Chapter Eight

Teddy pulled her along as they raced after Beth through the door and into the parking lot. Within seconds, they were in Teddy’s truck following Tyler at breakneck speed.

Excitement raced through her. She hadn’t been home for either of her nephews’ births. It was going to be so cool to be here for this one.

“She didn’t look good when I saw her earlier today.” Susan fidgeted with the radio dial, looking for her favorite station.

“What do you mean? Didn’t look good? Was she in pain?”

Susan shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. She was awfully tired and having trouble getting comfortable. She just wanted to lie down.”

“She never did this with the other two. It never seemed to bother her.”

“They say each time is different.” She laughed. “Then again, what do I know about it?” Teddy’s face was set and hard and she realized he was really concerned. “Sara’s the strongest person we know; she’s going to be fine.”

He nodded once, but still looked worried. Susan unhooked her seat belt and slid across the truck seat. Just a month ago, she wouldn’t have even thought to move next to him or touch him. It was strange how right it felt.

Grabbing his thigh, she squeezed tight and leaned into his shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I know it will. Hey, we’re going to have another niece or nephew. That makes three. Don’t you feel old?”

Teddy dropped his hand from the steering wheel to where hers rested on his leg. He squeezed and moved hers up higher, just short of his lap. She caught her breath.

“About another five minutes on that dance floor and I was going to show you how I was feeling.”

Susan smirked and her insides tightened at the emotion behind his words. Should she confess what she’d wanted to do after the song ended? The rock-hard muscle of his thigh bunched under her hand, and she wished with everything inside her he was naked on top of her.

Oh, God, I’m horrible! Her sister was having a baby, and all she could think about was getting naked with the one man in the world she shouldn’t even consider starting a physical relationship with.

Teddy’s focus was on the expressway as they raced toward Houston, and he didn’t say anything more. In her mind, scenarios tumbled and tripped over each other. Her heartbeat sped up as the idea of being with Teddy became more and more appealing. She thought she’d lose her mind completely with the pros and cons that were waging war inside her when the exit for the hospital suddenly appeared.

Teddy parked the truck, but before getting out, he turned to look at her. “Damn it,” he cussed. His large hand turned her face as his lips covered hers in a fast, hard kiss. Susan barely had time to close her eyes before it was over.

“I’m done pretending we shouldn’t do what we’re both thinking about. Once this baby is born safe and sound, you and I are going to do some private celebrating.”

Her breath whooshed from her lungs as he opened the door and pulled her out with him. Her knees were weak as she followed behind meekly. Vaguely she was aware of her sister and Tyler already way ahead of them, pushing through the hospital doors. The scene that greeted them in the waiting room was like something out of a movie. The entire family was there, all talking at once, pacing, laughing, and simply taking up the entire waiting area. Beth was on her cell phone. She mouthed, “Diane,” and Susan nodded.

Not saying a word, Flo sat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, staring at the swinging doors of the emergency room.

Susan turned to Sammy. The older man was white as a ghost and looked about to fall over. She reached for his shoulders and glanced around, spotting Grant. “Will you get some coffee into him? He looks like he’s going to keel over.”

“Who’s going to keel over? Don’t you worry about me, little girl. I’m just fine. Stop your fussing,” he muttered, but Susan was relieved when Grant shoved coins into the vending machine anyway.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

The old man stiffened up but patted her back awkwardly. “Damn girl—she’s got two healthy sons, why does she need to do this a third time?”

She stepped back from him, amazed that after all he’d seen in his life he was still nervous about something as natural as a birth. “She’s got the best doctors in the state and she’s in a hospital. She’ll be fine,” Susan assured Sammy.

As Grant brought a Styrofoam cup of coffee over, she stepped back to glance around. If she was in New York, she’d be missing this. She’d missed it twice before. Although, Sara’s first baby was born in a line shack during a raging thunder storm. Fortunately, Tyler and Beth had been stranded with her, and Cord and Buck showed up just as baby Beau made his entrance.

But Mason had been born calmly in the hospital—while she’d been thousands of miles away on stage. Though she’d talked to Sara several hours later, it wasn’t the same; she’d missed all this behind-the-scenes drama. All this...special family time.

Two strong hands settled over her shoulders and squeezed. She didn’t have to turn to know who it was; she felt him straight through her chest. It felt right to lean back against him, so she did.

When Flo’s wise eyes pinned her with a look, she realized that the older woman wasn’t so caught up in the baby drama not to catch what had just happened. Susan felt her face grow warm.

“I’m going to the cafeteria and get some better coffee than that machine junk,” Tyler said a while later. “Anyone else want some?”

“I’ll go with you.” Teddy offered.

Truthfully, he was glad of the change of scenery. It had been hours since they’d arrived at the hospital, and there’d been no change. Unlike her first two deliveries, this baby was taking its sweet time coming into the world.

“What’s going on with you and Susan?” his brother asked as they walked downstairs to the large cafeteria.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you two dancing earlier. Your hands were anything but innocent. Now you’ve been by her side the entire time. Something’s obviously changed since you left for New York.”

Inside the eatery, Teddy shrugged and loaded up a tray with several Styrofoam cups and headed toward the large coffee urns. “She’s really vulnerable right now, that’s all.”

“So, you’re telling me you’re taking advantage of her fear?” Tyler glared at him.

“Of course not!” Teddy glanced away from his youngest brother. “I can’t believe you’d ask me that.”

“Hey, man, all I know is you two are suddenly all touchy-feely after not even being in the same room together for the past decade without the fists coming out.”

“It was time to put the past to rest. We’re just renewing our friendship.” He wasn’t ready to deal with the family and their issues with whatever was going to happen between him and Susan, but Tyler was only the beginning of what they’d have to face if they carried through with this thing.

“Looks like a lot more than friendship.”

“Well it’s not, so drop it.” Teddy hadn’t meant for it to come out so harsh, but he was already having doubts, and Tyler’s prying was making it worse. The last thing he wanted was judgment.

“Hey, no problem.”

Teddy piled the tray high with coffee and soft drinks, then added cookies and chips. The sandwiches looked pretty good, so he added those, as well. Before he knew it, he had enough food to feed an army.

Back in the waiting room, he set the tray down on a middle table. “I didn’t know what everyone wanted.”

It seemed an eternity before the doctor came out. He glanced around as if not sure who to address but then focused his gaze on Flo. “We had to do an emergency C-section.” At the gasp, he raised his hands as if to ward off the concerns. “Sara and the baby are just fine. Buck will be out in a minute and you can all see the baby shortly.”

“Thank you, Dr. Michaels.” Cord wrapped his arm around Flo’s shoulders.

After the doctor walked back through the doors, Flo cried out. “He didn’t say if the baby is a boy or a girl!”

“It’s a boy, of course. You know Westons don’t have girls,” Tyler teased.

Beth smacked him on the chest. “Yeah, well, Sampsons don’t usually have boys, so now what?”

Teddy shrugged. “There’s already two boys. You gotta go with the odds.”

Susan shook her head. “My money is on a girl.”

Florence piped up. “Stop betting on that baby. That’s just horrible.” She turned to Sammy. “You got any cash on you? If they’re betting I want in for ten dollars on a boy.”

The room exploded into a sea of bets and laughter. Teddy smiled, watching them all tease each other; the relief that Sara’s ordeal was over and there was a new baby was all everyone could think about. He tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The twins and Ramon were going to be so lucky to have this brood as family. There was no doubt in his mind that all of them would take those orphaned kids under their wing and into their heart.

“Hey!” Buck called from the doorway. Everyone froze to stare at him. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What ya’ll doing?”

“We were just, um, discussing if it was a boy or a girl,” Grant said sheepishly.

Buck glanced at the pile of money on the small table in front of Sammy. “Uh-huh. Whoever wins that pot better have plans on putting it into savings bonds for our baby. I got a good mind not to even tell you what we had.”

Teddy winked at his brother. “For the record, I wasn’t a part of this.”

“Only because he’s too damn cheap,” Sammy piped in. “Come on, Buck, out with it—boy or girl?”

“All right, all right. I would like to announce I am the proud papa of Samuel Cord Weston.”

Teddy swung his gaze to Sammy at the surprise announcement. The girls started to cry, and Flo held her hands to her face as her shoulders shook.

Sammy stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of Buck. For a second they simply looked at one another and then the old man wrapped his arms around the younger man.

“Sorry it took us three of them to get to you, but we felt it was time.”

Teddy watched as Flo joined the two men and pulled Buck’s large head down so she could kiss his cheek. “How’s my girl doing? She hurtin’?”

“She’s already awake and demanding something to eat, so I think she’s just fine.” Buck smiled. “Come on, she wants to see you.”

Cord’s hand settled on Buck’s shoulder. “Take Sammy and Flo in to see Sara.”

Teddy raised his eyebrow as his oldest brother’s voice actually broke and he cleared his throat before finishing. “The rest of us will come see her and the baby tomorrow.”

He’d never seen Cord with tears in his eyes. It wasn’t only Sammy who was proud of the baby’s name. Seemed the steadfast Cord was pretty touched by the honor, too.

“It’s late,” his brother said. “Tell her we love her and we’ll all take turns coming up tomorrow to meet the baby.”

“Sounds like a plan. Believe me, she’s not up to seeing everyone tonight, but stuck here for the next few days, she’ll be climbing the walls.”

Within a short time, they had spilled out into the parking lot. Teddy glanced at his watch. “Hey, it’s time for breakfast. Who’s game?”

“Count me out, I’m done in.” Cord waved his hands and headed toward his truck without looking back.

“You know you guys are getting to be pretty damn old that you can’t handle one night without sleep. Come on.”

“Just because you’ve been to New York and can party all night, pal, doesn’t mean we can. I gotta get to work in two hours.” Tyler moaned. “Since it’s forty-five minutes to home, that only leaves me an hour of sleep.”

“All this waiting for babies has given me ideas.” Beth smiled up at her husband.

Tyler’s jaw dropped. “You want to make babies today? Now? You’re crazy, woman.”

But everyone laughed as he raced to the truck dragging his wife behind him.

“Charli? Grant? Come on, you guys,” Teddy harassed as the crowd around him thinned out.

“Nope, sorry, buddy. I don’t have anything I have to do for the next few hours, and I’m going to bed,” Charli said.

“I’d love to have breakfast with you, Ted,” Grant began. “But if there’s a hot redhead who says she’s got an entire morning of lounging in bed, well, you can understand my decision.” He winked and the two waved as they walked toward their jeep.

Teddy glanced at Susan. “It’s you and me. What do you say? Breakfast at the diner?”

Susan smiled. She was on such a huge emotional high from being part of the entire waiting-for-the-baby scene that she wasn’t ready to call it a night yet. “Sounds good to me, but let’s eat in Sweet Meadow, not here.”

“Works for me.”

An hour later, Susan fiddled with her third cup of coffee. Her hands were starting to get jittery with the lack of sleep and too much caffeine. Fortunately, the greasy, heavy breakfast was working its way into her system; otherwise, she’d really be jumpy.

The diner was empty when they first arrived, but the booths were filling up now that the sun had come up. Across the table, she watched Teddy lean his head back and close his eyes. She smiled at his look of complete contentment. It was rare to catch him this at ease, especially around her. These past few weeks had changed her opinion of him, again. Once he was her hero, then he was her enemy—now he was her friend again. It felt good.

“You sleeping?” she asked.

He grinned. “Nope, just resting my eyes.”

She pushed her cup of coffee to the side. No more of that today. “Was it like that when Mason was born?”

He opened his eyes and her heart fluttered, seeing the tenderness in his gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“The whole family there, waiting for him to arrive, making bets, laughing and joking to hide the worry.”

Teddy reached across the table and took her hand. His thumb caressed the back of her fingers. “You’re sorry you missed all that, aren’t you?”

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded, afraid if she spoke, she’d really cry.

“Pretty exciting, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind telling you it kind of makes me squeamish.” Susan shivered, thinking about the whole process.

“Having babies?”

She nodded. “I mean, you should have seen her this morning, so big and uncomfortable. Just thinking about the birth and what she must have gone through...”

“You’ll do it someday. You’ll be a great mom.”

“I don’t know. It seems so alien to me. You’d think growing up on a ranch I’d be all earthy, but…” She shuddered.

He laughed. “When the time comes, you’ll be just fine.”

“I’m glad you believe that; I’m not so sure I’m cut out to be a mother.”

Teddy lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back. “I’ve always believed in you. You can do whatever you set you mind to; that’s one of your strengths.”

Susan tingled all the way to her toes. The weird emotions she’d been experiencing since they entered the hospital surfaced again, as if to suffocate her. She’d always known exactly what she wanted in life—to be a star. By twenty-five, she’d won an Oscar, a Tony, and a Grammy, and she was still going strong.

But all that seemed so pathetic compared to what her sisters had. Each trip home made it more and more noticeable that her life was only filled with things while their lives were filled with love and family.

For the first time in a long time she had a strong need to talk to her oldest sister. She and Diane left Texas together and headed for New York for college. Although they hadn’t lived together in several years—Diane had moved to Paris to work on a special project—they were still close, and she was the only one who would understand some of what she was feeling.

Susan bit her lip as a strange fear crept through her. Thinking about her life in New York used to fill her with an almost desperate need to get back there, but not now. For the first time since she’d moved away from home she didn’t feel the urge to rush back to the city. Even the show didn’t seem as exciting anymore.

Terrified of what was happening, she pulled her hand free from Teddy’s and reached for the check.

His large hand slapped over the top of it. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s only ten bucks,” she said, but released it just the same.

Teddy slid out of the booth and slipped his hat on his head. “You’re back in Texas where men pay and women let them.”

Susan rolled her eyes. Puleeze.

Still, she followed him to the counter as he quickly took care of the bill. Together they walked out into the morning sun.

Climbing into the truck, Susan suddenly felt tired and leaned her head back. “What are you going to do today?” she asked as he pulled onto the main road “I’ve got somewhere I have to be this afternoon. How ’bout you?”

Susan’s eyes popped open. Was he going to see the twins?

Her gut twisted at the image brought to mind. She turned her face away. “Sleep first, then maybe come back and visit Sara and the baby.”

“If you want to wait until after supper, I’ll come back with you.”

“I want to go this afternoon. Why don’t you go with me then?” she suggested.

He glanced her way. “I just told you I have to go somewhere.”

“Go with me, instead,” Susan said obstinately.

He gave a harsh laugh. “No way. I’ve been waiting for this afternoon’s meeting for three weeks. Why can’t you wait a few hours?”

“I don’t want to.” She crossed her arms over her chest and slumped in the seat.

“Well, don’t do anything you don’t want to, Miss Broadway,” he muttered. “By all means, the world should indeed revolve around you.”

“Don’t be nasty.” Her heart ached that his opinion of her had come full circle again, and she hated that it hurt.

“I’m not. I’m being honest. There’s no reason you can’t wait for me.”

“Maybe I want to go alone. Did you ever think of that? I’ve had you tied to my side for almost a month.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn his head to look her way, but she refused to look back.

“Did you not just ask me to go with you this afternoon? Unbelievable,” he muttered, and reached to turn up the morning talk show on the local radio station. “You can’t go alone, so you might as well wait for me.”

Furious that he was going to keep his charade of having a “meeting” when what he was really going to do was probably something she couldn’t even think about without turning red, she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

“We’re home,” he eventually stated.

The way he said it made her wonder if he knew all along she was faking her nap. When he slammed the truck door, she jumped and opened her eyes.

She opened the door and climbed out as he came around the front of the truck heading toward his house. Was he really going to walk away without saying anything?

Before he reached the porch steps, he turned back and just stood staring. Susan leaned a hip against his truck.

“Why do you have to make everything so difficult?” she yelled to him.

“Why does everything have to be your way or else?” he responded.

“I never said it had to be my way—you were the one—”

But he cut her off. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand here arguing with you. See ya.”

He sprinted up the steps to the Weston house, flung open the front door, and went inside without looking back again.

Where on earth would he have the energy to satisfy two women all afternoon, after the night they’d just had? He was insane.

Turning toward her house, an idea suddenly stopped her in her tracks. What if he was busy this afternoon? He couldn’t meet with the twins if he was tied up with a better offer. She shook her head. It had to be lack of sleep making her consider something so completely—then again, if the baby hadn’t come last night, who knows where they might have woken up this morning. The last dance sure seemed to suggest he was as ready as she was to toss caution to the wind and go with what they wanted.

Instead of climbing the porch steps to her house, she headed toward his front door. No one would see her go into the house. The rest of the ranch was most likely still asleep after being up all night. Cord, even without sleep, she knew would be hard at work in the office.

No one needed to know if she and Teddy took a little nap…together.

And that’s all she’d do, invite him to take a nap with her. With any luck, he’d never wake up in time to go to his “meeting.”

Closing the front door quietly, she glanced up the stairs, listening for his footsteps. Creeping up the large staircase and turning down the hall toward his room, her heart beat as if it would come clear out of her chest.

Susan paused at the door, not sure whether to knock or just slip in. Pressing her ear to old wood, she heard the distinct sound of a shower running. The image that conjured up made her blood zip through her veins.

Inside, Teddy swiped the towel over his face as he stepped out of the glass enclosure before wrapping it around his waist. He planned to lie down, set his alarm for noon, and then head to the picnic. He couldn’t wait to see the kids.

A sound in his room caught his attention and he cracked the bathroom door open cautiously. Susan stared back at him like a deer caught in the headlights. He swung the door open wide, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the doorjamb. Her gaze started at his bare chest and worked down; color flooded her cheeks.

What the hell is she doing here? Did she want to argue with him some more? He was way too tired to do another battle of wills with her.

“Did you want something?”

Her eyes darted to his. She lifted her head and tossed her hair in a gesture he recognized all too well. She wanted something and was going to do whatever she could to get it.

“I thought maybe, um, that is…well…I was feeling bad about not wanting to go with you this afternoon, so I thought I would come tell you, if you wanted, I could go with you to your meeting, and then we could go to the hospital from there.”

Teddy watched as she reached up and brushed her hair back from her face. Why did he not buy that story at all? She was up to something else.

Her hands fluttered at her side. When her fingers brushed the neckline of her T-shirt, he couldn’t help but remember their dance last night. Holding her against him all warm in his arms. If Sara hadn’t gone into labor, he had no doubt they would have ended up right here, together.

He hardened behind his towel, but fortunately his mind was doing the thinking right now and he ignored the surge of heat that raced through him. “Hmm, could it be that you’re just dying of curiosity to know what I’m doing this afternoon?”

He crossed the room to stand before her. Susan’s eyes fell to his chest, and then farther down to the towel that had slunk lower on his hips. There was no hiding his arousal from her.

Teddy reached up and caressed her cheek. Her eyes closed and she nuzzled into his palm. Rational thought fled the second he touched her. Hell. He was tired of fighting, too. What difference did it make anymore? It was inevitable that they were going to go to bed together.

“Why are you here, SusieQ?” His voice was barely above a whisper. He may have even croaked the words out.

She lifted her arms to rest her palms on his bare torso, fingers curling into his chest hairs. His heartbeat kicked into overdrive. When she wet her lips with her pink tongue, his blood caught fire.

Done with thinking any more, he grabbed her upper arms and hauled her hard against him. She wanted him and she was going to get him, all of him. He was tired of pretending otherwise. He crushed her mouth beneath his, drawing from her a harsh whimper, or was it a groan of satisfaction?

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against him. The feel of her along his naked chest, together with the taste of her, made him crazy. Pent-up frustration from their weeks in New York, the stress of being home and back around the family, and even what he was going to do this afternoon culminated in a raging clinch of passion that would have won them both a cheer from the director if they were in one of her movies.

Her hands fumbled briefly to unhook his towel and push it off his hips while he shoved her T-shirt up and over her head, unhooking her bra in almost the same motion. Ample breasts pressed into his bare chest, her nipples already peaked and ruby red. He grabbed hold of one and brushed his thumb across her nipple. Susan trembled and he held her tight around the waist with his free arm so she wouldn’t slip to the floor.

Lowering his head, he captured the rosy tip in his mouth and suckled hard. Her fingers dug into his hair and she cried out his name on a long moan.

Lifting his head to kiss his way back to her lips again, he simultaneously backed them both up until the oversized chair was behind his legs. He dropped into the chair, tumbling with her on his lap. Teddy found the snap to her jeans and tugged them open, hoping she would take them off. He wanted to feel her naked, soft thighs against his own. As he hoped, Susan shifted off his lap and, within seconds, had her pants off. He smiled up as she leaned toward him and planted both hands on his chest. Her breasts swung free. Teddy captured them both, holding their weight as he pulled on her nipples, drawing a gasp and a smile of pleasure from her.

Clad now only in her lace thong, Susan climbed back into his lap. Teddy filled his hands with her bare butt cheeks and squeezed her tight against his erection.

Mouth on his neck, she nibbled her way down his chest. He closed his eyes, letting his body enjoy every bit of attention she was expending on him. When her lips reached his nipples and licked across them, they hardened.

“SusieQ,” he groaned.

Her hot lips continued their exploration of his chest as her slender hand slid down his stomach to grasp him.

When her soft fingers wrapped around his shaft, he couldn’t stop the involuntary reaction of bucking up toward her. Her expert strokes had him ready to explode way too soon. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t feel as if he was in control.

With a devilish glint in her eye, she fell to her knees in front of the chair.

“Whoa, slow down, darlin’, or we’ll be done before we start.” But his hands cradled her head as she lowered her lips to him.

Teddy closed his eyes for a moment as her hot mouth engulfed him. A moment later, he opened them to watch her dark head bob up and down on him.

“Ahh, Susie, this is crazy. I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Again he was lost in the moment, unsure why she was holding all the power. Must be his lack of sleep, although his stamina had never been weakened before. What the hell was happening? Fear of his inability to take charge, and not wanting to explode all over her, he reached for her shoulders.

Laughing lightly, he pushed her back up to her feet. “Come on, babe, not this way the first time.”

Her hand replaced her mouth and she continued to stroke him. “Why? Are you only good for one?” she teased back.

“Brat. No, but I’ve had no sleep, and I want to be able to hold up my end for you.” He pried her fingers off him and dipped his fingers into the scrap of waistband of her panties. “Let’s see how brave you talk now,” he whispered.

Pushing the lacy scrap of material down, he stroked his way up her soft inner thigh. She was hot and wet and as obviously aroused as he was. She trembled in front of him, her mouth half-open and eyes hooded with desire.

“Come to bed with me,” he whispered, stroking the moist folds and shoving one long finger up inside her. “No more excuses, let’s do this.”

Susan wet her lips and nodded. Teddy stood up, cradled her face in his hands and kissed her hard.

“We’re going to regret this,” she whispered as he broke the kiss.

He nodded. “I know, but let’s not think about it anymore. I’m done fighting it and so are you.”

Without another thought or word, he linked their fingers together and pulled her across the room to his large bed. With one sweep, he pulled down the covers, lay down on his back and pulled her on top of him. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her as she settled between his thighs.

“You’re driving me crazy. You’ve been driving me crazy for weeks.”

“I know. You drive me crazy, too.”

“We’re both nuts.”

Susan shifted again, sitting up and straddling his thighs. “I want you. If that makes me crazy, it’s okay with me.”

He looked deep into her blue eyes. “Right or wrong, I’m right here with you.”

Cradling her head between his hands, he pulled her down for a kiss.

The sound of the front door slamming shut made them both freeze.

“Ted?” Cord’s boots thundered up the wooden stairs.

The bedroom door wasn’t locked, and while he knew Cord would at least knock first, he also knew his brother well enough to know he’d push it open after a few seconds.

Susan scrambled to get off him, her eyes wide with panic. Following her path to the bathroom, he scooped up her clothes and tossed them through the door right before she closed it.

Cord did exactly as he knew he would, knocked once and then turned the knob. “You asleep?”

Teddy held his long-forgotten towel up in front of him. “No, I just got out of the shower.”

Cord averted his gaze. “Didn’t realize you weren’t dressed.”

Teddy’s body was still keyed up from what his brother interrupted. “Yeah, well, someday you might walk in on me doing a lot more than getting dressed.”

Cord held out an envelope. “I knew you’d want this right away. It just came in the mail.”

Teddy grabbed it, noting the return address of the Children’s Home. Tearing it open, he scanned the letter. “It’s nothing; just asking for more information and documentation.” He shoved the papers back in the envelope. “Thanks.”

Cord frowned. “I can’t imagine what they need that you haven’t already given them.”

Teddy wasn’t about to discuss it any further with Susan in the other room. He also didn’t want to run the risk of Cord discovering her in there.

“Give me a few minutes to get dressed. I’ll meet you in the den and we can go over this.”

“Okay, but make it closer to twenty. I need to take a shower myself.”

Teddy did his best not to look as if he was pushing him out the door when he followed as Cord stepped into the hall. He closed the door behind him. Just in case, he turned the lock.

He let his breath out and crossed to the bathroom. Teddy wasn’t surprised to find Susan completely dressed..

His eyes met hers in the bathroom mirror, but she quickly looked away to pull her hair up and secure it with a clip on top of her head It wouldn’t take much, a few kisses on her neck, a soft caress of those amazing breasts, and he’d probably be able to get her right back where they were before his brother walked in. But the timing wasn’t right. Cord’s interruption only proved that. No matter how much was going on with Susan physically, he couldn’t waver from his goal.

They had no future together. Hers was on Broadway, and his was in that envelope—he couldn’t screw that up.

“Do you think Cord knew I was in here?”

“No.”

She dropped her hands and turned to face him. “It would have been incredibly awkward.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. She looked embarrassed so he added, “Hey, what can I say? I was in a towel; you can’t resist something like that, stop blaming yourself.” He laughed at her sardonic expression. “Now scoot. I gotta get dressed”

“What was Cord so excited about? What was in the envelope he brought you?”

That he had no intention of discussing with her.

“Nothing, just some business dealings. Now go on, out you go before someone sees you and thinks we’re messing around.”

Susan nodded. Her gaze clung to his, but if she was going to say anything else, she must have changed her mind. Without another word, she walked through the bedroom and slipped out the door to the hall.

As the door closed behind her, Teddy sank to the side of the bed and dropped his head to his hands. Raking his fingers through his hair, he drew a deep breath. His bed was rumpled where they’d rolled around, and if he lay down he’d smell her scent on his pillow. What the hell was he going to do? How could he get her out of his head if all he wanted was her in his bed?

Minutes later, Susan slipped through the back door of her family home and raced upstairs to her own room. Her heart thumped with fear that she would run into someone. Flo and her way-too-knowing eyes would guess she’d been up to something, and Cord could be just as suspicious; he might guess she’d been with Teddy.

Safe in her room, she shut and locked the door, tore her clothes off and jumped into a long, hot shower.

But the hot water pouring over her body did nothing to relieve the pent-up tension and unsatisfied ache. She turned her face to the spray and tried her best to think of anything but Teddy’s hands on her skin, his mouth on her breasts. A soft cry escaped her lips. Once again, they’d been interrupted. Was it an omen? They weren’t supposed to be doing what they were anyway, and now twice when they’d come as close as possible to giving in to what they both wanted, they’d been stopped.

This had to stop. One way or the other, it had to end. She was losing her mind with wanting him and then feeling guilty for it. And what about him? Was he seriously going to keep his “meeting” this afternoon with the twins?

Could he really go from what they were doing straight into the arms of the twins and do God knows what? He couldn’t do that, could he?

Stepping from the shower, she pulled a thick robe around her body and moved back to her bedroom. Setting her cell phone alarm for two hours, she lay down and pulled the thick comforter over her without even bothering to dry her hair. But, even as tired as she was from being up all night, the very thought of what Teddy was doing this afternoon kept her wide awake. Within a half-hour, she was back up and getting dressed.

****

Despite his frustration over the rock-and-a-hard-place situation with Susan, Teddy couldn’t contain his excitement as he swung the pickup truck down the long private driveway. The grounds were lined with vehicles, tents, and people. He hadn’t seen the kids in several weeks and couldn’t wait.

Glancing in the mirror, he straightened his string tie and Stetson, then grabbed the bag on the passenger seat and climbed out of the truck.

“Ahh, Mr. Weston, there you are.” A tall, slender woman with a no-nonsense hairstyle yet a twinkle in her eyes greeted him as soon as he reached the front lawn.

Teddy smiled and held out his hand. “Mrs. Hill, looks like you got a full house. That’s great.”

“Thanks to you and your generosity, today’s picnic is the biggest yet. We’ve already had several inquiries for some of the children.”

“Speaking of children, where are...” he began, but Mrs. Hill cut him off with a smile and motioned toward the large circular front porch.

Teddy’s heart squeezed. At the top of the steps, leaning against the pillar posts, were the kids. The moment he slipped off his sunglasses, the two girls spied him and raced down the steps. He dropped the bag and fell to his knee to catch the two beauties as they sailed across the lawn and into his arms.

The twins were identical, with black hair and big brown eyes. Maria, the older by only a few minutes, was far more outgoing, but Rosa had this glint in her eye that led him to believe she’d be breaking hearts in no time. At eight years old, they were already gorgeous young ladies and had wrapped him around their fingers. They smelled like sunshine and shampoo, and he held them close as they clung to his neck.

“Mr. Teddy, Mr. Teddy! We wore our dresses.”

Teddy pulled them back and stood, holding up each of their hands. He twirled them and their little skirts spun around their calves.

“I’ve never seen two more lovely senoritas in all my life.” He looked over their heads to the little boy who still stood back on the porch.

“How’s Ramon?” he asked, moving up the walk toward their younger brother, each girl swinging on his hand.

“The same,” Mrs. Hill answered as she walked with them. “He won’t talk to anyone.”

“He’ll talk to me,” Teddy said confidently. He didn’t know how or when, but he was going to get through to that sad little boy. It had become his new mission in life.

They reached the bottom of the steps and he glanced down at the girls, winking as he gently eased from their hold.

Teddy climbed up a few steps until he was nose to nose with Ramon. He’d never hugged the boy, not wanting to totally terrify him, but he insisted on making contact, eye contact or a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eventually, he knew he was going to get through.

Like a skittish colt, Ramon held his stare, but Teddy could see pleasure behind the uncertainty. He was happy to see him.

“Hey, pal, I missed you.” He reached out his hand, palm side up and waited. After a few seconds, Ramon put his tiny hand on top and Teddy gave his hand a firm shake, then linked their fingers together. He climbed up the porch steps the rest of the way and sat down, gently pulling Ramon down to the step with him.

“Your sisters are definitely pretty, but you are one handsome man today. I think you may even be better-looking than me—and that’s pretty hard to do.” He was rewarded by a small smile and the dark eyes, generally so serious, brightened a bit.

Mrs. Hill climbed the porch and handed Teddy the bag he had dropped. “I’ll leave you alone with the children now. Come on back and have some lunch when you’re ready.”

“We will. But first”—he glanced at the twins—“I think there might be some presents in here.”

The girls giggled. Rosa sat down next to him and Maria knelt behind, linking her arms around his neck. They were so affectionate, so open with him. He’d known them for such a short time, but he knew they’d felt the same connection he had. They were meant to be a family, and he was going to do whatever it took to make that happen for all of them.

“What did you bring us, Mr. Teddy?” Rosa asked excitedly.

Teddy pulled the big bag over in front of him and only opened it slightly, so they couldn’t see inside. “Now, I told you guys I went all the way across the country. I stayed with a friend of mine who is a big star. She knows a lot of famous people in the theatre. Someday we’ll go see one of her shows.”

“We’ll fly on a big plane with you?” Rosa asked in awe.

Teddy nodded. “Yep. Someday I’ll take you on the big plane.” Pulling out two identical dolls, he handed one to each of the girls. “Now, they tell me in the big toy stores that every little girl wants one of these.”

The girls oohed and asked and plastered his cheeks with kisses. Some new books in the series he knew they were reading accompanied the dolls, along with a box of expensive chocolates. The sisters both sat down to pick out what piece to eat first.

Turning to their younger brother on his left, Teddy reached into the bag again, this time pulling out a stuffed dinosaur, which he knew was something Ramon really liked; the boy had tons of picture books on dinosaurs.

Ramon’s eyes lit up. He reached hesitatingly for the toy before grabbing it and hugging it tight. His actions said thank you even if his lips didn’t.

Teddy sighed. “Okay, buddy, I know you love it. I got you some new books that I don’t think you have, and how about this?” He pulled out a large chocolate dinosaur on a stick and handed it over. Teddy laughed as the boy’s eyes grew big as saucers.

“How about some lunch?” he asked the girls. “What are they cooking back there, Rosa?”

“Barbecue. And there’s going to be an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.”

“My favorites! Let’s go, gang.”

He hoisted himself off the steps and reached a hand out to Ramon. The young boy hesitated only a moment before taking it and following Teddy down the steps while his sisters danced ahead with excitement.

Teddy sighed. If only they could end the day going home together as a family instead of him having to only be with them a few short hours. He couldn’t even say anything to the kids about his hopes and plans. Mrs. Hill had warned him firmly about not getting their hopes up. Losing both their parents had devastated them, and she worried that another disappointment could set them back quite a bit.

For a moment, he thought about Susan and what she would think if she knew what he was up to. Then again, she’d made her disapproval pretty clear during their odd little conversation back in her apartment.

Even so, thinking of her had his mind racing back to a few hours earlier, when she’d been naked in his arms.

“Mr. Teddy?”

Teddy glanced quickly to his side, where Rosa frowned at him.

“What, baby? What’s wrong?”

“You look like something hurts,” she said. “Are you okay?”

Teddy laughed. “I’m fine.” He motioned to the crowds. “There are a lot of people here today.”

“Yeah, Bobby and Karen are both going home with their new family today,” Maria said, looking directly at him.

Teddy’s breath caught. He so desperately wanted to tell them they too would soon be going home, with him. He reached his arm out and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. Soon.

He settled the children to eat and then closed his eyes. This thing with Susan had to stop. He couldn’t do anything that might put his plans in jeopardy. He had strong feelings for her; he admitted it if only to himself, but there couldn’t be a worse woman on the planet for him to be involved with right now. There wasn’t even a tiny chance of anything in their future. His fooling around with her, if it got out, might make him look unstable, or worse, make it look as if he was thinking of moving to New York City. His morals were under the microscope already. The authorities were questioning why he was willing to give up his lifestyle for three little kids who weren’t in any way related to him. The Board who would ultimately make the determination had already given him hell for his past devil-may-care ways and were now on the verge of a decision—he only hoped in his favor. The pictures in the magazine hadn’t seemed to come up as an issue yet, but he was sweating bullets, worrying someone on the Board might pull those photos out as proof that he hadn’t changed.

Teddy wished he knew why this was so important. Why these kids? Over the years, his family had worked with the Children’s Home in almost every capacity. Besides donating money, they hosted a huge Christmas party for the kids every year, volunteered, sat on committees, anything to help out—and not one of the kids in all those years had ever reached him like these three. It made no sense. But from the minute he had set eyes on Maria and her siblings, he knew they were meant to be together. It was his purpose in life to raise these kids. He never once considered himself a family man, wanting a wife and kids around him. But now, he wanted nothing more. Well, maybe not the wife part, but definitely the kids. These three kids were meant to be his, and he was meant to be theirs.

“Okay, I’m ready for ice cream. How about you guys?”

“Mr. Weston,” Mrs. Hill interrupted as he stood. “Could we impose and ask you to help us in the sing-along?”

“Please, please sing for us, Mr. Teddy! Please, and play your guitar,” Maria and Rosa begged in unison.

There was no way he could resist three sets of dark eyes, not to mention Mrs. Hill, who directly reported to the Board.

“Okay, but only if ya’ll promise to help by singing really loud.” He bent and tweaked each of the girls’ noses. “I’ll go get my guitar out of the truck and be right back.”

“Thank you, Mr. Weston. They all look forward to your playing.”

“It’s not a problem.” He’d rather sing for the kids in the Children’s Home than on any stage anywhere in the world.

Humming and whistling to himself, he quickly walked back down the drive.

A few steps before his truck, he froze.