Nine Months Part 2. BEVERLY BARTON

told me he didn’t.” Gripping the pencil in her hand, Paige rubbed her thumb up and down the smooth wood surface. “L. J. Montgomery doesn’t believe in love. He never planned to marry for love. Besides, if he loved me, he wouldn’t want to change me into his idea of a perfect wife. He’d accept me for exactly who I am. I tried to change myself for Keith and he dumped me for someone else. Someone more suitable. Believe me, I learned my lesson. I’ll never try to be someone I’m not.”

      “Oh, Paige. You poor little romantic fool.” Kay sighed dramatically. “Millions of people marry for love, and what does it get them? Half those love matches end in divorce, like mine did. L.J. is offering you something better than love. He’s offering you a lifetime of security. For you and your baby.”

      “It’s not enough. Call me a romantic fool if you want to. Maybe I am. But I grew up with two parents who, after nearly thirty years of marriage, are still deeply in love. That kind of relationship is what I’ve wanted all my life. Jared sees me and this baby—” Paige circled her palm over her tummy “—as a mistake he has to correct. He wants to marry me for the baby’s sake and then make me over to suit his idea of a perfect wife.”

      “So, you’ve made up your mind not to marry him?”

      “I have. Now all I have to do is convince Jared that I mean what I say.” Paige snapped the pencil in two, then threw the halves into the wastebasket.

      “You may be fighting a losing battle.” Kay gazed sympathetically at Paige. “After all, let’s face it—what woman could resist L. J. Montgomery indefinitely? Especially a woman who’s already halfway in love with him. And you are, aren’t you?”

      Before Paige could reply, someone knocked loudly on the door. Paige jumped. Gasping, Kay jerked around in her chair.

      “‘Morning, ladies.” A clean-cut young man stood in the doorway holding a vase filled with a large number of red roses. “I’m looking for a Paige Summers. These are for her.”

      “Bring them in here, sonny,” Kay said. “This—” she pointed at Paige “—is Ms. Summers.”

      “Where do you want them, ma’am?” he asked.

      “Just put them here on my desk,” Paige said.

      The minute the deliveryman left, Kay snatched up the attached card, opened it and handed it to Paige. “So, what does it say?”

      Paige read aloud. “Marry me.”

      Fingering the petals on the long-stemmed beauties as she silently counted them, Kay sighed. “You’ve got to give Jared credit. The man knows all the tricks. What woman doesn’t love red roses. And two dozen!”

      “This is a perfect example of how little Jared knows me,” Paige said. “He chose red roses for his ideal fiancée, but I prefer white roses. If he cared about me, truly cared, he’d bother to find out who I am and what I like.”

      Greg Addison marched into Paige’s office, followed by a young woman wearing brown slacks and matching shirt, the emblem of a local delivery service stitched on her shirt pocket. She carried two boxes wrapped in pink paper and tied with white ribbon.

      “So the campaign begins.” Greg eyed the roses, then pointed to Paige. “There she is. The beautiful redhead behind the desk is Ms. Summers.”

      The deliverywoman asked Paige to sign for the two items, then as soon as that requirement was out of the way, she handed the gifts to Paige and left.

      Paige stared at the boxes, knowing that Jared had sent them. Flowers. Gifts. What next? she wondered.

      “Go ahead and open them,” Greg said. “I’m eager to see what the father-to-be has sent the mother-to-be.”

      Paige glared at Greg. “How did you know? No, no, don’t tell me. Jared shared the news about our blessed event with you, too, didn’t he.”

      “Yep. He came by my apartment last night and confessed all.” Shaking his head, Greg clicked his tongue. “My, my, Ms. Summers, you amaze me. You, a lowly working girl, have accomplished what every wealthy debutante and society maid in two dozen states have failed to accomplish. You’ve brought the great man to his knees.”

      “Quit being such a jerk,” Kay said. “She didn’t get pregnant by herself, you know.”

      Paige gasped, amazed that Kay would speak to her boss in such a way.

      “The woman knows I won’t fire her,” Greg said. “I can’t get along without her. She knows more about Montgomery Real Estate and Land Development than I do. And I’m sorry, Paige, if what I said offended you. I didn’t mean it that way. You’ll have to pardon me if I find this whole situation rather amusing and if I milk it for all it’s worth.”

      “I’m afraid I fail to find the humor in all this, Mr. Addison,” Paige said.

      “Greg has a rather warped sense of humor.” Kay stood, slipped her arm through Greg’s and nodded toward the open door. “Why don’t we leave Paige alone and let her open her gifts?”

      “Is it true that you turned down his marriage proposal?” Greg asked.

      “Yes.” Paige wondered who else Jared had shared their little secret with. Had he taken out an ad in the paper?

      “Then be prepared,” Greg told her. “He’s mounting a full-fledged attack. L.J. is a man with a mission, and you, little lady, have no idea what you’re in for. I’ve seen him in action before. He always gets what he wants, and he wants you.”

      “Come on, doomsayer. Paige needs time to open her gifts and collect her thoughts before the man in question arrives.” Kay led Greg toward the door. “She’s giving him his ring back as soon as he comes in.”

      “I’d give a month’s salary to see that,” Greg said.

      Kay closed the door on her way out, leaving Paige alone, staring at the two pink boxes. Go ahead and get it over with, she told herself. They’re gifts, not bombs. Maybe she shouldn’t open them. Maybe she should just return them to him still prettily wrapped when she gave him back his ring.

      Reaching out hesitantly, she ran her finger over the satin ribbon on the larger box. What sort of presents had Jared sent? Paige untied the ribbon, ripped off the paper and removed the lid. Beneath the pink tissue paper lay a white leather photo album. A handwritten note had been placed on top.

      With trembling fingers, Paige picked up the note. For all the pictures we’re going to take of our little girl. Tears welled up in her eyes. She already had the first pictures of their baby—the sonogram pictures—and she hadn’t shared them with Jared.

      Wiping her tears, Paige opened the second gift. Inside, a tiny silver spoon nestled against another note. After picking up the spoon, she saw the letter A engraved on the handle. She lifted the note. I’ve decided I like the name Angela. Do you?

      What was she going to do with Jared Montgomery? How was she going to fight a man so determined to marry her, especially when she would not only be fighting Jared, but her own desires, too?

      * * *

      Smiling and self-confident, Jared breezed into Paige’s office at ten o’clock. “Good morning, honey.” He glanced at the roses on her desk. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? Bright sunshine, crisp autumn air, red roses for my favorite redhead and—”

      “Jared, may I see you in your office right now?” Paige scooted back her chair, stood and walked around her desk.

      “Did you get the gifts?” he asked.

      “Yes, thank you. They’re both very nice. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to buy the roses and the gifts and have them delivered before business hours.” She nodded toward his closed office door.

      “Money has its privileges.” Jared opened the door, stood back and waited for her to enter first. The minute she was inside his office, he closed and locked the