Annette Broadrick

by What's a Dad to Do (lit)

  So much for trying to pre fend Craig, bless his heart, could be brutally honest at times. It was one of his endearing qualities... and one of the most irritating.

  "In the middle of the night? Of course not! Besides, I don't even know a doctor to call. I'm generally as healthy as a horse, thank goodness."

  Craig studied her for a long time, feeling unsure of himself. He didn't want to hurt her feelings by commenting on the fact that she looked wan and tired and much too thin. She'd taken her grandmother's death hard, he knew, but shouldn't she be recovering a little by now?

  "If you have any more symptoms like that, maybe you should have a friend recommend someone. You could be anemic or something."

  "Naw. I probably ate something last night that disagreed with me. A couple of friends and I went to

  a movie after work and ended up having dinner afterward. It was probably a combination of too much rich f ood too late at night. As a matter of fact, I'm much 'better now." Feeling that she had successfully countered any and all of his concerns, she asked, "So, what are you doing here? Did the powers that he decide to run you out of the country? I understand that the political situation there isn't the--"

  "Tess?"

  She blinked at the sudden interruption and the serious expression on his face and tone in his voice. Oh, dear, what could be wrong?

  "What is it?" she asked, straightening a little more. He looked around the room, then perched on the end of her bed. He looked down at his cup, which he held in both hands.

  "Is it possible you could be--" He stopped and cleared his throat, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "I was just wondering if you're all right, otherwise."

  She knew that she must be looking at him as blankly as she felt. "What are you talking about?"

  "Come on, Tess. We can't just ignore what happened that night as though it never occurred."

  Of all the subjects she might have thought about discussing with Craig, their last night together wasn't one of them. Good heavens. She'd never discussed it with anyone and never intended to. It had happened. What was there to say, after all?

  "Oh... that," she muttered, knowing her face must be flashing like a neon sign. She took another drink of her coffee, not knowing what to say to him. Blast him, anyway, for bringing it up!

  "Is everything okay in that regard?"

  He watched her blush with something like astonishment. Tess Cassidy blush? He would never have dreamed it could happen. When she didn't immediately answer him, he had a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.

  "Well?" He prodded her a little impatiently.

  "It's too soon," she finally blurted out, looking everywhere in the room rather than at him.

  "C'mon, Tess, don't be embarrassed, of all things. What did you think, that I wouldn't wonder about it, worry a little? Now talk to me. It's been two months. Surely you'd know whether or not--"

  She interrupted him, rushing her words. "I've never been very regular and since my grandmother died I haven't paid much attention to things like that. It happens when it happens, that's all."

  "All I'm asking is, has it happened since I was here two months ago?"

  She shook her head, not looking at him.

  Craig could feel himself reacting to this news. This wasn't why he'd come back. Well, of course it was, in part. But he really hadn't expected that-- "Don't they have those tests you can take at home to find out?" he finally asked.

  She glared at him. "I suppose they do, but that doesn't mean that I should-- That you should think that I'm-- Anyway, it doesn't really matter. If I am, I am. I'll deal with it, okay?"

  That sounded more like the Tess he remembered. She tried to be so tough. Nothing would ever get her down, no sirree. She might be going down for the count, but she'd go out slugging. Only this time, her eyes were giving her away. She couldn't hide the fact that until he'd brought up the subject, she'd never considered the fact that she might very well be pregnant. He could see the fear lurking in the back of her eyes.

  He moved closer to her, within touching distance, and removed her cup from her clenched hands. Placing it on her bedside table, he took both of her hands in his. They were chilled, much too chilled for the temperature in the room.

  "Tess, honey, listen to me. We need to know, all right? Maybe it was too rich food. Maybe it was too late to be eating. Or, it could be your body trying to tell you something."

  Her wide, dark chocolate-colored eyes seemed to grow larger in her face.

  "Why don't you. let me make us an omelet for breakfast?" be continued. "Then, if you're feeling all right we can go to the store and--"

  "No. I don't want to go to the store. I'm not about

  "Then give me your car keys and I'll go to the drugstore for you. I don't mind. The thing is, we really have to know. Okay?"

  "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

  "Yes, I am. I realized after I left that if anything had happened, if you needed to get in touch with me, you wouldn't know where to find me. I wasn't thinking clearly that night, or I would never have let things go so far without having some sort of protection. We both know we didn't plan any of it to happen. But it did. I couldn't forget it. I found myself thinking about you all the time, wondering if I'd ruined our friendship, wondering if you'd ever forgive me. I wasn't able to concentrate on what I was doing. So I decided to come back."

  Her hands were getting a little warmer. He took that to be an encouraging sign, even though her expression was as wary as ever.

  "Wouldn't a phone call have been sufficient?" she asked with a hint of belligerence.

  "No. I missed you and I wanted to see you again."

  "Huh. You probably didn't believe I'd tell you the truth."

  "Would you have?"

  She was the first to drop her eyes. "Supposing... just supposing mind you, that I am pregnant. What difference could it make to you?" Her chin was tilted defiantly.

  He put his arms around her, ignoring the stiffness in her body. "If you are, then I need to be here."

  "No, you don't. My mother took care of herself just fine. She didn't need any help from my father. If I'm pregnant, I'll deal with it."

  She said all of that while she was pressed against his chest. He wondered if she knew he could feel her trembling. This whole situation was going to be much trickier than he'd first guessed.

  Damn, he hoped she wasn't pregnant. Not now. Not yet. He'd wanted to tell her what he'd discovered about his feelings first. He'd wanted to find out how she felt about him, if there was a chance for the two of them. Oh, he wanted her to have several of his babies eventually, after they'd had time to plan a wedding, invited all their friends, planned their life together.

  Holding her made him more aware of how fragile she was, despite her tough demeanor. Oh, Tess, don't push me away. Let me past all your barriers, as you did that one night two months ago.

  "I'm not your father, Tess," he finally replied. "I' don't know why he wasn't there for your mother and for you. But I intend to be here for you. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, honey."

  She pulled away from him and looked him squarely in the eye. "I'm not pregnant," she stated flatly.

  He almost smiled. "You know that for sure, do 'you?"

  "I just told you. I'm not all that regular so--" "So we'll take a test and find out, okay?" "We?"

  "A figure of speech. I'll buy it. You take it."

  She gave an exaggerated sigh that didn't fool him at all. "Oh, all right. I'll do it just so you'll quit nagging. You can be the most persistent pest in the world when your mind's made up about something."

  He got up, feeling that he'd won a very crucial round between them, even though he was very aware that there were several bouts ahead of them both.

  "I'll go make our omelet. I'll see you downstairs." It was a good time to retreat and give her a chance to deal with the recent shifts in their relationship.

  Chapter Two

  Tess watched Craig walk out of her bedroom and hoped that sh
e would wake up any minute now, having dreamed all of this. If so, she would make a promise to herself never to eat rich food after eight o'clock again.

  What was she going to do?

  It had never once--not once--occurred to her that she might be pregnant. How could she have been so naive? She had tried to block any memory of Craig's visit because too much had happened that she wasn't ready to face yet.

  Such as the fact that she'd ignored everything she'd ever been taught about men because it was Craig, her childhood friend, whom she trusted with her life. Even now, she cringed at how eagerly she had gone into his arms, how she'd practically begged him to make love to her. JUst thinking about it made her squirm with embarrassment.

  She definitely wasn't ready for this.

  She could only pray that the test would be negative. Then they could chalk the whole thing up to experience and put it all behind them. Craig could get on with his life while she got on with hers. She would then do her best to forget that for one evening Craig Jamison had shown her a side of herself she'd never known existed... a side that could never be encouraged again.

  Well, sitting here in bed wasn't going to get her anywhere. She tossed back the covers and got out of bed. At least her stomach remained docile, for which she was devoutly grateful. As a matter of fact, she was hungry. Wasn't that a good sign?

  She walked into the bathroom off her bedroom and flipped on the light. Oh, blast. She stared into the bathroom mirror at the purple circles under her eyes--the only color in her face. She actually looked worse than she felt.

  Oh, happy day.

  The cowardly part of her yearned to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over her head until Craig forgot about her and went back to wherever he came from ... Tibet, Taiwan, Timbuktu, she didn't care, as long as he was gone.

  She knew Craig too well. There was no getting around him when he had his mind made up about something. The sooner she took the blasted test, the sooner he would leave.

  She hoped.

  With a sigh she turned on the water in the shower and stood under the spray, consciously blanking out her mind to everything but the feel of the water sluicing over her body.

  By the time she returned to her room to decide on something to wear, Tess had become a little more reconciled. Not much, but some. Craig had always been a responsible kind of guy. Why should he he any different now?

  Craig's stomach was already rumbling at the delicious scent of the food he was placing on a plate . When Tess walked into the kitchen, he didn't bother to glance up as he said, "I poured you some juice.

  Hope that's okay."

  "Thanks."

  By the time he turned around she was seated at the bar across from him. He smiled when he handed her a plate of toast. She'd pulled her dark hair into a ponytail that reminded him of the little girl he used to know. He filled her coffee cup before sitting down beside her.

  "Hope you're hungry," he said. "I got a little car-fled away. I kept finding more things to put in it."

  She took a sip of her juice before she answered him. "I suppose I should be. It all smells good." She made a show of taking a bite of the omelet.

  She was nervous, something he could definitely understand. "I can't remember the last time I ate," he said after a few minutes. "I think my stomach's convinced I gave up food."

  Tess smiled at the way Craig attacked his breakfast with unabashed enthusiasm. She'd always liked this in him. In fact, he had many traits that she admire

  However, his need to explore the world wasn't or of them. When she married--actually it was more like if she ever married--she wanted a man who would b willing to set He down and make a home with her. She wasn't absolutely certain that such a man existed though. She'd certainly never rub into one in her circle of friends and acquaintances.

  Like Craig, they were all eager to rush out and em brace the world rather than settle down with a nine to-five occupation.

  She'd always known and accepted that Craig was free spirit. Never at any time in the years she'd know him had she ever looked at Craig as marriage matt rial. Of course none of that had ever mattered. It w, enough that he was her best friend in all the world.

  And he cared about her. She knew that. Why els was he here?

  Who would have believed that the simple ringing o the telephone last April would have been a signal that her carefully planned o t life might be reduced t shambles?

  "I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, shoving the door between the garage and the kitchen opel with her elbow. Her arms were filled with bags groceries. "Whoever you are, don't you dare hang now!" She slid one of the bags onto the counter and grabbed for the wall phone. "I'm here, I'm here. Hello?"

  There was no sound on the phone, not even a dial tone. Then a deep male voice said hesitantly, "Is this Tess Cassidy's residence?"

  "Craig? Is that you? Craig! Where are you! Omi-god. I haven't heard from you in ages!"

  He began to laugh. "Yep. It's Tess, all right. How've you been?"

  "Oh, Craig! It's so good to hear your voice. I'm fine. Where are you?"

  "I just checked in at the Airport Inn. I've been visiting my folks. You remember they moved to Scottsdale."

  "I remember. I've really missed your more since they moved. How are they? I think I owe her a letter or something. You know me. The world's worst correspondent."

  "Both of them are looking great and acting like kids again. I told More I planned to call you when I got here. She said to be sure to give you her love... Dad's, too, of course."

  Tess blinked back unexpected tears. She'd been so weepy lately. But the Jamisons were the closest people to family she had and she hadn't spoken to Craig in so long.

  "The last I heard you were exploring the Hebrides Islands. When did you get back to the States?"

  "A couple of weeks ago. I take it you got my postcards."

  She smiled to herself. "Yes. I'm keeping them in a scrapbook and marking the postmarks on my globe. Receiving your cards is the only chance I'll probably ever get to see some of these places."

  "I know this is short notice, but I'm flying out of here early tomorrow morning. I was wondering if I could take you to dinner?"

  She looked around at all the groceries and laughed. "I'd love it, Craig. I can't wait to see you. Gosh, it's been years!"

  "Yeah, I know. But we'll make up for it by talking nonstop for the next several hours. Look, I'll get a cab and come on over now, if that's okay."

  "More than okay. You don't know how much I've missed you and your family lately."

  "Mom told me the news about your grandmother. I was really sorry to hear it."

  The blasted tears welled up again, just at the mention of her grandmother. "She was ready to go. She was tired of dealing with the pain. But I still miss her. So much."

  "Of course you do," he replied gruffly. Craig cleared his throat. In a much lighter tone, he said, "I'll be there in about an hour."

  "Good. See you in a little while."

  She hung up, only then realizing she was still clutching one of the grocery bags. Hastily she placed

  "

  it on the countertop, then began putting everything away, mentally reviewing her clothes hanging in her closet.

  She, wished she had something new to wear. Not that it would matter. Craig hadn't seen much of anything she owned. Even if he had, he wouldn't remember it. She smiled at the thought.

  After racing upstairs, she hopped into the shower, making sure to keep her hair dry, quickly soaped and rinsed herself, then hurriedly dried off and went in search of something appropriate to wear to dinner.

  In the end, she settled for her basic black sheath. She grabbed the black stole her grandmother had made for her, the one with silver glitter woven through it, freshened her makeup and was on her way downstairs when the doorbell rang.

  She raced to the door, made sure it was Craig, then flung it open.

  It just wasn't fair. How could one man look so good? He was dressed in khakis and a bl
azer, his shirt collar open. "You've grown," he said with a grin.

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. "Nonsense. It's just the shoes."

  "Ahh. Maybe that's it. I've never seen you in high heels before."

  "Well, they aren't exactly what you wear to go hiking or to play neighborhood ball."

  They stood there in the hall, holding hands and grinning at each other.

  "I'd forgotten how beautiful you are," he final said, causing her cheeks to heat up uncomfortably.

  "And you've finally learned how to compliment person rather than insult them."

  "Me? Insult you? Never."

  She just shook her head. "Would you like a drink before dinner?"

  "I have a cab waiting. ! made reservations here i Pasadena before I left the hotel so I guess we'd better get going."

  "Oh, Craig, we don't need a cab. Send him on h way and we can go in my car." "You sure?"

  "Of course. Don't be silly."

  "TII be right back."

  She watched him hurry down the steps and pay t driver. She was glad to be able to catch her breath She couldn't get over how wonderful he looked. ] had been almost three years since she'd last seen him Those years had been good to him. There were a fe more lines around his eyes and mouth, but that was all. He seemed at peace with himself.

  Some of his photography was already being sol for substantial amounts. It was amusing, really, t ponder the contradiction that made up the per sot Craig looked like a professional football lineman, bt he had the soul of a poet.

  Not that he'd ever admit to such a thing. But hi photographs gave him away, revealing his sensitivity

  to nature and to all living things. From the grandeur of the mountains in Alaska to the mysterious Everglades of Florida, from the Isle of Skye to the Australian Outback, Craig's artistic eye managed to capture the beauty of the planet.

  Most of his treks were arduous, and only an experienced, athletic, and very determined person could have kept up with the grueling schedule he kept. She was proud to be his friend.

  He bounded back up the steps, wearing that fabulous smile of his. "Shall we go?" he asked.