Sheri WhiteFeather - Protecting Their Baby

“Do you want a soda?” he asked. “Or some milk?”

“I’ll take a soda.”

“Wouldn’t milk be better for you?”

“Probably, but it sounds icky with Chinese food.”

“How about herbal tea instead? That works with chow mein.”

She couldn’t help but smile. He was being an attentive host. “You don’t seem like the herbal tea type.”

He smiled, too. “I have my moments.”

He certainly did. He got up to brew the tea, and her heart went haywire, kind of like when she’d seen him across the room at the bar.

When he returned with two cups of orange pekoe and a plastic squeeze-bottle of honey, she’d already picked at a portion of her food. He sat on the floor and ate his with chopsticks, which made him seem like a trendy L.A. guy. She wondered if he’d grown up in the city. With Rex, it was difficult to tell.

They finished their lunch in silence. Grateful for the tea, she asked for a second cup. He still had water leftover on the stove, so he poured it for her. She sipped the mild brew, letting it warm her insides. The interview was about to begin.

“How many people know about the baby?” he asked.

“A lot,” she admitted. “I told my family and closest friends. The other instructors at my studio know, too, as well as some of the parents and older students. We teach kids and adults.” She placed her cup on a napkin. Rex hadn’t provided a coaster. “I fainted a few times at work, and that got the gossip mill going. I figured there was no point in denying it.” She made a gesture with her hands, creating a pregnant belly. “Eventually I’m going to show.”

“How many of them know that a man named Sixkiller is the father?”

“By now? Probably all of them. Why?” She thought about the brown-haired, brown-eyed doll. It certainly looked more like Rex than herself. “Do you think this is racially motivated?”

“It’s something to consider, especially since the threat was made while you were in my company, and the doll seemed to favor my genetics.”

So he’d noticed, too. Well, of course, he did, she thought. He noticed everything.

He continued. “But I’m not ruling out other scenarios.” He handed her a pen and paper. “I’m going to need a list of your family, friends, students, employees, everyone who knows about the baby.”

She got offended. “My friends or family would never do this. It has to be a stranger.”

“They can’t be too much of a stranger if they know that you’re pregnant and I’m the father.”

Troubled by his logic, she wrote down the names he’d requested, which was a major feat, considering how long the list was. Still, she refused to believe that someone she cared about was out to hurt her. There had to be another explanation.

“Do you have a big family?” he asked.

“Aside from my parents, I have one set of grandparents, some aunts, uncles and cousins.”

“Be sure to include them.”

“I am.” But none of them would ever knife a doll. “We have dinner together every Sunday.”

“You’ll have to invite me to the next gathering. I assume they’re curious about me.”

“You assume right.” But inviting him to dinner so he could analyze everyone didn’t sit well.

He took the completed list. “How does your family feel about the baby?”

“My parents are thrilled about becoming grandparents. Everyone else has been supportive, too.”

“They’re not concerned or ashamed about you being an unwed mother?”

“Concerned, yes. Ashamed, no. My family isn’t judgmental. Well, maybe my great-aunt Annabelle is, but she’s almost ninety years old.”

“I’m still going to check her out.”

“Go ahead.” Annabelle could barely get out of her wheelchair, let alone terrorize her pregnant niece.

Rex continued the interview. “Is there anyone who tried to talk you out of having the baby?”

“No.”

“What about your girlfriends who were at the bar?”

“They offered to have a baby shower for me when the time comes.”

He changed tactics. “Tell me about your old lovers. Former boyfriends, short-lived affairs and other one-night stands.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve had two serious boyfriends, and no quickie affairs. As for one-nighters, you’re it.”

“So, you’ve only been with three men, including me?”

“Yes.” Did he consider that unusual for a single woman her age? She wondered how many women he’d been with, but this didn’t seem like the time to ask. He was already forming another question for her to answer.

“Did your old boyfriends ever get aggressive with you? Or were they overly possessive during or after your relationship?”

“No. I was with Jamie during high school, but it fizzled out during our college years. The last I heard, he’s married with children of his own now.”

“And the other boyfriend?”

“Kirk? We dated for two years, but when we moved in together, we realized that we’d made a mistake. It never got bitter, though. We decided that we were better off as friends.”

“How friendly are you?”

“Lunch now and then.”

“Does he know about the baby?”

She nodded. “But I can’t imagine him—”

Rex cut her off. “Write his full name down. Jamie, too. I’m not leaving any stones unturned.”

“Are you going to do the same thing with everyone you know? Are you going to investigate your family and friends? Your old lovers?”

“I already told you that I was going to investigate every angle.”

But would he be as thorough blaming his side as he would be blaming hers?

“I think you should stay with me until this is over,” he said, catching her off guard. “That’s what Daniel did when Allie was being stalked.”

Although she was curious about the other couple, she didn’t want to mimic them. “I can’t stay with you.”

“Why not?”

Yes, her mind asked—why not? He was obviously trying to make good on his promise to protect her.

“Maybe you could stay with me instead.” Her home, her pregnant-lady turf, a situation she could control. Or so she hoped.

“I guess I could. I guess it doesn’t make a difference which of us goes where.”

It mattered to her, and by the time he got to her house, she suspected it would be an issue for him, too.

She couldn’t imagine him fitting into her world any more than she could envision fitting into his.

Nonetheless, they agreed to live together, but only until the perpetrator was caught.

Rex carried his bags into Lisa’s cottage-style house and got the urge to run. Clean yet cramped, the decor was decidedly feminine. Already he was drowning in floral prints, lace curtains and painted woods. He wished he’d insisted that she stay with him.

“You don’t like what I did with it,” she said.

Good call, he thought. Regardless, he tried for polite. “It’s fine. It’s nice. Just point me in the direction of my room.”

She led the way instead. He checked her out from behind, then asked himself what the hell he was doing. He’d already planted a life in her womb. He didn’t need to create more trouble.

The guest room was small, painted in pastel colors, with a single window that overlooked a thriving vegetable garden.

“Do you rent or own?” he asked.

“I’m a homeowner.” A fact of which she seemed proud.

Rex understood. He owned his place, too, and living in Southern California didn’t come cheap. They worked hard for what they had.

She gestured to the tight surroundings. “Eventually this is going to be the nursery.”

“I’ll be sleeping in the baby’s room?” He could picture it with a crib and whatnot. The pastel theme would work, too. For a while, anyway. He couldn’t imagine a boy standing it for very long.