Baby, Oh Baby! (4 page)

Annie patted the blue-and-white baby monitor clipped to her belt. "I'm listening to her every move."

"Well, I'll be callin' to check up on you two."

"Don't worry about us. You just take good care of Helen."

Ben nodded. "You do the same for that baby. An' for yourself, for a change. Don't stay holed up out here all alone for the whole three weeks we're gone."

Annie never felt as alone on the ranch as she used to feel in the crowds of New York, but Ben was constantly pestering her to get out and socialize. "I won't. I'll have to go into town for groceries, and I promised Pearl I'd bring Madeline for a visit next week."

Pearl was an old friend of Annie's grandmother. The garrulous elderly woman lived at a nursing home in Lucky, and Annie made a point of visiting her every week. "As a matter of fact," Annie continued, "Pearl's grandson is coming out for a tea leaf reading this afternoon

Ben rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as your grandma."

"I hope I'm as good. She taught me all I know about doing readings."

"Yeah, well, I never put much stock in that hocus-pocus stuff."

"I didn't used to, either. I let Gran give me lessons just to humor her." Annie could still remember the first time her grandmother had mentioned it. It had been the summer she'd turned sixteen. She'd walked into the kitchen late one afternoon and found Gran doing a reading for Pearl.

            "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Annie had said, backing out the screen door.

Gran had motioned her back in. "Come sit down. It's high-time I, taught you to read leaves.":

"Oh, Gran," Annie had protested. "I don't even know that I believe in it."'

"That's all right," Gran had said. "It believes in you." Gran had fixed her with an intent gaze across the blue- checked tablecloth on the kitchen table. "You've got the gift, girl."

"How do you know?" Annie had flashed her grandmother a teasing smile. "Did you read the bottom of my iced tea glass at lunch?"

"No. I just know." Conviction had shone in Gran's gray eyes. "Some things, a body just knows. The leaves are for the things you don't."

Ben's voice broke into Annie's memories. "I take it you started believin' somewhere along the line."

Annie nodded. "When the leaves helped me make a big decision." She carefully pulled alpaca fleece from the teeth of her comb, then stuffed the wad of hair into a burlap bag hanging on the fence post. "I was worried about quitting my job and moving back here, even though I knew in my heart it was what I wanted to do, so I decided to go to a leaf reader in New York. I made an appointment with a woman I'd never met before—I'd gotten her name off a bulletin board at a coffee shop. I didn't tell her anything about myself or my circumstances. And you know what she told me?" Annie would never forget it as long as she lived. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the big-boned woman leaning over the dainty, stained teacup, still smell the scent of cooked cabbage clinging to the peeling floral wallpaper in the woman's apartment, still hear the next-door neighbors arguing through the paper-thin walls. And when she remembered the woman's words, goose bumps still crawled up her arm.

Ben shook his head. "What?"

"She said I belonged on a ranch. And she said I would soon have a child."

Ben's eyes rested on her, his gaze fond and warm. "Well, I'm awful glad you made the decisions you made, regardless of how you made 'em."

A lump formed in Annie's throat. Ben and Helen were just like family, but she hadn't consulted them about her decision to become a single mother, Like most of the people in this part of rural Oklahoma, they were very conservative, and she hadn't been sure they'd approve. They'd never discussed the decision, but the couple had been incredibly supportive throughout her pregnancy.. They treated Madeline like one of their own grandchildren, and the baby adored them in return.

"The only decision of yours I've ever wondered 'bout has to do with raisin these here critters." Ben cast a doleful eye at Smoky Joe, who was sniffing Ben's Stetson.

Annie grinned as she led Snowball to the gate. "Diversification is the key to the future."

"Yeah, well, maybe. But I don't see why you didn't just diversify into another breed of cattle."

Annie removed the halter from the white alpaca's nose, opened the gate and watched Snowball prance out. "Now, Ben, you know that beef prices are down. Alpaca fleece sells for fourteen dollars an ounce, and the manure goes for a dollar a pound."

"Hmph. Not much of a market for the stuff, from what I can see."

"I don't need much of a market with just five alpacas. And by the time the herd's bigger, why, the demand for alpaca products will be, too." She shot Ben a mischievious grin. "Besides, that tea leaf reader told me that unusual business ventures would pay off."

Ben rolled his eyes. "There you go with that hocus- pocus stuff again."

"Wait and see. I think the alpacas will turn out to be a good investment."

Ben pulled his boot off the fence rail as Smoky Joe scampered into the corral. "I sure hope you're right." He glanced down at his black rubber watch. "Speakin' of waitin', that's what Helen's doin'. I better get goin before she leaves without me."

His tone was light, but Annie saw the worry in his eyes. She placed her hand on the big man's arm. "Everything's going to be fine, Ben., Helen's got one of the best surgeons in the country."

The big man nodded, his eyes on the ground.

"Besides, I did a reading for her, and everything looks wonderful. You know what Gran used to say. `The leaves never lie.' "

"Hmph. Well, this is one time I darn sure hope they don't."

"Look on the bright side," Annie urged. "When this is over, Helen will be able to get around without any pain. She'll be able to work in her garden and go on long walks. Why, she's even talking about dragging you off to square-dancing lessons."

"I hope to high heavens you're right." His mouth slanted into a crooked smile. "'Bout everything except them square-dance lessons, that is."

Annie laughed. "You don't fool me. If Helen wanted you to take up ballet, you'd be strapping on toe shoes and practicing plies."

"Probably so." His smile made his cheeks look like stuffed saddlebags. "But I'd draw the line at wearin' a tutu."

The thought of the potbellied cowboy in pink tulle made Annie laugh again. She leaned forward and hugged his neck. Ben awkwardly patted her back.

"Call me tomorrow and let me know how everything went," Annie said softly.

"I will."

Annie watched him amble away, her prayers goingwith him. As he disappeared around the barn, Smoky

Joe grabbed another mouthful of her hair.

"What are you doing, boy? Trying to give me dreadlocks?" Tugging the strand away from the alpaca, Annie reached into her back pocket and pulled out the Tweety Bird ponytail holder she'd removed from Madeline's hair when she'd put the child down for her nap. Gathering her curls on top of her head, Annie fashioned a high, loose ponytail and secured it with the cartoon-ornamented elastic band.

"All right, fella." She stroked Smoky Joe's muzzle, then picked up the comb. "It's your turn now."

Half an hour later, Annie had finished grooming Smoky Joe. She'd kicked off her shoes and was washing up in the kitchen sink when she heard the crunch of tires in the circle drive in front of the ranch house.

"That must be Pearl's- grandson," she said to the little dachshund at her feet. Hot Dog's long, skinny tail thudded on the hardwood floor. "We'd better get the door before he rings the bell and wakes up Madeline." Drying her hands on a blue dish towel, Annie scurried across the room, flipped on the stove burner under the old copper teapot, then hurried to the front hallway. The dachshund pattered along at her heels.

Annie opened the door, then froze in surprise. Good heavens—this was Pearl's grandson? Nothing about the tall, handsome man on her porch looked like it had come from Pearl's gene pool. That woman was tiny and round, with curly white hair, an upturned nose and slightly crossed blue eyes. Annie had always thought the elderly lady looked like a Pomeranian with a perm.

This man was more like a Russian wolfhound—tall, lean and muscular, with a face of intriguing planes and angles. He must take after his father's side of the family, Annie mused. His nose was straight, his hair was dark, and his mouth....

Annie gazed at it in fascination. His mouth was the most sensuous sight she'd ever seen. It was like Elvis's, only better. His .lips were like Brad Pitt's and Tom Cruise's and Tom Hanks's, all rolled into one soft, hard, kissable package.

She suddenly realized she was staring. Stepping back, she opened the door wider. "Come on in," she whispered. "I've been expecting you."

The man's dark eyebrows flew up in surprise.

Annie assumed he was startled that she was whispering. "We need to keep our voices down so we don't wake the baby," she explained softly.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.` He gazed at her warily, gave a slow nod, and stepped into the foyer.

The temperature of the room seemed to shoot up twenty or thirty degrees. Annie moved back. She usually wasn't susceptible to good-looking men—in fact, she normally viewed them with suspicion. In her experience, they tended to be spoiled and self-centered. Something about this man, though, cut through all of her normal defenses.

She realized she was once again staring. She hurried to fill the awkward silence. "You, uh, don't look anything like your grandmother."

He looked as if she'd said something odd. "I don't?"

"Not at all." He didn't look like the type of man who'd want his fortune read, either. He was expensively dressed in a dark suit and designer tie, and there was a confident air of authority he wore as well.

Well, Annie thought, it just went to prove you couldn't tell a book by its cover. Pearl had said her grandson was facing some big decisions. In times of trouble, all kinds of people turned to the unexplained. From the tense set of his jaw and the cautious look in his eye, this man was definitely under some stress.

Maybe he was nervous about having his fortune told." Annie stuck out her hand and smiled. "I'm Annie. Pearl didn't tell me your name."

There it was again-that odd hesitation, that strange look. "She didn't?"

«No."

"Oh. Well, I'm Jake." His fingers folded around hers in a strong, tight grip. His hand felt good, like a warm mitten on a cold day. The warmth shot up her arm, through her neck, and across her cheeks.

"Nice to meet you." She looked into his eyes, and another hot current passed through her. His eyes were a clear, light brown, his eyebrows dark and well-shaped. Something about them looked hauntingly familiar. "Have we met before?"

The oddly familiar eyebrows pulled together. "I don't think so."

Annie didn't, either. He wasn't the type of man she'd be likely to forget. "Maybe we met years ago. Did you ever visit your grandmother during the summer?"

His eyes narrowed warily, as if it were a trick question. "Sometimes."

"Maybe we met when we were both kids."

The poor man looked uneasy and bewildered. Remembering her role as hostess, Annie smiled again and gestured down the foyer. "Come on in. I put on the tea when I heard your car, so it should be ready in few minutes."

Annie led Jake into the antique-filled living room, trying to remember exactly what Pearl had told her about him. The elderly woman had a dozen grandchildren and her mind meandered as she talked, so Annie had never been able to keep any of them straight. All she knew for certain was that this grandson was visiting from out of town.

Annie plucked a stuffed purple dinosaur off the blue-and-white ticking-striped sofa, then gestured for him to sit down.

Jake's gaze settled on the toy in her hand. "How old is your child?"

"Fourteen months."

A strange look crossed his face. "A boy or a girl?"

"A girl."

"A girl," the man muttered softly. "A daughter."

He seemed to be talking more to himself than to her. Annie watched him curiously, a curl of attraction uncoiling in her belly. There was an intensity about him that seemed somehow sexual —a sense of suppressed energy and strong emotion. Her gaze locked on his mouth. She would bet he was one terrific kisser.

Annie abruptly shifted the toy dinosaur to her other hand, hoping to shift her thoughts as well. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so physically drawn to a man.

He turned those familiar-looking brown eyes on her, and she quickly gestured to the sofa. "Please—have a seat," she managed to say.

"After you."

Not just good-looking and sexy, but well-mannered as well. Had Pearl said whether or not he was married?

Annie didn't think she'd said anything about her grandson except that he was facing some big decisions.

Annie perched on one end of the sofa and the man seated himself beside her. Annie self-consciously ran a hand down her orange Oklahoma State University T-shirt, only to discover it felt strangely fuzzy. She glanced down and saw it was covered with alpaca hair.

Jake followed her gaze. She abruptly realized they were both staring at her breasts.

Oh, dear heavens—why hadn't she put on a bra this morning? Her nipples were pointing straight at him like a pair of orange highway cones.

Jake cleared his throat. "You, uh, have cats?"

Annie pulled her shirt away from her breasts and brushed at the loose hairs, her face flaming with heat. "No. I was grooming my alpacas."

"Alpacas." The man's brow knit together. "Is that a breed of dog?"

"No. They're like llamas."

"Llamas," Jake repeated. He looked at her as if he doubted her sanity. "How many do you have?"

"Just five, right now. But I'm hoping to grow the herd.”

"I saw cattle as I drove in. You raise them together?"

“Oh, yes. Alpacas are very sociable animals. Very gentle, too”

"And.. . you groom them?"

Annie nodded. "They love to be brushed and combed. They even like to be bathed."

At her words, Jake was tempted to ask if her animals also liked to wear Tweety Bird hair ornaments like the one bobbing around on top of her head. This woman was certainly strange.