He dropped her hand as if it had suddenly become too hot to hold, and glanced at his watch. "Well, I'd better get out of here before they kick me out."
Warmth flooded up her neck and she avoided his eyes. "I suppose so." She bit her lip and stared at the blanket. How could she have been so bold - so desperate? So fickle. Hadn't she been considering Josh as a partner lest than thirty minutes ago?
After Alex left, she stared at the empty doorway.
Had Alex written off marriage completely? And why should it matter to her? After all, they came from two different worlds. She didn't want to live in Houston any more than he wanted to live on a goat farm. Not that he was interested anyway. Obviously he had reconsidered his intentions toward her - or had she misread them from the start?
She shook her head and dropped back on the pillow. Why was she even considering a man who didn't want children? For the right man, she might give up the farm and go live in the city, but children? No, there could be no compromise on that subject.
But then, many a man didn't want children until he had them. Maybe Alex was simply burned out on raising children after giving up so much for Katie - only to have her run away. If that were the case, his attitude would change quickly enough when he held his first baby.
She woke early the next morning and dressed, making a trip to the office before Alex arrived. She had expected to find Alex had paid the hospital bill, but that wasn't the case. Instead, she discovered it was Josh. Why would Josh pay something so expensive? Was he trying to buy her back? No, that wasn't his style. Still, she felt guilty - and confused. She had missed Josh, but it wasn't the gut-wrenching loneliness she felt when Alex left. Maybe that was because Josh was only a mile down the road. Why was she so infatuated with Alex? Was he merely a change in pace? Was it his money? No, the idea turned her stomach. Anyway, if money were the only issue, she should find Josh irresistible. Maybe it was because Alex was so attractive. Of course, Josh was as good looking, if not better looking in a rugged kind of way. Then what? She couldn't be in love with Alex. They hadn't known each other long enough. Yet she had an ever growing feeling that Alex was the one. Until last night, she had been convinced that he was too sophisticated to be interested in farming. But now?