Cherokee Baby Part 15

"I don't want to feel like I'm being kept. The free cabin doesn't work for me. I'll pay rent, the way any

other tenant would."

Feminine pride, he thought, noting the tilt of her chin. He hadn't expected that.

"What about the job?"

She tasted her tea. "It interests me. I think it's a wonderful opportunity."

"Good."

"There's more."

"All right." He leaned forward. He sensed this was the part making her nervous, the condition keeping

her awake at night.

"I agree that we should concentrate on being friends. But if things don't work out, I want the option to go back home."

His chest tightened. "I'm on probation?"

"No. That's not how I mean it." Her voice turned soft. "I'm really happy that you want to help raise the

baby, and that's why I'm willing to move here. But I can't guarantee this situation will work. It's such a

monumental change." And she was apprehensive. Because of their awkward relations.h.i.+p, he decided. Because of the one-night stand neither of them could seem to forget. "It will take some time, Julianne."

"I know. But I just want you to understand how I feel." He merely nodded. Their situationhad to work. The child needed them. Both of them. He summoned a smile. "We're going to be great parents." She smiled, too. And when she drew her legs up, the cropped pajama top rode a little higher. He wondered when it would be appropriate to touch her tummy. When he could ask without it seeming s.e.xual.

"What should I do about my car?"

He cleared his throat. "Your car?"

"I can't drive it toTexas. I don't want to tackle a trip like that. Not by myself."

Of course not, he thought, realizing they had details to discuss. "I'll hire a company to transport your car.

I'll arrange for the moving van, as well."

"Thank you. I don't intend to bring much. I'll probably put most of my furniture in storage." She paused and glanced around his cabin, as if envisioning the one she would be living in. "I want to get settled first."

"That makes sense. You can always send for things later." He glanced around the room, too. "I'm sorry I can't show you the place you'll be living in. It's still being occupied."

"That's all right."

Should he tell her more about the cabin that was to become her home? Or should he wait until she moved in?

He would wait, he decided. And then he would mention it casually. He didn't want her to know how much emotional effort it took for him to invite her to stay in his old house.

The bright, roomy cabin he had shared with his wife.

"Do you have someone to help you pack?" he asked when he caught her watching him.

She nodded. "My cousins."

"How long will it be before you come back, Julianne?"

"A few weeks. Maybe a little longer. I'll call you when I'm sure."

"Okay."

They talked for a while longer and, finally, he rose, knowing it was time to leave.

She came to her feet and walked him to the door. When she glanced up at him, his heart went soft. She still looked a little pale. Tired yet somehow pretty.

"Thank you," he said.

"For agreeing to move here?"

He nodded. "And for choosing to have my child."

She took a breath, wrapped her arms around her middle. "I've always wanted a baby."

"I know. But I'm still grateful."

"You're welcome, Bobby," she said after a beat of silence.

He met her gaze and they stared at each other, the uncertainty of their future stretching between them.

"I'll keep in touch," he told her.

"Me, too."

He walked out onto the porch, anxious for her to return toTexas.

And, G.o.d willing, to stay.

Chapter 8.

Three weeks had pa.s.sed, but Julianne was still inPennsylvania.

She looked around her bedroom and sighed. Between fighting bouts of morning sickness and a cold she'd contracted, she'd barely made a dent in packing.

Boxes, in all shapes and sizes, littered the floor. Even with hercousins's help, deciding what to s.h.i.+p to Texasand what to storewasn't an easy task . But then, none of this was easy. She was moving away from everything familiar. She'd grown up in Clearville. This tiny town was all she knew.

And now there was Bobby.

He called a few times a week. Their conversations were a little shy, a little quiet, but they were sort of s.e.xy, too.

She touched her tummy, felt her heartbeat quicken. He asked about changes in her body, and when she answered his questions, she sometimes visualized him, his s.h.i.+rtuntucked , his jeans unzipped.

Julianne reached for a medium-size box she'd just packed and labeled it. Then she glanced at the clock: 11:00 p.m.It was earlier inTexas, but only by an hour.

Was Bobby getting ready for bed? Had he showered yet? She could call him. She could climb under the covers and listen to his voice.

Was fantasizing on the phone wrong? Or was it a safe way to relieve the tension? To get him out of her system before she moved toTexas?

Her fear of living at Elk Ridge still weighed heavily on her mind. If her desire for Bobby escalated, she would get trapped in a s.e.xually charged situation, wanting him every moment of the day.

Which wouldn't do her a bit of good when she was waddling around in maternity clothes with a swollen belly and fat ankles.

So call him, she thought. Get wild on the phone, and then settle down inTexaslike a good little pregnant girl.

She removed her pajama bottoms and climbed into bed, wearing only the silky top and a pair of cotton panties. Should she turn down the light? Make the room more romantic?

Maybe just a little. She dimmed the three-way bulb and took a deep breath.

And then she dialed Bobby's number.

"h.e.l.lo?"

He answered on the third ring and she stalled, debating whether or not to hang up, to let this foolish fantasy go.

"h.e.l.lo?" he said again.

"Hi." Her voice came out in a near whisper.

"Julianne?" His voice softened, too. "You sound sleepy."

She inhaled another breath. "I'm in bed. But I just wanted to call to..."

To...

"To what?" he asked.

Good heavens. What was she going to say? She didn't know how to do this.

"Nothing," she told him, chickening out.

"You called for nothing." His tone grew stronger, deeper. "What's going on?"

She pulled the sheet to her chin. "My hormones are messed up."

"You're pregnant. That's normal."

Normal? What did he know?

"I called you to have phone s.e.x," she blurted, afraid she might cry. Or scream. Or curl into a ball and die.

He cleared his throat, coughed,then cleared his throat again. "Really? I mean ...that's why you called?" He paused, coughed again.

The man couldn't quit choking and she was half naked and feeling like an idiot.

Should she hang up? Say "I'm sorry"? Apologize for being flighty and emotional?

"Have you ever done it before?" he asked suddenly.

She dropped the sheet, felt her pulse pound. "No. Have you?"

"No." He cleared his throat again. "Do you want to go first?"

Julianne reached for her pillow. "Go first?"

"Start the foreplay."

A s.h.i.+ver crept up her spine. Say something naughty? Just out of the blue? With him waiting? "I don't

think I can." She sucked in her bottom lip, tasted her own saliva. "Maybe you should go first."

"Me?" His breath rushed out. "I'm not very good at this kind of thing."

Julianne sat up. "Then maybe we shouldn't do it. Maybe we should just have a normal conversation

instead."

He made a gulping sound and she knew he'd gone to the kitchen to guzzle some water. Or possibly a beer. "Okay," he said, swallowing. Hard. Much too hard. "But I can't think of anything to talk about right now.