The Durango Affair - Brenda Jackson [19]
“You don’t think she’d mind?”
“No.”
“All right then, if you’re sure it’s okay.”
He stood. “Do you think your stomach has settled enough for dinner? I cooked a pot of beef stew.”
“Yes, I think it will be able to handle it. Would you like some help in the kitchen?”
“If you’re up to it you can set the table.”
She stood. “I’m up to it. Did you find the hikers?”
“Yes, we found them and they’re fine. Luckily one was a former Boy Scout and knew exactly what to do.”
She smiled, relieved, as she followed him into the kitchen. “I’m glad.”
Savannah was amazed at the degree of her appetite and flushed with embarrassment when she noted that Durango had stopped to watch her, with amusement dancing in his eyes, as she devoured one bowl of stew and was working on her second.
She licked her lips. “I was hungry.”
“Apparently.”
When she pushed the empty bowl aside, he chuckled and said, “Hey, you were on a roll. Don’t stop on my account.”
Her brows came together in a frown. “I’ve had enough, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve got to keep the ballerina on her toes.”
“What ballerina?”
“Our daughter.”
Savannah raised a glass of milk to her lips, took a sip and then asked, “You think I’m having a girl?”
“Yes.”
She tipped her head, curious. “Why?”
He leaned forward to wipe the milk from around her lips with his napkin, wondering when the last time he had given so much time and attention to a woman was. “Because that’s what I want and I’m arrogant enough to think I’ll get whatever I want.”
Savannah didn’t doubt that—not that she thought he got anything and everything he wanted, but that he was arrogant enough to think so. “Why would you want a girl?”
“Why wouldn’t I want one?” he asked. There was no way he would tell her the reason he wanted a little girl was that he wanted a daughter who looked just like her. He couldn’t explain the reasoning behind it and at the moment he didn’t want to dwell on the significance of it.
“There are more males in your family, and considering that, I’d think for you a son would be easier to manage,” she said.
He chuckled, amused. “I think we managed my cousin Delaney just fine. With five brothers and six older male cousins we were able to put the fear of God into any guy who showed interest in her. I see no problem with us getting the same point across with the next generation of Westmoreland females.”
His smile deepened. “Besides, don’t you know that girls are the apples of their fathers’ eyes?”
“Not in all cases,” she said, thinking of the relationship she and Jessica never had with their father.
“But let me set the record straight,” Durango said, breaking into her reverie. “I would love either a boy or girl, but having a daughter would be extra, extra special.”
Savannah smiled, thinking his words pleased her, probably because she was hoping for a girl, as well. In some ways it surprised her that a man who was such a confirmed bachelor would want children or be interested in fatherhood at all.
At that moment an adorable image floated into her mind of Durango and a little girl who looked just like him sitting on his lap while he read her a story.
“So what do you think?” Durango asked.
Savannah glanced up after going through the items of clothing that Durango had placed on the bed. “I think they’ll work. I don’t wear jeans often so the change will be nice, and the sweaters look comfy. They will be good for this weather.”
“So what do you plan to do tonight?”
The low-pitch murmur of his voice had her lifting her head and meeting his gaze. She wished there was some way she didn’t get turned on whenever she looked into their dark depths. “I thought I’d try and finish a book that I brought with me.”
“Oh, and what type book is it?”
She shrugged. “One of those baby books that tells you what to expect during pregnancy and at childbirth.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It is.” She tried ignoring the sensations that were moving around in her stomach.