on different sides in this case, but I want you both to remember the most important thing to consider here is Maggie and her wellbeing.”
“Of course,” Lana said, and then looked over at Trent.
“Certainly, Ms. Nelson,” Trent said.
Lana watched the corners of Trent’s mouth twitch, as if trying to hold back a smile. Why did she suddenly feel she had fallen into a trap? A trap with a big, bad smiling wolf in it, waiting to devour her.
“Good,” said Ms. Nelson. “I take it you two will come to terms with the visitation arrangements, so unless there is anything else that comes up I won’t need to see either of you again till the DNA test results come back.”
“That’s fine,” Trent said. “I feel sure me and Lana will be able to come to an agreement.”
“I’m sure we will,” Lana said. An agreement? She’d have to remind him that she would be the person in control of their meetings.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Nelson,” Trent said, blessing the social worker with another one of his smiles as they rose to leave.
Lana walked beside Trent as they left the office building. He’d been quiet as they had ridden down on an overcrowded elevator. It had been uncomfortable, being squeezed next to him. It seemed that no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t get away from the man.
They could play nice together in front of the social worker, but that was as far as she could go with it. Just standing next to him was enough to fire up her defenses. This man was a threat to her and she knew she had to stay alert.
Of course there was that saying about keeping your enemies closer than your friends. Was that what Trent was doing by coming to work where he knew he’d be able to observe her? Not that there was any dirt he could dig up on her. She had never lived much of an exciting life. She had even started to think lately that she was getting to be just plain old boring.
Maybe after Maggie’s adoption had taken place she’d take up a hobby, or get back in the dating pool. Maybe.
Thoughts of Joe and the way their relationship had ended left her shaking her head. Even though the man had professed that he loved her, it hadn’t been enough. Not enough to make him want a future with a woman who couldn’t give him children.
Her dream of a forever marriage—a marriage filled with love and support like her parents’—had been destroyed the day they’d broken up and she’d had to accept that she would probably never be able to find a man who would accept her as she was, damaged and broken.
No, she wasn’t going anywhere near heartache any time soon. She had created her own little family with Maggie and that was enough. Now she just had to find a way to keep her family intact and get this cowboy back to Texas. And, as much as it was going to kill her, it was going to mean spending some time with him.
“Look, we need to talk about this visitation. There will have to be some rules. Are you hungry?” Lana asked.
“Yeah, I skipped lunch so that I could get off on time,” Trent said.
“There’s a little Cuban deli I usually stop by when I’m down here,” Lana said. “The food’s good and the people are friendly.”
Lana watched as Trent’s lips twitched, as if he was unable to decide how to take her invitation, and then they parted. Something about his bright smile caused her warning bells to go off. Danger, danger, they said, but it was too late. For the second time that day she felt as if she was the fly that was getting caught up in Trent’s web.
Maybe from now on they should discuss these visitations over the phone.
“Sounds good,” Trent said. “Do we walk or drive?”
“Walk,” Lana said.
She found herself about to smile back at him before she caught herself. She couldn’t let herself be influenced by this man’s charms. They would discuss the necessary arrangements and maybe she’d also try to pry a little information out of him. This was about Maggie—not the stupid way his smile made her legs wobble as she started walking up the street.
She had found Café MaRita on one of her visits to the Children and Families Department office, and she was glad to see the two sisters who owned the deli were working when she arrived at the walk-up window.
“Hey, Rita,” Lana said, then waved to Mary in the back, where she was putting together the spicy sandwiches they were known for. “Can I get two Cubanos, an iced tea and...?” Lana turned to Trent questioning.
“A coffee, please,” Trent said. “A cafecito?”
The small Cuban woman smiled at his pronunciation of the word for a coffee topped with sugary foam.
“I like this one,” Rita said, and she winked at Trent. “He’s dark and hot. Like my coffee. If you decide to get rid of him let me know.”
“Oh, no,” Lana said as she felt heat spread up her face, “it’s not like that—”
“I’ll make it a point to look you up when she’s finished with me,” Trent said, interrupting Lana.
Did the man have to flirt with every woman he met? Taking the sandwiches, she found an empty picnic table set out in the front of the deli and started dividing the food while she waited for Trent.
Watching him as he talked to the older Cuban woman while she prepared their drinks, Lana was impressed at how at ease he seemed with people. He had the ability to charm everyone he met—well, everyone except for her. The only thing she would find charming about him would be his backside headed out of town.
* * *
Trent watched Lana as she bit into her sandwich. He could see she was concentrating on something, and he didn’t think it was just the sandwich she was eating—though she did seem to be enjoying it. It was nice to see a woman eat her food without any posturing about diets and calories.
He watched as the pink tip of her tongue slipped out and caught some of the juice running down the side of her mouth. From nowhere a burst of desire filled him, and he felt a jolt of arousal as it spread down his groin. Another swipe of her tongue along the crease of her mouth had his pants becoming uncomfortably tight.
He shifted in his seat, causing Lana to suddenly look up from her meal, and he knew the second their eyes connected that he wasn’t hiding the hunger that had hit him. The surprise came when her eyes changed and she lifted her eyebrows, silently questioning him. If this was any other woman he might have thought she was purposely playing with him, but that just didn’t seem like Lana’s style.
“Sorry, I haven’t found a way to eat these without making a mess,” Lana said.
“That’s okay. I’m actually enjoying watching you.” Trent said, then watched spots of color flush her cheeks.
“Tell me why you decided to go into medicine instead of staying in the family business,” Lana said, changing the subject.
His gut tightened as he thought of the decision he had made to follow his dreams. Would his brother still be here if he hadn’t left him behind with his father? He had let
