LITMIR.BIZ

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never piqued a man’s interest while holding her baby. “Nice to meet you, too, Leo.”

      He grinned again and waved as he took off with a long stride down the street.

      Toni was in her office, talking on the phone when Christie entered. Peter was still sleeping, so she took a moment to look around. The small office was more functional than decorative, and Christie admired the exposed red brick, wide crown moldings and copper-colored pressed-tin ceiling. There were very few indications that this was a woman’s business. Christie mostly speculated that Toni had planned it that way, to succeed in a male-dominated business.

      “Come on in,” Toni said as she hung up the phone.

      “I thought I’d drop by and see if we could work out a schedule. I have some decisions to make about living arrangements.”

      “Yes, I imagine you do, with Peter to consider,” Toni said, smiling at the sleeping baby.

      “I’ve thought of renting a house.” As opposed to staying with Cal at the ranch. Peter went to sleep around seven-thirty every night, leaving lots of “alone time” for two adults who hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other when they’d first met. Now, their situation was more complicated, and adding temptation to the mix probably wasn’t a good idea.

      Toni frowned. “I’m not sure what’s available at the moment. We’ve had several families move here recently, but no new houses built yet. There might be more choices in Graham, but that’s a longer drive.”

      “I was hoping to find something close. It doesn’t need to be luxurious or large, just clean and safe for Peter.”

      “Your best bet would be to check with a Realtor in Graham, since we don’t have an office here in Brody’s Crossing. I can recommend someone there, if you’d like.”

      “Yes, that might be best.” Christie didn’t think Toni sounded very confident that a listing would be available.

      “Okay, as far as a schedule, I have had time to talk to my subs,” Toni said, taking out a legal pad from her desk drawer.

      Over the next few minutes, they discussed an aggressive timetable, based in part on Christie’s ability to pay extra for dedicated work at the site. Toni explained that most contractors worked on several jobs at once, splitting their time based on deadlines, weather and material availability. The crews might work anywhere from Decatur to Graham to Olney, tying them up from one day to one week. Also, Brody’s Crossing had a slight boom in growth with the new farmers’ market, butcher shop and several smaller offices. Then there were always home renovations and repairs.

      Just as they finished, Peter started waking up. Christie unlatched him from his car seat. “He’s probably wet. Is there a place to change him here?”

      “Sure. You can use the little conference room across the hall.”

      “I’ll be right back.” She snagged the diaper bag and baby, and was just about to enter the hallway when the door to the main office opened, bringing in a gust of warm air and a tall, angry-looking Texan.

      “We need to talk,” he said without pleasantries.

      “I thought we did that a little while ago.” Christie snuggled Peter closer to calm her suddenly pounding heart. Cal had startled her, but she had a feeling that just being around him was disturbing on several levels.

      “I’ve thought of something I should have said earlier.”

      “I’d rather wait, Cal. I need to think about your offer.” Peter began to fuss, and Christie felt like doing the same.

      “This needs to be said,” Cal insisted, his expression intent.

      He’d had about the same expression on his face when he’d braced himself above her, their bodies hot and naked. She shook off the memory and started walking away. “I need to change the baby, and then Toni and I will finish up. Why don’t we schedule something later.”

      “Let’s settle it now.”

      “Oh, hello, Cal,” Toni said from the doorway of her office. “Welcome home. Can I help you with something?”

      “No. I need to talk to Christie.”

      Toni looked very surprised. “Oh. Christie, do you want a little privacy?”

      Actually, she didn’t want to have this conversation at all. “Cal, I think we should talk later.”

      He braced his hands on his hips. “I don’t even know how to get in touch with you, Christie. How are we going to talk?”

      “I’ll call you.”

      “Christie, are you okay?” Toni asked.

      “I’m fine. I’m sorry for the intrusion.” She’d barged into Cal’s life; now he was apparently doing the same in hers.

      She turned back to Cal. “I said I’d call you, and I will.”

      “I’ll be in my office if you need me,” Toni said. “Cal Crawford, you behave yourself.”

      Cal completely ignored Toni. He drilled Christie with his blue-gray eyes. “Like you called me eighteen months ago?”

      “You don’t need to be sarcastic,” she said, feeling herself flush with anger…and maybe a little bit of guilt. Should she have called him? Her rationale had seemed so reasonable while she was pregnant, and immediately after Peter’s birth. And by then, Cal’s return was imminent. Of course, he’d been delayed, then wounded.

      “Sorry for my bad attitude, but it’s not every day a man finds out he has a son!” he said, stepping closer.

      “You’re lucky to have Peter,” she said in an angry whisper, unwilling to tell the world their private business. “I can’t believe how angry you’ve become from the time we left the restaurant to now.”

      “I’m not angry. I’m…perturbed.”

      “That’s just another word for angry.”

      “Okay! I’m disappointed you didn’t tell me, and I’m concerned the baby doesn’t have my full name, as he should, and I’m angry Leo Casale was telling his customers at the hardware store that a beautiful blonde and her baby have come to stay in town!”

      “He said I was beautiful? How nice.” Christie focused on that word and ignored the rest of Cal’s rant as she spread the changing pad on the end of the table. She grabbed a diaper and the baby wipes from the diaper bag.

      “He’s not right for you, and you should just stay away from men who talk too much!” Cal wasn’t trying to be quiet or reasonable.

      “Hey, that’s my brother you’re bad-mouthing,” Toni’s voice admonished from the other side of her almost-closed door.

      “You’re jealous!” Christie exclaimed as she stripped the wet diaper off Peter. She quickly wiped his baby parts and efficiently secured the tabs on the new diaper before he squirmed away.

      “I’m not jealous of Leo Casale.”

      She held the baby with one hand on his tummy while she placed the baby wipes in the diaper bag. “Sounds like it to me.”

      “Well, if I am, it’s because he doesn’t have a right to talk about you as if you’re single and looking.”

      “I’m definitely single, but you’re right—I’m not looking.” Looking for a nanny, maybe, but not a man.

      “See, this is exactly what I came over here to talk to you about, but we got all sidetracked. You’re single, and you’re a mother. The mother of my baby. It took me a few minutes to figure this out because I was really surprised at Dewey’s. Now I know there’s only one thing we can do.”

      “Oh? I can see a lot of ways this could turn out.”

      “No. We have to do what’s

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