Baby Before Business (Silhouette Romance) (11 page)

And that was the bottom line. He hadn’t simply given up on the idea of relationships eight years ago when Anita shafted him. He’d given up his own personal pleasure so that the people of Porter would be employed, his parents’ dream would live and he, Seth and Cooper would be respected.

After so many years, he couldn’t just throw it all away.

Especially not for a woman.

It seemed insane.

It
was
insane.

And he wouldn’t do it.

T
he sun was warm and bright on the morning Ty was to make the presentation of the playground equipment to the day care. Madelyn and Ty hadn’t really spoken since their conversation when she told him she wanted his heart, but she had watched him wage a battle of sorts all week. Try as he might, he couldn’t go back to being Tyrant Ty. He wanted to. She knew he believed that was how he had become successful. But after his experimental day of being nice to his employees, he simply could not be as cool and remote as he had been. He also couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off
her.
More than that, though, she’d seen him reach to touch her several times, then pull back, as if he couldn’t prevent his instinct, but refused to succumb to it.

At least not yet. Whether Ty liked it or not, he was changing, and Madelyn decided all she had to do was let nature take its course and soon Ty would be accustomed
to this new way of living. And once he got accustomed to his new behaviors, he would realize having her in his life was a big part of that.

But for now there was still a struggle going on. That was why she wasn’t surprised when he hired a limousine to take them to the presentation. It was his way of trying to hang on to his former style of doing things. But again, Madelyn wasn’t worried. Ty might arrive as the distanced executive determined to maintain the identity he’d built, but once he gave the speech she had written and the townspeople applauded both his comments and his generosity, Tyrant Ty would be a memory.

The chauffeur pulled the limousine onto the back driveway of the two-story frame dwelling on Marigold Street that housed the day care. After a few seconds, the uniformed man opened Ty’s door. Ty stepped out and reached in to get Sabrina. The chauffeur assisted Madelyn.

“We won’t be more than an hour,” Ty told the driver, then faced Madelyn. As he juggled his briefcase and Sabrina, and Madelyn arranged the jacket of her pale peach suit, Seth walked across the grassy backyard.

“Good morning,” he said, taking Sabrina from Ty.

“Good morning, Seth,” Madelyn said brightly, filled with enthusiasm.

“Good morning, Seth,” Ty said, clearly not as upbeat and happy as Madelyn, but she didn’t care. She was confident enough for both of them.

“Since the two of you are going to be busy,” Seth said, straightening the pink bonnet on Sabrina’s head to provide maximum protection from the midmorning sun, “I thought I would take the baby and spend some time getting to know her.”

Madelyn watched Sabrina as she cocked her head and studied Seth. The baby had seen Seth only the few times Madelyn had brought her to work. Though he’d held her once, they really didn’t “know” each other. Still, Sabrina wasn’t afraid of him, simply curious.

“I think it’s a good idea for you to spend some time with her,” Madelyn agreed.

Ty shook his head. “You mean you’re not going to force me to hold her while I make the presentation speech to remind everybody I have a big heart?”

“You do have a big heart,” Seth said, but he walked away and Madelyn realized something else she’d been missing up until now. Seth quietly, subtly reminded Ty of his good points as much as she did.

When Seth was gone, Madelyn faced Ty. She and Seth easily saw his goodness, and this morning the residents of Porter would see it, too. Because deep down inside he was a good man.

She straightened his pale-blue tie, then smoothed her fingers down the lapel of his navy blue jacket. “No baby today.”

“Wow. You’re going to let me loose on the community with no prop.”

“You don’t need a prop.” Hands flattened against his lapels, Madelyn stepped closer. “You’re smart,” she said, letting herself get closer still. “You’re more responsible than any man I’ve ever met,” she added, rising to her tiptoes so their mouths were only a breath apart. “And you look fabulous.”

With that compliment, she breached the final space between them and touched her lips to his. She felt his sharp intake of air, but when she pressed in closer, allowing
their bodies to touch, she heard the thump of his briefcase falling to the ground. She knew she’d annihilated him the way he had the first time he’d kissed her.

She felt his hands on her back and deepened the kiss. His mouth automatically opened to hers and right there on the sidewalk she took him as high and as far as propriety allowed. Then she stepped back and smiled at the stunned, aroused expression on his face.

“You’re also a good man. Not perfect. But good. In fact, I believe that so much, I’m not even going to insist that you give my speech. I want you to go out there and speak from your heart.”

His voice was sinfully smoky when he said, “You’re not coming with me?”

Madelyn struggled to stay where she was. She wanted to grab his hand, take him home and entice him to fulfill the promise that sizzled between them. But right now it was more important to show him he
didn’t
need her.

“Nope. You don’t need Sabrina and you don’t need me. I want you to see for yourself that these people like you for you.” She caught Ty’s gaze and held it. “Just as I believe that underneath all your gruffness you’re a good man, I also believe that deep down all these people like you. I don’t see how anybody could resist you. God knows I sometimes can’t. Just be yourself.”

With that she walked away.

And openmouthed with pure unadulterated shock, Ty stared at her retreating back. He would have worried that after that kiss he wouldn’t be able to think about anything but making love to Madelyn…. Except she’d inspired him. No, she hadn’t inspired him. She’d
challenged
him. She believed he was a good man and she believed these people liked him. If he didn’t somehow get them to show it, he would let her down.

And after that kiss he couldn’t let her down.

He
wouldn’t
let her down.

But he and Madelyn would be doing more than talking after they returned home from this event. Madelyn might think she couldn’t sleep with him unless he gave her his heart, but she had enough of his heart for the time being. He might not be giving her the total commitment she wanted or expected, but tonight he wasn’t letting her out of her flirting so easily.

Tonight he would prove to her that they were exactly where they were supposed to be for the amount of time they had known each other. He’d compromised enough. It was time for her to do something for him.

With Seth minding Sabrina, and Madelyn making her way to the front of the house to stand with the day-care moms, grandparents and just plain curious Porter residents, Ty walked to the back porch alone. He climbed the steps, but before he reached the screen door, Amanda Jennings opened it.

A short woman, with straight brown hair cut in a line about ear-length and big blue eyes, Amanda resembled a doll. Ty could understand why the kids adored her.

“Good morning, Mr. Bryant.”

“Good morning, Amanda. Are we ready?”

“Yes, it’s almost ten. I have a table set up on the front porch,” she said, leading Ty through a room full of toy boxes and shelves littered with dolls, trucks and board games. “I think this would work best if you said a few words to the people who are gathered, then hand me the
truck that symbolizes the gym equipment that will be delivered Monday. I’ll thank you for your generosity, then we can cut a piece of the cake that’s on the table.” She paused and glanced back at Ty. “Since we don’t have a ribbon or anything to cut. After that, we’ll step out of the way and my staff will finish cutting the cake and serve it.”

Ty nodded, but his stomach was tied in knots inside. It was one thing to use the public elevator and say good morning to a few people. It was quite another to stand in front of the spouses, children and parents of his employees and give a donation that could very well be construed as him trying to buy the town’s affection before the
Wall Street Journal
reporter arrived on Monday.

Still, after Amanda introduced him, Ty confidently stepped forward and gave the speech Madelyn had written about creating leaders because he believed its message was true. The remarks had seemed like a piece of drivel when he’d first read them. But today he sincerely hoped that somehow or another the care and generosity of a community could inspire a child to become a leader.

When he was done, he turned and handed Amanda the truck that symbolized the equipment he had donated. Overcome with emotion, Amanda unexpectedly hugged him. Ty was too shocked to respond, but eventually he relaxed and returned her hug, genuinely glad that he could do something for his community.

The crowd in the front yard of Amanda’s Angels Day Care began to applaud. Slowly at first, but then a momentum grew and soon everyone was cheering.

And for the first time ever, Ty had felt the sense of
community that had been missing from his life. He felt himself connect with the segment of town for whom he had spent his whole life working. He felt his mission in life being accomplished.

And he knew Madelyn was right. If he changed, if he let his real personality out, his employees wouldn’t fail him.

But in that moment, Ty also decided she was wrong about something else. He might not love her, but he did need her. She was the force behind all the changing he had done and he appreciated that. It wasn’t love, but it was more feeling than he’d had for a woman in almost a decade.

Madelyn wasn’t surprised when Ty grabbed her hand as they walked to the limo.

“We did it.”

Balancing Sabrina on her right arm, she smiled up at him. “Yes, we did. I told you that deep down these people really liked you. We simply had to give them an opportunity to show you.”

Sabrina yelped and patted Madelyn’s face as if trying to get a point across. As Madelyn caught the baby’s hand to stop her, she saw Ty’s expression become confused, then suddenly it brightened, as if he had drawn a conclusion.

“You know what she’s trying to tell us?”

Madelyn shook her head.

“That we shouldn’t get too cocky. She actually paved the way for this.” He took Sabrina from Madelyn and motioned for the chauffeur to come to the car. “If I hadn’t needed help with her, you wouldn’t have lived
with me. If we hadn’t had that connection, you wouldn’t have gotten me to do half the things I’ve done. I might have even talked you out of this event.”

Madelyn laughed. “I guess, if you look at it that way, she is responsible.” She shook her head in wonder. “Fate has been working overtime for us.”

Ty’s expression shifted. The eyes that had been shining with joy suddenly burned with desire. “Yeah, fate has been doing a lot of things to us lately.”

Madelyn’s heart rate tripled. Somehow or another, they’d gone from discussing the success of the event to discussing their personal relationship. But she was ready. She’d been expecting a moment of truth after Ty made the presentation. She’d seen him fighting their attraction all week and she knew the approval of the townspeople would help him to accept more of the changes in his life. That was part of why she’d kissed him before she sent him off to make the presentation. She wanted him to be thinking of her when he realized the changes he was making were good.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I think this is a discussion better finished in private.”

His eyes smoldered. “You’re right.”

After Ty fastened Sabrina into her car seat, he sat across from Madelyn, but he didn’t say anything. They were quiet for the entire drive to his house, but electricity hummed between them. Though Madelyn was confident their upcoming conversation would go well, she forced herself to be pragmatic about what would actually happen.

Ty might be willing to make a concession or two, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to fall in love in a few weeks.
All along they’d both admitted they had chemistry and this afternoon he would probably admit that he liked her, but she knew him too well to think he would suddenly be able to say he loved her.

Still, he had changed enough that she knew that someday he would love her. Even if he couldn’t say it, he would probably tell her he had real feelings for her, then their chemistry would take over and they would make love. Because they
both
wanted this, and she wasn’t foolish enough to pretend otherwise. And she also wasn’t going to be so foolish as to push him, because he’d been pushed enough already. In the past three weeks, he’d learned to care for Sabrina. He’d changed the way he interacted with his employees. He’d given to the community and shown them his real personality in a heartfelt speech. And now he was about to admit to her that he liked her. He couldn’t be expected to make the giant leap to love.

Particularly since they had only known each other exactly three weeks and a day.

When the driver stopped at Ty’s house, Madelyn got out, retrieved Sabrina and took her inside. Because the baby had fallen asleep in the limo, she carried her upstairs while Ty dismissed the driver.

When she returned to the kitchen, Ty stepped inside the back door. Without a word, she walked over to him. He grabbed her by the waist, hauled her up against him and kissed her so deeply she understood everything he felt for her. He might not be able to say the words, but he couldn’t resist her or their chemistry anymore. He was so hungry for her he was desperate. No.
They
were desperate. She was tired of fighting this attraction, too.

His right hand flicked the top button of her suit
jacket. Her fingers went directly for the buttons of his shirt. She considered for a second that the kitchen was the most inappropriate place to do this, then realized that it wasn’t. They’d had their best battles here. They’d made concessions here. Worked together here. If she allowed herself to admit it, she would probably also say she’d fallen in love with him here. It could have been that first time he took charge of Sabrina. It could have been that first morning when he ate the burned toast. It could have been the first time he gave her
that
look. The one that melted her bones and caused her to realize he found her more than attractive—he desperately wanted her. Whenever it was, she had fallen deeply, passionately in love with him, and anywhere he wanted to make love was fine with her.