The Night before Baby

by Smith, Karen Rose

  Lucas watched the two people he respected most in the world climb the steps together.

  “Are you sleeping down here?” Olivia asked from her end of the sofa.

  Chagrined by the way he’d handled Olivia earlier, he realized there wasn’t only the two feet of cushion between them. “The sofa opens into a bed.”

  Her gaze collided with his. After a long moment, she cleared her throat. “I’d better turn in, too.”

  Before she moved even farther away, and it had seemed as if the distance between them had increased as the night had worn on, he confessed, “I was concerned about this weekend, Olivia. I didn’t know how you’d take to all this.”

  “You mean the boys.”

  “And Mim and Wyatt. A more rustic life.”

  “Just because I don’t own a pair of boots doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy life on a ranch.”

  “You haven’t seen much yet.”

  “I’m hoping you’ll show me around tomorrow.”

  Her green eyes were guileless, and he suddenly realized she really was comfortable here. “I’ll put it first on my schedule.”

  She smiled and her voice went softer. “I’d like that.”

  Frustrated with putting his desire on the back burner, he closed the gap between them until their knees touched. “I know you have to make up your own mind about working during your pregnancy and what you’ll do afterward. How you want to raise our child. But you’ve got to understand that sometimes I feel as if I’m on the outside looking in, and all I can do is tell you what I think is best.”

  She laid her hand on his thigh. “I want to know what you think is best. But you have to understand becoming a mother is new to me, too, and I need time to weigh all my thoughts before I make decisions.”

  Her hand on his thigh created the need for more touch rather than distance. “I’m trying to give you time.”

  “I know you are,” she said softly.

  The whole world seemed to still as he bent his head and she leaned toward him. Their lips met for a brief instant before he opened his mouth over hers. He was hungry for her, had been since Christmas Eve. Lips on lips...tongue stroking tongue...weren’t nearly enough. For Olivia, either, because her arms wrapped around him to pull him closer. Her sweater met his shirt and he could feel her breasts, the difference in them that had happened gradually over the past few weeks.

  He wanted to see them, touch them, taste them. Her breath became his, and he lay back on the sofa pulling her on top of him. His senses were alert to the low murmur in her throat, the more fervent grasp of her hand on his shoulder, the softness of her fingertips on his neck, the floral scent that always clung to her hair. Her slender legs were erotic against his, the weight of her a sweet pleasure.

  Stroking down her back, his hands cupped her buttocks. When his arousal pressed against her, she moved over him, and he wondered if she knew what she was doing to him.

  He ended the kiss to move his lips along her cheek, down her neck. As she murmured his name, he pushed up against her, seeking pleasure while giving it.

  With a groan he asked, “Olivia? Do you know how much I’ve wanted this? How much I want you?”

  When Olivia stilled, he knew he had broken the spell. She was going to think instead of acting on impulse and that meant—

  “Lucas. We can’t do this. The boys and Mim and Wyatt...”

  She tried to get up but he held her to him. “Kiss me good-night, Olivia. Show me that you want more than sleeping in separate bedrooms.”

  When she hesitated, he muttered, “Never mind.” He couldn’t believe he had asked for a woman to kiss him. Male pride made him shift his legs out from under hers. Sitting up, he stared straight ahead into the dying fire and took a few deep breaths.

  “Lucas, it’s not that—”

  “I know what it is,” he cut in, not wanting a discussion about her lack of desire for him. Obviously need didn’t surge through her whenever they were near each other.

  The expression on Lucas’s face, along with his rigid body language told Olivia not to touch him, maybe not to even talk to him. She’d wanted to kiss him, but she’d known if she had, she’d be committing herself to him in more than a physical way. She simply wasn’t ready for that. “I’m going to turn in,” she said.

  He still stared straight ahead.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he returned sharply. “I thought there was a fire between us but apparently I’m the only one feeling it.”

  “That’s not true. But I am the one who’s pregnant, and I don’t think you have any idea how difficult it is sorting everything out.”

  “‘Everything’ meaning...”

  “What this pregnancy means to my life.”

  “Well, when you figure it out, be sure to let me know.”

  “Wyatt said you could be headstrong and stubborn. He forgot to mention exasperating!”

  At Lucas’s lack of response, she rolled her eyes and headed for the steps. But suddenly she realized Lucas had told her what he was feeling, even if it was only desire. They were finally really getting to know each other.

  Despite her frustration with his present attitude, she had to smile. Whether Lucas Hunter knew it or not, he was letting his guard down. That realization gave her hope.

  Chapter Seven

  Morning on the ranch was a whirlwind of activity, from a breakfast of eggs, sausage and pancakes to the chores that taught the boys about responsibility and working together. Mim let Olivia help with breakfast, but insisted her guest should relax and enjoy herself. Lucas found her a pair of boots and took her on a brief tour. Someone was always out and about or nearby, and they didn’t have any time alone. But Lucas’s remote attitude didn’t invite conversation, either.

  He watched her closely as he showed her around the barn. and she didn’t understand why. Though she’d never been around horses, she enjoyed their beauty and wanted to get as close as she could. Bullet’s muzzle against her neck and jacket didn’t bother her in the least. As she stroked the horse’s nose, and watched the pregnant mare farther up the row of stalls, she marveled at the idea a foal would be born to Night Song soon. In fact after examining the mare, Lucas seemed to think she’d foal in the next twenty-four hours.

  Olivia marveled at the idea that she herself would be giving birth at the end of September. When Lucas’s gaze locked to hers over Night Song, she realized he was thinking the same thing. But before either of them could voice their thoughts, Russ came rushing in with a broom to sweep the walkway down the center of the barn. All the boys were anxious to complete their chores so they could go riding with Lucas after lunch.

  As Mim served hot bowls of soup and homemade bread, Trevor cocked his head and asked Olivia, “Are you comin’ riding?”

  She’d heard that pregnant women still rode if it was part of their normal routine. But since she’d never ridden... “Not this time.”

  Trevor looked satisfied that they’d have Lucas to themselves.

  When the men and boys left the kitchen, Olivia stood to help Mim clear the table. But she suddenly felt very tired as she carried bowls to the sink.

  “Lucas is more quiet than usual this weekend,” Mim observed.

  Olivia met Mim’s gaze and realized she could confide in her. “We have a lot of things to work out, but I didn’t realize a visit here would be one of them. He’s watching me as if he expects me to suddenly demand he take me home. I don’t understand lit.”

  “You’re seeing each other in a different environment.”

  The observation was accurate but didn’t satisfy her. “It’s more than that. It’s as if he expects me to not like being around the boys, to find fault—Oh, I don’t know. Maybe my imagination is working overtime.”

  “Or your intuition.”

  “You know what’s bothering him, don’t you?” Olivia asked, sure that something was.

  Mim gathered the silverware from the table. “Has Lucas told you about Cele
ste?”

  “Celeste? Is this someone he...dated?”

  “She wanted to marry Lucas. For all the wrong reasons. And he was smitten with her until they spent a weekend here.”

  “She didn’t like it here?”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “And if I ask Lucas about it?”

  “He won’t want to discuss it. But that’s even more reason he should.”

  Olivia opened the dishwasher to load it, knowing Mim was right. When she finished and straightened quickly, she felt a little woozy.

  “Olivia? Are you all right?” Mim asked, concern in her tone.

  “I’m fine. The doctor told me my blood pressure’s a little low and when I straighten up too fast, I get dizzy sometimes.” But she sat at a kitchen chair to make sure the fuzziness had passed.

  “The altitude here is higher than in Phoenix, and you were pretty active this morning. Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated.”

  “I feel so silly when this happens.” She remembered the day Lucas carried her from her office.

  The kitchen work forgotten, Mim pulled out a chair and sat beside her. “Your body is going through so many changes to get you ready for this baby, you have to be kind to yourself. Why don’t you go take a nap while everyone’s out?”

  “I’d rather stay here and help you.”

  Mim patted her hand. “You can help with supper. Go on. Give yourself a break. Think of it as storing up your energy for next week.”

  Feeling close to Mim already, Olivia said what she was thinking. “Lucas was very fortunate to have you and Wyatt while he was growing up.”

  “We just tried to do our best. You and Lucas will do the same.”

  A few minutes later, as Olivia undressed, slipped on her nightgown and settled herself under the bed quilt, she hoped Mim was right.

  Snuggling into the pillow, she closed her eyes wondering just who Celeste was and what she looked like.

  When Lucas quietly opened the door to the guest room, late-afternoon light streamed from the window across the foot of the bed. Olivia was curled on her side facing him, but apparently she hadn’t heard the door open because her eyes remained closed. She’d tucked her right hand under her cheek. With her auburn hair streaming across the flannel pillowcase, she looked as pale as the moon, and as beautiful.

  He thought about last night on the sofa. After she’d told him how exasperating he was and gone to bed, he’d realized something. She wouldn’t let them satisfy their desire unless she decided to marry him! Sitting alone in front of the fire last night, aching for her, he knew she wasn’t being coy. After all, she’d told him why she’d still been a virgin. In her mind, having a physical relationship with a man meant being committed to him.

  He’d hoped this weekend would give them both some answers about where they were headed, but the future seemed even more muddled, and he couldn’t help but worry she was holding back because of Whitcomb. She’d seemed to accept what the ranch meant to him as well as his background, without either disturbing her. But was she comparing him to another man who didn’t have the baggage Lucas did?

  As if Olivia sensed his silent regard, she opened her eyes.

  Crossing to the bed, he sat on the edge. “Mim said you were dizzy.”

  She combed her hair away from her forehead and propped up against the pillow and the headboard. “I feel much better now.”

  He couldn’t keep his gaze from lingering on her bare arms, her breasts rising and falling. He watched her nipples harden under the silky fabric and his eyes lifted to hers. There was desire there, the same desire he felt. He was sure of it. But apparently it wasn’t enough. Standing, he knew he had to leave.

  “Lucas, tell me about Celeste.”

  A cold wind swept across his heart. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Mim said—”

  He frowned. “I didn’t think Mim would speak out of turn.”

  “She didn’t. She just said Celeste wanted to marry you, and you brought her here.”

  “It didn’t work out. End of story.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  And Olivia thought he could be exasperating? “It’s in the past, Olivia. Let’s leave it there.”

  “Your past is as much a part of you as this ranch. You keep a lot of it hidden, Lucas. I’d like to know why.”

  “Maybe you don’t have a right to know why,” he replied sharply.

  Her silence magnified the hurt in her green eyes. And he didn’t know why he’d been harsh when what he really wanted—

  “Lucas!” a voice called from the stairs as at least two pairs of feet thumped on the wooden treads.

  As Olivia pulled the quilt up to her shoulders, he crossed to the door. “I’m coming,” he called into the hall, then he turned toward her again. “I told them I’d help put together a model airplane.”

  “And I told Mim I’d help her with supper. I’d better get dressed.”

  But she didn’t move from the bed, and he knew that she wouldn’t as long as he was in the room. His voice was gruff as he said, “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  She didn’t respond, and he knew he’d put more distance between them again instead of solidifying the thready bond that had developed since Christmas Eve.

  A snowball whizzed by the back porch as Olivia stepped outside on Sunday afternoon. She blinked her eyes against the sunlight glistening and melting the fields layered in white. Lucas, Russ and Jerry were building a snowman while Kurt and Trevor were pelting each other with snowballs.

  Jerry called to her. “Are you going to help?”

  She’d borrowed gloves as well as boots from Mim, hoping she could join in. But she wouldn’t unless the boys wanted her there. “If you’d like. I thought this might be an all-guys project.” Her gaze locked to Trevor’s.

  “You can help if you want,” he mumbled grudgingly.

  The snow swallowed her boots as she made her way over to Lucas.

  “What time do you want to leave?” he asked as Jerry helped Russ roll a second ball of snow.

  “That’s what I wanted to ask you.” There had been a strained tension between them ever since yesterday when he’d told her she had no right to ask questions about his life. Last night she’d gone to bed at the same time as Mim and Wyatt, deciding to give herself and Lucas some space.

  “If you want to leave, we can go when we’re finished with this,” he said.

  “If we stay, Mim said she’d show me how to crochet a sweater for the baby, and we can have an early supper. She made apple pies.”

  He smiled. “She knows I’ll postpone leaving for a piece of her pie. Do you want to learn how to crochet?”

  “I’d like to know how to make something special for the baby.”

  Lucas regarded her for a few moments. “We’ll leave after supper then.”

  With Olivia helping, the snowman took shape quickly. They ended up making another and decorating both with small stones for mouths, large stones for the eyes, branches for arms and carrots for noses. Afterward, she went inside to discover the art of crocheting while Lucas and the boys played tag in the snow.

  Wyatt came in from the barn before supper and announced, “Night Song’s going to deliver by morning.”

  Olivia had never witnessed anything being born. “Really?”

  “If I had to lay money on it, I’d say it’ll happen around midnight,” he said with a grin. “Too bad you won’t be here.”

  Olivia glanced at Lucas who had taken his seat at the table.

  His brows arched. “What? Do you want to stay?”

  “Can we? I’d love to watch.”

  “Me, too,” all the boys chimed in except for Trevor.

  “Night Song’s not going to want a bunch of company,” Wyatt explained. “But I can wake you when she’s almost ready. This might be worth missing a bit of sleep.”

  “I ain’t goin’ out to that cold barn in the middle of the night,” Trevor grumbled.

  “Yo
u don’t have to,” Mim assured him. “I’ve seen foals come into the world. I’ll stay in here with you.”

  As Olivia sat across from Lucas at the table, he studied her pensively. “We can leave early tomorrow morning. If you’re sure that’s what you want to do.”

  “I’m sure.” Not only did she need to see this birth, but she needed to experience it with Lucas’s adopted family.

  After supper, Mim helped the boys get ready for school the next day while Lucas and Wyatt went to check on Night Song. Olivia helped Russ make sure he had his crayons in his backpack. But after she and Mim put the boys to bed, she felt drawn toward the mare in labor and soon slipped into the night and headed for the barn.

  Taking a deep breath of crisp night air, Olivia raised her gaze to heaven and the hundreds of stars. There was a peace here, a soul-soothing connection to Someone greater than herself that she sometimes felt in the beauty of the desert. But here, it seemed even more tangible. Maybe it was the snow-capped mountains, the towering pines, the aspen quaking in the wind. Whatever it was, she liked it.

  She’d almost reached the paddock gate when she heard voices at the barn door. The high overhead floodlight on the barn’s peak kept the men in shadows.

  “Will you do something for me?” she heard Wyatt ask.

  “Anything,” Lucas responded.

  “You always say that,” Wyatt remarked. “And that’s why I want you to draw up my will. If anything happens to me and Mim, we want you to have the ranch.”

  A breeze blew across the stable yard, and in the silence Olivia stuffed her hands into her pockets.

  When Lucas didn’t respond immediately, Wyatt turned toward the man he had raised from a boy. “As Mim and I get older, we realize that we should have adopted you ourselves instead of waiting for another family to want you. We’d like to make you trustee of this place, to keep it as a safe home for children who have nowhere to go, or to live here as you please.”

  “You’re a generous man, Wyatt. But I can’t accept it.”

  “Don’t you tell me ‘no’ without giving it some thought.”