Gavin's Child. Caroline Cross

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СКАЧАТЬ broke it off—” she paused “—the day I was going to tell him about Sam.”

      “He didn’t know you were pregnant?”

      Annie shook her head.

      “And you didn’t say anything?”

      “No.”

      There was another long silence as Nina digested this last. “But why?”

      Annie shrugged, no more willing to explain to Nina than she had Gavin. “It’s not important.”

      “I see.” Nina regarded her thoughtfully. “So why didn’t you divorce him?”

      Annie toyed with a spoon, her gaze on the dull metal handle gripped in her slender fingers. “I guess at first I hoped he’d change his mind. And then later, after I left Denver, I didn’t have either the money or the energy to bother. I simply wanted to forget.” She laid down the spoon and looked up at her friend. “And now…well, now, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he knows about Sam and he showed up at my house tonight. That’s why I was late.”

      Nina whistled inelegantly between her teeth. “No wonder you’re all shook up. So what does he want?”

      “I don’t know. I’m not sure he does, exactly. We’re supposed to get together later today to discuss it.”

      Nina, hardheaded about everything else, was still a romantic at heart. “I bet he wants you back.”

      Annie shook her head. “No.” It was the one thing she didn’t doubt. “He’s only interested in Sam.”

      Nina didn’t look convinced. “How about you?”

      “How about me what?”

      “Do you still love him?”

      “No.”

      Nina looked even more skeptical, but wisely didn’t say so. Instead she cocked her head. “So what do you want to have happen?”

      “I—I want him to go away. I want him to be a good father to Sam, but from a distance.”

      “Then tell him to take a hike,” Nina said flatly. “And if that doesn’t work, demand money. In my experience that’s usually enough to make most guys take off. Look at the trio of losers I was married to.”

      “You don’t know Gavin,” Annie said, remembering his warning about leaving. “When he wants something, he’s the most single-minded, determined person I’ve ever known.”

      Nina made a rude sound. “Except you.”

      Annie stared at her in surprise. “What do you mean by that?”

      Nina reached over and patted her hand. “It means that if anybody can handle good old Gavin, it’s you, hon. Open your eyes. At least where Sam is concerned, you’re not some lily-livered little girl. And if nothing else—” her expression turned wry “—you’ve got the advantage of intelligence. After all, your hubby already proved he wasn’t too bright when he let you go.”

      Annie’s face softened. “You’re a good friend, Nina,” she said softly.

      The redhead nodded. “You bet. Try and remember that the next time we’re working different shifts and I need you to fill in for me.”

      “You can count on it.”

      They fell silent. After a few moments Nina glanced at her watch. “Lord, it’s after four.” She yawned and climbed to her feet. “Good thing it’s Saturday. I’m going to go home and sleep a zillion hours. How about you?”

      Annie stood and gathered up their coffee cups, dropping them onto the bussing cart as they went to get their purses. “First the grocery store, then sleep, then Sam.” Then Gavin.

      As if she’d heard that last, Nina reached over and gave her a quick squeeze. “It’ll be okay,” she said softly.

      Try as she might, Annie didn’t think so.

       Two

      He had a son.

      The realization had kept Gavin up most of the night.

      Yet it was only now, as he once again drove toward Annie’s house, that it was really beginning to sink in.

      After a week of wondering, of cautioning himself against getting his hopes up, he finally knew.

      He had a son. A bright, bold, beautiful little boy with an angel’s face and the Cantrell talent for trouble.

      Joy, as fierce as anything Gavin had ever known, threatened to overwhelm him.

      He took a deep breath and attempted to rein in his elation, a little uncomfortable with the strength of his feelings. Still, he couldn’t help thinking it was an exceptionally beautiful morning. Last night’s brief storm had passed. The sky was clear, and dawn was in full bloom, tinting the dew on people’s lawns silver and painting the snow that capped the peaks to the west with lavender, pink and gold.

      He had a son.

      In the scheme of things, it was almost enough to balance the anger Gavin felt every time he stopped to think that if not for a quirk of fate, he never would have known of the child’s existence.

      Almost. But not quite.

      Nor was it enough to blind him to the fact that, given last night’s conversation, the boy’s mother would prefer him to quietly fade right back out of the picture. Or at least limit his involvement to some nice, neat, orderly little schedule she no doubt felt she should be the one to devise.

      If that was the case, she was in for a rude awakening. Although he still was a little hazy on the details, he intended to be an active part of his son’s life.

      With that thought firmly in mind, he slowed as he approached the small, rectangular bungalow, still a little amazed that his designer boutique wife was living in such a bargain basement place.

      And then he saw the empty spot in the driveway where Annie’s car should have been, and it drove every other thought from his mind. Oblivious to the squeal of protesting rubber, he hit the brake and sent the pickup skidding into the curb.

      Alarm splintered through him. Yet even as his stomach twisted painfully, he told himself not to panic, not to jump to conclusions. She’d been on her way out last night. Chances were her car had broken down on the way back, or she’d lent it to a friend, or something.

      She had to be here. She’d promised, dammit.

      Heart pounding, he scrambled out of the truck. He tried the front door first, knocking hard enough to silence the birds singing in the surrounding trees. When he got no answer, he began a clockwise circuit of the grounds, stopping first to peer through the living room windows.

      Inside, everything was СКАЧАТЬ