The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda / High-Society Seduction: The Tycoon's Paternity Agenda / High-Society Seduction. Michelle Celmer

      Or maybe he didn’t see it that way. Maybe he truly didn’t give a damn what they thought.

      “As I told Katy, I have no intention of keeping the child from you,” he assured them, in a tone that showed no hint of impatience, and Katy went limp with relief. “You’ll be his or her only grandparents. In fact, I think that spending time on the ranch will be an enriching experience.”

      “I’m also not sure I like the idea of Katy being your surrogate,” her father added, and suddenly everyone looked at her.

      “I have my concerns as well, Mr. Huntley. But she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

      “I think we all know how stubborn she can be,” her father said, talking about her as though she wasn’t sitting right there. “I’d like to see her concentrate on finding a husband, and having kids of her own.”

      She was so sick of that tired old argument. Just because practically every other woman in her family married young and immediately started squeezing out babies, that didn’t mean it was right for her.

      “I’m not ready for a husband or kids,” she told her father. Or more accurately, they weren’t ready for her. Every time she thought she’d found Mr. Right, he turned out to be Mr. Right Now, then inevitably became Mr. Last Week. She was beginning to suspect that these men who kept breaking her heart knew something she didn’t. Like maybe she just wasn’t marriage material.

      “You might feel differently when you meet the right man,” he countered. “And besides, I don’t think you realize how hard this will be. And what if, God forbid, something happens, then you can’t have kids of your own? You could regret it the rest of your life.”

      “What if I walk out the door and get hit by lightning?” she snapped. “Do you expect me to stop going outside?”

      He cast her a stern look, and she bit her tongue.

      “Gabe,” her mother said gently. “You know that my pregnancies were completely uneventful. And Katy has always been just like me. She’ll do fine. You have to admit it will be nice to have a grandbaby.” Moisture welled in the corners of her eyes. “To have a part of Rebecca with us.”

      “I assure you that Katy will have the best prenatal care available,” Adam told them. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”

      The way he hadn’t let anything happen to Becca?

      The question hung between them unspoken. It was hard not to blame Adam for Becca’s death. Though he had done everything within his power to save her. She had seen the best doctors, received the most effective, groundbreaking treatment money could buy. Unfortunately it hadn’t been enough.

      If she hadn’t insisted they harvest the damned eggs …

      “What about multiples?” her father asked. “She’s not going to be like that octo-mom and have eight babies.”

      “Absolutely not. The doctor has already made it clear that for a woman Katy’s age, with no prior fertility issues, he won’t implant more that two embryos at a time. And if Katy is uncomfortable with the idea of carrying twins, we’ll only implant one. It’s her call.”

      “But the odds are better if they implant two?” Katy asked.

      “Yes.”

      “So we’ll do two.”

      “You’re sure?” Adam asked. “Maybe you should take some more time to think about it.”

      “I don’t need time. I’m sure.”

      “Could you imagine that?” her mother said. “Two grandbabies!”

      “I still don’t like it,” her father said, then he looked at his wife and his expression softened. “But it wouldn’t be the first time the women in this family have overruled me.”

      “So it’s settled,” Katy said, before he could change his mind, with a finality that she hoped stuck this time.

      “When will this happen?” Katy’s mom asked.

      “We have an appointment with a fertility specialist next Wednesday,” Adam told her. “First he has to do a full exam and determine if she’s healthy enough to become pregnant. Then he’ll determine the optimal time for the implantation.”

      “So if everything looks good, it could be soon,” Katy said, feeling excited. “I could be pregnant as soon as next month.”

      “And if it doesn’t work?” her father asked.

      “We try again,” Adam said. “If we do two embryos at a time, we can do three implantations.”

      “It sounds so simple,” her mother said, but Katy knew things like this were never as simple as they sounded. That didn’t mean they weren’t worth doing.

      “And if none of them take?” Katy asked.

      “I’ll consider adoption.”

      “We appreciate you coming all the way out here to talk to us,” her mother said. “I know it’s eased my mind.”

      Adam looked at his watch. “But I should be going. I need to get back to El Paso.”

      “But you just got here,” Katy said, surprised that after such a long drive he would want to get back on the road so soon. Was he really so uncomfortable there that he couldn’t stick around for a couple of hours? What would he do when the baby was born? Would they always be coming to him?

      “The least we can do is feed you supper,” her mother said.

      “I appreciate the offer, but I have an important meeting Monday that I need to prepare for. Maybe some other time.”

      They all knew those were just polite words. There wouldn’t be another time. He wouldn’t be coming back if he could possibly avoid it.

      Katy rose to her feet. “I’ll walk you out.”

      He said a somewhat stiff goodbye to her parents, then followed Katy out the front door. The moist heat was almost suffocating as they stepped out onto the porch. Adam’s driver had taken refuge in the limo and was reading a newspaper, but when he saw them emerge he swiftly opened his door and got out. Katy turned to Adam, thinking that he had to be roasting in his suit and anxious to get back into the cool car.

      “Thanks again for coming all the way out here. And thanks for being so patient with my father.” It had to be doubly weird for him, trying to convince her parents she would be a good surrogate, when he himself still had doubts.

      “It wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be. Knowing your father holds me responsible for Becca’s death, I realize it can’t be easy for him to entrust me with the care of his only living child.”

      “Why would you think that?” she asked, although for the life of her she didn’t know why she gave a damn what he believed.

      He gave her a “spare me” look. “Not that I blame him. I should have been able to save her.”

      “Sounds like maybe it’s you who holds you responsible.”

      If her words bothered him, he didn’t let on. “I’ve made my peace with Becca’s death.”

      “Your actions would suggest otherwise, Adam.”

      He looked at her for a second, like he might say something else, something snarky, then he seemed to change his mind.

      He turned and walked down the steps. Reece opened the rear car door, but before he got in, Adam turned back to her.

      “By the way, I wanted to apologize again, for what happened upstairs.”

      She folded her arms under her breasts. “You mean when you stared at me while I was naked?”

      Reece’s eyes widened for an instant, before he caught himself and wiped the surprised