The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda (14 page)

“Well, you're a tough woman to get a hold of,” he said sharply.

She was so taken aback she was speechless. And hurt. They hadn't talked in almost a week, and when they finally
did he was a jerk. He was clearly upset with her, but she couldn't imagine what she'd done.

“I've been calling you for two days,” he said. “I guess you've been busy.”

“Busy?”

“Going on dates with Willy Jenkins.”

Dates?
Is that what this was about? Her mom must have mentioned she went to the movies last night when she talked to him. Although she would hardly call it a date. “You have a problem with me going to the show with a friend?”

“I do if you're sleeping with him.”

Sleeping with him? Where the heck had that come from? Her mom sure hadn't told him
that.
“Who told you I was sleeping with him?”

“You did.”

“I did? When?”

“That day in the coffee shop. You said you were ‘friends with benefits.'”

Yes, but that was years ago, and… Oh, good Lord. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Was he jealous? Of
Willy?

The billionaire oil man was threatened by a lowly ranch hand? Adam must have been sitting around all day stewing in his own juices.

It was such a ridiculous notion, and he had himself in such a lather, she couldn't resist poking the lion with a stick.

“What makes you think it's any of your business
who
I sleep with?” she asked him.

“As long as you're pregnant with my child, it's my business.”

“How do you figure?”

“We had an agreement that you would practice abstinence while you were pregnant.”

They did? She didn't recall agreeing to that. But since
she'd had no plans to sleep with
anyone
—not even him—it never seemed relevant anyway. “So I should be practicing abstinence, unless I'm having sex with you? Is that it?”

There was a pause, then he said, “That's different.”

Behind her someone cleared their throat, and she snapped her head around to find her mom standing in the kitchen doorway. The woman was stealthy as a damned cat. And it was clear, by her expression, that she'd heard what Katy said about sleeping with Adam.

Well, damn it all to hell.

“A
dam, I need to call you back,” Katy said.

“Why?” he demanded.

“Because I do.”

“We need to discuss this,” he barked, like he was issuing an executive order.

“I know we do. It'll just be a few minutes.”

“What's so important you can't talk to me right now?”

At the end of her patience, she said, “Willy is here for a quickie, that's what!”

She hung up on him and dropped the phone on the couch beside her.

Her mom stood in the kitchen doorway, arms folded, shaking her head. “That was real mature.”

Not one of her finer moments, but he was sort of asking for it.

The phone immediately began to ring. Her mom walked over to the couch, picked it up and answered. “Well, hello,
Adam.” She paused then said, “She's not feeling too well. Morning sickness, I'm afraid.”

Another pause, then she said, “Yes, I know it's not morning. They just call it that, but it can happen anytime of day. I'll have her call you back when it passes.”

She hung up and sat down beside Katy.

“I fell hard and fast, just like you said I would,” Katy admitted. “So go ahead, say I told you so.”

“Would it make you feel better if I did?”

She sighed and collapsed back against the couch cushions. “Probably not.”

“Are you…
seeing
him?”

“He didn't want me.” She shrugged, suddenly on the verge of tears. “What else is new, right?”

“Oh, honey.” She gathered Katy in her arms and hugged her.

“I guess I should have listened to you.”

“At least now I know why you've been moping around for a week.” She paused, then asked, “Did he…seduce you?”

“He was a perfect gentleman,” she admitted, as if she wasn't ashamed enough. “This was my fault. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I
wasn't
thinking.”

“It'll be easier after you have the baby. You won't have to see him at all if you don't want to.”

Now that her mom knew about the affair, not fessing up to the rest of it felt like lying. “Actually, I might be stuck seeing him a lot. For at least the next nineteen years.”

“What do you mean?”

“There's a pretty good chance that my own egg was fertilized.”

She braced for the fireworks, but instead her mom hugged her tighter. “Oh, Katy. Why didn't you say something?”

“I thought you would be angry. And I was embarrassed that I screwed things up so badly.”

“How does Adam feel about this?”

“He's been wonderful. Besides breaking my heart, but that isn't his fault. I know how you and Daddy feel about him, but he's not the person you think he is. Rebecca lied to us, Mom. About a lot of things.”

“Katy—”

“I know you don't want to believe it. I didn't, either. But Adam told me things, and he has no reason to lie.”

“I don't find that so hard to believe,” she said, sounding sad.

“We don't have to tell Daddy about the baby, do we?” Katy asked.

“Your father and I don't keep secrets.”

“He's going to be furious. And he's going to want to kill Adam.”

“Give him a little credit. He may be upset at first, but he'll be reasonable. I do think it will be easier to swallow coming from me.”

She was so relieved she felt limp. “When are you going to tell him?”

“I'll talk to him tonight, when we go up to bed. That way he'll have all night to mull it over before he talks to you.”

She threw her arms around her mother and hugged her. “Thank you. For being so understanding. I thought you would be so disappointed in me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you've been the best daughter a mother could ask for. It would take an awful lot to disappoint me.”

Katy rested her head on her mother's shoulder, breathed in the scent of her perfume. Avon Odyssey. She'd worn the same fragrance as long as Katy could remember. It was familiar and comforting.

“So, does Adam know how you feel about him?”

“What's the point? Even if he felt the same way, it would never work. We're too different.”

“Different how?”

“He's rich and sophisticated, and I'm not.”

“So, you think he's better than you?”

“Not better, but we want different things out of life. Not to mention that he's in El Paso. And I'm happy right here, where I am.” She sat back and looked at her mother. “Aren't you the one who told me that he's not like us?”

“I guess I did.” She touched Katy's cheek. “I just don't like to see my baby unhappy. And like you said, maybe he's not the man we thought he was. He must be pretty special if you fell for him.”

“Well, it's all a moot point because Adam said himself that he'll never get married again. And even if he did, if he wanted me, I would always feel as though I was competing with Rebecca. I don't think she had a clue how lucky she was.”

“Probably not. Your sister took a lot of things for granted.”

She sat snuggled up to her mom, like she had when she was little, and found herself wishing she could go back to those days. When things were so much less complicated, and her life actually made sense.

“You should probably call Adam back,” her mom said.

Yeah, and she should probably apologize for the “quickie” remark. In all fairness, if their roles were reversed, she wouldn't be too keen on the idea of the mother of her child sleeping around.

It wasn't Adam's fault that she'd fallen for him, so it wasn't right to take out her frustrations on him.

“I'll call him right now.”

Her mom gave her one last firm squeeze, then got up from the couch. Katy hit Redial, expecting Adam to be fuming by now, but when he answered he sounded humbled.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I'm fine.”

“I owe you an apology,” he said, totally stunning her. “I overreacted. I'm used to being in charge, being in control, and with you so far away, I'm feeling a little…well, helpless, I guess.”

She knew that hadn't been easy for him to admit. “I'm sorry, too. That remark about Willy was uncalled for. Of course you have every right to be concerned. And for the record, I'm not sleeping with him or anyone else. Nor do I intend to.”

“I don't suppose you would reconsider moving here until the baby is born.”

Good Lord, what a nightmare that would be. As if this wasn't complicated and heartbreaking enough. “I can't, Adam.”

“Just thought I would ask.”

“And, just so you know, I wasn't sick. My mom overheard what I said about us sleeping together, and I could tell she wanted an explanation.”

“How much did you tell her?”

“Everything.”

She could practically feel him grimacing. “I thought you wanted to wait until we knew for sure.”

“I did, but not telling her started to feel like lying. And she took it surprisingly well.”

“What about your dad?”

“She's telling him tonight. He may not take it so well.”

“He doesn't happen to keep firearms around?”

She smiled. “Yeah, but he hasn't pulled his rifle on anyone since I was sixteen and he caught me behind the stable kissing one of the ranch hands.”

“You are kidding. Right?”

“Nope. Not only did the guy get fired on the spot, I think he had to go change his shorts.”

“I guess I should watch my back, then.”

“Nah. If my dad was going to take you down it would be in the chest. Or if he really wanted you to suffer, the gut.”

“Now you
are
kidding,” he said, but he sounded a little nervous.

She laughed. “Yeah, I'm kidding.”

“So, you've been feeling okay?”

“I've been feeling great.”

They eased into a conversation about her pregnancy, and he told her about the test he'd read of on the internet. They made plans to bring it up at her next appointment in three weeks. They ended up talking for almost an hour. She lay in bed later, replaying the conversation over and over, wishing things were different. Both anticipating and dreading her doctor appointment. Sometimes she missed Adam so much, the feeling sat like a stone in her chest. She knew seeing him face-to-face would only make it worse. Yet she longed to be close to him again. And she was terrified that if he got too close, if he wanted to make love again, she wouldn't be able to tell him no.

She tossed and turned all night and woke so late the next morning she missed breakfast, but Elvie kept some scrambled eggs and bacon warm for her. After she ate she went searching and found her mom in the chicken coop.

“Sorry I slept in.”

“That's okay. Your body is changing. You need more rest than before. I used to get exhausted in my first few months.”

“Is there anything you need me to do before I lock myself in the office?” It was her day to do the payroll and order supplies.

“Nothing I can think of.”

Katy turned to leave and her mom added, “I talked with your dad last night.”

Katy's heart gave a resounding thud. She had completely forgotten that she was going to break the news. “So, what did he say?”

“He said he sort of had the feeling something was up with the two of you,” her father said from behind her. Katy swung around to find him leaning in the coop doorway. “And he said that while he'd prefer to see you married and settled down, a baby is a blessing. No matter whose it is.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she said, and all of a sudden she was on the verge of tears.

Then he came over and hugged her and she did start crying.

She felt terrible for thinking he would be angry, and expecting the worst. As far as parents went, hers were pretty darned wonderful. It made her wonder, as she had so many times before, how could Becca have taken them for granted?

As long as she lived, it was a mistake she would never repeat.

 

The day of Katy's appointment couldn't come fast enough.

Adam told himself it was because he was eager to learn about the baby's progress, but the truth was, he'd missed her. Since their phone conversation, when he'd accused her of sleeping with her friend Willy, they'd been talking a lot more often. Usually in the evenings, after he left work and she finished her chores. He had never been much of a talker. He was more the silent-observer type, but that turned out not to be a problem, because Katy did enough talking for the both of them. And the more they talked, he found himself opening up to her.

It was astounding how different she and Becca really were. While Becca had been complex and at times intractable, Katy
was so…uncomplicated. And honest. If she said something, she meant it. There were none of the games women seemed to like to play. He found himself calling more often, making up excuses to talk to her, just so he could hear her voice.

Though he'd known many women in his life, he'd never actually been friends with one. Sadly, he realized, not even Becca. They used to talk when they were first dating, but now he wondered if she was only telling him what she thought he wanted to hear. Katy in contrast didn't pull any punches. If she felt strongly about something, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. At times quite passionately. But he liked that she challenged him. Because in all honesty, given his position of power in the corporate sector, not many people stood up to him.

He considered her more of an equal than most of his “rich” friends and colleagues.

The day of the appointment, when Reece pulled the limo into the lot at the fertility clinic and saw her truck already parked there, Adam experienced an anticipation that he'd not felt in a very long time. He didn't even wait for Reece to get out and open his door. And when he walked inside and saw her standing near the elevator, something deep inside of him seemed to…settle. Followed promptly by the yearning to pull her into his arms and hold her.

She smiled brightly when she saw him, her skin glowing with good health and happiness. Just the way he imagined a pregnant woman should look. She was dressed in her girls' clothes, and though she looked sexy as hell, he knew she would look even better wearing nothing at all. But the last thing either of them needed was to complicate this situation, and sleeping with her would do just that.

But damn, what he wouldn't give to take a quick nibble of her plump, rosy lips.

“Hi, stranger,” she said as he approached her, rising up to
give him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. It took all his willpower not to turn his head so it was his lips she kissed instead. There was an energy that crackled between them. The same sensation of awareness he'd felt when they kissed the first time.

“You look fantastic,” he said.

“Thanks. I feel great. My friend Missy is jealous because by this point in all four of her pregnancies she was sick as a dog.”

The elevator opened and they stepped inside. He touched her back, to guide her, and electricity seemed to arc between them. And he knew, from the soft breathy sound she made, the slight widening of her eyes, that she felt it, too.

When they signed in at the doctor's office they were called back immediately to an exam room. Adam waited in the hall while she changed into a gown, and he was only in the room a minute or two when Dr. Meyer knocked.

“So how have you been feeling?” he asked Katy. “Any morning sickness?”

“None at all. I feel great. A little tired sometimes, but I just go to bed earlier.”

The doctor smiled. “Sounds like a reasonable solution. You've been taking the vitamins I prescribed?”

“Every morning. And our cook has been filling me up on vegetables and whole grains.”

“Excellent.”

He asked her a few more questions, then took her blood pressure and pulse.

“I need to do an internal exam,” he said, looking from Adam to Katy, as if he wasn't sure Adam would be staying or not. And frankly neither was Adam. But Katy smiled and said, “That's fine.”