Her new boss’s dark eyes were inscrutable when he spoke to her.

“You’ve got a baby boy coming in two months, and I know you want to make sure he gets here in good shape.”

Gayle stared at him, frowning. He was practically a stranger. And yet he knew all about her situation, even the sex of the baby she was carrying. No one but the clinic doctors should know about what had happened. So how had Jack Marin known about her case?

Gayle wet her lips with her tongue and took a deep breath. “Mr. Marin…”

“Call me Jack.”

“Jack…” She studied him, trying to get some answers from reading his face. But that wasn’t easy. He merely cocked one dark eyebrow in amusement.

She blinked at him, totally at sea. “Jack, who, exactly, are you?”

His ebony-eyed gaze held hers. “Why, Gayle, I thought you knew. I’m the father of your baby.”

Dear Reader,

As senior editor for the Silhouette Romance line, I’m lucky enough to get first peek at the stories we offer you each month. Each editor searches for stories with an emotional impact, that make us laugh or cry or feel tenderness and hope for a loving future. And we do this with you, the reader, in mind. We hope you continue to enjoy the variety each month as we take you from first love to forever….

Susan Meier’s wonderful story of a hardworking single mom and the man who sweeps her off her feet is Cinderella and the CEO. In The Boss’s Baby Mistake, Raye Morgan tells of a heroine who accidentally gets inseminated with her new boss’s child! The fantasy stays alive with Carol Grace’s Fit for a Sheik as a wedding planner’s new client is more than she bargained for….

Valerie Parv always creates a strong alpha hero. In Booties and the Beast, Sam’s the strong yet tender man. Julianna Morris’s lighthearted yet emotional story Meeting Megan Again reunites two people who only seem mismatched. And finally Carolyn Greene’s An Eligible Bachelor has a very special secondary character—along with a delightful hero and heroine!

Next month, look for our newest ROYALLY WED series with Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess. Marie Ferrarella astounds readers with Rough Around the Edges—her 100th title for Silhouette Books! And, of course, there will be more stories throughout the year chosen just for you.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

The Boss’s Baby Mistake
Raye Morgan

To Marie Ferrarella.

Look under “friend” in the dictionary. I’m having your name inserted as the first definition.

RAYE MORGAN

has spent almost two decades, while writing over 50 novels, searching for the answer to that elusive question: just what is that special magic that happens when a man and a woman fall in love? Every time she thinks she has the answer, a new wrinkle pops up, necessitating another book! Meanwhile, after living in Holland, Guam, Japan and Washington, D.C., she currently makes her home in Southern California with her husband and two of her four boys.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Chapter One

The voices were swirling around Gayle Smith, and at first they didn’t make any sense. She frowned, trying to get this straight. The baby she was carrying wasn’t her late husband’s? How could this be?

“We are so sorry, Mrs. Smith. Nothing like this has ever happened here at Jollaire Medical Labs before.”

She shook her head, as though she could shake some sense into it. They had to be wrong. This was impossible. But the faces that stared down at her all had such worried looks on them.

“The lab assistant involved has been fired….”

“If you would please sign this release form and…”

She winced and pulled back. The doctors were crowding her. She’d dealt with most of them over the long weeks of attempting to get pregnant, and she’d liked them all. They’d seemed caring and friendly. They’d been especially compassionate when her husband had died suddenly and left her alone to follow through on the childbearing plans they’d laid together. But now these people looked like strangers.

And she was alone. Without her husband here beside her to help make sense of this, without anyone in her corner, she felt badgered and isolated. A deep, lonesome feeling filled her soul, the same feeling she remembered from her childhood when she’d often been left alone in the isolated Alaskan cabin where she’d been raised. She winced and put her hands protectively over the rounded belly that held her child, fighting back that familiar feeling of desolation.

“We’re here to help you in any way we can….”

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. This was no time to panic. She raised her hand automatically to smooth back her auburn curls, and the short, very round man in front of her flinched, as though he expected to be hit.

She stared at him. They had done something terrible. And now, what did they want from her?

“Please sign this form, right here by the X.”

The voices were becoming more insistent, but this was no time to sign forms and make decisions. She could hardly think clearly. She had to get away from them all so she could think this through.

She rose from her chair, headed for the door and stumbled from the room, resisting their efforts to stop her.

A mistake. The words echoed in her head. A mistake. A mistake.

It didn’t make sense. Things like this just didn’t happen. No matter how they tried to explain it to her, she couldn’t quite get her mind around it. This had to be—ha!—a mistake.

She almost released a slightly hysterical laugh, but she didn’t get a chance to, because there was a great big man with very wide shoulders standing in her way. She looked up at him, blinking as she tried to make him out, because at first his face was obscured by the light spiking in from the bank of windows behind him, creating a halo effect.

“Mrs. Smith?” the man was saying, looking down at her.

His face came into focus. She looked at him blankly, uncomprehending. He wasn’t wearing a white coat and she didn’t remember having seen him here before, so she didn’t think he was one of the doctors. Was he going to apologize for the mistake, too?

Maybe not. He didn’t look as scared as the others did. In fact, he was gazing at her with dark eyes that gleamed with a certain calm confidence, a sense of assurance she only wished she had at the moment.

He took her hand in both of his, as though to comfort and protect her. His touch was solid, strong, and it filled her with a sense of warmth.

“Mrs. Smith, I’d like to help you. My name is Jack Marin.”

Jack Marin. The name was not familiar, but his eyes were kind as they met hers. That was good enough for her right now. Besides that, she thought with a small, guilty thrill, he was awfully good-looking. That never hurt.

“Mr. Marin!” One of the men in the white coats was yelling at him, his face turning red from the effort, his voice getting louder and louder. “This is highly irregular! You shouldn’t have any contact with this woman!”

“Mr. Marin,” said another of the doctors sternly. He had a large walrus mustache, which added immensely to his authority. “I must ask you to leave at once. I will have to call security if you do not vacate these premises immediately.”

Jack Marin dropped her hand as he faced them, standing his ground. “You can call anyone you like,” he told them calmly, his dark eyes becoming cold as they turned toward the doctors. “You’re the ones who are responsible for this disaster. This lady is the victim of your mismanagement. I don’t think you want that getting out, now do you?”

“Mr. Marin, you have no right—”

He held up a hand to stop the protests. “Doctors, if you want to discuss this further, we’ll see you in court.”

The doctors looked stunned, and Gayle almost felt sorry for them. Her new friend was turning out to be very handy to have around, and he seemed to know how to push all the right buttons. She took a step closer to him. At least there was one person here on her side.

He must be a lawyer, she thought with a certain sense of irony. He must have heard about this mistake, and came to give me legal counsel.

“Mrs. Smith needs time to assimilate what you’ve disclosed to her,” Jack Marin told them, taking her arm as though she’d already hired him on. “She needs to sit down somewhere and think over whether or not she’s going to sue the pants off you bunch of frauds.”

He looked down into Gayle’s face and smiled reassuringly. She soaked up his strength from his smile and held her head high.

“Good day, gentlemen,” he said as he began to lead her toward the elevator. “We’ll be in touch.”

The doctors were milling about in frustration and murmuring among themselves, obviously at a loss as to what they would do next, but Gayle hardly noticed. In a daze, she let Jack escort her onto the elevator. In mere seconds, the doors closed and she couldn’t see the doctors any longer. She blinked, wishing she could believe this was all a bad dream.

“I know the perfect place to get some privacy,” her rescuer told her smoothly. “La Paix, a little French restaurant, is right across the street. Great food, quiet atmosphere. Just what you need.”

She knew the place to be one of the better restaurants in Rio de Oro, a medium-sized town on the central California Coast. She gave him a shaky smile, glad he was there. She knew she was going to have to make decisions regarding this debacle on her own, but it was a comfort to have someone help her through the early stages. She’d always been fairly solitary, but she’d never been so completely alone in the world before. She’d always lived with her father, and then, once he’d died, she had married and lived with her husband. It had only been a few months since she’d lost him in turn, and she wasn’t totally used to standing alone yet.

She had been doing pretty well up to now. In fact, she’d been surprised at how easily she’d made the transition from wife to widow, despite a lot of obstacles that had been thrown her way, even before this latest bombshell. In fact, she’d been pretty proud of herself and the way she was weathering the storm. But that was before she’d been hit with the news that her baby’s father was a stranger.

Her new friend didn’t say any more as they descended and made their way out of the building. She was glad of that. She didn’t feel like making small talk. She glanced over at him, met his jet-black gaze and felt a quick frisson of electricity shoot through her system.

She looked away immediately, blushing. That was very odd, she thought. She didn’t react that way to men. Never. Never ever. It had to be because of the strange circumstances…and the heightened emotions of the situation…and the fact that he had the most intense dark eyes she’d ever gazed into.

She tried to dismiss it from her mind and pretty much succeeded for a time. He took her arm again as they crossed the street, and she didn’t let it throw her. He seemed very large and very protective. She liked that. It would be such a luxury to be able to relax and let him take some of the worry off her shoulders. She knew she couldn’t do that—but the thought was certainly tempting.

“Do you always give your clients this sort of first-class service?” she murmured as they reached the curb.

“My clients?” he said absently, steering her toward the double doors. He threw a quizzical look her way, as though doing a quick scan to make sure she wasn’t going woozy on him. “You need to sit down and take it easy,” he told her, opening the door to let her in. “Then we’ll talk.”

The little French restaurant had frilly white curtains and dimly lit, individual booths. The waiters wore black suits and the maître d’ wore a tuxedo. The music was classical and very soft, the ambience peaceful and serene. Gayle loved the place immediately.

The maître d’ led them through the restaurant to a private section toward the back. Gayle slid into her side of the booth and sat back against the velveteen upholstery. The air was cool, the music sweet, the light filtered. She began to relax and, at the same time, felt her strength begin to return. She even felt strong enough to risk another look into her rescuer’s eyes. Looking across the table, she prepared herself, then smiled at him and was chagrinned to feel that tingle again. What was the matter with her, anyway?

She had to admit he was one of the most attractive men she’d ever met. She wondered fleetingly if she’d ever met him before, but she couldn’t place him. And it didn’t matter. He knew what had happened, it seemed, and he was ready to help her.

The waiter set a tall, frosted glass of something lime-green in front of her that Mr. Marin must have ordered when she wasn’t paying attention, and she took a sip, savoring its light, sherbety taste. She was definitely calming down. But the situation still seemed surreal.

“Feeling better?” Jack asked her.

She folded her hands before her on the white linen tablecloth and studied him for a long moment before answering. He was a classically handsome man and his dark eyes seemed warm and kind. He wore a crisp white shirt, open at the neck, with his shirt-sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. She could see that he was a strong man. His chest looked muscular, and so did his forearms.

He was the sort of man a woman could easily fall for, she decided. The sort of man a girl might fantasize making love to. She found her gaze dropping to explore the tanned chest exposed by his open shirt, and felt a hint of that electricity again.

Quickly, she looked away. But his image stayed in her mind. There was something about him, something with a hint of the wild and rugged, that didn’t fit with his being a lawyer. She could see him more as some sort of outdoorsman, scaling mountains rather than dominating courtrooms.

“I am feeling better,” she told him. “It was a shock to find out….” Her voice trailed off as she puther hands on her rounded belly. She couldn’t say it aloud yet. She was carrying a baby who was suddenly a bit of a stranger to her. Everything she had believed to be true about her child’s conception had been shattered. It was going to take some getting used to. “The question is, what do I do now?”

He shrugged his wide shoulders and narrowed his eyes, assessing her. “Sue them. You’ll make millions.”

She groaned. “Right. And the case will drag through the courts for years for the hope of a settlement that may never come to pass.”

He raised one dark eyebrow. “It sounds like you’ve already had that experience,” he noted.

She lifted her shoulders casually. She didn’t want to remember the people who had sued her after her father’s death, claiming he had swindled them. She’d been too young to deal with it all, and Hank, her father’s business partner, had stepped in and guided her through the legal maze at the time. She’d married him, partly in gratitude, and he’d taken care of everything… But she didn’t like to let her mind dwell on those days.

“Something close,” she said. “And I’ll never go through that again.” She paused as the waiter set a plate of cheese and crackers on the table, then she gave Jack a wavering smile. “I’m sorry Mr…. Marin, was it? You’ve been very kind, but I won’t be suing.”

She expected him to look disappointed, but instead, his gaze sharpened. “I don’t think you should make a firm decision about that until you’ve had some time to let this sink in.” He hesitated, his gaze dropping to what he could see of her belly. “Everything is going all right, isn’t it?”

“Oh yes. I’m fine. It’s been a relatively easy pregnancy, or so they tell me.” She said a quick, silent prayer of thanks for that. “I’m almost at seven months. It won’t be long now.”

His dark eyes were inscrutable. “Good. You’ve got a healthy little boy coming and I know you want to do everything you can to make sure he gets here in good shape.”

She stared at him, frowning. The man was a complete stranger. And yet he knew all about her situation, even the sex of the baby she was carrying.

It finally dawned on her that no one else but the doctors should know about what had happened. She’d been assuming he was a lawyer, but how had he known about her case? And why had he shown up out of the blue just when she was there? Now that she was thinking more clearly, she began to see that this wasn’t really making a lot of sense.

She wet her lips with her tongue and took a deep breath. “Mr. Marin…”

His dark eyes met hers. “Call me Jack.”

“Jack…I told you I’m not interested in suing.” She awaited his response, trying to get some answers from reading his face.

But that wasn’t easy. Instead of trying to talk her into reconsidering, he merely nodded. “I’m glad. I hate that kind of thing, too.”

She shook her head, perplexed. “But…aren’t you a lawyer?”

One dark eyebrow cocked in amusement. “A lawyer? No, whatever gave you that idea?”

She blinked at him, now totally at sea. “Who are you?”

His clear-eyed gaze held hers. “Why, Gayle, I thought you knew. I’m the father of your baby.”

Chapter Two

Gayle’s chest felt as though it would explode. Her hands clenched the edge of the table and she stared at Jack, aghast.

“What?” she said breathlessly, her eyes round as saucers. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I thought you understood, or I would have explained sooner.”

Her heart skipped a beat and then began to pound like a drum, shooting adrenaline through her system. She needed to escape—again. The phrase “Out of the frying pan, into the fire” came to mind. She reached for her purse and slid out of the booth. “Stay away from me,” she warned, glaring at the man. “Keep your distance.”

He was shaking his head as he gazed at her, and the look of sympathetic understanding was quickly replaced by an expression of cool exasperation. “I’m sorry, Gayle,” he said, just as calm and sure with her as he’d been with the doctors. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. You’re carrying something that belongs to me.”

She stood at the edge of the table, staring down at him. “What?” she said, outraged. “I…you have no right…”

“Oh yes, I do.” He gestured with a nod of his head. “Sit back down. We need to deal with this in a rational manner.”

Rational? What was rational about this impossible situation? She shook her head. “I’m going home,” she announced firmly, though she still hadn’t started away from the table. Something about the man was holding her here, even though he wasn’t touching her. “If you have anything to tell me, you can write me a letter.”

He sighed, his dark eyes clouding. “Calm down,” he told her. “You’re not going anywhere. I definitely can’t let you drive yourself home when you’re so upset.”

She blinked, clutching her purse to her chest. “Let me? What possible business is it of yours?”

“It is very much my business. You’re carrying my child. I don’t want that baby hurt.” He made a gesture of forbearance and gave her a hard look. “If you insist on passing up the great food this place has to offer, I’m going to have to do the same, and drive you home myself.”

She stared at him as he unfolded his long, muscular frame and stood before her. Gayle was tall for a woman, but she only came up to his shoulder. He started to reach out to take her arm, but she jerked away, and the look in her eyes seemed to stop him from trying again. He looked down at her with a half smile, more bemused than angry.

“Gayle, we are going to talk this through. We can either do it at your house or we can do it here. Since you hardly know me, I would think you would prefer it in a public place.” He shrugged. “But the location is up to you. You choose.”

Something visceral told her to believe everything he said. She wasn’t used to dealing with this sort of man. Her father had been a lovable teddy bear who would shower his daughter with presents—even if it often was to make up for having left her alone so much. Her husband had been hesitant and diffident, willing to let her take the lead in most choices and judgments.

But this man, this Jack Marin, was a different breed entirely. She could see that he was tough, that he was used to making decisions swiftly and following through on threats. She searched his ebony eyes and couldn’t find any hint of uncertainty. If she didn’t let him drive her, he would follow her home. She knew that as well as if he’d told her so. He wanted to discuss this issue between them, and it was going to be discussed. Simple as that.

Slowly, she sank back down into her seat at the table. She wasn’t about to give in to anything he wanted. But for now, she was going to play along and see just exactly what his demands were going to be.

“All right,” she said evenly, lifting her chin. “Let’s talk.”

Jack slid back into his own seat and looked across the table at her, doing a quick reassessment of his situation. He knew what he wanted. He wanted his son. That was as important to him as anything had ever been. Ordinarily, he was used to making things happen the way he wanted them to. But in this instance, he didn’t have the control he would have liked. What he yearned for was inside the body of another human being. That made it tricky.

He watched her, studied her, glad that she was easy on the eyes. Then he looked away quickly when he realized what he was doing. He wondered if she’d noticed. But he couldn’t help it. This was the mother of his son. He wanted to become familiar with every detail.

He liked her lustrous auburn hair. And her wide blue eyes. And the dimple that had disappeared now that she wasn’t smiling any longer. He wanted to ask her about her family background, about illnesses, talents, foibles. What was her father like? Any insanity in her family? Curly hair? Twins? Musical ability? All the questions inside him he would have to hold back for now. If he pushed too hard, she would only retreat again. He had to play this just right.

It seemed it was going to take skill and tenacity to end up with what he wanted. This elegantly tall and graceful woman sitting across from him was no pushover. There was spirit in those azure eyes and evidence of a certain fire in the set of her lush, beautiful mouth. But he’d dealt with women before. He could handle her, too.

The advantage he figured he had was that he knew from experience women were not to be trusted. As far as he was concerned, it went right back to Adam and Eve, and it was the same story over and over again. The woman held out temptation, the gullible man reached for it and she casually cut him off at the knees. It was a pattern that had been repeated often in his own family. His mother had put his father through hell, then left him. Not having learned from example, Jack himself had married the girl of his dreams, he’d thought, only to be plummeted by the reality—a woman who promised everything and left him with less than nothing. He’d finally wised up, when it was too late. But that wouldn’t ever happen to him again. He would make sure of that.

There were relationships in this world that truly mattered to him. He even had a sister whom he adored. But they were the exceptions. He’d found that most women had to be watched every moment. They were like Siamese cats, sleek and beautiful—and ready to sell you out for a better offer at any time. You had to watch your back.

“I don’t bite,” he told Gayle after they had sat in silence for a good two or three minutes. “At least, not until I get to know a woman better.”

She glared at him, just to let him know she didn’t appreciate his jokes at a time like this, and he grinned back at her.

“Hey, we’re both in this together,” he said, his dark eyes sparkling with a brittle light. “Why are you looking at me like I’m the enemy?”

She held his gaze. Funny how his smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes any longer. “You’ve got to admit, you’re the closest thing to an enemy I’ve got,” she said evenly. “I was living my life very peacefully when you intruded.”

He studied her face. “Would you rather not have known what happened?”

She thought for a moment, considering. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She fidgeted with her fork, then looked up at him again. “Just exactly what is it that you want?” she asked bravely, though she was completely terrified of the answer she was sure he would give.

He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he began working with the cheese and crackers, and said, “I didn’t plan to have things turn out this way. This was no more in my game plan than it was in yours. I contracted for a service, nothing more.” He put down the cheese knife and looked into her eyes, his own hard as stones. “The outcome is what is important to me. I intend to end up with my son. That’s all.”

She suddenly felt short of breath. She’d known this, of course. It had been obvious from the moment he’d told her who he was. But she couldn’t accept it. The thought that he could even imagine she might consider letting him have her baby… She would never give up her child. Didn’t he know that? Couldn’t he guess? Looking toward the exit, she longed to get away.

“Bottom line,” he said almost too softly, “is that you’ve got something we both want.”

She swallowed hard and looked away again, avoiding his gaze. He was right. She did have something they both wanted. And yet, at the moment, she wasn’t sure what she really had.

This was no longer the little boy she had imagined. There was no chance now that he would have Hank’s gray eyes, or his offbeat sense of humor, or his slender build. The father of her child was entirely different now. He would have bits and pieces of the large, strong, arrogant man across from her. Would that have any effect on how she felt about the baby? She didn’t think so…but how could she know for sure at this point?

Her hands went to her belly again, fingers spread as though to sense any new vibrations. She felt a small movement, then a definite kick against one palm. And a warm wave of such overwhelming love swept through her that she almost had to smile. No, it made no difference. She would love her son no matter what he looked like, what his personality turned out to be. How could a woman carry a baby for nine months and not love it? A feeling of peace came over her. She knew what the outcome of this problem would be. Now all she had to do was find a way to get this man to accept it.

“This is really pointless,” she told him simply. “I’ll never give up my baby. I don’t care what kind of contract you have. That’s between you and the lab. It has nothing to do with me.”

He merely gave her one of those smiles that left his eyes cool and confident. “Would you like another sherbet drink?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. Plying me with fancy drinks won’t help change my mind, you know.”

She sighed. He wasn’t going to get what he wanted, but he was going to make her fight for every inch, that was clear. He wanted a son. But he hadn’t said anything about a wife, or asked what she wanted. Gayle had a sudden premonition. If there was a wife involved, he would have mentioned her by now. What if there wasn’t a wife?

“Are you married?” she asked abruptly.

A look of pure challenge flashed in his dark eyes. “No,” he said at last, reluctantly.

That was what she’d thought. What a mystery this man was. Still, she had to admit he was awfully good-looking. Despite the antagonism between them, she felt a strong pull of attraction. She remembered the feeling she’d had when her gaze had met his in the elevator, and she knew that electricity was simmering just below the surface even now. If she dropped her guard, she would feel it again. There was something masculine in him that she couldn’t help but respond to. But she had to remember that he was the enemy.

She studied him from under her lashes. His dark hair was cut fairly short, as though he was trying to tame a tendency toward crisp curls that she could detect along his neckline. His profile was strong, and his dark eyes were deep and gorgeous. But the feature that struck her most strongly was his mouth. He had the sexiest mouth she’d ever seen. It looked like it had been created just for kissing. The thought of kissing it sent a sudden surge of sensation through her and she dropped her gaze quickly, willing herself not to blush. That would be a sign of weakness she couldn’t risk.

She finally glanced back into his eyes and congratulated herself on how cool and calm she’d managed to be. “Why don’t you explain just exactly what you want with a child when you have no wife to help you raise him?” she demanded.

His expression was guarded. “I will explain that to you. But not yet.” He waited a moment as the waiter refilled their water glasses. “We need to get to know each other first.”

He made this sound like a long-term relationship. She had no intention of letting it go any longer than this day, this meal. “And how do you propose we go about doing that?” she asked impatiently.

He looked very sure of himself. “We’ll eat a meal. Look at each other across the table. Talk about this and that.” He let a glint of humor appear in his gaze. “Give each other a smile now and then.”

So that was it. Her mouth turned down in a cynical frown. “You’re counting on your charm to bowl me over, aren’t you?”

He laughed, and it lit up his dark face. “No, Gayle. I have a feeling it would take more than my charm to bowl you over.” His smile faded. “I’m counting on facts and logic.”

Facts and logic. Facts and logic!

“You know, this whole thing is still very unreal and very scary to me,” she said after the waiter took their order and walked away. “Just a few hours ago I was carrying my husband’s child. And now…” Her voice wavered and trailed off as a surge of emotion surprised her.

He cleared his throat. “I heard about what happened to your husband. I’m very sorry.”

“Are you?”

He frowned at the question. “Yes. Of course.”

She took a deep breath and continued. “I thought I still had a piece of my husband—” Her voice broke and she shook her head, annoyed with herself. The one thing she didn’t want to do was to cry in front of him. But she couldn’t stop herself from adding softly, “Now I don’t have anything.”

He stared at her and had to admit she was getting to him. He saw her huge eyes brim with sparkling tears, then watched as she forced them back. He felt like he should do something. But what? Take her in his arms? That had a certain appeal, but he didn’t think it would be appropriate at this point. His ex-wife had used the tears ploy so often he’d actually grown hardened to it. But Gayle was either a very good actress or she really was upset.

Abruptly, he felt contrite. Hell, the woman had lost her husband, and now she was facing the prospect of losing her baby. Of course she was upset. What was he thinking? Maybe he should…well, reach out and take her hand, at least. He looked at it, lying on the table, the fingers long and delicate, the nails rounded and silvery-pink. And suddenly he wanted to hold it, wanted to comfort her. He started to reach out, but at the same moment, she put her hand in her lap.

“I am really very sorry for your loss,” he said instead, after giving her a moment to compose herself.

When her gaze met his again, her eyes were clear. “Thank you,” she said calmly.

He felt a sense of relief. She was okay. She wasn’t going to break down. He was glad of that, not wanting to go soft on her. He had to keep his mind on what this was all about. She was very pretty, and seemed actually to be a very nice person. He liked her spirit, liked the way she smoothed back her beautiful mahogany hair and set her full lips, as though she was making up her mind to do something that was difficult for her. Under any other circumstances, he might even be attracted to her. Except that—hell, how could he forget?—she was seven months pregnant. Funny how he seemed to lose sight of that when he looked at her. He’d never been attracted to a pregnant woman before. He wasn’t sure that he liked it.

“This is hard on you right now,” he said gruffly. “And I’m sorry for that. But we don’t have the luxury of a lot of time. We’ve got a baby coming and we have to get things settled. Because…you see, what you do have is…part of me.”

Her eyes widened and he added quickly, “I know that isn’t what you want. But it’s the truth. And you know, if you think about it, that should make this so much simpler for you.”

“Simpler? How?”

“The baby you’re carrying isn’t what you wanted any longer. But it is exactly what I want.” He saw the shock in her eyes and he added, “I’m sure you’ll marry again. There will be other chances for you to have…well, another baby.” And he watched for her response, hoping to see if his arguments were making any sort of dent in her resolve.

She was pale and looked furious. There, you see? he thought with resignation. Logic and facts never seem to go over very well with women. Go figure.

“You’re suggesting I resign myself to having another baby?” she echoed, the outrage flashing in her eyes. Looking at Jack, she forced herself to hold back her anger and make conversation instead of blowing up at him. “What do you do for a living?” she asked shortly.

“I’m a geologist,” he responded. “How about you?”

“I’m a Web designer,” she said absently. “But I’m unemployed right now.” She looked at him. “How about a short biographical sketch?”

“Why not?” he said, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. “I was born on the family ranch in Santa Ynez, a ranch my father still works today. It was originally a Spanish land grant, established in 1820. A lot of Marins have come down the pike since then, a lot have worked that ranch.” He threw her a direct look. “Seven generations of Marins have lived in the Santa Ynez Valley. I plan to make it eight.”

He went on as their food was served and they began to eat, talking about growing up on the ranch, about his rebellious decision to go into geology instead of ranching, his father’s anger at his choice. He gave her a sketchy picture of his failed marriage and let her know he had no intention of repeating a mistake like that ever again.

She listened quietly, completely forgetting her anger. She ate sporadically from her salad and sipped her iced tea, but she didn’t taste a thing. His words were simple, but she was touched by the raw yearning she thought she could hear in them.

When he finished, she gave him a short version of her own life, how she’d been raised in Alaska and had married her father’s best friend and business partner right after her father’s death. How they had moved to California and she’d gone to technical school rather than college and learned computer programming and Web design. How her husband’s health had failed right when they had finally succeeded in conceiving a child. Or thought they had.

And all the time, she was wondering how any woman could have left a man like this. But of course, there had to be things about him that she didn’t have a clue about. And maybe she was being a sucker, falling for his sad tale. Maybe. All she knew was, if she’d had a chance at a man like Jack when she was younger, she’d have leaped tall buildings to get at it. Or climbed tall mountains, considering she’d been in Alaska. She’d married so young, and after such an isolated life, she’d never had a chance to do any dating. And later, even though she’d met many more men at work, she’d never felt comfortable with the sort of flirting other women seemed to fall into naturally with any attractive man. She was a married woman, after all.

Then she it hit her; she wasn’t married at all, not anymore.

Chapter Three

Gayle took a long, cool drink of water and cleared her throat. There didn’t seem to be anything left to say. Jack seemed to feel it, too. This conversation had run its course for now.

He paid the bill and they both rose to leave. As they walked out, he put a hand gently behind her neck to lead her to the street. She jumped when she first felt his touch, but he didn’t withdraw his hand and so she didn’t say anything. Still, it was definitely disturbing, making her skin so sensitive she had to consciously ignore it to keep from reacting, and she was relieved when he let her go once on the sidewalk.

“Where are you parked?” he asked. She told him and they started toward the parking structure.

“I don’t really need an escort,” she told him lightly. “I’ve been getting my car from parking lots for a long time now. Haven’t had a problem yet.”

He smiled but didn’t say anything, and kept right on walking with her. They had to go past a row of pink oleanders and through the old Spanish plaza with its worn bricks and colorful tile. There was a bench in front of a fountain ahead, the cascading water sparkling silvery in the sunlight. He watched her for a moment. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to let her go just yet. He told himself it was because they still hadn’t settled anything and they still needed to talk, but he knew it was more than that.

“Gayle, wait a moment.” He took her arm, stopping her. “Come sit with me over there on that bench. We still have a few things to talk about.”

She stared into his eyes for a moment, and he knew she wanted to go, wanted to get away from him. He couldn’t blame her. He’d completely disrupted her life. To her, he was nothing but a problem that she wished would evaporate. He was going to have to convince her that he was not going to disappear from the scene anytime soon.

Finally she nodded and started toward the bench. He came with her, reaching out with his handkerchief to sweep off the leaves before letting her seat herself. She brushed by him as she did so, her hair floating behind her and leaving her scent in the air. He took a deep breath, wanting more of it. She smelled like flowers, like sunshine and happiness. As he sat down beside her, he had to resist the impulse to touch her hair.

She turned to look at him and her eyes were saying, “Make this quick, mister, I want to get going.”

He grimaced. “Gayle, you’re going to have to realize, whether you like it or not, we’re tied together.”

She swallowed. “I…I’m not sure I know what you mean,” she said faintly.

“You have a part of me inside you. I want it back.”

Her eyes hardened and she faced him with her head held high. “But the only way for you to get it back is to take part of me,” she said boldly. “And I won’t give it up.”

He searched her eyes. She wasn’t going to yield. He had to admire her for that. But it didn’t help his cause.

She saw the consternation in his eyes and impulsively, reached out to touch his arm. “Believe me, if there was anything I could do to make this right for you, I would.” She shook her head. “But don’t you see? You can’t ask me to give up my baby. That just isn’t going to happen.”

She was prepared to accept anger from him, or bitterness, or even frustrated rage. But instead he smiled. And then he reached out and gently touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers, while his dark gaze slowly scanned her features.

Suddenly her heart was thumping in her chest, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he completely discounted the strength of her will, or because a very attractive man was touching her. Either way, she knew she was in trouble.

But he was already drawing back, reaching into his pocket. “Here’s my home phone number,” he said, jotting it down on the back of one of his business cards. “And my address.” He handed her the card. “Let me have your number.”

“Why?” she asked suspiciously.

“So I can harass you with crank calls from dusk till dawn,” he said, giving her a look of pure exasperation. “Come on, Gayle. I need your number.”

Sighing, she wrote down her number on another of his cards.

“There,” she said, handing it over. “See how I trust you?”

A faint smile played with the corners of his mouth as he pocketed the card. “Trust is a precious thing,” he said. “Precious and rare.”

For the first time, she recognized the streak of bitterness in him, the source of the wary distrust that so often filled his eyes even when his lips were smiling. She wondered if his ex-wife had turned him into such a hard man, or if it was a trait he’d always had.

“Why did you decide to have the artificial insemination?” Jack asked her suddenly.

She looked at him, startled. The question seemed too blunt, too personal.

“Why did you?” she countered.

He hesitated. “I wanted a son,” he said at last. “And I didn’t want another wife.”

She opened her mouth to ask more, but he was already shaking his head. “I told you I would explain it all to you at some point, but I don’t want to go into detail right now.” He raised one eyebrow. “Your turn.”

She took a deep breath. “We decided on artificial insemination for the usual reason. We tried the routine way. It didn’t work.” And she set her lips. If he could withhold details, so could she.

But he wasn’t asking for any. “So you thought you’d let professionals handle it,” he commented casually, sitting back with his elbows hanging over the back of the bench, looking at the fountain. His legs were stretched out in front of him, the wool fabric of his slacks pulled taut by the muscles of his thighs.

Gayle noticed, then silently scolded herself for noticing.

“How did you get the name of these clowns across the street?” he asked.

“Through work. We have a health representative who does referrals.” She sighed. “They came very well recommended.”

He nodded. “I researched the field extensively before I decided upon that clinic. They have a very good reputation.” He gazed at her speculatively. “But I thought you said you were unemployed.”

“Laid off.” She pushed her hair back behind her ear. She didn’t want to think about that. She had enough problems on her plate right now. “Just recently.”

“Sorry. But you would have had to quit, anyway. The baby…”

“I also have to eat,” she said crisply. This situation wasn’t like it had been when her father died and the debts were piled to the ceiling. Still, she didn’t have a lot in savings. She had been planning to spend this afternoon job hunting, but that window of opportunity was fast closing. “I’m signed up with Top Techs, a temporary employment agency, but they haven’t called me with anything yet. I’m going to have to find something soon, though.”

“Listen,” he said, turning toward her on the bench. “I can help you. Money is no object. Just—”

“No!” She stared at him as though he’d suggested something horrible. “Never. I will not take money from you.”

“Gayle, I’m the baby’s father.”

She wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears. “How do I know that? I don’t have any proof that anything you’ve said about all this is true. For all I know, you made it up.”

“You can check with the clinic. They’ll have to let you see the documentation. Your husband’s sample was accidentally destroyed and mine was taken out of turn. You’ll be convinced. I was.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he turned toward her and gazed into her eyes. “You know something? I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and your husband. But for me, I have to admit, things have worked out pretty well.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You. I think you’re just about what I would have ordered up as a mother for my child, if you had been in the mix when I had to make a choice.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he went on anyway. “You’re smart, courageous, compassionate.” His eyes darkened. “And you’re very beautiful.”

She gasped. “Beautiful?” He hadn’t said it as a casual compliment. He’d said it with conviction, as though he really meant it. Just the way he’d said it made her tremble inside.

“Yes. Beautiful.” He took a strand of her hair and curled it around his forefinger, and the way he moved as he did so, slowly, provocatively, left her breathless. “Hasn’t anyone ever called you beautiful before?”

“Never,” she whispered. And it was true.

“What? Didn’t your husband speak English?”

She felt she had to defend him. “He…well, he wasn’t very verbal about things like that.” Hank had never been very romantic. He’d loved her. He’d put her on a pedestal. But he hadn’t wanted to touch her very often.

She knew without having to analyze it that Jack would have been a very different husband. She barely knew him and already she sensed he could be a passionate lover. Her heart was beating a wild dance in her chest. He was too close. She could feel the heat from his body. And his fingers tugging on her hair made her think of things she shouldn’t be thinking.

“Gayle,” he said softly, “you’re an exceptionally beautiful woman. And what’s more, even though you’re seven months pregnant, you’re sexy as hell.”

She felt as though she were drowning in his dark eyes. He was going to kiss her. Oh, she hoped so! She held her breath, waiting for his mouth to cover hers. She wanted to feel his lips so badly, she thought she would die without it.

But luckily that was a delusion, because he didn’t kiss her at all. For just a moment, his gaze devoured hers, and he came ever closer. She waited, heart beating like a drum. But after a few excruciating seconds, he drew back and suddenly was acting as though nothing had happened.

“Anyway,” he said casually, looking away, “the point is, we’ve got a mutual interest here. We both want you to have a calm, happy pregnancy. We both want our baby to be as healthy as possible. Agreed?”

Our baby. The words shocked her back to reality. She looked at him, wondering if she’d imagined everything that had happened in the last few moments. He didn’t seem to think a thing of it. A flash of anger spiked through her, but she would die before she’d let him see how disappointed she was. “Yes,” she said faintly. “Now I’ve got to get home….”

“All right,” he said agreeably. “It is getting late.”

They rose and he walked with her into the parking structure at the edge of the plaza. She avoided looking at him. She was going to go home and forget she’d ever met him! If only she could…

“There’s my car,” she said, pointing out her elderly blue compact as they approached it.

Jack frowned. “Are you sure this thing is safe?” he asked, running his finger over the faded hood.

“It’s fine,” she told him, unlocking the door. “I’ve had it for years.”

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he watched her get into the car. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said grumpily. “Cars only have so many miles to give, you know. This one looks like it’s about hit its limit.”

He was worried about the baby, she knew. She gave him a patient look and started her engine, rolling down her window so that she could say goodbye. He bent down, leaning his hand on her car door.

“Have you named him?” he asked softly.

Her hand went protectively to her rounded belly. It felt odd to answer his question. She’d never told anyone other than Hank. “Yes,” she said. “His name is going to be Michael.”

“Michael,” he said, pronouncing it slowly, rolling the name on his tongue as though to savor it. “I like that.”

So glad you approve, she wanted to say, spiced with plenty of sarcasm. But she bit back the retort and found herself saying instead, “I call him Mikey right now.”

Jack grinned, and she frowned, wishing she’d kept that to herself. He rose from his position against the door and she put the car in reverse.

“Thank you for lunch,” she said formally, backing out of her parking space. “Talk to you soon.”

“You can bet on it,” he told her, standing with his hands in his pockets and watching her from under dark brows.

With a wave of her hand, she drove off and left him gazing after her.

There was still part of the afternoon left, but it was useless trying to get anything done. Gayle couldn’t bend over well enough to work on her gardening. She couldn’t read or listen to music or watch television. Her mind was stuck in overdrive, thinking about nothing but the situation she’d found herself thrust into. And the baby seemed to be running on a treadmill. She’d never known him to be so active.

In the evening, she thought of calling Chareen Wolf, her one good friend who had children. She’d been talking to Chareen a lot over the last few months. Gayle’d often needed advice and some morale boosting. Chareen’s blunt attitude struck just the right note for her. Yes, she would call Chareen, tell her about what had happened, get her down-to-earth advice. She went to the phone with a feeling of relief, dialing quickly. But no one answered the telephone, and then she remembered that Chareen was out of town on a business trip.

Suddenly Gayle felt even more isolated than she had before. There was no one she could call, no one she could talk to. Her other friends had never been pregnant. Only one of them was even married. They really couldn’t understand what she was going through. She had no one she could tell about what had happened, about the situation she was in…about Jack Marin and his powerful effect on her. She had never felt so alone.

She was dealing with so many things that she felt like a swimmer going down for the third time. Besides the issues with the baby, there was something else. Why had she reacted so strongly to the man? Why had she wanted him to kiss her?

Because she had wanted exactly that. She wanted it now, when she thought about him, about his handsome face, his strong mouth. It was as though she’d found out something she hadn’t known about before, as though she’d awakened to a need that had been slumbering inside her all these years. She’d never had real passion with a man.

But even thinking about it felt wrong. After all, she was beyond that, wasn’t she? She’d been married. She was pregnant. This wasn’t the right time. And Jack Marin definitely wasn’t the right man.

She sat in the living room for the next hour and flipped through a magazine, but a new thought was tormenting her like a pesky fly. Was this the way it was going to be? Was she really going to be alone with every decision, every new worry about her baby once he was born? She had no family to fall back on. She couldn’t bother Chareen all the time. As the night got later, her mood grew darker, and she began to see the future as a deep, black emptiness yawning before her, filled with demands and decisions.

The only thing she could think of to lift her spirits was to call someone. Maybe Kyra Symington was home. Gayle called the number her friend shared with her new husband, but she only got the answering machine. She tried Ann Marie Hope’s, and then Tracy Martin’s, with the same result. She began to wonder if all her friends had gone somewhere together, forgetting all about her.

Suddenly the phone rang while her hand was still on the receiver, making her jump. Quickly she answered, grateful for the promise of human contact.

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

It was him. She knew his voice immediately, and for some crazy reason, her pulse began to race.

“Hi,” she said. “Is something wrong?”

“No. I just wanted to check if this number was correct.”

There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. “Why would I give you a wrong number?” she asked, feeling a bit defensive.

“To avoid hearing from me?”

She hesitated, still not sure if he were goading her or laughing.

“How are you feeling?” he asked casually, before she had time to think of something to say.

It would be nice to think he cared about her, but she knew he only cared about the baby. And she couldn’t blame him. It was only natural and logical. Still…

“Fine,” she said, but again she knew she sounded defensive. And she really didn’t mean to.

“Good.” He paused, then continued. “I’d like to see you tomorrow.”

She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see that. “No, impossible. I’m busy tomorrow.”

“All day?”

“Well…” The truth was, she was only hoping to be busy. “I told you, I’ve signed up with Top Techs. I’m expecting a call first thing in the morning, and then I’ll be working all day.”

“Top Techs, huh?” His voice sounded ironic, but perhaps that was just her being overly sensitive. “They’re a good agency. I’ve used them in the past.”

“How interesting.” There wasn’t anything else to say, was there? She tensed, hoping he wasn’t going to start in again on how she should give up her baby to him. But he didn’t do that.

“Okay,” he said. “I just want to let you know I’m here if you need me. Really. Any time of day or night. I will make sure you can always get hold of me.”

For the baby’s sake, of course. “I’m not sure if I feel comforted or threatened by that,” she said dryly, then immediately regretted sounding churlish. After all, he was being very nice. And that was a good thing, even if it was for an ulterior motive.

He was silent so long, she wondered if he’d hung up and she’d missed it. “Gayle,” he said at last. “Are you sure you’re okay?’

She sighed. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine. It’s just…well, it’s been a rough day.”

He was silent for another minute, then he said, “Gayle, I’ve got a question for you.”

Her fingers tightened on the receiver. “What’s that?” she asked him, trying not to let him hear the apprehension in her voice.

“How do you know when an elephant’s been in your refrigerator?”

She blinked. “What?”

“You can see the footprint on your pizza,” he said, his voice impassively earnest. “How can you tell that an elephant’s getting ready to charge?”

She shook her head in wonder. “Jack…”

“Your first clue is when he takes out his credit card.”

Jokes. He was telling elephant jokes. She gaped in astonishment.

“What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephant working in the coffee bar?”

He didn’t wait for her to answer. Putting on a gruff voice, he said, “I didn’t know the hippo had sold the place.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. She put her hand over her mouth to try to mask it, but she was laughing nonetheless.

“You smiling yet?” he asked her. “Or do I need to torture you some more?”

“I’m smiling,” she admitted, and the laughter was still in her voice.

“Good,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”

“All right.”

She hung up and stared at the telephone. His strategy had worked, she realized. There was a sense of warmth where a few moments before there had only been emptiness.

“He’s just trying to charm me into doing things his way,” she reminded herself out loud. But it didn’t dim the warmth. Still smiling, she went to bed. She needed rest. Tomorrow she would be starting a new job, if there was any luck left in the world. And once she had that foundation of security, she would feel stronger. Maybe even strong enough to tell Jack Marin that he had to stay out of her life.

Chapter Four

“Oh Mikey, baby, please. Not now.”

Wincing, Gayle gently patted the bulge where her baby was stretching his legs. She was sitting stiffly at the computer in a glass-enclosed room on the third floor of Earth Matters, Incorporated, trying to get a feel for the job Top Techs had sent her on. They hadn’t given her much to go on, but the firm seemed to be involved in environmental impact research or something close to it. There were about twenty employees, including three software engineers and a pool of five secretaries. The rest were mainly scientists and lab workers. The building was beautifully landscaped and modern, of dark brick and tinted glass. The people she’d met so far were perfectly nice and friendly, and the entire situation seemed promising, but it was always a little nerve-wracking getting used to a new job.

Top Techs had called her first thing in the morning and given her the information about this temporary opening, and she’d hurried over after a quick breakfast. Rio de Oro wasn’t a very large town and there weren’t likely to be too many temporary opportunities for the sort of work she did, so she had jumped at it. Phyllis Vernon, a warm older woman who was head of human resources for the company, had greeted her and showed her to the office she would be using.

“The boss wants to meet with you at ten-thirty. I’ll show you to his office then.” She glanced at her watch. “Can I get you anything? Do you have everything you need to get started?”

Gayle nodded. “I’ll go over some of your most recent pamphlets to get a feel for what you value most in your work here—the sort of image you’re trying to project. Then I can get some input from Mr….” She frowned, realizing she didn’t know the boss’s name, but Phyllis had already taken off in a new direction.

“The biggest thing on our agenda right now is the contract we’re bidding on with TriTerraCorp. If we get that, we’ll be secure for a good two years.”

“TriTerraCorp?” Gayle said brightly. “I used to work there.”

“No kidding? I hear they are a great place to work.”

Gayle nodded. “They are. A lot of deadline pressure, but the people are great… So, what’s he like?” she asked.

“The boss?” Phyllis shrugged, then grinned. “He’s a sweetie. You’ll like him.” She started out the door, then had a thought and looked back in. “He may seem a little goofy at first. He’s into elephant jokes this week. But if you can get beyond that, he’s super. I’ll come back to get you at ten-thirty and take you to meet the big guy.”

And she disappeared into the hallway.

Gayle sat very still, staring after her. Elephant jokes? No. It couldn’t be.

But she knew right away that it was, and her heart started to thump loudly in her chest.

“Jack Marin.” She said the name with involuntary acidity. Grabbing one of the company pamphlets, she flipped it open and searched the title page. There it was: Jack Marin, company president. “Oh!”

She sat very still, a feeling of doom settling over her. She knew this was no coincidence. Jack had planned this and pulled it off at a few hours notice. He’d contacted the temp agency and set it up. He probably knew people there, just as he knew people at the fertility lab. And whom did she know? She bit her lip. No one much. Suddenly she felt very vulnerable.

She rose unsteadily, feeling slightly dizzy. She was going to leave before Jack found out she knew about his trap. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and started for the lobby.

“Hey,” said a voice from down the hall. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She didn’t have to turn to know who it was, but she did anyway. She spun and glared at Jack as he came strolling toward her, looking very sure of himself.

“Home,” she said defiantly as he came to a stop a few feet from her. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but think that spurning him and his job would be much easier if he weren’t so handsome, standing there in his crisp tan suit with a smile that reminded her of a certain cocky film star. She set her jaw and put more effort into it. “This won’t work, Jack.” Turning on her heel, she set off toward the glass doorway to the parking lot. “I need a real job,” she called back over her shoulder.

He managed to beat her to the corner, blocking her way. “And I need a real Web designer. We’re a perfect match.”

She took another look at that devastating smile and suddenly felt paralyzed. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re not. I’m not…” She looked toward the glass door, but it was no use. Her knees were buckling and her head was spinning.

“Gayle!”

He caught her in his arms before she fell, looking down into her face with real concern. She blinked up at him. The room was still slightly askew.

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