A Bachelor and a Baby. Marie Ferrarella

day after you gave birth, she thought. Something else she hadn’t come across in her prenatal readings.

      She raised her eyes to Rick’s. His visit had caught her off-guard, but not nearly as much as his appearance in her bedroom last night had. All things considered, it was almost like something out of a movie. A long-ago lover suddenly rushing into her burning bedroom to rescue her. After that, she doubted very much if anything would ever surprise her again.

      What kind of double talk was this? “I don’t understand. Is he some kind of a spy?”

      “No, some kind of a test tube.” She saw his brows draw together in a deep scowl. He probably thought she was toying with him. This wasn’t exactly something she felt comfortable talking about, but he’d saved her life last night. He deserved to have his question answered. “I went to a sperm bank, Rick.”

      If ever there was a time for him to be knocked over by a feather, Rick thought, now was it. Maybe he’d just heard her wrong. “Why?”

      “Because that’s where they keep sperm.”

      This was an insane conversation. What are you doing here, Rick? Why are you eight years too late?

      She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “I wanted a baby.”

      For a second, he couldn’t think. Dragging a chair over to her bed, he sank down. “There are other ways to get a baby, Joanna.”

      Suddenly, she wanted him to go away. This was too painful to discuss. “They all involve getting close to a person.”

      Memories from the past teased his brain. Memories of moonlit nights, soft, sultry breezes and a woman in his arms he’d vowed to always love. Who’d vowed to always love him.

      Always had a short life expectancy.

      “They tell me that’s the best part,” he said quietly.

      She looked away. “Been there, done that.”

      Her flippant tone irritated him. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if there’d been money involved in this transaction, as well. But the question was too cruel, even if she deserved it. He let it go.

      Rick rose, shoving his hand into his pockets as he looked out the window that faced the harbor. “So there’s no one else in your life?”

      “My baby.” Her baby would make her complete, she thought. She didn’t need anyone else.

      Rick looked at her over his shoulder. “Someone taller.”

      She knew she should be fabricating lovers, to show him that she could go on with her life, that it hadn’t just ended the day they parted, but she was suddenly too tired to make the effort.

      “Not in the way you mean, no.”

      Funny, whenever he’d thought of her in the last eight years, he’d pictured her on someone’s arm, laughing the way he loved to see and hear her laugh. It had driven him almost insane with jealousy, but he’d eventually learned how to cope.

      Or thought he had until he’d seen her last night, her body filled out with the signs of another man’s claim on her.

      He turned and looked out on the harbor again. The sky was darkening, even though it was only two in the afternoon. There was a storm coming. Unusual for April. Boats were beginning to leave. “I went by your house this morning.”

      Her house. Her poor house. Joanna held her breath. “And?”

      There was no way to sugarcoat this, but he did his best. “It was only half destroyed by the fire.” Rick turned to look at her. “But it’s not habitable.” He saw the hopeful light go out of her eyes.

      “Damn, now what am I going to do?”

      He approached the matter practically. “Well, it’s not a total loss. It might take some time to rebuild—you do have coverage, right?”

      Yes, she had coverage, but that wasn’t why she was upset. Fighting back tears, she sighed. “That’s not the point. I was going to take out a home loan on it.” The appointment had been postponed from last week. She fervently wished she’d been able to keep it. Now it was too late. “Nobody gives you a loan on the remains of a bonfire.” Joanna struggled against the feeling that life had just run her over with a Mack truck. She’d been counting on the money to see her and the baby through the next few months until she could go back to work and start building their future. “Now I don’t have the loan or a place to live.”

      Rick studied her face for a long moment. And then he said the last thing that she expected him to say. The last thing he must have expected himself to say.

      “You can come and stay with me.”