And Baby Makes Three

by Rebecca Winters

  “Maybe it’s bad luck to get too far ahead of our selves.”

  “I don’t believe in bad luck, just bad timing.”

  Her thoughts reeled. If there was one man who could impress a judge and make things happen with lightning speed, it was Cole.

  No sooner had he helped her from the car than Amy drove in the next parking stall. She didn’t waste any time walking over to them with a flirtatious smile centered on Cole. There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t be attracted to him.

  “We meet again.” Her eyes swerved to Catherine’s “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

  “I’m her fiancé,” Cole declared, effectively negating any reason for Catherine to speak. “We’re about to be married, so forgive us if we have to rush off…”

  Her heart thudded at the possessiveness in his tone.

  After he’d ushered her inside the condo, Catherine turned to him. “She didn’t like me before. I’m afraid that en counter just made things worse.”

  “Since you won’t be living here from now on, it’s no longer your concern. You’ll need to give notice at your work.”

  He moved too fast for her.

  “I asked for a week’s emergency leave for personal reasons, and got it, but until we know whether Bonnie is ours, I’ll wait to call the chairman of the board who actually hired me.”

  “The adoption’s going to happen,” he stated, as if it were a fait accompli. His innate confidence was a sheer revelation to her. “Now, what can I do to help? Since we can drop by here any time during the week, just bring what you need for the next few days.”

  She paused in the doorway to the hall. “Are we getting married in one of those wedding chapels?”

  “No.” A simple word, but she sensed his distaste at the mere idea. He regarded her steadily. “The ceremony will take place at the judge’s home, with only his wife and my attorney present.”

  Thank you for that, Cole.

  “I’m glad,” she confessed in relief.

  “Once we know Bonnie’s ours, we’ll repeat our vows at church in Elko.”

  She bowed her head. “I’d like that.” Suddenly his presence in her small living room was too over powering for her to function with any coherence. “I-if you’d like to sit down and read a magazine, I won’t be long,” she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom.

  Catherine had been making a mental list: a dress to be married in, a business suit to wear in front of his attorney, a couple of tops and pants, a nightgown and robe.

  The choices staring at her from her closet were hardly awe-inspiring. The more she examined her wardrobe, the more anxious she became.

  On impulse she rushed back to the living room, where she surprised Cole in the middle of the room talking on his cell-phone. His glance darted to hers. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t have anything appropriate to get married in.”

  “Then we’ll buy you something in one of the boutiques at the hotel and change in our suite before we drive to the judge’s residence.”

  “I was hoping you’d say we had enough time. I’ll hurry.”

  Though this was more of a business merger between rational adults than the romantic elopement of two young lovers, she didn’t want to embarrass Cole. He was a well-known figure. Becoming his wife would bring her into the spot light.

  There hadn’t been time for them to talk about their public life together as man and wife, but she knew enough about him to realize he expected her to be a woman he could introduce with pride.

  She couldn’t bear the idea of his friends and family thinking he’d made a serious mistake in his choice of bride. Perish the thought they’d feel sorry for him. For tonight she determined to go all-out to look beautiful for him.

  Earlier Cole had asked her if she under stood this was to be a “real” marriage and she’d said yes. On the outside chance it would have to be annulled, she hadn’t allowed her thoughts to drift that far.

  That was then. This was now.

  She was really getting married in a little while, and found to her shock that she wanted it to last-even if they couldn’t adopt Bonnie.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE suite on the twenty-third floor of the hotel had adjoining rooms leading off a private lounge, both of which over looked the Sierra Nevadas. Cole had just emerged from his room wearing a new stone-gray suit with a deeper hued shirt and silver monogrammed tie.

  On the eve of his first marriage, he hadn’t known the meaning of the word nervous.

  This was different. He wanted Catherine to trust him. Otherwise the plan he’d devised would never come to fruition.

  Up to now he was used to making unilateral decisions without looking back when certain situations demanded it. But he realized he couldn’t do that with her. She’d come too far, fought too hard for her in dependence to imagine she’d follow blindly where he led.

  He’d made a big mistake telling her she’d have to give her boss notice. She’d tossed it right back in his face.

  When she’d found the fantastic soft cream crêpe dress and shoes she’d liked, and had reached for her credit card, they’d clashed because he’d told her he’d pay for them. Up had come her softly rounded chin in a mutinous gesture she probably hadn’t been aware of. But he’d noticed it, like he noticed everything about her, and backed down.

  Small things could grow into big ones. He would have to learn to choose his battles more care fully. They were going to be parents, with their own ideas of how things should work. Theirs needed to be a partnership of equals. If she felt he didn’t respect her opinions, she’d keep her emotional distance. He refused to let that happen.

  They weren’t even married yet, and already he knew he wanted her in all the old ways he’d thought had disappeared when he’d buried Jenny. He couldn’t wait to explore what was coming.

  Whatever else you do, Farraday, just don’t blow it.

  He heard a sound and turned in its direction. Catherine had left her room and was walking toward him. Her eyes looked like two dazzling sapphires.

  “What do you think?” She smiled. “Too much? Too little?”

  He cleared his throat. “You look like a bride. But I think you don’t need me to tell you your taste is impeccable.”

  “Thank you, Cole. You make a very striking groom. I’m going to be the envy of every female when we leave this room.”

  There was nothing coy or artificial about Catherine. She didn’t have theatrics in her. If he took this moment to reveal the depth of his intimate thoughts where she was concerned, she’d run a thousand miles.

  He’d seen her wear her silvery blond hair several ways. Tonight she’d caught it back in a loose chignon. A few strands tipped by the sun had escaped and framed her oval face, bringing out the mold of her high cheekbones.

  The simple elegance of the knee-length dress with its draped neck and long flowing sleeves brought out the singing curves of her sylph-like figure.

  He’d given her a corsage of creamy roses whose petals blended with her flawless complexion. She’d already fastened it to her shoulder without his help. Another signal to let him know she needed her space.

  After reaching for the digital camera he’d purchased that afternoon, he crossed the room to the glass elevator of their suite.

  “It’s time, Catherine.”

  As she moved toward him on those long elegant legs, he snapped half a dozen pictures. He planned to have one framed for his den at the house. The rest would go in an album Bonnie would come to treasure.

  “Your turn,” she said, taking the camera from him. “I wish I’d had this while you were playing with Bonnie.” She took several shots of him.

  His lips twitched. “We’ll have a lifetime to immortalize our selves.”

  A worried expression crossed over her face as she handed the camera back to him. “I hope so.”

  “Believe it.” He grasped her hand to draw her in the elevator, aware of a latent fire building inside him. />
  “After the ceremony we’ll bring my attorney back here to do the pa per work. That way he can file it with the court first thing in the morning and get a date for a hearing with the judge right away.”

  “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Farraday. May your life together be one of joy and happiness.”

  The judge who had married them spoke with an eloquence that had added the right amount of reverence and dignity to their wedding ceremony. Both he and his wife were very gracious and conveyed a sincere cordiality.

  Catherine muttered her thank-you, but after the thorough kiss Cole had just given her, her palms ached and her legs had grown weak.

  She’d known how important it was they give a convincing performance of being in love. It was shocking how easily she’d entered into her part of it, and she only had herself to blame if she was still trembling.

  Cole’s attorney Jim Darger, an attractive man in his fifties, who knew their secret and was totally loyal to Cole, had taken several pictures of them. She feared he might have caught that kiss which had lasted far too long for two people who hadn’t been in each other’s arms yet, let alone shared intimacy.

  The moment she’d felt Cole’s sensual mouth coaxing hers apart, a quickening in her body had driven her to respond without conscious thought. The urge to meld with him wasn’t something she’d had control over. It had simply happened.

  She must have shocked him, because he’d clasped her tighter against his rock-hard physique-whether to hold himself up or her, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that the full contact of arms, legs and mouths had charged every atom, whipping up a storm of desire in her she’d never experienced in her life.

  The sound of someone’s cell phone ringing had insinuated itself into the very private party Catherine had been having with her new husband. The reminder that they weren’t alone had caused her to pull away from him, her face instantly burning.

  Three people had just witnessed something Catherine couldn’t explain. You didn’t kiss a man like you were starving for him unless-unless the physical attraction was explosive. Even then she should have been able to slow down her response.

  Once good nights were said, Cole’s arm hugged her waist as they walked out to the limo with Jim. During the ride back to the hotel the two men talked ranch business while Catherine studied the new diamond ring circling her finger.

  He’d given her a two carat solitaire, a stone whose facets caught the light. It was exquisite. The slim gold band next to it reminded her she had some shopping to do. Before tomorrow evening she intended to present him with his own wedding ring. Maybe one with a garnet.

  From what she’d learned, the Ruby Mountains were named for the red garnets found by some of the early explorers. A ring would let all those women know he was taken.

  She groaned when she realized how possessive she’d become already. The possibility that their marriage could be annulled in the near future was anathema to her.

  Before long they arrived back at the hotel. Within the hour they’d eaten a delicious Italian meal sent up from one of the restaurants. After a waiter had cleared everything away, Jim handed them the forms to fill out. There were so many questions to answer. The background questions took forever.

  “What are our chances?” she asked him anxiously.

  “You have a strong case, Catherine. Cole is well known in this state, and can provide for all of you. He’s the biological father’s brother. You have the biological mother’s notarized letter designating you as the person she wants to raise Bonnie. Your time spent in the ICU where you bonded with the baby will stack the deck a little more in your favor. Bonding is the crucial issue in adoption cases.”

  She took a shaky breath. “What might be the obstacles?”

  “There aren’t any,” Cole insisted, his expression implacable.

  “I’m afraid there is one,” Jim asserted. The furrow between Cole’s brows deepened. “It’s a little like insider trading on the stock market. You know something no one else knows and make a move, leaving everyone else in the dust.”

  Her mouth felt unpleasantly dry. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  Cole jumped to his feet. “It’s not a good analogy. This isn’t money we’re bilking out of people.”

  “True, but you’re depriving other couples of being given a chance to be considered.”

  Catherine lifted beseeching eyes to Jim. “Then we’ve got to pray the judge will overlook that aspect when he considers the positives. I didn’t force Terrie to write that letter. In fact I didn’t seriously consider the idea of adopting Bonnie until Terrie was dying.”

  “I’ll put that in the deposition and file it with these papers. Have you answered all the questions?”

  “Yes.”

  Cole nodded.

  “Then all I need are your signatures at the bottom. I’ll date them.”

  Once she’d affixed hers she glanced at him again. “How long do you think it will take before we can get a hearing?”

  He gazed at her speculatively. “Judge Lander has a busy court docket, but I think I can safely say a week.”

  A week…

  Sensing her disappointment, Cole’s hand covered hers. “Jim will get it done sooner than that.”

  The other man pushed himself away from the table and stood up. Smiling down at Catherine, he said, “The Farraday name will have more pull than anything I say, but I’ll try my best.”

  “Thank you, Jim. We love Bonnie. You have no idea how much this means to us.”

  “I think I do.” He regarded both of them fondly. “For what it’s worth I applaud you for the unselfish step you’re taking for that little baby. The minute I know something I’ll be in touch.”

  “If the judge rules in our favor, the case will be sealed?”

  “Absolutely. No one will have access to the record so your secret will be safe. I’ve known Buck for years. I attended his wedding to Lucy and under stand why Cole wants his reputation protected. Now Lucy can never be hurt. It will be up to you if you ever decide to tell Bonnie her true pa rent age.”

  Catherine’s gaze swerved to Cole’s. He always seemed to know what she was thinking because he said, “If the time comes we feel it necessary, then we’ll tell her.” She gave him an assenting nod.

  “Well, my work seems to be done here. I’ll be going and leave you two newlyweds alone.”

  She got up from the table and gave Jim a hug, which he reciprocated.

  While Cole walked him to the elevator, Catherine hurried into her bedroom to change. The word “newlyweds” had caused a strange flutter in her chest.

  She unpinned her corsage.

  After the mistake she’d made kissing Cole the way you would as a prelude to making love, the worst thing she could do was waltz out there in a minute to talk to him wearing a nightgown.

  The fear that her heated response might have surprised him in a negative way gnawed at her, but she honestly hadn’t been able to hold back. Embarrassed just thinking about it, she quickly removed her wedding finery and slipped on jeans, which she co-ordinated with a short-sleeved cotton sweater in a lilac color.

  “What have you got there?” he asked as she darted from the bedroom and hurried over to the fridge behind the bar.

  “The flowers you gave me. They’re so beautiful I want them to stay fresh.” She moistened a paper napkin to lay over them, then put the corsage on one of the shelves. Once the door was shut she turned to him, hoping she appeared composed. What a fraud she was.

  His suit jacket hung over one of the chairs. He’d loosened the collar of his shirt and pulled the tie away. She felt his shuttered gaze from across the expanse.

  “I haven’t taken time off to play in a long, long time,” he began. “Have you?” The question caught her off guard.

  “Not that I remember.”

  A faint smile tugged at his lips. “That’s what I thought. How would you like to fly down to Laguna Beach tomorrow? We’ll spend a few days sunning in the surf. Forge
t our worries. It will give us some time to relax and get to know each other without dead lines.”

  “I’d like that a lot, but-”

  “You don’t want to leave Bonnie.” He could read her mind.

  “That sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”

  “No. You’re making sounds like a mother.”

  She rubbed her palms against womanly hips. “It’s just that Bonnie has needed so much love and attention. Now that she’s in foster care, I go by to see her every day, either before or after work.”

  His indulgent eyes had been following her movements. “Then let me suggest something closer to home. After we visit her in the morning, we could drive over to Lake Tahoe for the day and have dinner somewhere before returning to the hotel. Each day we’ll go some place different, and the day after that, until we have news. What do you say?”

  She felt her heart expand. “I think you already know. It’s a wonderful idea. I-I haven’t known you long, but I believe you’re a wonderful man.” The words had come out of her mouth before she could stop them, but in all honesty he deserved to hear the truth.

  “If it turns out we can adopt Bonnie, she’s going to be the luckiest little girl in the world to have you for a father.” She dragged her eyes away from him. “Goodnight, Cole.”

  Four days later they got the call from Jim to meet him in the judge’s chambers for the verdict. He stood inside waiting.

  Catherine’s heart was beating so hard she thought she would faint. Cole put a supportive arm around her while they waited for the judge to enter.

  “Be seated,” he told them.

  The judge took his place and put on his glasses. “Mr. and Mrs. Farraday? I’ve read over your adoption petition. It’s an unusual case. Your recent marriage concerns me, in that the two of you haven’t lived together, there fore no climate has been established to measure. On the other hand, for you to enter into this union tells me of your unqualified love for this child who has no mother or father living. I find it commendable that Mr. Farraday, an up standing member of the community and this state, wants to father his deceased brother’s child. I’m also impressed by Mrs. Farraday’s impeccable record as a social worker.