by Lori Foster
The tone of his voice, both aggressive and persuasive, sank into her bones. Her stomach flip-flopped and her toes curled. Damn him, how could he do this to her now, when she'd just been sick, when she didn't like him, when he didn't much care for her? It wasn't fair that of all the men in all the world, Morgan Hudson had this singular effect on her.
But then, little in her life had been fair lately.
She shook her head, denying both him and herself. "You're twisting things around—"
"I'm stating a fact."
"The fact is that you want me as far from your family as you can manage!"
His shrug was negligent, but his gaze was hard. "As you pointed out, everyone else feels differently. Jordan even offered you a job."
"Which I refused."
His brows shot up. "You did?"
He sounded surprised, but then, she had been purposely harassing him by letting him think otherwise. That had been childish, and not at all smart. She sighed. "Of course I did."
"Why?"
Exasperated by his suspicious tone, she explained, "This'll be a shock, I'm sure, but I'm not the party girl you seem to think I am, Morgan. I realize both your brothers were likely just fooling around, but I don't intend to take any chances. I'm not interested in fun and games, and as I already told you, I'm even less interested in being serious with someone. I didn't want to accidentally encourage either of them, so I thanked Jordan for the offer, but declined, and I told Gabe I had other responsibilities and couldn't hang around any longer. So you can relax your vigil. Both your brothers are safe from my evil clutches."
He didn't react to her provocation this time, choosing instead to hark back to his earlier question. "When are you getting married?"
He wouldn't give up, she could tell. He looked settled in and disgruntled and determined. She was so tired of fighting men, her ex-fiancé, her ex-boss, even the damn lawyers and the judge. Maybe once she told Morgan everything, he'd be glad to be rid of her. She slumped into her seat, all fight gone. "I give up. You win."
He didn't gloat, and he didn't sound exactly pleased with himself. He was simply matter-of-fact in his reply. "I always do." Then more quietly, "When are you getting married?"
"I'm not." She felt him studying her and she twisted to face him so she could glare right back. "I'm not getting married, okay? There's no groom, no wedding, no happily ever after. Satisfied now?"
There was a sudden stillness, then Morgan relaxed, all the tension ebbing out of him, his breathing easier, his expression less stern. She hadn't even realized he was holding himself so stiffly until he returned to his usual cocky self. He uncrossed his arms to spread one over the back of the swing, nearly touching her shoulder, and he shifted, all his big muscles sort of loosening and settling in.
In a tone meant to clarify, he asked, "You're not getting married?"
"What, do you want it written in blood? I'm not getting married. The very idea is repugnant. I have absolutely no interest in marriage."
"I see." The aggression was gone, replaced by something near to sympathy, and to Misty, that was even worse. "What happened to the father of the baby?"
Why not, she thought, fed up with fending him off. "He found out he was going to be a father and offered me money for an abortion." She wouldn't look at him. The humiliation and pain she'd felt that day was still with her. It had been the worst betrayal ever – or so she'd thought, until she'd lost her job. "I refused, he got angry, and we came to an agreement."
"What agreement?"
"I wouldn't bother him with the baby, and he wouldn't bother with me."
The swing kept moving, gently, lulling her, and though Morgan was silent, it didn't feel like a condemning silence as much as a contemplative one. Finally he asked, "How long have you been sick in the mornings?"
"Only for a few weeks. And before you ask, yes, I'll tell Honey. But not now. She has a tendency to worry about me, to play the role of big sister even though I'm only a year younger than her. She's so happy with Sawyer now, she doesn't need to hear about my problems just yet."
His fingers gently touched her hair, smoothing it. It was clearly a negligent touch, as if he did it without thought. When she glanced at him, she saw he was watching her closely.
"Will the baby be a problem?"
"No! I want the baby."
His gaze softened. "That's not what I mean."
Lifting her chin, she said, "If you're asking me if I'll be a good mother, I hope so. I don't have much experience, but I intend to do my absolute best."
"No, I wasn't accusing you of anything or questioning your maternal instincts." He smiled slightly. "I just wonder if you know what you're getting into. Babies are a full-time job. How do you intend to work and care for it, too, without any help?"
She shook her head. Since she didn't even have a job at present, she didn't have an answer for him.
"Will you be able to get a leave of absence?"
The irony of that question hit her and she all but laughed. Instead, she turned her face away so he couldn't see how lost she felt.
Morgan touched her cheek. "Malone?"
"Isn't this interrogation about over?"
"I don't think so. So why don't you make it easy on yourself and just answer my questions?"
"Somehow I don't think this conversation is going to be easy on me no matter what I do."
He got quiet over that. "I don't mean to make things difficult for you."
"Don't you?"
"I didn't create this situation, Malone, and the attraction isn't one-sided. Will you at least admit that much?"
She didn't want to, but saw no point in denying it. "Yeah, so? I think the fact I'm pregnant and without a groom shows my judgment to be a bit flawed, so don't let it go to your head."
His large hand cupped the back of her skull, his fingers gently kneading. The tenderness, after his previous attitude, was startling. "Everyone makes a mistake now and then. You're not the first."
"Which mistake are we referring to? Me being pregnant, or my response to you?"
Again, he was quiet.
She decided to make a clean break, to finish her confessions and get away before she became morose again. She slapped her palms on her thighs, turned to him with a take-charge air and said, "Okay. You've worn me down. Besides, the sun is almost completely up. Everyone will be waking soon, and I hope to get out of here before that. I'd just as soon avoid the lengthy goodbyes if I can. So tell me, Sheriff, what other intrusive questions do you have for me before I'm formally dismissed?"
Again, he easily ignored her sarcasm. "How far along are you? You sure as certain don't look pregnant."
She laughed shortly. "Yeah, just think, if I did look pregnant we probably wouldn't be having this conversation right now!"
"Malone?"
"Three months." She gave him a crooked grin. "From what I understand, I may not start to show until my fifth, maybe even my sixth month. By then, I'll be a distant memory for you, Morgan."
"But you're sure you are—"
"Had the test, so yes, I'm sure. Besides, I feel the pregnancy in other ways."
His gaze went unerringly to her breasts, now thoroughly hidden beneath her sexless robe. Still, she practically squirmed with the need to shield herself with her hands. She resisted the telltale reaction. "Yep, I'm bigger now," she said, doing her best to sound flippant, unaffected. Trying not to blush. Her glasses slipped a bit, and she pushed them back up.
"What about your job?"
Hedging, she asked, "What about it?"
"It occurs to me that I don't know all that much about you."
Her eyes widened and she laughed. "Now there's a revelation for you. Of course, anytime you don't know something, you just fill it in with fiction."
He touched her cheek with the back of one finger and his expression was regretful. "I admit to making some pretty hasty assumptions. But you haven't helped, Misty, coming on the way you did."
"I didn't—"
"Y
eah, you did." He smiled just a little, making her heart twist. "You flirt with everyone."
She sighed. "True enough. I was trying to act cheerful and worry-free so Honey wouldn't suspect anything. Maybe I overdid it just a bit."
"And maybe I want you bad enough that all you have to do is breathe and it seems like a seduction. At least to me."
Her gaze shot to his face; she was speechless.
"It's true, you know. I don't think I've ever wanted a woman the way I do you." His hand opened and his palm cupped her cheek. "Even now, with you looking like a maiden aunt and after you tossed your cookies in the bushes. Even knowing you're pregnant with another man's baby, I still want you."
She shook her head, words beyond her.
"I know. It's a damnable situation, isn't it?"
"No, it's not." She was resolute, driven by her emotional fear. "I'm leaving, this morning, right now if you'll just stop questioning me and let me leave without a fuss."
"It's not that easy, Malone, now that I know you're in trouble."
"Such an old-fashioned sentiment! Unmarried pregnant women are no longer in trouble. They're just...pregnant." She gave a negligent shrug.
"All right, if you say so." He looked far from convinced. "So quit hedging and reassure me. Where do you work?"
Knowing that, as sheriff, it would be easy enough for him to check, and not doubting for a moment that he probably would, she sniffed and said, "I only recently left Vision Videos."
"Vision Videos?"
"A small, privately owned video store. It's located in the town I...used to live in." She sincerely hoped he missed her small hesitation. The idea of being homeless was still pretty new to her. "It's very small scale, only three employees besides the owner, but the store did incredible business. He'd planned to open another location by the end of the summer and I was going to run it for him."
"But you're not now?"
"Now, I'm in the process of reevaluating my options."
He stared, and his softly stroking fingers went still. With disbelief ringing from every word, he said, "You're unemployed?"
"Momentarily, yes."
His eyes narrowed. "By choice? Because I'll tell you, if your boss fired you for being pregnant, that's against the law...."
"No, he didn't fire me for that."
Morgan's back stiffened, and his scowl grew darker. "But he did fire you?"
"Actually...yes."
"Why?"
"He...well, he accused me of doing something I didn't do."
"Damn it, Malone," he suddenly burst out, his irritation evident, his patience at an end. "It's like pulling snake teeth to get you to tell the whole—"
"All right!" She shot to her feet, every bit as annoyed as he was. Hands on her hips, she faced him. "All right, damn it. I was convicted of stealing from him. Three hundred dollars. But I didn't do it, only they believed that I did!"
Morgan stood, too, and now he looked livid. "They?"
She waved a hand. "The owner, the lawyer I had to hire, the despicable judge. Everyone."
Very slowly, Morgan reached out and took hold of her shoulders. "Tell me what happened."
Misty had no idea if he was angry with her or the situation. She tried to shrug his hands away, but he held on. Her temper was still simmering, though, and she was in no mood for his attitude, so she jerked away and then sat on the swing, giving a hard kick to make it move. Morgan grabbed the swing to stop it and sat beside her. "I'm waiting."
She crossed her arms over her breasts. He made her feel vulnerable and defensive when she had no reason to feel either one. "Not long after I found out I was pregnant and Kent, my ex, bailed out, I was at work and the cash came up short. The woman who'd worked before me had signed out and made her deposit, so the money had to have been taken during my shift. Only I didn't take it and I don't know where it went. I was in the bathroom—" She glanced at him. "Pregnant women spend a lot of time in the bathroom."
He made a face. "Go on."
"Anyway, there was no one in the store, so I made a quick run to the bathroom, and when I came back out, my boss and his girlfriend were just coming in. He was royally ticked that I'd left the counter, even after I explained that the store was empty and that I'd hurried. We argued, because he said I'd missed too much work lately, as well. See, I'd come in late twice, because of the morning sickness. Anyway, he was in a foul mood and being unreasonable, to my mind. I'd never been late or missed work before. Not ever. That's why he was going to make me a manager of the new store, because I was a good worker and dependable and all that."
"Get to the point, Malone."
She wanted to smack him. Instead, she said, "He checked the drawer and found out the money was missing. I still can't believe he accused me of stealing it. I'd been working for him for two years. I did everything, from inventory to decorations to promotion to sales to orders. I'm the one that helped that business do so well! I thought he trusted me."
"He called the cops?"
"Yes." The police had arrived, and she now knew firsthand the procedure used for thieves. She shuddered with the memory, which wasn't one she intended to share with Morgan. "To make a long story short, the lawyer I hired said they had a good case against me. I was the only one in the store at the time the money was taken, and they found out I was pregnant, that the father of the baby had taken off. They painted me a desperate woman, with plenty of motive to take the money. He suggested I plead guilty to save myself a bundle in lawyer fees and court costs. I...I refused. So my lawyer suggested that I go with a trial to the bench, since that would get it over with quickly."
"I gather that wasn't the best decision possible?"
She shook her head. "A jury might not have been so autocratic or sexist."
"Sexist?"
"Yes. The judge was a stern-faced old relic who saw me as a femme fatale just because I'm young and I don't exactly look like a college professor."
One brow shot up, and his mouth quirked. "You mean because you're sexy as hell and he noticed?"
"That's not funny, Morgan."
"No, it's not. Sorry."
He still looked amused, though, which annoyed her no end. The judge's reaction to her had been salt in the wound. She could still remember how exposed she'd felt, standing before him.
She looked away and said quietly, "He gave me six months probation, made me pay back the three hundred dollars I hadn't even taken, as well as court costs and legal fees, then finished up with a scathing lecture about my responsibilities and morals and hoping I'd learned my lesson." She snorted. "The lesson I learned was that men see things one way, which is seldom the right or honorable way, and they sure as hell can't be trusted."
"Misty..."
"Don't use that tone on me, Morgan Hudson. You got what you wanted, all the nitty-gritty details. Well, now I'm done. I want to get out of here. I need to go find a job, and I'm just plain not up to fighting with you anymore, so if you'll excuse me—"
"No."
"No?" Incredulous, she turned to face him. "What do you mean, no?"
He stood, then caught her arm and pulled her to her feet. Still holding her, his gaze intent on her face, he said softly, "I mean you're not going anywhere, Malone. You're going to stay right here."
~ 4 ~
MORGAN STARED AT MISTY, knowing that despite her outraged frown, there was no way he could let her go, not now. Her shoulders felt narrow and frail beneath his big hands, and he wished like hell she looked pregnant, so she'd be easier to resist. But she didn't. She looked soft and sexy, even with a red nose and those hideous glasses. He wanted her more than ever, but that was beside the point.
At least she wasn't planning on getting married. Though it wasn't any of his damn business, the very idea had set his teeth on edge. She could certainly do better than settling for some clown who didn't want his own child. He swore to himself that was the only reason it bothered him. Then he called himself a fool.
"You can't be off on your own right now. Y
ou said it yourself, you don't have a job, and you're sick."
She gave him a blank stare, as if he was a stranger.
"Damn it, Misty, you know I'm right!"
"I know you're nuts, that's what I know." He made a grumbling sound, and she said in exasperation, "It's morning sickness, Morgan, that's all. I'm fine the rest of the time. I'm perfectly capable of finding and working a job. Pregnant woman do it all the time, you know."
Actually, his mind was buzzing with possibilities. If she stayed – and she would because he didn't intend to give her a choice – he could give her a job. He'd long since figured they needed someone to answer the phones at the office, but more often than not folks just called him directly. It was a small county, and the crime level was amazingly low, so he'd been in no rush to hire a new deputy. But a secretary of sorts, someone to keep track of his schedule and forward calls and take notes, that'd be a blessing.
He'd put off the hiring for some time now. He hadn't really wanted anyone else mucking around his offices. But now...
He eyed her belligerent expression and winced. Better to tell her about the job later, when she wasn't so annoyed with him. He gave her a slight shake. "So what do you intend to do?"
"I intend to punch you in the nose if you don't stop man-handling me!"
His fingers flexed on her shoulders, very gently, and he saw her eyes darken. He hadn't hurt her, would never deliberately hurt her. No, her complaint was for an entirely different reason. "Manhandling, huh?" he asked softly. "And here I thought I was being all that was considerate and caring."
She bit her lip in indecision, then resolutely shook her head. "Not likely, Morgan. You're up to something, I just haven't figured out what yet."
Her opinion of him was far from flattering, with good reason, he supposed. He dropped his hands and turned to think, only to hear her stomping away. He caught the back of her robe and drew her up short. "Whoa. Now where are you off to? We have to finish discussing this."
Through gritted teeth, she said, "There's no we to it, and there's nothing to discuss." She swatted his hands away and jutted her chin toward him. "I'm going in to shower and dress, and then I'm leaving. You won't have to worry about me at all, and your precious brothers will be safe from my lascivious tendencies."