Daddy with a Deadline (18 page)

“Yeah. Light-years better.”

Several minutes passed in silence. Annie thought again about tangling her fingers in Trent’s hair but resisted. She did, however, delight in the feel of his muscled body so close to hers. And his masculine scent teased her senses.

She’d let him rest a minute or two. He’d had a tough morning. Now she could feel his warm breath against her skin. At least she knew he was alive.

As Trent rested, Annie gazed around his den. While the furniture was sparse, the brown leather couch and upholstered chairs were carefully chosen. A stone fireplace covered one wall. Annie could imagine cuddling on this couch some December evening, sipping hot chocolate with Trent. After he built a roaring fire, they would toast marshmallows. And they’d put up a Christmas tree in the corner. And presents. There would be loads of presents under their tree.

They.
How dare she think in terms of
they
? Trent didn’t want
they
as part of his life. He’d told her about his ex-wife’s deception. Dawn had hurt Trent so deeply that he would never consider remarriage or see a family as part of his future. This man flew solo, and Annie had no business making the pronoun plural when Trent wanted it singular.

But she could still picture Christmas in this room. Maybe because Brad had hated everything about Christmas. The last two years, they’d barely celebrated.

“Are you staying awake?”

“Pretty much.”

“Does your head still hurt?”

“Not like it did. The painkiller really helped.”

Trent yawned again, then he slumped against her. Keeping the man awake was a bigger assignment than Annie thought it would be.

“You need strong coffee,” she told him. “And maybe some food. They’ll help offset some of the tiredness. I’ll go make the coffee.”

Trent lifted his head and sighed. “Are we done cuddling?”

“We were not cuddling. Come on. You’re going with me.”

Trent followed without question. Between the bump on his head and the drugs, the man was being downright agreeable. Not the Trent Madison Annie was used to!

She installed him at the kitchen table and started the coffee perking. “Will you eat a grilled-cheese sandwich?”

“If you’ll join me.”

When the coffee was ready, Annie poured Trent a supersized mug and then busied herself in his kitchen. She felt Trent’s gaze follow her every move. Normally that would upset her. But today anything that kept him awake was fair game.

She put the sandwiches on plates and added potato chips. “You look great in my kitchen,” he said as Annie joined him at the table.

“Think so?” she asked Mr. Agreeable.

“Yep, I do. Like you belong here.”

Those words brought Annie up short. She didn’t belong here. Far from it. If Trent hadn’t been injured, she’d be at home where she belonged. And she would have already told him his tour of duty was over.

Time to face reality. In a few days, she’d deliver two babies. And Trent would disappear from her life forever.

Why did reality hurt so much?

“Y
OU CAN LEAVE
now,” Trent told Annie several hours later. “My head is fine, I don’t fall asleep every five seconds, and I can remember stuff. Like name, rank, and serial number.”

They’d been sitting outside on Trent’s glider sipping iced tea. The afternoon was sunny and warm with just a gentle breeze. It rearranged Annie’s hair, making her even more beautiful to him. Trent wouldn’t mind rearranging those curls himself.

“I’m glad you’re improving,” Annie said. “But I promised Doc Rivers I’d spend the night, and I will.”

“You have a lot to do before the twins arrive.”

“Thanks to you, the nursery is ready and the babies’ clothes are in their dresser. So being at the ranch is kind of soothing. Like taking a vacation before my whole life changes.”

Annie seemed troubled. And something told Trent his injury wasn’t her only concern.

“How did your doctor’s appointment go this morning?”

“Oh good, you remembered I had an appointment.”

“Of course I remembered. I always store important facts.”

“Maybe your head is working right after all.”

“I keep telling you that. So what did the doctor say?”

“My due date’s three days off. If labor doesn’t start by then, Doc Newsome will induce.”

Trent jerked straight up as panic hit. “Induce? You mean force the babies to come?”

“
Force
is a strong word. I like
encourage
better.”

“Why not just wait, and let them come when they’re ready?”

“My weight is where it should be, and the babies are strong and healthy. The doctor says it’s time.”

Time for the twins’ arrival! Trent’s headache, which had largely subsided, kicked up a notch. This was really going to happen. While he and Annie had prepared for and talked about the twins’ birth, he couldn’t imagine it actually happening. “How do you feel about inducing labor?”

“I’m so ready. I haven’t seen my feet in months, I can’t buckle my sandals without falling over, and I’ve forgotten how to breathe.”

“I suppose it’ll feel good to get your body back.”

“Yes, but it’s more than that. I want to meet the two little people growing inside of me. For months I’ve talked, sang, and read to them so they’d get used to my voice. And now I want to meet them.”

Annie seemed so certain. So unruffled. But Trent felt just the opposite. He felt like he’d just learned a tornado was heading for Copper Creek Ranch. He could hear the wind howl and see the funnel cloud in the distance. The hard part of his assignment would soon begin.

“Are you afraid?” he asked.

“A little. You hear horror stories about labor and childbirth. I hope I’ll be relatively composed and not scream like a banshee.”

“So what if you scream? You’d be entitled.”

Her hands rested on her stomach, cradling the little lives that would soon appear. At this moment Annie looked lovelier than she’d ever looked. And Trent realized she’d make a wonderful mother.

One question had gnawed at him for days. He bit his lip and forced himself to ask it. “Will you have anyone with you in the delivery room? Besides the staff?”

“I’ve thought about that a lot. I don’t think so.”

Trent expelled a breath. While he wanted to do all he could for Annie, he’d feel as awkward in a delivery room as a cat in a swimming pool. “There’s no family you can call?”

“Just my aunt Julia, who raised me after Mama died. I’ll let her know about the twins after they’re born. But I won’t call till I’m on my feet again.”

Annie was a powerhouse, Trent realized. “You’re the strongest woman I know,” he told her. “I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

Annie laughed, and the delight on her face made Trent’s heart pick up speed. “You always make me laugh, Trent. I’m going to miss you when...”

She didn’t finish the sentence. And a gloom settled that was almost palpable. Losing Annie was like cutting off his arm and trying to proceed with normal life. But he couldn’t tell her that. Annie’s goal was to be the best single mom in town. She’d told him so a million times.

“Let’s not think about that. There’s a lot to do before I take you and the babies home.”

“True. You’ve made these last weeks much easier for me. Happier too.” When she squeezed his hand, Trent’s heart shot forward like a racehorse at the gate.

“Are you referring to my first visit, when I scared you to death? Or the time I barged in to paint the nursery? Or the time I tricked you into going to Babyland?”

“You forgot the time you broke into my house to build the cribs I told you not to buy.”

Suddenly their gazes locked tight. Annie drew him toward her like a magnetic force. He couldn’t resist the woman if he tried.

Maybe she felt it too, because she moved toward him. And then their lips touched in the gentlest of kisses. The kiss didn’t deepen or intensify. It just lingered. And while it stayed wonderfully, amazingly gentle, it was the most passionate kiss Trent had ever experienced. He wished it would never end.

To his dismay, it did. But a moment later Annie laid her head on his shoulder. And Trent took the liberty of exploring those golden curls with his fingertips. Their softness amazed him.

Everything about Annie amazed him. He wasn’t kidding when he told her she was the strongest woman he knew. But what he hadn’t told her was she was also the most desirable. Trent wanted Annie: mind, body, and soul. And anything else that didn’t fit in those categories. He wanted all of Annie. Forever and ever.

That can’t happen
, said an inner voice.
You’re here on assignment. Annie doesn’t belong to you and she never will.
And the inner voice was right.

Several hours later they sat in Trent’s glider watching the sun go down. “So how do you like a Copper Creek sunset?” he asked.

“It’s magnificent. Sunsets don’t look this good in town.”

“That’s because we have cream-of-the-crop sunsets here.”

“How are you feeling now?” Annie didn’t let more than ten minutes pass without inquiring about the state of his health.

He couldn’t tell her that every muscle in his body ached. Had Wildfire trampled him while he was unconscious? And if not, how could a person hurt in so many places? Even his elbows, knees, and ankles felt painful and creaky. And his headache had returned with a vengeance.

“I feel terrific,” he lied.

She smiled and seemed to believe him.

“Sure you’re up for a sleepover?” he asked.

She glared at him. “This doesn’t qualify as a sleepover.”

“Looks that way to me.”

“You imagine lots of things, Trent. Lots of things.”

She had him there. Just tonight he’d imagined Annie here all the time. Annie sharing his life and his bed. How great it would be if the first thing he saw every morning was Annie.

With effort he pushed that image aside. He’d nearly fulfilled Brad’s request. Annie would deliver the babies, and after he drove them home he’d return to his life as it was, pre-Annie.

The trouble was Trent could barely remember his pre-Annie life. And wasn’t sure he wanted to.

The clouds darkened and the wind picked up. A streak of lightning split the sky, followed by booming thunder. Annie cringed. Threatening weather always made her nervous.

“Wow!” Trent exclaimed. “Did you see that? We’re in for one gigantic thunderstorm.” He seemed thrilled by the possibility.

“Doesn’t that noise hurt your head?”

“Nah. My head’s just fine.”

Annie knew that wasn’t true. Trent’s furrowed brow and his shifting on the glider meant serious discomfort. Because of his pain, she’d pushed aside her reason for coming here. Breaking off their relationship was essential, but she couldn’t tell him till he felt better.

“It’s almost time for your pain pill. I’ll fix dinner and...”

Trent reached for her arm, and his touch stopped her cold. Stopped her from standing. Almost stopped her from breathing.

“You will not. Tonight I’m treating you to dinner and a movie.”

Annie’s mouth dropped open and she stared daggers at the man. “Forget it, buddy. We’re not going anywhere. And that’s final.”

Trent smiled a lazy smile. The one that made Annie’s heart race and set off an emotional landslide. “You’ll make a great
mom, Annie. Your twins won’t get away with a thing. And you can stop stewing. I didn’t say we were leaving the ranch.”

“Then how can we...”

“Be patient, woman. You’ll find out soon enough. Now sit back and enjoy the storm.”

While Annie didn’t say so, she figured enjoying a storm was like loving a toothache or rejoicing in a flat tire.

Three flashes of lightning were followed by thunder as loud as cannon fire. The twins kicked like punters at an NFL game. Obviously her children didn’t like storms either.

Trent perched on the edge of the glider like a fan at a wrestling match. She’d love to go inside but needed to stay here and watch him.

Boom!!!
A slight squeal escaped Annie’s lips. Not flying off in all directions took great effort. When the next boom hit, her squeal became a scream.