Daddy with a Deadline by Marilyn Shank Page A

cold?”
    “Just tired.” She patted her stomach. “One day soon I won’t be carrying all this extra weight.”
    “You’ll be carrying it, all right. But in your arms.”
    “Yeah. I’m ready for that.”
    “I wonder what they’ll look like? The babies?”
    “I think about them a lot. But I can’t imagine.”
    As Trent pulled into Annie’s driveway, she moaned. “I should have told you to park in the street. My backing-up skills need help.”
    “Shall I move it?”
    “Nope. I’ll figure it out myself.”
    To Annie’s shock, Trent leaned toward her and kissed the tip of her nose. Even that small gesture set her heart thumping. And for one crazy moment she wished he would really kiss her. That he’d pull her close and kiss her till her head spun.
    Another inappropriate thought. They came more frequently these days. “Don’t bother walking me to the door,” she said, wanting only to escape the man’s presence. “I can manage alone.”
    “Whatever you say.”
    Annie walked, or more correctly waddled, down the sidewalk. She turned to see Trent wave, and she waved back.
    She’d better watch herself. Falling in love with Trent Madison was a possibility. A definite possibility. One she shouldn’t entertain for a moment. He was here under coercion, and once the babies came, he’d be history. If she fell head over heels for the cowboy, she’d face still more heartbreak. And she’d had enough for a lifetime.

     
    Annie walked up her porch steps, and when she turned to wave, just the sight of her lit a flame in Trent’s heart. A really big flame. Funny how one smile from the woman made his throat parch and his palms turn clammy. He was losing bodily control at an alarming rate of speed.
    Annie affected him like no woman ever had. Not even Dawn. He’d worry about his irregular heartbeat, but the symptom only occurred in Annie’s presence. The woman messed with hispsyche too. He now knew more about cribs and bassinettes than a reclusive rancher ought to know.
    Trent started the truck and headed for the nearest convenience store, trying hard to shelve his runaway emotions. He was on a short-term mission and his time with Annie had an end date. An end date he intended to honor.
    He pulled into a Shop and Save and borrowed a phone directory. He checked under the name Miller and spotted Alex and Sara at 3515 Meadow Lane. Hmm. Maybe he’d pay Annie’s friend a visit on his way home.
    And after that he’d return to real life: to ranching, to training horses, and to the solitary life he loved so much. He could hardly wait!

     
    Trent walked up the sidewalk of a redbrick house with pots of geraniums all over the porch. He saw no sign of toys in the yard and assumed this was the couple’s first baby. When he knocked on the door, a woman almost as pregnant as Annie opened the door.
    “Are you Sara Miller?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’m Trent Madison. We’ve never met, but...”
    “You’re Annie’s cowboy.” The woman placed a hand over her mouth. “Uh-oh. That came out wrong.”
    “Close enough,” Trent said as he felt a flush creep up his neck. “I’m a rancher and a friend of Annie’s.”
    “Come in.” Sara pushed open the door and Trent entered a tidy living room. “Have a seat.”
    As he sank onto the couch, Trent felt totally displaced. When he paid folks a visit, they always discussed horses. Never babies! He cleared his throat. “I need help with a project I’m working on.”
    “What sort of project?”
    He raked a hand through his hair, wishing he could charge out the door and never come back. “Actually, it’s a baby shower.”
    About now the woman would toss him out on his ear. Or call for a straitjacket.
    “For Annie? You’re throwing a shower for Annie?”
    Hearing the concept put into words made it more ludicrous than ever. “Rosa, my housekeeper, will plan the event.”
    “It’s a great idea, Trent, but you’ll never get Annie to agree. Several teachers have offered to host a