The Doctor's Pregnant Bride? / The Texas Billionaire's Baby: The Doctor's Pregnant Bride? / Baby By Surprise

Sara Beth nodded and bit into a hot, salty French fry.

Lisa sat back, looking stunned, then she smiled. “Wow.”

“I know.”

“Have you been … dating?”

“Sort of.” She gave her a rundown of their “dates,” and said they were meeting this coming Saturday, too. “I don’t know what to do. I thought I would help him the one time then back away. I thought I could do that. But I can’t.”

“Or rather, you don’t want to.”

“Right. I don’t want to.” She pushed a piece of lettuce more securely under the bun and stared at it. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You can’t just have fun with it? With him? He won’t be your direct supervisor for much longer.”

Which stung, too, Sara Beth thought. “But he’s a doctor. And he’s stayed single all these years. And he’s absentminded, you know, which apparently has caused many of his relationships in the past to end. Or so he said. I would just be another in a string of forgettable women.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Are you encouraging me toward him?”

“I’m not discouraging you.” She smiled and waved. “He just spotted us. He’s coming this way.” They watched him walk over. “Hi, Ted.”

“Lisa. Sara Beth. You didn’t mention you were coming here tonight.”

“I didn’t know until the last minute,” Sara Beth said. “Come here often?”

“My first time, actually. It’s … loud.”

She grinned. After all the quiet hours he spent in the lab, then in his otherwise empty loft, she could see why he would notice the noise even more than she did. “I recommend the burgers.”

“Thanks.”

“Who’s the man with you?”

“An old friend, in town for the day. How’re you, Lisa?”

Fascinating. Not only did he change the direction of the conversation, he didn’t name his friend, nor bring him over for an introduction. Sara Beth wondered what Ted’s well-mannered mother would think of that. Chance waved, but that was all.

“What is this? Institute night?” Lisa said, looking toward the front door. “Brother Derek just arrived.”

Sara Beth couldn’t imagine anyone more out of place, even more so than Ted. Derek had an air of entitlement about him. Fitting in wasn’t something he did well.

He spotted them and headed toward them. Sara Beth felt Lisa stiffen beside her. Considering how close Lisa had been to her big brother all her life, Sara Beth was surprised at how reluctant Lisa was to see him now. Because of the money problems Lisa had alluded to earlier? He was the CFO of the institute. He would know before anyone else if they were in trouble.

“Good evening, all,” Derek said, and got lukewarm greetings in return. “I haven’t seen you here before, Ted.”

“My first time.”

“Are you alone?”

Ted gestured toward where Chance and the other man sat. “I’m with friends.”

Everyone looked that direction. Even from a distance, Sara Beth saw Ted’s friend go rigid, his already intense expression turning icy. Derek’s, too, Sara Beth noticed, then he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and answered it. She hadn’t heard it ring, but maybe it was on vibrate.

“My friend just canceled,” he said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Good to see you, sister dear. We should have dinner sometime.”

Lisa didn’t say a word. He left, not stopping to say hello to Chance.

“That was strange,” Sara Beth said.

Ted told them to enjoy their dinner and returned to his table. Sara Beth picked up her burger again then noticed that Lisa had shoved her plate away, her food not even half-eaten. She didn’t usually waste food.

“I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming tonight, Sara Beth. I need to trust my instincts more.”

“Who could’ve predicted that Derek would show up? And don’t tell me this has nothing to do with him. You were fine until he came along.” Her voice drifted off as Ted, Chance and the stranger got up from their table and went to the door. Ted lifted a hand toward her. “Getting even weirder,” she said.

“I’d like to go, too.”

Sara Beth wanted to talk more about Ted, about what she should do. If she could talk it through, she might get a better handle on her feelings before she and Ted spent another Saturday together. But even if she and Lisa stayed at the pub, Sara Beth probably couldn’t get the help she needed. Not tonight, anyway. Lisa was too distracted.

“I’m sorry, Sara Beth. I’m not good company tonight. Oh, look. Carrie and Lorene just got here. They can take my place at the table.”

“I don’t want to stay without you. Just give me a couple of minutes to finish my dinner.”

Carrie and Lorene, both institute employees, pulled up chairs and livened the conversation until Lisa and Sara Beth paid their bill, then Lisa drove Sara Beth home.

“Again, I apologize,” Lisa said, double parking.

Sara Beth gave her a big hug. For a moment, Lisa leaned into it.

“Call me night or day,” Sara Beth said. “We’ve been through a lot, you know?” Closer than sisters most of the time.

“I do know. Thanks. Keep me up-to-date about how it goes with Ted. You’ve been ready to settle down for a while now. Maybe he is, too.”

“I think he’s married to his work.”

“I get the same impression. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

“Maybe.” Sara Beth opened the car door, then turned to look at her friend. “Night or day, Lisa.”

She nodded.

Sara Beth spent what was left of the evening doing laundry, paying bills and making out a grocery list—mundane, mindless chores that allowed her thoughts to run freely, which only left her more confused. How could she fight her attraction to Ted? Should she? She admired so much about him. Respected his intelligence and dedication. And she’d spent a whole lot of time wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to touch him, to feel him touch her beyond the mostly accidental brushes so far.

As she was climbing into bed, her phone rang.

“I hope this isn’t too late,” Ted said.