Mesa, Arizona
"How can it be almost ninety degrees? It's the second of December, for crying out loud," Lindy Sims complained, slouching onto her sister's sofa and kicking off her heels.
"What are you complaining about? It's beautiful outside." Gabrielle Tucker piled the lunch dishes in the sink, scooped up her seventeen-month-old daughter, Allie, and joined Lindy on the couch.
"We live in the desert. It's always beautiful outside," Lindy replied, toying with the cell phone in her lap. "What I wouldn't give for a rain cloud."
"Quit trying to change the subject," Gabrielle said.
"I'm not trying to change the subject."
Her sister gave her the evil eye. "Every time I want to talk about David, you change the subject."
Lindy glanced at her watch, suddenly anxious to leave. She was a district attorney fairly new at her job, so work kept her busy. But she had another twenty minutes before she needed to head back to the office, and Gabrielle knew it. "That's not true. There's just nothing to say. You set me up with your ex-husband. We went out to dinner. He never called me again. End of story," she said. But that wasn't the end of the story. Not by a long shot.
Gabrielle straightened the bow in her daughter's hair. "You had a good time with him."
Lindy couldn't deny that, so she said nothing.
"Why not let me set you up with him again?" Gabrielle asked.
Too nervous to remain sitting, Lindy tossed her cell phone aside and stood up to stare out the living room window of Gabrielle's new four-bedroom home. "If he liked me, he'd ask me out himself."
"David's a wonderful guy, but sometimes he doesn't know what's good for him. And maybe I'm mistaken, but it seemed as though there was a spark between you two. When you called me the morning after he took you to dinner, I got the impression you really liked him."
Lindy put a self-conscious hand to her stomach. She had liked him - well enough to make one of the biggest mistakes of her life. At some point, she was going to have to tell Gabrielle about that mistake. But she wasn't ready yet. She and her half-sister were close, but they'd only found each other three months ago. Three months wasn't nearly long enough for Gabrielle to know that Lindy's actions that night had been completely out of character. Lindy was generally conservative, cautious and slow to trust. She still wasn't sure what had happened with David to change all of that. One minute they were having dinner and a glass of wine. The next they were opening another bottle at his place while watching a movie. And then...
Her cheeks began to burn. Steering her thoughts away from what had followed, she glanced at her watch again. "I'd better get back."
"You've got a minute," Gabrielle said. "If I can talk David into asking you out for New Year's, will you say yes? Randall and I have tickets to a Creed concert. We want you to join us."
Lindy felt like banging her head against the glass. Because of David, she was going to be a single parent. She and Gabrielle would be shuttling their kids off to the same man every weekend. And she didn't have any idea how to break the news....
"You're wasting your time with me and David," she said. "He's not interested."
Gabrielle sighed. "If he wasn't so stubborn, he'd see that you two are perfect for each other."
Perfect for each other... Lindy had thought she'd finally found the man of her dreams. Until he'd awkwardly apologized in the morning for what had happened in the night, driven her home and never contacted her again. "Evidently, he doesn't think I'm so great," she said.
"He just doesn't know you the way I do."
David didn't know a lot of things one thing in particular. And Lindy wasn't looking forward to telling him....
David Hadley was busy at his mortgage company in Tempe DH Home Loans when Gabrielle called. But he thought she or Allie might need him, so he asked Peter Vaughn at Sunrise Bank and Loan if he could call him back about the Coopers' refinance and switched to the other line. "Hi, Gabby. What's up?"
"I'm planning a Christmas party," she said brightly.
"In this heat?"
"It's still Christmastime."
"True, but you just moved in. Aren't you exhausted?"
"Not really. We only came from Florence, and we're nearly settled. I'm using this as an excuse to invite my new neighbors over. Because of all the publicity surrounding the murder of Randall's first wife, I think they might be a little leery of having us live so close."
"I already know Tucker," he said. "You don't have to convince me he's an upstanding citizen."
"I'm inviting you for moral support."
David didn't think Gabby needed moral support. She was happier now than he'd ever seen her. More likely, she was trying to throw him and Tucker together again. She cared about them both, so she wanted them to care about each other. But David doubted that was ever going to happen. A man didn't lose the love of his life to another man and get over it that easily.
But it was wiser to dodge the issue than try to explain. "I'm pretty busy," he said.
"I haven't given you the date."
"If it's a Christmas party, you're having it this month, right? I'm busy throughout December."
"You're not planning to see Allie for the next several weeks?" she asked skeptically.
She had him and he knew it. Of course he was planning to see his daughter. He took Allie every chance he got. But going to Gabrielle's party was different. There, he and Tucker would have to hang out and pretend to be friends. And
A thought crossed David's mind that made him even more reluctant. "Is Lindy going to be there?"
"Probably," she replied. "But that's not a problem, is it? Lindy's great. You told me yourself that you think she's attractive."
She was attractive. But he'd had too much to drink when they went out and wound up using Lindy to drown his sorrows over Gabrielle. That night wasn't something he was proud of, which meant seeing Lindy again wasn't going to make him any more comfortable than buddying up with Tucker. "When?" he asked, so he could come up with a more specific excuse.
"This coming Friday."
"It's already Monday. That's not a lot of notice."
"I'm just having an open house. You come, you eat, you go. You can be in and out in twenty minutes or less. And you can take Allie home with you."
"But that isn't my weekend."
"I know."
"I'll be there," he said.
Lindy held Allie and hung out near the punchbowl, even though she drank nothing but soda. Being pregnant meant she had to watch a few things her caffeine and alcohol intake, for starters. But those were only the small changes. She'd never stepped foot inside a maternity shop or visited an obstetrician more than once a year. Now she was going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe and schedule her life around monthly, and then weekly, checkups. She'd have to come up with a good childcare arrangement for after the baby was born, so she could continue to work, and
She pressed her forehead against Allie's. "What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered, but Allie only grinned and clapped her chubby hands, convinced that Aunt Lindy was playing another game with her.
"It was wonderful to meet you. Thanks for coming," Lindy heard Gabrielle say at the door.
"Thanks for inviting us," the woman of the young family who was just leaving replied. "You have a lovely home."
The door closed, and Lindy felt her nerves grow taut as silence engulfed the house. The party was winding down. Only a few stragglers remained outside on the deck near the pool, a couple of men who were talking to Randall and Randall's eight-year-old son, Landon. Lindy had spent the entire day at Gabrielle's house helping prepare for the party, then serving food and playing with Allie, but mostly waiting for an opportunity to talk to Gabrielle. She'd decided to tell Gabrielle about the baby and get it over with so she could sleep at night.
"You look tired," Gabrielle said, entering the room again. "You want me to take Allie?"
"No." Allie gave her someone to cling to. "I'm not too tired. I've just had a busy week." And the biggest emotional blow of my life.
A curious look crossed Gabrielle's face. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the doorbell interrupted.
Thinking she'd been granted a momentary reprieve, Lindy breathed a sigh of relief until she recognized David's voice. What was he doing here? Gabrielle had said she was having her neighbors over. She'd mentioned nothing about her ex-husband. And Lindy knew for a fact that this wasn't David's week to have Allie. She and Gabrielle had gone shopping last Saturday while he had the baby.
"Sorry I'm late," she heard him say. "I had to work."
"More likely you were hoping to miss my party," Gabrielle replied.
He didn't bother to deny it. "Did I have any luck?"
"For the most part. Only a few people are left. Come in."
Lindy glanced around, wondering where she could disappear. She'd mentally prepared herself to tell Gabrielle today, but she wasn't ready for David.
Putting Allie down, she started for the hall, thinking the bathroom was the most logical place. But Allie squealed in protest the second she moved away and Gabrielle called to her before she could get far enough to pretend not to hear.
"Lindy, look who finally arrived!"
Slowly, Lindy turned and forced a smile. "Hi, David," she managed to say.
Evidently David hadn't delayed his appearance long enough. "Hi, Lindy," he said, nodding politely. "How are things at work?"
"Busy."
"I bet."
An awkward silence fell almost immediately, and David tried to cover it by reaching for Allie. "Hey, babe. You ready to come to Daddy's?"
"You're not leaving so soon, are you?" Gabrielle said as he lifted Allie into his arms. "You haven't even said hello to Randall."
Through the window, David could see Tucker standing in the backyard with Landon and a couple of people he didn't know. "I wouldn't want to miss Tucker," he said, being careful to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "But it looks like he's busy. There's no need to interrupt him."
"He won't mind. He asked me where you were just a few minutes ago."
Wonderful. As David started to follow Gabrielle out for the inevitable greeting, he noticed Lindy inching the other way. "Well, I'd better get going," she said. "Er, good to see you, David."
She turned and headed straight for the door, but Gabrielle caught her by the arm. "Wait! Where are you going?"
"Home," she said.
"But you said you'd go to the late movie with us after the party ended, remember? I have a sitter lined up and everything."
"Oh...right." Her eyes settled on David, then darted away.
Gabrielle gave him a wide smile. "And David doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to twist his arm into joining us."
David felt some real alarm. This little encounter was awkward enough. He had no plans to prolong the agony. "Gabby, I have to get back."
"To what?" she demanded.
He groped for an excuse, but it was nearly nine o'clock on a Friday night, which meant it would be nine-thirty by the time he got home. It wasn't likely he'd be taking Allie tonight, and Gabrielle already knew he wasn't seeing anyone. They were close friends and spoke on the telephone two or three times a week. "I just... It's been crazy at work. I have some catching up to do."
"You know what they say about all work and no play." She steered them out through a set of double French doors. "Look who's here," she announced.
Tucker acknowledged him with a tip of his beer. When they were closer, he offered his hand. "Good to see you, man. How's life been treating you?"
His life had been much better before, David decided. Before Tucker. Before Lindy. Before he let Gabrielle sucker him into attending this little party.
Lindy didn't want to sit through a two-hour movie smelling the subtle scent of David's cologne and remembering that night at his place three months ago. It was too embarrassing and hurtful to believe that what had been an incredible experience for her had meant nothing to him.
But even though she'd made it a point to enter the row first, right before Gabrielle, Gabrielle had sent Randall out to get some popcorn and a drink. Then Randall had decided he wanted some candy and left again while Gabrielle went to the rest room. Reluctant to be alone with David, Lindy quickly visited the rest room herself. By the time she returned, there was only one seat left, and it was right where she didn't want to be sandwiched between Randall and David.
Obviously, Gabrielle was working against her.
Damn it, Gabby, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. She silently cursed as she sat down. But deep inside, she knew she couldn't blame Gabrielle for what had happened the night she and David had gone out. Gabrielle hadn't forced her to respond when David tilted his head during that video and pressed his lips to hers. Gabrielle hadn't had anything to do with the way she'd pulled him closer and opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss, the way she'd reveled in the solid feel of his arms around her. Desire had flared so quickly and powerfully, Lindy wasn't sure when or how she could've stopped what had happened. In a very short time, David had managed to excite her in a way she'd never experienced with any other man. And yet...
She squeezed her eyes closed. She should have stopped somehow.
The warmth of David's arm next to her own made Lindy slide closer to Randall, so she wouldn't be so aware of him. But then her brother-in-law glanced at her a little curiously, probably wondering why she was nearly crawling into his lap, and she made herself sit in the perfect center of her seat without moving so she wouldn't brush arms with either one of them.
Her back was aching before the movie was half-over. She surreptitiously pushed the light button on her watch so she could see the time, wondering how she herself was going to survive another hour and five minutes trying to be half her normal size, when David leaned over and said, "Relax, I won't bite."
His voice was polite and impersonal, certainly nothing like it had been the night they'd made love. For some reason, his lack of emotion stung.
Suddenly Lindy couldn't sit next to him any longer. She shouldn't have let Gabrielle talk her into coming, she realized. She had to go.
Getting up, she slipped past David without saying a word and simply walked out of the theater. But when she reached the street, she didn't know what to do. They'd all ridden in Randall's SUV....
Briefly, she considered calling a cab. But she knew she had only a few minutes before Gabrielle came into the lobby looking for her. So she tied the lightweight jacket she'd brought around her waist, because it still felt like summer, and hurried away on foot.
David let his breath go in one big sigh as he stood facing the door to Lindy's house. He told himself he was crazy for coming, especially at one o'clock in the morning. But he'd purposely left Allie with Gabrielle for the night so he could talk to Lindy. After she'd disappeared from the movies, he knew he needed to clear the air. He knew she'd left because of him.
He frowned as he remembered Gabrielle's confusion and concern when Lindy didn't return and how frantically she'd tried to reach her on her cell. Lindy hadn't picked up until well after midnight. When she finally answered, she'd made up some excuse about feeling sick and not wanting to make them miss the movie. But she'd admitted to not taking a cab, which meant she'd walked nearly five miles. She couldn't have been too sick.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, David tried to formulate what he wanted to say. He'd certainly never meant to take advantage of her or hurt her in any way. She was a sharp, sexy woman. Sleeping with her had been...
Well, it had been a lot of things, but mostly it had been a mistake. It was way too fast, way too soon, way too intense. After what he'd been through with Gabrielle, he wasn't about to get seriously involved so soon, especially with a woman so closely tied to his ex-wife.
He gave the door a quick, decisive knock. "Lindy? It's David."
She didn't answer right away, but he doubted she was asleep. Gabrielle had hung up with her only seconds before he drove over and there were still lights on in the back of the house. More likely, she just wasn't happy about having him at her door.
"Lindy? Come on. I think we should talk. It's not like we can avoid each other forever. As long as we're both part of Gabby's and Allie's lives, we're going to bump into each other at almost every family function."
The porch light snapped on over his head, the door opened, and David could see that Lindy had changed into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a T-shirt and piled her shoulder-length blond hair on top of her head. She looked freshly scrubbed and almost childishly innocent as she blinked at him with her clear blue eyes. "You really didn't need to come by," she said, offering him a propped-up smile. "I'm feeling better already."
She started to close the door, but he caught it before it could latch. "Wait a second. Can I come in?"
She hesitated. "It's late and "
"Just for a minute," he said.
Again he read indecision on her face, but she eventually stepped back and motioned him inside.
Located in the older part of Mesa, near Main Street, her house was small and probably thirty years old. But someone had recently remodeled the inside. Several walls had been knocked out, the kitchen, which was now completely white and almost spacious, had new tile and appliances, and the rooms he could see were decorated with such a modern twist that David felt as though he'd just stepped into a trendy New York apartment.
"Nice place," he said, hoping to ease the tension.
"Thanks."
"You still live alone?"
"For now." She tucked a fallen strand of straw-blond hair behind her ear. "I'm in the process of remodeling the back bathroom. I'll run an ad in the paper once I get the place livable."
"Makes sense." He shoved his hands in his pockets. He was running out of small talk, it was late, and he wanted to go home. "Listen, Lindy, I came by because I feel terrible that you can't even sit through a movie with me after...after what happened. I know I was way out of line that night. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you the way I did. I'd had too much to drink and "
"And you're terribly sorry. I know," she said. "You've already apologized, remember?"
"But "
"Please." She put up a hand to stop him. "A girl can only take so much remorse." She laughed self-consciously. "Problem is, there's nothing we can do about it now."
"We can agree to forget it," he said.
She shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not possible."
"Why not?"
Her eyes were troubled when she looked up at him. "Because I'm pregnant."
David gaped at her as though she'd shot him. He blinked and rubbed his chest, then his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.
Lindy was afraid to hear what he might ask as soon as he found his voice. "Are you sure it's mine?" That degrading question had to be one of the first. He had no way of knowing that she hadn't been with anyone else since she'd broken up with Mac over four years ago.
Instead, he said, "But we used a " He seemed to realize the fallibility of their choice of protection because he fell silent for a second before finishing with a weak "It didn't work, huh?"
She shook her head.
"You're sure?"
"I'm positive."
He took a deep, audible breath. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," she replied. "I won't get an abortion. I won't put the baby up for adoption."
"I don't think I would have suggested either of those things."
"Well, you don't need to worry about it, because I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I've decided that I'm perfectly willing to raise this child on my own. I feel it's only fair that I give you a choice, of course. But you can walk away, if you like. And I won't tell a soul you were involved at all, especially Gabrielle. She doesn't even know about the baby yet."
"Gabrielle," he said, smacking his forehead. "She sets me up with her sister, and I get her pregnant the first night. God, what was I thinking?"
Lindy had known this would probably be painful, but she couldn't help wincing at his self-recrimination even though she deserved every heartfelt pang. Throughout their dinner together, he'd made several comments that made it pretty clear he was still in love with Gabrielle, but she'd liked him so much she'd chosen to disregard them.
"Allie and this baby will be half-siblings," he said, the ramifications obviously starting to come home to him.
"They're first cousins, too," she replied, talking fast now that her decision had been made. "That already makes them family. They'll be close with or without your involvement."
"I can't see you and..." he glanced at her stomach "...this baby at Allie's birthday parties and pretend I have no connection. I I can't just ignore this."
"Yes, you can," Lindy said. "This was my fault. I knew you were still in love with Gabrielle. I just didn't want to face it." She'd known how happy Gabrielle and Randall were, knew David would have to move on eventually, and thought she'd be able to help him. Which basically meant she'd been naive and stupid and now she had to pay the price.
David lay in bed feeling numb. Gabrielle's sister was pregnant. With his baby. From one night's encounter.
What was he going to do?
He automatically thought of Allie and how much he loved her. Kids were great. He'd wanted several. Only he'd always pictured Gabrielle as the mother of his children. Now Gabrielle was married to Tucker and would probably be having Tucker's child someday. And David was...what?
Confused, he decided. Evidently being divorced wasn't bad enough. He'd had to go and get a woman he barely knew pregnant.
He heard Lindy's voice in his head, saying that he was still in love with Gabrielle and wondered if it were true. How did a man draw a line between loving a woman in a certain way before and loving her in a different way now?
The phone rang. He glanced over at the digital clock on his nightstand and knew it had to be Lindy. Who else would be calling him at three o'clock on this crazy night?
He didn't want to answer. He needed some time to think before he spoke to her again.
Unless telling him she was pregnant had just been her idea of a cruel joke, a way to pay him back for what had happened...
"Hello?" he said, snatching up the phone before it could stop ringing.
"David?" It was Gabrielle, not Lindy. "Did I wake you?"
"No." Stifling a groan, David closed his eyes and let his head fall back on his pillow. He'd told Gabrielle he'd stop by Lindy's and then call to let her know that Lindy was okay. But he'd forgotten. And he wasn't sure what to say about his visit, anyway. At the moment, Lindy wasn't okay. Neither was he.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"Didn't you go to Lindy's?"
"I dropped by, yeah."
"Why didn't you call me? I've tried and tried to reach her and keep getting her message machine."
"She's probably asleep."
"She's been acting so strange the past couple of weeks," she said. "I'm really starting to worry about her. Did she say why she didn't tell us she was leaving the movie?"
"No." David propped the phone up with his shoulder so he could rub both temples. Gabrielle was obviously looking for reassurance, but he wasn't the person to provide it. After what he'd done, his conscience wouldn't allow him to make any promises about Lindy's well-being.
"Was she very sick?"
"She said she was feeling better."
"Hang on."
In the background, David could hear Tucker trying to convince Gabrielle to come to bed by telling her they'd visit Lindy first thing in the morning. She finally agreed and told David she had to go. But long after David had severed the connection, he couldn't stop thinking about Gabrielle saying, "I've tried and tried to reach her and keep getting her message machine."
Why wasn't Lindy picking up? Certainly she wasn't depressed enough to...
Lindy heard pounding at her door, but she was reluctant to wake up. It had taken her too long to fall asleep in the first place, and she really didn't want to start thinking again. Her head hurt from all the thinking she'd done already.
But then she heard David's voice. "Lindy, it's me."
"Again?" she muttered and dragged herself out of bed.
This time when she answered the door, David was wearing a pair of faded jeans that looked far too good on him, a T-shirt and a pair of moccasinlike shoes.
"You're wearing slippers," she said, blinking bleary-eyed at his feet.
"I was in bed."
"Then what are you doing here? I thought you wanted some time to think about...things."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. "You haven't been answering your phone."
"It's nearly five o'clock in the morning. Did it ever cross your mind that I might be sleeping?"
"I figured that was the case, but then I thought maybe... I mean, you seemed pretty upset when I left, and I didn't know if..." He scowled. "Gabrielle was worried," he finished abruptly.
"Oh, so you're on an errand for Gabrielle. Well, now you can call her back and tell her I'm fine."
"I wasn't running her errands," he said. "She and Tucker are coming over here in the morning to check on you themselves. I was just never mind."
He started to go, but Lindy was suddenly eager to take advantage of the opportunity to resolve some of the issues between them. She needed to know how to plan so she could start moving ahead with her life instead of bemoaning the past. And there seemed little point in waiting. She and David didn't know each other well. He was in love with someone else. And she refused to become some sort of charity case to him.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of this baby on my own," she said. "I really don't need any help from you."
"You told me that already," he said, walking away.
"Why don't we just go with that then?" she called after him. "I'm sure we can work out some type of arrangement where we don't have to see each other more than once or twice a year. Gabrielle might not like the fact that we won't attend the same functions, but she doesn't have to like it, does she? We don't always get what we want. We "
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"Wait! There's no need to call. We're in agreement here, right?"
"I haven't agreed to anything."
"Maybe this baby doesn't even belong to you," she said, saying exactly what she'd been afraid he'd say because she was already tired of being his biggest mistake. What did she care what he thought of her? She didn't want him around, making her feel like sloppy seconds. She didn't need him. And neither would her baby. She was a successful individual, and she'd get everything figured out...eventually. "I live a pretty wild lifestyle," she added. "What happened didn't mean anything to me, either."
He stopped and turned to face her. "Is that true?"
Lindy wanted to ask, "Which part?" But his answer didn't matter. It was all a lie. "No."
"Good, because I don't think it's funny," he said. Then he climbed into his SUV and drove off.
"It's not like you to be late," Gabrielle said when David knocked on her door at just past noon Saturday morning. "Don't tell me you slept in."
"Actually I did," he said. "Is Allie ready to go?"
She looked up at him, and he realized he'd been a little too abrupt. "Don't you want to come in and say hello before you leave?"
He stretched his neck, grappling for patience. But after the sleepless night he'd just spent, patience seemed in short supply. "I can't, not today. I've got a few errands to run."
"Oh." She hesitated. "Well, a few days ago you mentioned you were thinking about investing in some real estate. So I talked to Randall about the various properties he's seen on the market, and "
"I wouldn't be interested in anything as large as the properties Tucker's taking on," David interrupted, glancing into the living room to see if he could spot Allie.
"I realize that, but he knows of a nice piece of land not far from where you live that could be divided into five good-size lots. He said it would be a perfect project for someone like you, who's local, who's new to real estate and who wants to learn. He even said he'd help you take them through the finishing process, if you want."
"That's nice of him," David said, wishing he could muster more sincerity in his voice. Before Tucker's first wife was murdered, Tucker had been a very wealthy, successful developer. He was just getting started again now, but David had no doubt he'd climb back on top before too long. "Still, I'd rather handle any investing I do on my own, thanks."
"You don't even want to talk to him about it?"
"No."
Her smile finally wilted completely. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her before lowering her voice. "David, can't you give Randall a chance? Please? He's doing everything he possibly can to make things as pleasant for the rest of us as possible."
"And life couldn't be better," David said. "Please thank him for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
With a sigh, David jammed a hand through his hair. "Nothing. It doesn't mean anything."
"What's going on with you?" she asked. "Are you ever going to let bygones be bygones? You won't even call Randall by his first name."
"I don't want to talk about your husband right now. I have other things on my mind."
"Like..."
"Stuff at work," he lied. He could tell that his manner had offended her again. He and Gabrielle generally talked freely about everything, regardless of their divorce. But he wasn't about to share his most recent problems with anyone, especially Gabrielle at least not until he and Lindy decided how they were going to handle the situation.
Lindy had to do something to keep herself busy. She had plenty of work on her desk at the office she always had plenty of work there but she didn't have the emotional fortitude to tackle anything that required deep thought. Not today. She needed a mindless activity to occupy her Saturday morning, something physical to work off the anxiety that had plagued her ever since she learned about the baby....
Dragging the vacuum out of the coat closet, she began cleaning her house with a zeal rarely shown for such mundane tasks. But all the zeal in the world couldn't stop her from worrying about the future. What would David eventually decide? And when would she know? Last night, he hadn't taken the easy escape she'd offered him. Deep down, she'd suspected he wouldn't. She'd seen how he was with Allie, knew how much he loved kids. But knowing David would be involved in her life, in some capacity, from the moment the baby was born didn't comfort her. She hated feeling as though she was twisting his arm in some way, hated feeling responsible for their predicament.
She yanked the vacuum plug from the wall. She needed an ego boost, she decided. She needed something to love that would be almost guaranteed to love her back.
"Hello?" Lindy said, dropping her keys on the counter. She was breathless from bursting into her house and rushing for the phone, but she was feeling significantly better than she'd been feeling this morning. She'd just visited the pound and adopted a dog. She'd wanted a puppy, of course. But there weren't many puppies at the pound today. And everyone wanted a puppy. This dog's mournful eyes had won her over at first sight.
"Lindy?"
It was David. "Yes?" she said, tensing.
"I was hoping we could get together tonight."
"What for?" she asked, watching her new pet sniff around the house. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, you hear me?" she told the dog.
"What did you say?" David asked.
She sat on the floor, hoping to coax her new friend over so she could scratch him behind the ears. "I wasn't talking to you."
"Oh, well, what do you say about having dinner with me tonight?"
Lindy pictured spending the evening in David's company, feeling guilty for ruining his life, and decided not to put herself through the torment. He hadn't wanted to take her out a second time before he knew she was pregnant. She didn't want him to feel any obligation to do so now.
Besides, she had her dog to think about. She wouldn't want to leave Max to his own devices quite so soon. She had too many pairs of expensive shoes to protect. "I'm afraid I have other plans."
He remained silent for a second. "Okay. What about tomorrow? It's Sunday. We could do brunch."
"I don't think so."
This time David's pause was significantly longer. "Why do I get the impression you're going to say no to anything I suggest?"
"Because there's no reason for you to feel as though you have to spend any time with me. You only need to decide whether or not you want to be part of this baby's life."
"And if I decide that I do?"
"Then I'll call you after the baby's born and arrange visitation." Max headed down the hall, and Lindy quickly rose to her feet. "I've got to go," she said. "He's heading for my bedroom."
David sat staring at the phone. Who was heading for Lindy's bedroom?
Pressing the disconnect button, he quickly got a dial tone and called Gabrielle. "Is your sister seeing someone?" he asked.
"What?"
"Lindy. Is she seeing someone?"
"No, why?"
"When was her last boyfriend?"
"From what she's said to me, it's been several years. She dates here and there, of course, but not a lot. Since she started working at the D.A.'s office, she's been too busy to go out and meet men, and she refuses to see guys from work."
"She has someone over there right now," he said before he could catch himself.
"How do you know?"
"I called her to make sure she was feeling better after last night," he lied.
"That was nice of you," Gabrielle said. "But I went by this morning. I think she's fine."
"That's good."
There was an uncomfortable silence. "I thought you weren't interested in her," Gabrielle said at last.
"I'm not," David replied and said a quick goodbye so he could hang up. He wasn't interested in Lindy, he told himself, but something about the possibility of Lindy seeing someone else bothered him.
He paced around the house for several minutes, toting Allie, who wasn't too happy that she couldn't engage his full attention today. Then he drove over to Lindy's. Lindy might not think they had anything to work out, but David felt strongly the other way. Only, for some strange reason, once he stood at her door and raised his hand to knock, he couldn't remember all the things he'd planned to discuss. He could only remember the taste of her kiss.
"This is getting to be a habit," Lindy said, peeking through a narrow crack in her door.
"I brought Allie this time." David gave her his most winning smile and shoved his daughter a little closer. Lindy adored Allie. She wouldn't refuse to let her in.
"I can see that," she said. "Hi, punkin."
Allie squealed and reached for her.
"Just a second." The door clicked shut and there was some shuffling behind it. When it opened again, Lindy had a firm hold on the collar of the oldest, saddest-looking basset hound David had ever seen.
"Where did you get that?" He glanced past her, trying to see if there was anyone else in the house, but it all looked pretty empty to him.
"At the pound today," Lindy replied.
Allie obviously appreciated the dog more than he did. She immediately struggled to get down so she could reach it. "You couldn't have rescued a better dog?" he asked. "This one's on its last legs."
She bit her lip and gazed down at the decrepit animal. "You don't know that," she said, her tone slightly indignant. "He's fine. And he has sad eyes."
David squatted next to Allie, who was hugging the dog fiercely. "All basset hounds have sad eyes."
She scowled at him. "I'm sure you didn't come over here just to insult my dog."
"No, I think we have a lot more important things to "
A knock at the door interrupted.
" discuss," he finished. "Are you expecting someone?"
"It's Gabrielle. I called her to come over and see my dog."
The way his luck was running lately, of course it was Gabrielle. David took hold of the dog's collar, so he wouldn't escape when Lindy opened the door, and resisted the urge to duck out the back to avoid Gabby's unwanted questions. It was too late for that. He was sure she'd already seen his truck outside.
"Nice dog," Gabrielle said the moment Lindy let her in. David was pretty sure she was lying about the dog, but he didn't have much of a chance to call her on it because she turned to him next. "David, what are you doing here?"
David noted the smug smile on her face and knew she thought her matchmaking efforts were finally bearing fruit. He struggled to come up with a reason for his presence that would convince her to the contrary, but he was out of excuses for contacting Lindy.
"I just stopped by to " He glanced at Lindy, looking for a little help.
She sighed and shook her head. "Now that you're here, Gabby, you might as well sit down. We have something we need to tell you."
"No, we don't," David said.
Lindy frowned at him. "Yes, we do. There's no need keeping it a secret now. The truth's going to come out eventually."
"It can wait," he said.
"Stalling won't make it any easier," Lindy countered.
"Tell me," Gabrielle prompted, her smile widening in expectation. "I want to know."
"Remember when you set us up on that date?" Lindy asked.
Gabrielle nodded, and Lindy gave David a look that said Here goes. "Well, we "
" had a wonderful time and have decided to start seeing each other," David finished. He put his arm around Lindy, pulling her close, and she looked up at him as though he'd just grown two heads. "As a matter of fact, we're going to dinner tonight, right, Lindy?"
Lindy looked too shocked to answer. Fortunately, Gabrielle filled the gap. "You know I've wanted you two to get together for a long time," she said, her eyebrows gathering in confusion. "Why would that be any kind of a secret?"
"We just didn't want to tell you in case...in case it doesn't work out," he said.
Lindy shut the door behind Gabrielle, propped her hands on her hips and turned to confront David. "What the heck was that all about?"
David rubbed the stubble on his chin as he shook his head. "I don't know."
"Now she thinks we're dating!"
"What's wrong with that?" he asked. "Maybe we should date, be seen together, pretend to fall in love."
Lindy couldn't believe her ears. "Pretend? What's that going to accomplish?"
"If the people we know believe we're a couple, at least for a little while, news of the baby will come as much less of a shock."
Lindy was already having a hard time dealing with the many facets of the situation the embarrassment of being fool enough to get herself pregnant in this way, the sting of his rejection, the mental and physical preparations necessary to be ready for a baby. She saw no need to complicate matters.
"That might be true," she said, "but I don't think it's a good idea."
"Why not? Surely you're dreading breaking the news to all the people in your life. What about your mother, your stepfather, your younger brother? What about the people at your work? They're conservative, law-and-order types. How are they going to understand you having a baby when you haven't even had a boyfriend?"
"Maybe I have had a boyfriend."
He cocked an eyebrow that said he knew better. "What would it hurt to prepare everyone, so the news goes over as smoothly as possible?" he asked. "Gabrielle, at the very least, will be much more understanding if we go this other route. And because of this baby's relationship to Allie, and the fact that Gabby's your sister, she definitely has a stake in this."
Gabrielle again. He'd never get over her. What made it even worse was the fact that Lindy couldn't blame him. She knew her sister was special. "It wouldn't be as easy as it sounds," she said with a dismissive gesture she hoped would put an end to the discussion.
But David wasn't ready to let it drop. "Why not?"
Because we'd have to be around each other a lot. Because we'd have to smile and stand close and use all that other body language so characteristic of lovers
"No one pretends to have a relationship," she said.
David rescued Allie from the dog, because he'd knocked her down and was busy licking her face. "You never know," he said.
In order to create the appearance of a relationship, they needed to spend some time together. David had tried to talk Lindy into going out to dinner, but she'd said there wasn't any need. Unless they were going to invite Gabrielle and Tucker to join them, chances were good no one they knew would be around to see them together. And Lindy definitely wasn't ready to test her acting ability on Gabrielle. Besides, they had Allie, who didn't particularly enjoy being locked in a highchair for as long as it took to eat at a restaurant, and Max, who hadn't yet settled in to his new home.
But a pang of disappointment had surprised David when she refused. He'd really wanted to take her out, he realized. Maybe it was because he felt sorry for any woman so excited about adopting the canine equivalent of Oscar Madison.
Fake it.
Lindy wiped her palms on her jeans and took a deep breath before opening the door. She wasn't a good actress. She generally wore her emotions on her sleeve. But now that she and David had decided to create the illusion of a budding romance, she wasn't going to be the one to give them away. He'd done too good a job convincing her of the merit of his plan.
"Hi Gabby, Randall," she said.
"How was dinner?" Gabrielle asked, her voice low and meaningful.
Lindy purposefully avoided the intimacy Gabrielle's tone invited. "Dinner was good, wasn't it, David?" she said, drawing him immediately into the conversation.
David came to stand behind her. "Excellent."
"Where'd you go?" Tucker asked.
Lindy waited for David to answer because they hadn't gone anywhere. They'd had pizza delivered.
"P.F. Chang's," he said, placing his hands on Lindy's shoulders and massaging her in a subtle yet possessive manner.
Gabrielle's eyes flicked from his hands to Lindy's face. She smiled broadly, and Lindy resisted the urge to pull away.
"We're sorry for barging in on you like this," Gabrielle said. "But Randall's mother called this afternoon and asked if she could have the kids in the morning. So when we saw that David's Pathfinder was still out front, we thought maybe we could pick up Allie."
It was an excuse if ever Lindy had heard one, but she didn't say anything. David had slipped his arms around her middle and pulled her back against him, and she was too busy trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
"That's fine," David said. "I appreciate you letting me have her today even though it wasn't my weekend."
Lindy could feel her face heating with a strange combination of embarrassment and humiliation because David was doing everything she wanted him to do but for all the wrong reasons and was grateful the room was lit only by the television. "Where's Landon?" she asked, hoping to provide a distraction.
"He's staying the night with a friend," Randall replied. His blue eyes flicked from her to David, and Lindy fleetingly wondered if her sister's enigmatic husband could see right through them. "I'll get Allie," he said.
"There's no hurry for you to leave," Lindy said. "David was just on his way out. Right, David?"
David stiffened behind her, and she knew she'd surprised him. But at the moment she needed some space to reestablish her emotional equilibrium.
"Yeah, I gotta go," he said. "It's getting late." Then it was his turn to surprise her. Lifting her chin, he kissed her lightly on the mouth.
"I'll call you tomorrow," he said and walked out.
Lindy didn't respond. Her knees felt weak, and she couldn't find her voice.
"Oh my gosh!" Gabrielle exclaimed once the door closed behind him. "He likes you. He really likes you. How do you feel about him? What do you think?"
Lindy raised a hand to her lips. What did she think? That she'd made a terrible mistake agreeing to go along with David's crazy plan. She couldn't pretend to fall in love with him because, for her, it felt all too real.
He cast a skeptical eye at her dog, which was lying on the floor with its muzzle resting on its paws, snoring. He'd never heard a dog snore before.
Too bad she'd visited the pound before he became her pretend boyfriend. He could have gone with her and helped her pick out a nice golden retriever, or maybe an Irish setter....
"Why are you looking at my dog that way?" she asked defensively.
He lowered the volume on the movie they'd rented. Once they'd returned from the video store and he'd put Allie to bed in Lindy's bedroom, he'd settled himself on her black leather couch. She'd curled up in the beanbag chair on the opposite side of the room, wearing a pair jeans and a T-shirt that was just tight enough to be distracting. "I was wondering if you'd been planning to get a dog for some time, or if you were acting on impulse."
"Why?" she said.
"Because this is a definitely an impulse dog."
"This is not an impulse dog," she argued. "This was a calculated decision to add another dimension to my life and get me ready for the responsibility of caring for a baby."
Her answer definitely made her sound like the attorney she was. He fought the urge to smile and overcame it easily enough when he remembered all the times he'd gotten up in the night with Allie when she needed to be fed or when she was sick with a cold. Those memories evoked the same sense of loss he experienced whenever he thought of all the holidays and birthdays and weekday activities he was going to miss when it was Gabrielle and Tucker's turn to have his daughter. He hadn't wanted the divorce. He'd loved Gabrielle, enjoyed being a husband to her and a father to Allie. Now he was packing bags and driving his baby back and forth every other weekend, and would soon be doing the same with another child.
It wasn't a pleasant prospect. But he couldn't see any alternative....
"Now what?" she said, interrupting his thoughts.
David blinked. "Nothing."
"You had an unhappy expression on your face. And don't tell me it had anything to do with my dog."
"It didn't. I was thinking about the baby."
"Allie? Or our baby?"
Our baby? Her words sounded so foreign to his ears that he wondered if he'd ever get used to the idea of having a baby with Gabrielle's sister. "This baby," he replied because he couldn't quite call it "our" baby yet.
"What about this baby?" Her voice sounded tentative, as though she was afraid to hear where he was going with this conversation, and he couldn't blame her. These situations very often turned negative.
"What kind of visitation do you think would be fair?" he asked.
"I don't know," she responded. "You've never said what you expect."
"I want at least the same amount of involvement I have with Allie."
"At least?"
"Alternate weekends and holidays aren't much."
"But it's not practical to "
A knock at the door caused Lindy's words to fall off, and she jumped to her feet. "What do you want to bet that's Gabrielle?"
"She'll be looking to hear how things went between us tonight."
Sure enough, a second later Gabrielle's voice came through the door. "Lindy? It's me and Randall."
Lindy's new dog managed to lift his head and bark once as Lindy shot David a worried look. "This was your idea. What do we do now?"
"Fake it," he said.
David didn't call Lindy for several days because the way he'd felt when he kissed her last Saturday had been more than a little unsettling. He'd just been pretending; he knew that. But pretending didn't explain why he'd wanted to stay or why he'd longed to return to her place ever since.
He'd thought time would give him some perspective, but four days without contact hadn't changed anything. At odd moments, he'd picture Lindy sitting in her beanbag chair, wearing that T-shirt he found so appealing on her. Or he'd remember the softness of her lips. That he could even kiss Lindy in front of Gabrielle, and actually feel desire, indicated something monumental, didn't it?
Or was he simply reacting to the shocking news of the baby, hoping for something to exist between him and Lindy that wasn't there at all? He couldn't say for sure. He only knew he couldn't go any longer without talking to her. He wanted to hear the sound of her voice.
He tried her at home, even though it was midafternoon. Then he called information for the District Attorney's office. He didn't want to contact Gabrielle to get Lindy's number. He'd spoken to Gabby once since Saturday, and even though they were typically quite comfortable with each other, the conversation had been stilted. Probably it was all the lies and the pretense and the huge secret he was harboring. All of that certainly didn't make for free-flowing conversation. And Gabrielle invariably tried to convince him that he'd like Tucker, if only he'd give him a chance.
David was tired of hearing it.
"District Attorney's office," a man's voice said almost as soon as David dialed the number.
"Lindy Sims, please."
"Just a moment."
David waited, drumming his fingers on his desk. When Lindy picked up, he realized he was actually a little nervous.
"It's me," he said. "How are you?"
"Fine," she responded. "You?"
"Good."
She sounded distant, remote. He cleared his throat, suddenly at a loss for where to take the conversation, so he came right to the point. "You busy Friday night?"
She hesitated, and he felt a rejection coming, so he rushed on, hoping to convince her. "I thought it might be nice to catch a movie, maybe grab some dinner. There's a nice steak place that just opened up by the mall."
"Are Gabrielle and Tucker going or something?" she asked, her confusion obvious.
David considered telling her they were. He knew he could always call Gabrielle and set up a double date, if that was what it would take to get Lindy to go out with him. But oddly enough he didn't want Gabrielle along. He wanted to be alone with Lindy. "No."
"Then why go?" she asked. "We've been over this before. There won't be anyone around to convince."
"Maybe I need to convince myself of a few things."
"Like what?"
"That what I'm feeling is real," he admitted.
The pause that followed this statement was significant. "David, I I appreciate the effort. But I'm busy all weekend," she said and hung up.
Lindy stared at the phone on her desk long after she'd hung up with David, telling herself she'd done the right thing. She planned to play along with his little charade for a few weeks, because he was right about the appearance of a relationship making it easier to break the news about the baby. But she wasn't about to take any more of an emotional risk than a few strategically planned comments and outings. Why make the same mistake twice?
David was still in love with Gabrielle. Lindy knew she'd be foolish to think, just because she was pregnant with his baby, that he'd be able to forget Gabrielle. Maybe if he wasn't so involved in his ex-wife's life he'd have a chance of getting over her. But he was involved. He had a baby with Gabrielle; they were good friends.
But, if she'd done the right thing, why did she feel so lousy about it?
Closing her eyes, she dropped her head in one hand, struggling with the desire to call him back. For once she was going to go with her head, she decided. Her heart would only lead her astray.
Look at the mess it had gotten her into already.
David went through the rest of the day replaying his telephone conversation with Lindy. He knew she thought his sudden interest stemmed only from the baby. He'd tried to convince himself of that, too, right after she turned him down. But it wasn't true. What he was feeling was far more basic than that. He simply wanted to be with her, see her face light up in a smile. Hell, he even wanted to see that silly dog of hers.
Give it up. He'd asked her out, and she'd refused. What more could he do?
He attempted to focus his attention on a Seinfeld rerun, but it was no use. The more he argued with himself, the more he wanted to call her again.
A glance at the clock told him it was after eleven. Definitely too late to call. But he could drive by and see if any lights were on .
The house was dark.
"Damn," David muttered as he sat in front of Lindy's house, letting the engine of his truck idle. He told himself to head home and forget about Lindy, at least until morning. But somehow it seemed important that he be exactly where he was.
After several minutes of indecision, he shifted into Park, cut the engine and headed up the walk. He had something he wanted to say and it couldn't wait.
Lindy took several moments to answer the door. When she did, David could tell that she'd definitely been sleeping. Her hair was mussed and her eyes were sleepy, but she looked incredibly sexy. He remembered her, soft and warm beneath him the night they made love, and his body hardened almost instantly.
"What is it?" she asked, blinking up at him.
He drew a deep breath to slow the sudden pounding of his heart. "I..." His gaze lowered to her lips. "I'm not in love with Gabrielle," he said, then he pulled her to him and kissed her the way he'd been wanting to kiss her since last Saturday. Not a light peck a deep, searching kiss intended to let her know, beyond any doubt, that he was here because he wanted to be.
Lindy felt herself melt in David's arms. She'd told herself she was going to use her head in the future and protect herself from making another mistake. But he was slipping his hands up the back of her shirt, and she couldn't think of anything except the feel of his fingers caressing her skin while he kissed her hungrily.
"David, stop," she finally said, trying to pull away.
He lifted his head long enough to look down at her, but still held her securely in his arms. "What is it?"
"We need to take things slower this time," she said. "We barely know each other."
"Actually, I've been thinking about that."
"And?" she said, feeling warm and liquid inside in spite of everything.
"I realize now that I know you better than I thought."
"How?" she breathed, automatically arching into him as he started trailing kisses down her neck.
"I know your family." He lifted her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. "I know you're an attorney." He circled the rim of her ear with the tip of his tongue, and she couldn't help the shudder that went through her. "I know you're a good person but a lousy actress." He cupped her bottom and pressed her into him. "And I'm positive I want to make love to you again."
That part was becoming pretty apparent. But there were warning bells going off in Lindy's head. This was what she was supposed to avoid, right? This was what had caused all the trouble in the first place.
His hand began to move around front, and she stopped him before he could reach her breasts. "You don't like my dog," she said, voicing the only objection she could think of in the heat of the moment.
He chuckled against her mouth as he kissed her again. "Actually, I love Max," he said. "Max means you have a soft heart. See? I know that, too."
He liked Max. How could she hold up against that? Finally realizing that they were still standing at the front door, she took his hand and pulled him inside.
Some mistakes were just meant to be.
David woke up feeling more content than he'd felt in ages. Lindy was sleeping on her side, turned away from him, but he scooped her closer.
When he dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder a few minutes later, she stirred and rolled over to face him, and he couldn't help smiling at how appealing he found her, even in complete dishabille.
At first, she just blinked up at him with those wide blue eyes and said nothing. But he knew something was coming when she began to worry her bottom lip. "We probably shouldn't have let that happen again," she said. "We keep doing things backward."
He grinned and leaned up on one elbow to trace a finger between her breasts and down her belly. She caught his hand when he reached her navel, insuring that he could go no lower. "Don't confuse me," she said. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About Gabrielle. About this baby."
"What about Gabrielle?"
"You've been in love with her for years."
The sudden freedom he'd felt last night when he'd told Lindy that he wasn't in love with Gabby anymore had confirmed that it was true. Now he believed he'd hung on to Gabby for so long, even after she'd moved on, because of Allie. Having another baby on the way forced him to look beyond what once was to what might be, and it was a very hopeful picture. "I'm over her," he said.
"And the baby?"
"I'm excited about the baby."
"Oh." She seemed surprised that there wasn't more to say, but David felt as though things had suddenly become very simple.
"Now I have something I want to discuss," he said.
She raised her brows. "What's that?"
"It's about the ad."
"What ad?"
"The one you're planning to run when you get the bathroom finished."
"For a roommate?"
"That's the one."
She caught on and began to smile. "I suppose you know just the person."
He rolled her beneath him and kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her neck. "I do," he murmured against her warm skin.
"But you already have a house," she pointed out.
"I'll sell it."
She put her hands on his chest. "But what if...what if it doesn't work out between us?"
"I can't make any promises about the future, Lindy. It's too soon for that. But I do know it'll never work if we don't give it a chance," he said. Then he kissed her. And this time she put her arms around his neck and clung to him while he made love to her and he understood what it was about her that had made him forget reason the first time.
Seven months later
"I can't believe you had to bring that dog," Gabrielle said, frowning at Max as Gabrielle, Lindy, David and Tucker sat around the pool after Allie's birthday party.
"Don't look at me," Lindy replied. "It's David. He's crazy about that dog." She got up because Landon was calling to her, wanting to show her some new trick he could do in the pool.
"He doesn't like us to leave him for long periods of time," David said, feeling a little defensive.
"A few hours is hardly a long period of time," Gabrielle pointed out. But her expression quickly changed when she saw David's eyes follow Lindy over to the pool.
"What are you staring at?" she asked, nudging him with a knowing grin.
David felt his defensiveness slip away. Lindy was now nearly nine months pregnant and more beautiful to him than ever. "My wife," he said.
Gabrielle reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm so glad the two of you are happy."
He was happy, happier than he'd ever thought he could be. He'd loved Gabrielle he still did, in many ways but she'd been so unsettled when she was married to him. Lindy was just the opposite. She was committed and content and as excited about the baby as he was. "I can't believe we're having a boy," he said, glancing over at Allie, who was busy eating a second piece of birthday cake. "It's going to be fun to have one of each."
"Maybe we'll have a boy, too," Tucker said, leaning back and crossing his feet at the ankles.
David raised his eyebrows and split his gaze between them. "Are you two thinking about having a baby?"
Tucker grinned, and David thought it had to be the first time he'd ever seen Gabrielle's husband smile like an eager little boy.
"What's going on?" Lindy asked, curiosity lighting her eyes as she came back around the pool.
"I think the Tuckers have something they want to tell us," David said.
"I'm pregnant," Gabrielle announced. "I found out just last week.
"That's wonderful!" Lindy said, giving David's arm an affectionate squeeze as she sat down next to him.
David leaned back and studied the harsh lines of Tucker's face. He'd never really forgiven him for being the man who could win the whole of Gabrielle's heart, he realized. But the past few months had changed everything. He now knew that what had happened before was for the best. And he was grateful that Tucker was a good husband to Gabrielle and a good stepfather to Allie.
Reaching over, he offered him his hand. "Congratulations, Randall," he said.
And the best part of all was that he meant it.
The End