The Plan (The Hillers of Barratt County #4)

Chapter 12

12

Okay. That wasn’t exactly how Ronnie had expected him to tell his parents. A little more finesse, subtlety, you know, some sort of lead up to the big reveal. But no, George just stood up and said it.

Of course, she had almost fainted at the man’s father’s feet, but…

His mother was still patting Ronnie’s hand, telling her to just stay still for a moment. That the dizziness would go away after a moment. She’d had eight pregnancies, so she knew. And if Ronnie had any questions, or needed her for anything, she would be right there. All Ronnie needed to do was call her. Instantly.

Ronnie resisted the urge to cling to the woman’s hand as George’s brothers just sat there, and waited for someone else to say something.

Well, his sisters were all chattering. They were excited. Little Genny was telling Ronnie that George wasn’t all that bad. Not really. That he could probably be trained okay before the baby came. His family would help train him—at least, his sisters would. That he already knew how to change diapers because they had had Greer to practice on when George was almost nineteen, so George knew the basics of what to do and everything.

Finally, George loaded her back into his truck and was ferrying her home.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Your family is… weird.” Not that she meant to be insulting or anything. But they didn’t match what she had expected.

“How so?”

“No one was angry.”

“Why would they be?”

Ronnie was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. I… still have to tell my family.”

“I’ll go with you when you do.”

“Like we’re together, or something? I’m not certain that’s a great idea.” She could just imagine what her own mother was going to say. If she even cared at all, actually. But her brothers… “My brothers will probably want to kick your rear end, just so you know.”

“I think I’ll be okay. I’ll just get Gene, Guthrie, and Grady to back me up.”

“What about the fourth?”

“He’s a minister. Gunn doesn’t ever resort to violence.”

“You have a brother named Gunn who is a pacifist? Do you see the irony in that?”

“I do. Three of my brothers have historical family last names as their first names—including Gunn. Drives him nuts, actually. But… once you get to know him, you’ll understand. He’s probably the nicest person on the planet. Annoying, really. No one could ever quite measure up to Gunn when it comes to likability.”

Gunn had wanted to help her down the steps. He was so cute. She could see where he was a nice man. She was going to introduce him to Becky first chance she had, too. “I did like your family. They are just… very different… from mine.”

“Your family isn’t nice?”

“Nice doesn’t really describe my brothers. Intense, mostly. And overprotective of me and Becky.” And that did not bode well for George’s survivability. “I don’t know what to tell them.”

“I’m going to tell them the truth, sweetheart. I adore their sister, and will never do anything to hurt her ever again. If I do, they can beat me to a pulp.”

“Adore me? Yeah, right. You just have that whole ‘right thing to do’ thing going on. You can’t pull one over on me. I know you well, after all, Georgiano Maxwell.”

He pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. “We’re here. I’m going to walk you inside. I hope you’ll let me come in for a little while.”

“We need to talk.” She was wise to the man next to her. Best to just get it out there. “But you are going to keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll clobber you. Got me?”

“Two kisses, and then I’ll be a good boy. I want two damned good kisses before I go. Then, I’ll keep my hands to myself. Otherwise, I’m going to try to seduce you. And I’m relentless. You have haunted me in my dreams for twelve weeks and four days.”

The man was definitely relentless. She’d give him that.

Somehow, she found herself unlocking her apartment door and letting the man follow her inside. He dwarfed her little one-bedroom apartment, no denying that. Not just because he was tall and strong, but it was his presence.

People would notice George Hiller. Always. Hard to miss that. She closed the door and turned to the father of her child. “Ok, so… what exactly is it you are going to want from me?”

Well, that was a loaded question, wasn’t it?

“For a start—my first kiss. I want it now.”

And then his hands were around her waist and he was pulling her closer. Ronnie didn’t resist, not even one teeny tiny second.

She was pitiful, wasn’t she?

His hands tightened, she was pulled closer, until they were chest to chest. Then he had her, right there, where she was never going to get away. Heaven help her, she didn’t think she’d ever get away again.

“Veronica…” he practically breathed her name in a way no man ever had before. In a way that just melted her straight down to the bottom of her soul. His thumb brushed her bottom lip, sending sensation coursing through her entire body. Damn him.

He knew just how to seduce her. To get exactly what he wanted. And she was a weak, weak woman here.

“I’m going to kiss you now, sweetheart…”

His mouth covered hers. Ronnie didn’t even think to pull away.

So much for resistance.

She just didn’t have any where this man was concerned. Wasn’t that at the root of her current predicament?

Hell, Ronnie just kissed him right back.

For the first time in twelve weeks and four days his world felt like it was right again. George pulled his woman closer and just wished this moment could last forever.

But strategy was what would matter most with this woman.

He had to seduce her like he’d never seduced a woman before in his life. He had to convince her he wanted her and not just the baby, somehow.

He did want her. More than he had ever wanted a woman before. But there was no way she’d believe him right now. He pulled back. “You do something to me, Veronica Lake. Like no woman ever has before.”

“Sure I do,” she said in a breathy little whisper that had his stomach tightening with instant lust.

She’d sounded exactly like that when he’d had her over his desk. He lived for the moment he got her back into that position. Until he showed her what she truly did to him.

“You’re just trying to trick me so I’ll go along with your man-plans. You think you are going to plant me right there in that big old house of yours so your conscience can say that you did the right thing by your baby.”

George dropped his hand to her stomach. A rush of possession filled him.

His woman. His child.

Life didn’t get much more elemental than that. “So what if us being together is the right thing by the baby? That doesn’t mean it damned well isn’t the right thing for us, too. I’d told myself that you deserved a different man. A younger one. I’m almost ten damned years older than you, Veronica. You’ve not even had time to figure out what life is yet, and now here I am. I get that. I get that you deserve so much better. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let you go. These past twelve weeks have been literal hell. I can’t eat, I can’t think, I can’t sleep, I can’t work. Not without you there. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

She just looked up at him, those big eyes of hers wide and innocent.

Hell. He couldn’t take it much longer. “Just give me the second kiss you promised me. Then tuck yourself into bed. I’ll be by to get you for work at 8:30 or so.”

“What? I don’t work for you any longer.”

“You don’t work for anyone any longer, but I never dropped your health insurance policy. Which is a really good thing for my bank account right now. And I need you back. In the office and in my life. It’s the perfect solution.”

“I’m not going to just go back to work for you.”

She would. He knew she would. And it would get her right there in his reach.

“Why not? I’ll give you a raise. You can put the difference into the college fund I’m going to start for the baby. Money might be tight for a few more years until I get my law school loans paid off. And I’ll get what I have in the rest of my trust from my grandparents when I’m thirty-five and I do pull some profit from the ranch but I tend to funnel it back in or to investments. It’ll get easier for us when I get my trust, I promise. That’s a little less than three years away. We can make do for that long. I’ll take care of you and the baby to the best of my ability. And any more we have in the meantime. There’s probably time for two by the time I’m thirty-five, I think. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I think you are completely delusional, Georgie. You have downright lost it.”

“Maybe. But… kiss me. Then… 8:30. And lock your doors so I’ll know you’re safe.” He didn’t give her a chance to protest. He took his second kiss.

By the time they were done, George had her on her kitchen table.

She looked up at him with dazed eyes. “What is it with you and tables?”

“We’ll have a lifetime to figure that out.”