Read Online Donovan's Child by Christine Rimmer - Free Book Online Page A

you’re all right, but we can speak later if you—”
    He put up a hand. “I repeat, crème brûlée. Anton’s crème brûlée.”
    Finally, Luisa allowed herself to be convinced. She joined them in the dining room, where Olga served the dessert and coffee.
    Luisa ate with relish. “Ah. Anton. That man can cook. Someday, when I open a real restaurant, I might have to steal him away from you.”
    â€œLuisa owns the local roadhouse, Luisa’s Cantina,”Donovan explained. He glanced fondly at the dark-haired woman. “It’s a couple of miles outside of Chula Mesa.”
    Abilene sipped her coffee. “You mean the roadhouse I keep trying to get you to go to?”
    He turned his gaze to her, his expression cool now. “That would be the one.”
    Luisa laughed, a husky, sexy sound. “Yes. It’s a good idea, Abilene. Why don’t you both come? And soon.”
    â€œWe’ll see,” said Donovan. “One of these days…”
    Abilene set down her coffee cup. It clinked against the saucer. “ I’ll be there next Friday night. Count on it—whether I can talk Donovan into coming with me, or not.”
    Luisa grinned. “Good. I’ll look forward to seeing you.” She sent Donovan a look from under her thick, black lashes. “You, too. I mean it. You’ve been acting like a stranger for so long now. It’s time you stopped that.”
    â€œLuisa. I get the message. You can quit lecturing me.”
    â€œCome with Abilene, Friday night.”
    He looked away. “I’ll think about it.”
    Luisa clucked her tongue. “I’ve been tending bar for almost two decades. I know what it means when a man says he’ll think about something. It means that he’s already done whatever thinking he is willing to do—and the answer is no.”
    He set down his spoon. “Enough about Friday night.”
    Even as he gruffly ordered Luisa to back off, there was real affection in his tone, in his expression. And Luisa seemed so fond of him, too.
    Abilene knew she ought to make her excuses and go, give them a little privacy. No doubt the two of them wanted some time together, had things to say to eachother that they wouldn’t feel comfortable saying with some one else in the room.
    Yet for reasons she refused to examine, she felt a certain reluctance to go, to leave him alone with a good-looking woman, a woman who’d most likely once been his lover.
    Who might still be. Or plan to be.
    Or…
    Well, whatever the situation between the two of them was, exactly, Luisa and Donovan probably wanted some time to themselves.
    She made herself rise. “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on, and I’ll just—”
    Luisa cut her off with another husky laugh. “Sit down, chica. It’s not that way.” She sent Donovan a teasing look. “Tell her. Make her see.”
    He made a gruff sound, something midway between a grunt and a chuckle. “Luisa’s right. It’s not that way. Though I did give it my best shot, back in the day.”
    Luisa made a face at him. “We met nine years ago, when he came out here to build this house. He came in my bar often then. And he was a big flirt. But I explained to him that I’m no longer a wild, foolish girl. I don’t need a man to sweep me off my feet and then break my heart. But I can always use a true friend. And so we became friends—or so I thought.” The corners of Luisa’s full mouth drew down. “Until you stopped taking my phone calls.”
    He looked back at her levelly. “We’re still friends, Luisa. You know we are.”
    She seemed to weigh the truth in his words. Finally, she nodded. “Okay, then. Prove it. Come with Abilene to my cantina next Friday night.”
    He tried his most forbidding expression. Luisa seemedcompletely unaffected by it. And then he demanded, “Will