The Durango Affair

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

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

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

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

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

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

Savannah frowned. “Why would you think that?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Come on, Savannah. Let’s eat.”

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

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

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

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

Durango smiled as he watched her dig in, glad she had a good appetite. A lot of the women he’d dated acted as if it was a sin to eat more than a thimbleful of food. “I’m a bachelor who believes in knowing how to fend for myself. On top of that I’m Sarah Westmoreland’s son. She taught me Survival 101 well.”

Savannah tasted the mashed potatoes and thought they were delicious. “Mmm, these are good.”

“Thanks.”

After a few moments of silence Durango said, “I noticed you aren’t showing yet.”

Savannah met his eyes. She had felt the heat of his gaze on her, checking out her body, when she’d crossed the room to stand at the window. “I’m only two months, Durango. The baby is probably smaller than a peanut now. Most women don’t start showing until their fourth month.”

He nodded. “How has the pregnancy been for you so far?”

She shrugged. “The usual, I guess. What I’m battling now more than anything is the morning sickness. Usually I don’t dare eat anything but saltines before two o’clock every day, which is why I’m so hungry now.”

Durango’s eyes widened. “You’re sick every day?”

He looked so darn surprised at the thought of such a thing that she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, just about. But according to the doctor, it will only last for another month or so.”

She tilted her head and looked at him. “Haven’t you ever been around a pregnant woman?”

“No, not for any length of time. When I went home for Easter last year, Jayla was pregnant and boy, was she huge. Of course, she was having twins.” He grinned. “Twins run in my family and there’s even a set of triplets.”

Savannah raised her eyes heavenward. “Thanks for telling me.”

Catching her off guard, Durango reached across the table and captured a lock of her hair in his hand, gently twining the soft, silky strands in his fingers. “I think triplets would be nice, and all with beautiful hazel eyes like yours.”

Savannah swallowed tightly as her grip on sanity weakened. The way he was looking at her wasn’t helping matters. She sensed his intense reaction to her was just as potent as hers to him. It was just as strong as it had been that night, and at that moment the desire to have his hands on her again, touching her breasts, her thighs, the area between her legs, was strong and unexpected. If he were to try anything right now, anything at all, it would take all her willpower to resist him.

“I want to be around and see how your body changes with my baby growing inside you, Savannah,” he whispered huskily.

His words flowed over Savannah, caressing her in places she didn’t want to be touched, and making a slow ache seep through her bones. “I don’t know how that will be possible, Durango,” she whispered softly.

“It would be possible if we got married.”

She frowned and pulled back from him, breaking their contact. “You agreed not to bring that up again.”

A smile touched the corners of his lips. “I know, but I want to make you an offer that I hope you can’t refuse.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “What kind of offer?”

“That we marry and set a limit on the amount of time we’ll stay together. We could remain married during the entire length of your pregnancy and for a short while afterward—say six to nine months. After that, we could file for a divorce.”

She was stunned by his proposal. “What would doing something like that accomplish?” she asked, feeling the weight of his gaze on her and wishing she could ignore it.

“First, it would satisfy my need and desire to be with you during your pregnancy. Second, it would eliminate the stigma of my child being born illegitimate, which is something that is unacceptable to me. And third, because you believe I’ll end up doing to you what your father did to your mother, at least this way you’ll know up front that the marriage will be short-term and you won’t lose any sleepless nights.”

Savannah’s frown deepened. “I never said I thought you would do me the way my father did my mother.”

“Not in so many words, but it’s clear you believe if I married you just for the baby that things wouldn’t work out between us. And in a way I have to agree. You’re probably right. Our marriage would be based on a sense of obligation on my part. There has to be more to hold a marriage together than just a baby. And to be quite honest with you, I’m not looking for a long-term marriage. But a short-term union, for our baby’s sake, would be acceptable to me. I believe it would be acceptable to you, as well, because we’d know what to expect and not to expect from the relationship.”

It seemed like a million questions were flashing in Savannah’s mind, but she knew the main one that she needed to ask. “Are you saying you’d want a marriage in name only? A marriage of convenience?”

“Yes.”

She swallowed and continued to meet his gaze. “And that means we won’t be sharing a bed?”

He studied her for a moment and knew what she was getting at. His desire for her was as natural as it could get, and he didn’t see it lessening any. If he wanted her at such a high degree now, he could just imagine how things would be once they were living together as man and wife under the same roof. Yes, he would definitely want to sleep with her.

Leaning back in his chair, he said, “No, not exactly. I have other ideas on the matter.”

She could just imagine those ideas. “Then keep whatever ideas you have to yourself. If, and I said if, I go along with what you’re proposing, we will not share a bed.”