The Durango Affair

by Brenda Jackson

  “No particular reason.”

  Sitting this close to him she could actually smell his scent, one that was all man. But that didn’t compare to how he’d looked when he had entered the kitchen after his shower wearing jeans that hung low on his hips and a shirt he hadn’t bothered to button.

  “Are you ready to talk about the plans I’ve made?”

  His question pulled her mind back from lurking into a territory where it had no business going. “Sure.”

  He stood and began gathering the dishes off the table. “Instead of going to Vegas I thought it would be nice if we went to Lake Tahoe instead.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Lake Tahoe?”

  “Yes, my brother Ian recently bought a casino resort there. I heard it’s truly spectacular and I would like to take you there.”

  “Lake Tahoe,” she said again, savoring the idea. She had visited the area a few years ago and had thought it was beautiful. She smiled across the table at Durango. “All right. That sounds like a winner to me, so when do you want to do it?”

  “Day after tomorrow.”

  “What!”

  He chuckled at her startled expression. “I think Friday would be a perfect day for us to leave for Lake Tahoe. Starting today the weather will begin improving and tomorrow you can—”

  “Hold up. Time out. Cut.” She caught her breath for a moment and then said, “Durango, there’s no way I can marry you on Friday. I have to go back home and take care of a few things. I have to plan for the wedding. I have to—”

  “We’re eloping, remember? And besides, I thought you didn’t want a lot of hoopla.”

  He had her there. “I don’t, but I hadn’t thought about getting married this soon.”

  “The sooner the better, don’t you think? You’re a couple of months already. Jayla began really sticking out there by the fourth month. I remember when I went home for my father’s birthday during Easter and she was huge, almost as big as a house.”

  Savannah raised her eyes to the ceiling, hoping he had the good sense not to mention such a thing to Jayla. Even pregnant, women were sensitive when it came to their weight. “She was carrying twins, Durango, for heaven’s sake.”

  “And how do you know you aren’t? Multiple births run in my family. My father is the twin to Chase’s father and both of them had twins. Then Uncle Corey had triplets, so anything is possible.”

  That wasn’t what Savannah wanted to hear. She much preferred having one healthy baby, but of course she would gladly accept whatever she got. “I couldn’t possibly get ready for Lake Tahoe by Friday. I didn’t bring any clothes here with me and I would need to purchase some things.”

  “There’re several stores in Bozeman that will have everything you need. Tomorrow can be a shopping day.”

  Savannah felt rushed and decided to let him know it. “I feel like you’re rushing me,” she said briskly.

  A smile touched his lips. “In a way I am. Now that we’ve decided to do it, why wait? I want us to marry as soon as possible.”

  She couldn’t help wondering why. Did he think she would change her mind or something? She was carrying his baby, and until she’d shown up and announced that fact, he hadn’t been interested in marriage. She had thought she would have at least a couple of weeks, maybe even a month before they actually did anything. She’d assumed she would leave tomorrow to return to Philadelphia and they would make plans for the wedding over the phone. This was definitely not what she had expected.

  “Savannah, why are you hesitating? We should move forward and get things over with.”

  Get things over with? Well, he certainly didn’t have to make it sound like marrying her was something being forced upon him. No one had asked him to do it. Getting married was his idea and not hers. She was about to tell him just that when he did something she hadn’t expected. He tugged her hand and pulled her out of her chair, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him.

  Startled, her head came up the moment her body pressed against his. Very little space separated them. A smile touched the corners of his mouth for a few seconds before he said softly, “You’re trying to be difficult, aren’t you?”

  She swallowed. It wasn’t easy to gaze into the dark eyes holding hers captive. “Not intentionally.”

  “Then why the cold feet? I’ve already checked the airlines and there are plenty of flights available, and I’ve talked to my brother Ian.”

  At her frown he said, “And yes, I told him we decided to get married, but I didn’t tell him why. He said that he would love to have us as his guests for the weekend. He’s making all the necessary arrangements.”

  He studied her features for a moment then asked, “Are you having second thoughts about eloping, Savannah? Do you prefer having a small wedding here so that we could invite our families?”

  “No,” she said quickly. “I still prefer keeping things simple. I guess I’m hesitating because it never dawned on me that I might be returning to Philadelphia a married woman.”

  “Then I guess you aren’t prepared to return to Philadelphia with a husband in tow, either.”

  His words were a shocker. “You’re going back with me?”

  “Yes. You’ll have to introduce me to your family sometime.”

  Her head was reeling from the thought of him returning to Philadelphia with her. “You’ve already met my family at Chase and Jessica’s wedding.”

  “Yes, but I met them as Chase’s cousin, not as your husband. Besides, we’ll be newlyweds and it will seem strange for us not to be together.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And I want to take you home to Atlanta, as well, to meet my family. Not as Jessica’s sister but as my wife. Although everyone will probably reach their own conclusions as to why we eloped and got married, it’s really none of their business. We’ll tell them that we met at the wedding, fell madly in love and decided to get married.”

  Savannah couldn’t help but smile at Durango’s ridiculous statement. There was no way anyone would believe such a thing, and from the mischievous grin touching his lips, he knew that, as well.

  “Let’s keep them guessing,” Durango said, chuckling. “Our decision doesn’t concern anyone but us.”

  Savannah couldn’t help but agree with that, especially after her conversation with Jessica. Everything he was saying made sense. Now that they had decided to marry, why prolong things? “Fine, if you think we can pull it off, then Friday is fine.”

  “Good. And there’s something else you’ll need to do tomorrow.”

  “What?”

  “Visit the doctor in town. I’ve already made you an appointment for tomorrow morning.”

  Savannah pulled back slightly and frowned. “Why? Don’t you believe I’m pregnant? Or do you want to have it verified before going through with the marriage ceremony?”

  “No, that’s not it,” he said tightly. “I just want the doctor to check you out to make sure you’re okay. You gave me a scare this morning and I just want to make sure you and the baby are fine.”

  Savannah met his gaze and saw the sincerity in his eyes and knew he had spoken the truth. “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll go to the doctor for a checkup if it will make you happy.”

  “It will,” he said. “And thank you.”

  Savannah drew in a deep breath. She needed space from Durango and took a step back. “I’ll get started on the dishes and—”

  “No, you did the cooking so it’s only fair that I clean up the kitchen.”

  “Durango, I can manage to—”

  “Savannah, that’s the way it’s going to be. Just relax. You’ll have more than enough to do over the next couple of days, and it seems the weather is going to cooperate.”

  She glanced out the window and saw it had stopped snowing. This was the break in the weather she’d been waiting for. But now, instead of packing to return home to Philly, she’d be preparing for a wedding.

  “If you’re sure that you can handle the dishe
s by yourself, then I need to call and talk with my boss. I had told him I would be back in the office on Monday.”

  “Okay.” When she turned to leave he said, “And Savannah?”

  She turned back around. “Yes?”

  “I planned for us to stay in the same suite but it has two bedrooms. Will that be a problem?”

  She swallowed deeply as her gaze held his. “No, that won’t be a problem as long as there will be two bedrooms.”

  The smile that suddenly touched his lips made her stomach flutter and made heat flow all over her. “Then we’re all set. I’ll call the airlines and book us a flight.”

  They were eloping to Lake Tahoe.

  Durango’s announcement of last night was the main reason for Savannah’s sleepless night. And the magnitude of it must have shocked her system because she had awakened the next morning without any feelings of nausea.

  However, it seemed that Durango intended to be prepared because when she opened her eyes, she found him sitting in the chair beside her bed with a plate of saltines and a cup of tea all ready for her.

  “Good morning.”

  The sensuous sound of his voice so early in the morning sent shivers all through her, and the concerned smile that touched his lips wasn’t helping matters, either.

  “Good morning,” she said, pulling herself up in bed. Although she appreciated his kindness and thoughtfulness, she would have much preferred if he had given her a minute or two to freshen up. She would have liked to comb her hair and wash the sleep from her eyes.

  “Are you feeling okay this morning?”

  “Yes, thanks for asking. For some reason I’m not feeling nauseated.” She decided not to tell him her suspicions on the reason why.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He then nodded his head toward the fireplace. “I tried keeping it warm in here during the night.”

  Her gaze followed his to the roaring flame. “Thank you.” Because she hadn’t been able to sleep, she had been aware of each and every time he had come into her room and checked the heat.

  “This is going to be a busy day for us since we’ll be flying out first thing in the morning.”

  Savannah’s gaze returned to his. “I imagine that it will be.”

  “After our doctor visit, I’ll take you to the mall. I figured you would probably want to shop alone, so I’ll use that time to pay McKinnon a visit and then come back later for you. You do remember my best friend McKinnon, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I remember him.” She definitely remembered McKinnon Quinn, just like she was sure a number of other women would. With his beautiful golden-brown complexion and thick ponytail, she had admired his handsome features that reflected his mixed-race ancestry. She had actually blinked twice when she’d first seen him because the man had been simply gorgeous. But even with McKinnon’s striking good looks, it had been Durango who had caught her eye and held it.

  “I guess I’ll leave you alone so you can get dressed now,” Durango said, standing and placing the tea and saltines on the nightstand.

  It took fierce concentration to keep Savannah’s mind on their conversation and not on Durango as he got out of the chair. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a pullover sweater and a pair of black leather boots. She didn’t care how many times she saw him dressed that way, but each time his appearance grabbed her attention. “Thanks for the crackers and tea,” she said.

  Durango smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

  Savannah’s breath caught in her throat from that one smile, and when he turned his head to glance out the window, she grabbed that opportunity to study him some more. His eyes were focused on the mountains as if weighing a problem of some kind, and she wondered if perhaps he thought the good weather wouldn’t last. When he turned his head he caught her staring at him and for a brief breath of a moment she felt the sizzle that always seemed to hang in the air between them.

  “I’d better be going. There’s a couple of things I need to check on outside before we leave,” he said and, as if tearing his gaze from hers, he glanced over at the fireplace. “That thing keeps this room pretty hot, doesn’t it?”

  She followed his gaze. It was on the tip of her tongue to say that at the moment she thought it was him, and not the fireplace, that made the room pretty hot. Instead she said, “Yes, it does.”

  Savannah had to admit, however, that she did enjoy sleeping in a room with a fireplace. She had gotten used to the stark smell of burning wood, the sound of loose pieces crackling as they caught fire, and more than anything, she liked the comforting warmth the fire provided.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to eat any food this morning?” Durango asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  She frowned, deciding not to chance it. “I’d better not try it. Those saltines and tea will do just fine. Thanks.”

  Moments after Durango had left the room, Savannah sat on the edge of her bed thinking about all the things she had to do to get ready for tomorrow. Just thinking about everything made her feel exhausted. But she was determined to get through the day and in a way, she was looking forward to her visit to the doctor.

  A quiver raced through her stomach at the thought that Durango would be there, too, sharing the experience with her.

  Eight

  “S o how’s the baby?” Durango asked the doctor nervously.

  Lying flat on her back on the examination table, Savannah shifted her gaze to Durango, who was standing beside her. She heard the deep concern in his voice and saw how his eyebrows came together in a tense expression.

  She then switched her gaze to Dr. Patrina Foreman. Dr. Foreman was a lot younger than Savannah had expected. She was a very attractive woman and she appeared to be about twenty-eight. Within minutes of talking to her, Savannah was convinced that even though she might be young, she was definitely competent. Dr. Foreman had explained that her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother had been midwives, but that she had decided to complete medical school to offer her patients the best of both worlds. She could provide modern medical treatments as well as the type of care and personal attention that midwives were known to give.

  Dr. Foreman lifted her gaze from applying the gel on Savannah’s stomach and smiled before saying, “Listen to this for a moment and then tell me what you think.”

  And then they heard it, the soft thumping sound of their child’s heartbeat, for the first time. Hearing the steady little drumbeat did something to Savannah, touched her in a way she hadn’t expected and made her realize that she really and truly was going to have a baby.

  Tears, something else she hadn’t expected, came into her eyes and she glanced up at Durango and knew he was just as moved by the sound as she was. He reached out and firmly touched her shoulder, and at that moment she knew that no matter how they did or didn’t feel about each other, her pregnancy was real and they were listening to valid proof of just how real it was. There was no doubt that hearing the sound was a life-altering experience for both of them.

  “You hadn’t heard it before?” Durango asked softly.

  “No. This is my first time.”

  “There’s nothing like parents hearing the fetal heartbeat for the first time,” Dr. Foreman said quietly. “There’s always something special and exciting about it. The baby’s heartbeat is strong and sounds healthy to me.”

  Durango chuckled. “Yes, it does, doesn’t it? This is all rather new to me and I was kind of worried.”

  “And you have every right to be concerned, but it seems mother and baby are doing just fine,” Dr. Foreman replied, removing the instrument from Savannah’s stomach. “Make sure that you continue to take your prenatal vitamins, Savannah.”

  “And what about all that vomiting she’s been doing?” Durango asked, wanting to know.

  Dr. Foreman glanced at him. “Morning sickness is caused by the sudden increase of hormones during pregnancy and is very common early in the pregnancy, but it’s usually gone by the fourth month.” She smiled at Savannah and said, “So, hopefull
y you won’t have to suffer too much longer.”

  “I prefer she didn’t suffer at all. And what about the baby? Will it be hurt by it?” Durango asked, in a tone that said he really needed Dr. Foreman’s assurance.

  “It shouldn’t, but of course it can become a problem if Savannah can’t keep any foods or fluids down or if she begins to lose weight. Otherwise, morning sickness is a positive sign that the pregnancy is progressing.”

  Dr. Foreman then opened a drawer and pulled out a package and handed it to Savannah. “This might help. It’s the same type of acupressure wristbands that doctors give out on cruise ships to prevent seasickness. A lot of my patients swear that wearing it helps to reduce the morning sickness.”

  For the next ten to fifteen minutes, Dr. Foreman answered all of Savannah and Durango’s questions. Then she congratulated them when Durango mentioned they were getting married.

  “I really like her,” Savannah told Durango when they left the doctor’s office. “And I hadn’t expected her to be so young.”

  Durango smiled as he ushered Savannah out the building to where he had parked his truck. “Yes, Trina is young but I’ve heard that she is one of the best. She was born and raised around these parts and her husband Perry was the sheriff. He was killed a few years ago in the line of duty while trying to arrest an escaped convict.”

  “Oh, how awful.”

  Durango nodded. “Yes, it was. Perry was a good person and everyone liked and respected him. He and Trina had been childhood sweethearts.”

  Durango opened the door to his truck and assisted Savannah in settling in and buckling her seat belt. “Was it a coincidence or did you deliberately buy this particular SUV?” she asked grinning. It was ironic that his name was Durango and that was also the model of the vehicle that he drove.

  He chuckled as he snapped her seat belt in place. “Not a coincidence. I thought I’d milk it for all it’s worth since Dodge decided to name a vehicle after me,” he said arrogantly, giving her that smile that made her stomach spin. “Besides, we’re both known to give smooth and unforgettable rides,” he added softly while gazing into her eyes.