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statement stunned Del more than learning about the baby. His angry surprise must have shown in his face because her eyes widened and he quickly reined in the revealing emotion, forcing his expression to go blank. She had the right, after all, to terminate their physical relationship. They’d made no promises, exchanged no vows. But still her attitude bothered him. The baby aside, hadn’t she felt the samehungry yearning for him all these months that he’d felt for her?
    Apparently not.
    He tried again. “Don’t you want the baby to know her real father?”
    She thought about that a moment. “If during your brief visits to Lone Oak you want to be involved in his life, I’m sure we can come to some reasonable arrangement,” she decided magnanimously. “We’ll wait and see how things go.”
    “And if I refuse to hide the fact that the baby is mine?” he asked.
    “Then I’ll move somewhere else and start over.”
    Del met her steady brown eyes. She’d do it, too. That determined expression was on her face again. He sighed in exasperation. Any other woman—any normal woman—would be making demands. But not Libby. How could he have forgotten how independent, how stubborn, she could be? He remembered the morning after they’d made love. When he received that phone call from work, Libby had been out of bed and dressed before he was, stubbornly insisting she’d help him shovel out his truck. Nothing he’d said could deter her, and finally he’d quit trying, touched by her eagerness to help.
    Now, he wondered if maybe she simply hadn’t been anxious to speed him on his way.
    “What about medical costs? Insurance?” he asked.
    “My father left me a little money. I can handle the medical costs,” she said firmly.
    He should just let her try, he thought, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He should walk out of her life and take the next plane back to Seoul. After all, he’dcome to get Libby off his mind and she was making it easy for him. Why was he arguing when she’d made her feelings all too clear? The passion she’d felt that night—and she had felt the full fulfillment of that passion, he had no doubts on that score—was obviously no longer important.
    All she cared about was the baby.
    Well, he cared about the baby, too. He frowned. Sort of. Despite that kick against his hand, the baby was rather a nebulous concept—not quite real. Unlike Libby, with her hollowed-out cheeks and tired eyes.
    His frown darkened. He couldn’t let her carry this burden alone, no matter how much she claimed to want him to. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to abdicate his moral responsibility in the situation—or ignore the drawn expression on Libby’s face. She might think she could handle everything herself, but anyone seeing those circles under her eyes had to know better. Independence was fine, but not when a woman was more than seven months’ pregnant. Unless she was careful, Libby was going to ruin her own health and that of the baby’s.
    His resolve hardened. He wouldn’t let that happen. She’d never lived on her own before; she probably was underestimating how much the baby would cost. He’d make her see things his way. But not tonight. All this arguing couldn’t be good for her, and besides, he had time to change her mind before he left. She just needed a chance to realize marriage was the most practical solution.
    “Fine,” he said abruptly. “We won’t tell anyone that I’m the father, at least until I see how things go.”
    Libby stared at him with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
    “I’m going to stick around a couple more days to make sure you’re handling everything as well as you think you are.” He frowned, eyeing her consideringly. “You look tired to me.”
    Libby stiffened. Setting aside her knitting, she rose to her feet as quickly as her protruding tummy would allow. “That’s not necessary, Del. You don’t need to stay,” she protested, her voice rising. “I’m