The Durango Affair

by Brenda Jackson

  Durango smiled as he watched her dig in, glad she had a good appetite. A lot of the women he’d dated acted as if it was a sin to eat more than a thimbleful of food. “I’m a bachelor who believes in knowing how to fend for myself. On top of that I’m Sarah Westmoreland’s son. She taught me Survival 101 well.”

  Savannah tasted the mashed potatoes and thought they were delicious. “Mmm, these are good.”

  “Thanks.”

  After a few moments of silence Durango said, “I noticed you aren’t showing yet.”

  Savannah met his eyes. She had felt the heat of his gaze on her, checking out her body, when she’d crossed the room to stand at the window. “I’m only two months, Durango. The baby is probably smaller than a peanut now. Most women don’t start showing until their fourth month.”

  He nodded. “How has the pregnancy been for you so far?”

  She shrugged. “The usual, I guess. What I’m battling now more than anything is the morning sickness. Usually I don’t dare eat anything but saltines before two o’clock every day, which is why I’m so hungry now.”

  Durango’s eyes widened. “You’re sick every day?”

  He looked so darn surprised at the thought of such a thing that she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, just about. But according to the doctor, it will only last for another month or so.”

  She tilted her head and looked at him. “Haven’t you ever been around a pregnant woman?”

  “No, not for any length of time. When I went home for Easter last year, Jayla was pregnant and boy, was she huge. Of course, she was having twins.” He grinned. “Twins run in my family and there’s even a set of triplets.”

  Savannah raised her eyes heavenward. “Thanks for telling me.”

  Catching her off guard, Durango reached across the table and captured a lock of her hair in his hand, gently twining the soft, silky strands in his fingers. “I think triplets would be nice, and all with beautiful hazel eyes like yours.”

  Savannah swallowed tightly as her grip on sanity weakened. The way he was looking at her wasn’t helping matters. She sensed his intense reaction to her was just as potent as hers to him. It was just as strong as it had been that night, and at that moment the desire to have his hands on her again, touching her breasts, her thighs, the area between her legs, was strong and unexpected. If he were to try anything right now, anything at all, it would take all her willpower to resist him.

  “I want to be around and see how your body changes with my baby growing inside you, Savannah,” he whispered huskily.

  His words flowed over Savannah, caressing her in places she didn’t want to be touched, and making a slow ache seep through her bones. “I don’t know how that will be possible, Durango,” she whispered softly.

  “It would be possible if we got married.”

  She frowned and pulled back from him, breaking their contact. “You agreed not to bring that up again.”

  A smile touched the corners of his lips. “I know, but I want to make you an offer that I hope you can’t refuse.”

  She lifted her eyebrows. “What kind of offer?”

  “That we marry and set a limit on the amount of time we’ll stay together. We could remain married during the entire length of your pregnancy and for a short while afterward—say six to nine months. After that, we could file for a divorce.”

  She was stunned by his proposal. “What would doing something like that accomplish?” she asked, feeling the weight of his gaze on her and wishing she could ignore it.

  “First, it would satisfy my need and desire to be with you during your pregnancy. Second, it would eliminate the stigma of my child being born illegitimate, which is something that is unacceptable to me. And third, because you believe I’ll end up doing to you what your father did to your mother, at least this way you’ll know up front that the marriage will be short-term and you won’t lose any sleepless nights.”

  Savannah’s frown deepened. “I never said I thought you would do me the way my father did my mother.”

  “Not in so many words, but it’s clear you believe if I married you just for the baby that things wouldn’t work out between us. And in a way I have to agree. You’re probably right. Our marriage would be based on a sense of obligation on my part. There has to be more to hold a marriage together than just a baby. And to be quite honest with you, I’m not looking for a long-term marriage. But a short-term union, for our baby’s sake, would be acceptable to me. I believe it would be acceptable to you, as well, because we’d know what to expect and not to expect from the relationship.”

  It seemed like a million questions were flashing in Savannah’s mind, but she knew the main one that she needed to ask. “Are you saying you’d want a marriage in name only? A marriage of convenience?”

  “Yes.”

  She swallowed and continued to meet his gaze. “And that means we won’t be sharing a bed?”

  He studied her for a moment and knew what she was getting at. His desire for her was as natural as it could get, and he didn’t see it lessening any. If he wanted her at such a high degree now, he could just imagine how things would be once they were living together as man and wife under the same roof. Yes, he would definitely want to sleep with her.

  Leaning back in his chair, he said, “No, not exactly. I have other ideas on the matter.”

  She could just imagine those ideas. “Then keep whatever ideas you have to yourself. If, and I said if, I go along with what you’re proposing, we will not share a bed.”

  “Are you saying that you didn’t enjoy sleeping with me?”

  Savannah huffed an agitated sigh. Who had slept that night? Neither of them had until the wee hours of the morning. From what she remembered—and she was remembering it quite well—it was round-the-clock sex. And she had to admit, it was the best she’d ever had. The year she’d spent with Thomas couldn’t even compare. “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is the point?” Durango countered.

  “The point is,” Savannah said, narrowing her eyes at him, “regardless of the fact that I did sleep with you that night, I usually don’t jump into any man’s bed unless I’m serious about him.” She decided not to tell him that she’d only been serious with two other guys in her entire love-life history.

  He leaned forward. “Trust me, Savannah, once we’re married, we’ll be as serious as any couple can get, even if we plan for our marriage to last a short while. Frankly I see no reason why we shouldn’t sleep together. We’re adults with basic needs who know what we want, and I think we need to start being honest with ourselves. We’re attracted to each other, and have been from the first, which is why we’re in this predicament. Things got as hot as it gets.

  “And,” he continued with an impatient wave of his hand to stop her from saying whatever it was that she was about to say, “we might not have been in our right minds that night, since we might have overindulged in the champagne, but we did enjoy making love. So why pretend otherwise?”

  Savannah scowled. She wasn’t pretending; she just didn’t want a repeat performance, regardless of how enjoyable it had been. “You’re missing the point.”

  “No, I think that you are. You’re pregnant and I want to be a part of this pregnancy. It’s important that I be there with you during the time you’re carrying our baby, to bond with him or her while he or she’s still in your womb and for some months following that.”

  “And just how long are you talking about?”

  “Whatever period of time we agree on, but I prefer nothing less than six months. I’d even go into another year if I had to.”

  She frowned. “I wouldn’t want you to do me any favors.”

  “It’s not about doing you any favors, Savannah. I intend to always be a part of my child’s life regardless of whether you and I are together. But I think six months afterward should be sufficient, unless you want longer.”

  When hell freezes over. For a few moments Savannah didn’t say anything. What could she say when he
was right? They had been attracted to each other from the first.

  But what happened that night was in the past and she refused to willingly tumble back into bed with him again, and he had another thought coming if he assumed that she would. Evidently he was used to getting what he wanted, but in this case he wouldn’t be so lucky.

  She then thought about the other thing he’d said, about wanting to connect to their child while it was still in her womb. She remembered reading in one of her baby books how such a thing was possible and important to the baby’s well-being. Some couples even played music and read books to their child while it was still growing inside the mother. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that Durango would know, much less care, about such things.

  She pushed her plate back, glad she had eaten everything since it would probably be the last meal she’d be able to consume until this time tomorrow. “I need to think about what you’re suggesting, Durango.”

  At the lift of his brow she decided to clarify. “I’m talking about the marriage of convenience without you having any bedroom rights. If your offer hinges on the opposite then there’s nothing for me to think about. I won’t be sleeping with you, marriage or no marriage.” She then thought of something.

  “And where would we live if I went along with what you’re proposing?” she asked.

  He shrugged broad shoulders. “I prefer here, but if you want I can move to Philly.”

  Savannah knew that Durango was a man of the mountains. Here he was in his element and she couldn’t imagine him living in Philadelphia of all places. “What about your job?”

  “I’ll take a leave.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “You’d be willing to do that?”

  “For our child, yes.”

  She searched his face and saw the sincerity in his words, and they overwhelmed her as well as frightened her. He was letting her know up front that although he didn’t want a long-term commitment, he was willing to engage in a short-term one for the sake of her child.

  Their child.

  She stood. “Like I said, I need to think about this, Durango.”

  “And I want you to think about it and think about it good. If you’re dead set against us sharing a bed then that’s fine. My offer of marriage still stands.”

  He stood and came around the table to stand in front of her. “There are bath towels, a robe and whatever else you might need in the private bath adjoining your room. If you need anything else let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’ll help you with the dishes and—”

  “No, leave them,” he said quickly, releasing a frustrated breath. There was only so much temptation that he could handle and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, taste her. But he knew that now was not the time. She needed a chance to think about his offer.

  “I’ll take care of the dishes later after checking out a few things around my property,” he added.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right.”

  Durango watched as Savannah quickly walked off. He couldn’t help but shake his head. Nothing had changed. The attraction between them was still as hot as it got.

  Four

  T he next morning Savannah awoke more confused than ever. She had barely gotten any sleep for thinking about Durango’s proposal. In a way it could make their mistake even bigger. On the other hand, he seemed sincere in wanting to help her through her pregnancy, and she wouldn’t deny him the chance to bond with his child, especially when very few men would care to do so.

  Deciding she didn’t want to think about Durango’s proposal any longer, she sat up in bed and glanced out the window. The weather was worse than it had been the day before, which meant she couldn’t leave today unless the conditions miraculously cleared up.

  At least the fireplace was blazing, providing warmth to the room. She settled back in bed, and remembered opening her eyes some point during the night and seeing Durango in front of the fireplace, squatting on his heels and leaning forward, trying to get the fire going. At the time she had been too tired and sleepy to acknowledge his presence.

  With the aid of the moon’s glow streaming through the window, she had lain there and watched him. A different kind of heat had engulfed her as she watched him working to bring warmth to the room. His shirt had stretched tight to accommodate broad shoulders and the hands that had held the wrought-iron poker had been strong and capable…just as they’d been the night he had used them on her. And later, when he had pushed himself to his feet, she had admired his physique—especially his backside—through heavy-lidded eyes, thinking that he had the best-looking butt to ever grace a pair of jeans.

  She startled when there was a knock on her door. Knowing it could only be Durango, she swallowed hard and said, “Come in.”

  He walked in, bringing enough heat into the room to make the fireplace unnecessary, and his smile made Savannah’s insides curl, making her feel even hotter there. How would she ever be able to remain immune to his lethal charm?

  “Good morning, Savannah. I hope you rested well.”

  “Good morning, Durango, and I did. Thanks. I see the weather hasn’t improved,” she said, sitting up in bed and tucking the covers modestly around her chest. Because she hadn’t figured this would be an extended trip, besides her camera pack, which she was rarely without, she’d only brought a book to read on the plane, her makeup and one change of clothing. She’d been forced to sleep in an oversize Atlanta Braves T-shirt that she had found in one of the dresser drawers.

  “No, the weather has gotten worse and I need to leave for a while and—”

  “You’re going out in that?” she asked.

  His eyebrows raised a half inch and the smile on his face deepened. “This is nothing compared to a storm that blew through last month. I’m a member of the Search and Rescue Squad so I’m used to going out and working in these conditions. I just got a call from the station. A couple of hikers are missing so we have to go out and find them. There’re a number of isolated cabins around these parts and I’m hoping they sought shelter in one of them.”

  She nodded and moved her gaze from his to glance out the window again. She couldn’t imagine anyone being caught out in the weather and hoped the hikers were safe.

  “Will you be all right until I get back?” he asked.

  She met his gaze again. “I’ll be fine.” She watched as he turned to leave and quickly said, “Be careful.”

  Pausing to glance back at her, he said, “I will.” He smiled again and added, “I don’t intend for you to give birth to our child without me.”

  Savannah had hoped this morning would be different, but as soon as her feet touched the floor she began experiencing her usual bout of morning sickness and quickly rushed to the bathroom.

  A short while later, after brushing her teeth, rinsing out her mouth and soaking her body in a hot tub of water, she wrapped herself in a thick white velour robe that was hanging in the closet and padded barefoot to the kitchen, hoping Durango kept saltine crackers on hand.

  A sigh of gratitude escaped her lips when she found a box in his pantry and opened the pack and began consuming a few to settle her stomach. She walked over to the window and glanced out at the abundance of twirling snowflakes. If it kept snowing at this rate there was no telling when she would get a flight out.

  Durango stomped the snow off his shoes before stepping inside his home. The thought of Savannah being there when he returned was what had gotten him through the blinding cold while the search party had looked for the hikers. Luckily they had found them in fairly good condition in an old, abandoned cabin.

  Quietly closing the door behind him, he slid out of his coat and glanced across the room. Savannah was curled up on the sofa, asleep. Her dark, curly hair framed her face, making her even more beautiful. She looked so peaceful, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, and he could have stood there indefinitely and watched her sleep.
>
  When she stirred slightly it hit him that even now something was taking place inside her body. His seed had taken root and was forming, shaping and growing into another human being. For a brief moment a smile touched his lips as he envisioned a little girl with her mother’s black curly locks, caramel-colored skin and beautiful hazel eyes.

  Females born into the Westmoreland family had been a rarity and for almost thirty years his cousin Delaney had been the only one, having the unenviable task of trying to handle a dozen very protective Westmorelands—her father, five brothers and six male cousins. Then, just eighteen months ago, it was discovered that his uncle Corey had fathered triplets that included a girl—Casey. Mercifully, this discovery had taken some of the attention off Delaney.

  Now Storm and Jayla had daughters and he heard that Dare and Shelly, as well as Delaney and Jamal, who had sons already, were hoping for girls this time around. Just the thought of a future generation of female Westmorelands made him shudder. But still, he liked the idea of having a daughter to pamper, a daughter who was a miniature version of Savannah.

  He had to admit there were a number of things about the woman asleep on his couch that stirred feelings inside him. One was the fact that she hadn’t used her pregnancy to force his hand. He could name a number of women who definitely would have shown up demanding that they marry by the end of the day. Savannah, on the other hand, hadn’t been thrilled by the suggestion and even now hadn’t agreed to go along with him on it. For some reason Durango liked the thought of having her tied to him legally, even for a short while.

  He gazed down at her. She was wearing the oversize T-shirt and jogging pants that he had left out for her. Both were his and fit rather large on her. Even so, he couldn’t help but notice the curve of her breasts beneath the cotton shirt. They seemed larger than he’d remembered. It was going to be interesting, as well as fascinating, to watch her body go through the changes it would endure during the coming months. And more than anything, he wanted to be around to see it.