She couldn’t imagine what the urgency was, but her heartbeat quickened because she missed him and she wanted to be with him.
“Yes, I’ll go to dinner with you. But you do know I’m pregnant and need my sleep, right?”
“I figured four is close enough to when you’ll get up anyway. And can’t you go back to sleep?”
“Yes,” she said, but she wondered whether she would or not.
“Me, too, darling’,” he said, and a warm fuzziness filled her. She hadn’t heard that endearment in too long and it made it worth the wake-up call. “How about I pick you up at six?” he asked.
“That’s fine,” she said, curious what was on his mind.
“See you then,” he said, and was gone.
She settled in bed, turning toward the windows so she could look at the bright moonlight outside. White cumulus clouds drifted rapidly across the black sky. She missed Tony more than she would have believed possible. She missed him every day and thought about him constantly and got lost in memories too often each day.
When had Tony become so important to her? At first she’d thought she would forget him as the days passed. Instead, each day she missed him and thought of him more.
She hadn’t faced the question that hovered in her mind. Was she in love with him? Had she fallen in love with a man who would always want to run her life, their child rearing and her ranch? All indications said she had. She didn’t know his feelings for sure, but she knew he hadn’t been in love with her when she last saw him.
Tony had been so many good things—energetic, sexy, positive and upbeat, full of fun and life. She knew he was a good rancher. And she knew he was a take-charge person. Could she cope with having him back in her life? And on a larger scale? She couldn’t answer her own question. The only solid answer she could give was that she had been miserable without him. She didn’t want to tell him goodbye and watch him marry another woman while she raised his child.
This time without Tony had been the unhappiest stretch in her life. Excitement coursed through her at the thought of seeing him again. What was so urgent that he had to see her tonight?She hoped it was to get back together. She didn’t know how they could, but she was ready to try.
She climbed out of bed, moving restlessly to a chair to think about Tony. She was guessing he wanted to see her because he missed her, too. But what if he had another reason—like a permanent parting of the ways?
That possibility filled her with concern. It couldn’t happen now, she told herself, not when she finally realized she wanted him back in her life with all her being.
He still might propose to her again, even if he didn’t love her. If he did, was she willing to accept that and hope she could win his love over time?
She ran her hand across her flat stomach. Their baby needed them. Could they set aside their monumental differences and give love a chance?
There was love on her part. She was ready to admit it now. She was in love with Tony, alpha male or not. She had gotten herself into this situation by bidding on him at the auction, and now she was in deep, over her head.
Would she tell him that she was in love? Or keep it from him until he declared feelings of love for her? She didn’t see how she could keep from revealing her love to him. At the thought of seeing him tonight, what she most wanted was to throw herself into his arms when she opened her door. Now that she knew she would see him and had finally admitted that she was deeply in love, she ached to be with him and hoped with all her heart he might have missed her or, better yet, be as in love as she was.
She glanced at her clock and saw it was almost five. In just over twelve hours she would be with him and get an answer to the question that plagued her. What did Tony feel for her?
Only time would tell.
By six that night she had even more questions. As she left her room, she turned for one more look in the mirror. She wore a deep blue sleeveless dress with a low-cut back, a hem that ended above her knees and high heels. She had left her hair falling freely because Tony liked that best.
Downstairs, promptly at six she watched him step out of his black sports car and come up her front drive, and her breath rushed from her lungs. He looked handsome, filled with vitality. He also looked like a Texas rancher in his white Stetson, his black boots, black Western-cut trousers and a pale blue, long-sleeved cotton shirt that was open at the throat. She longed to throw herself into his embrace, but she restrained herself, opening the front door and smiling.
His blue-green eyes filled with desire that revved up her heartbeat. “Darlin’, you look gorgeous,” he said, his gaze moving over her slowly, a tantalizing perusal that set her pulse pounding. “You look more fantastic than ever. I’d say that pregnancy becomes you.”
“Thank you. I’d say prospective fatherhood becomes you, because you’re a sexy hunk, Tony Milan.” As she spoke she was unable to keep from letting her gaze skim over him, wanting more than ever to be in his arms and kiss him.
“Lindsay,” he said.
She looked up to meet his hungry gaze and her heart thudded at the heat and desire she saw there. He stepped inside and closed the door. She didn’t have to throw herself into Tony’s arms. He drew her into them and kissed her.
Her heart slammed against her ribs and she clung to him to kiss him in return. “Tony, I’ve missed you,” she whispered breathlessly between kisses.
“I’m not doing any of this the way I planned,” he said, between showering her with kisses.
Looking into his eyes, she felt a physical impact that heated her insides. It seemed months instead of weeks since she last saw him.
He kissed her and she closed her eyes again, holding him tightly while her heart pounded.