Twin Ties, Twin Joys: The Boss's Double Trouble Twins / Twins for a Christmas Bride / Baby Twins: Parents Needed. Raye Morgan

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СКАЧАТЬ he pointed out. “Are you?”

      Turning back, she looked at him. Her first thought was that he had some nerve accusing her of being ellusive. He was the original Houdini in her life. But as her gaze met his, she felt her resentment melting. It was those huge blue eyes with those gorgeous dark lashes. She was a sucker for that look—always had been.

      “No, of course not,” she said. And silently, she raged at herself. “Wimp!”

      “Good. Because I think we need to talk. Why don’t you meet me in my office in half an hour?”

      She nodded. This was it. Her heart was pounding. “Okay,” she said, then turned and marched toward the women’s locker room.

      He was right. They did need to talk, about so many things. The question was, should she tell him now? Could she tell him now?

      “We’ll play it by ear,” she told herself reassuringly as she slipped into her work clothes. But that was no good. She knew she was just giving herself an out that way. With a sigh, she rejected that and got back to business. There had to be a hundred different ways to broach the subject and get it over with. Why was it that she couldn’t think of any?

      Focus! she ordered herself as she started walking back to her desk. Think! And once she started trying a little harder, ideas began to come to her. Not that any of them were any good. Still, she’d started the juices flowing.

      There really were so many options. There was the blunt method. She could walk into his office, plunk a picture of the almost-fifteen-month-old twins down on the desk in front of him and say, “Look at these. See any resemblance?”

      Dropping down into her chair, she made a face. A bit crass, perhaps. But it was a start. Leaning on her elbows, she frowned, deep in thought.

      How about writing him a memo—make it businesslike? “Attention Mr. Carver: This memorandum is meant to inform you that you are the father of twins. Please deal with this situation immediately.”

      She wrinkled her nose.

      Well then, how about using the office loudspeaker? “Attention employees. All fathers of twins please meet with Darcy Connors in the conference room right away. Mitch Carver, this means you.”

      A more subtle approach? “Uh, Mitch, you know when you left me in Paris? You didn’t just leave me. In fact, you left behind a legacy, and it’s been growing ever since.”

      Too obscure. He would think she meant the Parisian waitresses were still talking about him. And they just might be, but that wasn’t the issue here.

      She glanced at the clock and her heart jumped. She didn’t have much time left. She had to think of some way to do this, fast, and do it right. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate. Her twins deserved a father who didn’t completely reject them. And it was up to her to provide that for them. The way she approached this might make all the difference.

      A few minutes later she was walking into his office and she still didn’t have a plan. She did have a rough idea of what she might say, but she didn’t get a chance to say it. Mitch rose from behind his desk to greet her, taking her hand in his and staring down into her eyes in a way that reminded her of how he’d looked in that Parisian doorway, blasting all thought right out of her mind and leaving only a thrilling electricity running through her veins and a bittersweet yearning in her heart.

      “I’ve got to tell you right up-front, Darcy,” he said, not releasing her hand. “I’ve talked to a few people and there’s no chance to get your assignment changed. The only way we’re going to avoid working with each other is if one of us quits.”

      She nodded numbly. She’d pretty much accepted that already. But he was still holding her hand and as long as he was doing that, her mind wasn’t going to work very well. She gave a tug, but he wasn’t letting go.

      “I think I understand why you don’t think we should be working together,” he was saying earnestly. “But that’s just it—I agree. You don’t have anything to worry about. I swear, I’ll make sure everything stays on a businesslike level. We’ll work as colleagues and that will be it.”

      “Good,” she said thickly. “Now can I have my hand back?”

      He looked down and actually seemed startled to realize he was still holding it. “Oh. Sure. Sorry.”

      He let go and she took a step back to get a bit of distance from him and settle her emotions. If just having her hand in his was going to send her into a tailspin, she was in big trouble. She had to get control of herself.

      Taking a deep breath, she stared at his tie and tried to get it together. Now was the time. They had the privacy she needed. There was a pause in the conversation. It was the perfect opportunity. She ought to launch into a speech that would prepare him for the revelation. She tried to make herself do it. Looking up into his face, she searched for the words.

      If not now, when? she prodded herself silently. Come on. Get it out there.

      CHAPTER THREE

      DARCY opened her mouth. Her lips actually formed a word. But as she gazed up into his clear blue eyes, she just couldn’t go through with it. The right words weren’t there yet. They weren’t coming to her.

      “So what do you think?” Mitch asked, looking at her in the deep, probing way he had, that way that gave her the false feeling he saw only her, cared about only her, and would treasure her forever. “Can you work with me?”

      “I … I don’t know,” she said, her voice sounding scratchy from the effort to speak at all. It was that intimate look that made her so crazy. She realized that now. She had to avoid his gaze at all costs. “That all depends. There’s something …”

      “We’ll give it a try,” he said when she faltered. “I’m sure we can do it. And it’s only for one year.”

      One year! In one year, the twins would be talking. Talking? They would be writing novels! They would be learning to catch a ball. They would be giving wet baby kisses to the ones who loved them. Would that include Mitch?

      “One year?” she repeated numbly.

      He nodded. “That’s all I’ve committed to. One year. And then I’m going back overseas.”

      “I see.”

      Well, wasn’t that just typical? Full commitment wasn’t his thing, was it? Resentment rose in her again.

      “I… I guess I’m just surprised to see you working back here at all,” she noted distractedly. “The last I heard you were smuggling arms into Nepal or something.”

      Amusement flashed across his handsome face. “Who told you that?”

      “Someone at Jimmy’s funeral, I think.”

      He shrugged, his gaze suddenly hooded. “He didn’t get it quite right. It wasn’t Nepal, and it wasn’t arms.”

      “What was it?”

      He paused just long enough to make her think whatever he said was going to be something he probably made up.

      “It СКАЧАТЬ