A Baby...Maybe? & How to Hunt a Husband (24 page)

Shannon reached out and took Nate's hand. Whatever annoyance was between them this morning was forgotten as they joined forces to face their common enemies.

Two enemies at once—before coffee—was too much.

He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

“Shannon,” her mother said, “Bull's mother is right. I didn't realize you were listed. Any of your students could call you at home.”

“Students?” Mrs. Calder echoed. “Students. That's a good thing to call them, I guess. They all have so much to learn, which is why I want to start—”

Nate interrupted her. “Mom, what did you need me for?”

“Oh, yes. Mick called. He said you were supposed to meet him this morning at seven for some fishing thing?”

“I entirely forgot.” He turned to Shannon. “We had a fishing date with a bunch of college buddies.”

“They're waiting for you down on the bay,” his mom said.

“Now, about that coffee,” her mom said.

“That sounds lovely,” Mrs. Calder said. “I'd love a chance to get to know you.”

Shannon didn't want her mother and Mrs. Calder sharing confidences over coffee, but they were moving toward the kitchen. She tried to think of something to stop them and cleared her throat, sure that some great idea would come to her before she finished.

“Ec, ec,”
she coughed, stalling for time.

No great idea appeared.

She tried again.
“Ec, ec.”

Still nothing.

The women stopped in their tracks.

“Shannon, are you all right?” her mother asked.

“
Ec, ec.
I think something's caught in my throat.” She started to hack and sputter, along with the coughing.
“Ec, ec.”

“Shannon?” her mother said, rushing to her side, Mrs. Calder at her heels. “Honey?”

“Nathan, do something,” his mother said.

“Ec, ec, ec, ec…”
Shannon continued.

Nathan smacked her back.

“Ec, ec…”

It was working. Both mothers had forgotten about visiting over coffee. They looked concerned as they watched her choke.
“Ec, ec.”

“Nate!” his mother cried.

He smacked her back harder.

“Ec, ec…”

“Nate, I know you think hitting things is the answer to any problem, but I don't think it's working.”

Shannon's throat was feeling quite raw, so she stopped hacking and said, “I think it's better. You saved me, Nate.”

“See,” he said, shooting his mother a rather superior look, “Smacking things does work.”

“Honey, are you sure you're okay?” her mom asked.

“Just let me catch my breath,” she said hoarsely.

As Shannon bent over, trying to appear as if she was recuperating from her choking spell, she noticed that not only was Nate's tattoo fading, it had a few huge streaks through it.

It was obviously a fake and only a matter of time until her mother spotted it. Spotting details was something her mom was good at.

“Listen, I'd better get down to the bay before the guys leave without me. Thanks for letting me know, Mom,” Nate said, herding his mother to ward the door.

“About that coffee?” his mom asked.

“I think you two should take a raincheck. I need to get going, and Shannon had better go gargle with something.”

“What if she starts choking again?” her mom asked.

“Oh, whatever it was, Nate's smacking dis
lodged it. I'm fine. We'll all just have that coffee another time.”

Nate, her hero, was ushering their moms toward the door. “I'll call you this week, Mom.”

“Me, too,” Shannon assured her mother.

“But—”

“Thanks for stopping,” they both said in unison and Nate practically pushed both moms out the door.

Shannon shut it before they could protest.

“Phew,” she said.

“Yeah, phew,” he echoed.

“So, you better get going if you're going to meet the guys to go fishing.”

“Are you sure you don't mind?”

“Mind? Why would I mind? The idea of our being together is that we don't have any real claim on each other. We're together when its convenient. This is uncomplicated, remember?”

“Yeah. Boink-buddies,” he said, a hint of that something had returned to his tone—it sounded almost like annoyance.

“Yes,” she said. “Boink-buddies. Now, get out of here.”

“Fine. I'll call you, okay?”

“Sure.” She kissed his cheek, a smile on her face.

She kept it plastered there until he left and then allowed it to slip. She had no idea what was wrong with her. This was the perfect relationship.

Uncomplicated.

Dating, but not really.

She could have her chick-flicks and a good boinking now and then, too.

Add to that her mom was off her back.

This was good.

Great even.

So, why was she feeling as if things were a total mess?

S
HANNON TOOK
her break outside on Monday afternoon, just like every other teacher. Winters in Erie were long and cold, and spring days were meant to be treasured.

Nate had got in from his fishing weekend late last night, but he'd called.

Shannon hadn't expected him to, and had felt pleased…too pleased.

Because if she'd felt that happy hearing from him, how would she feel if she hadn't heard?

Miserable.

She was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to feel miserable if you didn't hear from a casual boink-buddy.

After all, the whole point of their dating relationship was that they had the luxury of not calling.

So what was wrong with her?

She didn't have the time to figure it out because she had other things to deal with. Patricia was making a beeline toward her, looking determined.

Shannon knew that she was going to be grilled about the scene in the restaurant. She'd known it was coming and had tried to prepare a plan. She'd
decided to go on the offensive. Rather than try and explain her outfit, she would attack.

The petite brunette with the big load of curiosity approached the bench, but before she could start her interrogation, Shannon asked, “Patricia, how could you?”

“How could I what?” Patricia looked confused as she sat down next to Shannon.

“How could you not tell me that you and Kyle are dating? I mean, we're friends and friends are supposed to share things like that.”

“Well, you were so excited about your date that it just slipped my mind,” Patricia said.

It sounded plausible, but Shannon caught the look of guilt that flitted across Patricia's face.

Oh, it was brief, but she saw it.

“Ha! You were hiding the fact you two are dating, even from me.”

“Well, let's talk about hiding things,” Patricia said. “You made out like you were just excited about a date, when in actuality, you were so happy because you were going out with the man you love.”

She paused, as if expecting Shannon to respond, but Shannon couldn't think of a thing to say. She'd expected to be interrogated about her outfit, not about being in love. Because she wasn't in love.

Of course she wasn't.

“You're in love,” Patricia repeated as if she could hear Shannon's mental denial. “And you
didn't even tell me.” She added a huge
humph
to the end of the sentence for punctuation.

“I…” Shannon found it hard to finish the sentence.

The words didn't seem to want to come out, but she forced the issue and hoped Patricia didn't hear the strain in her tone as she finished, “I am not.”

Patricia laughed. “Are too.”

She shook her head. “You're mistaken. Nate and I are buddies.”

Boink-buddies, she thought, but she didn't say that part out loud. There was no reason to give Patricia any more fuel to add to the fire she was building.

“Buddies? I saw how you looked at him. That was more than a
buddy
look.”

What had happened to her offensive?

Time to get this back on track. “Listen, about you and Kyle—”

“Uh-uh-uh. I'll tell you all about me dating Kyle, but only after you fill me in on what's going on between you and this Nate. And that explanation had better include why you were dressed in those leather pants.”

Ah, here was the outfit comment she'd been expecting.

“They weren't leather,” Shannon admitted. “
Pleather.
And I highly suggest avoiding the material at all costs, at least when you're going out on a hot date.”

Remembering her pleather experience, she smiled.

“Aha!” Patricia shouted. “There it was. You were thinking of him.”

“What?”

“That smile. It says,
ooh look at me I'm in love.
” She leaned closer to Shannon and said, “So, spill it.”

And though it was the last thing she'd planned, Shannon did. By the time their break had ended, she'd told Patricia the whole story.

“Wow. That's romantic,” Patricia said with a small sigh. “And more than a bit ironic.”

“Ironic?” Shannon echoed.

Moronic.

That's how the tale sounded as she told it.

After all, she was an adult. Why on earth would she need to go to such elaborate lengths to foil her mother's plans?

The truth was, she hadn't needed to.

So why had she agreed to this zany plan with Nate?

Because there had been something about him. They'd laughed as they shared their horror stories about their moms. They'd laughed even more as they'd plotted their mutual escape. Being with Nate had felt right.

More than right, it had felt—

“You and Nate got together to avoid just this.”

“Just what?” Shannon asked, her attention snap
ping away from her feelings for Nate and back to her friend.

“This. Falling in love.” Patricia heaved a mighty sigh and actually put her hand on her chest.

“You've got it all wrong. We didn't want to avoid falling in love, we wanted to avoid our mothers' plans.”

“And you fell in love instead,” Patricia maintained, punctuating the sentence with another sigh.

“We're not in love.”

“Listen,
Roxy,
” Patricia said with what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. “You can deny it all you want, but I know love when I see it, and you're in love.”

“But—but—” Shannon sputtered.

She didn't love Nate.

After all, they'd only known each other a few weeks.

Of course, she liked spending time with him. From that first meeting she'd felt somehow connected to him.

And maybe she missed him more than a bit when they weren't together.

Then there was the fact she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him, and even worse, dreaming about him. Hot, X-rated dreams that didn't even begin to compare to the actual heat of making love to Nate.

But that didn't mean she was in love.

Did it?

“I'm not looking for that kind of relationship,” she said.

“Shannon, love isn't something you can plan on,” Patricia continued. “It just is what it is. You love Nate.”

“I love Nate?” Shannon whispered, weighing the way the words felt as she said them.

They felt almost good.

Right.

She loved Nate?

She loved Nate!

How on earth had she not known that she'd fallen in love with him?

“I love Nate,” she stated rather than asked.

“Yes, you do,” Patricia said with a grin. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Now, that was a question.

She loved Nate, a man looking for an uncomplicated relationship.

And suddenly what they had together was looking more than just a bit complicated.

 

N
ATE LOOKED
frazzled.

More than that, he looked ready to pull his hair out as he listened to something someone was saying on the phone.

Shannon stood at the counter, waiting for him to notice her. When he did, he smiled and held up a finger for her to wait.

“No, ma'am. It's not meant to be taken orally. It's a suppository. It goes…

He finished his explanation and Shannon felt a stab of pity for him. After all, it had to be an uncomfortable thing to explain.

He hung up and gave Shannon a weak smile. “Hey.”

“Bad day?” she asked.

“You don't know the half of it. I'm used to odd questions and can handle most without blinking an eye, but today it's been one strange thing after another. I had to explain that birth control pills have to be taken
every
day, not just on days you have sex. And then there was the couple who—” He stopped. “No sense in scaring us both. So, what brings you in today?”

“Maybe I have a prescription?” she asked, teasing in her voice, hoping to make him smile. Then she added, “Or maybe I just wanted to see you.”

That was the truth.

Since the moment the light bulb had gone off this afternoon, she'd been anxious to see him and decide if she was right, if she really loved this man.

She stared at him and tried to measure what she felt…and she couldn't. It was so big and all-encompassing, that it couldn't be quantified.

It was limitless.

Only one emotion could be that big. Love.

Yes, she loved Nathan Calder.

So now what?

Did she blurt out
I love you,
or did she wait and try to simply work it into a conversation?

Hey, Nate, you never stall your motorcycle any more…and by the way, I think I love you.

She groaned.

No, she was simply going to have to wait to tell him until she could think of a better approach.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “Did my mom come back?”

“No, nothing's wrong, exactly. I thought maybe you'd like dinner?”

Dinner.

She could tell him at dinner. After all, it was better to just say the words and get it over with.

She wasn't going to worry about form or style. She wouldn't even worry about changing the rules. She would just say those three words,
I love you
and trust that it would all work out.

Yes, she'd tell him tonight at dinner.

“Dinner sounds good. I need a quiet night more than you know. The idea of a quiet, uncomplicated evening is so appealing.”

Shannon almost flinched at the word
uncomplicated.

She was pretty sure saying she loved him wouldn't constitute an uncomplicated night. After all, loving him changed everything. And everyone knew that change was always complicated.

She wasn't going to tell him.

Maybe he'd simply sense it. After all, how could he miss it? She felt as if she had a sign flashing over her head…
I love Nathan…I love Nathan…

How could he miss something like that?

She'd make long, slow love to him and he'd know. Ah, now that was a plan. Even if he didn't sense it, she'd still get to make love to him.

She smiled at the thought and said, “Well, we'll have to see if we can find something to do that will relieve your stress.”

“Oh, that sounds like a plan,” he said, and murmured a few specifics in her ear.

“Nate,” she whispered back, feeling breathless and tingly all over.

If she let him do what he was planning to do, she could whisper the words
I love you
in his ear.

Maybe he'd even whisper them right back.

She could only imagine how much more breathless and tingly she'd be over that.

That's it, she was going to tell him.

“I'm so glad you stopped by,” he continued. “I mean, everyone wants something from me, all day long. It's Nate this, and Nate that. Give me something as undemanding as what we have and life is good.”

Undemanding.

That was as horrible a word as
uncomplicated.

If she said
I love you
maybe he'd feel obligated to say the words back.

That would definitely be demanding.

Damn. She wasn't going to tell him.

At least not tonight.

She wanted the perfect moment to say the words. The perfect night.

Tonight didn't sound like the time.

No, she wasn't going to tell him.

Before she could answer, someone called, “Nate.”

“'Scuse me,” he said, hurrying toward the back of the pharmacy.

She watched him go, the feeling in her chest growing, beating to get out, and she wondered how she could go through an entire night looking at him, listening to him, laughing with him and not tell him how she felt. The feeling was that big.

Even if she didn't plan on telling him, it might slip out.

Then things would get complicated, and he'd feel as if she was demanding, and then he'd never say the words back.

It was an excuse and she knew it, but even if she'd figured out she was in love with Nate, she wasn't quite sure what to do with those feelings.

She had to sort things out.

Feeling decidedly like a coward, she looked at the clerk and said, “Just tell Nathan that I…”

She hesitated, trying to think of a plausible lie, and settled for a half truth.

“Tell him that I can see he's busy. Tell him to forget about dinner and go relax. I'll talk to him…soon. Tomorrow.”

She hurried out before Nate could come back and
find her and ask questions. Because she didn't feel that she had any answers.

 

N
ATE HAD BEEN
disappointed Monday when he came out of the back room and found that Shannon had gone. Seeing her had made his day from hell brighten considerably.

But she'd run out and canceled dinner.

Why?

Maybe his bad mood had scared her off. After all, they had an informal relationship, one based on fun. His mood wasn't fun. But it had been such a stressful day, and talking with her had made him feel better.

Just seeing her walk in the store and smile had been enough to make him feel better.

Then she'd left.

It wasn't just that it was one of those days when things went wrong, it was one of those days where nothing went right.

When Shannon left, things went from bad to worse. He needed her. It was a feeling that was growing by leaps and bounds.

He was addicted to her, he decided.

And it wasn't an addiction he was looking to break.

Her boink-buddy comment had annoyed him because it wasn't accurate. They were more than that, even if she didn't want to admit it.

At least, she was more than that to him. He hoped he was more than that to her.

How much more?

That was the question that had been plaguing him.

How much more was she to him? How much more did he want to be to her?