“More important?“ She was nervous, she realized. Far more nervous than she would be if she were interviewing for a new position.
“Am I about to overlook your birthday?“ He smiled wickedly and nuzzled her neck. “Don’t worry, I can come up with a terrific gift on very short notice.“
“My birthday isn’t until November.“
“That’s all right, my present can be unzipped early.“
“You’re supposed to be writing this morning.“
He nibbled her ear. “I have already written great things this morning. I could use a break. Then I promise I will go back and write some more great things.“
“Colby,“ Diana said very seriously. “Do you realize I don’t even know when your birthday is?“
He stopped nibbling. “September second. Is that a problem?“
“No, of course not. It’s just that it only goes to show there are a lot of things we still don’t know about each other.“
“We’re both fast learners.“ He resumed munching her earlobe.
Diana took a deep breath. It was time to make her decision. “Colby, let’s pack a lunch and go eat it on top of Chained Lady Falls.“
“You talked me into it. A man can write great things any time. I’ll make the sandwiches and pack the other essentials we always seem to need when we go to Chained Lady Falls.“ He gave her a quick, anticipatory leer and headed for the stairs that led to the bedroom.
Diana watched him go with a feeling of chagrin. She wondered if Colby even remembered the one time they had forgotten those essentials. He still hadn’t mentioned what had happened that night they spent in the cave.
What if he denied his part in the whole thing? What if he honestly did not remember making love to her without taking precautions? What if he remembered but didn’t want to believe she could have been so unlucky as to get pregnant the one and only time they had been careless?
What if he didn’t want to share the responsibility with her?
The what ifs had been going through her mind for days now. They had intensified after Brandon had left to return to Portland. Diana had become increasingly tense as the reality of her pregnancy had begun to establish itself.
She knew Colby had noticed her preoccupation and the anxiety she had tried so hard to quell. Once or twice he had asked her if something was wrong but he’d stopped asking after she’d denied it.
“Don’t forget we have Gil and his wife coming over for dinner tonight,“ Colby said as he came back downstairs.
“We’ll have to pick up some things in town after the picnic. I think you’ll like Gil. He’s a tough old character. Says what he thinks. Evelyn is his second wife. I don’t know her very well, but she seems nice enough…“ Colby broke off.
“You okay, honey?“
Diana nodded quickly and turned toward the kitchen. “I’m fine. Let’s get the sandwiches made.“
Forty minutes later they reached the top of the falls. Diana immediately gave Specter a handful of his favorite dog biscuits, which he promptly wolfed down. Then he went off to check out the nearby woods while Colby spread the blanket on the ground.
“If you’re going to make a habit of seducing me out here in the open, we may have to invest in an air mattress,“ he remarked as he finally settled the blanket on a patch of grass between two large boulders. “Either that, or you’ll have to promise to always be on the bottom. At forty, a man starts to notice the rocks digging into his back.“
“I’m crushed.“ Diana managed a smile as she unpacked the sandwiches. “Where’s your sense of romance?“
“Where it always is. Right inside my jeans.“ He lowered himself into a sitting position beside her and reached for a sandwich. “I take it you want to eat first?“
Her fingers clenched around her sandwich. “To tell you the truth, I’d like to talk to you first.“
“You’re going to leave dents in that sandwich if you don’t relax,“ Colby said with astonishing gentleness. He reached over and removed the sandwich from her hand. His gaze was intent and watchful. The teasing mood was gone. “So talk, lady. I’m listening.“
She looked at him for a long moment and then she looked away, staring unseeingly at the landscape below.
Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around her drawn-up knees.
“Colby, we’ve got a problem.“
“We?“
She went cold and closed her eyes. “Maybe it would be more accurate under the circumstances to say I’ve got a problem. I’m pregnant.“
“So that’s it.“ He took a large bite out of his sandwich and chewed with enthusiasm. “I was wondering why you’ve been acting as if you were walking around in a mine field.“
Diana heard the unconcerned tone in his voice and thought she would lose control and burst into tears right there in front of him. He didn’t care because he didn’t consider her pregnancy his problem.
She had made a huge mistake. She had been wrong, all wrong, to tell him. She should have kept it to herself. She should have handled her problems alone, just as she always did. In the end, a woman could only rely on herself. She’d always known that. Why had she allowed Colby Savagar to make her think there might be a few exceptions to that rule?
“It was that night in the cave, wasn’t it?“ Colby asked around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Yes. I thought you didn’t remember. You never said anything.“ Diana didn’t look at him. She could barely keep her voice steady. A sense of panic was setting in. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t seem to move. Her stomach was in a knot. Her palms were damp. She certainly couldn’t eat a single bite of her lunch now.
“I never said anything because you never mentioned it. I wasn’t sure you remembered. I figured you’d bring it up if you wanted to discuss the situation. We were careless that night.“
“Yes.“ At least he was noble enough to admit the fault had been mutual.
“You almost didn’t tell me about the baby,“ Colby remarked musingly as he polished off the last of his sandwich.
“You’ve been keeping all your fears and concerns to yourself, as usual. Tell me something, Diana. What made you decide to break the news today?“
“There was no point waiting any longer. I’m as sure as I can be without a test. I have to start making some decisions. Before I do that I need to know how you, uh, feel about the situation.“