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  “That’s Mike Moore,” Gina said, stepping up beside her brother. “He’s doing the carpentry work on the kiddy area Colette has planned.”

  “It’s pretty late in the day just now to start working,” Tanner replied. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t like the look of the blond carpenter with the easy smile and the ability to make Colette laugh so musically.

  “Mike is working here as a favor to Colette, so he puts in his hours here when he’s finished with his real job.”

  “And what’s his real job?” Tanner asked as once again Colette’s laugh rang out from the back of the store. “Let me guess, he’s a stand-up comedian.”

  Gina laughed. “No, he’s a union carpenter and is working on the renovations of a building nearby. He and Colette have been friends for a while. I think he has a thing for her.”

  “This isn’t a baby shop,” Tanner muttered under his breath. “It’s a swinging singles’ club.”

  Gina laughed and moved away from him to greet a customer coming through the door. Tanner walked to the back, where Colette was explaining what she wanted to Mike.

  “Two little tables…like miniature picnic tables,” she said. “And I’m going to order a kit of one of those wooden fortlike structures with a slide.”

  “So, you really want to go with the feel of a park,” Mike said.

  “Exactly.” Colette saw Tanner and quickly made introductions between the two men.

  “So, you’re just in town for a couple of days?” Mike asked him. Tanner nodded. “Have you visited Kansas City before?”

  “Several times, but it’s been years since the last time,” Tanner replied.

  “Then you should get your sister to take you on a little tour. We’ve got some great places to see here. There’s Science City, and the River Market area and the Plaza.”

  “I don’t think Tanner intends to be here long enough to see all the charms of our city,” Colette said, not looking at Tanner.

  “On the contrary,” Tanner said. “I’d love to see some of the city attractions while I’m here. But I imagine Colette would be a better tour guide than Gina, who knows no more about the city than I do.”

  “Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. I’m just too busy to take off for sight-seeing,” she replied, her gaze still not meeting his. She smiled at Mike. “We’ll just let you get to work now.”

  She didn’t wait for Tanner to follow but hurried to where Gina was helping an older woman who was looking at the cribs.

  Tanner walked back to the chair behind the cash register, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on Colette.

  She was definitely avoiding him, and he wasn’t sure if the reason was because of the kiss they’d shared or because of whatever crazy conversation she’d had with Gina the night before.

  She could avoid him here, but sooner or later he was going to have a little talk with her. A renewed burst of irritation swept through him as he thought of his sister and her sudden spouting of feminism.

  Tanner had nothing against feminists. He believed in equality for both sexes, understood the need for self-fulfillment. But he knew there were women who talked about personal fulfillment and the strength of women who were secretly not feminists, but something more—male bashers and man haters.

  Was that what Colette was? Would she teach Gina to hate men? Would she foster in Gina a belief that women were better off without men in their lives? Would she encourage Gina to take her pleasure with men, but never commit to a real relationship that required give and take?

  He thought of the kiss he and Colette had shared. She certainly hadn’t kissed like a male hater. There had been a hunger in her lips, a hunger that had stirred a like response in him.

  Even now, thinking about it, a surge of desire welled up inside him. He wanted to yell at her for whatever she’d said to Gina the night before, then he wanted to kiss her until they were both dizzy with desire.

  But at the moment both things seemed out of the question. He couldn’t help but believe she was intentionally avoiding any conversation, any contact with him whatsoever. And throughout the course of the afternoon nothing occurred to change his mind.

  It wasn’t until the part-time help arrived and Colette grabbed her purse to leave that Tanner saw his opportunity to speak with her alone.

  When she left the store to walk home, he hurried after her and quickly fell into step next to her.

  “Tanner, it really isn’t necessary for you to walk me home each day that you’re here in town,” she said, her voice radiating a touch of irritation.

  “Well, it’s important that I do so now, as you’ve obviously been avoiding me all day and have made it impossible for me to speak to you alone,” he replied, trying not to notice how the early-evening sunshine spun golden sparks into her hair.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, I haven’t been avoiding you.” The edge of vexation was more thick in her voice. “Besides, what could you possibly have to speak to me about?”

  Her attitude sent a burst of irritation through him. “I’d like to know just what in the hell you told Gina last night.”

  She stopped walking and stared at him. “What are you talking about?” She didn’t wait for his response, but rather began walking again, this time faster, as if she couldn’t wait to get to her apartment and away from him.

  He hurried to catch up with her. “I’m talking about the fact that before last night Gina had always talked about getting married and having a family of her own. But suddenly after having a little late-night chat with you, she’s decided she may never get married.”

  Once again Colette stopped and faced him, hands on her hips. “Last night you were worried she’d get serious and get married too young. Now you’re worried that she’ll never get married. Why don’t you leave her alone and let her figure out what she wants in life by herself?”

  “Because I’m afraid of what kind of influence you’ll be on her.”

  She stared at him in surprise, opened her mouth as if to speak, then clamped it closed and stalked away. Tanner once again hurried after her. “I mean, it’s not that I think you’re a terrible person or anything like that,” he tried to explain. “It’s just that I don’t know you well enough to know if your value system is up to the same standards I want Gina to embrace.”

  “My value system?”

  She didn’t stop walking, didn’t speak another word to him until she reached her apartment building. It was then she turned back to face him. He’d always believed that brown eyes were warm and inviting, but hers radiated nothing close to warmth or invitation.

  “You’ve raised Gina since she was ten,” she said, the words clipped and curt. “If you think I can mess up her value system with my substandard one in a single night of conversation, then I guess maybe you didn’t do such a great job raising her.”

  She pulled open the door that led into the apartment building. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I have six naked dancing men waiting for me inside. I’m going to get drunk and have sex with them all because my value system doesn’t tell me there’s anything wrong with that.” With these words she disappeared into the building and slammed the door.

  Tanner stared after her, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  Chapter Five

  Colette slammed her apartment door and threw her purse down on the sofa. She had never been so insulted in her life. How dare Tanner Rothman confront her about her morals! How dare he imply that her value system was so poor she shouldn’t be around his precious baby sister.

  He knew nothing about her values or morals. He knew nothing about her. The man had hardly spent any time with her, certainly not enough to judge her morality. She just wished he’d take his stubborn, judgmental self back to Kansas where he could rule the world around him.

  She kicked off her shoes and stalked into the kitchen, anger still driving her. She put the teakettle on, hoping a cup of tea would calm her down.

  Leaning against the counter while she waited for the wate
r to boil, she thought over the conversation with Tanner.

  Now that the heat of the moment had passed, she recognized that she might have overreacted to everything he had said…might have overreacted to him.

  She’d awakened that morning with the heat of his kiss from the night before still warming her lips and a desire for him to kiss her again.

  It had frightened her, and she’d reacted defensively, trying to avoid him all day. She had spent most of the day trying to be in an area of her store where he was not.

  Her anger with their brief discussion on the way home had been far greater than the situation warranted, but it was an anger that had made her feel safe, invulnerable to his charm and sexy attractiveness.

  The teakettle whistled shrilly and she quickly made herself a cup of tea, adding an extra dollop of sugar for comfort.

  Still, even though she had overreacted somewhat, it still irritated her that he somehow believed she might be a bad influence on Gina.

  She knew she needed to continue to embrace her irritation…her anger where Tanner was concerned. She had a feeling it was the only thing that would keep her safe until he left to return to his ranch in Foxrun.

  It was almost a relief when Gina called and told her she wouldn’t be home for dinner, that Tanner was taking her out to eat and she’d be home later. Good. Perhaps the two could work things out and Tanner would go home.

  At about the time she thought Tanner and Gina should be finished eating and returning to the apartment, Colette went to bed. She was still smarting from what Tanner had said to her on their way home, and she told herself she had absolutely no desire to see him.

  The next morning as she left the apartment building she was vaguely surprised that he didn’t show up. She got her bagels from Johnny’s Café, then continued on to the shop.

  Maybe he’d gone back to his ranch, she thought a few minutes later as she sipped a cup of coffee and ate a blueberry bagel. Maybe he’d given up on getting Gina to return to the ranch, had accepted defeat and left Kansas City behind.

  Funny how the thought sent a tiny wave of disappointment through her. She studiously tamped the emotion away. Why should she be disappointed if she never saw Tanner Rothman again?

  She certainly had no illusions of any kind about developing a relationship with him. She didn’t want a relationship with any man. She would have her baby and her work, and that was enough for her.

  Besides, as far as she was concerned, Tanner was authoritarian, judgmental and self-righteous. She finished her bagel and coffee and decided to open the shop early. It was the Friday before Mother’s Day and she was expecting a lot of traffic both today and tomorrow.

  She opened the shop, then took a seat behind the cash register, noting with a frown that the morning was gray and held the threat of rain. She hoped the pall of the day wouldn’t keep shoppers away.

  By the time Gina came in at noon, lightning slashed across the city sky and thunder rumbled overhead. “It looks like it’s really going to come down any minute,” Gina exclaimed as she came through the door.

  “Hopefully it will blow over quickly,” Colette replied. No customers were in the store at the moment, and she was grateful Gina had appeared alone.

  Gina stashed her purse beneath the counter, then eyed Colette curiously. “You were already in bed last night when we got back from dinner so I haven’t had a chance to talk to you.”

  “So, where did you eat?” Colette asked curiously.

  “At the Italian Gardens. The food was wonderful, but the company stank.” She eyed Colette curiously. “I don’t know what happened between you and Tanner when he walked you home last night, but he was a grouchy bear for the rest of the evening.”

  Colette decided she must secretly be a bad person, because the thought that she’d managed to make Tanner cranky somehow pleased her. “Did he give up the battle for your soul and go back home?” she asked.

  Gina laughed dryly. “Tanner doesn’t give up that easily.” Her laughter died and she frowned thoughtfully. “I hate to see him so upset with me. He gave up his whole life to raise me, and I feel like I’m somehow betraying him by not doing what he wants me to do.”

  “I’m sure Tanner didn’t take on the job of raising you believing that you would be indebted to him to the point where you would sacrifice your sense of self and all your personal dreams.”

  “I know.” Gina sighed miserably. “I just feel so guilty about wanting things other than what he wants for me. I know he truly believes what he wants for me is best, and I don’t know how to make him understand that his dreams and mine are different.”

  “Have you tried just sitting down and rationally explaining it to him?” Colette asked.

  “There is no rational conversation between me and Tanner when it comes to this issue,” she exclaimed. “I thought maybe you could talk some sense into him, make him understand that it’s time he lets me find my own way.”

  “Oh, no.” Colette held up both her hands. “There’s no way I’m going to try to talk your brother into anything. Besides, he wouldn’t listen to me. He doesn’t even like me.”

  Gina laughed. “Whatever gave you that idea?” She gazed slyly at Colette. “He likes you all right. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I’ve never seen him look at any other woman like that.”

  “Then I think you must need glasses,” Colette replied, her cheeks warming with the heat of a blush.

  Their conversation was interrupted by a handful of women rushing in to escape the rain that had just begun to fall. The afternoon flew by, and Colette was irritated to discover that even though Tanner wasn’t anywhere in the store, she couldn’t get him out of her mind.

  She wanted to ask Gina where he was, what he might be doing, but she knew it was none of her business and she certainly didn’t want to give Gina the impression that she cared.

  She didn’t care. He meant nothing to her. Except that she’d loved the feel of his strong arms around her. Except that she’d loved the way his lips had taken command of her own.

  It was almost time for her to go home when a taxi pulled up in front of the store and Tanner got out. He ran inside, shaking raindrops from his hair like a dog after a bath. Colette tried to ignore the way her heart leaped at the handsome sight of him.

  “I thought you might have taken the day off,” he said to her.

  “Why would I do that?” she asked coolly.

  He grinned, a teasing sexy grin that shot electricity through her veins. “I thought maybe you would have to recuperate after your wild night with the naked dancing men.”

  “What naked dancing men?” Gina asked as she joined them next to the register.

  “Never mind,” Colette replied. “Your brother is simply attempting to be funny.”

  “Actually, I’m attempting in my own special clumsy fashion to apologize for what I said yesterday,” he replied, his blue eyes shining earnestly. “It wasn’t my intention to offend you.”

  “What did you do to offend her?” Gina asked, her gaze going from her brother to Colette, then back again. “What’s going on?” she asked with frustration.

  “None of your business, poppet,” Tanner replied and touched the tip of her nose with his index finger. He looked back at Colette. “So, is my apology accepted?”

  She hesitated a moment, then nodded stiffly. She wanted to stay mad at him, felt as if she needed to hang on to her anger, but it was impossible with his brilliant blue eyes appealing to her.

  “Good,” he said with satisfaction. “And now I have a question to ask you.” He looked at Colette. “Do you have plans with your mother for Sunday?”

  It always surprised Colette when thoughts of her mother sent a hollow ache radiating inside of her. When would that ache finally disappear forever? She shook her head. “Lillian is going to be out of town for the weekend,” she said.

  “And the shop isn’t open on Mother’s Day?”

  “That’s right. We’re never open on Sundays.”

&n
bsp; “Then how about the three of us do a nice dinner together on Sunday…my treat,” he suggested.

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Gina agreed instantly.

  “It isn’t necessary for you to take me out to dinner,” Colette protested.

  “But it is, and I insist,” Tanner said, a touch of steely intent in his voice. “Why don’t we plan on dining around six Sunday evening. I’ll pick you ladies up at about five-thirty.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Gina said. Colette merely nodded.

  “Oh, and since it was close to the time you went home yesterday, I told the taxi to wait and take you home,” he said to Colette. He flashed her a charming smile. “I didn’t want you to have to walk home in the rain.”

  “You don’t have to take care of me,” she replied. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  She wanted to be irritated by his arranging for the taxi.

  She didn’t need or want anyone to take care of her. But someplace deep inside she was also touched by the gesture.

  Aware that she had sounded less than gracious, she continued. “But thank you for your thoughtfulness. I guess I’ll head home right now.”

  Moments later, ensconced in the back of the taxi with the driving rain beating against the windows, she thought of the dinner invitation for Sunday.

  She told herself there was absolutely nothing wrong with her having dinner with Tanner and his sister. It wasn’t as if she was going to be spending any time alone with Tanner. There would be no opportunity for him to kiss her again, which was just fine with her.

  She tried to imagine what Tanner’s reaction would be if he knew she’d been artificially inseminated and intended to raise a child alone. There was no doubt in her mind that he would heartily disapprove.

  Of course, there was no reason for her to tell him of her future plans. And she certainly didn’t need or want his blessing on the choices she made in her life.

  “Hey, lady, you gonna sit back there and wait for the rain to stop, or are you getting out?” The cabby eyed her in the rearview mirror, his voice pulling Colette from her thoughts.