"Before I leave here. Do you think the weather will have improved by tomorrow?"
"I"m not sure. Usually these types of snowstorms can last for a week."
"A week? I didn"t bring enough clothes with me."
He thought now was not a good time to tell her he wouldn"t mind if she walked around naked. "The last time Delaney was here she left a few of her things behind. The two of you are around the same size so you should be able to fit into them if you want to try."
"You don"t think she"d mind?"
"No."
"All right then, if you"re sure it"s okay."
He stood. "Do you think your stomach has settled enough for dinner? I cooked a pot of beef stew."
"Yes, I think it will be able to handle it. Would you like some help in the kitchen?"
"If you"re up to it you can set the table."
She stood. "I"m up to it. Did you find the hikers?"
"Yes, we found them and they"re fine. Luckily one was a former Boy Scout and knew exactly what to do."
She smiled, relieved, as she followed him into the kitchen. "I"m glad."
Savannah was amazed at the degree of her appet.i.te and flushed with embarra.s.sment when she noted that Durango had stopped to watch her, with amus.e.m.e.nt dancing in his eyes, as she devoured one bowl of stew and was working on her second.
She licked her lips. "I was hungry."
"Apparently."
When she pushed the empty bowl aside, he chuckled and said, "Hey, you were on a roll. Don"t stop on my account."
Her brows came together in a frown. "I"ve had enough, thank you."
"You"re welcome. I"ve got to keep the ballerina on her toes."
"What ballerina?"
"Our daughter."
Savannah raised a gla.s.s of milk to her lips, took a sip and then asked, "You think I"m having a girl?"
"Yes."
She tipped her head, curious. "Why?"
He leaned forward to wipe the milk from around her lips with his napkin, wondering when the last time he had given so much time and attention to a woman was. "Because that"s what I want and I"m arrogant enough to think I"ll get whatever I want."
Savannah didn"t doubt that-not that she thought he got anything and everything he wanted, but that he was arrogant enough to think so. "Why would you want a girl?"
"Why wouldn"t I want one?" he asked. There was no way he would tell her the reason he wanted a little girl was that he wanted a daughter who looked just like her. He couldn"t explain the reasoning behind it and at the moment he didn"t want to dwell on the significance of it.
"There are more males in your family, and considering that, I"d think for you a son would be easier to manage," she said.
He chuckled, amused. "I think we managed my cousin Delaney just fine. With five brothers and six older male cousins we were able to put the fear of G.o.d into any guy who showed interest in her. I see no problem with us getting the same point across with the next generation of Westmoreland females."
His smile deepened. "Besides, don"t you know that girls are the apples of their fathers" eyes?"
"Not in all cases," she said, thinking of the relationship she and Jessica never had with their father.
"But let me set the record straight," Durango said, breaking into her reverie. "I would love either a boy or girl, but having a daughter would be extra, extra special."
Savannah smiled, thinking his words pleased her, probably because she was hoping for a girl, as well. In some ways it surprised her that a man who was such a confirmed bachelor would want children or be interested in fatherhood at all.
At that moment an adorable image floated into her mind of Durango and a little girl who looked just like him sitting on his lap while he read her a story.
"So what do you think?" Durango asked.
Savannah glanced up after going through the items of clothing that Durango had placed on the bed. "I think they"ll work. I don"t wear jeans often so the change will be nice, and the sweaters look comfy. They will be good for this weather."
"So what do you plan to do tonight?"
The low-pitch murmur of his voice had her lifting her head and meeting his gaze. She wished there was some way she didn"t get turned on whenever she looked into their dark depths. "I thought I"d try and finish a book that I brought with me."
"Oh, and what type book is it?"
She shrugged. "One of those baby books that tells you what to expect during pregnancy and at childbirth."
"Sounds interesting."
"It is." She tried ignoring the sensations that were moving around in her stomach. Having Durango in her bedroom wasn"t a good idea and the sooner she got him out, the better, but there was something that she needed to find out first.
"There"s something I"d like to ask you, Durango. It"s something I need to know before I can make a decision about marrying you."
He lifted an eyebrow. "And what is it you need to know?"
She moved away from the bed and sank down on the love seat. She would have preferred having any conversation with him someplace else other than here, in the coziness of the bedroom with a fireplace burning with its yellow glow illuminating Durango"s handsome features even more. At least she wasn"t standing next to the bed any longer.
Knowing he was waiting for her to speak, she met his gaze and asked, "I want to know what you have against city women. city women."
Five.
S ome questions weren"t meant to be asked. ome questions weren"t meant to be asked.
Savannah quickly reached that conclusion when she saw Durango"s jaw clench, his hands tighten into a fist by his side and an angry flare darken his eyes. Another thing that was a dead giveaway was the sudden chill in the air, not to mention the force of his stare, which caused her to draw a quick breath.
Her question, which had evidently caught him off guard, was calling for every bit of his self-control and she began feeling uneasy. Still, she needed to know the reason for his aversion since it was something that obviously quite a few people knew, at least those who were close to him.
She watched his lips move and knew he was muttering something under his breath. That only increased her curiosity, her need to know. "Durango?"
When he finally spoke his voice was low with an edginess that hinted she had waded into forbidden waters. "I"d rather not talk about it."
Savannah knew she should probably let the matter drop, but she couldn"t let the question die because a part of her really wanted to know.
Evidently he saw that determined look in her features and he said, "It doesn"t concern you, Savannah. You"re having my baby. I"ve asked you to marry me so there"s no need for us to start spilling our guts on every little thing that happened in our pasts. I"ll respect your right to privacy and I hope that you will respect mine."
Savannah couldn"t help wondering about what he didn"t want to tell her. What pain was he still hiding in his heart? G.o.d knew she had plenty of skeletons she"d kept hidden in her mental closet. Secrets she"d only shared with Jessica. His request for privacy was a reasonable one. She shouldn"t be digging into his past, but she needed a.s.surance that whatever his problem was, she wouldn"t be affected by it, and until she had that certainty, she wouldn"t back off.
"All that"s well and good, Durango, but if I am to marry you, even if it"s only for a short while, I need to know I won"t be mistreated because of someone else"s transgressions."
"You won"t."
The words had been spoken so quickly that Savannah hadn"t had a chance to blink. She heard both regret and anger in his voice.
"This is only about you and me, Savannah, and no one else. Don"t let anything that happened before sway your decision now."
Savannah"s gaze wandered over his muscular form. He was leaning with a shoulder pressed up against a bedpost, his booted feet crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. He was watching her with as much intensity as she was watching him.
Seconds ticked by and with the pa.s.sing of time something heated and all-consuming was pa.s.sing between them. And she knew if it continued that she couldn"t be responsible for her actions...and neither could he.
Even now he was spiking heat inside her just standing there, saying nothing. She continued to feel an overpowering need. Desire was inching its way up her spine and then she remembered his taste and how she couldn"t get enough of him the last time.
He continued to hold her gaze and he was having a hypnotic effect on her. And then he moved toward her, with his slow, graceful stride. Crossing the room, he reached out and gently tugged her up off the sofa.
She knew at that moment what he wanted, what he needed. They were the same things she desired. Lowering his face, bending to cup the back of her head with his hand, he kissed her. The moment their lips touched, her hands automatically slipped inside the back pockets of his jeans. It was that or remain free and be tempted to squeeze his b.u.t.t like Mr. Whipple used to squeeze the Charmin.
And when their lips locked and he inserted his tongue inside her mouth, the contact was so intimate, heated and pa.s.sionate that she knew there was nothing she could do but stand there and enjoy it.
And she did.
They were consenting adults and a little kiss never hurt anyone, she convinced herself when her tongue joined in with his. But this was no little kiss, she discovered moments later. The tongue stroking hers was strong and capable, arousing her to a pitch higher than he"d done that night in her hotel room.
It was the usual Durango kiss-long, hot, s.e.xy. The kind of kiss that made your toes curl, your b.r.e.a.s.t.s feel full and your stomach tingle. She closed her eyes to feel more deeply the sensations that crowded her mind and the electrical charges that were burning all over her body. She breathed in his scent, glorying in the slow, methodical way he was making love to her mouth.
Too soon, he reluctantly broke off the kiss. She slowly opened her eyes, met the deep intensity of his gaze, expelled a deep breath, then dragged in an unsteady one, feeling satisfied. And even now she saw his gaze was still locked on to her lips.
"I enjoy kissing you," he said softly, throatily, as if that explained everything, especially every tantalizing stroke of his tongue.
She watched those dark, intense eyes that were focused on her mouth get even darker. "Um, I can tell."
She had to admit that nothing about her visit to his home had turned out like she"d planned. She had come to tell her news and leave. It was too bad she hadn"t stuck to her plans. But then, if she had, she wouldn"t be standing here discovering once again what true pa.s.sion was like. Before meeting him, she hadn"t had a clue.
"I think I"d better go. I"ll see you in the morning," he whispered low against her moist lips.
And before she could blink or catch her next breath, he was gone.
The moment the door closed behind Durango, Savannah could feel her stomach muscles tightening. She swayed slightly when the floor beneath her feet felt shaky. Talk about a kiss!
Muttering darkly-probably some of those same words Durango had said earlier, but hadn"t wanted her to hear-she crossed the room and dropped down on the bed. His kiss was one of the reasons she was in this predicament. She had invited him into her room for the two of them to indulge in some more champagne. She hadn"t gotten to completely filling his gla.s.s before he had taken both the bottle and gla.s.s from her hand and had filled her mouth with his instead. He hadn"t kissed her silly-he had kissed her crazy. The taste of him had been hot, delicious and incredibly pleasurable. She had l.u.s.ted for him, after him, with him and by the time they had made it to the bed, they had stripped naked.
They were extremely attracted to each other. Deep down inside she knew that Durango didn"t like their explosive chemistry any more than she did. She had seen the way his eyes had flashed when he had lifted his mouth from hers, as well as the way his jaw muscles had tightened. Also, there was the way he always looked after kissing her senseless, like he needed divine intervention to help him deal with her and the s.e.xual response they stirred up in each other.
"And to think that he"s proposing marriage," she mumbled in a low voice that rattled with frustration. "So okay, it will only be for a short while, as he"s quick to remind me every chance he gets," she said, shifting to her back and folding her arms over her chest. "What will I get out of this arrangement?"
More kisses, her mind immediately responded. her mind immediately responded. And if you stop being so dang stubborn, you"d also get a temporary bed partner. What do you have to lose? You"ll be entering into a relationship with your eyes open and no expectations. You"ll know up front that love has nothing to do with it. Besides, you"ll be giving your child a chance to develop a relationship with a father who cares. And if you stop being so dang stubborn, you"d also get a temporary bed partner. What do you have to lose? You"ll be entering into a relationship with your eyes open and no expectations. You"ll know up front that love has nothing to do with it. Besides, you"ll be giving your child a chance to develop a relationship with a father who cares.
Because of her experience with her father, that meant everything to Savannah. She believed that even when their marriage ended, Durango would remain a major part of his child"s life.
Savannah also needed to think about the other reasons why marrying Durango was a good idea.
Pulling her body up, she shifted to her side. First was the issue of having a temporary bed partner if she decided to go that route. She"d dated but had never been into casual s.e.x so she hadn"t been involved with anyone since Thomas Crawford. She had dated Thomas exclusively for a year and things between them had been going well until he"d gotten jealous about an a.s.signment she"d gotten that he had wanted. He"d even tried convincing her to turn the job down so he could have it-talk about someone being selfish and self-centered. It had been over a year, close to two since she"d broken up with Thomas or slept with anyone. The night she had shared a bed with Durango hadn"t just been a night of want for her; it had been a night of need, a strictly hormonal affair in which she really hadn"t acted like herself.
She tipped her head to the side and moved on to the other reason for marrying Durango. Expectations. Expectations. Their expectations would be set and neither of them would be wearing blinders. She knew their marriage would not be the real thing. He didn"t love her and she didn"t love him. Having reasonable expectations would definitely make things easier emotionally when the time came for them to split. Their expectations would be set and neither of them would be wearing blinders. She knew their marriage would not be the real thing. He didn"t love her and she didn"t love him. Having reasonable expectations would definitely make things easier emotionally when the time came for them to split.
The more she thought about it, the more she knew that accepting his offer of marriage was the best thing. Her child would be getting the type of father that she never had; a father her baby would be able to depend on.
And then there were all the other Westmorelands who would be her child"s extended family. She had seen firsthand at Chase and Jessica"s wedding just what a close-knit group they were. Being part of a large family was another thing she"d missed growing up, but it was something her child could have.
Her brain began spinning with all the positives, but she forced herself to think about the negatives, as well. At the moment she could only imagine one. The possibility of her falling in love with him. The possibility of her falling in love with him.
She couldn"t even envision such a thing happening, but she knew there was that possibility. Durango would not be a hard man to love. A woman could definitely lose her heart to him if she wasn"t careful. He was so strong and a.s.sertive and yet, he was also a giving and a caring person. She noticed his sensitivity in the ways that he saw to her needs: making sure he"d left breakfast for her; coming into her room in the dead of night to make sure she was warm enough; inquiring about her and their baby"s health.
But still, there was no way she could ever fall in love. She doubted that she could give him or any man a slice of her soul or a piece of her heart.
She knew that no matter how much she enjoyed the time she would spend with Durango during her pregnancy, she could not lose her heart to him. Ever.