He came around the side of the house a moment later. She waited, appreciating the sight of him while he approached. He wore a pair of canvas pants along with a button-down blue-and-white twill shirt. Both items of clothing fitted him perfectly, highlighting long legs, narrow hips and the appealing slant of his torso from a lean waist to a powerful chest and shoulders.
He looked good enough to eat.
Recognizing her errant thought, she plastered a smile on her face as he opened the fence gate and approached her.
“You got here quicker than I’d expected. I thought I better let Topsy out before we left.”
“There wasn’t any traffic in town. I got here fast,” he said, his dark eyes moving over her. She felt her cheeks warming beneath what appeared to be an appreciative male appraisal. “Isn’t this weather amazing? The first real day of spring,” she said breathlessly.
“You look like springtime,” he murmured, his stare sweeping over her floral-colored skirt and lingering on the front of her lightweight peach-colored sweater.
“Thanks,” she managed. Something about his low, gruff voice made her already warm cheeks burn. She’d purchased some springtime items for her wardrobe, well aware that her breasts were growing past the confines of her prepregnancy blouses. Even this new sweater seemed to highlight her growing curves, however. Ryan’s appreciative glance didn’t offend her like it would have if another man had perused her in such a manner.
In fact, his warm glance made her feel downright...desirable...
...aroused.
“Topsy!” she called, eager to derail her potentially dangerous train of thought. The puppy glanced around at her call and suddenly tore through the yard. She immediately went to Ryan, wiggling and hopping around his ankles. Ryan grinned and bent to pet the caramel-colored fluff ball, scratching Topsy behind the ears until she literally vibrated with pleasure.
“You’ve made a friend for life,” Faith said, enjoying watching Ryan’s long fingers stroke the puppy. No wonder Topsy appeared to be in a state of bliss. What was it about seeing a big, masculine man with something so tiny and adorable that appealed so much to a woman? A strange, powerful feeling tightened her chest.
What would it be like to see him hold their child?
“You think so?” Ryan asked, picking up Topsy and holding her in front of his face, examining the canine soberly. Faith burst out in laughter at the comical sound he made when Topsy lapped at his nose with a pink tongue.
* * *
“Why are you so quiet?” Ryan asked her several minutes later when they were on the road to Harbor Town.
“I’m worried about meeting your sister,” Faith admitted, staring at the sun-gilded, blooming trees and meadows zooming past the car window.
“She’ll love you. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Easy for you to say,” Faith said quietly. She glanced at Ryan when he reached across the console and put his hand on top of hers where it’d been resting on her thigh. His heat soaked down into her skin.
“It is easy for me to say, because I know Mari, and I know you. What specifically are you worried about?”
Faith bit at her lower lip, hesitant to reveal her insecurities. Ryan tightened his hold on her hand, as if in reassurance.
“I know it’s ridiculous,” she murmured, watching as they passed the city limit sign for Harbor Town. “I’m thirty years old, not a teenager, but I can’t help but feel like she might think I’
m...some kind of a...”
“What?” Ryan prodded when she faded off.
“Loose woman,” Faith burst out. It sounded so ridiculous when she said it, she couldn’t help but give Ryan a sheepish grin. He wore an incredulous expression that segued to amusement.
“Loose woman? This isn’t the 1950s, Faith. Lots of women have babies who aren’t married, or even in a serious relationship.”
“I know. Maybe loose isn’t the word. Maybe stupid is. Women in this day and age aren’t supposed to get pregnant after a...a...” She struggled to finish her sentence, becoming increasingly uncomfortable when she couldn’t. When Ryan released her hand, she looked at him in alarm. Had she offended him? She hadn’t meant to minimize Christmas Eve, she just didn’t know how to describe what had happened between them.
Still.
“Mari isn’t going to judge you,” he said as he stared out the front window and drove. “She’s not a judgmental person, in the first place, and in the second place, there’s nothing to judge. She’s as aware as anyone that you can’t always plan life. You just live it as best you can.”
Faith inhaled slowly, studying his profile. He turned into a residential neighborhood featuring a tree-lined street and attractive older large homes. Of course he was right. How could she possibly feel the tiniest shame about the miracle of life growing inside her?
Ryan brought the car to a crawl.