âI want you to marry me.â
Thad watched several emotions flicker across Macyâs faceâsurprise, incredulity, angerâbut before she could settle on one, he added, âThere would be a lot of benefits to the arrangement, for both of us. Before you say anything, just hear me out.â
âNo.â
âNo, you wonât hear me out? Or no, you wonât marry me?â
âNo, period. Our âarrangementsâ have gone far enough. Donât you understand that what you want, what weâre doingâhaving a baby like thisâmakes a mockery of everything I believe in? Youâve reduced love, marriage and family toâ¦to this. To nothing but emotionless agreements and practical considerations.â
Thad flinched. Love, marriage and family were just as sacred to him, maybe more so. âThink of the baby,â he said. âIf we marry, the baby will have my name.â
âSo weâd be married but we wouldnât live together. Is that what youâre suggesting? A marriage in name only?â
Thad cleared his throat, certain Macy wouldnât like this next part any more than sheâd liked the first. âActually, I was thinking we could live together. Just as roommates.â
âBut why? What purpose could there possibly be inâOh, I get it.â Her eyes narrowed. âYouâd be protecting your investment.â
Dear Reader,
Sometimes someone touches your life, and you know that afterward, nothing will ever be the same. Itâs incredible, when you think about it, that we have the power to make such a difference to those we meet. Katie, a mere child of five, made that kind of difference for me. As her Sunday school teacher, I watched her fight a battle against cancer. Her courage inspired me. Her death broke my heart. Her life gave me new appreciation for the ties that bind us all, for beauty and for love.
I wrote Baby Business during Katieâs last year. Though its characters are entirely fictional, I hope Iâve succeeded in my desire to share the magic that came from knowing her.
Iâd love to hear from you. You can write me at P.O. Box 3781, Citrus Heights, CA 95611. Or simply log on to my Web site at www.brendanovak.com to send me an e-mail, enter my monthly draws, join my mailing list, check out my book signings or learn about my upcoming releases.
Hereâs to love and to life!
Brenda Novak
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
899âEXPECTATIONS
939âSNOW BABY
Baby Business
Brenda Novak
For Katie, because I believe in rainbows, too.
And for my own five children, Ashley, Megan, Alexa, Trey
and Thad, because theyâre the reason I believe.
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EPILOGUE
âIS SHE the one?â
Startled, Thad Winters glanced up. Kevin, his best friend and partner in Winters-Brodey Advertising, stood in front of his desk, staring at the photograph of Macy McKinney that Thad had pulled out of a manila envelope. That same picture, showing a woman with wide green eyes, shoulder-length black hair and a mysterious Mona Lisa smile, had drawn his eye again and againâever since it had arrived in the mail two days ago.
Was she the one? Thad could only hope. The sooner he found the right woman, the sooner he could make his way back to the man he used to be. âWho knows? They all look good at this point. Itâs after Rychert finishes his little background check that things start to go downhill.â
Tall and pencil-thin, with a shock of dark hair that never seemed to lie down in back, Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets. He crossed to the wall of windows overlooking the jammed Salt Lake City streetsâit was afternoon rush hourâtwenty stories below. âHave you met her yet?â
âWe have an appointment in fifteen minutes.â With a glance at his watch, Thad shuffled the papers on his desk, trying to appear busy. He didnât want Kevin to stay. The interviews were difficult enough without an audience.
âSo what are you doing? Advertising for women?â Kevin asked.
âNo, a few discreet friends are asking around. Thatâs it.â
âThank God for small favors. Itâs starting to look like Toys âRâ Us in here.â With his foot, Kevin nudged a life-size teddy bear that toppled over onto a box of chocolates. âHow many have you interviewed?â
âI havenât counted. A dozen maybe. Why?â
Kevin straightened, his usually good-natured expression strained. âBecause I think youâre making a mistake.â
The mistake was made eighteen months ago by a drunk driver, but Thad wasnât about to go into all that. Valerieâs death was still too painful to talk aboutâironic considering she was all he ever thought about. The memories swirled around and around in his head until sometimes he could almost touch her, taste her, smell the perfume heâd given her their last Valentineâs Day.
Those memories preserved a small part of the heaven he and Valerie had known during their short marriage. They also introduced him to a whole new concept of hell. âAnd?â