Husband Wanted: Will Train

"Pregnant!" both Doris and Charity cried at once.

Ross looked startled, as though he hadn't been aware of what he was saying. "Did I say pregnant?" He looked at Charity. She shook her head wildly, mouthing, No, no, no!

"I meant trying to get pregnant, of course," he corrected, looking pleased with himself.

"Oh." Aunt Doris sank back into her chair and began to fan herself with her napkin. "Oh."

Charity rose and picked up a few dishes. She felt breathless. "May I see you in the kitchen?" she asked Ross, smiling sweetly while her dark eyes flashed fire.

"Certainly." He smiled at Doris and followed Charity through the swinging doors.

She whirled on him furiously. "What did you do that for? How could you?"

He shrugged, looking abashed. "I don't know. I lost my head. I just looked at you, and all of a sudden I thought you looked like you should be pregnant."

"Ross!" She felt like throwing plates. "I wanted to get away from lying to her, and all we're doing is creating new fantasies at every turn. I hate this!"

He caught hold of her shoulders. She looked up at him, her dark eyes clouded with her anguish. He started to speak, then stopped himself, shaking his head. A slow smile curled his lips.

"You know what?" he said softly. "That was a good breakfast."

She stopped, staring up at him. Suddenly her anger was doused. "Did you really think so?" she asked, surprised.

His smile broadened, and he touched her chin with his thumb. "Yes, I did. And so did Aunt Doris. Didn't you notice? She ate every crumb you put in front of her."

"She did, didn't she?" Charity smiled, thinking how handsome he was. "But, Ross..." Her smile faded. "No more lies, okay? We'll have to stick with the big one, but for the rest, try not to embellish."

"Sure." He shrugged casually. "Unless she asks point- blank where the wedding was, I'll try to keep it on the up- and-up."

"Thanks." She sighed. "Now let's take her around and show her the sights."

"Like the happily married couple that we are," he chimed in, then reacted to her glare. "Okay, okay, like the friends that we are." He stuck out his hand. "How about it? We are friends, aren't we?"

She hesitated, then slipped her finely chiseled hand into his enormous one. "Friends," she agreed. And the day seemed brighter already.

The weather couldn't have been better for touring the coast. Aunt Doris opted for a trip south to Santa Barbara, since she'd seen most of Destiny Bay on her last visit.

Ross had a moment of unease. He was actually more likely to run into people who knew him in Santa Barbara than here in town, as he'd done more work there in the last few years, and actually had a house in the hills. But he shrugged that away. After all, Destiny Bay was full of his family, too. He was just going to have to count on a little luck.