Читать книгу The Durango Affair - Brenda Jackson - Страница 11

Savannah blinked, thinking she had heard Durango wrong. After she was certain she hadn’t, she couldn’t help but chuckle. When she glanced over at him she saw that his expression wasn’t one of amusement. “You are joking, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Well, that’s too bad, because marriage is definitely not an option.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “And why not? Don’t you think I’m good enough for you?”

Savannah glared at him, wondering where that had come from. “It’s not a matter of whether or not you’re good enough for me, and I have no idea why you would believe I’d think otherwise. The main reason I won’t marry you is that we don’t know each other.”

He leaned in closer, clearly agitated. “Maybe not. But that didn’t stop us from sleeping together that night, did it?”

Savannah’s eyes narrowed. “Only because we’d had too much to drink. I don’t make a habit out of indulging in one-night stands.”

“But you did.”

“Yes, everyone is entitled to at least one mistake. Besides, we just can’t get married. People don’t get married these days because of a baby.”

His lips twitched in annoyance. “If you’re a Westmoreland you do. I don’t relish the idea of getting married any more than you, but the men in my family take our responsibilities seriously.” In Durango’s mind, it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the marrying kind; the situation dictated such action. Westmorelands didn’t have children out of wedlock and he was a Westmoreland.

He thought about his cousin Dare, who’d found out about his son A.J. only after Shelly had returned to their hometown when the boy was ten years old. Dare had married Shelly. His uncle Corey, who hadn’t known he’d fathered triplets over thirty years ago, was an exception to the rule. Corey Westmoreland could not have married the mother of his children because he hadn’t known they existed. Durango’s situation was different. He knew about Savannah’s pregnancy. Knowing about it and not doing something about it was completely unacceptable.

He had knocked her up and had to do what he knew was the right thing. Given the implications of their situation, getting married—even for only a short period of time—was the best course of action. He and Savannah were adults. Surely they could handle the intimacies of a brief marriage without wanting more. It wouldn’t be as if he was giving up being a bachelor forever.

“Well, consider yourself off the hook,” Savannah said, reclaiming his attention. “The only person who knows you’re my baby’s father is Jessica, although I’m sure she’s shared the news with Chase by now. If we ask them not to say anything to anyone I’m sure they won’t.”

“But I’ll know, Savannah, and there’s no way I’m going to walk away and not claim my child.”

For a quick second she felt a softening around her heart and couldn’t help appreciating him for declaring her child as his. But she would not marry him just because she was pregnant.

She gave him a brittle smile as she rose to her feet, clinging on to her carry-on bag and placing her camera pack on her shoulders. The sooner she left Montana and returned to Philadelphia, the better. “Thanks for the offer of marriage, Durango. It was sweet and I truly appreciate it, but I’m not marrying you or anyone just because I’m pregnant.”

Durango stood, too. “Now, look, Savannah—”

“No, you look,” she said, eyes narrowing, her back straight and stiff. “That’s what happened with my parents. My mother got pregnant with my brother. Although my father did what some considered the decent thing and married her, he was never happy and ended up being unfaithful to her. It was a marriage based on duty rather than love. He met another woman and lived a double life with her and the child they had together.”

She inhaled deeply before continuing. “Dad was a traveling salesman and my mother didn’t know that he had another family, which included Jessica, on the West Coast. His actions were unforgivable and the people who suffered most, besides his children, were the two women who loved him and believed in him. In the end one of them, Jessica’s mother, committed suicide. And I watched the hurt and pain my mother went through when she found out the truth about him. So no matter what you say, I would never let a man use pregnancy as a reason to marry. I’m glad we had this little chat and I’ll keep in touch.”

Chin tilted, she turned and quickly walked away.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, due to the snowstorm headed our way, all flights out have been canceled until further notice.”

Savannah stared at the man behind the counter. “All of them?”

“All of them. We have our hands full trying to find a place for everyone to stay so they won’t have to bunk here for the night. It seems that all the hotels in the area are full.”

The last thing she wanted to do was sleep sitting up in a hard chair.

“You’re coming with me, Savannah.”

She turned around upon hearing the firm voice behind her. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Durango took a step forward. “Yes, you are. You heard what the man said. All flights out have been canceled.”

“Is this man bothering you, miss? Do you want me to call security?”

Savannah smoothed the hair back from her face. This was just great. All she had to do was look at Durango’s angry expression to see he did not appreciate the man’s question. To avoid an unpleasant situation, she glanced over her shoulder at the ticket agent and smiled. “No, he isn’t bothering me, but thanks for asking. Excuse me for a moment.”

She then took Durango’s arm and walked away from the counter. She was feeling frustrated and exhausted. “I think we need to get something straight.”

Durango rubbed his neck, trying to work away the tension he felt building there. “What?”

She leaned over and got all into his face. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, bosses me around, Durango Westmoreland.”

Durango stared at her for a long moment then forced back the thought that she was a cute spitfire. Okay, he would be the first to admit that for a moment he had been rather bossy, which was unlike him. He’d never bothered bossing a female around before. He then thought about his cousin Delaney, and remembered how overprotective the Westmoreland males had been before she’d gotten married, and figured she didn’t count. But this particular woman was carrying his baby and he’d be damned if she would spend the night at the airport when he had a guest room back at his ranch that she could use. He decided to use another approach. It was well-known within his family that he could switch from being an ass to an angel in the blink of an eye.

He reached out and took her hand. “I do apologize if I came off rather bossy just now, Savannah. I was merely thinking of your and the baby’s welfare. I’m sure sleeping here in one of those chairs wouldn’t be comfortable. I have a perfectly good guest room at the ranch and you’re welcome to use it. I’m sure you’re tired. Will you come to the ranch with me?”

His words, spoken in a soft plea, as well as his ensuing smile, only made Savannah’s blood boil even more. She recognized the words for what they were—smooth-talking crap. Her father had been a master at using such bull whenever he needed to unruffle her mother’s feathers. And she was close to telling Durango in an unladylike way to go to hell.

And yet, spending the night here at the airport wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. She would love to go someplace, soak in a tub then crawl into a bed. Alone.

She met his gaze, studied his features to see if perhaps there was some ulterior motive for getting her back to the ranch. She knew from her sister’s wedding that Durango Westmoreland was full of suave sophistication and he was an expert at seduction. And although the damage had been done, the last thing she wanted was to lose her head and sleep with him again.

She pulled her hand from his. “You really have an extra guest room?”

He grinned and her breath caught at his sexy dimples. Those dimples had been another one of her downfalls that night. “Yes, and like I said, you’re welcome to use it.”

Savannah toyed with the strap on her camera pack as she considered his invitation. She then met his gaze again. “Okay, I’ll go with you if you promise not to bring up the subject of marriage again. That subject is closed.”

She saw a flash of defiance in his eyes and then just as quickly it was gone. After a brief span of tense silence he finally said, “Okay, Savannah, I’ll adhere to your wishes.”

Satisfied, Savannah nodded. “All right, then. I’ll go with you.”

“Good.” He took the carry-on bag from her hand. “Come on, I’m parked right out front.”

As Durango led her out of the terminal, he decided that what Savannah didn’t know was that before she left to return home to Philadelphia, he and she would be man and wife.

“Here we are,” Durango said, leading Savannah into a guest room a half hour later. “I have a couple of other rooms but I think you’ll like this one the best.”

Savannah nodded as she glanced around. The room was beautifully decorated with a king-size cherry-oak sleigh bed, with matching armoire, nightstands, mirror and dresser. Numerous paintings adorned the walls and several silk flower arrangements added a beautiful touch. It was basically a minisuite with a sitting area and large connecting bath.

“My mom fixed things up in here. She says the other guest rooms looked too manly for her.”

Savannah turned and looked into Durango’s eyes. Their gazes locked for the space of ten, maybe twelve heartbeats. “I like it and thank you. It’s beautiful,” she said, moments later breaking eye contact and glancing around the beautifully appointed room once again, attempting to get her control back intact.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him move closer into the room. She turned slightly and watched as he walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. His concentration was on the view outside, but heaven help her, her concentration was on him. And what a view he was. How a man so tall, long-legged and muscular could move with such fluid grace was beyond her. But he managed to do so rather nicely.

She had noticed that about him from the first. There was something inherently masculine about Durango Westmoreland and the single night they had made love, she had discovered that what you saw was what you got. He definitely could deliver. That night he had tilted her universe in such a way that she knew it would never be the same again. Even now, a warmth moved slowly through all parts of her body just thinking about all the things they had done that night. No second, minute or hour had been wasted.

Durango suddenly turned and his gaze rested on her, longer than she deemed necessary, before he said, “It looks simply beautiful out of this window. Nothing but mountains all around. And this time of year when the snow falls, I think it’s the most gorgeous sight that you’d ever want to see.” He then turned back around and looked out the window again.

Mildly interested and deciding not to pretend otherwise, Savannah crossed the room to stand beside him and her breath caught. He was absolutely right. The panoramic view outside the window was beautiful. She hoped she had the chance to capture a lot of it on film before she left. “Have you lived here long?” curiosity pushed her to ask.

He met her gaze and smiled. “Almost five years now. After I finished college and got a job with the park ranger service, I lived with my uncle Corey on his mountain for a couple of years, until I saved enough money to buy this land. It was originally part of a homestead, but after the elderly couple who owned it passed on, their offspring split up the property and put individual parcels up for sale. My ranch sits on over a hundred acres.”

“Wow! That’s a lot of land.”

He smiled. “Yes, but most of it is mountains, which is one of the things that drew me to it. And a good portion of it is a natural hot springs. The first thing I did after building the ranch house was to erect my own private hot tub out back. If the weather wasn’t so bad, I’d let you try it out. A good soak it in would definitely guarantee you a good night’s sleep.”

Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that. “A good night’s sleep sounds wonderful. The flight out here was awful.”

Durango chuckled. “Unfortunately it usually is.” He then checked his watch. “How about I put dinner on the table? Earlier I smothered pieces of chicken in gravy, and made cabbage and mashed potatoes. You’re welcome to join me after you settle in.”

Savannah felt her stomach growl at the mention of food. Dinner was her favorite mealtime since she could never keep any breakfast down for too long. The only thing she had risked eating that day had been saltines. “Thanks, and I’d like that. Do you need any help?”

“No, I have everything under control.” He turned to leave the room then stopped before walking out the door. “You’re a city girl, but your name isn’t.”

Savannah arched a brow. She remembered what Jessica had shared with her once regarding Durango’s aversion to city women. “It’s my mom’s favorite Southern city and she thought the name suited me.”

He nodded, thinking the name suited her very feminine and genteel charm, as well.

A short while later Savannah followed the aroma of food as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. She stopped and glanced around, getting a good look at the wood-grain kitchen counters and the shiny stainless-steel appliances. The kitchen was a cook’s dream. From one side of the ceiling hung an assortment of copper pots. Unlike most men, Durango evidently enjoyed spending time in his kitchen.

He must have heard her sigh of admiration because he then turned, looked at her and smiled. “All settled in?”

Forcing her nervousness away, she nodded. “Yes. I didn’t bring much since I hadn’t planned on staying.”

“You might as well get comfortable. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re stuck here for a couple of days.”

Savannah frowned. “Why would you think that?”

Durango leaned back against the counter and gestured toward the window. “Take a look outside.”

Savannah walked quickly over to the window. There was a full-scale blizzard going on. She could barely see anything. She turned around. “What happened?”

Durango chuckled. “Welcome to Montana. Didn’t you know this was the worst time of year to come visiting?”

No, she hadn’t known. The only thing that had been on her mind, once she’d made her decision, was to get to him and tell him about the baby as soon as she could.

She glanced back out the window. “And you think this will last a couple of days?”

“More than likely. The only thing we can do is to make the most of it.”

Savannah turned and met his gaze, taking in what he’d just said. It was simply a play on words, she presumed. She hoped. Being cooped up in the house with Durango for a couple of days and making the most of it wasn’t what she’d planned on happening. It didn’t take much to recall just how quickly she had succumbed to his sexiness. All it had taken was a little eye contact and she’d been a goner.

“Come on, Savannah. Let’s eat.”

Savannah regarded him for a moment before crossing the room to the table where he’d placed the food. “Aren’t you concerned about losing power?”

Durango shook his head. “Nope. I have my own generator. It’s capable of supplying all the energy I need to keep this place running awhile. Then there are the fireplaces. I had one built for every bedroom as well as the living room. No matter how cold or nasty the weather gets outside, you can believe we’ll stay warm and cozy inside.”

Staying warm and cozy was another thing she was afraid of, Savannah thought, taking a seat at the table. There was no doubt in her mind that she and Durango could supply enough sensuous fire to actually torch the place.

“Everything looks delicious. I didn’t know you could cook,” she said, helping herself to some of the food he had prepared, and trying not to lick her lips in the process. She was so hungry.

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.