eyes overly warm, overly friendly, and just a tad too assuming, that she became wary once more.
She felt like a fool not to have seen it coming. Michael thought he had his foot in her door and that things were going to progress nicely from here on. He was building plans and hopes on a future that was going to last only another ten days. Worse yet, she envied his ignorance. She would have given up everything but her baby if she could make it all right again. If she’d waited five more months, Michael would have walked into her office and they could have fallen in love under normal circumstances.
Love? Was she falling in love with Michael Ramsey? Morbidly, she wondered which would get her first—would she ultimately die of guilt or a broken heart?
“Is that dazed expression on your face a yes or a no?” Michael broke in on her unhappy thoughts.
Meghan scrutinized him for several seconds before she could answer. She took in the strength and character in his face, the trust in his eyes, and the good-natured smile on his lips. Michael thought the whole world was right side up, and Meghan abhorred the idea of telling him it wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, Michael. I have a couple of big cases coming up before the holidays, and they both still need a lot of firming up,” she said, knowing the work would be twice as difficult now with more than half her mind concentrating on Michael.
He tilted his head as his eyes narrowed in mock suspicion before he asked accusingly, “You’re not going to start trying to avoid me again, are you? I thought we were starting over as friends.”
Oh, why couldn’t he have been a jerk, she wondered. Meghan sighed before flashing Michael a perfect smile.
“I really do have a lot of work to do. Could I take a rain check for a night next week?” she bargained, as much to mollify herself as him. Refusing to spend time with him was becoming as difficult as not telling him the truth.
His disappointment obvious, Michael responded with, “Okay, but could you possibly break away for a while on Saturday? I need to look for an apartment. With things the way they are in your fair city, I thought I ought to take my attorney along.”
“You’re staying in New York? To live?” she asked, stunned. Would this never end?
“Eventually. In a few more months I’ll have things out west set up to run relatively independent of me. For years I’ve been interested in the operation of periodical publications. It’s actually quite different from what I’m used to, and I plan to get very involved. In fact, I have a couple of ideas I’d like to try. …”
He went on to tell her about his plans for Dobson Publishing, but she only half listened. This nightmare just kept going from bad to awful to worse, she thought. It wasn’t a matter of avoiding him whenever possible until his business here was finished and he eventually went back to Texas where he belonged. Now, she’d have to think of another way to get him out of her life permanently—and before he found out about the baby. It didn’t take long for her to admit to herself that she didn’t relish the idea.
In the end her mind was too boggled to come up with a decent excuse not to go apartment hunting with him, and they set a time.
Saturday morning was sunny and cold. The wind brushed a healthful rosiness into Meghan’s cheeks as she followed Michael from one apartment to the next. All told, there were four to see, but Michael managed to drag it out so they saw the last one a little after eleven-thirty. Located on 70th Street near Lexington Avenue, it was roomy with lots of windows. The Hunter College campus was visible, as well as a lovely but not overly expansive view of the New York skyline.
“I like this one,” Meghan said, as she opened a door to inspect the size of the closet. Not very domesticated, Meghan had asked Lucy to choose her apartment for her. She did, however, know that an apartment with lots of places to put things out of sight
She felt like a fool not to have seen it coming. Michael thought he had his foot in her door and that things were going to progress nicely from here on. He was building plans and hopes on a future that was going to last only another ten days. Worse yet, she envied his ignorance. She would have given up everything but her baby if she could make it all right again. If she’d waited five more months, Michael would have walked into her office and they could have fallen in love under normal circumstances.
Love? Was she falling in love with Michael Ramsey? Morbidly, she wondered which would get her first—would she ultimately die of guilt or a broken heart?
“Is that dazed expression on your face a yes or a no?” Michael broke in on her unhappy thoughts.
Meghan scrutinized him for several seconds before she could answer. She took in the strength and character in his face, the trust in his eyes, and the good-natured smile on his lips. Michael thought the whole world was right side up, and Meghan abhorred the idea of telling him it wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, Michael. I have a couple of big cases coming up before the holidays, and they both still need a lot of firming up,” she said, knowing the work would be twice as difficult now with more than half her mind concentrating on Michael.
He tilted his head as his eyes narrowed in mock suspicion before he asked accusingly, “You’re not going to start trying to avoid me again, are you? I thought we were starting over as friends.”
Oh, why couldn’t he have been a jerk, she wondered. Meghan sighed before flashing Michael a perfect smile.
“I really do have a lot of work to do. Could I take a rain check for a night next week?” she bargained, as much to mollify herself as him. Refusing to spend time with him was becoming as difficult as not telling him the truth.
His disappointment obvious, Michael responded with, “Okay, but could you possibly break away for a while on Saturday? I need to look for an apartment. With things the way they are in your fair city, I thought I ought to take my attorney along.”
“You’re staying in New York? To live?” she asked, stunned. Would this never end?
“Eventually. In a few more months I’ll have things out west set up to run relatively independent of me. For years I’ve been interested in the operation of periodical publications. It’s actually quite different from what I’m used to, and I plan to get very involved. In fact, I have a couple of ideas I’d like to try. …”
He went on to tell her about his plans for Dobson Publishing, but she only half listened. This nightmare just kept going from bad to awful to worse, she thought. It wasn’t a matter of avoiding him whenever possible until his business here was finished and he eventually went back to Texas where he belonged. Now, she’d have to think of another way to get him out of her life permanently—and before he found out about the baby. It didn’t take long for her to admit to herself that she didn’t relish the idea.
In the end her mind was too boggled to come up with a decent excuse not to go apartment hunting with him, and they set a time.
Saturday morning was sunny and cold. The wind brushed a healthful rosiness into Meghan’s cheeks as she followed Michael from one apartment to the next. All told, there were four to see, but Michael managed to drag it out so they saw the last one a little after eleven-thirty. Located on 70th Street near Lexington Avenue, it was roomy with lots of windows. The Hunter College campus was visible, as well as a lovely but not overly expansive view of the New York skyline.
“I like this one,” Meghan said, as she opened a door to inspect the size of the closet. Not very domesticated, Meghan had asked Lucy to choose her apartment for her. She did, however, know that an apartment with lots of places to put things out of sight
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