“No, I just thought I’d stop in and talk in person instead of on the phone, but this won’t take long. Now that my waist is getting a bit bigger—”
He looked down at her and wondered if she could even be one inch larger. “You don’t look it.”
“I feel it. Anyway, as I was saying, now that I’m getting bigger, I want to tell my family that I’m pregnant and I want to tell Abe and the guys.”
“Lindsay, have you even thought about our baby?”
Her eyes narrowed and her cheeks flushed. He was certain she would start yelling at him any minute. He struggled to keep his temper.
“Yes, I have,” she said. “I still don’t want to marry you. You would want to take charge of every detail of my life and of our child’s upbringing. Hell, no, I’m not marrying you.”
“You’re so damn stubborn, you’d mess up your own life.”
“It still is my ‘own life.’ Are you okay with telling our families? I’ll just tell them that we’re working out our plans. They’ll accept what I tell them.”
“That’s probably a good idea, because you need to get a doctor and word has a way of spreading, especially when it’s about babies. I’ll tell my family, too. And Keane and the guys. And I’ll tell all of them I asked you to marry me and you said no—but that opens you up to some pressure.”
“No more than I’ll get anyway.” She opened the door to her pickup. “Thanks, Tony. We got that settled.”
He put his hand on her door and blocked her way from climbing in.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“I don’t see how things can be any other way,” she said. He dropped his hand and held the door for her while she climbed in.
“Bye,” he said as he closed the door, feeling as if this was a real and lasting farewell. That any intimacy or closeness they’d shared—the laughter and joy and steamy sex—all of it was over. Stepping away, he rested his hands on his hips as he watched her drive away, heading back to the county road to go home to her ranch. As her pickup widened the distance between them, he knew he would always remember the day she drove out ofhis life. He didn’t think they would ever be close again. A cloud of gloom, along with his anger, settled on him as he entered the house.
The following week, Tony saw he had a text from his sister, Madison; she wanted to come see him. With a sigh he sent her a text in return.
Yes, you can come see me. Tonight’s fine. Tomorrow morning is fine. Take your pick or suggest a time.
They had finally settled on early Saturday. He waited on the porch because it was a cool, sunny morning.
He watched Madison come up the walk. Her brown hair was in a ponytail. She wore jeans and a tan cotton shirt that was not tucked into her jeans. In spite of hiding her waist, it was obvious she was months along in her pregnancy. He placed his arm around her shoulders to give her a brief hug, then led her inside the house. “Haven’t seen you in a while. I have breakfast ready. Or anything else you’d like.”
“I’ve had breakfast. I’ll just have a glass of ice water. It’s a beautiful morning and what is even more wonderful is that rain is predicted next week—they give it a twenty-percent chance.”
“If it actually happens, I’m going out to just stand in it. Might take a picture of it since it’s been so long since I’ve seen any.”
She smiled. “Is Gwynne here?”
“Not on Saturday. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Just bigger by the day.” She faced him, her green eyes sparkling. “Tony, congratulations. I’ve talked to you on the phone, but I wanted to tell you in person. I’m so happy for you and Lindsay. I know you have things to work out, but you will. A baby is so wonderful.”
“Thanks, Madison. It’s sort of a mixed blessing at this point in my life.”
“It’s an enormous blessing. And our babies will not be so far apart in age,” she said, rubbing her stomach lightly.
“I can’t think that far ahead,” he remarked drily. “I’m just getting accustomed to this becoming-a-dad business.”
She laughed and accepted the glass of water as he handed it to her. “I’ll carry your coffee, Tony,” she said as he helped himself to scrambled eggs from a pan on his stove. He added a piece of ham and picked up a slice of toast.
“I’m set. It’s beautiful outside. Let’s sit on the porch.”
As soon as they were seated at a glass-topped iron table, he sipped his coffee and sat in silence, certain she had a mission.
“Tony, any chance you want some sisterly advice?”