Friends, Lovers...And Babies! (The Baby Bet #2) Read online

  “No, no way. It’s just one big boy,” John said.

  “One girl,” Ryan said, “who will take after Jillian, because the world isn’t ready for another Forrest.”

  Forrest looked at him in surprise. “You want in on The Baby Bet?”

  “Yeah, why not?” Ryan said. More to the question…why? He hadn’t interacted with his family’s nonsense since…Well, The Baby Bet was no big deal. It was sort of fun. What the hell, why not? “I don’t mind taking your money, Forrest.”

  “Not a chance. All right, you’re in. Dad? What about you?”

  “Well, it seems to me,” Robert said, “that we should be told the champion’s bet. I want to know where your money is going, Forrest, before I decide on mine.”

  “Clever man,” Forrest said. “No wonder we all turned out so terrific. You’re a smart person.”

  “Spill it,” Ryan said. “What’s your bet?”

  “Ladies and gentleman,” Forrest said, “the champion, and the planning-to-remain champion, is hereby placing his twenty dollars on girls.” He paused, sweeping his gaze over the group, then grinned at Jillian. “Three of them!”

  “What?” Jillian said, jumping to her feet. “Forrest MacAllister, don’t you dare say such a thing out loud. With your uncanny knack for winning The Baby Bet…” She sank back onto her chair and pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, my stars.”

  “Twins run in the family,” Margaret said thoughtfully, “so I suppose it’s reasonable that there might be…Goodness gracious.”

  Deedee looked at Ryan with wide eyes.

  “Triplets?” she said. “No, that’s crazy. You don’t think he’s right, do you, Ryan?”

  Ryan chuckled and shrugged, realizing to his own amazement that he was actually enjoying himself.

  “Forrest is the champion,” he said, still smiling. “He hasn’t been wrong so far.”

  “Do you realize,” Deedee said, “how many diapers a person would change in one given day if they had three babies?”

  “Quite a few.”

  “No, no, no,” Jillian said to no one in particular. “I refuse. That’s it. Nope. I’m not having triplets, three baby girls at one time. No, no, no.”

  “No, no, no,” Noel said, clapping her hands.

  “Thank you, Noel,” Jillian said. “I appreciate your support.”

  “Wednesday night,” Forrest said, “we’ll all meet at Mario’s for pizza at seven o’clock to hear the results of the test, and to announce the winner of The Baby Bet. Me.”

  “This time you’re going to lose,” Jillian said. “Please, Forrest?”

  Everyone started talking at once about Forrest’s outrageous prediction.

  “Well, Deedee,” Ryan said, “will you be at Mario’s to see how this comes out?”

  “I certainly will.” She paused. “Are you planning to go?”

  Ryan started to automatically reply in the negative, then hesitated.

  What the hell, why not?

  “Yes,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

  Chapter Two

  Before Deedee could comment on Ryan having confirmed that he would be joining everyone for pizza, a buzzing noise sounded.

  “Excuse me,” Ryan said.

  He reached for a small black box that was clipped to the side of his belt. Numbers were moving across a half-inch viewing bar near the top of the device. He nodded, pressed a button to erase the numbers, then slid the box back onto his belt.

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” he said, looking at Deedee again. “I’ve got my guys working overtime today on a system the customer wanted put in five minutes after he decided to get it. I told my men to give me a holler if they had any problems.” He got to his feet. “They obviously have a problem. If you’ll excuse me, Deedee, I’ll go telephone them.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Deedee watched as Ryan walked across the room, indulging herself in a thorough scrutiny of his very nice tush. He also, she mused, moved with the smooth, athletic grace of a man in excellent physical condition, who was comfortable in his body. She’d never noticed that before.

  Good buns, she reaffirmed in her mind, then scolded herself in the next instant for being naughty.

  Actually, she was glad that Ryan had been removed from her presence at the moment he had been. Now she would simply refuse to discuss with herself the rush of pleasure that had swept through her when he had said he would be joining everyone for pizza on Wednesday night. Her reaction had been ridiculous and unexplainable. She would, therefore, ignore it.

  “I have to go,” Ryan announced to the group when he reappeared in the room. “There’s a snag on a hurry-up job we’re doing, and my crew needs an extra pair of hands.” He tousled Noel’s hair, then Matt’s. “Happy birthday. Check your Uncle Forrest’s pockets before he leaves to be sure he doesn’t have any of your new toys.”

  Ryan thanked Andrea and John for the great party, hugged his mother, then looked over at Deedee.

  “It was nice talking to you, Deedee,” he said from the center of the room. “I’ll be seeing you.”

  She smiled and nodded.

  I’ll be seeing you, too, she thought, on Wednesday night at Mario’s. Oh, Deedee, for Pete’s sake, cut it out.

  As soon as Ryan had left the house, Andrea made a beeline for Deedee and plunked down next to her on the window seat.

  “Deedee Hamilton,” Andrea said, beaming, “what did you do to my brother?”

  “Do?” Deedee repeated, obviously confused.

  “Yes, ‘do.’ Ryan was smiling, laughing…was enjoying himself. I know he was. Plus, he took part in The Baby Bet. He was, here, in this very room, sitting next to you, more like the old Ryan than he has been since Sherry died. So I repeat. What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” she said, laughing. “You’re acting as though I cast a spell over him, or sprinkled magic dust on his cake, or something. We were simply chatting. I didn’t urge him to participate in The Baby Bet. He just opened his mouth and did it.”

  “Amazing,” Andrea said, shaking her head. “And wonderful, believe me. Everyone noticed that he was more relaxed, easygoing…well, more like he used to be than we’ve seen him behave in nearly two years. You definitely had a hand in that.”

  “Andrea,” Deedee said, narrowing her eyes, “pay attention to what I’m about to say. Don’t you dare get into your Cupid mode in regard to me and Ryan. I am not interested.”

  Andrea splayed one hand on her chest. “Would I do that? Play Cupid? Me?”

  “Don’t pull your all-innocent routine on me. I was your partner in crime in Cupidville when we got Jillian and Forrest together. Remember? I recognize that gleam in your eyes, because we both had it back then when we thought we were hotshot Cupids. We came very close to creating a total disaster, if you’ll recall.”

  Andrea sighed. “I know. It almost backfired big time.” She smiled again. “But it turned out all right. Do note that our Jillian and Forrest are as happy as two bugs in a rug.”

  “Andrea, do not try to be a matchmaker between me and Ryan. Promise?”

  “Oh…do I have to?”

  “Yes, because I know you’d never break a promise.”

  “Well, darn.” Andrea paused. “Okay, I promise under protest. It’s a shame, because you obviously had a marvelous influence on Ryan.”

  “You’re reading too much into it. He allowed himself to have a good time today. It had nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t get too excited about it so you won’t be disappointed. It may have been an isolated incident that won’t happen again.”

  “That’s true, I suppose. It breaks my heart to continually see how much he’s changed, how closed he is, aloof. He built walls around himself when Sherry died. I wish he’d…Oh, I’ve been through this wish list a thousand times.”

  “I know you have, Andrea. You all love him and want him to be happy again. The thing is, you can’t heal his wounds for him. He has to do it himself.”


  “But what if he doesn’t, Deedee? It’s been nearly two years already. Well, it was wonderful to see him smile today, hear him laugh. Wouldn’t it be something if he showed up for pizza Wednesday night? No, I’m dreaming. He only joins the family for special occasions. He wouldn’t come for The Baby Bet nonsense of Forrest’s.”

  Deedee started to speak, then decided against it. There was no point in telling Andrea that Ryan had said he would be attending the gathering at Mario’s. There was every chance that he’d change his mind, and it wouldn’t be kind to get Andrea’s hopes up.

  “Oh, darn,” Deedee said, her eyes widening.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I never got a chance to talk to Ryan about the security system for Books and Books. I’d like him to give me an estimate on what it would cost to install a better system than the landlord provides. According to my lease, I can do it at my own expense. I have over two hundred rare books now, in addition to my regular stock. I need to protect them better against theft.”

  “Call Ryan tomorrow,” Andrea said, studying her fingernails. “Ask him to stop by the store.” She looked at Deedee and smiled. “Then invite him out to dinner.”

  “Andrea,” Deedee said, a warning tone to her voice, “you promised. Erase the word Cupid from your brain.”

  “You’re no fun.”

  “Tough toasties.”

  “Deedee, speaking of Wednesday at Mario’s for pizza, are you coming?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good. Oh, my, can you believe what Forrest predicted? Three baby girls? Triplets? My twins keep me hopping, let me tell you. I can’t imagine having three. No, Forrest is wrong. He may be The Baby Bet champion, but he’s about to be—what did Michael say?— oh, yes, unchampioned.”

  “I wouldn’t be so certain of that, Andrea. Jillian is getting quite a tummy for only being four months’ pregnant. That’s why the doctor wants to do the ultrasound. Plus, Forrest has had a perfect score up to now. He has an uncanny knack, it seems, for winning The Baby Bet.”

  “Oh, my,” Andrea said, shaking her head. “It boggles the mind.”

  “I wouldn’t miss that pizza party Wednesday for anything,” Deedee said. “I want to hear the results of that test.”

  “Mmm,” Andrea said, tapping one fingertip against her chin. “I wonder if Ryan will be there?”

  “Oh, good night,” Deedee said, rolling her eyes heavenward.

  Would Ryan actually come? she mused. Deedee Hamilton, that is enough. She was as bad as Andrea. The subject of Ryan’s attendance, or nonattendance, at Mario’s was a closed and forgotten topic. If he showed up…fine. If not…no big deal. Then again, he did say that he planned to be there and…

  “Oh-h-h,” Deedee said with a moan. She was driving herself crazy.

  “What’s your problem?” Andrea said, blinking in surprise at Deedee’s outburst.

  “Problem? Oh. My problem.” She jumped to her feet. “I was trying to talk myself out of having another piece of cake, but I lost the battle.” She sighed dramatically. “More calories, here I come.”

  “You don’t have to watch your weight,” Andrea said, frowning. “You eat whatever you want to and don’t gain an ounce. You’re greenly envied by the general female populace.”

  “Oh, well, yes, but one never knows when one’s metabolism might change. I may turn into a Pillsbury Dough Girl before your very eyes. Too bad. I’m off to get more cake.”

  “Pillsbury Dough Girl?” Andrea said, laughing as Deedee marched away. “If Forrest is right, I’m afraid it’s Jillian who’s going to have that dubious honor.”

  Ryan jerked upward in bed and drew a deep, ragged breath. His heart was pounding wildly, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He shook his head, hoping to dispel the lingering fogginess of sleep and the images of the disturbing dream he’d had.

  The clock on the nightstand glowed 2:12 a.m. With a groan, he sank back onto the pillow, wishing it was closer to dawn so he could leave the bed and begin the day.

  He did not want to run the risk of drifting off to sleep again and having the dream pick up where it had left off.

  Damn it, he fumed, dragging both hands down his face. He’d dreamed about Deedee Hamilton. It had been so real, not one of those mishmash dreams that made no sense.

  Oh, it had made sense, all right. Deedee had been standing in front of him in a vivid field of wildflowers, wearing a pink gauze dress. The sky was a brilliant blue, and a dozen beautiful butterflies had been fluttering through the air above her head.

  She had lifted her slender hands in an enticingly feminine and graceful motion, as though to touch the elusive butterflies.

  And then she’d laughed in delight, the enchanting sound causing desire to course through him like a roaring current rushing out of control.

  In the dream, he’d reached for her, wanting her, aching for her, burning. Just as his hand grazed her arm, she twirled away, her laughter lilting through the flower-scented air.

  “I’m a butterfly, Ryan,” she called. “Catch me if you can.”

  He matched her smile. “And if I do?”

  “Then I’ll be yours. We’ll make love, here, in the beautiful flowers beneath the blue sky. The butterflies will protect us from outsiders. There will be only the two of us, together. Forever, Ryan. Forever, forever, forever.”

  Ryan threw back the blankets, left the bed, then strode naked from the bedroom to the kitchen. He turned on the light, squinting against the bright glare. Moving to the sink, he drank a glass of water, then thudded the glass onto the counter.

  Gripping the edge of the sink so tightly his knuckles were white, he stared unseeing at his own reflection in the dark window in front of him.

  A painful knot twisted in his gut and he welcomed it, acknowledged it as his due for having had a sensual dream about a woman other than Sherry.

  He mentally scrambled for Sherry’s image, wanting it front-row center in his mind’s eye. But it wouldn’t come. He couldn’t see it. Every corner of his brain held pictures of Deedee.

  Deedee smiling. Laughing. Dancing with the butterflies. Beckoning to him.

  Promising him forever.

  “Damn it,” he said.

  He made a fist and slammed it on the counter, pain shooting up his arm like a hot arrow.

  “Oh, hell,” he said, clutching his fist with his other hand. “Man, oh, man, that hurts.”

  Turning on the faucet, he held the throbbing hand under cold water, swearing a blue streak in self-disgust.

  Why? he asked himself. Why in the name of heaven had he dreamed something like that about Deedee Hamilton? He hadn’t looked at another woman since Sherry had been killed. To him, their wedding vows were still firmly in place. He was married to Sherry, and he would be until the day he died. Death was the only forever that was guaranteed.

  But, dear God, he couldn’t see Sherry’s face!

  In one of his drunken rages following her death, he’d destroyed every picture he’d had of her, unable to bear the agony of looking at the woman he loved, knowing he would never hold her, kiss her, make love to her again.

  He’d later regretted his rash action, but what was done was done. He had the image of Sherry in crystal clarity in his mind, and that would hold him in good stead.

  And it had.

  Until now.

  Until this horrifying, guilt-ridden night, when he’d dreamed of another woman, of Deedee. And the damnable blue sky and butterflies.

  As his hand began to grow numb from the icy cold water, he smacked off the faucet and reached for the towel slipped through the handle of the refrigerator.

  A few minutes later he returned to bed, staring up at a ceiling he couldn’t see in the darkness.

  Get a grip, MacAllister, he ordered himself. So okay, the dream had shaken him, made him feel like a scum, but it was only a dream. But weren’t dreams supposedly messages of truth from a person’s subconscious? Hell, he didn’t know. He was a cop, not a shrink.

 
Oh, great, terrific, just dandy. He’d just mentally referred to himself as a cop, something he hadn’t been for nearly two years. Where had that come from?

  Easy, MacAllister, you’re losing it.

  He had to calm down, sort this through, determine what was going on.

  Deedee.

  He’d known her for years, but today at the twins’ birthday party was the first occasion he’d ever really talked to her. In the past he’d done the usual “Hello. How are you? Goodbye” routine at family gatherings. Today they’d had an actual conversation, face-to-face.

  And Deedee had freckles on her nose.

  Ryan muttered an earthy expletive and told himself to forget about the freckles on Deedee Hamilton’s nose. Her nose was not the issue. What was important here was what in the hell that woman had done to him in the short time they’d sat together on the window seat. Sat close together, very close.

  Actually, now that he thought about it, he’d acted rather weird during the entire birthday party. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, he’d taken part in The Baby Bet, told Deedee he’d be joining the group for pizza on Wednesday night and had relaxed and enjoyed the twins’ party.

  Strange, very strange.

  Well, that was fine. His unusual behavior had produced a loving and happy smile on his mother’s face. It hadn’t strained his brain to be a little more sociable for a change. So okay, that settled that part of this confusing maze.

  Which brought him right back to Deedee.

  Deedee Hamilton had not been the cause of his enjoying the celebration, rather she had been a result of his unexpected attitude. He let down his guard, and she’d skittered into place right in front of him, complete with the cutest freckled nose and the biggest brown eyes he’d ever seen.

  Ryan released a sigh of relief. There, he’d figured it all out. He hadn’t been disloyal to Sherry, not really. Now that he had the facts, everything would fall back into place as it should be. He’d see Sherry clearly in his mind’s eye, remember the sound of her laughter and the feel of her lips on his.

  “Yes,” he said, decisively.

  He rolled onto his stomach, closed his eyes and, moments later, was asleep.