HAPPY NEW YEAR, BABY FORTUNE!

by Leanne Banks

  She concentrated on rocking Piper, then burping her. Stacey knew she needed to focus on Piper. Her baby needed her love and devotion.

  Unfortunately, Stacey was all too aware of her own needs. How was she supposed to make those needs disappear?

  * * *

  The next afternoon while her mother made some calls to her circle group, Stacey folded laundry in the den. Piper took a nap. Stacey did the hated job of folding sheets. Was there any good way of folding fitted sheets? With the television on a news show, she folded several linens.

  A knock sounded at the door, and she rushed to keep whoever was on her porch from knocking again. She didn’t want Piper waking from the noise. It was amazing how precious her child’s sleep had become to her, she thought. She wondered if she should start putting a note on the front door when Piper was napping. Or would that be a bit too cranky?

  Stacey opened the door and saw Colton on the porch. Her heart took a huge dip.

  Colton removed his Stetson. “We need to talk.”

  Chapter Six

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you,” Colton said.

  Stacey felt her face heat with embarrassment and cringed. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. I was supposed to be helping you with your girlfriend and ended up kissing you. I knew you had plans with her, but you and I got close and I stopped thinking about your girlfriend. I was just thinking about you and—”

  “Stop,” he said, and took her mouth in a kiss, then pulled back. “There is no girlfriend.”

  She stared at him in confusion. “No girlfriend?”

  “No girlfriend,” he repeated. “There is no one else I can think about right now. You’re the only woman on my mind,” he said.

  Floored, Stacey could only gape at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just know that I didn’t want to take advantage of you,” he said and walked away.

  Stacey gawked after him, wishing she could produce some magic words, but her tongue wouldn’t even form basic syllables. “Colton,” she finally managed, but he was already in his truck.

  She was at a pure loss. He’d given her no chance to respond. How could she tell him how she really felt? How could she let him think their kiss was totally his fault? She raced to the back of the house and found her mother in between phone calls.

  “Piper’s asleep. Do you mind watching her for a while?” she asked.

  “Not at all,” her mother said. “Is there a problem?”

  “I just need to go somewhere,” she said, and didn’t want to hang around long enough for her mother to question her further. Her mother was extremely intuitive. Stacey grabbed her purse, pulled on her coat and headed for her car. As she drove toward the Foster house, she tried to find the words to explain her feelings for Colton. She kept rehearsing several verbal scenarios, but none seemed adequate.

  With no great plan in mind, she stomped up the steps to the Foster house and rapped on the door. A few seconds passed, and she knocked again.

  The door whipped open and Colton looked at her. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Listen, we don’t have to talk about what happened again. I know you don’t think of me that way,” he said. “In a romantic way.”

  “Stop telling me what I think,” Stacey said. She didn’t know any other way to express her feelings for Colton except for kissing him, so that’s what she did. She pulled him against her and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

  Colton couldn’t help but respond. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him. He clearly couldn’t resist her. “You feel so good,” he muttered. “Taste so good,” he said, sliding his tongue past her lips.

  Stacey felt herself heating up way too quickly. She wriggled against him, wanting to feel every bit of him. She wanted his skin against hers. She slid her hands up to the top of his head and continued to exchange open mouth kisses with him.

  “I want you so much,” she whispered.

  “What do you want, Stacey?” he muttered.

  “All of you. I want all of you,” she said, her need escalating with each passing moment.

  Colton’s hands traveled to forbidden places. Her breasts and her read end. Beneath his touch, she felt herself swell like a sensual flower.

  “Are you sure about this?” Colton asked, teasing her nipples to taut expectation.

  “Yes, yes,” she said, clawing at his chest. “I want you so much.”

  “Then you’re gonna get me,” he muttered and pulled her up into his arms and carried her down the hallway. He took her into his bedroom and set her down on his bed.

  “You’re sure?” he asked a second time.

  “More than sure,” she said, and whipped off her shirt and bra. “Are you?” she asked, daring him.

  One, two, three heartbeats vibrated through her, and Colton began to devour her with his hands and mouth. She had never felt such passion in her life. He made every inch of her body burn with desire and need for him. Stacey hadn’t felt this alive in months...or ever.

  She kissed his chest and belly...and lower. He groaned and took her with the same hunger.

  “You taste so good,” he said.

  “So do you,” she said, and pressed her mouth against his in a fully sexual kiss.

  “I want to be inside you,” he said, his tone desperate.

  “I want you the same way,” she said.

  He pulled some protection from his bedside table, and finally, he pushed her legs apart and thrust inside her.

  Stacey gasped.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You’re just—” she said and broke off.

  “I’m just what?” he asked, poised over her.

  She took a deep breath and laughed breathlessly. “Big. You’re big.”

  He shot her a sexy smile. “I’ll try to make that work for you,” he said, and began to move inside her.

  They moved in a primitive rhythm that sent her twisting and climbing toward some new high she’d never experienced. She continued to slide against him, staring into his dark, sexy eyes.

  When had Colton become so desirable to her? What did it matter? she asked herself and threw herself into making love to him. Stacey clung to his strong shoulders, and with every thrust, he took her higher and higher.

  “You feel so good,” he muttered. “So good.”

  Stacey felt herself clench and tremble. A climax wracked through her. She could hardly breathe from the strength of it.

  Seconds later, she felt him follow after her, thrusting and stretching in a peak that clearly took him over the edge. He clutched her to him and gasped for breath.

  Stacey clung to him with all her might. “Two words,” she whispered. “Oh, wow.”

  He rolled over and pulled her on top of him. “When did you turn into the sexiest woman alive?”

  Stacey laughed. “Me?”

  “Yeah, you,” he said, and kissed her again.

  She sifted her fingers through his hair, enjoying every sensation that rippled through her. She loved the feeling of his skin against hers, his hard muscles. She slid her legs between his and savored his hard thighs. His lips were unbelievably sensual.

  “I’m not sure how this happened,” she said.

  “Neither am I,” he said. “But I’m glad it did.”

  They made love again until they were breathless. She wrapped her arms around him, shocked by how he’d made her feel. Stacey was in perfect bliss.

  * * *

  After that second time, Colton looked down at Stacey, all warm, sexy and satisfied in his bed, and felt a triple shot of terror. What the hell had he done? He hadn’t just kissed his sister’s best friend. He’d made love to her. Twice.

  He held
her tightly against him but was horrified by what he had done. “You’re an amazing woman.”

  “You’re a flatterer, but I’ll take it,” she said, cuddling against him.

  “This is great, but I don’t want us to have to make excuses to my family,” he said.

  A sliver of self-consciousness slid through her eyes. “Oh, good point,” she said and bit her lip. She moved off of him, and he immediately regretted the absence of her body and sweetness.

  Stacey quickly pulled on her clothes. “I should leave.”

  “Let me walk you to your car,” he said, still full of questions and regrets. He pulled on his jeans and shirt.

  Stacey grabbed her coat that had been left on the foyer floor. “I’m glad your mother didn’t discover that,” she said.

  “We’re talking about building a separate house, soon,” he said.

  “I understand the need for privacy,” she said. “I don’t have it. But I’m lucky to be able to live with my parents.”

  “I feel as if I should drive you home,” he said, still upset with himself and overwhelmed by his feelings.

  “I’m okay,” she said, but she looked uncertain. The mood between them suddenly seemed awkward.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  She pressed her lips together in a closed-mouth smile. “Yes, I am,” she said and shrugged. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

  “Right.” He nodded, thinking they had moved way too fast. Stacey had big responsibilities, and he might not be the right man to help her with them. He hadn’t considered his previous experience with Piper a rousing success. “We’ll talk later,” he said, and helped her into her car.

  “Yeah,” she said, but didn’t meet his gaze. She started her car and tore out of his driveway faster than a race car. He wondered if she regretted going to bed with him. He couldn’t blame her. His parents’ ranch wasn’t exactly the most romantic environment.

  Colton struggled with his own emotions over what they’d just done. They were friends, weren’t they? If that was true, why had he wanted her so much? Why did he still want her? Whatever was happening between him and Stacey was complicated as hell.

  * * *

  Stacey forced herself not to look in her rearview mirror as she pulled away from the Foster ranch. She had clearly lost her mind, rushing back to tell Colton that she wanted him, too. Even though he’d said she’d been on his mind, it wasn’t as if he’d said he wanted her in a forever way. She’d better not forget that. She’d been through a similar situation with Joe, although he’d given her an engagement ring. With Colton, he’d made no promises. He’d just taken what she’d eagerly offered, but afterward the expression on his face had been one of discomfort.

  Buyer’s remorse, she thought. He’d taken the goods, but now he wasn’t sure he wanted them.

  Pain twisted through her. She felt like a fool. Why had she believed Colton was different? She was all too familiar with this scenario. She’d been through it and lived to regret it during the past year of her life. When would she learn? she castigated herself. When would she stop throwing herself at men only to learn they only wanted her for a little while? Not forever. She wondered if she and Colton had just made a big mistake.

  How could they go back to being friends now? Was that what he wanted? Humiliation flamed so hot it was as if a hole burned in her stomach. She pulled to a stop in front of her parents’ home and shook her head at herself.

  Glancing in the mirror, she saw that her hair was a mess, her lipstick smudged halfway across her face. If her mother caught sight of her, she would know that Stacey hadn’t just been running errands. Jeanne Fortune Jones was one of the most intuitive women on the earth, especially when it came to her children.

  Stacey searched through her purse and found an elastic band but no brush. She raked her fingers through her hair and pulled it into the low messy bun she frequently wore. She pulled out a tissue and wiped the gloss off her face, then reapplied just a little to her lips. She checked the buttons on her coat, making sure they were properly fastened.

  Holding her breath, she decided to make a dash through the foyer. “Well, there you are,” her mother said from the kitchen. “I was starting to wonder where you’d gone so long.”

  “Sorry, Mom,” Stacey said, pulling at the buttons on her coat. “I’ve got to use the bathroom or I’m going to burst. I’ll be out in just a few,” she said, and ran down the hall. She took her time, then hid out in her bedroom a little longer.

  “Stacey, dinner’s ready,” her mother called.

  Stacey cringed, then stiffened her spine. She could and should focus on Piper. As she stepped into the kitchen, she was relieved to see her brothers Liam and Jude sitting down to the table along with her father and mother. Her father and her brothers were too busy talking about the ranch to notice her. Her mother had put Piper in her high chair. As soon as Piper spotted Stacey, she lifted her hands and smiled in joy.

  Even though the baby wasn’t speaking yet, her nonverbal language soothed Stacey’s heart, and she immediately picked up her baby. “Well, hello to you, Sweet Pea,” she said, and sat down with Piper in her lap.

  “She’s never going to learn to be happy in her high chair if you don’t leave her in there,” Jeanne said.

  “I’ll put her in her seat in a couple minutes. How could I resist that smile?” Stacey asked.

  “Your food will get cold,” her mother warned.

  Stacey shrugged. “I’m not that hungry.”

  Her brother Liam glanced at her. “In that case, I’ll take Stacey’s share.”

  Her mother shook her head. “You will not,” she said. “Besides, there’s plenty to go around. Stacey made this meat loaf yesterday, so she deserves a few bites.”

  “I hope you didn’t mind putting it in the oven,” Stacey said, rising to get some dry cereal for Piper.

  “Not at all. You were just gone longer than I expected, so I started getting a little worried,” she said, and Stacey felt the unasked question in her mother’s voice.

  She sighed, knowing she would have to fib, and heaven knew she wasn’t any good at deception. “I ordered something for Piper, and I wanted to see if it had been delivered to the P.O. box yet. No luck, and there was a long line at the post office,” she said. Part of her tale was true. She had ordered something for Piper, but it wasn’t due for days. “Then I stopped by to visit Rachel, but she wasn’t there. She had saved a recipe for homemade baby food I thought I might try. I guess the whole trip was a washout. Was Piper okay while I was gone?” Stacey sprinkled some cereal on the top of Piper’s high chair, then set her child in the seat.

  “An angel. She took a long nap and woke up in a quiet mood,” her mother said, and finally took a bite of her own food. Her mother was usually the last to eat. “You need to sit down and eat,” she told Stacey.

  “I am,” Stacey said and took her seat. She forced herself to take a bite.

  “Did you happen to see Colton when you stopped by the Fosters’?” her mother asked as she took a sip of coffee.

  Stacey’s bite of meat loaf hung in her throat, and she coughed repeatedly.

  “What’s wrong with you? Are you choking?” her brother Jude asked, then thumped her on her back.

  “Water,” her mother said, standing up and leaning over the table to pick up Stacey’s glass of water and press it into Stacey’s hand.

  Stacey took a few sips. Everyone looked at her expectantly. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I think I tried to breathe the meat loaf instead of eat it.”

  Liam chuckled. “Make sure you teach that little one over there a different technique.”

  “I will, smarty-pants,” she said, and was determined to take the focus off herself. “The Winter Festival is right around the corner. I can’t decide whether to bake apple/blueberry pies, chocolate p
ies or red velvet cupcakes.”

  “Apple/blueberry,” her father said.

  “Chocolate,” Liam said.

  “All three,” Jude said.

  Her mother laughed. “Aren’t you glad you asked their opinions? Any of those sound good to me, but make sure you bake an extra one of whatever you end up making for us, or there’s going to be a lot of complaining,” Jeanne said, tilting her head toward her husband and sons.

  Stacey smiled in relief. She would escape an inquisition this time.

  * * *

  The next few days, Stacey developed a plan for her tutoring service. She knew her strengths were math and science, so she decided to focus on those subjects as she contacted the local schools. She also sent an email to Rachel since she knew her friend was doing her student teaching this semester.

  Her mother caught her reviewing a flyer at the kitchen table and gave a sound of surprise. “When did you decide to start tutoring?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Piper is older, but still manageable. I’m hoping to schedule the sessions during after-school hours. She takes a long afternoon nap, so I’d like to take advantage of that time and bring in a little bit of money.”

  Her mother frowned. “If you needed money, you should have asked for it. Your father and I are happy to help you,” she said, squeezing Stacey’s shoulder.

  Stacey’s heart swelled at her mother’s support. “You and Dad are already letting me stay here without paying rent. I don’t like feeling as if I’m not contributing.” She sighed. “I don’t like feeling like a deadbeat.”

  Her mother sat down beside her. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re no deadbeat. You fix the meals and do the laundry and cleaning here. For goodness’ sakes, I barely have to lift a finger with all you do.”

  “Thanks, but—”

  “No buts,” Jeanne said. “We know that Joe hasn’t offered any financial support, and he should have. At some point, you may have to confront him about that.”

  Stacey shook her head. “I hate the thought of it. He rejected both of us so thoroughly. I hate the thought of asking him for anything.”