Indestructible. Cassie Miles

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СКАЧАТЬ into her consciousness. No matter what she did for the rest of her life, she’d be connected to Drew through their child. “Why do I feel like I should apologize? I didn’t get pregnant by myself, you know.”

      “I haven’t forgotten one minute of our lovemaking.”

      Neither had she. When he took a step toward her, she retreated. “You just stay over there.”

      “That’s not what you really want. Tell me how you’re feeling, Melinda.”

      “I’m confused.” She felt an incongruous smile sneak onto her face. “And I’m excited. I love babies, and I’ve always wanted children. Single motherhood is a difficult prospect, but I know my parents will be supportive. They always are.”

      “How do you feel about us?”

      “Well, I can’t help wishing things were different.”

      “I’m not good with relationships,” he admitted.

      “Ooooh, big surprise.”

      “Sarcasm? That’s the coward’s way out.”

      “I don’t know how I feel about you because I don’t know you.” When they talked, he told her about his adventures and the exotic places he’d been. She knew nothing about who he really was. “I didn’t even know you were a foster kid.”

      “You want a biography? Fine. I bounced around in foster care until I was ten. Then I was placed with Belle and Harlan Anderson in Lead. That’s a little town in the Black Hills near Rapid City. I was a loner, but I had a girlfriend in high school. My first love. She died in a car accident.”

      Though the tone of his voice remained steady, she heard an echo of sorrow. “I’m sorry.”

      “On my eighteenth birthday, I went to New York. It’s a good place to disappear, and that’s what I did. I was too busy trying to survive to make friends. I managed to get to my senior year in journalism school while working a regular job and an unpaid internship at a sports magazine. I fell in love.”

      Melinda was glad to know these sketchy details about his past. Even if Drew wasn’t destined to be part of her life, their child should know something about his father. “What happened with that relationship?”

      “She left me.”

      As he moved toward her, she could see the tension in the set of his jaw. When he talked about his first love, he’d been almost wistful. Now, he was angry.

      “There’s more to that story,” she said.

      “Her name was Pamela Forbes. She got a job offer in Europe and didn’t want to settle down.”

      He stood directly in front of her. The magnetism she always felt when she was close to him arced between them, but she resisted. She hadn’t come upstairs to fall into bed with him.

      She wanted to understand him. If there was a possibility of a relationship, she didn’t want to close that door. She owed it to herself and to her unborn child to figure out what role Drew would play in both their lives.

      “Sounds like you were furious with Pamela.”

      He shrugged, trying to dispel his tension. “What was it you said? Spilt milk? There’s no point in looking backward.”

      “You can learn a whole lot from past mistakes.”

      “I found out that Pamela was pregnant. She wasn’t honest like you, didn’t step up and tell me. But I found out. And when I heard, I was happy. I saw a chance for a normal life. Married with children. It was too much to hope for.”

      Gosh, he was cynical. Why shouldn’t he expect a normal life? Instead of understanding him better, she was even more confused.

      He continued, “I bought a diamond ring in a pawn shop and went down on one knee to propose. That’s when she told me she’d been dating other men, her company was sending her to Paris and she’d already made an appointment for an abortion. I never saw her again.”

      “You haven’t had much luck with commitments.” She was beginning to understand why he’d gone into shock when she told him about the baby.

      “As long as I’m being honest,” he said, “I was going to tell you tonight that I’m leaving Sioux Falls. It’s necessary for me to be out of touch for a while.”

      “What does that mean? Out of touch?”

      “I won’t be able to communicate with you.”

      “Wait a minute.” Before she came upstairs to his apartment, she’d been adjusting to the idea that Drew wouldn’t be in her life. But this was too abrupt. “Wherever you go, there are going to be phones.”

      “As soon as possible, I’ll contact you. Until then, is there anything you need? Is your insurance in order? Do you need money for a doctor?”

      “I don’t believe this.” A raging fury exploded behind her eyes. “You’re trying to buy me off.”

      “That’s not what I meant.”

      “You expect to write me a check, pat me on the butt and send me on my way.” She dodged around him and made a beeline for the door. “No, thanks. I don’t need or want your money.”

      She stormed into the hall, raced down the stairs to her apartment and slammed the door. The nerve of him! Sure, he’d had a rough life and bad luck with relationships, but that didn’t excuse the way he’d treated her.

      She paced furiously. To the bedroom. Back to the front room. Into the kitchen. Her apartment was too small to contain her anger. How dare he offer me money! She stamped her running shoe on the hardwood floor. Who in the blazes did he think he was?

      When she heard the knock on her door, she figured it was Drew again. “Go away. I don’t want to see your face.”

      Another knock. More insistent.

      She flung open the door. Before she could speak or react, a bright flash of light blinded her. Then everything went dark.

      She crumpled to the floor.

Chapter Three

      Standing over the sink, Drew jabbed a spoon into the center of the apple pie and dug out a bite, hoping that the sugar rush would help him feel less like an ass.

      The pie tasted great. Sweet, tart apples perfectly complemented by a flaky crust that crumbled on his tongue. Homemade, of course. Probably a recipe passed down from her dear old granny. Melinda’s family tree went back for generations. No way should she be involved with a rootless loner like him.

      He shoveled in another bite of pie.

      From downstairs, he heard a crash. Apparently, Melinda hadn’t gone for a run even though she’d been dressed for jogging in her smooth black pants with a white stripe and matching sweatshirt. There was another loud thud. It sounded like СКАЧАТЬ