Cherokee Baby Part 14

He popped the lid and put the container in the microwave. Soon the room smelled heavenly.

"What is that?"

"Just a simple stew. I threw it together last night. After I talked to you," he added, without looking up. "I

was restless. I needed something to do."

"So you prepared lunch for the next day?"

"I was restless," he said again. "Did you sleep okay?"

She'd fallen asleep last night in his bed, cradling his pillow, whispering a lullaby to his baby. "Yes."

"Good."

The microwave timer sounded and he removed the stew. "Are you sure you don't want some?"

He met her gaze and her heartbeat accelerated. His bed. His pillow. His baby.

"Julianne?" he asked when she didn't answer.

She touched her tummy. Was she getting sentimental over him because of the pregnancy? Because her

hormones were out of whack?

"Maybe just a little," she said.

He spooned their lunch into two large mugs, filling hers halfway. Next he grabbed a bag of potato chips

and two lemon-lime sodas. "Why don't we eat outside? On the bench out front." He reached for the hot mugs, inviting her to carry the rest of their bounty.

They ate in silence for a while. The stew he'd made was rich and hearty, with big chunks of beef. The drink tasted good, too. Cool and bubbly. "I want you to move to Elk Ridge, Julianne." She nearly dropped her mug. "I know this seems rather sudden, but it hit me last night. If we don't live near each other, I'll miss out on being a dad. A true dad."

She didn't know how to respond, how to react. So she just sat, stunned into silence.

"I was up most of the night, thinking it over," he said. "I can't relocate toPennsylvania. I've got a ranch to run, so I figured maybe you could come here."

She found her voice. "And do what? I have a job waiting for me. Friends, family. I can't just pick up and leave."

"I'll make it worth your while."

She blinked, sucked in a breath. She had no idea where this was going. What he truly had in mind. Last

night on the phone, he'd seemed affectionate. Attentive. Awkwardly s.e.xual. And now he appeared to be making a business proposition. "You won't have to pay rent," he said. "You can live in a guest cabin. The one closest to the lodge is the biggest. The most convenient." He paused, and something clouded his eyes. Something dark, she thought. Something haunted. "If you don't like how it's furnished, you can redecorate. However you choose." He opened the potato chips, making too much noise with the bag, almost as if he meant to distract himself, to shake away the emotion. "I also have the perfect job for you." She was still focused on the cloudiness in his eyes, the emotion he tried to hide. He confused her. Mesmerized her. Made her long to unravel his secrets.

"Don't you want to know what it is?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"The job I'm prepared to offer you. Aren't you curious about it?"

"Yes, of course."

"There's an empty s.p.a.ce at the lodge, next to the gift shop. Michael and I have been thinking about

putting a Western boutique there, a place with some fancy, upscale garb. And since you're in retail, I thought you could help us get it off the ground." He turned to look at her. "This project has been on the back burner for quite a while. We've just been too busy to deal with it."

She sipped her drink and waited for him to continue. His eyes had s.h.i.+fted, the darkness gone.

"We'd considered leasing the s.p.a.ce to an outside vendor, but the idea of losing creative control didn't sit well. We prefer to own the shop ourselves and hire someone to run it." "And now you're offering me the job?" He nodded. "I'm prepared to pay you what you feel you're worth." Overwhelmed, she took a deep breath.

"Do you like it here?" he asked. "Do you like the ranch?"

She scanned the scene in front of her, the corrals, the gra.s.sy paths, the shady trees. "Yes. It's beautiful."

Especially the distant hills and the flower-dotted meadows. "But this isn't a decision to be taken lightly."

And she was a little lost, a little confused. Why had he come up with this scheme so suddenly? So abruptly? She almost felt as if she were being bribed.

"What triggered this, Bobby?"

"Truthfully?" He placed his half-eaten stew on the ground. "I checked out a child-development book

from the library and the stuff I read was amazing. It made me want to experience everything. The pregnancy, the birth, the first time the baby crawls." He paused and grinned. "Did you know kids sometimes crawl backward in the beginning?"

His eyes had s.h.i.+fted again, only this time they were bright and warm. Fatherly.

Everything inside her went soft. Bobby had begun to love their baby. He felt the same connection, the same tender affection, she felt for it.

She touched her tummy, letting her hand linger. "I wasn't expecting this." And now she had to consider

making a life-altering change. The baby deserved to have two full-time parents, two people who cared, two people devoted to its well-being.

But could she live here? So far from home?

And what about her relations.h.i.+p with Bobby?

Wouldn't it be awkward, seeing him every day? Fantasizing about him? Wanting him?

Or would time dissolve the attraction? Releasing her from those uncomfortable bonds?

"I don't know," she said, thinking out loud. "I don't know if it's a good idea." What if her feelings for him developed? What if they got stronger?

"Why?" he asked. "Why isn't it a good idea?"

"Because of us," she responded, trying to explain without baring her fears. "Half the time we don't even

know what to say to each other."

"So we'll get past that. We can try to be better friends. We can work on it."

Friends raising a child together. It sounded simple. And complicated.

Julianne closed her eyes. A gentle breeze blew, stirring scents from earth, from the ranch that could

become her home. Hay and horses and the blades of summer gra.s.s filled her senses.

When she opened her eyes, she found Bobby watching her with a strong, candid gaze. He made no attempt to hide his emotions, the enormity of what he wanted.

The desire to give their child his heart.

"Will you think about my offer?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Will you come up with a decision in the next day or so? Before you leave?"

"Yes," she said again. Somehow she would.

* * * Bobby had been waiting, worrying and wondering what Julianne's choice would be. Finally on the last day he went to the cabin. Up to this point he'd left her alone, but he couldn't wait any longer. She was scheduled to return toPennsylvaniatonight.

Would she come back? Or was he destined to be a long-distance dad?

He knocked on the door and, after a few moments, she answered.

"Bobby." She started smoothing her hair, fussing with her sleep-tousled appearance. She was still in her pajamas, a silky top and matching drawstring bottoms. "I was going to call you later."

How much later? It was alreadynoon. "I'm sorry, but I was getting impatient."

"That's okay."

She stepped away from the door and he entered the cabin. When she started fussing with her hair again, he studied her.

The green pajamas matched her eyes, but she looked tired. Freckles stood out against pale skin like misplaced fairy dust.

Suddenly he realizednoonwas early for her. She was probably battling the aftermath of morning sickness.

Now he wanted to hold her, to rock her and the baby back to sleep.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked. "I was just making myself a cup."

Because the urge to hold her unnerved him, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "No thanks." He could see the outline of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the indentation of her waist.

Soon, he knew, her stomach would swell and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s would grow fuller, the nipples turning a darker shade of pink.

"Coffee?"

He shook his head and sat on his own sofa, waiting for her to finish preparing her tea.

Julianne went into the kitchen and then returned with a stoneware cup.

So he was fixated on the changes her body would go through. That was normal, wasn't it?

She sat in a rough-hewn chair, looking far too delicate for the dark, routed wood.

Now he wanted to hold her again, to protect her.

"I'll move here," she said.

A wave of relief flooded his body and he smiled. She smiled, too. But it seemed shaky at best, as if she

were nervous about her decision.

"I have some conditions, Bobby. Some things I think we should discuss."

"I'm listening."