A Baby and a Betrothal (15 page)

Chapter Fifteen

N
oah registered Katie's surprise as she walked into the kitchen hours later.

“You're still here.” Her voice was scratchy with sleep and she wore a tattered floral robe that was so worn it was practically see-through.

“I promised,” he told her, tamping down the annoyance that flared at the thought she hadn't believed he would stay.

“I'm glad,” she said, walking forward to kiss him. All thoughts of annoyance fled as he buried his face in her hair. She smelled like sleep, vanilla and like him. A wave of primal satisfaction rolled through him and somewhere deep in his gut the word
mine
reverberated.

She was his.

“Why are you always sniffing me?” She pulled back, looping a long strand of hair between her fingers and pulling it to her nose. “Do I need a shower?”

“No. You smell fantastic. You always do. You smell like...”

Home.

His chest constricted at the word. It was true, even if he hadn't realized it before now. Katie had always felt like home to him.

“You smell like the bakery,” he answered instead.

“Mixed with a healthy dose of lake water.” She grimaced. “The bruise on my cheek is darkening.”

“Matt is an idiot.”

She smiled, reached around him for the glass of water he'd set down. “I would have said the same thing about you a few weeks ago,” she answered, taking a drink.

“I'm a slow learner.” He tugged on the tie looped around the front of the robe. “How is it possible that an article of clothing your grandma would have worn can be such a turn-on to me?”

“This was Gram's robe.”

“I feel like a sick pervert.” His fingers worked to loosen the tie.

She swatted at his hand. “Stop,” she said with a giggle. “I'm not wearing anything underneath.”

“Doubly perverted.”

She pushed away from him. “Before you go too far, I'm starving. Let me make us something to eat.”

“Done.” He inched the fabric off her chest and kissed the swell of her breast.

She moaned a little, but glanced around her empty kitchen. “How?”

The doorbell rang. “Delivery,” he said against her skin.

“No one delivers on the holiday. All the restaurants are too busy.”

The doorbell rang again.

“I pulled some strings at the brewery.”

Reluctantly he stepped away from her. “You should put on some clothes, or the food's going to be cold before we get to it.”

“Sweet-potato fries?” she asked, rubbing her stomach.

“Of course. They're your favorite.”

She grinned. “I owe you, then.” She quickly pulled the robe apart to flash her breasts at him. “Later.”

“Forget the food,” Noah growled, lunging for her.

She jumped away, running for her bedroom. “Answer the door, Noah,” she called over her shoulder.

He set out containers of food, glancing up as she returned. She'd traded the robe for a tank top and black sweatpants. Her hair tumbled down in waves around her shoulders. When she moved, he could see a purple lace bra strap peeking through. Had she always worn lacy lingerie? What a fool he'd been all these years. He had so much time to make up.

“I can't believe how hungry I am,” she said, taking plates from the cabinet.

They sat down to eat the burgers and fries. Noah lit the candle that sat in the middle of the table then dimmed the kitchen lights.

“Romantic,” Katie murmured, her voice a little breathless. He had to agree. As casual as it was, this was indeed the most romantic dinner he'd ever had.

“But this isn't a date,” he told her firmly. “I'm going to take you out for a real date with reservations at the best restaurant in Aspen.”

“I don't care about that,” she said, shaking her head. “Tonight is perfect.”

“Agreed, but you deserve the five-star treatment, and I want to be the guy to give it to you.”

Katie went suddenly still.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing. We're missing the big fireworks display. I hope you didn't have plans to take your mom and sister?”

He shook his head. “Mom has a date tonight.” At her questioning gaze, he shrugged. “Her surgeon. Second time out with him this week. She really likes him.”

“And you're okay with that?”

“I am,” Noah said, releasing a breath. “Dad would want her to be happy, so I want the same thing.”

She came around the table and plopped onto his lap, snagging one of his fries in the process. “You're a good man, Noah Crawford.” She kissed him on the cheek then popped the bright orange fry into her mouth.

“Do you really believe that or are you just angling for my food?”

“Both.”

He kissed her then glanced at his watch. “I've got a surprise for you.”

She angled her head. “Is it a good surprise?”

“I hope so.” He lifted her to her feet. “I'll get the dishes cleaned up while you put on a sweater. We have about ten minutes.”

“Where are we going?” She smoothed a hand over her tank top. “Should I change clothes or at least brush my hair?”

“Neither. It's a private party tonight. Trust me.”

He said the words lightly, but something tender unfurled in his chest when she nodded and disappeared toward her bedroom. It had been a long time since anyone he cared about really trusted him. Sure, his mom said she depended on him, but even after her illness she'd been almost as self-sufficient as usual.

He put the plates in the dishwasher and repacked the empty boxes in the paper sack. By the time Katie came out, he was pacing the front of the house, anxious in a way he hadn't been since he was a teenager.

“I'm ready,” she said, having buttoned a thick sweater over her tank top and traded the sweats for a faded pair of jeans.

“Great,” he said, embarrassed when his voice caught. “Great,” he repeated, clearing his throat.

She came toward him. “Are you nervous?” She sounded amused.

“Of course not.” He wiped his palms on his shorts then took her hand. “I just want you to like what I have planned.”

* * *

Katie had never seen Noah like this, especially not with her. He was always confident and sure of himself. He took very little in life seriously, and never his relationships with women—not since Tori had broken his heart.

An image of Tori flashed through Katie's mind. What would Noah think if his ex-girlfriend made good on her threat to expose Katie's part in their breakup?

Maybe it wasn't a big deal. It had been so long ago and Katie hadn't been the one to cheat or to break his heart. Surely he'd understand that? In fact, she should just tell him herself so she could explain why she'd done it. She'd wanted to protect him. Tori might accuse Katie of wanting him for herself, but that wasn't true. She'd never believed Noah could belong to her.

Now he did.

He held her hand as he led her through the front door, squeezing gently on her fingers. She'd tell him tomorrow. A little voice inside her called her a coward, but she ignored it. She wasn't going to ruin this night.

“Where are we going?”

He led her around the side of the house and stopped. “Up,” he answered with a boyish grin.

A ladder had been propped against the gutter where the roof of the front porch sloped up to meet the house's roofline.

“I checked and we have a view of the mountain from your roof. Fireworks start in five minutes.”

“I'd never thought of that,” she said softly.

“Start climbing, sweetheart.”

She grabbed the sides of the ladder, her arms still sore from hanging on to the inner tube earlier. But she was using them only for balance, so she began to make her way slowly up the metal rungs.

“If you need a break, feel free to stop for a minute.” Noah's voice drifted up to her. “I'm okay if we miss the fireworks since I've got a better view from down here.”

She glanced down to where he was grinning up at her. Careful not to lose her balance, Katie wiggled her hips a bit and was rewarded by his rich laughter. She understood Noah's popularity with the ladies, but he made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world who mattered. It was as if every part of her was desirable and he couldn't get enough. She also knew his affections could change in an instant, especially if she started to take what was between them too seriously. Once again, she reminded herself to simply enjoy the moment.

She hitched herself onto the roof then waited for Noah to join her. Her neighborhood was dark and mainly quiet. From a few blocks away, she could hear the soft sounds of classic rock playing and smell hamburgers on the grill—someone must be having an outdoor barbecue. To the east of her house was downtown Crimson, lights glowing from the Fourth of July party the town hosted. To the west was Crimson Mountain, its top just visible in the darkness, a ridge that split the sky. The night was clear and stars dotted the sky over the valley. She hugged her arms around her waist as Noah's head appeared over the side of the house.

“This is great,” she told him as he planted a foot onto the roof.

“We're not there yet.” He pointed toward the high edge of the roof. “Can you make it a little farther?”

The truth was she felt nervous being up this high. Her roofline wasn't steep and she had no problem getting traction on the tiles with her gym shoes. Still, Katie wasn't one to go scaling roofs. But with Noah studying her, his blue eyes almost indigo in the dark, she wanted to be. She felt safe with him and that gave her courage.

“Lead on,” she told him. “It's my turn for the view.”

He laughed and began to scramble up the center of the roof toward her chimney. She followed, keeping her palms on the shingles as she did. When she got to the top, she glanced up to see a blanket spread over the tip of the roof and a cooler attached to the chimney by a bungee cord wrapped around the bricks.

“When did you do all this?” she asked, easing onto the blanket and dusting off her hands.

“While you were napping. You've always slept like the dead, so I figured I wouldn't wake you.” He took out a pint of ice cream from the cooler, peeled back the lid and handed her a spoon.

“How—”

“I paid the delivery guy extra to swing by the store for dessert. I hope raspberry chip is still your favorite flavor.”

She took the ice cream and dug in her spoon. Ice cream was her go-to dessert because it didn't involve any work on her part or elicit comparisons to her own baking. “You've been paying more attention than I thought,” she said around a mouthful.

He leaned in and kissed her, licking a bit of ice cream from the corner of her lips. “Glad you noticed.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone and typed in the passcode. “I bookmarked the website for the radio station that's broadcasting the music for the fireworks. It should be starting any second.”

There was a hiss in the distance. Then the sky lit up in front of the mountain.

Katie let out a breath. “It's amazing from here.”

A crack split the night, and golden lights sprinkled down from the sky, followed quickly by a whistle and another pop as a colorful spray of red, white and blue filled the air. Noah inched closer to her, tucking her into his side as they watched. The mountain was a majestic backdrop for the lights and sounds of the Fourth of July fireworks. He balanced the phone on his knee and she listened to the choreographed music swell then soften as the night continued to glow.

Katie kept her eyes on the display but felt Noah nuzzling her neck after a few minutes. Despite the coolness of the air, her body automatically heated. She squirmed as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “You aren't watching.”

“You're too distracting,” he whispered against her ear.

“If you don't stop that,” she said, ducking her head, “I'm going to lose my balance and fall off the roof.”

“I'll hold you.” As if to prove his point, he drew her closer against him. But with one more kiss to her temple, he turned and watched the rest of the display.

Katie couldn't remember ever being so happy. For many years, she'd worked the Life is Sweet booth at the town's annual July Fourth party. She'd watched couples stroll by, arm in arm, and always felt a tug of envy. Especially when her friends fell in love and she was surrounded by so much togetherness while she was always alone.

“I normally watch the fireworks as I'm packing up the booth,” she said softly during a lull in the display. “I'm glad that a couple of the college kids working for me this summer wanted the extra money to run the event. You haven't been back to Crimson over the Fourth for several years.”

“I'm usually on duty over the holiday,” Noah told her. “Lots of extra help needed with so many campers in the forest this weekend.”

She tipped her head to look at him. “Why not this year?”

“I had more important people to watch over.”

Katie smiled, then kissed him just as the big finale began. They both turned toward the shimmering ribbons of light. She felt the boom and pop of hundreds of bursts of color reverberate through her, even from miles away. Or maybe it was just her heart beating as the walls that guarded it came crumbling down.

Chapter Sixteen

O
n Monday morning Katie stumbled out of a stall in the community center's bathroom, only to find Emily Whitaker waiting for her. She grabbed the wad of paper towels the other woman handed her, dabbing at her eyes before wiping her mouth.

Even with the problems Emily was dealing with from her divorce and her son's issues, she still looked every inch the society wife, from her demure striped skirt to the crisp button-down and strand of pearls she wore.

It made Katie feel all the more tired and rumpled, especially since Emily had just listened to her throwing up most of the bagel she'd had for breakfast.

“Don't get too close,” she warned as she stepped to the sink to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face. She glanced at herself in the mirror and grimaced. Under the bathroom's fluorescent lights, her skin looked even pastier, the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced. “I thought I was just tired from being swamped at the bakery and the extra work for the festival. I guess I've caught some kind of a bug.”

Emily balanced one thin hip on the corner of the sink. “You're pregnant.”

Katie's hand stilled on the handle of the towel dispenser. She turned to Emily, water dripping off her face. “No, I'm not.”

Emily rolled her pale blue eyes. “Are you sure? Noah was lecturing me on how I need to do more for the festival because you're exhausted.” She handed another paper towel to Katie. “I've seen how much you eat during the committee meetings.”

“I don't...” Katie broke off. She had been extra hungry lately, but she blamed it on needing fuel to keep up with all of her commitments.

“And...” Emily waved a hand toward Katie's blouse. “No offense, but I don't remember you being quite so...well-endowed.”

Katie glanced down at her chest, her eyes widening at the cleavage on display. She quickly fastened another button on her chambray shirt. “Maybe it's a new bra.”

“Is it a new bra?”

“I... That doesn't mean...” She inhaled, her lungs suddenly constricting. “No, it's not new. Why are you in here anyway? Can't a girl puke in peace?”

“I was using the restroom and wanted to make sure you're okay.” She leaned forward. “Are you, Katie?”

Katie placed her hands on the cool porcelain of the white sink, ignoring the slight tremble of her arms. She did the math in her head and moaned. “This can't be happening. We used protection,” she mumbled, her stomach rolling once again.

“Nothing is foolproof,” Emily said. “Is it safe to assume the baby is Noah's?”

“Of course. If there is a baby.” Katie glanced up at Emily in the mirror. “I need to take a pregnancy test. Nothing is certain until then.”

“Noah's going to be a father.” Emily tapped a finger on her chin, one corner of her mouth lifting. “At least I won't be the most messed-up person in the family anymore.”

At this comment Katie straightened and turned to Emily. “Noah isn't messed up.” She hugged her arms to her stomach. “And my baby...” She paused, let the implications of those two words sink in.
My baby.
“If there is a baby,” she clarified, “that's not messed up, either. Noah will make a wonderful father.” There was that stomach rolling again.

Emily arched one eyebrow.

“But don't say anything,” Katie added quickly. “To anyone.”

“You're not going to tell Noah?”

“There's nothing to tell until I take the test and talk to my doctor.” She bit down on her lip. “I don't want... Things are so new between us, you know? I don't want to freak him out if this is just me getting regular sick. It's the first morning I've thrown up, so it could be nothing.”

“He cares about you.”

“But he's not... We're not...” She brushed away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I told him I wanted a family. What if he thinks this is a trap? I don't know if he's ready for this. How can he be?”

“Are you?” Emily's voice was gentle.

Katie breathed through the panic that constricted her lungs, and the next instant it was gone. She took a few more breaths, put her hand on her chest and found her heartbeat returning to its regular rhythm. “Yes.” She nodded once, suddenly sure of this one thing. “Yes, I'm ready. If I'm pregnant, I'll love that baby with my whole heart. I'll give him or her the best life I know how to create.”

Emily's normally cool expression warmed as pink colored her cheeks. She took two steps toward Katie and wrapped her in a hug. “Congratulations, then. Being a mom is the best and hardest job in the world.”

Katie opened her mouth to tell Emily that nothing was certain yet, then stopped herself. Her fingers drifted to her belly and she
knew
. “I'm going to be a mom,” she whispered and looked at Emily with a new understanding. “Watching your son struggle has to be the hardest part.” She didn't ask a question, but stated the obvious fact.

“More than leaving my marriage and my life or crawling back to Crimson after I'd sworn never to return.” Emily bit down on her lip. “To me, Davey is perfect, but no one in Boston saw him that way. If I could take away what he has to go through, the challenges that his life might hold, I'd do it in a millisecond. But I wouldn't change him. I love him for the boy he is, not who he might have been if things were different.”

“He's lucky to have you.”

“And my brother is lucky to have you, Katie. You might be the best thing that ever happened to him.”

Both women turned when the door to the restroom slammed shut. Katie took three steps forward to peer around the entrance to the community center's main hallway. No one was there, but something had made the door move. She opened it and looked both ways down the hall, but it was empty.

As Emily came up behind her, both women stepped out of the restroom.

“Weird,” Emily murmured.

“You don't think someone was eavesdropping?” Katie asked, her voice a nervous croak.

“I think the only people here this early are on the festival committee, and I'm sure any of those women would have announced themselves.”

Katie glanced at her watch. “The meeting was scheduled to start ten minutes ago. I need to get in there.”

“Do you want me to handle it?”

Katie glanced at Emily.

“Not the festival,” she quickly clarified. “But today's meeting. If you give me your notes, I can go over things with everyone. Organizing volunteers is one of my few useful skills.”

Katie hesitated. She didn't like to depend on other people. It made her feel as if she wasn't pulling her own weight, weak and useless, even though she understood that was just the leftover dysfunction from her childhood. “That would be great,” she said after a moment. “Jase will be there, too, and he can answer any questions that come up from the subcommittee chairs.”

“Of course.” Emily's smile was wry. “Perfect Jase can handle anything.”

“He's not—”

“Never mind,” the other woman interrupted. “All hands on deck and whatnot.”

“Thank you.” Katie took the binder from her tote bag and handed it to Emily. “I'm heading to the pharmacy—”

“You might want to—”

Katie held up a hand. “To the pharmacy over in Aspen where no one will recognize me. Then to my doctor if the test is positive. You promise you won't tell Noah?”

“Promise.”

With another quick hug, Katie walked out of the community center into the morning light. This day was going to change her life, of that much she was certain. She just hoped the change wouldn't cost her Noah.

* * *

Three days before the Founder's Day Festival, Noah turned his truck off the Forest Service access road and headed for town. He'd been up most of the night, investigating reports of teenagers partying near one of the campsites above a popular hiking trail. The local emergency dispatcher had received an anonymous call about possible vandalism and a bonfire. The vandalism was bad, but a fire could potentially be catastrophic to the area.

Noah had had plans with Katie last night, like he had almost every evening since July Fourth. They took turns at her place or she'd come to dinner at his mom's. With Katie at his side, he'd even managed through a family barbecue with John Moore, who was quickly becoming his mother's steady boyfriend.

It had been strange to see another man in his parents' kitchen, gamely helping his mom chop vegetables for a salad and making beer runs to the garage refrigerator. Logan and Olivia had been there now that she was feeling better, along with Jake and Millie. Jake and John had done some shoptalk about the hospital, but Noah had to admit the older doctor was comfortable with all of them. And his mother had radiated happiness.

Noah understood that feeling, barely able to keep the goofy grin off his face every time he looked at Katie. He loved her. Was madly
in
love with her. He hadn't told her yet, but he planned to later tonight. As promised, he'd made a reservation at a five-star restaurant in Aspen. His relationship with Katie had been casual for too long. He'd taken her for granted and was determined that she understood how much he'd changed.

Something was off with her, and he worried it had to do with not trusting his feelings for her. She was quieter, sometimes staring off into space as if she was a thousand miles away. When he asked her about it, she claimed she was tired but it felt...different. He'd walked in on Emily and her arguing in the kitchen of his mom's house, both women startling when he came into the room. They'd said it was simply a disagreement about the Founder's Day Festival, but he didn't believe them. That night Katie had clung to him as they made love, holding on as though she thought he might slip away at any moment.

She didn't trust that he wasn't going to leave her. He needed to tell her how he felt so she could relax. The idea of talking about his emotions made him prickly all over, but he was in love with Katie. He hadn't felt like this for so long—his whole life, maybe—and he was ready to risk opening himself up again.

He took a quick shower then picked up a bouquet of flowers on his way through downtown. He couldn't resist a visit to the bakery before heading to his office. One night away and he needed to see her face before he started his day. He laughed, wondering what his friends would think if they could see him now. He didn't care. He finally understood why some of his buddies looked so content as their women led them around on a string. Nothing mattered more than wrapping his arms around Katie.

The bakery was crowded with both locals and summer tourists, the two young women behind the counter hustling to fill orders. Katie wasn't part of the action, which surprised him. Normally she was front and center with customers during peak hours. He waved to a few people he knew, then walked to the edge of the display cabinet.

“She in back?” he asked Lelia.

“Um... I think so,” the woman muttered, not meeting Noah's gaze as she bent to select a pastry from the cabinet. “But she's kind of busy this morning. Do you want me to tell her you stopped by?”

“I'll tell her myself,” he said, holding up the bouquet. “No one is too busy for flowers, right?”

He opened the door to the bakery's kitchen quietly. If he could manage it, he wanted to sneak up on Katie, wrap his arms around her and hear her squeal of surprise before she melted into him.

But it was Noah who was in for the surprise, because Katie wasn't alone. She and Tori stood at the far counter, in front of the deep stainless-steel sink. Katie was shaking her head, clearly distraught, as Tori spoke. Noah started to move forward, anger gripping him that his ex-girlfriend wouldn't leave Katie alone. He froze in place when he heard her hiss the words
pregnant
and
liar
.

Katie's gaze slammed into his. So many emotions flashed through her brown eyes—love, guilt and regret. He shook his head as if denying it would ward off the truth of the scene unfolding in front of him.

Tori turned after a moment, her eyes widening at the sight of him. “This isn't exactly what I'd planned,” she said, visibly swallowing. “But I guess the secret's out now. Or is about to be. How much did you hear, Noah?”

“Enough,” he said through clenched teeth, keeping his eyes on Tori. He'd thought she was perfect when they were together, but now her expensive sun-kissed highlights and flawless makeup made her appear to be trying too hard. And like before, what she was trying to do was ruin his life.

She gave the barest nod, took a step toward him. “Then you know I wasn't the only one guilty of hurting you that night.”

“You were having sex with one of my friends.”

“It was stupid,” she agreed. “A meaningless fling before you asked me to marry you. You were going to propose to me before graduation.”

“But I didn't.”

“Because of the anonymous note,” she all but spit. “Now you know who wrote it. Your precious, oh-so-perfect Katie-bug. You think she cared about you, but she only wanted to break us up so she could have you all to herself.”

He saw Katie close her eyes and shake her head.

“Now you're stuck with her,” Tori continued. “But she still won't tell you the truth.” She whirled on Katie. “Was this all part of some master twisted plan?”

“Of course not,” Katie answered, her voice shaking. “I didn't mean... This isn't...” She seemed to shrink in on herself, crossing her arms over her stomach as she spoke. A baby was growing in her stomach. His baby. Noah's knees went weak at the thought.

“Get out of here, Tori.” He pointed to the door. “This is none of your business anymore.”

“I understand.” Tori's voice turned to the whine he remembered so well. “But she isn't—”

“Get out,” Noah yelled, flipping his arm wide, sending several baking sheets drying on the counter crashing to the floor as he did. Katie jumped at the noise and Tori suddenly looked unsure of herself. Noah wasn't known for his temper. Even when he'd discovered Tori cheating, he'd simply compartmentalized his feelings and walked away. But now, in this moment, he could barely contain the emotions that rattled through him. It felt as if a virus had infected his body and was eating away at his heart even as it still beat in his chest. The pain was almost unbearable.