Page 1
Chapter One
“Please hold the elevator,” Heather Fitzpatrick called as she made a sincere but futile attempt to hurry toward the open doors. She was nearly out of breath as she stepped inside. “Thanks,” she said with a smile as she glanced at the man pressing the door open button. “I’m not completely sure these are the slowest elevators in the eleven Western states, but I think they’re in the top ten.” She rubbed the small of her back, trying to ease an ache that had settled there about three months ago and had yet to disappear. “I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting ten minutes for the elevator to come back up to this floor.”
“I’ll bet,” the man said, unable to take his gaze from her midsection.
By now Heather was used to men looking at her with expressions that bordered on panic. While he was tall, dark-haired and handsome, she was a walking belly with stick arms and legs. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said, resting her hand on the top of her stomach and leaning against the wall of the elevator. “It looks worse than it is. According to my doctor, I have nearly a week until I pop or give birth, whichever comes first. I’m sure you’ll be safe for the short ride down to the parking level.”
“Promise?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.
“No, but my doctor swears it’s true,” she told him. “I just saw her, and despite my pleas to the contrary, she’s sentenced me to several more days of incubating.”
“Sounds painful.”
“I’m ready for it to be over, but not just because I’m tired of being pregnant—” Heather rubbed her abdomen “—I’m anxious to meet my baby.”
The elevator doors crawled closed, creaking all the way. After a couple of seconds, the car started a painfully slow descent. Heather told herself to keep breathing. She normally didn’t notice time spent in an elevator, but her pregnancy and the hormones it produced had made her claustrophobic. As if swollen ankles and stretch marks weren’t enough.
She watched the light come on for the third floor, then the second. She waited for the light indicating they’d passed the first floor and were on their way to the parking garage. Instead, the elevator suddenly stopped.
Her breath caught in her throat. The man pushed the door open button. Nothing happened.
“We’re stuck,” Heather said, trying not to panic.
“Maybe not,” the man told her. He pushed the button for the parking level again, then the door open button.
Heather felt her chest tightening. She was going to scream. She knew in her head that getting upset wouldn’t help, but she couldn’t stop herself. She wanted to beat her fists against the side of the car and demand that someone let her out.
“You okay?” the man asked as he glanced up from the panel he’d been studying.
“Never better.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “You’re not a good liar.”
“I always meant to be,” Heather said, trying to distract herself with conversation. “You know how it goes. As a child, one aspires to lie well, but there’s that whole honesty-is-the-best-policy thing, and somehow, I just couldn’t make it happen.”
He grinned. “As long as you have a goal. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll get us out of here if you won’t panic.”
“Sounds great. I’m perfectly calm, so you can go ahead and open the doors now.”
“Give me a second.” He picked up the phone under the control panel and waited. “Yeah, we’re stuck in an elevator.” He paused and listened. “If you’re facing the elevators, we’re in the one on the right.” Another pause. “Okay, we’ll sit tight. There are two of us and we’re fine.” He glanced at Heather. “Are you still fine?”
She nodded. She wasn’t really, but he undoubtedly didn’t want to hear about her fears or her urge to break down the doors.
He hung up the phone and faced her. “They think one of the fuses blew and the motor automatically shut down. Normally, it would take us to the ground floor, but this time it didn’t. So we’re going to be here for a few minutes while they get a new fuse and reset the controls.”
Heather eyed him. She wasn’t the only one who was a bad liar. He wouldn’t look directly at her.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He shoved his hands in his back pockets but still wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“Uh-huh. That’s like me saying I’m only a little bit pregnant. Come on. What did the guy say?”
Blue eyes finally looked at her face. “It’ll take close to an hour.”
“Are we at risk of falling?”
“No. We’re perfectly safe, but it’s gonna be a little while.”
