A Baby in His Stocking. Laura Marie Altom
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pregnant. All the fertility around here is what’s driving me to leave. A wise man wouldn’t have let you in this house.”
“What’s that make you?” She couldn’t resist zinging back.
“Ouch.” His smile blocked all rational thought. “Guess that makes me not-so-wise, but seriously, it’s nice to see you.”
“Likewise.” They shared an awkward moment of silence, gazes meeting, then breaking, only to meet up again. Unable to cope with her awareness of his size, and how easy it was to recall every detail of their kiss, she struggled to remember her reason for being at his home. “I, um, brought you a book, but left it in the bathroom.” Hitching her thumb that way, she said, “I’ll go get it.”
“Let me,” he said, already halfway there. “You have a seat.”
She did, but mostly because of her rubbery knees than because he’d asked.
“This is great,” he called from the hall. Entering the living room, he flipped through the glossy pages. “I ordered one online, but it hasn’t come. Where’d you find it?”
“Yard sale. It was only a quarter, but I thought you might enjoy thumbing through.”
“I will. Thanks. Ethiopia doesn’t get a lot of coverage on travel sites.”
“Are you afraid of violence?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I’ll be working with a major oil player, though, so there will be security.” He sat on the opposite end of the sofa to her, still leafing through his gift. “The poverty aspect is tough, too. It bothers me that we’ll have the latest in gadgetry and freeze-dried gourmet when the locals are barely scraping by. But then on the flip side, our base camp is set up at a safari resort. Up until researching this trip, I never would’ve thought anyone went to Ethiopia on vacation. Turns out it’s a beautiful country.”
“Hmm…” Reflective, with her hand over her tummy, Natalie said, “All in all, it still sounds like a wonderful adventure, which is why I’m so miffed with your mom. She called you horrible and selfish for leaving.”
His only reaction was to shrug. “She’s told me her opinion to my face. At first, it stung. Now, I’m over it.”
“Still… Have you considered letting her in on your reasons for leaving?”
“Next topic.” He added a couple logs to the fire. “In general, how was the party?”
“The usual. Over-the-top food, decorations and conversation. When I left, Daisy was counting how many times she’d seen contractor ‘cracks’ at her new house. They had to tear down the new north wing and start over.”
He winced. “Makes me doubly glad I missed it.”
“If you don’t mind my asking,” she said, “why didn’t you at least want to spend time with your brothers?”
Stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankles, he took his sweet time to answer. “Suffice to say it’s complicated.”
“I do have my master’s in counseling.”
He snorted. “That your not-so-subtle way of comparing my brainpower to that of a third grader?”
“Wyatt, I’m serious.” Though the rain outside fell harder, his complexion appeared red and overheated. “I get that your issues must be like a slow death inside, but you can’t run forever—well, you could, but you’d miss out on a lot.”
“Master’s or not,” he said, “feel free to drop it. You’re making me wish I’d never told you.”
“Sorry.”
“Are you?” he snapped. “You sit there judging me when you already have the one gift I never will. Think about it.”
Throat tight, Natalie sighed. She slipped on her shoes and coat and made it all the way to the door without him saying a word.
She’d just stepped back out in the rain when Wyatt called, “Hey, Nat?”
“Yes?” Was it wrong for her to hope he’d repair the gaping hole now between them?
“Thanks again for the book, but it’s probably best you don’t come around anymore.”
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