Bargaining for Baby Read Online Free Page B

and took measures to control them.
    Regulate your breathing. Think calm thoughts.
    But that comet of a dog kept coming. When the space between them shortened to within feet, she clenched her muscles, ready to dive and shield the baby. If someone was going to be slammed, it wouldn’t be Beau.
    At the last moment, the dog peeled away. Maddy’s soaring adrenaline levels dipped and she slumped with relief—until a shiver fluttered up her limbs and her senses heightened again.
    She carefully turned.
    Head low, the dog was crouching up behind them. They were being stalked, like deer by a practiced wolf.
    Jack growled out a playful “Git here, you,” and, ears alert, the dog shot up to her master’s side, her dark eyes blind with adoration and anticipation as she waited for the next order.
    Shuddering out a shaky breath, Maddy worked to gather herself and force her leaden feet forward while Jack hoisted the baby higher against his chest.
    “Meet Nell,” he said.
    Maddy preferred not to. Nevertheless she nodded curtly at the dog with the lolling pink tongue and penetrating brown eyes while keeping her distance. “Hello, Nell.”
    Jack paused to give her a dirty look. “You don’t like dogs?”
    “Let’s say dogs don’t like me.” She had no intentionof explaining further. “She seems to hang off your every word.”
    “Nell’s a working dog.” A muscle ticked in his square, shadowed jaw. “Or she was.”
    Maddy tilted her head. Was a working dog. Had Nell had an accident? God knows she seemed agile enough. But Maddy had a more important question to ask.
    “Is Nell good with children?”
    Jack picked up his pace. “How should I know?”
    As they moved toward the house, Nell trotted wide circles to manage her human flock, every so often darting up behind to nose their heels. Although Maddy remained outwardly calm, suffocating tendrils twined around her throat. But clearly this Border collie was well-trained. There was nothing to fear, for herself or the baby. Her falling blood pressure—her tingling brain—was an automatic physiological response to past stimuli. Just because she’d been mauled by a dog many years ago didn’t mean it would happen again.
    Breathe deeply. Calm thoughts.
    As Nell flew past, the dog’s tail brushed her wrist. Maddy’s anxiety meter lurched again and she coughed out a nervous laugh.
    “I have to say, I’m feeling a little like a lamb chop.”
    Jack flattened his lips and a sharp whistle echoed out over the plains. When he nodded ahead, Nell tore off. Maddy spluttered as more dust clouded her vision and filled her lungs. Fine grains of dirt crunched between her teeth. She needed a bath and a drink—a big fat Cosmopolitan with an extra shot of everything.
    His broad shoulders rolling, Jack glanced across and measured her up. “There’s reception for your cell phone if you need it.”
    “That’s nice to know. Thanks.”
    “You bring any jeans?”
    “Of course.” The new season’s latest cut.
    “Good.”
    Goosebumps erupted down her arms. Something in his assured tone worried her. “Why good?”
    “You can’t ride in a dress.”
    She blinked. Ride?
    Then she laughed. “Oh, I don’t ride.” Certainly not horses. She hadn’t even swung a leg over a bicycle since that day when she was twelve.
    Jack’s brows fell together. “You don’t like horses either?”
    Her brows fell, too. “I didn’t realize it was a federal offense.”
    Then again she was “out west.” He probably slept with his saddle tucked under one arm and his Akubra glued to his head.
    While she smacked another fly, Jack sucked air in between his teeth. “So you’re not a fan of animals.”
    “Not up close.”
    He grunted. “What do you like?”
    “I like the theater. I like chocolate custard. I like rainy days when I know I don’t have to get up.”
    “Are there many days you don’t get out of bed?”
    She gave him a narrow-eyed look. Was he serious? His tone and expression were so dry, she