The Night before Baby

by Smith, Karen Rose

  Olivia knew Sophia’s background, how she grew up in a poor section of town where she still lived with her mother. Financial security was important to her. “I think you’ve caught his eye.”

  “And he’s caught mine. But that’s as far as it goes. He’ll have to take someone else for a ride on the back of his Harley.”

  Patricia stood. “I have to get to my office. ‘The Third’ is supposed to call this morning to discuss qualifications for his new assistant.”

  “I heard he has the sexiest voice,” Rachel mused.

  “But no one’s ever seen him,” Molly added. “I wonder how everything will change when he takes over Barrington.”

  Olivia rose to her feet, too, not as curious about Rex the Third as about Lucas’s weekends in Flagstaff. “Cindy, just let me know when you want to go shopping. And thanks for asking me to be part of your wedding.”

  After Cindy hugged each of them, they all walked to the elevators. But instead of becoming involved in the conversations, Olivia wondered if Lucas would come to the party or if he’d leave early to begin his weekend.

  Chapter Four

  The Valentine’s Day party was in full swing when Lucas entered the cafeteria at four o’clock. He’d wanted to clear his desk so he could leave directly from the party. As he scanned the room with its red paper cloths draping the tables, the silver and red hearts dangling from the fluorescent lights and the table with chafing dishes and a punch bowl, he realized he was looking for Olivia. He needed a glimpse of her before he left.

  Music blared from speakers set up in a corner of the cafeteria where the DJ stood, and tables had been rearranged to make space for dancing. Employees were taking advantage of the DJ’s selection—a rock ‘n’ roll favorite from the sixties. Suddenly he spotted Olivia at a table with Molly and...Whitcomb. Before he even thought once about it, let alone twice, he was crossing the room, knowing just a glimpse of Olivia wasn’t enough.

  Midway across the room, he slowed his stride. He had to play this casually and act as if he was enjoying himself at the party like everyone else. Olivia wanted to avoid gossip and he respected that need, but it was going to be damn hard to act as if they were simply casual acquaintances.

  Her gaze met his long before he reached the table. When he did, he gave them all a relaxed smile.

  “Hello, Lucas,” Molly said with a look that told him she knew exactly what was going on.

  “Molly, Stanley, Olivia. It looks as if everyone who works at Barrington decided to party.”

  Stanley chuckled. “That invitation was a royal decree and everyone knows it. Rex has always believed employees socializing together now and then creates a more conducive atmosphere for work. I guess the last time he ordered Mildred to bring out the chafing dishes was the Christmas party.”

  Lucas’s gaze collided with Olivia’s. Then he cleared his throat and addressed Whitcomb. “I don’t remember seeing you there.”

  “I could only stop in for a few minutes. My daughter was coming home from college and I had to pick her up at the airport.”

  Since Christmas Eve, he’d wondered why Olivia had fallen into conversation with him so easily that night, why she’d looked a bit lost—

  What did she see in a man who had a daughter practically her own age?

  A slow ballad replaced the drums and loud beat that had been emanating from the speakers.

  “Now that’s one worth dancing to,” Whitcomb remarked as several couples made their way to the dance space.

  Sensing what was about to happen, before Olivia’s boss took his observation any further, Lucas gazed directly into her eyes. “Would you like to dance?”

  Her cheeks grew rosy and she smiled. “Sure.”

  Lucas pulled her chair out for her, wanting to take her in his arms then and there. But instead he let her precede him to the group of dancers. When they found an empty spot, he clasped her hand and drew her into his arms.

  When she tensed, he suggested, “No one’s going to notice two colleagues dancing for a few minutes. Just relax, Olivia, and enjoy the music and the moment.”

  They danced in silence for a short while, their breaths in unison, Olivia’s perfume and the pretty curve of her lips tempting him to hold her close someplace other than a dance floor. He curbed the impulse as he should have on Christmas Eve after he’d kissed her under the mistletoe. But even with the impulse curbed, her breasts practically against his chest, her hand on his shoulder, her uncertain smile sending his hormones into a riot, made him take a deep breath.

  “I guess you’ll be spending the weekend at your apartment,” he murmured;

  “Until Mom leaves.”

  “Did you say she’s a teacher?”

  Olivia nodded. “Elementary school. She loves children. She’ll be good with a grandchild. After she gets over the shock of the idea.”

  “Have you gotten over the shock?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve always imagined myself as a mother someday. But not this soon.”

  What would Olivia think of the ranch and the boys there? After his experience with Celeste, he was reluctant to tell Olivia about it and how he fit into the picture. But he would. Soon. And this weekend he’d tell Mim and Wyatt about the unexpected turn in his life.

  As he danced with Olivia, he forgot they were merely supposed to be colleagues. Her body fit to his too well. Her red dress was slim, with buttons down the front, a silky fabric that slid against his thighs as they moved. When her hand on his shoulder rocked back and forth slightly to the rhythm of the music, her fingertips tauntingly near his neck held a sensual power over him. He remembered them stroking his back....

  He pulled her closer and she didn’t protest. When he bent his head, his lips were a whisper from her cheek. He could sense the softness of her skin before his jaw brushed it, tempting them both.

  “Lucas...” Her voice trembled.

  “What?” he murmured into her ear.

  “Someone could be watching.”

  “There are too many people dancing for anyone to notice us.” But as his cheek lingered against hers and he tested his self-control, he knew it was a dangerous game. If his lips came any closer to hers, everyone in the room would know they were more than co-workers.

  Leaning back, he studied her. At least today she wasn’t pale. “Any more dizziness?”

  “No.”

  “Did you sleep last night?”

  “Very well. Except...before I fell asleep, I was wondering how safe small planes are.”

  “As safe as the pilot and the condition of the plane. Worried I’ll fall out of the sky?”

  “That’s not a joking matter.”

  More than most people, he knew the whimsy of split-second fate. He’d become an orphan in the blink of an eye. “I do everything I can to ensure my safety, whether I’m on the ground or in the air. But I don’t think about it beyond that because I want to live my life without fear. Fear ties a man down. I need freedom and confidence when I take the plane up, not worry.”

  When she frowned, he realized she truly was concerned about him. “Flying is safer than driving. I’ll take you up sometime.”

  All of a sudden, Olivia stiffened in his arms again and he saw why. Stanley was standing at the punch bowl, his gaze on them. Lucas felt his jaw clench.

  The song ended and Lucas knew he should leave—he’d planned to leave—but the cogent temptation to stay was impossible to ignore.

  Until Whitcomb stood at his side and tapped him on the shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?”

  You’re damn right, I mind, Lucas wanted to say. But Olivia didn’t want gossip, and she might even prefer dancing with Stanley Whitcomb to dancing with him. Striving for a congeniality he wasn’t feeling, he answered, “I have to be leaving anyway. Enjoy the party.”

  He heard Olivia’s soft goodbye as he released her into the arms of another man. When he strode away without glancing at the couple again, he knew he should keep going, straight to Flagstaff.

  Yet the devil
on his shoulder stopped him at the doorway. He turned, and his stomach clenched. Stanley and Olivia were involved in a conversation as they danced—much too close for Lucas’s peace of mind. They looked involved in each other, oblivious to dancers surrounding them. With a succinct epithet that would have traveled into the room but for the music, he left the cafeteria, needing the wide spaces of the ranch to think.

  As Lucas didn’t respond to her goodbye, Olivia let Stanley lead her in a traditional box-step, trying not to feel hurt. She never knew what to expect from Lucas. When he’d asked her to dance, a thrill had skipped up her spine. Being held by Lucas had exhilarated her... excited her... until she realized Stanley was watching them. And now in her boss’s arms—she felt no thrill. No excitement. Not even the comfort of dancing with a man that she...admired? Respected? Just what did she feel for Stanley?

  “Are you and Lucas an item?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Be careful, Olivia. Lucas Hunter is a wild card.”

  “A what?”

  “He sells himself to the highest bidder. Oh, he has the skills to do it. Corporations clamor to hire him for their next merger. But Hunter doesn’t want to be tied down anyplace for too long. In fact, I heard a New York firm has been trying to hire him for the past two years. They keep upping the offer.”

  This week as she’d lived with Lucas, she’d forgotten his reputation...his life-style. Just a few minutes ago, he’d told her to relax and enjoy the moment. That was so difficult for her. She always worried about the future, wanting to plan it as best she could. What if she considered marrying Lucas and he wanted to take off from place to place like her father? What if they married for the sake of the baby and then he left after their child was born?

  “Lucas seems to like working at Barrington,” she said, hoping it was true.

  “Lucas likes the work and he’s not bored with it yet. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be in a few months. Just watch your step with him. I’ve heard rumors that he’s involved with someone in Flagstaff.”

  Although her heart sank, she wanted to believe Lucas was really visiting friends. “Do you believe all the rumors that fly around here?”

  “Of course not. But there is usually a grain of truth. I don’t want to see you get hurt. He seemed proprietary when he took you out to lunch the other day. That’s why I’m cautioning you.”

  Lucas could be determined and forceful, but... “I can take care of myself, Stanley. You should know that by now.”

  “What I know is that you’re a sweet young woman who has been working full-time and studying for the bar and doing an admirable job of both. But maybe now all of it is catching up to you and you need to take better care of yourself. You haven’t missed a minute of work since you started here—until this week. That should tell you something.”

  It told her a lot. For the past months, she’d taken Stanley’s advice and seen him as a mentor. Now she realized his caring attitude had been part of his nature, and she’d read more into it than was there. He was warning her away from Lucas because he honestly cared, not because he was jealous. And her feelings for him seemed to pale when she thought about the thrill that made her tremble when Lucas looked at her, or touched her.

  “I appreciate your advice, Stanley. You know how much I respect your opinion.”

  “But you aren’t going to listen to me, are you?” he asked, his forehead creasing with concern. “Either about slowing down or Lucas Hunter.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me on either account.”

  Stanley shook his head and sighed. “Just like my daughter. She wants to make all her own decisions.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” Olivia asked with a smile.

  He chuckled. “Only if I agree with her decisions.” After a pause, he asked, “Do you still want to stay late on Monday night?”

  She’d forgotten she’d made plans with him for one last intense study session before the bar exam. In the past few weeks, he’d helped her remember anything she’d forgotten since August. With only a week and a half until the exam, she was grateful for his help. She suddenly wondered what Lucas would think, but decided it didn’t matter. She had to do everything she could to prepare herself for this test.

  “Monday night is still good. I’m getting more nervous as the exam gets closer.”

  With a smile he said, “We’ll make sure you’re ready.”

  As she gazed into Stanley’s eyes and saw honest caring, she realized he was a good friend. And maybe that’s what he’d always been—nothing more.

  She thought about Lucas. Suddenly she was glad she was spending the weekend with her mother. Maybe she’d be able to help her sort everything out.

  Dismounting from the pinto he usually rode, helping nine-year-old Trevor slide from the saddle to the ground, Lucas appreciated the cold air that filled his lungs, the snow-topped San Francisco peaks in the distance and the pine forests with their riding and hiking trails. The landscape here was so different from Phoenix, with its natural winter white and deep greens, aspen and bare cottonwoods. This had been the only home he’d ever known, yet not really home because he’d felt like a transient among five or six other boys who’d come and gone. He was the only one who’d stayed because no one had wanted to adopt him, and he’d had nowhere else to go. Only Mim and Wyatt’s kindness had kept a roof over his head and food in his stomach.

  He’d finally moved on and could give back some of the care they’d given him by spending time with the four boys who lived here now. Trevor had only been at the ranch a month and was having trouble settling in...fitting in. Lucas related all too well. He’d taken the boy for a morning ride, hoping he’d learn to feel at ease here.

  “We have to groom the horses,” Lucas said as Trevor started for the house about fifty yards from the barn and paddock.

  “Can’t you do it? I’m cold.”

  “It’ll be warmer in the barn,” Lucas remarked as he handed the reins of the gray to his small rider. Responsibility was the most important lesson to be learned at the ranch.

  Trevor made a face, but took the reins and led Bullet into the barn.

  “I’ll help you, then you can help me,” Lucas said as he put the horses into their stalls. Both horses were gentle but Lucas wanted to make sure Trevor didn’t make any sudden moves that could cause an accident.

  Night Song, a sorrel mare who was a favorite at the ranch, whinnied softly. Lucas rubbed her neck and ears. She was due to foal in a few weeks.

  “You rode real well out there today.” Lucas snagged the grooming brushes from a shelf on the wall and handed one to Trevor.

  “I still can’t go fast,” Trevor mumbled.

  He’d kept the horses at a walk so the boy wouldn’t bounce off. With a shrug, Lucas suggested, “Give it time.”

  “I won’t be here long. I’m goin’ home to my mom.” His almost-black eyes were defiant.

  Home for Trevor had been a dirty room in a boardinghouse where he and his mother had gone hungry more often than not. It turned out that his mother didn’t know how to read, and consequently couldn’t hold down a job. Now she was staying at a group home and was enrolled in a literacy program that would hopefully lead to gainful employment. When Mim and Wyatt had heard about Trevor, they’d offered to take him in until his mother got her life together. Every Friday after school, Trevor could visit with her, then Wyatt brought him back to the ranch.

  “Trevor, you’re not here because you did something wrong. You know that, don’t you?”

  The boy looked away. “Then why’d they take me away from my mom?”

  Lucas heard the catch in his voice despite his attempt to seem strong and disinterested most of the time. Capping the boy’s shoulder, he nudged him around. “Your mom wants to make a better life for both of you. She needs more time to do that.”

  “I can help!”

  “Yes, you can. By letting her know you’re trying to be happy here while you’re waiting.”

&
nbsp; “I don’t mean like that,” he snapped, the hood of his jacket falling back to his shoulders. His red cheeks, the thatch of black hair falling across his forehead and sad eyes made Lucas want to give him a great big hug. But Trevor was keeping his distance physically as well as emotionally.

  Crouching down to Trevor’s eye level, Lucas’s hand tightened on the boy’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard only seeing your mom on Fridays. I know you want to stay in town with her, not come back out here. But she needs some time to concentrate on her. She needs to know you’re okay and, just for now, you’re managing without her.”

  “I hate living here. Kurt throws his stuff all over my bed. Jerry tries to tell me what to do, jus’ because he’s older than me. Russ is a baby. He always wants me to tie his shoes.”

  “He’s only five and he looks up to you. He misses being with his mom, too.” Right now, Russ’s father, who had been abusive, was in a twelve-step program. But he still didn’t have his drinking under control. On the other hand, Jerry’s father had taken off for parts unknown and left his son with an uncle who had decided he couldn’t take care of him. He had been at the ranch the longest, going on three years. And Kurt’s mother was in a drug rehab program.

  “What do you know about anything?” Trevor exploded, frustrated by Lucas’s logic and feelings he didn’t know how to handle.

  Lucas didn’t usually share his story, but this boy needed to see he had a lot more going for him than many others. “I came here when I was Russ’s age because I didn’t have a father, and my mother was killed in an accident. Mim and Wyatt took me in, just as they did you and Russ and Jerry and Kurt. I know what it feels like to lie awake at night wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow. All can tell you is that you’re safe here, until your mom can take care of you again. And you might even find you like the other boys if you give them a chance.”

  Tears welled up in Trevor’s eyes. “I want to go home.”

  “I know you do. And you will. But it’s going to take some time.”

  The boy’s chin quivered, and he wrenched away from Lucas’s hand.