“I think I’ll name him Theodore. We could call him Ted, like Daddy.”
Evan dragged his eyes away from the baby’s round, sleeping face to Jada’s earnest one. “That’s a nice name,” he said gruffly. “And it will also mean a lot to your father.”
He looked up and caught Meg’s eyes on him. She seemed a bit flushed.
“Do you have some of your own?” he asked bluntly. “Children, I mean?”
She shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin smile.
It didn’t matter that Jada and Mrs. Jeffers were right here with them. At that moment, it was as if they were alone in the room, and Evan was suddenly compelled to ask some of the questions that had been on his mind since he’d picked her up at the station.
“Why, don’t you want them? Or do you and your husband think them a nuisance? Kids are a burden, is that it?”
Evan didn’t release her from his piercing glare. She swallowed hard.
“No, my husband and I never thought of children as a burden.”
“Then what is it? And where is your husband, anyway?” He was being rude, but he didn’t care. She had placed herself in his path continuously since yesterday. And he wasn’t blind to the signals she was sending him. She was as attracted to him as he was to her. But she had no right to fool around like that--not with him, anyway. She was a married woman. “Let me guess--you have one of those modern marriages where each of you take your own separate vacations. Where each have your own friends.” Your own lovers, he added silently. “Let’s see. You’ve never had time to think of starting a family! Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong!” Meg answered sharply, her face drained of all color. She turned to Jada. “I have to go now, but if you don’t mind, I’ll stop by sometime this afternoon for another visit!”
“I’d love that, Meg,” Jada whispered softly. “Could you bring back some popcorn?”
Meg laughed. “You bet! Maybe we can catch a double feature, this time.”
Without sparing him another glance, she nodded to Mrs. Jeffers and disappeared behind the curtain.
Evan listened to her footsteps click out the door...and felt like a dog. Turning his eyes back to the sleeping baby, he couldn’t fathom what in hell had possessed his soul to make him speak to her so roughly.
A million things could be going on between Meg and her husband, none of which were any of his business.
“You owe her an apology!”
Evan looked up and found Jada’s disapproving face directed toward him.
“I was pretty bad, wasn’t I?”
“Bad? Evan, I never knew you could be such a dork!”
CHAPTER 9
They had dreams. They had plans, too. But here she was five years after that terrible day, and what did she have to show for all that they had shared?
Meg swiped at her tears as she strode away from the hospital toward downtown Newport. Slinging her tote bag onto her shoulder, she quickened her steps along the busy sidewalk.
She and Robert had both wanted children from the moment they’d walked out of church on their wedding day. But she’d been a freshman in college, and Robert a young editor still establishing himself in the business. At that stage in their lives, it just had seemed too overwhelming to think of bringing a child into such an uphill financial struggle. So they’d waited. Then, the years had just slipped by. What Evan had said was partially true. Their careers had been demanding, Robert’s career had taken off, and they’d had to steal their precious time for one another.
It had always seemed that there would be time. The future was a happy and colorful picture...no sunset in sight. But then reality had slammed home. What she’d thought impossible--unthinkable--occurred.
One morning Robert was there, and then he was dead.
They told her it was a heart attack, that he had a congenital disorder that had somehow gone undiagnosed for all those years. That it was simply bad luck that it should happen that way.
Meg suddenly cut across Broad Way, hardly aware of the cars slowing for her to cross. He could have lived! she thought. How could they miss it? How could they not have discovered the condition?
The people on the street all blurred together. Meg blinked back her tears. Damn you, Robert! Why did you have to go like that? Why did you have to leave me?
“You’re a pretty fast walker!”
She started at the familiar voice behind her, but then--thinking what a sorry condition her face must be--she nearly broke into a run.
“Did you know there are speed limits for pedestrians in this town?”
He was keeping pace, so she turned her face away. As she did, though, his hand shot out and roughly yanked her against him. Off balance, she stumbled, but he held her up. Meg gasped as a bicycle zoomed between them and the storefront they were passing. Evan had just saved her from being run down.
“Jerk!” he yelled at the back of the rider. “This is a sidewalk, not the frigging Tour de France!”
Feeling a bit dazed, she pushed herself away from his chest and tried to regain her footing.
“Are you okay?”
He turned her in his arms and held her by the shoulders. She found herself looking into his face.
“Are you hurt?” He paused. “What’s wrong?”
Suddenly, all of her anguish and misery gathered like a volcano in her chest and spewed forth.
“Am I hurt? Do you have the gall to ask me what is wrong? You are an insufferable jerk! You’re an imbecile!” She stared through her tears at his stunned expression. “I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see your face. Just let me go.”
Meg tried to turn and leave, but his viselike grip allowed no escape.
“Whoa! Wait a minute! What’s wrong?”
“I said let me go!”
“Not until you tell me what the hell has brought all of this on!”
She was a dish rag of emotions, and she knew it. So instead of opening her mouth and making more of a ruckus on a public street, Meg clamped her mouth shut. The heck with him, she thought. He didn’t deserve an explanation.
“Are you upset because of what I asked you back in the hospital?”
She’d been fine! she thought. She’d been doing great until he’d wrapped his big hands around that little baby. It was too much. The gentleness he’d shown toward the infant--the affection that had shone in his eyes. It had all made her think of Robert. Of the way he would have been...had they ever had a child of their own.
Evan Knight had made her mourn what could have been, before he’d even asked his first stupid question.
“Okay. I was out of place to ask those things. It wasn’t any of my business to probe into yours and your husband’s life like that. I’m sorry!”
She dug a tissue out of her bag and wiped her tears away. Glancing up into the deep bluish-green of his eyes, she saw the same hardness there that she’d seen back at the hospital when he’d asked her those questions.
“You’re a liar. You aren’t sorry at all.”
“You’re right. I’m not.”
Meg was a bit taken aback by his open admission. He was still holding her by the shoulders, and she could hear the repressed anger in his words.
“What do you have against me?” she asked shortly.
The hard set of his mouth was the only response she got. It seemed that it was now his turn to play the silent one.
“Fine! If that’s the way you want to be, I’m not going to waste my time standing here with a big jerk like you.”
She tried to pull away, but he held her fast.
“You really want me to answer your question?” he growled.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”
“And what are you going to do when I tell you the truth? Collapse on the sidewalk? Throw a temper tantrum? Weep another flood?”
She shoved his hands away and faced him straight on. “I don’t know what the heck your problem is, but I’ve done nothing--I repeat nothing--to deserve the w
ay you’re treating me now. So open your big mouth and say what’s on your mind, or shut up and get out of my way.”
“Fine! You asked for it.” He first pulled her by the arm to the side until they were out of the direct line of passing pedestrians. For a moment Meg was overwhelmed by his angry glare and the way he towered over her, blocking her view of the busy street.
“Start!” she snapped at him.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but I think you are easily the worst double-dealing piece of work that I’ve met in a long time.”
“Double-dealing!” she gasped incredulously.
“That’s right! And I’m being mild.”
“Why hold back?” she challenged. “Lay it on!”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re also a tease.”
“A tease?” she repeated in shock.
“A tease...a flirt...there are other words for it. But trust me, honey, I’ve been around the block long enough to recognize a come on when I see one. From the first moment you got into my cab, you’ve done nothing but bat those big, brown eyes, and invite me in.”
“Oh!!” She gritted her teeth. “You’re unbelievable! What kind of ego could possibly...”
“I’m not done. You’re also a liar! I don’t know who the poor sap is that you’re married to, but I sure hope he doesn’t buy any of the fidelity shit you must sell at home. Not when you’re running around for a week at a time without him, ready to screw the first man you cross paths with.”
“Of all the arrogant, self-righteous, puritanical...!” She couldn’t believe it, but she’d reduced herself to his level. She knew she was rising to his bait, but he was going to be sorry he’d started this. “Let me tell you something. Who I screw--as you so delicately put it--is none of your business, because it will never be you! But who are you to judge me?”
“I’ll tell you who! If you mess around with me, if you’re going to come on to me, then that gives me the go ahead to judge as I please.”
“You, Mr. Knight, can just clean out the sap out of your ears, because I want you to hear this, loud and clear.” Heck, why hold back? she thought angrily. “For your information, I’ve been around the block a few times myself...”
“I thought so.”
“Just shut up and listen,” she snapped. “In all my life, not once have I ever run into a more foul-mouthed jerk than you. And as far as my husband goes...”
“The dolt!”
“You have no right to talk of Robert like that. He was a man that on his worst day had a hundred times more character than you. You on the other hand...”
“What do you mean ‘had’?”
“I said shut up and listen.”
“Are you divorced? Where is this Robert?”
She felt her head beginning to pound from grinding her teeth so hard. “And you think you deserve an answer? After all the crap you’ve been handing to me, you think I should tell you about my life?”
“Yes, I do.” Evan nodded, his anger evaporating into thin air.
“Well, that’s too bad!” She started to go around him, but he solidly blocked her. “Get the hell out of my way.”
“Not until you hear me out.”
“You mean there’s more?” Meg snapped.
He nodded. “A bit more.”
“Spare me the rest.” She again tried to move around him, but he wrapped a firm hand around her wrist and forced her to look up. Her voice was like ice. “You’d better be very careful.”
“Meg, I don’t know what the hell it is about you, but whatever it is...well, you manage to bring out the worst in me.”
“It’s a mutual reaction. Maybe it would be safest for both of us just to go our separate ways.” She again attempted to get away.
“Could you just hold your horse and listen?”
“No!”
“Well, like it or not, you are going to listen.” Meg watched him as he struggled to say what he had on his mind. “And if you try one more time to get around me or move even a step, I swear I’ll pull you into my arms right here and kiss that stubborn mouth of yours.”
She gave him a killing stare. “What do you think this is, Gone With the Wind? You even try it, and I’ll have your ass in court for assault so fast you’ll think you’re an extra in some tornado disaster flick.”
“The people in this town are used to lovers’ quarrels, sweetheart. You just call out, and we’ll see who gets away with what.”
She sharply looked about her at the busy street. There were cars and people milling about on both sides, but not one person even glanced in their direction, in spite of the ruckus they’d made. Her eyes snapped back up to him. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Just try me.”
“Jeez, you’re a neanderthal!”
She was angry at the way he was holding her wrist, but not as angry as she should have been, she thought. And though she knew this was little more than a lot of hot air and a battle of wills, she couldn’t help the shiver that coursed through her as Evan lowered his head. Her eyes fixed on his lips waiting just a breath away from hers. She swallowed and looked up into his eyes.
“So which is it?”
Meg paused, but only for a moment.
“Talk, Rhett.”
“Are you married?”
“This isn’t what you were going to say. You’re changing the subject.”
“Are you married, Meg?”
Why didn’t he back off? She should just call his bluff and walk away. But then, she wasn’t able to tear her gaze away from those piercing eyes. And, as much as it was killing her to admit it, she couldn’t stop wondering what it would feel to be kissed by a man again. A man like him. All strength and passion.
“Why do you ask?” She choked out the words.
“Because...because you’ve got the wires in my head screwed up so bad that I can’t think straight. How do you like that for an answer?” His voice was husky and still angry.
Meg stared at him. Suddenly, everything was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but somehow she was no longer mad, and--in spite of his best efforts--he certainly didn’t seem as outraged as he’d been earlier. There was still heat between them--heat so palpable that she felt it burning the skin of her face. In fact, she could feel a wildfire spreading within her. She quickly lowered her gaze as his accusation of her being a flirt suddenly flashed across her brain.
“So, are you going to answer my question, or are we going to camp on this sidewalk till Christmas?”
“I...I was married,” she blurted out. “I’m a widow.”
His hand immediately released her wrist. She could have sworn that he took a step back. And he looked as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on top of his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a long pause.
“You should be,” she said, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder and gathering her wits. “Now, I know we got off to a bad start. But now that you have your sour mood under control, I want you to know that everything you said about me, about my character and my behavior, all the other foul things that you said to me...” She let out a long breath. “Well, I intend to hold all of that against you.”
“But not because they aren’t true!”
“Of course because they aren’t true,” she answered, rubbing at the imprints of his fingers on her wrist.
“You might not be a double-dealer or a liar, but I stand by my word that you’re a flirt!”
She scowled at him. It had certainly taken the man no time at all to recover.
“I would love to stand here and beat you to a pulp for what you just called me. But being the civilized woman that I am, I’ll let you go this time.”
“What are you? Chicken?”
She looked sharply up into his face and noticed the dimple was back.
“Look, I’m not a chicken. I’m not a pigeon. I’m not a duck. In fact I’m not a bird, at all. But what I am, is hungry, and a pig-roast--starring you--is not what I had in mi
nd for lunch. So, if you’ll forgive me, Mr. Knight, I’ll be on my way.”
Meg frowned at the pang of disappointment that lit up like a blowtorch in the pit of her stomach when he allowed her to go past him and down the street. She didn’t dare turn and look over her shoulder at him. God only knew what other name he would call her if he ever caught her looking.
“So where are you going for lunch?”
She bit her lip to hide her smile at hearing his voice over her shoulder. She didn’t slow down, and he fell in step with her as if nothing unpleasant had ever passed between them. This guy certainly had no self-esteem problems.
“Let me guess,” he said, when she said nothing in response. “Where would a prig like you go for lunch?”
“From flirt to prig in thirty seconds!” She paused by a side street as a car turned in front of them. “I’m amazing!”
“If you say so,” he growled. “But let’s see, where would you go? The White Horse Tavern.”
She shook her head, shooting him a scornful look.
“The Black Pearl?”
“No!”
“La Petite Auberge?”
She turned and looked up into his face. “Actually! I was thinking of some place like the Newport Creamery. We normal folks obviously don’t eat the same kind of lunches that you Newport cab drivers do.”
He laughed. “Honey, save your hard luck story for someone else. Don’t forget, I’m the one who drove you to the Inn at Castle Hill in the first place. If it wasn’t that you screwed up your social calendar...”
“I didn’t make the mistake. They did!” She started crossing the street, leaving him behind.
“The same thing! So don’t pull that...”
“Don’t you have somewhere to go?” She turned her best frown on him. “Don’t you have someone else you can go and torment?”
“Well, not right this minute.”
“Too bad!”
He held her by the elbow, forcing her to stop as another crazy driver made a quick turn onto a side street. She looked both ways before starting again, but his hold on her stopped her advance.
Made in Heaven Page 7
