Pregnant In Prosperino by Carla Cassidy Read Free Book Online Page A

tense silence that returned.
    Â 
    Chance threw his sports car into fourth gear and raced down the road that eventually would take him into the town of Prosperino.
    There was nothing he hated more than feeling guilty, and at the moment he was feeling damned guilty. Since the moment he and Lana had said “I do” he’d been behaving badly.
    When he’d walked into the kitchen that evening, he’d been engulfed by the scents of home cooking, overwhelmed by the tiny little touches Lana had added to make the place seem more homey.
    There was a part of him, a part of him that he had never before realized, that was hungry for a real home. A leftover piece from his dysfunctional childhood, he told himself.
    When he’d agreed to this insane plot with Lana, he hadn’t really thought it through. He’d been so angry with his father, and so eager to win, he hadn’t considered how difficult it might be to live with a woman, especially this particular woman.
    Lana, with her lovely dark eyes and that cascade of black hair. Lana, with her sweet smiles and an easy acceptance of each low and high point offered by life.
    As a young girl, she’d been a balm to his spirit, a sympathetic ear that had offered no judgment, no censure no matter what he said.
    She’d been pretty then, a shy, slender girl with big black eyes and a mane of hair. Each time he’d returned to Prosperino and had run into her, he’d been struck by how her beauty had only intensified with time.
    He’d been pleasantly surprised last night by how passionately, how eagerly she had met his caresses, his kisses. He’d assumed she had experience. He frowned and tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. It had been a shock to realize she’d been a virgin.
    He would not make love to her tonight. Even though she’d said nothing, he knew today she must be feeling some residual pain. He hadn’t been particularly gentle until too late. He frowned irritably. What he meant was he would not have sex with her tonight. That was all it was—sex with a purpose.
    What worried him most of all was that she seemed to be nesting, creating a home where none had existed in preparation for a baby, a baby he wanted no part of.
    He didn’t ever want to be a father. He, more than anyone, knew the needs that little kids had, needs hewould never be able to meet because they’d never been met in him.
    He shoved away thoughts of Lana and fatherhood as he pulled into a parking space in front of the Prosperino Café. He’d learned a long time ago on one of his few trips home that if he wanted to catch up on the gossip in the area, needed to buy or sell any kind of equipment, or simply wanted a great cup of coffee, the café was the place to come. The café had always been a favorite haunt in his childhood, a place where he had often run to escape from his father.
    It was obvious he’d come in the lull between the supper rush and the late evening bunch. There were only three other patrons inside, all sitting in the same booth.
    Chance slid onto one of the stools at the counter and eyed the pretty waitress he didn’t know. At another time, in another place, he might have flirted with her. At this moment, in this time, the idea held little appeal.
    â€œWhat can I get for you?” she asked as she drew a pad from the pocket of her apron.
    â€œJust a cup of coffee. Is Angie still around?”
    â€œSure, she’s in the back.”
    â€œWould you tell her Chance is here to see her?”
    â€œNo problem. I’ll be right back.” She whirled around and disappeared into a doorway that led to the kitchen.
    A moment later a robust woman with a headful of gray hair came sweeping out, her face wreathed in a wide grin. “Chance Reilly, you devil.” She faced himacross the counter and grabbed his hands in hers. “Let me take a good look at you.”
    Chance grinned. “It’s good