Expecting his child(6)

       

Baby booties.

It was the silliest thing; but the tiny, tiny white booties made it all  feel real and right to her. Seeing Noah tonight had confused her, and  she didn't need to feel confused. Martina knew what she had to do. She  had to keep her head together and love and raise this baby. She had to  resist the urge to lean, especially on Noah. He made her think. Every  time he visited her, there was more to like, more to admire, more to  want and, in turn, more to fear.

The thought of knowing him more made every muscle in her body tense. It  wasn't just that he was a Coltrane, although heaven knows that was  enough. Martina had a feeling in her heart, in her blood, that if she  fell for Noah, his being was so big and powerful that he would swallow  her and she would simply disappear.





* * *





Chapter 3

«^»

"Have you heard anything from-" Martina's sister-in-law, Jill asked "-your assistant procreator?"

Martina grinned as the two women carried the results of their shopping  trip into her condo. "I like that. Takes a lot of the messy emotion out  of it?"

"I wouldn't want to upset the mother-to-be."

"By using expressions like former lover, or father of my child, or one  of the top five men my brothers most hate." Martina gritted her teeth.  "Thank you."

"Hate is a strong word," Jill said, revealing her public-relations  background. "Your brothers may not really hate Noah Coltrane. They don't  even know one another."

"They hate him," Martina said, stomping upstairs to the nursery. "Brock  hates him because he's a Coltrane and one of their bulls jumped the  fence and had entirely too much fun with some of our heifers. It made  calving season a real pain because the bull was the wrong size and some  of the calves were too big, and then there's your husband, Dr. Tyler  Logan, who used to get into fistfights with Noah on a weekly basis when  they were in their teens. And then there's the small matter that Noah  got their baby sister pregnant. Yeah, I would say his name is dirt."

"But people change and they haven't truly sat down and talked since they became adults."

"That's to prevent bloodshed and eventual death by lethal injection. Texas believes in capital punishment."

Jill chuckled and put her arms around Martina in a hug. "Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?"

"No," Martina muttered. "And I'm not exaggerating when I say how nice  you are to check on me and go baby shopping with me." Martina knew Jill  was unable to bear children because of an injury from an automobile  accident, and her sister-in-law's continued generosity often brought  tears to her eyes. Jill hadn't allowed her injury to prevent her from  being a mother to a child who needed her. She and Tyler had adopted a  son as soon as they got married.

Jill's watery gaze met Martina's damp one and both women laughed. "At  least you can blame this on hormones. I'm really okay. It's amazing what  marrying your brother and adopting Sam have done for me. I just want  you and your baby to be healthy and happy." She sobered. "And I notice  you didn't answer my question about your assistant procreator."

Martina made a face. "Yes. He found me." She pulled bumper pads and sheets with a soothing cloud motif from a bag.

"And?"

"And he immediately said we should get married, and I told him never,  and he said we need to get to know each other, and I suggested e-mail."

"You must have felt something for him to get involved with him," Jill said.

Martina didn't like being reminded of her initial attraction to Noah. It  had been strong and sexual, and she wasn't feeling very sexy these  days.

Her doorbell rang, saving her from responding.

"Pizza," a male voice called.

Martina felt a twinge. The voice was familiar. "I didn't order pizza,"  she muttered, rising from the floor. Although pizza sounded like a good  idea.

Jill joined her at the top of the stairs. "Your pizza-delivery guy looks a lot different from mine."

Noah had let himself in her unlocked door. His intense gaze wrapped  around Martina and squeezed before he gave a slight grin that made her  stomach flip. How had he known she would be hungry? Martina rolled her  eyes at herself. When was she not hungry?

"What a surprise," she said in a neutral voice, walking down the stairs.

He flipped open the lid to reveal a large, hot pizza with mushrooms and  onions. She eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know they're my favorite  toppings?"

"It's my job to know," he said in a voice that would melt brick.

Martina tried to ignore the way her heart sped up. "You're the man who  arrived on horseback at Brock and Felicity's wedding," Jill said, her  eyes growing wide in realization. "The fa-" She stopped and appeared to  correct herself. "The fellow procreator."                       
       
           



       

Noah's jaw tightened. "Noah Coltrane. I'm the father of Martina's baby. And you?"

Martina ground her teeth. "This is my sister-in-law, Jill. She's married to Tyler."

"A pleasure," Noah said, shifting the pizza box so he could shake hands.

Jill nodded, still neutral. "You come bearing pizza?"

"I understand pregnant women get hungry," he said in the same sexy voice  that made Martina feel hungry in all ways. "Satisfying Martina's  appetite is my job."

Jill's lips twitched. "Something tells me you're up to the challenge."  She glanced at Martina. "I should run and leave you two to your  appetites and pizza."

"No. You don't have to go. There's plenty for-"

"I really need to get back." She gave Martina a quick hug and whispered, "Enjoy yourself. It's not as if you can get pregnant."

Shocked, Martina gaped at Jill. Traitor! "Tyler would not appreciate that comment."

"He may eventually," Jill said. "Take care and call me for anything."

"Yes, but-" Martina watched her sister-in-law smile and leave. She turned to Noah and scowled.

"Nice lady," he said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"I'm retaining water."

Looking down at her from beneath his black Stetson, he nodded. "I can  take care of a lot of things, but probably not water retention. Pizza?"

"Yes," she said, and added dutifully, "thank you."

"My pleasure." He strolled into the kitchen in front of her, giving her  an unobstructed view of his impressive backside. A memory flashed in her  mind of the time Noah had coaxed her into making love in front of a  mirror. The images of her naked body and his and the passion between  them were so hot she prayed her thoughts didn't show on her face.

Noah turned and studied her. "Are you okay? You look flushed."

Darn. "Heating for two." Martina smiled and headed for the freezer. She  opened the door and stuck her face inside to cool her cheeks as she  pulled out some ice cubes.

She dumped the ice into two glasses and grabbed a couple of soft drinks.  "How are you managing to get your work done and take time out to visit  me?"

"I keep my trading to a minimum on the day I see you and work on my  other projects on the weekends. I can handle it," he assured her in that  low, sexy voice.

Martina's gaze skimmed over his broad shoulders. Yes, he could probably  handle just about anything he wanted. "You don't really need to visit so  often," she said.

"Sure I do. You'd miss me," he mocked.

"Oh, I don't think-"

"Have some pizza," Noah interjected. "I have a surprise for you after you finish eating."

"What kind of surprise?" she asked, immediately curious.

"It's little."

"What is it?"

"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." She gave a much-put-upon  sigh. Noah's smile twitched with humor. "Your impatience reminded me a  little of my brother Gideon."

"I don't know much about Gideon. Come to think of it, I don't know much about any of your brothers."

Noah simply nodded and ate a slice of pizza.

"Well?" she prompted. "Are you going to tell me about your brothers?"

"I didn't know you were interested in my family."

I'm not, she opened her mouth to say, but immediately knew it wouldn't  have been the truth. She was far more interested in Noah and his world  than she should be. "I read an article about how a baby shares genes  with the sisters and brothers of the mother and father, so it would  probably be a good idea, as a mother, for me to know about your  brothers."

"Uh-huh," he said, his expression a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

The amusement bothered her more than the disbelief. "You don't take me  seriously, do you?" she asked. "You are tremendously amused by me,  aren't you?"