Page 101 of Nobodys Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars 3)

He still didn’t understand why she wanted to do something so drastic. Granted, he’d been surly and rude this morning. He’d regretted it ever since, and he’d already made up his mind to get back in plenty of time to eat her homemade chicken noodle soup. But Jane wasn’t one to run from a fight. He could easily imagine her taking a cast-iron skillet to his head, but he couldn’t imagine her just packing up and leaving.

Now she stood below him, all buttoned up and battened down, and it occurred to him that the only person he knew whose clothes were as neat as hers were his younger brother’s. She’d chosen one of those high-waisted cotton dresses to travel in, a creamy buttery color, with big tan buttons going all the way up the front. It fit her so loosely no one could tell she was pregnant, but she somehow still managed to look tidy and trim. The dress’s full skirt covered most of her legs, but not those slender little ankles or the narrow feet tucked in a pair of simple leather sandals.

A tortoiseshell headband held her hair neatly back from her face. He watched the sunlight play in the golden strands and thought how pretty she looked. She was a classic, his wife, and as he watched her, he felt a jumble of emotions: tenderness and lust, confusion and resentment, anger and longing. Why did she have to go and get all temperamental on him now? One bad disposition was more than enough for any family, and that bad disposition belonged to him.

But his disposition wasn’t the real problem. A couple of hours in the bedroom, and he could make her forget all about what a prick he’d been this morning, let alone any asinine ideas she had about going back to Chicago. No, the real problem lay deeper. Why did she have to tell him she loved him? Didn’t she understand that once those three words were spoken, nothing could ever be the same?

If only she’d come into his life ten years earlier, before he’d had to deal with getting older and the fact that he couldn’t see anything but a blank space waiting for him after he stopped playing ball. It was easy for the Professor to think about settling down. She had worthwhile work to do that would keep her busy for the rest of her life. He didn’t, and now he couldn’t get past the feeling that his life was careening in a direction he wasn’t ready for it to take, a direction that might suit Bobby Tom Denton, but sure as hell wasn’t right for him.

As he reached for the handle on the sliding glass door, he felt certain of only one thing. Jane had worked herself into a serious snit, and the best place to coax her out of it was under the sheets. But before he could get her there, he had some serious making up to do.

“Hey, Professor.”

Jane turned toward Cal’s voice and shaded her eyes with her hand. He was rumpled, swe

at-stained, and gorgeous as he walked out on the deck. Something caught in her throat, something large and painful that made her feel as if she were choking.

He leaned on the rail and gave her a wolfish grin. “I’ve been working out, and I haven’t had time to shower, so unless you’re in the mood for some really raunchy sex, you’d better run upstairs right now and turn that water on for me.”

She pushed her hands in the pockets of her dress and slowly mounted the wooden stairs. How could he behave like this when he had done something so unforgivable?

“Brian Delgado called this morning.” She stepped onto the deck.

“Uh-huh. What say you get right in the shower with me so you can scrub my back?”

“Delgado sent you a report. I read it.”

That finally got his attention, although he didn’t look particularly alarmed. “Since when did you get interested in reading about my contracts?”

“The report’s about me.”

His grin vanished. “Where is it?”

“On your desk.” She looked him square in the eye and tried to swallow the bubble of pain that choked her voice. “You need to make a decision about me right away because you only have two days before the Preeze board of directors meets. Luckily, your attorney’s already done the initial work. He’s met with Jerry Miles, and the two of them have most of the sordid details sketched out. All you need to do is sign a check with lots of zeros.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me!” She balled her hands into fists. “You told Delgado to ruin me!”

“I’m going to call him right now and straighten this out. It’s a misunderstanding.” He turned toward the sliding doors, but she moved forward before he could open them.

“A misunderstanding?” She couldn’t hide her bitterness. “You give your attorney orders to destroy my career, and you call that a misunderstanding?”

“I never told him that. Just give me an hour, and then I’ll explain everything.”

“Explain it now.”

He seemed to realize she deserved something more, and he moved away from the door toward the deck railing. “Tell me what was in that report.”

“Delgado set it up with Jerry Miles, the director of Preeze, that you’ll give the labs a grant on the condition that they get rid of me.” She took a deep, unsteady breath. “Jerry’s waiting to hear from you before he fires me, then he’s planning to announce your generosity to the board of directors when they meet on Wednesday.”

Cal cursed softly under his breath. “Wait till I get hold of that son of a bitch. This isn’t the first time Delgado’s gone off half-cocked.”

“You’re saying this whole thing is his idea?”

“Damn right it is.”

Emotion stuck in her throat. “Don’t do this, Cal. Don’t play games with me.”

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