Having His Baby (7 page)

Jake parked his Jeep in front of Caleb's baseball card shop in downtown Crooked Oak. He hadn't intended to stop, but when he noticed Hank's car, he decided to drop in to tell his brothers the good news. When he entered the building, he found his younger siblings in the eight-by-eight-foot office at the back. Hank sat on the edge of the desk, a coffee cup in his hand. Caleb, sitting in a leather swivel chair, had his feet propped up on the desk.

"Hey, bro." Caleb motioned for Jake to join them. "What brings you by?"

"I'm on my way over to Marshallton to see Sugar Baby," Jake said. "I go over and stay a couple of hours every night. Y'all ought to see my girl. She's growing by leaps and bounds." He smiled at the thought of his daughter. He looked forward to those two hours every evening. "I noticed your car out front, Hank, so I thought I'd stop and tell y'all that old Wayland Henry and I have made a deal for me to buy his ranch. He's retiring and moving to Birmingham to live with his daughter and son-in-law."

"How old is Mr. Henry, anyway? He must be close to a hundred," Caleb said.

"He told me he turns eighty-five next month. He wants to stay on until then, but he's instructed his lawyer to have the papers drawn up as soon as possible. The ranch should be mine within a month's time."

Hank slid off the desk, stood, and slapped Jake on the back. "Congratulations, big brother. I never thought I'd see the day you settled down."

"Yeah, well, I suppose it's past time. Besides, becoming a father changes a man's priorities. You should know that. I want to be around to see Sugar Baby grow up. I want to hear her call me Daddy. I want her to know who her old man is."

"I understand," Hank said. "Caleb and I both do. Our own father did a real number on us, didn't he? We've all been afraid of fatherhood and commitment because he was such a lousy husband and father."

"Are you going to marry Donna?" Caleb asked. "Sheila is convinced that you two should get married as soon as possible."

"I asked the lady to be my wife and she turned me down."

"So, ask her again," Hank suggested. "Despite the fact that she's an independent woman, Donna's going to find it difficult to raise a child alone around here. People in Marshall County aren't very modern in their thinking. They expect a woman of Donna's background and social standing to be married to her child's father."

"I think Donna's background and social standing may be one of the reasons she doesn't want to marry me. I'm afraid she doesn't think I'm good enough for her. And I can't say I blame her. After all, compared to her polish, I'm a pretty coarse guy."

"So, you're not a cultured gentleman. Big deal," Caleb said. "Undoubtedly, Donna liked you well enough to have an affair with you. And from what Sheila tells me, Donna hadn't been with a man since her husband died five years ago."

"My guess is, that even if Donna is denying she has any feelings for you, she's lying to herself as well as to you," Hank said. "Susan tells me that Donna was deeply in love with her husband and that when he died she nearly had a nervous breakdown. Seems it's common knowledge in Marshall County that Donna was under psychiatric care for over a year after Edward Fields died. They say her aunt and uncle were afraid she'd commit suicide."

Jake felt a rush of jealous anger swell up inside him and fill him completely. Donna had loved her husband so much that she hadn't wanted to live without him? He wondered if part of the problem now was that Donna really was still in love with Edward. How could he compete with a dead man? The ghost of an old lover?

"I've offered her marriage," Jake said. "If she changes her mind, she'll have to let me know. But I've got to admit that the idea of competing with Donna's memory of her husband isn't my idea of a good way to start a marriage."

"Afraid of the competition?" Hank asked, a twinkle of devilment in his eyes.

"Not if the guy was flesh and blood," Jake said. "But if she's still in love with this other guy, she's going to remember him as if he were a saint. There's no way I or any other man could compete with memories of a perfect husband."

"Memories, no matter how wonderful, won't keep you warm on a cold night," Caleb said. "I'd say if you two are good in the sack together, then you have a distinct advantage over her memories of her husband."

Jake mumbled several colorful obscenities under his breath, then glanced from one brother to the other. "I'm not discussing mine and Donna's sex life with you two."

Caleb and Hank grinned, then laughed softly as if trying not to laugh at all.

"What's so damn funny?" Jake glared at his brothers.

"When a man won't talk about his sexual, er, dalliances with a particular lady, then it's usually a sure sign he's got some major feelings for the lady," Caleb said.

"Yeah," Hank agreed. "You don't happen to be in love with Donna, do you?"

The question took Jake off guard. He hadn't even thought about love. He wasn't in love with Donna, was he? He had known more than his share of women over the years and he'd truly cared about a few, but he'd never been in love. He wasn't sure he even believed in the emotion. He liked Donna. He loved making love to her. And he had feelings for her because she was the mother of his child. But love her? Nope. Jake Bishop wasn't the kind of man who went soft in the head over a woman. Any woman. Not even a special lady like Donna Fields.

"I care about her because she's Sugar Baby's mama, but that's as far as it goes—that and the fact that I want her. I think we could make marriage work, if she'd give us a chance."

"Are you going to tell her that you're buying the ranch?" Hank walked over to the coffee machine, picked up the pot and poured himself another cup.

"Don't know." Jake rubbed his chin. "She thinks I'm a penniless cowpoke who's going to have to float a major loan to buy the ranch."

"Why haven't you told her that you're a rich man?" Caleb asked.

"Maybe he doesn't want her to know that he made a lot of money as a mercenary before he retired to become cowpoke or that he's smart enough to have tripled his savings with shrewd investments." Hank looked directly at Jake. "Is that it? You want Donna to accept you, for who you are and not judge you with everyone else around here once did?"

"Yeah, something like that," Jake admitted.

Donna paced the floor, a fretful Louisa in her arms. "Hush, sweet baby, hush. Don't cry. I've fed you and changed your diaper and sung to you. What's wrong? Why won't you settle down and go to sleep? You haven't had a nap all afternoon. Mommy's just about out of her mind."

Louisa wriggled against Donna's chest and let out another yelp. Since Mrs. Winthrop had come to work as her nanny, Louisa had taken several naps every day. And when she'd been fussy, Donna and Mrs. Winthrop had taken turns caring for her. But today of all days—with Mrs. Winthrop on her way to Chattanooga and Donna having been in- formed her job was in jeopardy—Louisa had chosen to act her worst.

"Do you have a tummy ache?" Donna walked from her bedroom, out into the hall and down the stairs. "Maybe you need a change of scenery. Let's go downstairs and fix Mommy a bite of supper. I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast." As if on cue, Donna's stomach growled. "Listen to that! Mommy's starving."

Louisa quieted when Donna carried her into the kitchen. "Would you sit in your carrier for a few minutes so Mommy can make a sandwich?"

While the baby seemed inclined to cooperate, Donna eased her down into the carrier that was sitting in the middle of the round oak table. "That's Mommy's big girl. I promise that when I finish eating, we'll walk the floor as long as you want."

The minute Donna turned her back and headed for the cherrywood cabinets that lined the kitchen walls, Louisa bellowed. Donna halted, sighed, said a silent prayer for help and turned to face her irate infant. "We're not going to let Mommy eat, are we? Apparently, you want me to lose weight. Is that it? You think your mother needs to lose a few more pounds?"

Donna lifted Louisa into her arms, walked into the pantry and scratched around, picking up and putting down several bags as she looked for anything that might already be open. A package of cookies. Potato chips. Even rice cakes would taste delicious at this point. Donna finally gave up her search and grabbed a bag of unopened chocolate chip cookies. With one hand, she put the edge of the bag to her mouth and, using her teeth, ripped it open.

"Pay dirt," Donna said, placing the bag on the counter and delving one hand into the tattered cellophane. She retrieved a cookie, brought it to her lips and bit off a large piece. Savoring the sweetness of the cookie, she moaned with pleasure.

"Someday, my precious, you'll learn all about the healing properties of chocolate. Unfortunately, if you've inherited my fat genes, every bite of chocolate you eat will go directly to your hips."

Just as Louisa began whimpering again, the doorbell rang. Donna put the entire cookie into her mouth, chewed quickly and rushed out into the hallway.
Please, God, let it be Jake. Don't let him skip his nightly visit. Not tonight. I need him.

Jake rang the bell again. What the hell was taking Donna so long to come to the door? She had to be home. Her Corvette was parked in the driveway. Besides, she knew he came by every night to see his daughter.

Donna flung open the front door. Jake took one look at her and stifled the laughter bubbling up in his throat. She probably had no idea how she looked. Her hair was a mess—as if she'd been caught in a high wind. Strands hung down from the untidy topknot and loosely curled about her face. Her eye makeup was smeared, her lipstick nonexistent and her blouse was buttoned crookedly. And there was a dark smear along the left corner of her mouth. Chocolate, Jake surmised.

"Thank God, you're here." Donna reached out with one hand, grabbed Jake's arm and tugged hard. "I've had the day from hell. Please, please come in."

Jake stepped into the foyer, placed his Stetson on the hall tree rack and had barely turned toward her when Donna thrust Louisa into his arms.

"Please, take her for just a few minutes! She's been throwing a temper tantrum on and off all afternoon. She hasn't had a nap and—"

"Where's Mrs. Winthrop?" Jake asked as he lifted Louisa up against his chest. When he rubbed her back, she cooed.

"Mrs. Winthrop's sister had a heart attack. Right now, my nanny is in Chattanooga and won't be back for a couple of months, maybe longer!"

"That's too bad. I hope her sister will be all right." Jake continued to rub his daughter's back as he followed Donna into the den. "Look, sugar, why don't you let me take over for a while. You look as if you need a nice, long bubble bath—" His gaze focused on her chocolate-smeared mouth. His first thought was to lick away the stain. Instead, he reached over and wiped her mouth with the tip of his finger, then put his finger into his mouth.

"Definitely chocolate," he said.

Donna stared at him in disbelief. What had he just done? Wiped something off her mouth. Oh, good grief! She'd had chocolate from the cookie on her mouth!

"I haven't eaten a bite, except one chocolate cookie, since breakfast this morning."

Jake inclined his head toward the door. "Go upstairs, soak in a hot bath, rest, relax, and I'll take care of Sug—Louisa. And I'll take care of supper, too."

Donna nodded agreement. "Thanks, Jake. You're a lifesaver! I won't be long, I promise."

"Take all the time you need. Little Miss Bishop and I will be just fine until she gets hungry again."

"I fed her about thirty minutes ago, so she should be good for another hour or two."

Donna raced out of the den. Jake sat in the recliner by the fireplace, lifted Louisa in his arms so that she faced him. "Been giving your mama a hard time today, huh?" For a split second Jake could have sworn that his daughter smiled at him. He laughed. "You're trying to show her how much you both need me, aren't you? Well, you did a good job, Sugar Baby. Your mama's nerves are frazzled. And it's to our advantage that your nanny had to go out of town."

Louisa cooed for him, as if she understood and agreed with everything he'd said. "You want your daddy around full-time, don't you? You don't care that your daddy has a bad boy reputation to live down or that he's not an educated gentleman. You don't even care that the thought of failing you as a father scares the hell out of me. All you care about is having me around because you know how much I love you."

Jake got up and walked over to the desk in front of the windows overlooking the backyard. He searched the drawers for a phone book, found one, flipped through the Yellow Pages directory and memorized the number for Steak Express.

"We're going to order some supper for your mama and me. She'll be more agreeable on a full stomach."

Jake dialed the number, placed the order and wandered through the den and out into the kitchen. He set Louisa in her carrier on the table and secured the safety belt. She didn't make a sound. He smiled down at her.

"Maybe I should find some candles and fix the table up real nice. You see, I'm going to ask your mama to marry me. Again. And this time, I'm not going to take no for an answer."

Forty-five minutes later Donna came downstairs. Music wafted through the house, the sweet, romantic strands of guitar and piano. Jake must have turned on her CD player. She didn't hear Louisa. Was it possible that Jake had gotten her to sleep? If so, the man was a miracle worker.

When she passed the dining room on her way to the kitchen, she stopped abruptly and stared at the set table. Two places set. China. Crystal. Silver. And candles glowing brightly. Just as she took a step toward the kitchen, Jake opened the door and walked out, his hands filled with two large paper sacks.

"Oh, hello there," he said. "Feeling better?" He moved past her and into the dining room.

"Where's Louisa?" Donna asked.

"Asleep in her little carrier on the kitchen table."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. I just told her that her old man wanted a romantic dinner with her mama and she went right off to sleep." Jake opened the sacks, removed the contents and placed steaks and baked potatoes on the dinner plates, then filled the bowls with salad and laid slices of cheesecake on the dessert plates.

"I can't believe this, either. You called and had supper delivered. Jake Bishop, you're a multitalented man."

"It's about time you realized that fact." He held out a chair for her. "Dinner is served."

"I'm starving." She sat and gazed longingly at the filet mignon on her plate, then up at the man who had not only provided her with the meal, but had actually gotten their fussy baby to take a nap.

Despite being clean-shaven, Jake's five o'clock shadow darkened his rugged face. He was, without a doubt, the sexiest man she'd ever known. So big, so masculine, so irresistible. She'd be a fool to go with her instincts and ask him to share a marriage in name only with her for the next few months.

How would she be able to live with this man and not succumb to him? After all, the night she met him, she'd been mesmerized by him, so much so that she had acted totally out of character and spent the next two days making love with him. During the weekend they'd spent together, he had touched every inch of her body and brought her to fulfillment countless times. Although they were still little more than strangers, Jake knew her in ways no other man ever had. Not even Edward. She'd never been a wild woman in Edward's arms, never done the things with him she'd done with Jake. Just remembering what they had shared brought a blush to Donna's cheeks.

No, she didn't dare marry Jake. It would be too dangerous. But what was the alternative to marrying him, at least on a temporary basis? Unless she could make some sort of bargain with him, she might lose her job and it was certain Louisa would suffer the stigma of illegitimacy. Something like that would have been insignificant in New York or L.A., but it still mattered in rural Tennessee.

After Jake took his seat across the table from her, Donna smiled at him. "Thank you." She sliced into her steak, then put a savory bite into her mouth.

Jake followed suit and they ate a leisurely meal, keeping the conversation light. "Nice weather. Felt like summertime today, didn't it?"

"What? Oh, yes, it was rather warm," Donna said

"Old Man Henry gave me a tour of his house today." Jake had already decided that he'd have to completely remodel the place. "Would you believe he doesn't even own an air conditioner?"

"Is that right?" Donna spread the butter around on her baked potato. "I can't imagine anyone not having air-conditioning this day and age."

"I plan to put in central heat and air when I redo the house."

"That's a good idea."

"I'd like for you to bring Louisa out to the ranch sometime, since I expect to be living there."

"Yes, of course. But there's no rush, is there? After all, you haven't bought the place yet."

"You wouldn't like living on a horse ranch, would you?"

Of course, she wouldn't, you idiot,
taunted an inner voice.
Look around you. Donna's world is filled with every modern convenience and decorated with priceless antiques. Even if she were madly in love with you, she'd find it difficult to adjust to life on a ranch.

"Probably not," she said. "I've lived in town all my life."

Jake nodded, then became unusually quiet. Donna knew what she had to do, but something inside her—that pesky little voice—warned her that she'd live to regret it if she allowed Louisa's father to live with them, even for a short period of time.

Jake knew it was now or never. He had to ask her—one more time. And if she rejected his proposal, he'd have to accept the fact that she wouldn't marry him and give their child two full-time parents.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," he said.

"All right, but first, there's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

Donna took a deep breath, then blurted, "Will you marry me?"