Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (64 page)

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Three brothers and two sisters.  I’m pretty much in the middle.  My little sister is sixteen and the youngest.  She was pretty upset when our parents bought me a car. My older sister is 32.  My brothers are 28, 24 and 18.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to have a large family.  It was just my sister and I.  My mother struggled so hard to keep us clothed and fed though even when my asshole of a stepfather was around.  It would have been almost impossible for her to care for another child.”

“Oh.  Your mom passed away?”

“She did.  Several years ago.  My sister did as well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It was tragic, but she lost her life to a drug addiction.  That’s why it means so much to be able to hire people with drug problems and help them turn their lives around.”

“That’s really great.”

Gabe smiled.  They were silent for the rest of their meal.  Gabe left a tip on the table and then paid at the register.  He held the door open for her and then followed her outside. 

“There is a very good store downtown that I would like to take you to.  They have furniture and maternity clothes.  You certainly don’t look a bit pregnant but I’m sure that there will come a time when you would like some more comfortable clothing.  You said you were three months along?  Did you not realize you were pregnant right away?”

“My periods aren’t always regular.  There’s nothing wrong with me.  Mom took me to the doctor when I was a teenager, but they said that everything is normal.  Um, I don’t know if I should let you take me shopping.”

“Robyn, you agreed earlier.  You can’t disappoint me by going back on your promise.”

She could see that he was teasing her, but she also got the feeling that underneath his carefully controlled exterior, Gabe was both a passionate man and one that was quick to anger. 

“I’m sorry.  We can go.  I’ll follow you.”

Gabe chuckled.  “Women are usually much more enthusiastic about shopping.  My wife certainly is.  Even our daughter is excited to go shopping and she’s not quite six.”

“Children don’t understand the concept of money.”  Robyn suddenly felt very tired and wondered how she’d adjust to going back to work.  It had been almost a year since she’d worked.  “I’m sorry.  I appreciate everything that you’re doing for me.  Really.  I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful.”

“You’re fine Robyn.  For some people it’s always hard to accept assistance from others.  Like most everything in Brunton, the store is only a few minutes away.  I do believe that if I didn’t have children I’d go half out of my mind in this town.”

Robyn laughed, though it felt a little forced.  She wasn’t sure she was ever going to be completely comfortable around Gabe.  “Okay.  I’ll see you in a few minutes then.”

He smiled.  “That you will.”

He got into his truck and she got behind the wheel of her car.  She’d never been a fan of shopping, but it was kind of exciting to think about picking things out for the baby.  Or at least a few basic things.  She wasn’t going to let Gabe overdo it she thought. 

He stopped a few minutes later.  She’d actually applied for a job at the store the day before.  The women that worked there had seemed almost stuck up and they’d looked down their nose at
her when they’d told her they weren’t hiring.  She felt even more apprehensive following Gabe through the doors.

He looked at her.  “Are you all right Robyn?  I know that some women get morning sickness later in the day.  I’m sure they must have a restroom.  Let me ask.”

“I’m fine.  It just feels strange to come here with you and have you buy things for my baby.  I appreciate it, but it looks weird because you’re married and you’re my boss.  What if people think you’re the father of my child?”

Gabe chuckled.  “Ah Robyn.  You really don’t get out much do you?  There have been many women that have worked for me while they were pregnant.  I’ve paid for many things for babies and children.  If people believe that I am the father of your child, what can I say to make them believe differently?  Logic says that I have not fathered all of the children whose mothers I have helped in one way or another.  People in Brunton will believe what they want to believe, just like they do in any other small town that is full of gossip.”

Robyn sighed.  She glanced at the clerk.  She was one of the women that had been rude the day before.  “That woman was kind of mean to me when I asked if they were hiring.  Can we go someplace else?  Like the discount store?”

“No.  We’ll stay.  If Petunia says anything to you, I’ll speak with her boss, the owner of the store.  He’s a friend of my father in law’s and very influential in this pathetic town.  My in laws don’t like me, but somehow, the rest of Leslie’s family and family friends seem to have accepted me.  Where would you like to start?  Baby things or things for you?”

Robyn bit her lip.  “I don’t want you to buy too much.”

“Nonsense.  We’ll start with the basics and then move on from there.  Crib, car seat, playpen, stroller, diapers.  Clothes for you, a nursing pillow, maybe a body pillow for later in your pregnancy.  I apologize.  I have no idea if you plan to nurse.”

“I do.  But you don’t have to buy all of that for me.  It’s too much.”

Gabe shook his head and pushed a shopping cart her way.  “It’s only a start.  Pick out anything you want and don’t worry about the cost.  I have credit cards with no limits.”

Robyn hid another sigh.  She didn’t think that Gabe was going to let her get away with only picking up a few things though, so she made her way to the maternity clothing section.  The woman that he had called Petunia approached them.  She looked Gabe up and down and smiled. 

“Hello Gabriel.  How can I help you?”

“You can’t Petunia.  My new employee Robyn let me know that you were rather rude to her when she asked about employment here yesterday.”

The woman’s smile faded.  “We aren’t hiring.  All I did was tell her that.  If she took it the wrong way, that’s her problem.”

“Tone of voice and body language can convey much more than words sometimes.  Are you and Clayton still separated?”

“You know we are.  He still comes into your stupid bar all the time looking for other women doesn’t he?”

Robyn thought Gabe was hiding a smile.  “Some men will never change Petunia.  You knew that Clayton had cheated on you before you married him.  It was my understanding that you two had an open relationship.”

Petunia snorted.  “Like you and Leslie?  Hardly.  Well, I take that back, half of our relationship has always been open, but it sure as hell hasn’t been mine.  I thought he’d settle down when I had the baby, but then I miscarried and the next day, he was back to chasing tail again.  It was wonderful talking to you Gabe.  If you need anything just call me.”  Petunia walked away after giving Robyn another dirty look.

“Not that it matters to you, but Leslie and I do not have an open relationship.  Our relationship is rather open on one end like Petunia and Clayton’s.”

“Oh.” 

Gabe’s talking about what sounded like a dysfunctional relationship with his wife was making her uncomfortable.  She turned away from him and busied herself with browsing the racks of clothing.  Everything seemed so expensive.  She was used to thrift store clothes since she’d left home and had worn them a lot growing up too.  Her mother was an exceptional seamstress but she’d worked a lot and had only sewn clothing for them for special occasions and sometimes Halloween.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the discount store Gabe?”

Gabe chuckled.  “Money is no object.  My wife ordered all of her maternity clothing special order.  She does not dress like your typical mother and refused to wear what she calls dowdy Mommy clothes.”

“I see.” 

Robyn turned back to the clothes and made herself look at them without bothering to check the price tags.  She picked out a few outfits and put them in the cart. 

Gabe raised an eyebrow.  “You believe that that is all of the clothing that you’ll need the whole time you’re pregnant?”

“No, but you don’t need to buy me everything.”

“Pick out a few more outfits at least.  Then we can look for bras, panties and a winter coat.  I hope that you’ll find it easier to shop for the baby.”  He gave her a smile full of charm.

“Yeah.”

Robyn picked out three more outfits, and then followed Gabe to the intimate apparel.  She started to feel even more uncomfortable with him standing right there while she picked out bras and panties.  He sensed her uneasiness and told her he was going to look at furniture.

Robyn let out the sigh she’d been holding in.  She picked out a few bras and some panties.  She went to the coats and found the one with the lowest price that she liked that still looked like it would be warm enough.

She found Gabe looking at cribs.  He was admiring a very nice crib that cost at least four times as much as she’d wanted to pay.  She looked at a still nice crib that was half the price and pointed it out to him.  He shrugged and went to retrieve Petunia since the display model of the crib she’d decided on was the only one out front.

They spent another hour in the store.  Gabe spent so much money that Robyn was beginning to be afraid again that he wanted something more from her than for her to work for him.  He bought a crib, a car seat, a high chair, a stroller, a playpen, a bath, a changing table, multiple packages of diapers and baby wipes, and tons of baby clothes and blankets, in addition to the clothes and pillows for her.

He insisted on helping her set everything up.  He followed her to her apartment and made multiple trips out to his truck so that she wouldn’t have to carry anything.  It was starting to get late.  She worried that he should be home with his family, but didn’t mention it to him because he seemed so content putting everything together and placing it where she told him she thought it should go.

She felt warm inside when she looked at what would be her nursery.  Her pregnancy and the child within her felt more real than before, and she gave Gabe a spontaneous hug and thanked him again.

When he pulled back he had a strange look on his face.  Robyn wondered if he’d caught her breathing in his scent.  She thought that Gabe smelled really good.  She realized uncomfortably that she already missed the way that Fuller’s arms felt when they were around her and the way he smelled.

“Goodnight Robyn.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes you will.  You don’t think Eric will bug me too much do you?  Maybe I should tell him I’m pregnant right away.”

Gabe chuckled.  “Eric is unfortunately the kind of man that would probably be turned off by a pregnant woman.  I find them to be even more beautiful myself, the very epitome of womanhood, but I am certainly not your average man.  I’ll be around for a bit so if Eric gives you too much trouble, I’ll be sure to set him straight.”

“Thank you.  For everything.  Goodnight Gabe.”

Gabe nodded and then walked out of her apartment.  She was tempted to watch him go, but she realized that her attraction to him was highly inappropriate, so she stayed in the nursery until she was sure he had left.

Then she took a shower and settled into bed.  She slept on Fuller’s pillow because she really did miss the way he smelled, but her sleep was sounder that night than it had been since he’d left.

Chapter 3

When Robyn awoke the next morning, she realized that she had had an erotic dream about Gabe.  It bothered her, and as she made her way to the bathroom, she told herself that no matter how attracted to Gabe she was and no matter how bad his marriage sounded, she could not make any kind of attempt to start a relationship with him. 

Robyn had always been disgusted by both men and women that seemed to enjoy destroying relationships.  Women that knew they were good looking and could turn a married man’s head, or men that thought it was okay to pleasure married women if their husbands weren’t doing a satisfactory job.  To her, it seemed if there was not a separation or an open relationship that the bonds of marriage still existed and things needed to be at least finished between the couple before they moved on and started other relationships.

Robyn looked at herself in the mirror.  She always known she was pretty.  Her sisters and brothers were all attractive and smart.  Sometimes she looked at her parents and wondered how the Carmichael children had come from two people that were content to live their unhealthy lifestyles and to work at jobs they hated because they made decent money.  Even though she didn’t hate her parents, sometimes they did disgust her a little.

She’d certainly never told anyone that, but she wondered if Fuller had sensed it on one of their uncomfortable visits to her parents, or if he was just being an asshole and saying hurtful things to her because he was unhappy about her pregnancy.  She put Fuller out of her mind as she walked out of the restroom.

She dressed, and then took the envelope that Gabe had handed her the day before out of her purse to count it before she went to pay her rent.  She groaned when she had finished.  Gabe had given her $2240.  Talk about a hiring bonus she thought.

She had never had a two week paycheck that was that big.  She’d had some that had come close with bonuses for performance in a call center that she had worked at, but when the taxes had been taken out, it had taken a nice chunk.  Gabe had spent more than he had given her in cash on her the past day as well, between paying for her car and their shopping at the baby store.  Robyn felt very guilty and wondered how a man could spend money like he did, even if he seemed to have a never ending supply.  $5000 in one day was a lot of money for Robyn.

She sighed as she put her shoes on.  Even if he didn’t want to sleep with her, or at least wasn’t going to make a move to try to sleep with her, it seemed as if her new boss wanted to take care of her much more than she was comfortable with.

She paid two months’ rent when she went into the office at her apartment building.  The manager was thrilled and didn’t mention the fact that Fuller had left, though Robyn knew that she needed to take him off of the lease soon.  She didn’t think that he’d be returning anytime soon, but what bothered her most was that she wasn’t sure how she would react if he did, if he asked her to give their relationship another chance and had a change of heart about their baby.

She called her Mom because she knew that it was her day off.  Her mom picked up on the third ring and gave her a “Hello,” in the voice of a smoker who has smoked for years and has no plans to quit.

“Hi Mom.”

“Robyn, how are you sweetheart?  Carlita is going to the school dance with that nice boy from down the block, Jimmy.  It’s about time she gave some attention to a nice boy rather than just looking for the good looking heartbreakers.”

“Yeah.”  Robyn knew that her mom felt the same way about her taste in men.  “How much money do I owe you and Dad?”

“I’m not sure sweetie.  We don’t want to put any kind of a burden on you.  Is everything okay?”

“Um, sort of.  A lot is okay and some is not so good.  I got a new job and I can pay you back.  I’ll pay you everything today if I can.  Fuller left me.  I’m pregnant and he was less than thrilled when I told him.”

“I always knew that man was no good for you.  All of my girls are beautiful, but Elza fell in love and settled down with a nice boy.  Why do you and Clarita continue to chase after all of these
boys and men that are no good for you?  Maybe if we’re lucky Clar will decide that she likes Jimmy enough to stick with him.  You set yourself up for heartache Rob.  An attractive face and a well-built body is certainly nice to have in your man, but you need to look for a man that will love you with all of his heart through all of the ups and downs, no matter what he looks like.  I certainly didn’t choose your father for the way he looked.”

Robyn bit back a laugh.  “I don’t care about men anymore.  And even if I did, it’s going to be harder to find a good one while I’m pregnant.  Once I have the baby, I’ll have to be even more cautious.  That really doesn’t make me want to start a relationship anytime soon Mom.”

“You are too beautiful for men not to find you attractive even when your belly is round with child.  Some men are very aroused by the sight of a pregnant woman’s body.”

“Mom.”

“I’m sorry darling.  Congratulations.  Are you sure you don’t want to come home?  I’m sure that it’s going to be hell to get that man to pay to support his child.  We’ll help you.”

“I can’t let you do that.  I’m almost thirty years old and this baby is my responsibility.  I don’t care about child support.  Fuller says that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with our child right now, but he might change his mind later on.  He may be an alcoholic and a jerk, but I can’t take away his right to be a father without ever giving him a chance.”

Mrs. Carmichael sighed.  “You are too soft hearted.  It’s one thing if a man is trying and can’t keep up with his child support.  Sometimes the court system is very unfair to men and expects them to pay unreasonable amounts to the mothers of their children.  But when a man ducks out on child support completely or lies about what he makes, works under the table and does everything he can just so that he won’t have to take responsibility for the life that he helped to create, he doesn’t deserve to be a father.”

“I agree with a lot of what you said Mom, but I can’t keep him away from his child even if he doesn’t give me a dime.”

“You’d better find yourself a man that will take good care of you and is willing to raise another man’s child then.”

“Women and men do it by themselves all of the time.  They’re called single parents.  It might not be easy, but I’ll do it all by myself if I have to.”

“Oh Robyn, you never were one to take the easy route were you?  Just a minute and I’ll see what you owe us.  You don’t have to pay it back all at once and we can help you with things for the baby, though shipping is outrageous.  Elza probably has some things she can pass on to you too. Can you believe that your crazy sister and her husband were thinking about having another baby?  As if six kids aren’t enough.”

Robyn smiled.  “Elza is a wonderful mother.  She’s gonna be lost when her kids are grown and leave the house.  She’ll probably drive Jericho crazy.”

“Maybe then he’ll come to his senses and let her get a job.  I think I might go a little crazy myself when your sister leaves and the day draws all too near.  Clar is so independent already.  She got a job because she wants to buy her own car.  Daddy and I have one picked out for her, but we wanted to wait until she has at least some money saved up.  You’re the only one that we paid for 100% of a car for and that was only because you were more interested in other things when you were younger and didn’t want a car back then.  Anyway, your mother is getting old Robyn.  I apologize for rambling.  I’ll be right back.”

“Okay Mom.”

She heard her mother set the phone aside.  It was several minutes before she came back to the phone.

“I’m sorry Rob.  Daddy makes a mess out of all of the papers when he pays bills.  You owe us $578.  But like I said, don’t worry about paying it all at once.  We’re fine and you have more important things to worry about than paying us back with a baby on the way.”

“I can pay it Mom.  I got kind of a hiring bonus with this new job.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’ a hiring bonus Robyn?  Your boss isn’t some kind of a dirty pervert is he?”

“No Mom.  He’s married.  He’s just very generous.”  Robyn decided not to tell her mom that Gabe had paid for car and had outfitted the baby’s room for her.  It was hard enough for her to understand.

“Hmm.  Men don’t always have the best intentions Rob, especially when you’re a very pretty girl like you are.  You know, I think that if I wouldn’t have married your father, I would have gotten fat on purpose so that I was sure that men were interested in me for me and not just because I was a pretty girl.  You might not believe it to look at me now, but in my day, I was a head turner.”

“I’m sure you were Mom.  I’ll wire you the money and give you the information once it’s sent.”

“If you insist on paying it all back at once, send a money order.  It’s a pain to find somewhere open by the time I get off of work where you can receive money.  Today is my lazy day.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Robyn laughed.  “Okay.  I should let you go now.  Today’s my first day at work and I still have some things to take care of.”

“Call more often honey.  I know that Fuller was somewhat controlling and that he never liked us, so for a while you only called us when you needed money.  But he’s gone and no matter how much it hurts right now, both you and your baby are better off without him.  Call just to talk, and if you need something, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you Mom.  I love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart.  Have a nice day at work.”

“I will.  Bye Mom.”

“Bye Robyn.”

Robyn hung up her phone.  She left her apartment and locked it behind her.  She got into her car, feeling grateful that she had wheels again.  She picked up the money order for her parents, and put it in the mail.  She bought a few groceries and stopped and had lunch at the sandwich shop he had eaten at with Gabe the day before.

By the time she was back home and had put everything away, it was time for her to go to work.  Her heart started to pound as she once again got behind the wheel of her car.  She was nervous about seeing Gabe again, and more nervous about working with Eric than she wanted to think about.

The parking lot of the bar was relatively empty when she got there.  She saw Gabe’s truck and her heart felt like it skipped a beat.  She was way too attracted to him and was worried that she would cross her own line and say or do something inappropriate with him, especially if he made the first move.

Robyn was almost to the door of the bar when a pretty, though almost painfully thin woman with long, dark curls that cascaded down to her waist stepped in her way.

“Hey, you aren’t thinking of applying for a job there are you?”

“Um, I’m actually starting work today.  Why?”

“Get back in your car and get the hell out of here girl.  I am begging you.”

“I’m not trying to be rude, but who are you and why do you care?”

“I’m Angel.  I worked in there and let me tell you, you don’t want to get mixed up with Gabe.”

“It’s nice to meet you Angel, but I really need this job and don’t plan on getting mixed up with Gabe.”

“No one plans on getting mixed up with Gabe.  Well, okay, maybe some stupid bitches probably come here specifically so they can screw his crazy ass but let me tell you girl, ain’t no problem you have that’s worth getting involved with his ass over.  I don’t care what’s going on in your life right now.  Gabe Atkins is not the solution to your problems.”

“I don’t want him to be.  I needed a job, and I have some bartending experience, so I came here.  That’s all.”

“If you insist on going in there, remember what I said.  Don’t get mixed up with Eric either.  I heard he’s not even any good in bed.”

Robyn turned away from the woman and walked into the bar.  She pushed the encounter out of her mind and decided that the woman had probably wanted to go to bed with Gabe the same way that she did, but had been less moral and had made a move on him and been turned down none too kindly.

Eric was the only one behind the bar when she walked in.  He gave her a big grin.  “Hello gorgeous.  We are going to have a great night tonight.”  He winked at her.  “Oh, the boss wants to talk to you.  He’s in his office.”

“Okay.  I’ll try not to take too long.”

Eric shrugged.  “It’s not exactly wall to wall in here Robyn.  Take as long as you need.  You’ve bartended before so it shouldn’t take too much to get you right back into the routine.”

“Okay.  Thanks.”

She walked away down the hall.  The door to Gabe’s office was closed.  She knocked. 

“Come in.”

She opened the door, went inside and then closed it behind her.  He was sitting behind the desk, looking even better than he had the day before.  His t-shirt matched the color of his eyes perfectly and made them stand out even more in his handsome face. 

“Eric said you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes.  Sit down.”

She sat down.  His face was serious.  She wondered what was on his mind.

“Do you have a doctor in mind for your prenatal care?”

“I looked at the list that they gave me at the free clinic.  I was going to choose one that was close to my house since I didn’t figure that I would be getting my car back anytime soon.  Other than that, I hadn’t really thought about it.”