Page 47 of Taken by the Lawman

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Deegan jerked to a sitting position. The bed was empty. He looked around the room, searching for Kiersten, but she was nowhere in the apartment.

He reached for his phone and dialed her number, but she didn’t answer.

Sliding into jeans and dragging on a shirt and boots, he left the apartment and stepped out into the drizzling rain. He shivered against the cool breeze and cursed. He’d rather be back in bed, with Kiersten, repeating what they’d shared earlier. Where could she have gone?

Making his way down the stairs, his boots landed on the soggy dirt and he squinted, looking through the dark. Using the light on his phone, he followed the worn path toward the lit stables where he heard noises.

By the time he made it to the building the rain had picked up and his T-shirt was soaked, but he couldn’t go back to the apartment until he found Kiersten. He stepped in, instantly gratified by the warmth and the rich scent of straw. The stables were kept clean and tidy and everything was organized.

He heard one of the gates shut and found Kiersten and Cull.

“There you are. I was looking for you.” His smile fizzled when he saw the frowns on both of their faces.

Cull strolled toward him and patted his shoulder. “Sorry, man,” he said, then kept on walking.

Deegan didn’t take his eyes off Kiersten who was staring at him in return, her hands on her hips and one corner of her lips dipped into a frown. “Did I miss something?” he asked.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?”

“That Cull mentioned to you about my plans to have a baby.” Her arms dropped to her sides.

He shrugged. “I planned to.”

“When?”

Decreasing the space between them, he stood close to her but kept some distance between them because he could see her agitation. “When it was right, I guess.” He blew out a long breath. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m crazy about you and I ain’t running. That doesn’t scare me.” He hooked his thumbs into his pockets. It was time he laid everything out on the table, good or bad, because he meant what he said back at the apartment. He didn’t want to lose her.

She blinked as if she was having a difficult time absorbing his words. “You don’t know me. One night two years ago and a few days of investigating a case together doesn’t mean we’re now open books.”

“This is what happens when two people like each other. They get to know things about one another.”

There was no softness to her features and he was getting the idea that they were headed in the wrong direction. “We had unprotected sex, Deegan. Isn’t that skipping some of the steps?”

He shrugged. “Is that what this is about? That we didn’t use protection? Would it be so bad if we conceived a child? You want to, right?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you listening to yourself? This is crazy!”

“I’ve been thinking about this—”

“All of three days?”

“Sometimes it doesn’t take long to know what we want. I want you, Kiersten, and if you’re wanting a baby, I want to prove that I’m the man for the job.”

*

An unfamiliar feeling raced through Kiersten. How had they gotten here? They slept together and now he wanted a baby with her.

Centering her mind, she couldn’t seem to wrap her mouth around the words she wanted to say.

“You want a baby, right?” he asked again.

There were at least ten ways she could answer, but all would be anything but the truth. She didn’t want to lie to him—didn’t feel like she could. “Yes, I do. Several months ago, I signed up with an agency that finds a prospective mate who will help.” Seeing his skeptical expression, she warned him, “Don’t judge me.”

“I won’t judge you, but isn’t that a bit…well, sterile? An arranged baby-making-relationship doesn’t feel right.”

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