“How about your brother? Is he the wild type?”
“Not really. Gary has just always hated Fawn Grove. We left Pasadena and moved here when he was two. He has his eye on bigger things than a small community can give him. Rafe told me you’ve been back in Fawn Grove for three years. Do you intend to stay?”
“I intend to make it my home base. It was my home when I was a kid, but I’m in Sacramento more than I’m in Fawn Grove. I travel to L.A. and Seattle a lot, too. There’s a charter service I use that makes traveling efficient.”
“We lead very different lives,” Jenna said softly as she thought about his boat and mansion, flying off to another city at the drop of a hat.
“What are you thinking, Jenna?” he asked, his gaze steady on hers.
Again she was chagrined that he could read her so well. She remembered what Rafe had said about not telling this man too much, and yet she had to follow her instincts. “I’m thinking that you can give this child a lot of advantages I can’t, and how a court would look at that.”
“In other words, you think I have the upper hand.”
“No. You may have money, and maybe you can hire the best nannies there are in this world, but I’m this child’s mother. Not by accident, but because I wanted this baby. I think that will pretty much balance the scales unless you resort to something underhanded.”
“You’re not afraid to pitch straight, are you?” he asked, a bit wryly.
“I might be merely a second-grade teacher, and I might live a simpler life than you do, but I’ll fight for this child with every breath inside of me.”
Neither of them spoke for a full minute. Finally he stood and she did the same so he wouldn’t tower over her any more than he already did.
“Round one is over,” he concluded. “I think we both established that neither of us is going to sign away our parental rights.”
“What do we do about round two?”
After studying her for a few moments, he eased one hand into his pocket. “I think we should take an intermission before we jump into the ring again. How about that boat ride?”
“You’re serious?”
“I didn’t bring you to the Delta to sit on the deck and rock in the ripples. I think you’re more fearless than that.”
He had her pegged wrong this time. She wasn’t fearless at all. She was afraid he’d somehow manage to take this baby away from her. She was afraid she’d forget B.J.’s face. She was afraid that Blake Winston could be too persuasive when he set his mind to be. Yet she wouldn’t let him see the fear because that would definitely be giving him the upper hand.
“All right,” she agreed. “Take me for a boat ride. But I’ll warn you right now, I’m pregnant and I just ate supper.”
At that, he chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll consider myself warned. Stay right there and I’ll get your life jacket.”
Blake made sure Jenna had safely returned from the bathroom and was comfortable on the deck before he took the helm. She held on to the arms of the captain’s chair as the boat moved away from the slip and onto the river. After a few minutes, she began to relax…if that was at all possible under the circumstances.
Jenna watched as they passed all the Sacramento marinas. Then the boat picked up speed, and she felt as if she were on a cruise. The blue sky, the hum of the engine, the sun and the warm breeze made her realize she’d never had an experience quite like this. She could see why Blake was drawn to the water. It was peaceful out here in a way that nothing else could be peaceful.
It seemed only a short while later when Blake dropped anchor in a cove and descended the stairs to the deck. “I thought you might like to take it all in from a different vantage point. I know you don’t feel free to walk around while we’re moving.”
He was right about that. She’d almost fallen asleep in the comfortable chair and had been content there. Standing, she stretched, all the while aware of Blake as he stood at the rail looking far down the river. His shoulders were so broad, his skin tanned, his body fit. A tingle of excitement rushed through her as she went to stand at the rail beside him, making sure their elbows didn’t touch, reminding herself Blake only wanted something from her—his child.
Taking his phone from his belt, he handed it to her. “Why don’t you call Pierson. It’s almost five and I’m sure he’s probably ready to put out an APB on you.”
As she glanced at her watch, she realized it was indeed five o’clock. She couldn’t believe they’d been on the water for an hour. He was probably right about Rafe being worried. As she punched in the number, she asked, “This will work here?”
“There’s a tower not far away on the shoreline. While I’m out, I often duck in here to make a few calls.”
Walking over to the bench seat, she gazed out at the horizon. Rafe’s receptionist answered on the second ring and then patched her through.
“Rafe, it’s Jenna.”
“I was beginning to get worried. How was your drive?”
“Um…it’s not over yet. I’m out on Blake’s boat.”
There was silence. “Jenna, do you know what you’re doing?”
“Not exactly.” She glanced at Blake and saw he was watching her.
“Do you know how unorthodox this is? You shouldn’t be fraternizing with him if we’re thinking about going to court.”
If they did go to court, who was going to pay those bills? She didn’t want to say that and have Blake overhear. “We’ll talk about it when I see you.”
“I’ll be in court all day tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll talk to you on Thursday.”
She heard his heavy sigh. “You can be as stubborn as Shannon.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Call me tonight when you get home.”
“Rafe…”
“Call me, Jenna.”
“All right. But don’t let the rest of your hair turn gray over this. I’m fine. In fact, it’s very peaceful out here.”
“The calm before the storm,” her lawyer muttered.
A few minutes later she stretched out her arm to give Blake his phone. His fingers brushed over hers as he took it, and she again felt guilt as something besides the baby stirred inside of her, something she hadn’t even felt with B.J.
Still trying to absorb the tingling jolt of awareness that had rushed through her at the brush of his skin on hers, she peered into the distance, trying to see the future, trying to see her life without B.J. but with Blake Winston’s child. It was unfathomable, as deeply hidden as any buried treasure.
“Do you have other children?” she suddenly asked Blake.
His brows arched. “No, I don’t. I’ve never been married, either, if you’re wondering about that.”
There was an edge to his voice, and she realized he didn’t like personal questions. “You know a whole lot more about me than I know about you.”
The tension seemed to leave his brow as he turned his back to the railing and faced her. “I don’t have any other children because I’ve always been careful.”
She needed to ask the most personal question of all and felt awkward doing it. Yet the answer was more important than her discomfort. “Why did you have your sperm frozen?”
At first she thought he wasn’t going to answer her, that he’d go right back up those stairs and pilot them back to the marina. But then