She's Having My Baby!. Raye Morgan

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СКАЧАТЬ His gaze sharpened. “Why would that make you think I was…in love?”

      She shrugged, then looked at him searchingly. “Well, usually a man who is thinking about babies is planning to get married.”

      “Hah!” He nodded knowingly. “There’s the problem right there. The marriage thing. That’s where everything always goes wrong.”

      Maggie frowned at him. Her own marriage had been far from ideal, but she was definitely in favor of the institution. “What have you got against marriage?”

      He paused while the waiter set a crab salad before Maggie and a steak sandwich in front of him.

      “I’ve seen a lot of marriages,” he told her, nodding the waiter away. “I know a thing or two about them.” He took a bite of his garlic pickle and savored it as he thought over what he was about to say. “My uncle Joe, for instance, has been married seven times so far, and counting. And every single time, he’s sure that this is the one, the true love of his life. The honeymoon is terrific. He’s walking on air. And before the year is out, he’s headed for divorce court. Again.” He took a bite out of his sandwich as though he’d settled the matter for good.

      She watched him eat through narrowed eyes. She couldn’t let his opinion stand as though it were proven fact. “Have you ever considered that the flaw might reside in your uncle, and not the institution of marriage?” she asked him crisply.

      “Of course. I’m not naive.” He looked up and met her gaze.

      As usual, that set off a tingle of reaction that she was beginning to wonder about. She could see that he was about to come back with something he obviously considered a zinger, but suddenly he hesitated. He seemed to remember that he was trying to charm her, not browbeat her, and he smoothly shifted gears.

      “All this is just my opinion, of course. I know you’re married, and for all I know, you may be quite happy with that situation. It seems to agree with you just fine. You’re certainly blooming.”

      Maggie blinked. Two years a widow and he didn’t know it. Well, that just about took the cake. It was beginning to look as if she wouldn’t dare go on maternity leave. He wouldn’t recognize her when she tried to come back.

      Kane went on talking, but Maggie was having trouble following what he was saying. The food was delicious, but she couldn’t eat more than a few tiny bites, and she spent most of her time pushing food around on her plate with her fork, hoping he wouldn’t notice how little she was consuming.

      She was getting very nervous. She had to find a way to tell him about her pregnancy. She’d tried once, but he hadn’t let her get her sentence out. She had to do it. Now.

      “Mr. Haley,” she said when he’d paused for more than a few seconds. “There’s something I really have to tell you.”

      “Say, look at the time,” he said, glancing at his watch. “We’d better get back to the office. We still have that contract to get out before five.”

      She opened her mouth to try again, but he was already sliding out of the booth and reaching to help her. It was too late to do it now. Maybe back at work would be better anyway.

      Chapter Three

      But it wasn’t. Once Maggie and Kane were back in the office there were a thousand things that had to be taken care of right away, and there was the contract, and the phone kept ringing. And all the time, the phrase beat like a drum at the back of her head—you’ve got to tell him, you’ve got to tell him.

      But there didn’t seem to be any time, and she was growing desperate. Any moment he was going to look at her and notice she was pregnant. After all, he was the expert, wasn’t he? That almost made her laugh, but she held it back, knowing any laughter now would easily turn to hysteria. She had to get this done.

      And then he cornered her in his office, and she knew it was too late.

      “Maggie,” he said, her name curling off his tongue in a way that made her shiver. “Come here and sit down.” He gestured toward the little couch against the wall, near his floor-to-ceiling bookcase. “I want to talk to you.”

      Her mouth was dry as she lowered herself to the leather cushion. He’d noticed. She was sure of it. Oh, why hadn’t she had the nerve to tell him sooner?

      He dropped down to sit beside her. Reaching out, he took one of her hands and held it between his, looking deeply into her eyes.

      “Maggie, I’m glad we got to know each other better today,” he said softly. “That’s very important to me.”

      She nodded, though she didn’t know why. Heart in her throat, she waited. Was this about her pregnancy or not?

      “Because now that we are…well, a bit closer,” he said, his eyes smiling. “I feel that I can confide in you.”

      Not. This was something else. Her heart did a flip. Something else. Something he wanted from her. What on earth…?

      “I would like to presume upon our fledgling friendship and ask you to help me with something very personal.”

      Oh my. She didn’t like the sound of this at all. “Mr. Haley, I don’t think I’m the one for the job,” she said so quickly, her words tumbled over each other. She tried to pull her hand from between his. “Really. I’m not too good at personal things.”

      He smiled warmly, though he wouldn’t let her hand go. “You know, that’s one of the attributes I like best about you. You’re usually all business.”

      “Yes,” she agreed, clinging to hope. “That is good, isn’t it?”

      “Usually. But right now, I’ve got a very big problem and I’m afraid I really need you to help me with it.”

      “Oh.” Hope was fading.

      “If it will help you to treat it like a business problem, why don’t you do that? Take mental notes or whatever. Keep your perspective.”

      “I…I’ll try.”

      “This is going to sound crazy. I can’t really go into all the details right now and explain everything. You’ll have to trust me. There’s a logical explanation.” He hesitated, then plunged on, staring earnestly into her eyes. “The fact is, someone in this building is pregnant with my baby. And I need your help to find her.”

      “Pregnant?” she whispered, stunned. Had she heard right? “How? I mean, wouldn’t you know who she is?”

      He shook his head. “Artificial insemination,” he explained curtly. “It was a big mix-up. That was why I wanted to get in touch with the fertility clinic I asked you to call. It happened there.”

      “Oh.”

      The room was beginning to spin. It started very slowly, but she noticed right away. And at the same time, there was a strange buzzing in her ears. A funny little tune was playing in her head. “No, no, no, no,” seemed to be the words.

      “Maggie,” he implored, holding her hand tightly. “I want you to know I’ve tried to do this on my own, but I’ve struck out every time. I really need your help.”

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