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  “So you say.”

  “If you’re honestly concerned about the possibility of an STD, I’ll go get tested and show you the results.”

  Carly had been concerned about the possibility, but she would never admit it to him. He’d know then that she’d spent countless hours obsessing about their encounter. Better for him to think that he’d never crossed her mind.

  “An STD is the least of my worries at the moment.” She punctuated that statement by shoving more sauerkraut in her mouth.

  “I know. Which is why we’re due for a nice, long talk.”

  The microwave timer pinged. Carly pulled out her Brussels sprouts and hungrily began devouring them, alternating each mouthful with a huge mound of sauerkraut. Every few chews, she grabbed the chocolate milk and took a swig. She didn’t care if the milk left a smear on her upper lip. She sincerely hoped Hank grew disgusted and walked out.

  No such luck. He only watched her, his expression a mixture of incredulity and appalled curiosity. “No wonder you’re getting morning sickness.”

  “Actually, this helps a little,” she said with a Brussels sprout puffing out her cheek. “And how do you know I’ve had morning sickness?”

  He looked momentarily nonplussed by the question. Then he recovered and said, “Most pregnant women do.”

  Carly was tempted to question him further, but she decided the less she participated in this conversation, the better. Even so, she couldn’t resist saying, “For a man so determined to talk to me, you seem to have precious little to say.”

  “I’m working my way up to it.”

  Carly stepped to the sink to moisten a paper towel. As she moved away from him, his face became a dark blur of bronze. After wiping her mouth, she returned to her meal and said, “Your five minutes is quickly going.”

  He nodded. His jaw muscle started to tic. Carly remembered listening to novels on tape and wondering how a ticcing jaw muscle looked. Now, at long last, she finally knew. It looked angry—and determined—and more than a little intimidating. She had a bad feeling that Hank Coulter was on a mission and wouldn’t back off until he had accomplished it.

  Finally, he said, “Carly, I’ve come here to make you a proposition.”

  “A proposition?” She slanted him a burning look and shoved more sauerkraut into her mouth.

  “Not that kind of proposition.” He pushed his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans, which had the unsettling effect of making his shoulders look broader. “Let’s look at the situation rationally. All right?”

  “Are you implying that I’m not being rational, Mr. Coulter?”

  “No, I don’t mean to imply that you’re being irrational,” he said evenly. “Bad choice of words. What I am saying is that we need to look at this situation from all angles, weigh the potential problems against our resources to resolve them, and try to make decisions in the best interest of you and our child.”

  “My child,” she corrected.

  His blue eyes began to glitter. “Our child. I am the father.”

  “So you claim.”

  “It can be easily verified with a simple blood test. Don’t even go there. I will play an active role in my child’s life, with or without your cooperation. Trust me when I say things will be more pleasant for you if you cooperate.”

  Carly struggled to swallow a Brussels sprout. For a horrible moment, she thought she might choke. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Interpret it any way you like. I’m the father of that baby, and I have certain inalienable rights, not to mention responsibilities. The state will back me on both counts. It’s in your best interest not to be at loggerheads with me.”

  Definitely a threat. Carly’s craving for the vegetables abruptly diminished, and she dropped the fork into the jar with a resounding clink.

  “Here are the facts.”

  He went on to list all the reasons why she needed his help, some of which he couldn’t possibly know unless someone close to her had given him the information. Carly was trembling by the time he finished.

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I did some digging. Have I said anything so far that isn’t true?”

  Carly just stared at him.

  “Now for my side of it.” He pushed away from the wall. “I’m not a rich man, but I make damned good money now. I broke all my own rules the night I met you, and as a result, I’ve messed up your life in ways that may affect your whole future.”

  “My future is my concern.”

  “Ordinarily, I’d agree with you. But now that you’re pregnant with my child, I have a vested interest. It’s my responsibility to safeguard that child’s welfare, both emotionally and financially, and your successes and failures will have a direct impact.”

  “For a barroom lothario, you seem to take fatherhood awfully seriously.”

  Carly wasn’t sure, but she thought his lips went white. “I have that coming, I guess.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were swallowing one of her Brussels sprouts whole. “For the moment, though, let’s leave my checkered past out of it and concentrate on straightening out this mess.”

  Carly wanted to say it was her mess to straighten out, but they’d already covered that ground.

  “Here are the facts on my side of the equation,” he went on. “I can’t afford to cover all your eye-surgery expenses, plus the costs of childbirth and child care, help you stay in school, and pay for your living expenses if we maintain separate households.”

  The last of what he said jangled in her brain. “Did you say ‘separate households’?”

  “Don’t get upset until you hear me out.”

  “Are you—?” Carly gulped and took a calming breath. “Are you suggesting that we live together?” She had a hysterical urge to laugh. “Surely you’re not serious.”

  “I’m dead serious, but I’m not suggesting that we live together. I’m suggesting that you marry me, the sooner, the better.”

  Carly couldn’t believe her ears. “What?”

  “You heard me. And before you start saying no, let me add that we can enter into the marriage on a temporary basis—a stopgap arrangement, so to speak, until you get your master’s degree. Until that occurs, I’ll put you on my insurance, which covers everything, pay all your other expenses, help care for the child to eliminate child care costs, and provide you with transportation to and from campus. I’ll also foot the bill for any special assistance you may need to complete your coursework if you go blind.”

  Carly held up a hand to silence him, but he just kept talking.

  “After you acquire your degree and have surgery to restore your sight, I’ll give you some start-up cash, we’ll dissolve the marriage and go our separate ways. I will, of course, expect to have visitation with my child, the schedule for which will be determined by state guidelines. I’ll also pay monthly child support, the amount of which will be based upon my annual income.”

  An acidic burn moved into Carly’s throat. “You’re out of your mind. How can you think, even for a moment, that I’d consider marrying you?” She hugged her waist. “Bess had no right to tell you all this. No right.”

  “Don’t go blaming Bess. I won’t lie and say we haven’t talked. We have. But I didn’t get all this information from her. She’s a loyal friend to you.”

  “If she’s so loyal, how do you know my insurance only covers eighty percent? And that my dad lives in Arizona?”

  “I’m a whiz on the Internet. With the right software, you can find out almost anything, even what kind of movies people rent.”

  Carly didn’t buy it for a minute. He knew too many details that could have come only from Bess. And, oh, how that hurt.

  As if he sensed her thoughts, he said, “Bess is your friend, Carly. She cares very deeply for you. Maybe she has let a few things slip, but only out of concern for you and the baby.”

  “Your five minutes are up,” she said tautly.

  His jaw muscle started to tic again. “I’m not leaving unt
il we’ve settled this.”

  “Oh, yes, you are. My baby and I are none of your business.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. From where I’m standing, it doesn’t appear that you’ll be able to provide properly for my child.”

  Carly grabbed the phone. “Get out. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”

  He didn’t budge.

  “I mean it, Hank.” She squinted at the number pad. She needed to dial 911. Only where was the nine?

  Before she could close her eyes and dial by touch, Hank depressed the receiver hook. “I really hoped we might be able to discuss this like two reasonable adults and agree on a solution.”

  Carly’s fury mounted. “Have you any idea how many women become pregnant annually and don’t marry the fathers of their babies? No one calls them unreasonable.”

  “Those women aren’t faced with the same set of circumstances. You may be losing your sight again, Carly.”

  And being blind somehow makes me less of a person? Even her best friend had turned against her. Tears stung Carly’s eyes.

  “All I want is to make things easier for you and better for our baby.”

  “I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, I don’t need or want your help.”

  He kept his hand on the receiver cradle to prevent her from dialing out. “I wanted to avoid this, but you’re leaving me no choice.”

  Carly threw him a wary look.

  “Do you really think I’ll just walk away, knowing my kid may be born into penury to a blind mother? You’ll either marry me and remain in the marriage until you’re over this rough patch that I caused, or I’ll petition the court for custody of my baby.”

  All the blood drained from Carly’s face. Her body suddenly felt like cold rubber. Her hand slid numbly from the phone. Her arms hung, heavy and lifeless, at her sides. “Surely you don’t mean that.”

  “Try me.”

  Hank knew he had very little chance of actually getting custody. It was a bluff, nothing more. He could only hope Carly didn’t realize it.

  “I hate you,” she whispered.

  Hank had no doubt that she did. Her sudden pallor made him feel like a world-class bastard. It also told him the threat had frightened her. On the one hand, he regretted that, but on the other, he was relieved. Someone had to help her through this, and he was elected.

  Her every emotion shone in her eyes as she stared up at him, incredulity, shock, and fear at war with swiftly diminishing anger. “Get out,” she whispered raggedly.

  Hank released his hold on the receiver cradle. As he crossed the living room to retrieve his Stetson, he said, “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I won’t go for custody. If you leave me no other choice, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” Once at the door, he stopped and turned to look back at her. “I’ll give you a couple of days to think it over. Then I’ll be in touch. Bottom line, we either apply for a marriage license or I hire an attorney. Your choice.”

  “Go ahead and hire an attorney!” she flung at him. “See if I care. You can’t take my baby away from me. You’ve got no grounds, and I’ll fight you with my last breath.”

  Hank stepped out onto the porch. Before closing the door behind him, he said, “Maybe I have grounds, maybe I don’t. That’ll be up to a judge. If you want to take that gamble, go for it. While you’re making up your mind, remember one thing. Hiring an attorney and going through a custody battle will be very expensive. I can afford it. Can you?”

  Hank drew the door closed and stood on the welcome mat, battling with his conscience. Threatening to take her child was a purely rotten thing to do, and everything within him rebelled against it. He was sorely tempted to go back inside and tell her he hadn’t meant it. But what was the alternative? To let her struggle to survive, by hook or by crook, while he went his merry way?

  While he stood there, trapped in indecision, Hank heard a muffled sob come from inside the apartment. An instant later, an interior door slammed, the sharp sound followed quickly by yet more sobbing, which sounded as if it were coming from the bedroom to the right of the porch. He stared solemnly at the window, imagining Carly on the bed, her face pressed into her pillow.

  Why was it, he wondered, that this woman made him feel guilty as hell, even when he was trying to do the right thing? He grasped the doorknob and almost turned it. Then, at the last second, he dropped his arm. Marriage was the best solution—the only solution. If he went inside and retracted all that he’d said, they’d be back at square one, with her refusing to accept a dime and hanging up every time he telephoned.

  Hank couldn’t let that happen. Whether she admitted it or not, she needed him, and he meant to be there for her, one way or another. If he made her despise him in the process, so be it.

  Chapter Nine

  Carly was in the bedroom when Bess came home for lunch three hours later. The sound of the front door opening and closing alerted Carly to her friend’s arrival. Eyes swollen and nose stuffy from crying, she rolled onto her side and hugged her ribs, dreading the discussion to follow.

  “Yoo-hoo! Carls? You’ll never guess what! I think I may have a job! And at a dental office, no less! It’ll be perfect for me!”

  Bess flung open the door and burst into the bedroom. When she saw Carly’s face, she reeled to a stop. “Oh, God, what’s wrong?”

  Carly put her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. At the sudden movement, the blood rushed to her head, and her temples felt as if they might explode. After staring silently at her friend for several long seconds, she said, “Hank stopped by.”

  Bess stepped closer. “Oh, Carly, your eyes. I can see just by looking that you’ve got another headache. I’ll go get some ice.”

  “No, please, don’t.” Carly rose to a standing position. “I need to get this said.”

  “Get what said?”

  “We’ve been best friends since we were five years old,” Carly told her. “I thought I could trust you with my life.”

  “You can.”

  “You went behind my back and told Hank everything—about the possibility that my eyesight may fail, how sick I’ve been, my insurance coverage, my finances, my dad—everything. What’s more, I believe you encouraged him to use the information against me.”

  Bess went pale.

  “To Hank’s credit,” Carly went on, “he did his best to cover for you, but too much of what he said had to have come directly from you.” Carly felt tears welling again. She blinked them away. “He claims you’re a loyal friend to me, and he’s right. You have been a loyal friend.” A tight sensation in Carly’s throat forced her to swallow so she could go on. “Until now.”

  “Oh, Carly.”

  “At first I was angry. Now, I—” Carly gestured helplessly with her hands. “Why, Bess? How could you do this to me?”

  Bess’s eyes went bright. As if all the strength went out of her legs, she sat on the bed. “I did what I felt I had to. And just for the record, I didn’t do it to you, I did it for you.”

  Carly leaned against the wall. “He’s threatening to take my baby away from me. He says he’ll sue for custody if I don’t marry him.”

  A guilty look crossed Bess’s face.

  “You knew?” It wasn’t really a question.

  “We didn’t discuss any particulars, but I did tell him to stop taking no for an answer. As for custody, I planted the idea. He apparently took it from there.”

  Carly felt as if her heart were breaking. “You told him to take my baby?”

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that. As for the suggestion, yes, I made it. What other leverage does he have? You need his help, Carls, but you’re too damned stubborn to accept it. I’ve always admired that trait in you. You’ve mastered things most blind people would never even attempt, and I think you’re an awesome lady. But you’re carrying independence way too far this time.”

  “That isn’t your call to make. It’s my life.”

  “No, not anymore. You’re making decisions for two now
. And you haven’t been making wise ones.”

  “You’ve no right—”

  “Oh yes.” Bess pushed to her feet. “I do have a right. I love you, Carly, and I’m going to love your baby. What’s more, I know you better than you know yourself sometimes. I understand and sympathize with your need to do everything for yourself. But enough is enough. Stubbornness won’t put food in the cupboards. It won’t provide care for the baby if you get sick. It won’t pay your grad school tuition. It won’t pay the monthly premiums for your insurance coverage or the unpaid charges for medical services that’ll soon start rolling in. What’s more, it won’t pay for an eye surgery next summer. Have you even considered that? What do you plan to do, remain blind for several more years while you scrimp and save for another operation?”

  A sinking sensation attacked Carly’s stomach.

  “You haven’t even made an appointment with a doctor for prenatal care yet,” Bess accused.

  “Wrong,” Carly shot back. “I called and made an appointment the same day that they called to confirm the pregnancy. I just couldn’t get in right away, and I forgot to mention it.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it. But be that as it may, you still aren’t thinking about that baby in many of the ways you should be,” Bess went on relentlessly. “Not really. And what’s more, you’re not being realistic.”

  “Other pregnant women have their babies alone,” Carly argued.

  “Other pregnant women aren’t faced with the same set of problems. Wake up, Carls. It’s not about you standing at the finish line with your arms raised in victory anymore.”

  Bess turned to leave the room. Carly stared after her, stunned, hurt, and struggling not to cry. “This is my child we’re talking about!”

  Bess paused at the doorway. “Exactly, so start thinking like a mother.”

  Outrage drove Carly to follow Bess into the living room. “I won’t prostitute myself in a loveless marriage.”

  Bess sat on the sofa, drew up her legs, and tucked her feet beneath her. “Is that what you think—that Hank will make physical demands?”