Читать книгу One Night, Two Babies / Valente's Baby: One Night, Two Babies - Kathie DeNosky - Страница 10

Zach steered his SUV out of the school parking lot and onto the street. After giving him her address, Arielle plastered herself to the passenger-side door and clutched the front of her oversize raincoat like a security blanket. He’d also noticed she’d become quite pale.

His earlier irritation with her stubbornness quickly turned to concern. The woman he’d known in Aspen had been vibrant, outgoing and exuded good health. But Arielle’s demeanor and the disturbing pallor of her complexion gave him every reason to believe that she was coming down with something.

“Are you all right?” he asked, glancing over at her again.

“I’m fine.”

Stopping at the red light on the corner, he turned to face her. “I don’t think so. You make a ghost look colorful.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be a lot better if you’ll just take me home. Once I have something to eat, I’ll be okay.”

When the light changed, he gave serious consideration to taking her to her apartment, bidding her farewell, then leaving town as he’d planned. But his conscience nagged at him and he just couldn’t do it.

Arielle was new to town, had no family in the area that he knew of and he’d bet his last dime that her only acquaintances were the people she worked with. How could he possibly leave her to fend for herself when she was obviously ill?

Making a snap decision, he headed straight for the interstate. She might not like it, but she needed someone with her until her illness passed. And the way he saw it, he was about the only choice she had.

“What are you doing?” she asked, raising her head from where it had rested against the passenger window. “Why did you pass up my street?”

“It’s obvious you’re sick and I don’t think you need to be left alone.”

“I told you, I’m fine,” she insisted. “Now turn this truck around and take me home.”

“No.” He changed lanes to avoid a huge amount of water covering the road ahead. “I’m taking you to my weekend place north of the city.”

“I’m not going anywhere with…you.” Her voice sounded a bit shaky and her pale complexion had taken on a sickly, greenish hue. “All I need is something to…eat and I’ll be…good as new.”

“I’ll let my housekeeper, Mattie, be the judge of that.” He’d feel a lot better having her oversee Arielle’s care. Mattie had been like a grandmother to him and Lana and nursed them through every one of their childhood illnesses with a jar of VapoRub in one hand and a bowl of homemade chicken soup in the other. “Her home remedies are as effective as any prescription medication.”

“I’m sure they are. But my apartment is a lot closer and…I told you, I’ll be fine as soon as I—” She stopped suddenly. “Pull over. I think…I’m going to be…sick.”

Zach had the SUV stopped before she could finish the thought. Throwing open the driver’s door, he rushed around the front of the truck to help her out. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he supported her while she was sick, and if he wasn’t sure before that he’d made the right decision, he was now. The last thing she needed was to be left alone to contend with a very bad case of the flu.

“I think I’ll be…all right now,” she finally said, raising her head.

After helping her back into the truck, Zach got in behind the steering wheel and turned on the heater. “Let’s get you out of your raincoat,” he proposed, reaching over to help her. The garment was completely soaked. “I’m sure you’re cold and uncomfortable in that thing.”

“I’d rather keep it on,” she objected, shaking her head as she clutched the folds of the coat. “It’s waterresistant and the inside is still warm and dry.”

Had that been a flash of panic he’d seen in her expressive hazel eyes? Why the hell would she be afraid to take off her wet coat?

“I’m not absolutely certain that’s a good idea, darlin’.”

“I am.” As she leaned her head back against the headrest, he watched her close her eyes as if it was too much of an effort to keep them open. “Now, will you please stop telling me what to do and listen to me? I want to go home to my apartment.”

“I’m sorry, Arielle, but I just can’t do that. Try to rest. We’ll be at my ranch before you know it.”

“This could easily be considered a kidnapping,” she relayed, sounding extremely tired.

“Not if the alleged kidnapper is only trying to do what’s best for the alleged kidnappee,” he elaborated, shifting the SUV into gear and merging back into the busy rush-hour traffic.

“Best in…whose opinion?” she argued, delicately hiding a yawn behind her hand.

“The only one that counts right now—mine.” He smiled at the long-suffering expression on her pretty face. “Now, try to take a little nap. I’ll wake you once we get to the ranch.”

When she felt herself being gathered into strong, capable arms, Arielle’s eyes snapped open. “Wh-what on earth do you think you’re doing, Zach?”

Lifting her to him, he gave her a grin that curled her toes inside her soggy shoes. “You’re not feeling well, so I’m helping you—”

“Just because I’m not one hundred percent doesn’t mean I can’t get out of the truck on my own,” she interrupted, desperate to put some distance between them. What if he felt the bulge of her stomach?

“You need to conserve your energy to fight whatever bug you have,” he explained, setting her on her feet. When he shut the SUV’s door, he placed his arm around her shoulders, tucked her to his side and guided her from the garage across the covered breezeway into the house. “Besides, I’m not running the risk of you passing out and possibly adding a concussion to your other ailments.”

His secure hold caused her heart to thump even harder. “H-how many times do I have to tell you? All I need is something to eat and I’ll be fine.”

He stopped ushering her along when they entered the kitchen. “Mattie?”

“Stop your hollerin’, Zachary. I’m old, but I ain’t deaf.” A gray-haired woman in her late sixties walked out of a pantry and stopped short at the sight of Zach holding her. “Did I forget about you bringin’ company for the weekend?”

He shook his head. “No, but Arielle’s sick and can’t be left alone. Probably coming down with a bad cold or maybe even the flu and requires your expert care.”

Arielle tried to push away from him. “I don’t have the—”

“Hush, darlin’,” he said close to her ear, causing a shiver to course through her. “Mattie Carnahan, this is Arielle Garnier. She’s in need of some dry clothes. See if you can find something of Lana’s for her to put on while I take her to the guest room.”

He led her down a hall and opened the door to a beautifully decorated room. When he reached to help her out of her coat, Arielle shook her head and took a step back. “I don’t need your help.”

“You need to take that coat off,” he insisted, moving toward her. “It’s soaked.”

She took a few steps backward. “The only thing I want from you is to be left alone. But if you feel you have to do something, find me something to eat and then take me back to my apartment. What part of that don’t you understand? And exactly how can I make it any clearer for you?”

As they stood glaring at each other, Mattie walked into the room to place a set of gray sweats and a heavy pair of socks on the bed. “Honey, he can be as stubborn as a jackass when he gets something in his head.” She motioned for Zach to leave. “You go get your things out of the car and I’ll have supper on the table by the time you get unpacked.”

Zach didn’t appear to be all that happy with his housekeeper taking over the situation. “I can do that later. I need to make sure Arielle is—”

“Go,” Arielle and the older woman both said at the same time.

Muttering a curse, he finally turned and walked from the room.

Mattie started to follow him. “If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Arielle said, meaning it. At least the housekeeper had given her a bit of a reprieve from Zach’s overpowering masculinity. “And for the record, I don’t have the flu.”

Mattie nodded as she stepped back into the room and closed the door. “Zachary means well, but he doesn’t have any idea you’re pregnant, does he?”

A cold sense of dread spread throughout Arielle’s body. “I…Uh, no, he doesn’t.”

“How far along are you, child?” Mattie asked, her voice so kind and understanding it chased away some of Arielle’s apprehension.

There was no use denying what the housekeeper had guessed, although Arielle didn’t have any idea how the woman could have possibly figured it out. “I’m only three and a half months pregnant, but I’m already starting to get a nice little bulge.”

Mattie nodded. “I thought you must be showing some since you were so determined to keep your coat on and kept holding it together. That’s why I brought some of Zachary’s sweatshirts and pants, instead of his sister’s. You’ll have to roll up the legs and push up the sleeves, but I thought you might need the extra room.”

“But how did you know?” Arielle was thoroughly amazed by the woman’s intuitiveness.

“Some women have a look about them when they’re pregnant and if ever a woman had that glow, you do,” Mattie revealed, shrugging. “And if that wasn’t enough, Zachary telling me that you got sick on the drive up here and your insistence that all you needed was something to eat was. I always had to keep something on my stomach when I was carrying both of my boys.” She smiled. “Now, get changed and come to the kitchen. I’ll make sure you get something to eat before you get sick again. Then I’m going home so that you and Zachary can talk things over in private.”

When Mattie closed the door behind her, Arielle at last took off her soggy raincoat and sank down on the bed. There hadn’t been the slightest bit of condemnation in the older woman’s voice, but she had to have strong suspicions that Zach was the baby’s father. Why else would she leave them alone?

As Arielle started taking off her damp clothes to put on the dry fleece, she sighed heavily. It appeared that the time had come to tell Zach about the baby and discuss how they would handle the issues of custody and visitation.

She wasn’t looking forward to it, but it would almost be a relief to finally have her pregnancy out in the open. Other than her new sister-in-law, Haley, and her newfound grandmother, no one—not even her brothers, Jake and Luke—had a clue that she was going to have a baby.

And although she loved her brothers with all of her heart, just the thought of telling them about her pregnancy made her want to take off for parts unknown. She was no longer the ten-year-old girl they’d raised after their mother’s death, but they still insisted on meddling in her life. Although she’d learned to stand up to them, if they knew, they would tell her what they thought was best for her and the baby. No doubt they’d even convince her to move closer to one of them.

But thankfully they wouldn’t have the opportunity to once again play the overly protective older brothers. Now that she’d found Zach, she fully intended to handle things on her own terms. By the time she told Jake and Luke about her pregnancy, she and Zach would have hopefully made all of the important decisions.

She finished pulling the thick, warm socks on her feet then stood to go into the kitchen. In theory, her plan sounded logical and should work out. But something told her that if telling Zach he was going to be a father went like the rest of her day, she’d better brace herself for life to become more complicated instead of simpler.

When Zach walked into the kitchen, Arielle was already seated at the table with a plate in front of her piled high with mashed potatoes, vegetables and a country-fried steak smothered in milk gravy. “Shouldn’t you be eating something a little lighter than that?” He frowned when he watched her take a big bite of the steak. “Chicken soup would be a much better choice for someone with the flu.”

He watched her close her eyes for a moment, obviously savoring the taste of the beef. For someone with an upset stomach, she certainly had a hearty enough appetite.

“We’ll talk about the reason I got sick after we eat,” she replied, reaching for a slice of homemade bread. “But maybe now you’ll believe me when I say I don’t have the flu.”

“Leave her be and have a seat, Zachary.” Mattie had always called him by his given name, and although he preferred the shortened version, he’d long ago stopped trying to get her to change. “That little gal is going to be just fine.”

“If Arielle doesn’t have the flu, what’s wrong with her?” he demanded, getting the distinct impression that the two women knew something he didn’t.

Ignoring his question, Mattie set a plate of food at his usual place at the big, round oak table. “I’m gonna cross the yard to my house before the ground gets so mushy I end up sinkin’ to my knees in mud. And if you need me for anything, it had better involve somebody bleedin’ or somethin’ bein’ on fire before you call me to come back over here.”

“Is it still raining hard?” Arielle asked a moment before he watched a forkful of mashed potatoes disappear into her mouth.

He couldn’t get over the change in her. The more she ate, the less sickly she appeared.

“It’s supposed to keep rainin’ like this all weekend,” Mattie informed, nodding. “And if it does, y’all will be on your own tomorrow and Sunday because I’m too old to be gettin’ out in weather like this.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Arielle responded, taking a big drink of milk. “I won’t be here. I’m going to have Zach take me back to the city after dinner. But it was very nice meeting you, Mattie.” When neither he nor Mattie commented, she frowned. “Is there something I should know?”

“Do you want to tell her or should I?” Mattie offered, turning her full attention on him.

“I will,” he conceded, seating himself at the table.

When his gaze clashed with hers, he watched Arielle slowly put her fork on the edge of her plate, her expression guarded. “Tell me what?”

“We probably won’t be going back to Dallas before the middle of next week at the earliest.”

She didn’t look as if she believed him. “You’re joking, right?”

“I’ll let you kids work this out,” Mattie remarked, quickly removing her jacket from a peg by the door. “I’m goin’ home before all hell breaks loose.”

He heard the back door close as he and Arielle sat, staring at each other over the table. “When it rains like this, the Elm Fork of the Trinity River backs up into the tributaries and the creek between here and the main road floods out,” he described. “You were asleep when we drove over the bridge, but we barely made it across. By now I’m sure it and the road are under several feet of water.”

“In other words, you’re telling me we’re trapped?” She made it sound more like an accusation than a question.

“You could look at it as being on a minivacation,” he suggested, turning his attention to his own plate.

“But I have things at school to take care of and an important appointment to keep.”

He nodded. “I’ve got things I need to do, too. But that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t drive you back to Dallas until the water recedes.”

Arielle’s ravenous appetite suddenly disappeared. “Isn’t there another road that’s not flooded?”

“Not really.” He shifted in his seat. “The way the creek winds around, it makes this part of the ranch a peninsula. Then, when rains are heavy, like now, the dry wash cutting through the middle of the property floods and this section becomes an island.”

“That’s kind of poor planning, don’t you think?” she asked, raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Laughing, he shrugged. “I suppose it seems that way now, but when my great-great-grandfather settled here over a hundred years ago, it wasn’t. Back then, a natural water source was essential to a ranch’s survival. Besides, we’re two miles from the creek and there’s a couple hundred acres between here and the dry wash. Not exactly a threat of being flooded out here on higher ground.”

“But you knew this would happen and you still insisted on bringing me here?” If the heightened color on her face was any indication, Arielle was more than a little upset with him. “Why, Zach? Why did you do that when you knew full well how much I wanted to go home?”

“You were ill and needed someone to watch over you,” he noted, stating what he saw to be obvious. “And since you don’t have family close by, I was the only available choice.”

She shook her head. “You’re unbelievable. If I had been sick and did need someone to care for me, it would have made more sense to take me to my apartment. It was closer to the school and at least in the city, there are doctors and hospitals close by. And none of this was necessary because I’m not ill.”

Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely certain why he’d brought her to the ranch. Maybe it had been a way to make things up to her for leaving her in Aspen without so much as a simple goodbye. But whatever the reason, when he’d seen she was in need, he just hadn’t been able to walk away.

“If you weren’t sick, then why did you look like you were at death’s door?” he observed, his own irritation beginning to rise. “And why did we have to stop on the way here for you to throw up?”

He watched her take a deep breath, then, as if coming to a decision, meet his questioning gaze head-on. “Do you know why I get sick if I don’t eat? Or when I do eat, why I put food away like a starving lumberjack?”

The back of his neck began to tingle the longer they stared at each other. He had a feeling he was about to learn something that he wasn’t prepared to hear and might not like.

“No.”

“Because that’s what happens to some women when they become pregnant,” she said defiantly.

Silence reigned while he tried to process what she’d said. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yes.”

“Just how far along are you?” he prompted, his heart beginning to thump inside his chest like an out-of-control jackhammer.

Her gaze never wavered from his when she answered. “Three and a half months.”

He immediately glanced at the front of the sweatshirt she wore, but it was big on her and a little too early to notice any telltale thickening of her stomach. Unable to sit still, Zach rose to his feet and began to pace the length of the kitchen. It didn’t take a math degree to figure out that the baby she was carrying was most likely his.

“And before you ask, yes, I’m pregnant with your baby,” she stated, confirming his suspicions.

His stomach twisted into a painful knot as he recalled another time a woman was carrying his child. “We used protection.”

“Yes, but one of the condoms broke,” she reminded him.

He’d figured the chances of making her pregnant from that one time had to be fairly remote. Apparently he’d been wrong.

Nodding, he rubbed the tension building at the back of his neck. “I remember. But why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Her desire to be left alone to deal with the flooded-out car and her refusal to take off her bulky raincoat suddenly made perfect sense. She’d been trying to hide the pregnancy from him. With his jaw clenched so tight it felt welded shut, he asked, “Didn’t you think I had the right to know?”

He watched her expression turn from defiant to righteously indignant. “Oh, no you don’t, buster.” She stood to face him. “I’m not letting you get away with playing the victim here. You lied to me about who you were. And up until this morning, when you barged into my office and told me your real name, I thought I was having Tom Zacharias’s baby.” She started to walk away, then, turning back, added, “And just for the record, I searched desperately to find a man who didn’t even exist because I thought he needed to know that he was going to be a father.” She swiped away the tears suddenly spilling from her eyes. “When all of my efforts proved useless…you can’t even begin to imagine…how much of a fool I felt or…the emotional pain I went through. So don’t…even go there.”

Zach stood in the middle of the kitchen long after he watched Arielle rush down the hall toward the guest room. Stunned, he had a hard time believing how rapidly his life had changed in the past twelve hours. When he’d gone to the school this morning, he’d had nothing more on his mind than sweettalking Helen Montrose into going easy on his mischievous nephew, then heading to the office to go over the contracts and blueprints for his newest resort. But along with his discovery that the old gal was no longer in charge at Premier Academy, the only woman he’d been tempted to have a relationship with since his ill-fated engagement had reappeared in his life and was pregnant with his baby.

Just the thought that he was going to be a father caused a myriad of feelings to course through him. Had it not been for his ex-fiancé, he might have felt pride and excitement about the baby Arielle carried. But thanks to Gretchen Hay den and her duplicity, he was filled with a deep sense of apprehension that he just couldn’t shake.

Five years ago, he’d thought he had it all—a thriving business, a devoted bride-to-be and a baby on the way. But all that had changed when Gretchen decided that motherhood would be detrimental to her figure and seriously limit her options should something better than being the wife of a hotel entrepreneur come along.

He took a deep breath in an effort to chase away the ugly memory of the day he’d discovered the woman he’d thought he loved had deliberately ended the life of their unborn child. All of his focus now needed to be on Arielle and protecting the baby they’d created together. And this time the outcome was going to be different than it had been five years ago. This time, he wasn’t going to take it on faith that Arielle truly wanted his baby. He was going to make certain his child was protected.

Most of his anger dissipated as he thought about her trying to tell him about the baby and how hurt she’d been when she couldn’t. But not all of it.

He understood her inability to find him after they parted in Aspen. In order to be completely anonymous, he always registered under an assumed name when he checked into one of his hotels. It was the only way to get an accurate idea of the quality of guest services and the efficiency and courtesy of the resort management. Besides, it was standard practice that guest information was kept in the strictest of confidence. If Arielle had inquired about him, and he had every reason to believe that she had, the management at the resort wouldn’t have given her anything. And even if they had broken protocol and given her the name and address he’d registered under, the information would have proven completely worthless.

But that didn’t explain why she hadn’t told him about the pregnancy when they were in her office this morning. And she’d had ample opportunity to tell him this afternoon when he’d discovered her sitting in her car in the school’s parking lot. And why hadn’t she told him the real reason that she had become sick on the drive to the ranch?

His appetite deserting him, Zach removed their plates from the table, scraped the food into the garbage disposal and put the dishes in the dishwasher. He’d give her time to calm down, then he wanted answers. And he wasn’t going to bed without them.

With her emotions once again under control, Arielle wiped away the last traces of her tears and sat up on the side of the bed to look around the guest room. It was decorated in shades of peach and antique white and at any other time, she would have loved staying in such a beautiful room. But at the moment, it felt like a prison cell, albeit a very pretty one.

She was stranded on a remote ranch with the man who had lied to her about his identity, abandoned her without a word, broken her heart and made her pregnant. And if all that wasn’t enough, he was blaming her for not telling him about the pregnancy.

“Unreal,” she said aloud.

But even more incredible was that her life was paralleling her mother’s. Francesca Garnier had fallen in love with a man who had impregnated her with a set of twin boys and simply walked away. Then, ten years later, the man had shown up long enough to rekindle their romance, which led to the birth of Arielle, and once again disappeared. And when Arielle and her brothers first met their paternal grandmother a few months ago, they’d learned their father had used an assumed name.

Instead of Neil Owens, the starving artist their mother knew, their father was the infamous playboy Owen Larson, the only offspring of Emerald Larson, one of the richest, most successful businesswomen in the modern corporate world. During the ten years away from their mother, Owen Larson had fathered three other children—all boys and all with different women.

It was so bizarre, she even had a hard time believing it. But when Emerald Larson had contacted them Arielle had gained three more brothers. And Emerald had embraced the Garnier siblings as part of her family, giving each a multimillion-dollar trust fund and one of the many companies within the Emerald, Inc. empire. Arielle became the new owner of Premier Academy and moved to Dallas.

But that was immaterial. What was extremely disconcerting was, as her mother had done with her father, Arielle had fallen for a man she’d thought to be as honest and forthright as she’d been with him. But just like her father had done to her mother, Zach had deliberately lied to her to keep her from finding him.

She shook her head to chase away her disturbing thoughts and concentrated on forgetting what she couldn’t change and focusing on her present dilemma. In spite of the stress and tension she had experienced or because she hadn’t finished her dinner, her hunger had returned full force.

Unfortunately, if she went to find something for herself in the kitchen, she’d likely run into Zach. Though they had several things to discuss and decisions to make, she wasn’t ready for that just yet. She’d already had an extremely upsetting day.

But the decision was taken out of her hands when her stomach rumbled. If she waited much longer she’d become sick again and since they were flooded in, she didn’t have much choice.

Sighing, she rose from the bed, opened the door and walked right into Zach’s broad chest. “Oh, I…um, didn’t know you were there. Excuse me.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders in a steadying gesture and she noticed his gaze immediately settled on her stomach. “Are you all right?”

Even though his touch through the thick fleece sweatshirt and the low timbre of his voice sent shivers straight up her spine, she forced herself to remain motionless. “I need something else to eat,” she said, nodding.

“Yeah, that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” He released her, running a hand through his thick hair. She could tell by the action that he wasn’t comfortable with the situation, either. “Neither of us finished dinner.”

They stared at each other as if thinking of something to say when her stomach rumbled again. “I’d better find something in the fridge or I’m going to be sorry.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he agreed, standing back for her to precede him down the hall.

When they entered the kitchen, Zach walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. “Do you want a sandwich or would you prefer something else?”

“A sandwich and a glass of milk would be nice,” she answered, trying not to think about how handsome he was.

He’d changed into a pair of worn jeans and a black T-shirt that emphasized every well-defined muscle of his upper body. Dear Lord, he was without a doubt the best-looking man she’d ever seen. She’d thought so in Aspen and she thought so now. But thinking along those lines was what had landed her in his bed and ultimately led to her current predicament. She’d do well to remember that and concentrate on their upcoming conversation about the baby and what role, if any, he intended to take as the baby’s father.

“If you’ll tell me which cabinet the glasses are in, I’ll pour the milk,” she offered, forcing herself to look away from the play of his biceps as he lifted a gallon jug from inside the refrigerator door.

“I’ll take care of that.” He motioned toward the pantry. “Why don’t you get a loaf of bread and see if you can find a bag of chips.”

As he poured two glasses of milk, she retrieved the bread and a bag of pretzels and by the time everything was on the table, her nerves were stretched to the breaking point. They were both being overly congenial and polite, but there was an underlying current of tension that was so strong, it could have been cut with a knife.

“We have to stop this, Zach,” she declared, seating herself at the table.

To his credit, he didn’t feign ignorance and act unaware of what she was referring to. “I don’t want to upset you any more than I already have,” he began, setting a couple of plates on the table. “But I’d bet my next resort project that our discussions are going to be tense at best.”

“I’m sure they will be,” she concurred, reaching for a package of sliced turkey. If she’d thought their talk was going to be unpleasant, the strained atmosphere now was far worse and she’d just as soon get it over with. “But putting it off isn’t going to make it any easier.” She nibbled on a pretzel. “Where would you like to start?”

He held up his hand. “We’ll go into my study after we finish eating. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to have another meal interrupted, do you?”

“Probably not,” she agreed, taking a bite of her sandwich.

They both fell silent as they ate and by the time they’d cleared the table, Arielle found herself actually looking forward to the confrontation she knew would follow. It would be a relief to get it over with so they could move forward. Zach was a highly successful businessman, much like her brothers, and she had no doubt he’d start by making demands and telling her what he expected her to do. But thanks to dealing with her brothers, years ago she’d learned to stand up for herself and she knew exactly how much she was willing to give and what she intended to get in return. And the sooner Zach came to that realization, the better.

Several minutes later, he showed her into his study. Arielle glanced around, then seated herself in one of the plush chairs in front of the stone fireplace. She wasn’t about to sit in the chair in front of his desk. He would have no doubt sat behind the desk, giving him a huge psychological advantage, much like a boss talking to his employee. And she wasn’t allowing him any kind of edge.

“How has the pregnancy gone so far?” Zach asked, walking over to stand by the fireplace. Once again his gaze came to rest on her belly. “Have you experienced any problems other than having to eat frequently?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “Aside from a couple of weeks of intense morning sickness, everything has gone quite well.”

“As long as you eat frequently?”

“Correct.”

When she’d first discovered she was pregnant, she’d hoped that once she found him, the man who had made love to her with such tender care would be, if not happy, at least interested in their child. It appeared that Zach was very interested. But she couldn’t ignore how he’d lied to her. Trusting him now would be foolish.

“When do you learn the sex of the baby?” he inquired, finally raising his eyes to meet hers.

“I’m not sure. On Monday, my obstetrician planned an ultrasound to make sure everything is going well, but I don’t know if the sex can be determined this early. But now I’ll have to reschedule the appointment,” she decided, it being pointless to remind him why.

To her surprise, he shook his head. “You won’t have to reschedule. I’ll call my pilot to bring the helicopter up from Dallas.”

“But I thought you said we were stranded here until the water went down.”

He again shook his head. “I told you I couldn’t drive you back to the city, but I never said we were completely stranded. Besides, that was before I knew about the baby and the ultrasound.” He gave her a determined smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that we keep this appointment and every other one until you give birth.”

“We?”

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t be involved once I knew I had a baby on the way, did you?” There was an underlying edge of challenge in his tone and they were quickly approaching the more stressful phase of their discussion.

“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know if you would care one way or the other.” She met his accusing gaze head-on. “If you’ll remember, the man I thought I knew doesn’t even exist.”

The intense light in his dark green eyes stole her breath. “Darlin’, the only difference between me and the man who made love to you in Aspen is the name.”

“Really?” she dared, ignoring the swirl of heat the memory created and concentrating on the hurt and disillusionment of discovering she’d been abandoned. “So when you’re not using an alias, you habitually use women, leaving them behind, without waking them to say goodbye?”

“No, and that’s not what happened,” he retorted, shaking his head. “That morning, I had to get back to Dallas—”

“To tell the truth, it doesn’t really matter, Zach.”

She could see that he was angry she’d cut him off, but that was his problem, not hers. She had her pride and didn’t particularly care to hear that he’d left because he’d grown tired of her or that things between them had moved way too fast and he’d wanted to avoid an uncomfortable scene.

“The only thing we need to talk over now is where we go from here,” she stated determinedly. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of the baby’s needs, so I don’t want, nor do I need, monetary help from you. What I want to know is how involved you want to be in the baby’s life. And will you want visitation rights every other weekend, once a month or not at all?”

His eyes narrowed as he took a step toward her. “Oh, I intend to be completely involved in every aspect of my child’s life, Arielle. And as far as shared custody, visitation rights and child support are concerned, there is no need to work out any agreement.”

“What do you mean?” Surely he didn’t expect her to hand over full custody of her baby. If he did, he was in for the biggest, nastiest fight of his life. “I love this baby and I’m not giving it up to you or anyone else.”

Closing the distance between them, he stood over her much like her older brothers used to when she’d been called on the carpet for doing something they had disapproved of. “I’m not telling you I want full custody, darlin’. But spending time with my baby and supporting him won’t be an issue because once we get back to Dallas, you and I are getting married.”