DONNA ALWARD – Secret Millionaire For The Surrogate (страница 7)
She’d been falling in love and he’d been enjoying falling into bed until he got bored—or scared. Didn’t matter which. The end result was the same.
After that horrible pseudo-relationship, she’d vowed never to let herself get so carried away again.
She was far better off focusing on her business. So much so that she was considering using Juny as more than an assistant in order to train her up to take over a lot of the wedding and other photo shoot duties. The girl had a keen eye for balance and showed promise in creativity and innovation.
So she didn’t say it out loud but knew deep down that this wasn’t altruistic. In her heart she felt it might be her only chance to experience a pregnancy, and then when the baby was with Adele and Dan, she could be Fun Aunt Harper who got to run around in the mountains taking pictures of marmots and bears and elk and all kinds of things.
“You do want kids, then.”
His voice interrupted her thoughts and she realized they’d kept walking and were only a block and a half from her house. “Oh. Well, I suppose. If the right guy and the right time were to come around.” Standard response.
“How about you?” she asked, wanting to divert the attention away from herself. “Do you want kids down the road?”
He shook his head. “Uh-uh. I don’t like being tied down, you know? I’ve got the business and that’s enough. And I can pick up and travel when I want. It’s not that I don’t like kids. I just like my lifestyle better.”
She got that. And she also understood what it meant to move kids from place to place all the time. Her dad had been in the air force and they’d moved frequently when she was little. More than anything she’d wanted to stay in one place and have the same school friends for more than two years in a row.
She rather respected Drew for owning his choice and not apologizing for it. They didn’t feel the same way about children, but then, they didn’t have to.
“Besides, I have nieces and nephews and apparently another on the way. My parents aren’t hurting for grandkids.”
Hers were. Though they never said a thing about it. She was an only child. Yet they refrained from any pressure to get married or start reproducing. Instead their conversations revolved around her studio and photography. She really appreciated that.
She paused and pointed at the little bungalow on a corner lot. “This is me.”
“Cute place.”
She laughed a little. “It’s tiny and I can hardly turn around in my bathroom, but it’s mine. I’d rather have a small spot to live and better space for my studio, so...”
“Cool.” They stopped by the walkway leading to her front door and the silence grew slightly awkward.
“I should get in. Thanks for walking me home.”
“No problem. I did have a question, though.”
“Oh?” She turned to look at him, his dark eyes nearly black in the twilight. One thing hadn’t changed about Drew. He was still delicious. There was no sense denying it. But she wouldn’t have to worry about any more propositions. Not while she was pregnant. What kind of guy wanted to date a woman pregnant with another man’s child?
“The next time you go out on a hike, can I come with you? I’m guessing you know some good spots off the beaten track that I don’t.”
She frowned a little. “You realize that when I hike, I go to a spot and then sometimes spend a crazy amount of time waiting, right? For the right light, or to get the right shot. It’s not really a heavy-duty workout. You might be bored.”
“That’s okay.”
“I’m off on Thursday morning and thinking of going to Stewart Canyon early, before the tourists go crazy. It’s not off the beaten track, so to speak, but it’s a nice walk with some good photo opportunities. Have you done the Bankhead trails on other visits? Bear in mind these are easy, popular trails. But they’re interesting.”
“I’m up for whatever. Just name the time.”
“Then I can pick you up at the hotel at six.”
“Perfect.”
He gave a wave and started back the way they’d come, whistling lightly. No long look, no hand touch, nothing to suggest this was anything more than platonic and based on mutual interests.
So why was she feeling as if she’d gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble?
THE DAY DAWNED CLEAR, but the sun wasn’t quite up past the mountains when Drew stepped outside at five minutes to six. He was used to being up this early, either to work or get outdoors. There was a reason why he’d chosen to keep a condo just north of Sacramento. He loved the climate and the abundance of opportunities for outdoor activities in the Northern Californian forests and parks. Hitting the trail for a few hours before starting his workday was a common occurrence.
But he often hiked alone. Today he’d be with Harper, and she’d cautioned him that it wouldn’t be high on the physical exertion scale. That was okay. He could do that on his own time. Instead, he was interested in watching her in action—taking pictures, that is. Pretty as she was, he wasn’t interested in her romantically. How could he be, when she was carrying his brother’s child? He liked her. Had, ever since the wedding. She challenged him somehow, even while being sweet as pie and as unassuming as a daisy nodding in a summer breeze.
He bent to retie his boot and gave a chuckle as he remembered her informing him that she wasn’t a challenge or a trophy. That had been the moment, he realized. The moment he’d started to really admire her. The fact that she was also willing to put her life on hold for nine months to give Dan and Adele a baby only raised her in his estimation.
Though he expected if he asked her, she’d deny that she’d put her life on hold at all.
She pulled up in a tidy little SUV crossover, an all-wheel drive that would be handy in bad weather and rugged enough it would tolerate slight off-road situations. He opened the passenger door and slid inside. “Nice wheels.”
She was looking a little paler than the last time he’d seen her, her freckles standing out on her nose and her cinnamon hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Thanks. I bought a lease-back so I could get something I could carry equipment in and that would handle some bumps and dirt roads.” He’d barely buckled his seat belt when she started down the hill from the hotel.
“It’s nice. A little more cozy than my pickup.”
“You drive a truck?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. I spend a lot of time in the outdoors, and needed something rugged. Plus, you know, I needed enough room to pack some of that gear that I’m selling.”
She made a turn and headed past a sign that said Minnewanka Loop. “Well, I’ll say this for you. You believe in your product.”
He laughed. “I like to think of it as walking the walk.” He looked at her again and frowned. “Are you okay? You look a little pale. We didn’t have to go this early, you know.”
She kept her eyes on the road. “It’s only a little bit of morning sickness. I’ll be fine by ten or so.”
“That’s four hours away.” And what exactly did a “little” morning sickness mean?
“Yep.” She exited off the highway and started up the left side of the loop. “I’ll eat some crackers, drink some water. It will probably only last another few weeks. At least that’s what the doctor and all the books say.”
He shifted in his seat. He’d missed out on the “peculiarities of pregnancy” conversations with his sisters, since he’d moved away from Ontario. He had no idea how long morning sickness lasted or anything else to do with having babies besides what he’d seen on TV, and that was terrifying enough.
“We could have waited to go later.”
She looked over at him briefly. “Oh, no we couldn’t.” She laughed a little. “In two or three hours the tourists will be out in full force, and I like playing with the early morning light. The nausea is an inconvenience more than anything, and I work through it.”
He was glad, too. He wanted to spend the majority of his time today looking around town. In particular, the property that had recently been listed. He’d contacted a real estate agent and was anxious to get a look inside.
He enjoyed the scenery for a few moments, but it wasn’t long until she pulled into a nearly empty parking lot. “It’s a bit of a walk from here to the trailhead, but it’s all easy. Another day I’ll take you to my favorite alpine meadow, if you like.” She smiled as she took the keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car.
She was still pale, but it wasn’t any of his concern if she thought she was good to go. She knew her body far better than he did, and he’d learned long ago not to presume anything when it came to women’s strength and capabilities.
He’d worn jeans and a light windbreaker over his T-shirt. Last night he’d had a quick look at the trail thanks to a Google search and knew he’d be fine without his customary pack of water and snacks. It was less than five kilometers total, and since Harper hadn’t mentioned going farther onto the other joined trails, he’d kept it to just the jacket, which he could fold and zip up if he got too warm.
Then he turned the corner by her back bumper and his jaw dropped.
“What the heck is that?”
She grinned up at him, a camera slung around her neck and with a huge zoom lens on it. It had to stick out eight inches, probably more like twelve, and looked heavy as hell. “It’s my camera. Wow. We really will be starting at the beginning.”