“I guess I’ll stick around for a while—if you haven’t hired my replacement.”
“I haven’t.”
Ollie nodded. It was obvious he’d finished talking.
Sly clapped his shoulder. “Let’s get to work, then.”
Seated in the crowded waiting room of the medical clinic, Lana thumbed through a parents’ magazine. There were several interesting-looking articles she wanted to read, but at the moment she was too distracted.
It was almost time to meet with Dr. Valentine, and there was no sign of Sly. Saturday night he’d stopped by with takeout. Technically it hadn’t been a date. Over dinner, she’d reminded him about the appointment. After the meal, she’d let him kiss her...and more. Let him? She’d made the first move. They’d stopped short of making love—she wasn’t ready for that. But whenever she thought about the things she and Sly did—and she thought about them constantly—her insides went hot and soft.
Her heart was full to bursting with feelings for him. Risky, but there it was.
He didn’t care as deeply for her as she did for him and probably never would, but it was obvious he cared. Plus, he wanted to be involved in their child’s life. No matter what her own heart wanted, that was the most important thing.
Once her parents knew about the baby, she could relax. Not that telling them would change anything. Their strong belief that family loyalty stood above all else wouldn’t allow them to accept Sly.
There was only one way around that obstacle. The lawsuit had to end in a way that worked for both Sly and her cousin.
As if that would ever happen.
Some sixth sense told her to check the entrance to the waiting room, and there he was. In faded jeans, cowboy boots, and a chambray shirt rolled up at the cuffs, he was tall, handsome, and all cowboy. As he moved toward her with hisgraceful, long-legged stride, men and women stared openly at him.
He nodded and held her gaze. Her heart lifted and she forgot about her family, the lawsuit, and everything else. Oh, she had it bad.
Moments after he reached her, the receptionist called her name. “I’ll be right there,” she replied without taking her eyes from Sly. “You made it,” she said.
“Sorry to cut it so tight. I got a flat on the way here. I would’ve called, only I was charging my cell phone and accidentally left it at home.”
They made their way to an exam room. A friendly nurse named Janet led Lana to the scale and weighed her, then jotted notes on her chart. “You gained a pound since last month. Way to go.”
Sly raised his eyebrows at that.
“We like our patients to gain thirty to forty pounds over the pregnancy,” Janet explained. “Two to four pounds the first trimester is ideal.” She led them to an exam room, where she took Lana’s pulse and blood pressure. “Everything appears normal. Dr. Valentine will be in shortly.”
“How are you feeling today?” Sly asked when the nurse left.
“I was a little queasy this morning, but I’m fine now. How about you?”
“Doin’ okay.” His gaze flitted over her blouse and pants before his eyes narrowed on her legs. “What’s that on your knee?”
Lana shook her head at a blob of dried paste stuck there, then wet her finger and rubbed at it. “We did an art project this morning. It must’ve?—”
The knock at the door wiped the rest of her sentence from her mind. Dr. Valentine entered in her usual cute outfit and low-heeled pumps. Lana liked her. She was a few years older, smart, and friendly.
She grinned. “Dr. Valentine, meet Sly—the baby’s father.”
“So nice to meet you, Sly.”
They shook hands before the ob-gyn turned to Lana. “You had your physical last month. This appointment you get to hear the fetal heartbeat.”
“I can hardly wait!” Lana stole a glance at Sly. He didn’t seem nearly as thrilled, but he was here. That counted for something.
Dr. Valentine smiled. “This is an exciting time. Hop onto the exam table and we’ll have a listen.”
As soon as Lana lay down, the doctor lifted her top, spread gel over her belly, and positioned the ultrasound device over the fetus. Lana heard a whooshing noise. “Is that it?”
“Not yet.” Sure hands moved the device slowly over her abdomen. “Right now, your baby is about the size of a tadpole, so it can be hard to find. Ah, here we are.”
