“I’m fine. I wanted you to come over tonight. I’m not sorry about any of it. Okay?”
He walked over to her and kissed her mouth. “I meant what I said before. You’re special to me and I hope we can make this work.”
“Me, too.”
It took nearly fifteen more minutes, but Nora finally managed to hustle Stephen out of her house. What was it about men? When you wanted them to stay they couldn’t wait to leave, and when you wanted to be alone, they clung like burrs.
When she was alone, she leaned against the front door and bit back a scream. Special. He thought she was special. She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. How special could she be when compared to his oh-so-perfect wife?
“What a night,” she muttered as she turned off the living room lights and headed for her bedroom.
The sex had been amazing. She was willing to admit that she’d never experienced anything even close to that in her entire life. But in the future she could do without the confessions and mishaps. She hated knowing about his past, even though it made no sense that it would bother her. Why should she care that he was a widower?
She crossed to her bed and straightened the covers. The scent of their lovemaking clung to the sheets. But she was too tired to change the linens tonight. Maybe in the morning.
Stephen married. And he’d nearly had a child. She didn’t know what it all meant. So instead of trying to figure it out, she plopped onto the mattress and pulled open the top drawer of her nightstand. In the corner was a small notebook. She flipped open the pages and checked the last date, then added. When she’d finished, she closed the small book and pressed it to her chest.
She’d lied. Plain and simple. This wasn’t a safe time for her at all. She was in the exact middle of her very regular cycle. She doubted even a rabbit would be more fertile than she was that night.
She didn’t allow herself to think about the miracle of a baby. Instead she told herself that it was only one time and ignore the gleeful voice that whispered one time was all it took.
Chapter Nine
N ora was elbow-deep in a perm when the flowers arrived the next morning. Her senses went on alert the second the young man from the Canyon Florist walked into her shop. Saturday mornings were always busy and she had every single customer’s attention as she paused long enough to sign the clipboard and collect the oversize vase. Normally loud conversation stilled and heads turned while she carefully pocketed the card and made room for the arrangement on the main reception counter.
“Flowers?” Mrs. Arnold said archly. “I wonder who they’re from.”
Nora gave the room a bright smile. “Aren’t they beautiful?” She made a show of inhaling the sweet-spicy fragrance of the spring bouquet.
Jill was making an appointment with a customer. She glanced up at Nora, her expression knowing. “They’re lovely. I recognize the irises. What are those pink flowers?”
“Stargazer lilies,” Nora told her. “The long stalks with the fluffy white blooms are English garden stock. What a perfect way to start my day.” She gave another glowing smile and returned to her customer. “Now, what were you telling me about your grandson’s new girlfriend?”
It took a little doing but in a matter of minutes, she’d managed to get the attention off herself and the opulent display scenting the room. Unfortunately with each new customer arrival, the flowers were commented upon. But Nora never offered the name of her benefactor and no one came out and asked. But they wondered and speculated and it made her crazy to be the subject of gossip. She’d already had enough of that to last a lifetime.
To make matters worse, she was trying to forget Stephen and their close encounter the previous night. The lingering contentment in her body and the beautiful flowers were a constant reminder of all that had happened between them…including the issues of his late wife and the broken condom. Other women could probably have adult affairs without so much as a ripple in the pond of their life. But not her. One night of incredible sex and her entire world was upside down.
A little after one that afternoon, Nora finally had a break in her schedule. She ducked into the small powder room at the rear of the shop and opened the card.
Thanks for last night.
She read it twice, then blinked and read it again. Thanks for last night? He had to be kidding. If he thought for a second that not signing his name was being subtle, he was crazy. Everyone was going to know everything, no thanks to him. What on earth was she going to do with him?
She glanced at her reflection in the oval mirror over the sink and smoothed back a strand of hair that had come loose from her French braid. Her makeup was still relatively fresh. She touched up her lipstick, then ducked out of the powder room and left the shop by the rear entrance. Her next appointment wasn’t until one-thirty, which gave her plenty of time to give Stephen Remington a piece of her mind.
By circling around to the end of the block and using the rear entrance of the medical office, she managed to make her way into the business across the street from her shop without being seen by anyone. She found Nurse Rosie at the front counter, notating a chart.
“I need to see him,” Nora said, barely able to look at the other woman. She felt as if everyone in town knew what they’d been doing the previous night.
“Is something wrong? His office hours are closed for the day, but if it’s an emergency, he’s still here.”
Nora gritted her teeth. “No. It’s personal. Just tell him that I need to see him.”
What she wanted to do was force her way into his office and give in to the frustration flooding her. But that would only create more talk, which was exactly what she wanted to avoid.
Rosie studied her for a second before nodding and retreating to the rear of the building. The nurse returned in less than a minute and motioned for Nora to follow her. Nora thanked the other woman, stepped past her and into a large, paneled office, slammed the door behind her and gave into her temper.
“What is wrong with you?” she demanded, striding toward the desk and glaring at Stephen. “I don’t want to think you did this on purpose, but despite my other reservations about you I’ve never thought you were completely stupid.”
“How flattering,” he said dryly, leaning back in his large leather chair. He didn’t look upset, confused or even surprised at her invasion. If anything, he appeared faintly amused, which really annoyed her.
“Oh, sure. It’s funny to you, because none of this matters. But I have a life here, damn you. Stop messing with it.”
He rose to his feet. He was tall and lean and now she knew what he looked like naked. The slacks, shirt and tie made him look professional and appealing, but she was suddenly reminded that without his clothes, he was temptation incarnate. She had felt things with this man that she had never felt in her life. He’d made her respond in ways she hadn’t thought possible, and even through her temper all she wanted was for him to grab her and start making love with her right there on his oversize desk.
He came around the desk, stopping when he was in front of her. After settling one hip on the wood surface, he folded his arms and gave her a patient smile.
“Want to tell me what has you all hot and bothered?”
She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out the card he’d had delivered along with the bouquet. Anger and frustration filled her until she wanted to throw something to relieve the tension. Instead all she could do was speak through gritted teeth. “You sent flowers and a note.”
He took the envelope and pulled out the small card. “I don’t understand. I thought last night was very special. I enjoyed myself, which is a feeling I think you share. The flowers were a way to say thank you, I’m thinking about you. It’s just good manners.”
“Good manners? What do they have to do with anything? We’re talking about my life.” She planted her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. “They’re flowers, Stephen. Lord knows who saw your car parked in front of my house until all hours. Then you
send flowers and a card thanking me for last night. I suppose taking an ad out in the local newspaper would have made it a little easier for people to figure out what’s going on, but you certainly are not making it difficult by doing this.”
She grabbed the card and envelope back from him and stuffed both back into her pocket. “I wanted this to be private,” she reminded him. “Wasn’t that our deal?”
He looked at her. Several emotions skittered across his hazel eyes, but she didn’t know him well enough to read them. Then he reached toward her and brushed his fingertips against her cheek.
“You’re right,” he said simply. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. All I knew was that I’d really enjoyed being with you and I wanted you to know.” He dropped his hand to his side.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “You’re apologizing?”
“Yes. Of course. I was in the wrong. I knew you wanted to keep things quiet. You’re not interested in gossip and neither am I. Lone Star Canyon is a small town. By sending flowers and a note like that, I’ve made us the object of interest and speculation. It was stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
Her anger faded away as if it had never been. She couldn’t ever remember a man apologizing to her before—not with such ease and sincerity. “Thank you,” she said. “I accept your apology.”
His hazel eyes stared at her steadily. “Do you believe me?”
She bit her lower lip, then nodded. “Yes. I do.”
He stood, reached for her waist, leaned against the desk and pulled her up against him. Her belly pressed against the apex of his thighs and her hands instinctively came up around his shoulders.
“Good,” he said with a pleased grin. “So how about a rematch?”
Before she could answer, his mouth was on hers.
She told herself to be furious. That he was being an insensitive clod. That she should pull back, slap him, then give him a large piece of her mind. But his mouth felt too good against her own. In a single night he’d figured out how much she enjoyed his deep, lingering, sensual kisses and now he was using her own weakness against herself.
“I want you,” he breathed, trailing his mouth against her cheek and down her throat. “You make me crazy and I can’t get enough of you. Tell me when I can see you again.”
She pushed against his shoulders, but the gesture was halfhearted at best. “Someone could walk in and see us.”
“Let ’em get their own girl.”
Despite her need to stay in control and resist him, she couldn’t help laughing. “You’re so difficult.”
“I’m so good. You want me, too. I can tell.”
He looked at her and she knew there was plenty of passion to read in her expression. She did want him, even though she shouldn’t.
She finally found the strength to free herself. “I have to get back to the shop. I have a one-thirty appointment.”
He touched her swollen mouth. “Soon?” he asked.
She wanted to say no. She wanted to say that their single night had been a mistake. She wanted to remind him that the second condom had broken and that could create its own kind of trouble. But she didn’t say anything. Instead she took the coward’s way out and simply ran from his office without once looking back.
“Go out with me.”
Stephen’s voice was low and insistent, and made Nora want to purr. She leaned back in the receptionist’s chair and resisted the need to turn so that she could see out the front window of her shop. Stephen was just across the street…close enough that they could be in each other’s arms in less than three minutes. The idea was tempting.
“I can’t,” she said, hoping her resolve would hold out through the entire phone conversation. If he kept after her for too long, she knew she would weaken. Already she could feel her body beginning to tremble at the thought of being with him. She longed to see him, to talk with him, and most of all, to make love with him.
“It’s been nearly a week,” he reminded her. “You’re avoiding me. What I want to know is why?”
She swallowed her guilt. “Avoiding is a strong term. I’ve been busy. Because I was out sick for so long, I had a lot of catching up to do. Now that’s taken care of and I’m tired.”
“I want to believe you,” he said, “but I’m not sure that I do.”
She winced but he had every right to his reservations. The truth was she had been avoiding him and she intended to continue doing so for as long as possible. If she were to explain that, he would ask her why and that’s where her argument stalled. She didn’t have a good reason…except for the voice whispering in her head. It told her that seeing him again would be very dangerous, even though it didn’t tell her why.
Nora had her own reasons as well. She was still getting used to the fact that Stephen had been happily married up until the death of his wife. What if he was still in love with the woman? That was too awful to think about—being with him then would be too much like being with a married man. Something she would never do.
And even if he was starting to get over his loss, she wasn’t willing to be put in a position where she would constantly be compared to someone else. How was she supposed to measure up to Courtney Remington, pediatric neurosurgeon?
“What’s the real reason?” he asked. “What don’t you want me to know?”
“There isn’t any deep, dark secret.” That was only a small lie, she told herself. Her concerns were private, not secret. “I enjoyed our night together, but I don’t feel compelled to repeat it.”
“Why not? I know you had a good time. Didn’t you like all the things I did to you?”
She sighed and swung back and forth in the chair. Yes, she’d liked them very much. Even now, just thinking about them was enough to make her insides get all squishy. “It’s more complicated than that.”
He lowered his voice. “No. It’s very simple. I want to undress you, then kiss you until you can’t catch your breath. I want to nibble that ticklish spot just behind your knees and lick my way up your thighs. I want to make you tense and scream and fly, then I want to be inside of you and do it all again.”
He painted a very vivid picture with just a few words, she thought as her throat tightened and it became more difficult to breathe. “Yes, well, that would be nice, but then what? We have nothing in common.”
He chuckled. “What about the physical attraction?”
“That’s just chemistry.”
“Hey, don’t dismiss my favorite subject in school. Besides, we have plenty to talk about, Nora. You know that as well as I do. I think what’s troubling you the most isn’t that we may or may not have enough to say to each other, it’s how good things are when we’re too busy doing other things. I think you’re scared.”
Full points to the opposition, she thought, not sure how to answer him. “I can’t explain it any better than I have. This isn’t something I can do right now.” She swallowed. “I have to go, Stephen. Goodbye.”
She hung up without waiting for him to respond. For a few minutes she just sat in the chair, wondering if he would accept her decision or if he would cross the street and pound on her door, insisting that she speak with him.
A couple of minutes went by and there was only silence. Obviously, he’d accepted her view of things and was going to let it all go. A part of her was disappointed that he hadn’t been willing to try harder, but for the most part, she was pleased. Life would be easier without him around to make things complicated.
She leaned back in her chair and looked at the shop. It was after seven on Thursday and everyone else had gone home. The scents of the shampoo, perm solution and hair spray lingered in the room. She’d worked hard to buy the Snip ’n Clip salon and now every bit of it was hers. She had a thriving business, a small nest egg and—she touched her stomach—the possibility of a baby on the way.
Nora smiled to herself as she pressed against her flat belly. Was she pregnant? It was probably too soon to tell, but she couldn’t help hoping that she was.
She’d always wanted children, and as there wasn’t any Mr. Right in her future, this might be her only chance. If Stephen wasn’t interested in a long-term romantic relationship with a woman, he was unlikely to want to be involved with a child. Which meant she wouldn’t have to worry about him hanging around wanting to play dad. The baby could be hers alone.
She held on to the promise of that glorious future. She knew that she could be a good mother—she’d had a wonderful role model. Her child would grow up with plenty of love and support, just as she had.
“Please God,” she whispered into the night. “Let me be pregnant.”
Just a few more days, she told herself. Then she could take the test and find out for sure.
Myrna Nelson was as frail as a crane, all long skinny legs and hollow bones. She walked into Stephen’s office with a deliberate slowness that set off alarm bells. He motioned her into one of the chairs in front of his desk, but instead of going around and settling into his leather seat, he sat next to her and took her too-thin hand in his.
“I have to tell you, Myrna, you’re fading away,” he said, staring deeply into her light blue eyes. “You’ve lost three more pounds in the past month. You’re too thin. Why aren’t you eating?”
She gave a delicate shrug that emphasized the boniness of her shoulders. Myrna had never been a large woman, but until her recent bout with cancer, she’d been vibrant. She’d been active in her church, an avid gardener and was known for preparing a secret recipe of brownies so wonderful that she’d had dozens of marriage proposals in the four years of her widowhood.
In the past few months, all that had changed. Her surgery had been a success, her radiation was over and her prognosis was excellent. She was seventy-four, but until recently she’d had the energy and joy of life of a woman still in her thirties.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he insisted.
“Nothing. I’m fine. A little tired.” She gave a sigh then smiled. “You’re kind to worry.”
“Are you going to church services? Working in your garden?”
Unexpectedly Expecting! Page 11
