A Baby for the Bachelor. Victoria Pade

for another moment before he turned to his grandfather. “Reverend,” he answered, sounding none too happy to be interrupted.

      The old man didn’t seem to care. “I’m tired. Take me home,” he demanded.

      “Could you give me a minute?”

      “No! I want to go now!”

      Noah sighed, obviously knowing the Reverend would have his way or else. “Okay.”

      Marti watched as Noah grabbed his grandfather’s topcoat from the hall and helped him pull it on, her gaze fixed on Noah’s strong hands, recalling how they’d cupped her shoulders and let her feel their power in the most enticing way…

      But thoughts like that had no place at the moment. She told herself that she should just be glad the old reverend had bought her a little more time to think through what she was going to do instead of being distracted by her attraction to Noah.

      Embracing her reprieve, she stood to join the two men at the door to see them out.

      “Thank you for the lovely ceremony, Reverend,” she said politely to the elderly man, despite his rude attitude.

      In response he grumbled something she didn’t quite catch as Noah opened the door for him and he went out.

      Noah didn’t follow him immediately the way Marti thought he would. He paused a moment to look at her, to let those dark chocolate eyes delve into hers once more.

      Then, in a low voice that was again for her alone to hear, he said, “Is it mine?”

      Panic shot through Marti stronger than before and a thousand thoughts ran through her head.

      But the only one that stuck was that while she might not know much of anything about this guy, she knew he was nobody’s fool.

      “Is it, Marti? Is the baby mine?” he reiterated after his grandfather had made another demand from outside to be taken home.

       Please don’t let this turn out badly…

      “Yes,” she whispered, still not sure it was the right thing to do.

      Noah’s gaze dropped for just a split second to her middle, then rose to meet her eyes again.

      He didn’t say anything. He merely stared at her a minute more, his brows beetled together in a dark, dark frown.

      Then he nodded—really only a raise of his chin in acknowledgment—before he followed his grandfather out of the house.