LITMIR.BIZ

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opened the door and immediately a little black dog was dancing at her feet, while barking doggie happiness. “I’m sorry,” she said. “She loves people. She’ll calm down in just a minute.”

      He bent down to pet the little black ball of energy. “What’s her name again?”

      “Lulu,” she replied. “Lulu, enough. Let’s go into the kitchen.”

      As he followed her through the living room and into the large kitchen, Lulu ran ahead of them. “Have a seat and I’ll get the coffee.”

      He sank down in one of the chairs at the round oak table and looked around. Yellow-and-white gingham curtains hung at the large window. Yellow wooden signs with happy and optimistic sayings decorated the wall. The room felt warm and inviting.

      She placed a pod in the one-serving coffeemaker on the counter and then got out a tea bag and filled a cup with water.

      He continued to look around the room. A back door held a little doggie door. “Do you have a fenced-in backyard?”

      “Yes, it was one of my requirements when I was house-hunting.” She placed the cup of water into the microwave and then turned to face him.

      “I had three basic requirements when I started looking for houses. I wanted at least three bedrooms, an up-to-date kitchen and a fenced-in backyard. Cream or sugar?”

      “No, black is fine.”

      As she set the cup of coffee in front of him he caught a whiff of her enticing perfume. It instantly evoked memories of the night they had spent together, a night that he now knew had had life-changing consequences.

      He watched as she grabbed a doggie treat out of a drawer and gave it to Lulu. She then took her cup out of the microwave, grabbed a saucer with the tea bag on it and joined him at the table.

      “From what I’ve seen of it, you have a very nice house,” he said.

      “Thank you. When you finish your coffee I’ll show you the nursery.”

      The nursery. His heart swelled at the very thought. He still hadn’t completely wrapped his head around the fact that he was going to be a father. “I’d like that,” he replied.

      An awkward silence ensued. She laughed suddenly, a melodious sound that made him want to join in. “I feel like I should be telling you my favorite color and what my sign is. You know, the questions most people ask when they first meet in a bar.”

      “We didn’t ask each other those questions on the night we met,” he said.

      Her cheeks turned a becoming shade of pink. “As I recall, we didn’t do much talking at all that night.” She took a sip of her tea and then stared down into her cup.

      “So, what’s your sign?” he asked, breaking what might have become an awkward silence. She looked back up at him and he offered her a wide grin.

      She laughed and the awkward moment between them passed. “I’m a Libra. What about you?”

      “A Pisces.”

      She frowned. “Does that mean we’re supposed to get along?”

      “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about the Zodiac signs, but it doesn’t matter what our signs say, we are going to get along,” he replied firmly. “Now, what’s your favorite color?”

      “Coral. And yours?”

      “I’ve never really thought about it before, but I guess I’d say a light blue.” It was another superficial conversation that didn’t answer the questions he had about her, but hopefully she was feeling more comfortable with him with every minute they spent together.

      She shifted in the chair and released a sigh that sounded tired. He finished his coffee and stood. “I should go and let you get some rest.”

      “Before you do, let me show you the nursery.” She rose from the table and gestured for him to follow her through the living room and down a hallway.

      The first doorway they passed, on the right, led into a bathroom. The second room, on the left, was being used as a home office. She went into the bedroom across the hall.

      The minute he stepped into the room, his heart expanded in his chest, making any conversation momentarily impossible. There were two cribs, one with pink bedding and one with blue. Both had mobiles dangling dancing bears. The curtains also had a border of dancing bears. It was a delightful and joyous room.

      There was also a changing table with boxes of disposable diapers on top, and a rocking chair in one corner with two teddy bears on the cushioned seat. He realized the idea of the babies hadn’t actually been real to him until this very moment.

      This room was where his babies would sleep and dream. This was where their diapers and clothes would be changed. This was where they would be rocked and loved, and hopefully there would be nights when he was in that rocking chair with both his babies in his arms.

      A wealth of emotion swept through him, one that made him feel both incredibly strong and achingly vulnerable at the same time.

      “It’s a really nice room,” he finally managed to say. As he gazed at Avery he felt a closeness to her that wasn’t reflective of the rather superficial relationship they’d shared so far.

      He had the unexpected desire to pull her close to him, to feel her heart beating against his own. He wanted to stroke her back and make her feel cherished. Although they had not intended to make new lives on the night they had slept together, they had, indeed, made two little new lives.

      Instead of following through on his inappropriate impulse to pull her into his arms, he smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything else you need for in here?”

      “Trust me, there isn’t a thing more I need.”

      “Then I think it’s time I get out of here so you can get some rest.”

      They walked back down the hall and to the front door. “Thanks for the coffee.”

      “Anytime,” she replied.

      “How about tomorrow evening I pick you up and take you to my place? I’ll provide the meal.”

      She frowned. “That means you will have paid for my dinner twice.”

      “Avery, do we really have to keep score?”

      “No, we don’t,” she replied with a laugh. “And I’d love to go to your place tomorrow evening.”

      “Great, then how about I pick you up around five?”

      “Sounds perfect to me.”

      Minutes later he was in his truck and headed home. Home was the Colton ranch, over a thousand acres of rich, fertile pastureland owned by his father, Hays, and his mother, Josephine.

      When he’d gotten out of the army and returned here, he’d laid claim to an old foreman’s cabin, which had needed lots of repairs. The hard work had been welcome to keep his mind off the pain of loss that still ached in his heart. When he wasn’t helping with search and rescue, he’d worked on the old place until it had become a decent space to call home.

      Now all he could think about was how he needed to turn the small spare bedroom there into a nursery of his own. He’d need two cribs and all the items it took to keep two babies healthy and happy.

      Although he and Avery hadn’t even touched on the custody issue yet, he wanted to share the babies from the moment they were born. It was important he bond with them right from the get-go. He only hoped Avery would be on the same page as him when it came to custody.

      Avery. There was still so much he had to learn about her, but he’d enjoyed his time with her tonight far more than he’d anticipated. He found her so easy to talk to, and with a great sense of humor. He hadn’t expected that.

      He pulled up in front of the cabin,

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