Warrior's Baby

Colt transferred his hand from her hair to the water flask and took a cold, desire-dousing drink. As casually as he could muster, he uncoiled his long body and rose to his feet. “I think California is a good idea. And not because you need to be on trial. We’re both about sure as we’re going to get, so we may as well start on the legal and medical side of this. And you’ll probably need some help getting packed.”

Her smudgy eyes brightened, but he kept his expression tight and professional. “Before we leave for Los Angeles, we’ll see my attorney and get the contract drawn up so you can consult your own lawyer back home and have him look it over.”

“Her,” Melanie interjected.

“What?”

“My attorney is a woman.”

“Fine. You also need to make an appointment with Dr. Miller for a checkup, and of course, to discuss the best method of determining ovulation.” He caught her amused smirk and prayed to God he wouldn’t stutter like a flustered schoolboy. “I don’t want to waste any time, I want you ready for the procedure when we return.”

He cursed his traitorous body for what it wanted and continued in an unemotional tone. “I’ll hire a moving van and pay the storage fee for the things you don’t bring. Maybe you should consider subleasing your condo so you don’t lose it. I imagine a beachfront rental is hard to come by.”

“What altered your decision?” she asked, viewing his towering height from the ground. “I expected you to ponder over this for weeks.”

He resisted the nervous urge to pace. Regardless of the wide-open space, he felt like a caged tiger, trapped within his own distorted desire. “I’ve been thinking about this for years and meeting with potential surrogates for the past eight months—”

“You have?” She stood up and brushed off her behind.

“Yeah. And I’ve met with a lot of women. No one seemed right.” Not the fifties TV moms or the desperate ones with financial needs. He couldn’t see his unborn child in their eyes. With Melanie he could.

“What makes me right?”

Great Scott. Just like a woman to question a man to death, force him to spill his guts. “Maybe the idea that you’re single is growing on me. The fewer people involved the better. And the fact that you’re a career woman is a plus, too. I hadn’t thought so at first but with you being so into your profession, I won’t have to worry about your maternal instincts backfiring on me. My biggest concern is my surrogate deciding she wants the baby, but with you, I figure that won’t happen.”

“Oh.” She glanced down at her jeans and began dusting off her knees.

Was his explanation so cold that she couldn’t meet his gaze? Damn it. He wasn’t about to tell her he wanted his child to inherit her smile.

“I like you, Melanie. That means something, too. I feel as though we’ve known each other for a while. As you said, being friends is important. We don’t want to get on each other’s nerves for the next nine months.”

She offered a smile that went straight to his groin. Thank God pregnant women didn’t really glow. His wife had whined and complained the entire time, making the gestation pretty darn unappealing. How attractive could Melanie possibly be in that state?

Colt’s jaw twitched. This California girl was going to bear him a child, but damn if he would allow her to get under his skin. This friendship would be short-lived. Fatherhood was the only emotional attachment Colt Raintree wanted, or needed. Once his son or daughter was born, Melanie Richards would be out of his life. For good.

Four

LAX had annoyed him. Actually, it more than annoyed him. The confusion of the fast-paced airport had made him feel like a big, dumb, country boy. Colt Raintree, Montana born and bred, was out of his element.

Rather than breathing crisp mountain air, he was choking down smog and riding shotgun in a red convertible piloted by an auburn-haired beauty who made Mario Andretti seem like a slowpoke.

“How about some music?” Melanie turned the knob on the stereo and started punching buttons.

She settled on a country station, for his benefit, he assumed. Willie Nelson’s nasal twang should have been a balm, but it only reminded Colt of how far from home he was. The unfamiliar roar of traffic offended the simple cowboy tune.

Melanie glanced over her shoulder, switched lanes and questioned his pouting profile. “Colt, what’s wrong?”

He answered as honestly as he could. “I never cared much for cities.”

Melanie slid her right hand from the steering wheel and placed it on top of his, which rested on the center console. “You’ll like the beach,” she promised with a quick, reassuring squeeze. “We’re almost there.”

She was right The moment they exited the freeway and the sea breeze tousled his hair, he appreciated the freedom the rag top provided. When the Pacific Ocean came into view, a sense of well-being entered his soul. It looked as big as the Montana sky and just as blue.

Saltwater, fresh-grilled seafood, hot dogs and lemonade permeated the air. They passed a pier that looked like a street fair—a menagene of blinking lights, twirling carnival rides and trendy teenagers, their colorful T-shirts, baggy shorts and bleached blonde hair whipping in the wind.

The sidewalks were lined with people, but they were different from the airport crowd. They moved at a pace his eyes could follow, dressed in sandals, suntan lotion and little else. Maybe it was the warrior in him, but the half-naked, bronzed bodies made him want to shed his own clothes, feel the sand between his toes, dive into the surf, let the sun beat down on his back.

He grinned at Melanie. Her unique style fit right in. “Interesting town.”

“I knew you’d like it.” She continued down the busy coast highway, turned onto a narrow street and then another, until she parked in the driveway of an attractive white building.

Her condominium faced the ocean. A wood staircase led to the front door, elevating the modern structure. Just like her denim and silk wardrobe, the eclectic style reflected the woman who lived there. A marble coffee table, gilt-framed mirrors and contemporary artwork were surrounded by seashells and scented candles. White leather sofas highlighted an exquisite fireplace, meticulously carved of polished stone.

Colt placed their luggage on the living room floor and peered out the French doors. A redwood deck lush with potted plants, rattan furnishings and a whirlpool tub graced his eyes. Seaside elegance at its finest.

“Your house is really nice.” He had planned on booking a hotel room, but Melanie had extended her California hospitality, persuading him to stay with her. Their platonic relationship was off to an awkward start. Her condo seemed like a romantic getaway, a honeymoon suite.

“Thanks.” She glanced down at the suitcases. “I’ll show you to your room. It has a private bath, so if you want to freshen up...”

Freshen up? As in strip down and shower? Unconsciously he took a step back. “I think I should get a hotel room.”

She sank into one of the leather sofas and sighed. “Why?”

Because if I shower in your tub or sleep in one of your beds, I’ll want you there beside me. “Your neighbors might talk.”

Melanie looked as though he’d just said something incredibly stupid. “This is L.A., Colt.”

When she crossed her legs, her ruffled miniskirt exposed just enough thigh to constrict his throat. He’d been trying to avoid the outline of her curvaceous little figure all day. On the plane ride, she had fallen asleep against his shoulder, her scant Hawaiian print blouse gaping open for a private peep show. Pink satin, a hint of lace and not one visible tan line. He’d never been so aroused.

“So?”

“So, people don’t care what their neighbors do.”

“Oh, yeah?” He trapped her gaze. “Would they talk if they knew you were going to be a surrogate?”

She held his dark stare. “Probably, but that’s a little more controversial than having a man stay over.”

“Really?” In his hometown, people still talked about who slept at whose house. Her casual attitude piquing him, he spouted off like an envious suitor. “And just how many men have stayed here?”

Her voice vibrated “What exactly are you accusing me of?”

Colt only stared. She looked mortally wounded and, God help him, way too vulnerable. He gazed into Melanie’s eyes and shook off a chill. Suddenly she looked like someone from his past—a sweet, innocent girl who had touched his reckless, teenage heart.

The name came to him in an instant, hovering like a ghost. Gertrude. Little Gertrude. He glanced at Melanie’s hands, at the slender line of her fingers, the long, perfectly manicured nails. Gertrude used to chew her nails, gaze up at him with those wide blue eyes and nibble her chipped, brittle fingernails.

Colt sat on the edge of his suitcase and raked his hands through his hair, pushing away Gertrude’s fragile image. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m sorry. I had no right to say that.” What was wrong with him? He’d never felt possessive of a woman before. “I guess I’ve been thinking about how much gossip you and I are going to stir up back home.”

“There’s no way to avoid that.” Melanie twisted a tassel on one of the decorative pillows. “Our situation is unusual.”