He wouldn’t have even been at the courthouse this morning if his brother hadn’t been testifying. At the last minute Dallas had decided to go along and offer Forrest his support.
He looked toward the entrance at the same time Avery came through the door. She looked around and then spotted him. She held up a hand and pointed toward the counter, then walked over to it and placed an order. Despite her condition, she walked with a confidence that was both powerful and yet graceful. He found it very attractive.
He’d been entranced as she’d given her closing arguments minutes earlier. She’d been so impassioned, demanding rather than pleading for votes of guilt. She was obviously very smart and articulate, and yet had connected with the jury on an emotional level.
Her black slacks emphasized her slender legs. Her red blouse elegantly skimmed the fullness of her belly. In spite of her current condition, the memory of their night together was suddenly a hot burn in his brain. It had been a night of intense pleasure. She’d been a giving lover and the experience of having sex with her was emblazoned in his mind.
As she paid for a cup of something, he tried to shove those provocative memories out of his head. This whole thing felt so surreal and so very awkward.
She eased down in the chair opposite his and brought with her a scent of an exotic spice and citrus fragrance that he instantly remembered from their night together.
He tightened his fingers around his warm, plastic-foam cup and worked up a smile that hopefully didn’t show how very ill at ease he was under the circumstances.
“There’s nothing better to calm the nerves than a hot cup of herbal tea,” she said, to break the ice.
Maybe he should have opted for some of that tea instead of the coffee that now sat heavy in his chest. He had so many questions, yet at the moment, sitting across from her, he was uncharacteristically tongue-tied. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The words finally blurted out of him.
She raised an eyebrow. “How could I have told you? I only knew your first name and that you were in the army. I had no idea where you were stationed or how to contact you. We didn’t exactly exchange phone numbers and addresses that night.”
Her cheeks flushed with a pretty pink color. “You can believe it or not, but that was the first and only time I’ve ever done something like that in my entire life. It was a night of risky behavior and that isn’t who I am. You were the only man I’d been with for a very long time.”
He really had no reason to believe her, but he did. Despite their wild desire that night, there had also been a shyness, an awkwardness about her that had let him know it wasn’t something she did all the time.
She didn’t need to know he’d acted out of character that night, as well. Driven into the bar with a deep grief, he’d intended to drink himself into oblivion. Although he’d had more than his share of booze that night, it had been Avery’s smile that had prompted him to try to lose his grief in her rather than the bottom of a bottle.
It hadn’t worked. He’d awakened the next morning hungover and with his grief still intact, and a new guilt weighing heavy in his heart. The only real difference had been he’d had a beautiful woman in his arms who had wanted more from him than he could give.
“I would have loved to contact you when I first found out I was pregnant, but I couldn’t. I had no idea how to find you.” Her hand dropped to her stomach. “I don’t expect anything from you, Dallas. I made the decision to have these babies and I’m fine doing this all on my own.”
A shocked surprise jolted through him. “B-b-babies?” he stuttered.
She nodded and smiled. “I’m carrying twins...a boy and a girl.”
He couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped him. He hadn’t even completely processed that she was pregnant with one baby, let alone two.
She frowned and stared down into her cup for a long moment and then glanced back at him. “Look, I know this has to be a big shock to you,” she said. “I really don’t need anything from you, Dallas. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” he immediately replied. This might not be the time or the way he would have chosen to become a father, but that didn’t matter. Now he knew she carried his son and his daughter and he wasn’t about to walk away from his babies.
“Uh...do you have a significant other in your life right now?” he asked.
She laughed, the sound rich and melodic. “Right, I’ve had to beat the men away from me and my girlish figure.” She sobered and then sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be sarcastic, and no, there’s no significant other in my life. I’ve never even wanted one. I’ve been pretty focused on my career. What about you?”
“No, there’s nobody,” he replied. Unless he counted the ghost of a woman who haunted him, a ghost he just couldn’t let go of because the pain of loss, of utter emptiness, would be too great for him to endure.
“When do you leave to go back to where you’re stationed?” she asked.
“I don’t. I’m now former Army Sergeant Dallas Colton. I finalized my discharge three months ago and I’m here in Whisperwood to stay.”
“Oh, I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other before now,” she replied.
“I’m living in an old foreman’s cabin out on the ranch, and for the last couple of months I’ve been doing what I can to help with the cleanup after the hurricane. I don’t get into town much.” His gaze once again took in the sight of her stomach. “Should you still be working?”
“Actually, this was my last case. Once the jury comes back I am officially on maternity leave. It’s time for me to nest.”
“Nest?”
She smiled. She had a beautiful smile that lit up her features and warmed whoever it was directed at. It had been her smile that had initially grabbed his attention in the bar that night, and that warmth now swept over him.
“You know, I’ll make sure I have everything ready for the babies when they arrive. I’ll get a manicure and a pedicure and make sure I get extra sleep and relax before they get here.”
“Do you have everything you need for when they do get here?” he asked.
“Yes. My coworkers gave me a big baby shower last month and they were all very generous. I told you I didn’t need anything from you, Dallas, and I meant it. There’s only one person here in town who knows you are the father and that’s my closest friend. She would never tell anyone. I would love for you to be a part of their lives. I certainly believe it’s important for children to have both parents involved, but I understand if you just want to walk away.”
“What would make you think I’m the kind of man who would just walk away from this?”
She tilted her head and gazed at him intently. “Dallas, I really don’t know what kind of a man you are.”
And he didn’t know what kind of woman she was. Oh, he knew how hot her kisses were and how her bare skin felt against his. He knew how her sweet moans had sounded against the side of his neck. But, that was really all he knew about her.
“I think it would be nice if we got to know each other better,” he said. Actually, he thought it was a necessity in this crazy circumstance.
“And how do we do that?” she asked.
“Why don’t we start with me taking you out to dinner at the Bluebell Diner tomorrow night?” he replied.
She looked at him in surprise. “Uh...okay, that would be nice.” Her cell phone rang. “Excuse me,” she murmured, and took the call. It lasted only a minute and then she hung up and gathered her purse and briefcase.
“I’m sorry. The jury has returned and I’ve got to get back to the courthouse.”