Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Sly didn’t say much as Lana sat down at his kitchen table. Without so much as a “help yourself,” he silently passed her a steaming casserole that smelled amazing.
He seemed ill at ease, but so was she. For some reason, sharing the evening meal at his ranch table felt like a big step. Too big for a man who wasn’t into serious relationships.
But whether he wanted to be or not, they were on the verge of the relationship of their lives—parenting their child. It would be a huge change they both needed time to adjust to.
Wanting to ease the tension, Lana smiled. “This is delicious. Please thank your housekeeper for me.”
“Will do.”
He didn’t say another word, and for a while the only sounds were their cutlery against the plates.
She tried again. “What would you be doing if I weren’t here right now?”
“Probably eating in front of the tube.”
“Sometimes I do that, too, or I read a book or magazine.” Better either of those than focusing on the loneliness of eating alone. “And occasionally I work while I eat.”
“Not me. I pay bills and do any paperwork after the meal. Less indigestion that way.”
He seemed more at ease now. Lana relaxed, too.
“My parents would agree with you,” she said.
“When my sister and I were kids, they insisted on no television or phone calls during dinner. We tried to eat together every night, but once Liz and I started high school, we both had so many after-school activities that family dinners were hard to manage.”
“What kinds of activities?”
“Liz played soccer and joined the swim team, and I worked on the yearbook and the sets for our school plays.”
He actually smiled. “With your artistic skills, I can picture you painting scenery.”
“That’s exactly what I did. What about you, Sly? What sorts of activities were you involved in?”
“Like your sister, I was into sports. Football and baseball. That’s how I was able to attend college—on a baseball scholarship.”
“No kidding.” She’d never have guessed. There was so much she didn’t know about this man. “Did you ever consider going pro?”
“Sure. I figured I’d do that after high school. Then my coach took me aside and convinced me to get a college education instead. And he was right. As it turned out, I was an okay ballplayer, but not good enough for the pros.”
“I used to think I wanted to go to New York and be a set designer for one of the theaters, maybe even Broadway,” Lana said. “Then in college I took a couple of child psychology courses and decided I wanted a career that involved kids.”
“You made the right choice.”
“Seems we both did.”
“For me it was pure luck. The scholarship covered tuition, but I still needed money for books, room, and board. I told you about finding work at a ranch, and here I am.”
She nodded. “When I was little, I begged my parents to buy a ranch so we could live there. But they saw how hard my great-uncle Horace struggled to make ends meet. They didn’t want that. Cousin Tim inherited the Lazy C from Horace.”
“Dealing with Mother Nature and crop prices is always a struggle,” Sly said. “But the work is rewarding. I enjoy it.”
His face was lit up now. Lana smiled to herself. “How did you come to own all this?”
“The rancher who hired me, a guy named Bill Hodges, respected my work ethic. When he asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said I wanted to own a successful ranch like his. He took me under his wing and mentored me like a father would a son.”
Sly sat back and stared into space a moment, as if remembering. “With his help, I was able to purchase a small spread north of town. A couple of years later, the state bought my land for that new freeway. I netted enough to buy this place.”
Talk about impressive. “Are you still in contact with Mr. Hodges?”
Glancing down, Sly shook his head. “A year after I bought this place, he passed away.”
He’d lost so many people he cared about. Her heart ached for him. “That’s a shame. He’d be so proud of you now.”
“I like to think so. My turn to ask the questions. Did you have any serious boyfriends in high school and college?”
“A couple of boyfriends, but nothing that lasted. Brent was my first real relationship. We met shortly before we graduated from college and dated almost three years before we got married.”
After that, four years of marriage and another eighteen months mourning the breakup... With a shock, Lana realized she’d spent eight-and-a-half years of her life focused on Brent. Difficult years that’d left her sadder and wiser. She counted herself lucky to be free of him.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be pregnant now. She touched her belly and smiled. “I’ll bet you had lots of girlfriends.”
“A few.”
“Anyone serious?”
“There was one girl I dated in college…”
His somber expression made her curious. “What happened?”
“We talked about marriage, but her parents disapproved of me. I was a kid from a broken home and not good enough for their precious daughter. I didn’t even own a suit, and that was real important to them. Apparently, she decided they were right—she broke up with me.” He gave a dismissive shrug.
“Ouch. But a broken home? Your parents died.”
“True, but it was more that I didn’t have two dimes to rub together, and they didn’t think I ever would.”
Indignant on Sly’s behalf, she scoffed. “There are lots of college kids who start off poor and end up doing really well. You did. Those people were total snobs.”
“Hey, it was a long time ago. I got over it.” He glanced down at his work shirt and faded jeans, and the corner of his mouth quirked. “If they could only see me now.”
The meal was winding down. Soon Sly could plead fatigue or evening chores and send Lana home. It was what he should’ve wanted. And yet he lingered at the table.
She eyed him curiously. “A nickel for your thoughts.”
Tonight he’d revealed more about himself than most people ever knew, and not only because she’d asked.
Because she cared—a lot. Too much. Usually when that happened, he felt hemmed-in, his cue to end things.
This time, though, was different. Go figure.
Yes, she was carrying their baby, but it was more than that. Not something he wanted to think about.
Time to lighten up. “I was considering asking you to help me clean up this mess,” he teased.
She arched her eyebrows. “That depends, Mr. Pettit, on whether you’re planning to bribe me with the brownies over there on the counter.”
“Mrs. R made them, and they’re killer. Help me with the dishes and you can have as many as you want.”
“For brownies, I’ll do just about anything.”
“Anything?” he drawled, letting his gaze rove slowly over her.
In the silence, desire hung between them in the suddenly thick air.
Lana shifted restlessly in her seat, the sudden blush on her face and hunger in her eyes igniting his desire for her. His body throbbed to life. He had a fair idea what she wanted tonight, but he wasn’t going there—not here. If they’d been at her place, okay. But at his ranch, in his bed? No way.
He cleared his throat and stood. “Let’s get this done.” Fifteen minutes later the leftovers had been stowed in the fridge, the kitchen was clean, and he’d managed to corral his randy libido.
With a smile tugging her lips, she held out her hand. “I’ll take that bribe now.”
He pulled the plastic wrap from the brownie plate. “It’s a nice evening. Let’s have our dessert outside.”
Where the air between them was bound to be cooler.
On the porch, she plunked down on the swing. His swing. He grabbed a brownie for himself, passed the plate to her and then bypassed several porch chairs to sit on the top step, a good five feet from her. Able to breathe better now, he sucked in the fresh air.
She frowned. “Why are you sitting on the hard steps when you could be comfier in a chair or sharing this nice, padded swing with me? And hey, in case you didn’t realize, you can’t trust me with these brownies.”
Trust. A rarity in his life. Doing so only led to pain. Lana had always been straight with him, and he sensed she always would be. Which explained why, against his better judgment, he was beginning to trust her.
“I don’t bite, you know,” she added, when he remained silent.
Oh, he knew. He was about to ask her to leave when she spoke.
“I think I’ll have another brownie. They’re so delicious. Who knows, I might finish them all. Then I’ll get sick, and it’ll be your fault for not helping me eat them.”
“Those things are really rich,” he said. “You’ll never be able to eat the whole plate.”
“I’m pregnant, remember?”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“That’s what people tell me.” She patted the seat beside her and smiled serenely.
Sly gave up. “All right.” He ambled over and sat down, keeping the brownie plate between them.
They ate and chatted about this and that, both of them pushing the rocker back and forth in the growing darkness. It would have been really comfortable if a certain part of him wasn’t primed and ready for action.
Down, boy, he ordered it. Not here and not tonight.
“Now that we’ve heard the baby’s heartbeat, I’m ready to say something to Liz and Eric about this pregnancy,” Lana said. “If it’s okay with you, I’m thinking I’ll do it after work tomorrow.”
That she was checking with him first sat well in his chest. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll tell Dani then, too.”
One lone brownie remained on the plate. He was eyeing it when she divided it and handed him half.
“What about your parents?” he asked, as he polished it off. “When are you planning to give them the news?”
She’d been about to eat her brownie. Now she bit her lip and set it down again.
“Liz and Eric will be excited and happy for me. If I know my sister, it won’t be easy for her to keep something this big to herself.
Especially from the parents, so I guess I’ll fill them in right after I tell her.
” She let out a heavy sigh. “I dread that.”
“If family is as important to them as you say, they’ll support you no matter what.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” She tried to smile and failed.
“Because I’m the father and I’m suing dear old Cousin Tim.”
She nodded, and he swore. No matter how carefully he examined the situation, there was no easy way out. No out, period.
After that, neither of them spoke. The swing creaked as he pushed it with his foot. In the distance, an owl hooted.
“Know what I like about you?” he said after a while.
“My ability to consume vast quantities of sweets?”
“That, and the fact that no matter what, you’re always straight with me.”
“I’m not wired to hold in my thoughts.”
“Except when it comes to sharing them with your parents.”
“I want to get along with them.”
Her expressive eyes pleaded with him to understand, and he lost himself in them. “I’ll come with you when you tell them,” he offered.
She glanced away and her hands started their fidget routine, a sure sign something was bothering her. “I don’t know. That probably isn’t such a great idea.”
“They can hate me all they want. You’re carrying my baby, but you don’t have to face them alone. I want to be there with you.”
“You’d do that for me? You’re a good man, Sly Pettit. I’m awful glad my baby will have you for a daddy.”
Her warmth and sincerity went straight to his heart. She stroked his cheek, then leaned across the plate, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Nothing passionate, a light brush of her lips against his. But her sweetness was there, tempting him like a siren’s song.
Fighting a losing battle to control his desire and forgetting that on his ranch he wanted to keep his distance, he caught hold of her hand and kissed the sensitive inside of her wrist.
He heard her swallow and felt her pulse bump against his mouth, pounding almost as hard as his heart.
The brownie plate clattered onto the porch planking, a loud warning that what he was about to do was a bad idea.
“Oops,” Lana murmured, her voice husky with desire. “There goes the dessert plate.” Her lips parted, her eyelids lowered and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Need roared through him, crushing the last of his tenuous grip on his control. He pulled her onto his lap and gave in.