Christmas Baby. Judy Duarte

two hours away. How could they possibly consider joint custody until the child was older? And even then, she wasn’t willing to enter an arrangement like that until she knew him better and could determine whether he harbored either a short fuse or a violent streak.

      She placed the lid back on her soup container, no longer hungry. Why had she told him she was pregnant? Okay, so it wouldn’t have been right to keep it from him, but she was having serious misgivings.

      Shane pushed his food aside. “Look, I didn’t mean that I expected to have the baby every other weekend, it’s just that… Well, I have a big family and a lot of nieces and nephews. I want them to know my son and to be able to play with him.”

      “Your son?” She smiled, assuming that he probably thought he could relate better to a boy—playing ball, riding horses and whatever activities daddies liked to do with their children. “What if the baby is a girl?”

      He paused, and that fleeting shadow darkened his eyes again, moving on as quickly as it had arisen.

      “A little girl would be fine with me,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure out how to make a difficult situation work out for everyone involved.”

      “Everyone?”

      “You, me and the baby.”

      Jillian thought about that for a moment, then decided that he wasn’t being completely unreasonable. “I suppose you could drive to Houston on the weekends and visit us.”

      Again, he stiffened, as if offended by the offer.

      “I’d also be happy to invite your nieces and nephews over to spend time with their new cousin,” she added.

      He seemed to be mulling that over. Couldn’t he see that she was willing to compromise—when possible?

      She reached across the table and placed her hand on his forearm, felt the strength of well-defined muscles. “I’m sure you’re a wonderful man, Shane. And that you’ll make a great father. It’s just that…I don’t really know that yet. I don’t know much about you. I’m sorry if I’m coming across as resistant or difficult. My motherly instincts must be coming into play.”

      At that, she could feel the tension ease in his forearm, and his expression softened.

      “I already made a mistake by marrying a man I couldn’t trust,” she said. “So I hope you won’t blame me for being gun-shy when it comes to jumping into any kind of relationship, especially when I have a baby to consider this time around.”

      He placed his hand on top of hers, his touch sending a whisper of heat coursing through her.

      Yet it was the intensity of his gaze, the ragged sincerity in his eyes, that urged her to give him a chance—to give them all one.

      “I can’t blame you for wanting to be careful,” he said. “I’m a little gun-shy, too. And since you’re going to be the mother of my baby, I’d like to know with absolute certainty that you’ll make a good one.”

      She hadn’t realized that he had some of the same concerns that she had, a thought that soared crazily like a broken kite on a snapped string.

      “You could be a good actress,” he said, “but something tells me that you’re every bit the woman I thought you were when I showed up at your house in Houston, hoping a long-distance relationship might work out between us. But back then, I figured it was worth the risk of striking out if you’d rejected the idea.”

      “And now?”

      “With a baby in the balance, I think it’s critical for us to know the truth about each other.”

      She couldn’t agree more.

      After a beat, she asked, “So now what? Where do we go from here?”

      She expected his gaze to travel to the bed in the center of the room. After all, that’s where they knew each other best. But instead, he focused on her, this time turning her heart inside out.

      “You mentioned that your fall semester will be starting,” he said.

      “Yes, in three weeks.” She’d also planned to take a class through the local YMCA on newborn and infant development in the evenings. And she hoped to start preparing a nursery.

      He leaned forward, his hand still lightly pressing on hers. “Why don’t you come out to Brighton Valley while you’re still out of school? I’ll cut back on my hours at the ranch, and we can use the time to get to know each other better.”

      The invitation took her aback, yet she thought long and hard over what he was proposing.

      Where would she stay? Even a room at the Night Owl would get expensive after a while. She’d been trying to stretch her dollars so that her money would last until she secured a teaching position and could afford day care.

      As if reading her mind, he said, “You can stay in my apartment with me. I’ll sleep on the sofa—if you’re worried about my motives.”

      She wasn’t sure how she felt about any of what he was suggesting, but they did need time to get to know each other. And staying with him seemed like a logical plan, at least, financially speaking.

      “All right,” she said. “I’ll come to Brighton Valley for a couple of weeks. And I’ll stay with you.”

      He sat back in his seat, his eyes growing bright. “I think you’ve made a good decision.”

      She wasn’t so sure about that.

      Staying with him could make things a lot more complicated than they were right now.

      Especially since she wasn’t excited about him sleeping on the sofa when she knew how much she’d once enjoyed having him in her bed.

      Two weeks later, after paying the woman who’d scrubbed his apartment from top to bottom and sending her on her way, Shane stood in the living room, surveying the results of her efforts and breathing in the scent of lemon oil and various cleaning products.

      It’s not as though he was a slob, but he wanted Jillian to be comfortable while she stayed with him. Of course, he had no idea how she might feel about him living in an apartment over Caroline’s Diner.

      When Shane had first come to Brighton Valley, he’d stopped for lunch at the small-town restaurant, where he’d had the best chicken and dumplings he’d ever eaten. His waitress had asked if he was new in town, and when he’d nodded, she’d told him about the vacancy upstairs. So after meeting Dan Walker and landing a job as a ranch hand that very same day, he’d realized that his luck had finally begun to turn.

      Dan had also told him he could stay in the bunkhouse, but while Shane had appreciated the offer, he’d graciously declined. He preferred having a place of his own, where he could hang his hat and escape after a hard day’s labor.

      And so he’d set about making his new digs feel like home, adding a few pieces of furniture now and then, as well as a flat-screen television and a state-of-the-art sound system. He might not spend very much time at home, but when he did, he wanted a few comforts.

      Hopefully, Jillian would find the apartment appealing, as well. After all, she’d be living here for the next two weeks.

      Shane crossed the floor to the kitchen, where the sink, countertops and appliances all sparkled. Then he opened the fridge, which he’d stocked with food and drinks after a run to the market last night. Jillian would have plenty of stuff to choose from, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

      Now all he had to do was wait for her to arrive.

      After closing the refrigerator, he strode to the window and peered into the street, expecting her to arrive soon—unless she’d gotten lost along the way.

      He was really looking forward to seeing her again, although he felt badly about leaving Dan Walker in a lurch for the next week. But Dan was a family man and understood the situation, once Shane had explained the surprising