A Baby by Chance (12 page)

Chance gave her hand a final squeeze, then lingered and watched her head up the stairs. “See you then.”

* * *

C
HANCE WOKE
AT
four-thirty. He got up, showered, shaved and dressed and put the coffee on. At five, he heard Madison’s alarm go off. It rang. And rang. And rang. Fifteen seconds passed. Then thirty. Forty-five. And still not a sound, not a movement from her bedroom upstairs. Heart pounding, he took the steps two at a time.

“Madison?” He rapped on the door.

Again, there was no answer, only the monotonous, jarring ring of her alarm. Why wasn’t she waking up? Feeling something was wrong, he shoved open the door. And stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.

CHAPTER FIVE

T
RY AS HE MIGHT
, Chance couldn’t tear his eyes from the sleeping Madison. Clad only in a white V-neck T-shirt and panties, she was tangled sexily in the covers. Beside her, the alarm went on and on, as shrill and commanding as a civil defense siren in the early morning silence of the ranch.

Chance didn’t see how anyone could sleep through that noise, no matter how tired they were. Unless... His stomach tightened as the unthinkable occurred to him. Cursing himself for a fool all the while, he rushed forward. Turned on the bedside lamp with one hand and grabbed her wrist with the other. To his relief, her pulse was strong.

Madison’s eyes opened slowly. Spying him standing beside her bed, she smiled dreamily. Rolling onto her side, she cuddled closer and pressed her cheek against the back of his hand. Sighed blissfully. And promptly fell right back asleep.

By now, Chance’s lower half was on full alert and aching with the need to possess her. But that was not, he reminded himself firmly, part of their deal. She was here so they could work out an arrangement to share their baby. That was all.

Aware the alarm was still shrieking and that she must truly be exhausted if she could sleep through that
and
his presence in her bedroom, he leaned over the double bed and reached across her. To his chagrin, his fingers fell just short of the shut-off switch.

Her cheek still resting slumberously on his hand, he pressed his knees against the side of the bed and leaned a little farther. Almost there. Beginning to perspire, so great was his effort not to disturb the sweetly slumbering woman, he pressed his knees even harder into the mattress and gave one last try.

He grinned as his fingers came in contact with the switch. There was a click, then blissful silence. Letting out a short exhalation of relief, Chance began to draw back carefully. And it was then that her eyes opened again and she saw him, arm stretched out over top of her.

She blinked. Blinked again. Fiery temper flashed in her eyes.

“I can explain,” Chance said hurriedly.

“I’ll just bet you can!” Madison thrust his hand away from her and struggled to a sitting position.

Chance tried not to notice how great she looked in the man’s T-shirt and bikini panties, her long bare legs drawn up in front of her, arms clasped around them. Forcing himself to tear his eyes from the tousled silky blond hair and her sleep-flushed face, he explained evenly, “Your alarm went off.”

Madison shoved her hand through her hair, pushing it off her face. She glanced at the clock radio beside her bed, then at him. Her lower lip slid out in a pretty pout. “I didn’t hear it.”

Chance shrugged and crossed his arms in front of him as he continued to reason with her. “I don’t know how,” he told her dryly. “It was louder than a civil defense siren.”

She paused, wet her lips. Recognition came into her eyes. Finally, she seemed to notice he was already up, showered, shaved and ready to take on the day. She was the one still lazing around in bed, despite her claims that she would get up and join him at five. Madison glanced at the clock. It was 5:06. Blushing, she grabbed for the end of the sheet and tugged it nearly to her waist. He could tell she wanted to believe he was not just trying out some new, inventive way to get them in a compromising situation, but she still wasn’t completely convinced. He watched her inhale deeply the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Noticed the fact her bedside lamp was on, illuminating the dawn-gray room. She let out a soft sigh. “How long did it go off?” she asked finally.

“Three or four minutes.” Chance repressed the urge to take her in his arms and hold her close. “And, given how loud it was, I worried something might be wrong.” He grinned, unable to resist teasing her a little. “I came in to check. I thought you might be unconscious. Either that or suddenly deaf.”

Madison wrinkled her nose at him. “Hardly.”

Unable to take his eyes from her, Chance moved his shoulders in an exaggerated show of modesty. “So I checked for a pulse, and that’s when you grabbed me.”

Madison’s eyes widened. “I grabbed you!” she echoed breathlessly.

“Yes. And put your cheek on my hand.” Her temper appealed to him as much as her passion. “I didn’t want to wake you. The alarm was still going off. I reached across you, doing my best not to disturb you, and finally shut the damn thing off. I was just trying to get out of here when you woke up.”

Apparently realizing he was telling the truth, Madison scowled. “Must have been the absence of sound that disturbed me.”

“I guess.” Chance paused. More than anything, he wanted her to know she could trust him. Not just to behave, but with her life. “Anyway, I’m sorry,” he continued. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Having recovered from the shock of finding him next to her, she sent him an amused look. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t,” Chance promised, trying not to notice the growing voluptuousness of her breasts, “as long as you shut off the alarm, or better yet, don’t set it at all.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Madison took a deep breath that lifted the soft curves of her breasts all the more. “How else will I get up?”

Needing to think about something besides the imprint of her nipples against the soft cotton of her T-shirt, Chance studied the fatigue on her face and thought about the baby—their baby. “You could just sleep till you wake up.”

She arched her silky blond brows in subtle warning, tossed back the covers and, ignoring her sexy dishabille and its effect on him, shot to her feet. “Then I’d never get up.”

Aware how happy he was she was carrying his baby, even if the pregnancy had been unplanned, Chance countered with a matter-of-fact tone bound to irk. “You would if you were rested.”

“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” Madison stalked past him, seemingly unaware her T-shirt was twisted up in back to reveal her panties and several inches of creamy backside.

Wishing he could do what he felt like doing—which was take her in his arms and kiss her long and hard—Chance shifted position to ease the increasing tightness at the front of his jeans. “Doesn’t appear to me to be doing any good if I am,” he observed.

Madison tossed her head. Silky blond hair flew in every direction. “You’ve got that right.” She tugged on a thigh-length kimono and belted it around her. She regarded him with a questioning look. “Hope that coffee I smell is decaf.”

Chance frowned at his obvious oversight. “Sorry,” he reluctantly told her. “But I’ll get some.”

“Thanks.” Madison ran a brush through her hair, then pivoting gracefully, headed for the bathroom they shared. “I’d appreciate it. I’ll be down shortly.” She tossed the words cavalierly over her shoulder before disappearing behind the door and closing it softly. “And you can show me how your days usually begin on the ranch.”

* * *

C
HANCE WAS AMAZED
to find how much he liked having her on his ranch. Generally, he wasn’t much for company in the form of overnight guests—never mind ones that planned to stay for days on end, constantly disrupting and interfering with his routine. But he enjoyed preparing breakfast for someone other than himself and had orange juice, cereal, milk and toast waiting for Madison when she strode into the kitchen a few minutes later.

He was pleased to see she had put on a long-sleeved red denim shirt, jeans and boots instead of a business suit. He was less pleased to see she was carrying a steno pad and pen in her hand. Didn’t she ever quit, even for a minute? Her hair had been tied at the nape of her neck with a ribbon. She wore no makeup. Without it, she looked surprisingly youthful and innocent in a freshly scrubbed sort of way. He liked that, too, although whether she’d done it because she thought it made her less attractive or because she was starting to let her guard down with him a little bit, he didn’t know. In any case, it didn’t matter. With clothes, without, makeup on or off, she was as attractive to him as ever. He wondered what she would think if she knew that, but knew better than to tell her.

Together, they sat down to eat.

“So, what do you usually do most mornings after breakfast?” Madison asked in the same brisk, businesslike tone she had used the evening before.

Chance watched her sip her juice and tried not to think how her soft lips had felt ghosting over his skin, or how long it would be before he felt them again. Not long, if he had his way, that was for damn sure. “Depends on whether it’s one of the days I have my part-time help here or not.” Chance dug into his wheat flakes with gusto and tried not to think about making love to her again. He couldn’t afford to rush things here. Rushing things was what had gotten them into so much trouble in the first place.

“The boys from Lost Springs don’t come every day?” Madison asked in the soft throaty voice that had so undone him the month before they’d met in person.

Aware she was studying him from beneath that fringe of blond lashes, Chance gulped his coffee. The burning liquid in his throat was nothing compared to the scorching heat in his groin and the warmth gathering in his chest. “They always get Sundays off,” he told her, as if that was all he’d been thinking about. “During the summer, they come in the middle of the day, unless I need extra help, but in the school year it’s late afternoons only.”

Madison sipped her milk. “They won’t be in the commercial anyway, so just forget them for a moment. For our purposes, pretend you’re running the ranch alone, with no assistance whatsoever.” She searched his eyes. “What would you do around here first thing in the morning?”

After making slow, leisurely love to you?
Chance wondered silently, easily imagining Madison living here with him—as his woman—even after their baby was born.

Aware she was waiting for his answer, he smiled and said, “I’d go out and feed and water the horses and muck out the stalls. Put the horses in the pastures, and work with the ones on the schedule for that day.”

“Would you mind doing that for me this morning?”

“Not at all.” He’d be happy to do a lot more for her, too.

Madison jotted a few notes, then looked at him seriously. “Will you mind if I take pictures of you while you’re working? It will help me a lot. I can send them back to AMV and Connelly and Associates. It’ll help in the preparations. The more that’s decided before the director and the crew actually get here, the faster the filming of the commercial will be.”

Chance was all for getting them in and out as quickly as possible. “Fine,” he said shortly. As much as he liked having Madison with him, he was not looking forward to filming the damn commercial. On the other hand, it was what had brought him and Madison together again, giving their relationship—whatever it turned out to be—another chance.

Madison made a few more notes while she munched her cereal, then rubbed her forehead as if she had the beginnings of a headache.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Chance asked gruffly, wishing she’d realize it didn’t hurt to give herself a break every now and then.

Madison gave him a look that reminded him to mind his own business. “If I’m tired later, I’ll nap. But I’m used to going all day long.”

Was she ever, Chance thought hours later. In fact, she was damn near indefatigable, asking questions, making notes, snapping photos of him at every turn. At first he was self-conscious. It felt odd, having her follow him around, peppering him with questions, documenting practically every breath he took. But he got used to it, even if he couldn’t stop wanting to kiss and hold and make love to her all over again.

By the time the evening rolled around and the Lost Springs boys had left for the day, it felt as if Madison had been on the ranch with him forever. It was going to be damn lonely if and when she left again. But he didn’t want to think about the inevitable. Not while she was here.

“What do you want to do this evening?” he asked after they had both showered and put together a supper of baked chicken, garlic roasted potatoes, green beans and fresh fruit.

Madison shot him an amazed look as she helped carry their food to the table. Her hair was still damp from her shower, her cheeks and nose pink from a day spent in the sun. In deference to the warmth of the summer evening, she had dressed in a snug-fitting red T-shirt and khaki hiking shorts that showed off her deliciously long legs. Her skin was as soft and luminous as her hair, and her bare feet were every bit as sexy as the rest of her, the shapely toenails painted a delicate shell pink. Next to her, dressed in faded jeans, boots and a khaki shirt, Chance felt almost overdressed.

He held out her chair, and Madison slid into it gracefully. She thanked him with a smile, then spread her napkin on her lap. “I’m going to work.”

“You’ve already worked all day,” Chance pointed out. Madison had surprised him by being an excellent cook. She almost put his considerable culinary skills to shame.

Madison sipped her milk while he dug into the food with gusto. “There’s a lot to do to get this campaign up and rolling in six weeks,” she said, taking a delicate bite of chicken.

Chance shrugged and passed her the basket of oven-warmed rolls. He was willing to do whatever it took to protect her and their baby. “We can expand the time.” Hell, he’d like to draw out her stay with him.

Madison shook her head. “The client would never allow it.” Her eyes flashed a storm warning. “They’ve got to have the campaign up and running by the end of the summer in order to get ready for the January debut of the Ranchero.”