Husband--Or Enemy? by Caroline Cross

Author:Caroline Cross
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2000-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

Seven

Riley settled the life-size stuffed panda bear on the family room couch. Fluffing the red satin bow that encircled the bear’s neck, he pushed an inquisitive Cosmo away and stepped back next to Angelica. Side-by-side, they contemplated his first purchase for their child. “So what do you think?”

It was a moment before she answered. “I think buying a few boxes of diapers would have been a lot more practical.” Her attempt to sound stern was ruined by the gleam of amusement in her wide green eyes.

He shrugged, unperturbed. “Maybe. But my guy’s going to look a whole lot better in the baby’s room.”

“Now that, I concede.”

“So what do you think we should call him? Pandas in zoos always seem to have two syllable names, Ling-Ling, Yum-Yum, that sort of thing.”

She appeared to consider. “How about Boo-Boo?” she finally ventured.

He raised an eyebrow. “Very funny.”

Her mouth turned up. “I thought so.” After a moment, she sobered. “Riley?”

“Hmm?”

“I had a really nice time today. Thank you for taking me.”

“My pleasure.” And it had been. Though his body had been humming like a downed electrical wire ever since their close encounter in the Los Palmas dressing room, he’d deliberately pulled back after that and set out to charm her. In addition to doing more shopping, he’d bought her dinner and dessert and entertained her with a few of the funnier stories of his misspent youth. And while his self-imposed restraint had been a strain, at some point he’d realized he was having fun.

“Well.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess I’ll get started unloading the car—”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it in a little while.”

“Gosh, I don’t know, Riley.” That austere note was back in her voice. “Given the way you insisted on buying out half the town, it’ll probably take both of us to haul it all in.”

“Now, Angel.” He pretended to look hurt. “Don’t start that again. You had to have shoes and stuff to go with the clothes. And you can’t very well go to the shower without a gift.”

She sighed, but her eyes gave her away, softening as she looked at him. “I suppose you’re right.”

“You bet I am.”

Buoyed by that small victory, he looked around and saw that the last rays of the day’s sunlight were slanting through the windows. Out of nowhere, he found himself reaching for her hand and tugging her toward the sliding glass door. “Come here. There’s something I want you to show you.”

She resisted for all of a second, then gave in, following as he led the way outside toward the far end of the terrace above the pool, where they had a one-hundred-and-eighty degree view of the desert stretched out before them. “Look.”

He directed her gaze to the west, where the sun was sinking toward the horizon. The sky above it was awash in brilliant layers of tangerine and magenta, coral and crimson. And then while they watched, the sun slipped completely away, and

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