Read Online Miracle Baby (Harlequin American Romance) by Laura Bradford - Free Book Online Page B

yourself… That doesn’t cloud out the memories?”
    â€œNope. It just helps me remember even more.”
    Maggie released the snowflake and backed away from the tree. “I see.”
    â€œCan I take your coat now? Dinner should be ready shortly.”
    In a flash he saw her shoulders stiffen as the internal war from earlier intensified. Only this time he suspected any gray areas had dissipated in favor of two distinct sides. Should she stay? Should she go? He prayed she’d opt for the former.
    Her eyes closed for just a moment, only to reopen withwhat sounded like a sigh of determination. “It smells good. Have you been cooking long?”
    He sent up a mental prayer of thanks as he watched her wiggle out of her coat. “A couple of years, I guess. I got tired of eating standard bachelor fare.”
    â€œTV dinners and soup?” she teased, the sudden lilt to her voice bringing a smile to his lips.
    â€œOn good days, yeah.” He draped her coat over the back of a corner chair, then turned to face her once again, the sight of her long legs and feminine features doing their best to distract him from the subject at hand. “You…you look great, Maggie.”
    She glanced down at her body, the surprise on her face captivating him all the more. “You really think so?”
    â€œHow could I not?” he asked honestly.
    â€œWell, for starters, I’m too thin. A by-product of not eating, no doubt.”
    â€œWhich you took steps to change yesterday at breakfast.”
    Nodding, she continued. “And my inability to sleep has earned circles under my eyes the likes of which most raccoons would be embarrassed by.”
    The circles. That was what was different. “I don’t see any circles.”
    A small laugh escaped her lips. “Makeup can hide almost anything. The fact that I just slept for seven hours certainly helped, too.”
    â€œAll I know is that you’re beautiful. I’d be blind not to see that.” And he meant it.
    Crimson rose in her cheeks, prompting him to redirect the conversation into safer waters. “Do you like lasagna?”
    Her face lit up. “I love it!”
    â€œThen we’re in luck.” Slipping a hand against the small of her back, he guided her toward the kitchen, the crackling of the fire in the hearth doing little to drown out the pounding in his chest. “I set the table just before you got here, but wasn’t sure what you’d like to drink. I’ve got red wine, diet soda and bottled water.”
    â€œWater would be fine, thank you.”
    He followed her gaze around the table, watched as it lingered on the place settings for two before moving on to the candle he’d lit in the middle. Worried he’d overdone things, he searched for something to say to lighten the moment. Something that would undo the sudden tension he felt. “The first cake I made this evening actually burned. I lit that candle in the hopes it would mask any lingering smell from my faux pas.”
    Her body sagged ever so slightly as she tilted her nose up and sniffed. “It certainly seems to be working.”
    â€œI’m glad.” He pointed to a chair. “Why don’t you take a seat? Everything should be ready. I just need to grab the salad from the refrigerator and the lasagna from the oven.”
    And so it went—dinner, drinks, conversation, laughter, and occasional awkward moments that had nearly disappeared by the time they were done.
    â€œWhy don’t we bring our drinks into the hearth room,” he suggested, the hopeful note in his voice one he simply couldn’t hide. He enjoyed Maggie’s company, plain and simple. She was sweet, honest, serious, funny and utterlyendearing—all things that guaranteed she’d remain in his thoughts, as she had since they’d met. Only now they’d be mixed with a longing he could no longer rationalize away. Not if the way his body