A long thoughtful pause followed. “Which gives us plenty of time. What’s the matter?” Nick cocked his head. “Did you hurt yourself carrying those packages up the stairs?”
“No.” Sage stopped pacing.
The truth was, he’d barely let her carry anything.
He came closer. “Then why are you rubbing your lower back?”
Sage jerked in a deep, enervating breath. Realizing what she had been doing, she dropped her hand. “It’s been bothering me since I hit the three-month mark.”
“Did you tell your obstetrician?”
Sage waved off his concern. “Yes, and Dr. Johnson said, that pelvic and or lumbar discomfort is common in pregnancy. It’s due to the growing uterus and hormonal changes.”
He gave her a telling look. “What are you supposed to do to alleviate it?”
“Stretching exercises. Walking. Pelvic tilts. Prenatal yoga.”
His gaze caressed her face. “What about massages? Do those help?”
“I’m sure they do,” Sage retorted, “but I can’t exactly do that to myself.”
He grinned at her wry tone. “Which is why you have me here.”
The heat within her intensified, but it was the kind of heat that usually presaged their lovemaking. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” He tucked his hand in hers. “Luckily, these days, there’s a how-to video for everything.” Ten minutes later, Nick had watched enough to feel educated. “All right, first thing we have to do is get you to lie on the floor, and we’ll turn you slightly on your side, and put one pillow beneath your neck and head, the other between your knees.”
Sage knelt on the thick quilt they’d spread out in her living room. “You sure you want to do this?” She didn’t know why but she was suddenly feeling very shy.
The grooves on either side of his lips deepened. “Hush, woman.”
“Hush, woman?” What had gotten into him!
With gentle hands, he guided her into position. “You can’t relax if you’re talking.”
Her back to him, Sage struggled to get comfortable. She tossed him a quelling look over her shoulder. “When did you get so bossy?”
“The day I realized you—and our baby—needed me.”
He was so right about that. The funny thing was he looked like he needed them as much as they did him.
Sage was still trying to wrap her mind around that as Nick knelt on the floor behind her.
“Okay, we’re going to start on one side of the neck.” With an unclenched fist, he massaged his way magically down to her hips, on one side of her spine, then slowly worked his way back up again. His touch was so purposeful and heavenly it was all she could do not to groan in ecstasy. “Now we’re going to try both sides,” he soothed.
As he worked his way downward, this time she did moan out loud. He chuckled. “Feel good?”
Her muscles were warm and fluid. Sage sighed. “You have no idea...”
“Good. We’ll keep doing it until you’re...”
And then, out of nowhere, Sage realized, there it was. A flutter, a movement, a... “Nick!” Sage gasped.
He jumped back slightly. “Did I hurt you?”
“Give me your hand,” she whispered. Staying very still otherwise, she beckoned him to comply. He reached over her. Sage captured his palm and settled it slightly above her navel.
His dark brow furrowed in confusion. “You want me to massage you there?”
Oh, no, please don’t make me laugh, not now...
“Shh!” She stayed still, waited, and then there it was again. The slightest flutter, then nothing, then a kick.
Nick went very still, too. Amazement shimmered in his deep blue eyes. “Was that...?”
“Our baby is kicking!” Sage said, tears of sheer joy starting to flow. She turned her head slightly to look at him. Saw he was overcome with emotion, too.
“Was that the first time?” Nick asked in a rusty-sounding voice.
Sage nodded, her heart so full it was practically bursting. “I guess Little One was just waiting for you to be here, too.”
* * *
“STILL NOTHING?” NICK asked in obvious disappointment, several hours later.
Sage shook her head.
They’d gone to the ranch to check on the property and had dinner outside on the porch. Now, replete and relaxed, they sat together in the chain-hung swing and watched the sun go down. Sage curved her hand over her blossoming belly. “I guess our little one has decided once again to do things on his or her own time.”
Nick rested his open palm next to hers. He leaned down to kiss her neck, then murmured playfully in her ear, “What do you think we’re having? Girl or boy?”
Sage shut her eyes, quivering, as he kissed her again, this time on the sensitive spot just behind her ear. “No idea.”
He shifted her masterfully onto his lap. “Which do you want?”
Aware it really didn’t matter, Sage wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and nestled against him. She kissed the nape of his neck, too. “I’ll be happy either way,” she confessed softly.
He turned his head toward hers. “Me, too.”
Once again, a contented silence brought them together. Their lips met. And when they started kissing, it was impossible to stop. All coherent thought fled and a lightning bolt of desire swept through her. This, she thought, was what it felt like when it was right.
This was what she had always wanted...
Nick hadn’t intended to make love to Sage out on the swing, but with the moon shining brightly down at them from a starlit sky it seemed foolish to waste such a perfect setting. Especially when he wanted her so much.
She shuddered as his hands swept over her. Before they knew it, they were naked from the waist down. Coming together once again, with Sage astride him. Kissing. And when he lifted her, the sensation of filling her left them both quaking and breathless.
He couldn’t get enough of her softness and warmth. While he held her right where he wanted her, right where he wanted her to be, their lovemaking turning from pure passion to a deep all-encompassing need.
He held her close, closer, savoring every delicate caress, each sweet surrender. Every tremble. Every kiss. Connection. As they met each other stroke for stroke, her newly voluptuous body cradled him tenderly. Until finally, they surrendered to the blazing heat, the need, the intimacy.
To their mutual pleasure, the aftershocks were as potent as their lovemaking had been. And though this was the only time Nick ever felt Sage was all his, he knew, for now, it would not only have to be enough. It would be.
* * *
SAGE WOKE TO an empty bed. Nick was downstairs in the living room, clad in a T-shirt and jeans, laptop open on his lap, cell phone beside him. “Why are you up so early?” She ambled closer, wearing socks and one of his big shirts. “I thought we agreed to sleep in this morning.”
They’d been planning to eat a leisurely brunch she cooked especially for him, then tour the ranch by jeep, checking out the property.
He set his laptop on the coffee table in front of him. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Not really the point. Sage folded her legs beneath her and cuddled up next to him. He looked so serious and so stressed. “What’s wrong?”
His lips twisted unhappily. “I noticed last night before bed the voice mail box on my phone was full, and it looked as if I’d received even more emails, so I figured I’d better check.”
“I gather there’s some sort of emergency?”
Nick draped his arm along the back of the sofa and drew her against his side. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss in her hair. “MR and Everett were updating me on the partner meetings yesterday.”
She turned toward him, appreciating how ruggedly handsome he loo
ked in the early morning light streaming in through the blinds. “Were you supposed to be there?”
A terse nod.
Then he had skipped them, for her.
Sage wasn’t sure whether to feel elated about that, or guilty. From the looks of it, he felt conflicted, too. Happy to be here, with her, worried about not being there, with them.
Nick rubbed his fingers through the mussed ends of her hair. “They were all playing golf yesterday morning...and then had a working lunch afterward at one of the partner’s homes.” He exhaled. “A lot of key decisions were made.”
“Such as...?”
“The new name of the store.” He retrieved his laptop and situated it so she could see the screen.
Sage blinked in surprise at the logo. “Upscale Outfitters?”
“It was either that or City Cowboy. Of the two that market-tested the best among their target customer, the former won.”
Sage turned so they were facing in the same direction, and her body was pressed right up against his. She rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in the brisk masculine scent of him. “What are they going to be selling?”
With a click of the mouse, he pulled up several more windows on the screen.
Sage paused thoughtfully. “I recognize some of the brands.” They were the kind of thing she had worn, back in the day when growing up a very wealthy Dallas teenager. But...
“They’re not exactly ranch gear.”
Nick shut his laptop, and set it aside once again. “You’re right. It’s all for the elite. People who are making a fashion statement rather than going out to round up cattle.” He rose, and made his way into the ranch house kitchen.
Sage stood and lounged against the counter. “How do you feel about that?”
He began making coffee—decaf, on account of her.
“Since they just signed a lease on a storefront in the Galleria mall, it’s a good business decision.” Nick went to the fridge and brought out the makings for breakfast. “No working rancher is going to go there to purchase their work clothes.”
“For that, they would come to the original Monroe’s Western Wear.”
“Right.” He layered bacon in a skillet, while Sage whisked half a dozen eggs. “What happens next?”
“MR has set up a meeting with the interior designer who’s going to design the look and layout of the flagship store.”
Sage put four slices of oatmeal bread in the toaster. “When does that happen?”
“Three o’clock this afternoon.”
Which was certainly doable, if he canceled their plans and left before noon. Sage studied him. “Do you want to be there?”
A conflicted expression crossed his handsome face as he turned back to the stove to flip the sizzling meat. Finally, he said, “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure what difference it really makes. With 49 percent share, I’m being outvoted on everything. Whatever MR wants, the partners back. Period.”
And MR and Nick were not thinking the same way.
“Still...you must have some ability to sway things.”
He dipped his head, acknowledging quietly, “Sometimes. When I’m there.”
Instead of in Laramie, with her.
As much as she wanted to continue spending time together, she also knew how important this was to him.
Sage added a touch of cream, salt and pepper, and poured the eggs into the pan. “Then you’ve got to go to that meeting,” she said quietly. Or end up looking back in regret at what might have been.
He shook his head, determined now. “This is our day together, Sage.”
“And we’ll have plenty more of them,” she argued.
He went still.
“You won’t have another day to shape the feel and mood of the flagship store. So have breakfast here, like we planned. Then shower and go. Get it done.” She rose on tiptoe and kissed him. “You can call me tonight and tell me all about it.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, for another longer, deeper kiss. “You really are the perfect woman for me.”
Sage was certainly trying to be.
If only they loved each other, too, then life really would be perfect. But that wasn’t part of their deal, she reminded herself, so she would be happy the way things were. And so, hopefully, would he.
Chapter Ten
“You’re really leaving to go back to Laramie,” MR said as Nick gathered up his things, a couple months later. “Again.”
Nick zipped his laptop bag. “Sage has an appointment with her obstetrician.”
“Routine appointment,” MR clarified. “And there’s still much to do to get ready for the grand opening next month.”
He was well aware. It was also Mother’s Day weekend. His and Sage’s first. “That’s five weeks away.”
“And half the orders of merchandise have yet to arrive. Plus, we need to talk about the advance interviews you’ve been doing. Without our approval or consent.”
Getting more than a little tired of the constant haranguing, Nick gave MR a long, level look. “You asked me to talk to every local TV station, newspaper and magazine, as well as the publications that cover the high-end Texas consumer.”
“In June.”
Nick exhaled. “I may not be available then,” he explained patiently. “So I’m doing everything I can in advance.”
MR scowled. Behind her, Everett looked up. Briefly, the assistant regarded Nick with a mixture of surprise, respect and pity, before resuming his usual poker face.
MR looked at him as if he were a dollar short and a day late. “The publicity needs to herald the advent of Upscale Outfitters. And, hence, appear in the days immediately leading up to Father’s Day weekend.”
Nick exhaled. “I’ve explained my situation, MR. Everyone’s been very accommodating in doing the preliminary interviews with me now about the Western-wear business, and the tour and photos of the new store a few days before they go to press in June. They also know that if unexpected events occur and I’m unavailable for that, you and/or Everett will be happy to show them around and provide them with any further information they need.”
MR stalked closer. When she spoke again, it was in a much more conciliatory tone. “I appreciate your diligence, Nick, but Sage isn’t due until July first.”
Nick looped his computer briefcase over his shoulder. “That’s an estimate. She could give birth before or after that day.”
“Unless her doctor induces her.” MR flashed a winning smile. “Then you would know exactly when the baby would arrive, and could plan for it.”
Not sure what to say to that suggestion that would be remotely polite, a fuming Nick fell silent.
Seeming to realize she had crossed a line, MR shrugged. “Plenty of couples do it.”
“For medical reasons, sure.”
“For convenience,” MR emphasized.
Not going to happen, not with our child. Hanging on to his temper with effort, Nick retorted curtly, “Our baby comes into the world when he or she is ready. And not a second before.”
For a moment, MR seemed taken aback. Angry color appearing in her face, she gripped the pen in her hand. “You will be at the grand opening, regardless,” she decreed.
Nick wasn’t going to promise what he could not predict. So he merely said, instead, “I’ll be back in Dallas on Monday.” His heart already with Sage and the baby she carried, he headed out the door without a backward glance.
* * *
“SO WHAT DO you think?” Sage asked her brother and sister-in-law the same morning.
Molly and Chance toured her apartment above the bistro, studying everything with a general contractor’s and interior designer’s eye.
“Is there any way I could make a separate nursery?” W
ithout moving out to Nick’s ranch? An act that still seemed like a risky endeavor, for so many reasons.
Chance measured the front room, a combination living, dining and eat-in kitchen, with a hidden laundry closet off the entryway. “This is fifteen feet by twenty.”
Molly emerged from the bedroom. “It’s fifteen by twenty, too. And the answer to your question, Sage, is yes.” She pulled out a pad and pencil, and quickly sketched a rough design. “It would mean putting up a partial wall on either side of the divide with pocket doors.”
“So I’d have room for a crib, changing table–dresser and rocker-glider in the new ‘nursery.’”
Molly nodded. “And still maintain the walk-in closet and the bathroom on your side of the suite.”
Sage put one hand on her lower back, which was aching as usual, and the other on her tummy, where the baby was attempting to ride a bucking bronc inside her. “Next question.” She paced back and forth, wondering if she would ever get truly comfortable again. “Do we have time to get the construction done before the baby arrives?”
It hadn’t been such a big deal before Nick had begun spending the night with her, whenever he was in Laramie. But now that he had, she wanted them to be able to have the privacy to make love comfortably, whenever he was in town. And just as important, she wanted their baby to have a cozy nursery to call his or her own, too.
Chance gave her a brotherly hug. To her joy, he fully understood her nesting. “Molly and I can have our crews knock it out in a day or two early next week.”
Sage smiled in relief. “Great.”
“Don’t you have an OB appointment this afternoon?” Molly asked.
“Yup, at four thirty.”
Chance squinted like the protective older brother he was. “Nick coming in?”
Sage reported happily, “He hasn’t missed an appointment since the ultrasound.”
“I’m glad,” Molly said.
She glanced at her watch. “I better get back down to the bistro kitchen. Nick should be arriving any minute and wanted me to meet him there.”
“How come?” Molly asked.
“Not sure. He just said it was important.”
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