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him
to full term."
    "You can
word it anyway you want," Jack said, "but the baby you're carrying is
half you and half me. Not mostly you and a little bit me. He's got my DNA, and
there's a good chance he'll be built like me and look like me. He's not just
yours, Grace. He's every bit as much mine, and you might as well get used to
the idea. But I'll see about renting a motorized wheelchair so you can get
around without walking."
    Jack's unyielding
face prompted a question that had been nagging Grace from the start.
"You're not married," she said, "so why is it so important for
you to have a son? Most men in your situation would be glad to get out of any
responsibility, yet you're ready to give me five-hundred dollars a month to
make your claim."
    Jack said
nothing, and when the silence became awkward, Grace said, "Alright.
Obviously you don't want to talk about it so forget I asked. Just curious."
    "Yeah,
well, don't try to figure it out," Jack said. "I'll get the rest of
your stuff." He turned and walked away.
    And Grace was
more determined than ever to learn what was behind what she was coming to view
as Jack's obsession with having a son. Not a wife. He gave no indication that she
and her baby were a package deal. Jack wanted his son, and he wanted control of
what happened to him. And that scared Grace more than she cared to think.

CHAPTER 3

 
    Jack insisted that
Grace stay in bed while he set up the cat's gear, which he'd done under Grace's
direction. The cat bed beside Grace's bed, even though the cat was on the bed.
The scratching post inside the door to the bedroom. The sky room under the
window so the cat could look out. The post with the pole and feathers where the
cat could swat it when she came out of the bathroom after using the litter box.
The cat had taken up the whole damn bedroom. But Grace looked content, sitting
in bed while stroking the cat. Stroking Mei Ling, Jack conceded. Grace got
pissed when he referred to her as the cat .
    It seemed odd
having a pregnant woman to fuss over again. He'd been watching Sam hovering
over Susan the entire length of her pregnancy, and although it hadn't been an
issue, he couldn't deny it had bothered him that Sam and Susan would be raising
his son. And although he'd been resigned to it, he knew that watching his boy
grow up as his nephew wouldn't fill the void. But the child Grace was carrying
would. And someday, half the ranch would be his. He'd get the boy an older
settled pony when he was around three so they could ride in the mountains.
Before then, he'd put him in the saddle in front of him and let him hold the
reins...
    "Is there
something you want?" Grace asked, and Jack realized he'd been staring at
her stomach for an inordinate amount of time. He'd been looking for a chance to
bring up the cord blood transplant. Grace's due date could be less than a month
away if contractions were an indication so there was little time for her to get
adjusted to the idea of flying to New Jersey to have the baby. He wouldn't hit
her with it yet, just slip into it gradually. That was the key he realized,
after knowing Grace for less than a day. Slip into things gradually...
    "Maybe we
could talk for a few minutes," he said.
    Grace gave a
little shrug. "If you'd like."
    Jack pulled up
a chair and sat facing her. "Susan and Ricky will be back in a couple of
days so things will pick up," he said, starting with the obvious. Women
liked to talk, and two pregnant woman would bond.
    "Then
Ricky's like a normal boy?" Grace asked, while her eyes moved almost
imperceptibly from his eyes... down his nose... across his mouth... Imagining
what their son would look like, Jack guessed. Like he was doing with Grace. But
when he thought about his son, he didn't care whether he had Grace's lighter
brown eyes and hair, or the Hansen darker ones. What he thought about was
having a healthy, sturdy boy. Good lungs. A strong heart...
    Realizing she was
waiting for his response, he said, "Ricky's like a