No Foolin' (Willowdale Romance Novel) by Lisa Scott Read Free Book Online

I’m headed back to Roy’s for a bit. Oh, I picked up a playpen for the baby at a yard sale. It’s the in the back of the pickup. I’ll get it out tomorrow.”
    Dad surprised her sometimes, acting thoughtful and kind like he had when she was a little girl. What the heck had happened to him over the years? “Thanks. That was real nice.”
    She hopped out of the car and let herself in to the dark house. A year ago, a night alone would have been a dream come true. But now it just felt lonely and sad. Mama Margaret would have brought her a glass of sweet tea and asked her all about her day. Mama Margaret probably would have been in her rocker, knitting a blanket for the baby.
    Dina slumped on the couch. She probably wouldn’t be pregnant if Mama Margaret hadn’t died. Mama never would have left her home alone with a boy. But that’s what happened soon after she died.
    Dina kicked off her black flats and lowered herself onto the couch, settling her feet on top of a throw pillow. The baby’s daddy had asked if the kid was his. Said he’d be there for her. Dina laughed to herself. Right. She wasn’t about to be with someone who didn’t really love her. Look at how things had turned out for Dad and Mama Margaret. She loved them both, but they shouldn’t have gotten married. All they did was fight. She didn’t want a marriage like that. Plus, Dina had only been out with the guy a few times before this happened. It was her mess to clean up. And that’s why she had lied and told him no. No worries. The kid wasn’t his.
    But now as the due date was getting closer, her stomach did giant flip-flops at the thought of raising a child all by herself. She rubbed her hand across her big tummy. Should she give it away?
    The very idea brought tears to her eyes. Giving the baby away almost seemed like having it die or something. She ran the back of her hand under her nose and pressed her eyes shut. Where are you Kate? I need to talk to you. That was easy to say when she was all by herself in a dark room. Admitting it to Kate was another thing. She’d have to listen to a long lecture on responsibility and consequences. Dina sighed, but she knew it was true. Without Kate, she couldn’t take care of this baby. And she really, really wanted to keep it.
    She pulled out her phone and typed in a text message to Kate. Can u come home? I need u.
    Then she erased it and turned off the phone. She wasn’t quite ready to admit she couldn’t do this. And she still had some time to figure things out.
    KATE WOKE TO VOICES shouting. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked around the big, airy room. Light streamed through gauzy curtains, the sunbeams stretching across beautiful hardwood floors. Pulling the silky lavender comforter around her, she remembered what she had done. She was pretending to be Teague Reynold’s girlfriend. Last thing she remembered, she was on the plane. How had she gotten in here? She groaned and rolled out of bed.
    “ You’re going to ruin your career!”
    Following the angry voice coming from below, Kate ran her hands through her hair and stepped out of her room. She stood on the second-floor balcony overlooking a huge living room with a big fish tank, giant paintings—probably originals, not that she would know—leather sofas and chairs, and an immense stucco fireplace. Now that’s a room she could spend some time in. But no one was in there. A set of curved, iron stairs beckoned her downstairs. She took two steps and froze as the fighting resumed.
    “Calm down, June,” she heard Teague say. “She’s a nice girl. She’s not going to hurt my career.”
    “A nice girl will hurt your career.” The woman’s shrill voice got louder. “Remember Marcy Winters?”
    “She got arrested for punching a chick who grabbed my ass,” he retorted. “Not nice at all.”
    “Exactly. Tons and tons of press. That was the juiciest gossip of the week.”
    Kate thought she remembered that particular scoop. She sat down on