The Texas Billionaire's Baby Read Free

become…if she felt regrets for leaving the way she had and turning her back on him.
    Why did he even care?
    He cared because when he looked at her…his body responded as it had when he was in his twenties. He resented that fact. He’d been happily married. He still missed the woman who had given her life for their son. Any reaction to Gina came from the past and he had to douse it. Daniel was his only focus now.
    When Gina’s gaze met his, he saw emotion flicker there. He thought he saw the corner of her lip quiver. That used to happen when she was upset or nervous. He was sure she was going to refuse his offer.
    Instead, she straightened her back and didn’t look away. “I can handle some of Daniel’s treatment here, but I’ll need him at Baby Grows for sessions, too. I can’t start a program without you agreeing to that.”
    There was a bit of steel in her tone and an assertiveness she’d lacked as a teenager. She’d obviously grown into a strong woman.
    Just as Amy was strong, an inner voice reminded him. Just as Amy had been unbending in her determination to keep Daniel safe.
    “How often?”
    “That depends on my schedule. I can commit to one evening a week.”
    “That’s fine.” He thought about his busy May schedule…watching Gina with Daniel even on a limited basis…and added, “When I can’t be here, Hannah will be.”
    “Logan, you need to participate in the program I set up. That’s important to Daniel.”
    Something about his name on her lips shook him a little. It cracked the vault of memories he’d carefully sealed and buried. “All right, I’ll make sure I’m available. Is there anything else you need from me right now?”
    She looked as if she was debating with herself but finally answered, “No.”
    “Daniel and I have a routine at bedtime. I don’t want to disrupt that. Hannah will see you out.”
    The room had become stifling with them both in it. Memories seemed to dance between them, muddling the past with the present. He needed to hold his son and forget about what had happened so long ago.
    He headed for the doorway.
    “Logan?”
    When he turned to face Gina again, she looked vulnerable. He almost crossed the room, almost gave in to the instinct to reassure her that everything would be all right, as he might have once done.
    Now he kept silent.
    Appearing flustered for a moment, she finally said, “Call me tomorrow to set up an appointment.” She took a card from her pocket, covered the distance between them, and handed it to him. “All my numbers are on there. If you can’t reach me at Baby Grows, you can reach me on my cell phone or at home.”
    His fingers grazed hers as he took the card, and he willed his body not to record the brief contact. His voice became rough as he responded, “Thanks.”
    Then he left Gina in Daniel’s playroom and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
     
    On Saturday morning, Gina sat in the small parlor off the living room in the old Victorian house in Sagebrush, tapping her foot, too edgy to admire the chintz material on the love seat, the dragonfly Tiffany lamp sitting on the corner of the library table she and her housemate, Raina, used as a desk. Her heart practically tripped over itself as she waited for Logan to answer his cell phone. She had to change the appointment the two of them had set up for Daniel a few days ago. It just couldn’t be helped.
    “Barnes,” he answered in a clipped voice and she heard machinery in the background.
    “Logan, it’s Gina.”
    “Hold on a minute,” he said to her. “I need to move into an area where I can hear you.”
    She guessed he was at the denim factory the Barnes family had owned and operated for decades.
    Finally he said, “Okay, I’m in my office. What’s up?”
    Anyone listening in would think they knew each other…would think maybe they were friends again. Friends. Could they even come close to that?
    “Logan, I need to change Daniel’s appointment. Can we switch it from Monday