Angel's Peak (Virgin River #10)(42)

“Who are you talking to?” Franci asked as she came into the room.

“Harry. He hates me. Animals usually like me—what’s his problem?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t trust you,” she offered. “If you want to say good-night to Rosie before you go, now’s the time. Her light is going off in…” She looked at her watch. “Fifteen minutes.”

“Fine,” he said, standing. “Did I do all right today? I mean, she didn’t run screaming from the room or anything.”

“You did very well, Sean. I’m impressed.”

He smiled a small smile, asking himself why that felt so good coming from her. And why, he wondered, did she seem so much older now. She didn’t look older, but she was completely mature. Grounded. Stabilized. If he didn’t have recent proof that under that veneer of serenity there was a sexual bobcat of a woman, he’d think Franci had a double, and he’d got the calm one tonight.

Just thinking about that other Franci got him a little riled, and he thought it was completely reasonable that since he’d played good daddy all day, he might score tonight. Since he couldn’t head for the airport before morning at the earliest, the plan made sense to him.

Rosie gave him a hug good-night, but was busy with her toy laptop computer, making words and pictures. She didn’t look the least bit tired. He said, “Thank you for a fun day.”

And she just said, “’Kay.”

Back in the living room, Franci sat in the corner of the sofa with her feet curled under her. He sat down close to her and reached for her hand. “Let me stay over,” he said.

“No. I have things to get ready for tomorrow. I teach a couple of classes on Monday and Thursday mornings and keep office hours for students in the afternoons. Then I work my twenty-four-hour shifts in Redding on Tuesday and Friday mornings. Tomorrow starts a real busy week and I—”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll watch TV while you get your stuff together.”

“No. You’ll seduce me and I have a child in the house.”

“Gee, how do you suppose all the families with more than one child managed to do that?”

“Those first children were used to their mothers and fathers sleeping in the same bed, but Rosie’s not. Sometimes she crawls in with me in the night.”

“I have sweatpants in my duffel. I’ll sleep in those,” he tried. “No.”

“Can I have the couch?”

“No. Because I know you and you’ll seduce me. I think the only thing more important to you than sex is air. Now be on your good behavior. She isn’t even asleep yet.”

“We should get a few things settled,” he said. He thought, And then I will spend the night! “We should make some plans.”

“Like what?”

“We should get married, I suppose.”

She smiled at him. “Oh? And why is that?”

“Because we’re parents?” he answered as a question.

She was shaking her head. “We’ll be parents either way. That’s not enough of a reason. Besides, how exactly would you handle that? The details?”

“I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“It matters, Sean,” she said. “For one thing, I live in Eureka—you live at Beale Air Force Base, a few hours away.”

“Well,” he said, “the air force owns me. I was hoping you’d consider coming to Beale. You and Rosie. That would sure make things simple.”

She just did that frowning-smile thing at him. “That isn’t what you want. You don’t want to be married or have a family.”

“To quote a famous minister I know—that ship has sailed.”

She was quiet for a moment, looking down at her crossed legs. When she lifted her eyes they were very large, but surprisingly soft. “I really need you to try to hear what I’m going to tell you, Sean. You’ve been back in my life a week or so—you’ve known about Rosie less than twenty-four hours. There was a time I would have sold my mother for a commitment from you, but just like four years ago I don’t want that offer simply because we made a child together.”

“She needs a mother and a father,” he stressed.

“She has them,” she answered. “There’s no way we can beat the stork—there’s no point in making a big mistake. Besides, you just want to make some plans so you can spend the night, and you can’t. Not tonight.”

He lifted one light brown brow. “You gonna tell me that wasn’t a real good night, last night? Because if I’m any judge, it worked for you.”

“Totally rocked my world,” she admitted. “I need some time for the rest. I just don’t take something like marriage lightly. If I do it, I’ll mean it, and I won’t change my mind. But I think you’d do it right now for all the wrong reasons.”

“Does this have anything to do with the guy you didn’t let stay last night?” he asked.

“My boyfriend?” she asked, smiling. She knew it was naughty to taunt him like that; she wasn’t thinking of T.J. as a boyfriend at the moment. “It would be nice of me to tell him if things change in my personal life. But until I have matters settled…”

“No, Franci, tell him matters are settled. You won’t be dating him!”