Her Baby Wish

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His friend smiled slowly. “Hey, it’s a start.”

“Trace?”

At the sound of Kira’s voice, he turned to find her standing in the barn entrance, holding a bag of groceries.

“Kira.” He walked toward her and took the sack from her. “Is there a problem?” Great, is that all he could come up with?

She glanced away shyly. “I had an easy afternoon at school and decided to cook supper.” She looked at Cal and smiled. “Hello, Jonah.”

“Kira, it’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you, too. I hope you’re ready for about thirty teenagers coming out.”

“Are we ever ready?”

Kira laughed. “I guess not, but it’s fun.”

Trace found he was jealous of their easy banter. “Is there a reason you came to see me?”

Kira looked at him. “I wanted to ask if you’d come to supper.” She turned back to Cal. “You’re welcome, too, Jonah.”

The foreman blushed. “Thank you for the invitation, Kira, but it’s my bowling night.” He tipped his hat. “I should finish up my chores.” He leaned toward his friend and whispered, “Slow and easy.” Cal turned and walked out.

“What did he say?” Kira asked.

He shrugged. “Just something I need to remember.”

An hour later when Trace stepped inside the house, the scent of apples and cinnamon teased his nose. Ordinarily he didn’t take time to look around; he’d grown up in this house, but today he was mindful of it all.

A wide staircase led to a second floor where there were four large bedrooms. The living room was painted gray-green to offset the dark woodwork and floors. An overstuffed green sofa faced the used-brick fireplace.

That was when he noticed them, Kira’s touches. An easy chair she’d bought for him right after they were married, saying he needed a place to relax. The large coffee table where the photo album of his childhood rested. More family pictures hung on the brightly painted walls. His family, not hers. He remembered her saying she lost her parents’ pictures while moving around in foster care. He’d never thought much about her being alone in her life. She’d always seemed so outgoing and everyone liked her.

Trace moved quickly down the hall through the dining room, which was a sunny-gold color trimmed in oak wainscoting. The scent of lemon oil rose from the long, drop-leaf oak table and eight high-back chairs that had also belonged to his parents. He entered the kitchen, the one room that he and Kira had changed. And it had needed it. Everything had been out-of-date, from the appliances to the cupboards. Just a few months after their small wedding, the room had been gutted and everything was replaced.

A bowl of red apples sat on the round maple table. Everything looked the same, but it wasn’t. He wanted desperately to push time back to when everything was perfect in his marriage.

He found Kira at the counter, taking pieces of chicken from the skillet. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Hi.”

He had trouble finding the words. “Hi. Am I too early?”

“No. Just in time.”

His gaze combed over her. He was starved for her. Denying himself the pleasure she could give him had been punishing. Today she had on one of her prim schoolteacher blouses, his favorite, a rose-pink one that brought out the color of her skin.

He swallowed back the dryness in his throat. “How did school go today?”

“Fine,” she said. “Everyone is complaining about finals.”

He leaned against the counter. He’d missed talking with her. “I remember that age, it seemed to take an eternity to get to the end of school.”

She smiled and started setting out the food. “The seniors are anxious to graduate, and get me out of their hair.”

He knew that wasn’t true. They all loved her. The girls considered her a friend, and the boys were half in love with her. She was young, barely thirty-one, and attractive. They all gravitated to her. “And a lot are going to be heartbroken at saying goodbye to you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ve always given your students a lot of attention.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, it just means you’re dedicated, and very good at what you do. Not to mention pretty.”

Kira couldn’t believe she was blushing at her husband’s compliment. Trace had told her she was attractive before, but not for a long time. He hadn’t talked to her at all.

“Thank you,” she said.

He shrugged. “I’m not saying anything that isn’t true.”

“It’s still nice to hear,” she said. They looked at each other for a long time. Kira tried not to react, but it was impossible. Trace McKane was a handsome man. She’d thought that the first time she’d seen him. She’d been in town less than twenty-four hours before falling hopelessly in love. Something she’d never thought would happen, but the quiet rancher somehow convinced her to trust again. His slow hands and eager mouth coaxed her into giving herself to him, and they married within two months. From that first night of loving to now, she’d never regretted that decision.

She turned and opened the refrigerator to get the milk. The cool air felt good against her heated face. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was acting. He was her husband, for God’s sake. No, Trace hadn’t been her husband for weeks. And sadly that wasn’t going to change.

CHAPTER THREE

AN HOUR later, Kira sat at the kitchen table and watched as Trace finished the last of his meal.

He leaned back in the chair. “That was delicious, Kira.”

She let out a breath, not realizing she’d been holding it. “I’m glad you liked it.”

He gave a half smile. “Can’t deny I’ve always loved your fried chicken.”

And she loved his praise. “I shouldn’t fix it. It isn’t exactly healthy, especially the gravy.”

“Once in a while won’t hurt me.”

It definitely hadn’t hurt his waistline, she thought, visualizing the six-pack abs hidden under his shirt. She nodded and started to get up. “Coffee?”

He touched her hand to stop her and she felt a sudden jolt. “I’ll get it,” he said.

Kira relented, but her hungry gaze followed Trace to the coffeemaker. He stood nearly six-feet-two-inches tall, and since she was nearly five-nine, she loved his height. Her attention moved over a Western shirt that outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. She loved that long, lean look, especially when he wore Wrangler jeans.

And nothing else.

Heat suddenly swarmed her body just as Trace turned around. He gave her a curious look, but remained silent as he walked back to the table. He set down the mugs and she noticed his hands. Memories flooded her head, as she recalled his firm, but gentle touches, how he stroked her, bringing her pleasure.

He took a seat across from her. “I’m glad to see you’ve taken my advice and are on the decaf.”

She sat up straighter. “I realized I need more sleep.”

“We could all use a little more of that.” His gaze locked with hers. “Though I doubt I can blame my problem on the caffeine.”

Kira swallowed hard. She wanted to explore his comment further, but couldn’t. They had another topic that needed attention. “I called Mrs. Fletcher at the agency,” she said in a rush.

Trace didn’t look surprised. “I figured you would.” He set down his mug. “What did she have to say?”

“She wants to come for another home visit the first of next week.”

Trace took a sip of coffee, then asked, “What did you tell her?”

“That I’d check with you, but Monday seemed okay for us.” Kira held her breath, waiting, praying that Trace would agree to this.

“What are we going to say to her when she gets here?”

She hesitated, feeling her heart pounding. “That we want a baby.”

Trace met Kira’s anxious gaze. He could see how much she wanted this. There had been a lot of disappointment in the past two years for both of them. She’d gone through so much, both physically and emotionally, trying to get pregnant.

His own excitement began to build. A family with Kira. Was it still possible?

He wanted to make their marriage work, but her need for a child had become an obsession, leaving no room for them. By the time he moved out, she seemed relieved he was gone. Once she got her child would she turn her attention back to them? Either way he couldn’t deny her.

“I’ll be around Monday.”

Those big brown eyes widened. “Really? Oh, Trace.”

She jumped out of her chair, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Trace reached for her, gripping her by the waist so they both wouldn’t topple over.

Kira ended up on his lap and when she pulled back there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He couldn’t resist, and brushed away a tear off her cheek. Seeing her rich brown eyes staring back at his caused his blood to stir. It always had, but he couldn’t let it happen, not after all the pain they’d caused each other.

He stood her on her feet. He got up, too, then backed away but ran into the counter. “You don’t have to thank me. We’d always planned on children. I haven’t agree to everything.”

She refused to look away. “Under the circumstances…and reasons you’ve agreed to do this, I still thank you.”

The hard ache in his body told him he was crazy to be this close to Kira. “Like you said it’s a long waiting list.” He drew a breath and inhaled that soft, womanly scent that was only her.

“Well, you’ve made me very happy.” She leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on his mouth. He sucked in a breath as another jolt of desire shot through him. “And I promise I’ll give you what you want.”

“That’d be a first time in a long time,” he murmured, trying to guard against his weakness for her.

“You know what I mean,” she added. “You’re doing this for me, I promise when it’s over, I won’t contest anything.”

What had happened to them? At one time, he’d wanted to give her everything. They’d planned a lifetime together. Now, she wanted nothing from him, especially not his love.

“I should go,” he told her, not wanting the conversation to go sour if they brought up any more of the past hurt. “I need to go check on that bad section of fence. I don’t want Rocky to wander off,” he rambled on. He stole another look at her and his pulse accelerated, weighing down each step he took.

“We still have things to talk about,” Kira called to him. “Maybe after I’m home from school tomorrow.”

Trace nodded, then headed for the back door, praying she wouldn’t stop him. He worked to remember the misery they’d caused each other during their last months together. He hurried out into the cool night, and it felt good against his heated skin, but even jumping into a pool of ice water wouldn’t cool off his need for Kira. He doubted anything would, ever. That still didn’t give him any hope that they were meant to be together.

The next morning, Kira had renewed hope that things were going to work out. She knew she needed to take things slow with Trace. He never rushed into anything.

She walked into her office to find Jody waiting for her. When Kira had driven the girl to her job yesterday, there wasn’t much time to talk about anything except plans for the senior roundup. That was why Kira had set up this morning’s meeting.

Jody stood. “Hello, Mrs. McKane.”

“Good morning, Jody.” Kira unlocked her office, went inside and set her things on her desk. After putting her purse in the bottom drawer, she motioned to Jody to take a seat, then she did the same.

“Okay, Jody, there are no distractions now.” She worked up a smile. “It’s just you and me.” She took the file from her in-box and opened it. “I’ve talked with your teachers, Mr. Franklin and Miss Meehan, who informed me your grades have dropped considerably as of late. Jody, is there something going on, has something happened?”

The young girl looked pale, almost sickly. Her blond hair was long, but it looked unkempt today. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, not even lip gloss. So different from the impeccably groomed girl Kira had known. Jody looked tired, no exhausted. Then it started adding up, the bad grades, and the sudden breakup with her boyfriend. Could Jody be pregnant?

Kira’s heart sank as she worked hard not to look down at the girl’s waistline. “I know I’m your guidance counselor, but I hope after our four years together, I’m your friend, too.”

The student glanced away and shrugged. “I know you’ve helped me so much.” She hesitated. “It’s just…it’s hard to talk about.”

Jody Campbell lived with her single mother, and money was always tight. With Jody’s high grade point average, Kira had been working tirelessly to help her get scholarships and financial aid for college.

“Jody, two months ago you were excited about going away to college. Has something changed that?”

She drew an unsteady breath and nodded. “Ben and I broke up.” Tears filled her eyes. “He signed up to go into the Army.”

“I’m sorry, Jody.” Ben Kerrigan was another senior. The two had been dating for the past few months. She could see the girl’s heartbreak. “When does he have to leave?”

A tear rolled down the girl’s cheek. “The end of June. He said he won’t have time for me, and doesn’t even want to write me, or anything. He said it’s better this way.” The girl broke down and sobbed.