Lauren asked.
He gave her credit for being direct. “Not anymore. You?”
“No way. Never have been. Probably never will be. Do you have any children?”
“Not yet.”
Lauren glanced down at her beer bottle then back up at him through lashes as long and thick as her sister’s. “Can I give you a hint?”
About what? “Sure.”
“Nicole’s probably the most decent one in the bunch. Maybe even the only decent Hightower. But she’s going to be a hard nut to crack because…Well, she just is. I’ll let you figure out the whys. Stick with her. She’s worth it.”
Were all women born with a matchmaking gene?
“What makes you think I’m interested in Nicole?”
Lauren grinned and sipped her beer. “Could be the way you’ve been watching her all afternoon.”
Guilty. But how else was he going to learn about the mother of his child? He searched for her. Nicole had joined her sister and brother-in-law and was currently engaged in a hushed but animated conversation. Nicole covered her belly with one hand. Her gaze bounced over the crowd and landed on Ryan. He didn’t know what her sister had said to upset her, but the distress on her face was clear. Adrenaline shot through his system.
“Go ahead,” Lauren prompted.
“Go ahead and what?”
“Ride to her rescue. You know you want to.”
Smart girl. “Is Nicole the type to need rescuing?”
Lauren grimaced. “Let’s just say if I were her, I would have told this bunch of leeches to go to hell a long time ago. But she’s the one deputized to maintain the peace.”
Lauren was full of interesting factoids. One of these days he’d buy her dinner and pick her brain. “Nice meeting you, Lauren.”
“You, too, Ryan. And good luck.”
He wasn’t going to need luck. He had the law on his side.
His feet carried him across the grass to the trio. “Problem?”
Beth shook her head and gave him a disingenuous smile—the only kind he’d seen from her to date. “We’ve decided against announcing Nicole’s pregnancy today.”
He liked the sound of that. The longer they delayed, the more time he’d have to prepare for the possibility of the entire Hightower clan siding against him. The extra time would give him time to plot a new strategy.
But why would the decision to keep the news under wraps upset Nicole? He searched her face, but didn’t find his answer.
Little did she know, she’d done him a favor by showing him the dissension amongst the Hightowers, and she’d given him ammunition toward suing for sole custody.
He needed to divide and conquer the trio wanting a piece of his kid, starting with the weakest link. Nicole’s brother-in-law, the greedy bastard.
Chapter Three
“Ryan Patrick is here for your lunch appointment.”
Lea’s announcement made Nicole’s already stretched nerves snarl. Her fingers spasmed on the keyboard, filling the document on her monitor with a spew of gibberish.
She punched the intercom button. “We don’t have a lunch appointment.”
“Yes, you do. He called and I scheduled it.”
She wanted to strangle her assistant. “What does he want?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” The smirk in Lea’s voice came through the speaker loud and clear.
Nicole saved her work, closed the file and rose. She’d fix the gibberish later. She wasn’t capable now. “Send him in. But Lea, don’t make any more surprise appointments for me. And stop matchmaking. Your record proves you suck at it.”
Over the past few years Lea had made a determined effort to find the man who could make Nicole forget Patrick. Her friend couldn’t accept that such a man didn’t exist.
Unlike Nicole’s fickle mother who changed her lovers as often as she touched up her manicure, Nicole would only love once in her lifetime. She’d rather be alone than with the wrong man—or a series of them. And she was very careful not to let herself board that crazy lust-love-crash roller coaster. Whenever she realized she was in line for that ride she stepped aside. No more heartache for her.
Moments later her door swung inward and Ryan filled the opening. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a cobalt tie that matched his eyes. Her stomach fluttered.
Who would her child take after? Him or her?
The man would make beautiful babies.
Never mind. Looks don’t matter. A healthy baby is all you’re after.
“Nicole.” He nodded his dark head in a greeting and his eyes raked over her, making her very conscious of how her raspberry-pink V-neck, wraparound dress clung to her pregnancy swollen breasts. “Ready?”
His low-pitched voice scraped over her nerve endings like an emery board, leaving her feeling raw and exposed and strangely out of sorts.
“Why are you here, Ryan?”
He pushed the door closed between him and Lea. “Because I’d like to know something about the woman carrying my child besides the sparse raw data in the clinic’s file. I imagine you have questions concerning my health and history, too.”
Now that he mentioned it, she did. With Patrick she hadn’t needed to ask because she’d already known everything about him.
Do this for Beth and for the baby you’re carrying for her.
What was it the old cliché said? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Ryan Patrick qualified as the latter. He definitely threatened all she held dear. And the only way she could learn more about him was by spending time with him.
“I can give you a couple of hours.”
“That’s all we’ll need.”
She grabbed her purse and crossed the room. He opened the door as she approached and pressed his hand to her waist to guide her through as she passed by him. Every cell in her body snapped to attention startling her so much she bumped the door frame.
He caught her upper arm and steadied her, his fingers branding a circle around her biceps. “Careful.”
Their gazes met. Her heart stuttered. Why did he have to have this effect on her? The man was an arrogant ass.
You’re carrying his baby. Of course you’re going to have a reaction to him.
Nicole shook off his hold.
Lea grinned unrepentantly. “Have a great lunch. Don’t rush back. I have everything under control.”
Nicole frowned at her assistant. “I’ll be back in time for my next appointment.”
“Your two o’clock postponed until four. I can reschedule him until tomorrow, if you’d like.”
Nicole glared a warning. “Don’t you dare.”
“Well, take it easy. You have plenty of time.”
Not what she needed Ryan to hear when she wanted an excuse to cut lunch short. But she bit back her reservations and accompanied him outside to his Corvette. He opened the door for her. She avoided his touch and slid into the leather seat.
He climbed into the driver’s side, making the luxurious sports car feel crowded. His scent filled her nostrils and his nearness