AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She sat up, shoving a tumble of pale hair from her face, looking quite delightful in her confusion. “But, why did you do that?”
“I was making a statement.” He crossed to the dresser and picked up the tray and placed it near her on the mattress. “Hungry?”
“I don’t understand.” She drew her knees toward her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “What sort of statement?”
“You’re a smart woman. You figure it out.”
Her lashes flickered downward, then lifted. An expression every bit as hungry as his lit the darkness of her gaze. “Should I assume I won’t be going anywhere soon?”
“Good guess.”
“Even though Isabella will let Sarita stay? Even though you won't need me much longer? Even though... Even though we don't know for sure whether or not I'm pregnant?”
Oh, he knew. And he intended to take that excuse away from her right this very second. “I’m changing the conditions of our marriage agreement.” He thrust out his jaw. “Any objections?”
“To be honest,” she admitted wistfully. “I sort of liked the clothes I had in my suitcase.”
“I didn’t throw out your clothes, just the case.”
To prove his point, he opened one of the drawers and removed a particularly fine bit of black silk. If he were honest, he’d admit he’d had a few perverted thoughts about this particular piece of nothing while putting it away. With any luck at all, he’d turn those thoughts into action.
“See? All your belongings, safe and sound.” Safe and sound until he ripped them offher.
“You know this doesn’t change anything, don’t you?”
Returning to the bed, he removed the plastic wrap covering one of the plates. He passed her the sandwich Mojo had prepared and waited until she’d begun nibbling on it before continuing.
“This place needs a bit of work, but it’s in a good location and has serious possibilities. I’ve worked on some of the ranches around here before and like the area. This is where I want to raise my daughter. The people are friendly and the town wholesome.”
Shayne slanted him a quick glance from beneath her lashes. “Are you trying to sell me on the place?”
She planned to leave him. The certainty took hold. “Do I need to?”
“It occurs to me that we've never settled certain issues.” She picked at her sandwich, scattering crumbs across the spread. If their conversation hadn't turned so serious, he'd have teased her about it. “Maybe we should discuss them now.”
He didn’t want her telling him about the baby she wouldn’t bear. Not tonight. “And maybe we should take things one day at a time.”
A flash of pain flickered across her face and she returned her sandwich to the plate, half-eaten. “Did you ever look for me, Chaz?”
Damn. Where had that come from? He didn’t have the energy for this sort of discussion. “I looked,” he stated briefly.
“But Rafe made it impossible for you to find me, didn’t he?”
He thrust a hand through his hair. “Do we have to talk about this now?” He didn’t want to open old wounds, to discover whether or not anything still festered there. Some matters were best left untouched. It was safer that way. “I looked. Ididn’t find you. End of subject.”
“How long did you look?”
“Shayne—”
“A day?”
A ripple of anger raced through him. “Let it go, honey.”
“A month?”
“Yes, damn it. Amonth.”
“A year? Did you keep looking for a whole year?”
