he pulled over onto the side of the road next to the trail leading up to Lion’s Rest Rock, he was out of breath. Shutting off the engine, he glanced at her and grinned. “Enough. You’ll need both energy and lung power to walk up this trail.”
“Is it really that steep?”
“Not too bad, but I can guarantee you one thing. It’s more of a challenge while you’re laughing.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best to forget I’m having a little buckboard.”
He gazed at her. All that laughter had made her eyes sparkle like sapphires under a high-intensity lamp.
“I assume people hike this trail hoping to spot wildlife.”
“Some do, but that’s not really what the rock is known for.”
Understanding flashed in her eyes and her cheeks turned pink. “Zeke Rafferty, if you think you’re going to get me alone up there so we can do that, you have another think coming!”
“I don’t, I swear! That’s the furthest thing from my mind.” Not exactly true, but it was down the list a ways. It didn’t rank higher than number three and, considering how pretty she looked, he thought that was damned noble of him.
“So what is on your mind, then?”
“We need to talk, figure stuff out. The view from there is real nice. You can watch the morning shadows move down the mountains as the sun gets higher.”
“You seem to know this spot pretty well.”
“I do, but not for the reason you’re imagining. I used to come up here in the early morning so I could think about things when nobody else was around.”
“Come on, Zeke. A guy who looks like you must have had plenty of girlfriends in high school. I can’t believe you didn’t bring them here to make out.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but the fact is, I didn’t.” He opened his door. “It was too special.” He hopped down and walked around to her side, but she was already out.
She gazed up at him, her expression tender. “I do believe you. And you’re right about the beard. I like you better without it. Lead the way.”
He took off before he did something stupid and kissed her. As he climbed, he monitored his pace so he wouldn’t wear her out getting to the top.
“You can go faster. I’m in shape. I go for a run every morning.”
He turned around so abruptly they almost slammed into each other. “You run? Is that okay?”
“My doctor says it’s fine unless I notice any problems after a run. She’s in favor of women exercising throughout their pregnancy. It’s just the horseback riding she cautioned me about. And the bungee jumping.”
His stomach lurched. “Bungee jumping?” The mischievous twinkle in her eyes clued him in. “You’ve never bungee jumped in your life, have you?”
“Nope. Just teasing you.”
No kidding. Standing inches away from her, he was teased by a whole bunch of things—the scent of her shampoo, the curve of her cheek and the sound of her breath. He knew the pleasure her kiss could bring and he craved that pleasure again. But he’d promised that wasn’t why he’d brought her up there.
“We’d better get a move on.” He turned around and started back up the trail. “We want to get there before the sun hits that rock.”
Fortunately it was still shaded when they reached the end of the trail. He should have thought to bring a blanket for her to sit on, but then she might have questioned his honorable intentions.
She walked out onto the rock and sucked in a breath. “Gorgeous. Thank you for bringing me up here. Now I wish I’d brought a camera, or at least my phone.”
“We can come back another time.”
She turned toward him. “No, we can’t, Zeke. It’ll be better for all three of us if we make a clean break.”
“I don’t want a clean break.” He dropped to one knee. “I don’t have a ring to give you, but I’ll get one today. Tess Irwin, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Are you crazy?” Tess stared at Zeke in dismay while a voice in her head screeched, This isn’t happening! Dear God, this isn’t happening! “We barely know each other.”
His jaw tightened. “We know each other well enough to make a baby. That’s a little more intimate than a handshake, Tess. You knew me well enough to get naked with me. Marriages have been built on a lot less.”
“But I don’t want to be married. I’ve been there and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun. And I thought we were in love! You and I don’t even have that going for us.”
He rose. “What if that’s for the best? What’s wrong with getting married for the sake of the kid?”
“Everything. In eighteen years or so this baby will be ready to create a life of his own. What then? Will we stay married after he goes off to college or a job in another state? Will we stare at each other across the breakfast table and wonder what the heck we’ve done to ourselves for the sake of the kid?”
He glanced down at his boots. She noticed they had a light layer of dust on them, though they’d started the walk dust-free. When he looked up again, his gaze was bleak. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“But we have to.” She should have figured out what he was planning when he appeared this morning in clothes that looked almost new, recently polished boots and a clean-shaved jaw. Yet she’d never dreamed he’d do a complete one-eighty and propose after announcing in April that he’d never marry or have kids. He’d blindsided her because she didn’t know him at all.
“Okay, you make a good point about the marriage thing, but I still want to be part of my son’s life.”
“Why?” She gazed up at him.
“He’s my son.”
“Look, if you’re feeling an obligation because society has conditioned you that way, please try to adjust your thinking. Obligation and duty have no place in this scenario. I won’t have someone around this baby who resents him.”
“I didn’t say I resented him.”
“Maybe not yet. He isn’t even born. But kids take time away from other things you might want to do and they can be frustrating to deal with sometimes. Considering all you’ve said about protecting your independent lifestyle, why would you let yourself in for that?”
“Because I want to make sure he’ll be okay.”
“I promise you that he’ll be well taken care of.” And that was the crux of the situation. He didn’t trust her to do that. And why should he? He didn’t know her, either.
“Tess,
