The Christmas Bouquet by Sherryl Woods Page B

received of half a dozen smiling faces. Those children were healthier because she’d been there, even for such a short time. No way, though, would returning to that village mesh with anything Noah might write down, she thought wearily. She crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the direction of the trash can.
    “This isn’t going to work,” she said.
    “You haven’t given it much of a chance.”
    “We want different things. Unless you’ve undergone some major transformation, that is.” She looked him in the eye. “You haven’t, have you?”
    He held her gaze. “Have you?”
    She shook her head. “No. There’s no middle ground here, Noah.”
    “There isn’t if you won’t even try to find it,” he said, clearly frustrated. “What will work for you, Cait? Me saying I’ll come with you to Africa? Me saying I’ll care for our child while you go off to save the world? If those are the only solutions you see working, write them down.”
    She frowned at his tone. “You’re starting to sound like my grandfather, as if my goal is horrible and selfish.” She gestured toward that snapshot. “Look at them, Noah. Those kids matter.”
    He sighed at the heartfelt comment. “I didn’t mean to make it sound as if they didn’t. It’s a noble dream, Cait, and if we didn’t have a baby to consider, I’d be backing you a thousand percent.”
    Tears, always a threat these days, filled her eyes. “I know you’re right. I have to accept reality, but I hate it, Noah. I really hate it.”
    She saw the color wash out of his face and knew he’d misinterpreted her meaning. “Not the baby. I could never hate our child. It’s the circumstances, the timing. I never expected to be in a situation like this, having to make a seemingly impossible choice.”
    “Cait, if marrying me and making a home for our family isn’t what you want, if you can’t imagine ever wanting that, just say so. I’ll take custody of the baby and you can follow your dream. I love you enough to let you go.”
    She found herself actually considering what he was offering. It was yet more proof of the kind of man he was, and she loved him even more because of it, but the thought of walking away from him, from her baby, left her feeling hollow inside. That wasn’t an answer she could live with, either.
    “I don’t want to give up on us,” she admitted tearfully. “I just don’t know what’s right anymore.”
    Noah reached across the table and enveloped her hand in his. The heat and strength were a surprising comfort.
    “Then we’ll give it more time,” he told her quietly. “The last thing I want is to push you into making a decision you’ll regret. There must be some way we can all win—you, me and the baby.”
    “I hope so,” she said fervently. “That’s what I want, too.” She held his gaze. “You do know that none of this indecision is because I don’t love you, right? You’re the best man I’ve ever known outside of the O’Briens. They set the bar high and you’ve exceeded it. Please don’t ever doubt that.”
    He smiled. “Okay, then. One day at a time, and no pressure from me.”
    Cait laughed at that. “You’re not the one I’m worried about. I’ve had a few more messages from Grandpa Mick just since he told me the very same thing. Trace’s silence is almost as hard to take, because now I know he’s only biting his tongue because my mom told him to and it didn’t stop him from coming to see you. Just about the only person in my family who hasn’t been in my face is my sister, and that’s only because no one has filled her in yet.”
    Noah regarded her with surprise. “Carrie doesn’t know yet?”
    “I haven’t spoken to her. Mom says she’s having problems with a temperamental boss. Personally, I think Carrie’s addicted to drama. Mom thinks I’m imagining things, but I’m pretty sure Carrie’s crazy about the designer, not the job. He is one serious hunk. The fact that he’s difficult would only be