brought to the surface from the place within him where he’d buried them so deeply, then been flung far away from his reality of now.

  He felt as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. No, more than that. It had been removed from his mind, heart, his very soul.

  He was free to live.

  He was free to love.

  And he loved Deedee.

  Ryan frowned as he stared at the front of Books and Books.

  He’d better come down off his euphoric high and address the issue that would determine his future happiness: Was Deedee in love with him?

  According to Ted, Deedee was “down for the count,” just as Ryan was. Having dismissed Ted as a blithering idiot at the time, he now wished to believe that Ted was right on the money, knew exactly what he was talking about. Ryan was in love with Deedee, and Deedee was in love with Ryan, so said Mr. Sharpe.

  He’d buy Ted a dozen of Rosie’s cherry pies if his partner had called it the way it was.

  “Hi, Deedee,” Ryan said to the steering wheel. “I’m rejoining the police force. Oh, and by the way, I’m in love with you. How do you like them apples, kiddo? Want to get married?”

  Ryan groaned and rolled his eyes heavenward, then shook his head in self-disgust.

  He was a wreck. There had just been too many hours to deal with while waiting to come to Deedee’s store. He’d worked himself into a stressed-out, wired, tense mess. Talk about vulnerable. He was about to bare his soul to the woman who held his tomorrows in her hand.

  Was Deedee in love with him?

  Would she agree to marry him?

  How would she feel about being the wife of a cop?

  He had a choice. He could drive away from there right now, not run the risk of seeking the answers to his questions. Or he could go after the future he wanted with Deedee, risks and all.

  “Go for it, MacAllister,” he said, unsnapping the seat belt.

  Deedee drew a sharp breath as she saw Ryan get out of the Jeep and start toward the door of Books and Books. She’d been aware of the exact moment he’d pulled into the parking place, and he’d jangled her nerves even worse than they were by sitting out there like a lump.

  But now he was crossing the sidewalk to the door, turning the knob, pushing the door open and…

  Oh, dear heaven, there he was. Ryan, the man she loved so very, very much. The man who was the father of the baby nestled within her. Her heart was thudding wildly, and an achy sensation in her throat was a warning that tears were once again threatening.

  She would not cry.

  They’d leave the store as quickly as possible, buy a pizza and go to her apartment. There, with class and dignity, being calm, cool and collected, she’d tell Ryan that she was pregnant and was assuming the responsibility for that fact.

  Then she’d watch him walk out of her life forever.

  Oh, Ryan.

  “Hello,” she said, managing a small smile.

  Ryan didn’t move from where he stood just inside the door. He stared at Deedee intently, a slight frown on his face.

  He was looking at the woman he loved, he thought. He could hardly believe that this had happened to him. He was, by damn, in love. And, oh, man, it felt great.

  He crossed the room, framed Deedee’s face in his hands and kissed her, mentally cursing the counter that separated them.

  The kiss was soft, gentle, reverent. The kiss was, to him, symbolic, an affirmation of his love for Deedee, a commitment to her and that love, a willingness to risk all and everything. The kiss caused his heart to thunder and emotions to momentarily close his throat.

  He released her slowly, looking directly into her brown eyes as he straightened his stance.

  “Hello, Deedee,” he said, his voice raspy.

  She tore her gaze from his, telling herself once again that she would not cry.

  “How…how was your day?” she said, fiddling with the business cards in the plastic holder on the counter.

  Fifty years long, he thought dryly.

  “Okay,” he said. He glanced at the clock. “We’ll close the store in ten minutes and be out of here. We could call ahead to Mario’s and order the pizza. Then it will be ready to pick up when we get there.”

  “I’ve got to finish unpacking a shipment first and marking the books off on the invoice. There should be several special orders in there that people are eager to have. I really need to have them available first thing in the morning.”

  “I’ll do it. I’ve done it before without screwing it up. Should I put the books on the counter in the storeroom again?”

  “Yes, thank you. All right, you go ahead and do that, and I’ll start closing out the cash register, drop the shades and…Yes, that’s a good plan.”

  “Are you upset about something?” he said. “You’re awfully pale and seem…I don’t know…sort of tense.”

  “No, no, I’m fine. I’m just tired at the end of a busy day. And I’m hungry. Once I have some pizza and put my feet up, I’ll be dandy.” She smiled at him. “Really, I will. Now shoo, you have a rendezvous with a half-emptied box in the storeroom.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, matching her smile as he executed a crisp salute. “Anything you say, ma’am.”

  Deedee watched him disappear around the corner.

  Anything you say, ma’am, her mind echoed. I say I love you, Ryan MacAllister. Oh, God, how I love you.

  She shook her head and forced herself to concentrate on entering the figures from the cash register in a ledger book. A few minutes later she dropped the shade behind the front window.

  Just as she re
ached to snap the lock in place on the door, it opened and two men entered, nearly knocking her backward.

  “Oh,” she gasped. “You startled me. I was just locking up.”

  “Do it,” one of the men said gruffly.

  “Pardon me?”

  “Lock the door, lady,” the other man said. “We have private business to conduct here.”

  “I don’t understand what—” she began.

  One of the men pushed her aside, locked the door and dropped the shade on it.

  “You’ve got some nice rare books we intend to take off your hands,” he said.

  “No!” Deedee yelled.

  Ryan stiffened, every muscle in his body tensing to the point of near pain. He’d heard Deedee’s shout of “No,” heard the anger laced with panic. She was in some kind of trouble out there. She needed him. Now.

  He started toward the half-opened door of the storeroom, then stopped, suddenly feeling weak in the knees as though he’d suffered a punishing blow to his solar plexus. Voices slammed against his brain.

  Four-seventeen…shooting in progress…Sherry…shot…dead…Sherry is dead…four-seven-teen…Deedee…Deedee is dead…dead…Deedee!…Deedee!…

  Ryan shook his head sharply, then dragged trembling hands down his face.

  Easy, MacAllister, he ordered himself. Calm down. That was then, before, old news. This was now, and Deedee needed him. The woman he loved was in some kind of danger. This was part of the risk of loving. Okay. It was okay.

  Nothing was going to happen to his Deedee.

  “Let’s hurry it up, lady,” one of the men said to Deedee. He took a gun from the pocket of his jacket and pointed it at her. He grabbed her arm, pulled her across the room and behind the counter. “Unlock that cabinet.”

  No! Deedee mentally hollered. Dear heaven, no, this wasn’t happening. It was a nightmare, she’d wake up and…The silent alarm…The alarm. Oh, damn it, she hadn’t activated it for the night yet. It was worthless the way it was.

  Ryan. Oh, God, where was Ryan? The man had a gun. If Ryan heard what was going on, he’d come barreling out there and…No, please, no. He had to stay in the storeroom where he’d be safe from that hideous gun.

  “Yes, I’ll open it,” she said, her voice quivering. “I’ll do whatever you say. The keys are in the cash register under the change drawer.”

  “You’re being smart, lady,” the man with the gun said. “Just do as you’re told and you won’t get hurt.” He released her arm. “Get the key.”

  Ryan inched his way along the wall, stopping at the corner. He peered carefully around the edge, his jaw tightening as he saw the gun in one of the men’s hands. He ducked back, flattening himself against the bookcase behind him.

  There were two of them. One was armed, the other might be. Ten bucks said these were the Culture Creeps Ted had been after for so long. They wanted Deedee’s rare books, not the money in the cash register.

  Had Deedee set the silent alarm? Probably not. She’d told him she’d gotten into the routine of turning it on just before she left the store, had made a pattern of her closing chores so she wouldn’t forget to activate the alarm. No, there was no help coming from the police.

  It was up to him. Deedee was his to love and his to protect. So be it. He’d get her safely out of this mess. He had to.

  Ryan looked quickly around for something, anything, he could use as a weapon. He heard the ding of the cash register being opened and envisioned Deedee reaching for the key beneath the change tray.

  The man with the gun was sideways to him, halfway blocking Deedee from view. The other creep was standing in front of the counter.

  If he could take out the man in front of the counter, it would momentarily distract the one with the gun. He’d have to move fast, put all of his physical skills into maximum play.

  He could do it. He would do it. Because nothing was going to happen to his Deedee.

  He carefully lifted a thick, heavy book from the top shelf behind him, then peered around the corner again. Deedee was inserting the key in the lock on the cabinet. Turning the key. Removing it. Reaching up for the handle. Was wrapping her fingers around it and…

  Now!

  Ryan threw the heavy book like a guided missile toward the man on the outside of the counter. It caught him square in the head and he fell like a stone to the floor.

  “What…” the other man said, spinning toward his partner.

  At that moment, Deedee whipped open the cabinet door, smashing it against the man’s head. He dropped the gun with a moan and instinctively grabbed his head with his hands. Ryan sprang forward and wrapped both arms around the man, flinging him facedown onto the floor, then dropped to one knee, which he planted firmly on the man’s back.

  “Call the police, Deedee, “ Ryan said.

  “What?”

  “The phone,” he yelled. “Call the cops.”

  She did as instructed, her hands shaking so badly she could hardly press the three numbers for emergency service. As she gave the address of the store to the person who answered, Ryan took a roll of strapping tape from behind the counter and bound the hands and feet of the man he held pinned to the floor.

  “You son of a—” the man started.

  Ryan slapped a piece of the tape across his mouth, then hurried to secure the wrists and ankles of the man who was still groaning on the floor on the other side of the counter.

  Sirens could be heard in the far distance as Ryan bolted to his feet and rushed behind the counter, pulling Deedee into his arms.

  “Are you all right?” he said. “Please, tell me you’re all right. If anything had happened to you I…You were fantastic the way you decked that guy with the cabinet door. Oh, man, are you okay?”

  “Yes. No,” she said, clinging to him. “I was so scared. I thought it was a dream and I’d wake up, but it was real, and I was terrified, and—”

  “Shh,” he said, stroking her back. “It’s all over. Take it easy.”

  “And I was so afraid for you,” she rambled on as though he hadn’t spoken. “He had a gun, and you didn’t have a gun, and I didn’t want you to come out here because you might be hurt, and I couldn’t bear that. And my baby. Oh, dear God, I was so frightened that they would do something that would harm my baby.”

  Ryan tensed, then gripped her upper arms to move her away from him so he could see her face.

  “Your baby?” he repeated, frowning. “What baby?” His eyes darted to her flat stomach, then back to her face. “You’re pregnant?”

  Before Deedee could reply, the sirens filled the air and flashing blue and white lights were visible beyond the shades.

  “This is the police,” a voice boomed over a megaphone. “Put your hands up and come out. You’ve got five seconds. Do it.”

  Ryan stared at Deedee for another long moment, then turned and strode to the door, unlocking and flinging it open. He stood in the doorway, arms held high.

  “It’s a done deal,” he called. “I’m Ryan MacAllister, cop on leave, but back in uniform tomorrow. Ted Sharpe is my partner. I think we’ve got your Culture Creeps in here. Come collect the scum.”

  “Hey, MacAllister,” one of the police officers yelled, “glad to hear you’re back. Thought you’d practice before you suited up again, huh?”

  The store was instantly swarming with police.

  Deedee watched the bustle of activity with a rather detached lack of interest, as though she was there, but not really there.

  Ryan was going to become a police officer again? she thought hazily. He’d be back in uniform tomorrow? He was going to be Ted’s partner?

  That was wonderful, it really was. It meant he’d truly reevaluated his life, sifted and sorted, and gotten in touch with himself. He was returning to where he belonged by rejoining the police force, was putting the past behind him and moving forward with his life.

  If only, oh, if only his future included her as his wife. If only he was going to actually take part in the raising of thei
r child. What a fortunate baby the little pink rabbit would be to have Ryan MacAllister as a father on a day-to-day basis.

  But that wasn’t going to happen because she’d broken the rules of their relationship. When she told Ryan she was pregnant, he would…

  Deedee blinked and came back to reality from her foggy place.

  When she told Ryan she was pregnant?

  She had told him.

  It was becoming clear to her now. She’d zonked that awful man right in the head with the cabinet door, which had been extremely resourceful of her.

  But then she’d babbled on and on as a result of being so frightened. She’d lost it. She’d come apart at the seams, and clung to Ryan all the while she was rambling on like an idiot. In the midst of that uncontrollable chatter, she’d told him about the baby!

  “Oh, dear heaven,” she said, her hands flying to her pale cheeks.

  She’d intended to sit him down in her apartment and quietly explain the situation, not babble the news flash in a fit of hysteria.

  Oh, dear, what was Ryan thinking, feeling, about what she’d said?

  “Are you all right, ma’am?” a police officer said.

  “Me?” she said. “No. Well, yes, but…no.”

  “Mmm,” he said, nodding. He turned and looked around for Ryan. “Hey, MacAllister, you’d better take your lady home before she fades out on us here. She can come down to the department anytime tomorrow and make a statement for the record.”

  Ryan maneuvered through the crowded store to reach Deedee, but didn’t look directly at her.

  “Yeah, okay,” he said to the officer. “I need to lock this place and set the silent alarm. You guys ready to wrap up here?”

  “Yeah, we’re gone. Those two you nabbed are singing their little hearts out in the patrol car. They’re the Culture Creeps, all right. The reason there wasn’t any word on the streets is because they have the stuff stashed, hadn’t tried to fence any of it yet. We’ve been after these scum for weeks. You and your lady make a great team.”