“Get your hand off me.”
“But-”
“I have nothing to say to you. Unless you agree to return to England like a sensible woman.”
“You know I can’t do that.” Jenny’s voice was laced with unhappiness, and Michael heard it and took an instinctive step forward.
“Then I have nothing more to say to you, girl,” the woman snapped, and shook her aside and stalked out of the room.
Her hired men followed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE IMMIGRATION officials left soon after.
“We’re real sorry to have bothered you again,” the older man told them, while Charles made friends with Socks. “You can’t believe the pressure we’re dealing with over this one. Our report will recommend an end to the thing, and the pressure should stop. She’ll be able to insist on one last interview. In the case of a rushed marriage involving a green card, the usual follow-up is an interview to make sure everything’s in order, but now that the claim you’re living apart has been disproved, we’ll put that off until after the birth.”
Michael only had part of his mind on the conversation. He was watching Jenny, who was on the floor, Socks sprawled ecstatically over her knees. Lana was down there, too, with baby Greg gurgling on her lap. But Michael’s gaze rested solely on Jenny. She looked extraordinary.
In that moment, emotions stirred in Michael that he’d sworn he’d never feel again. And there were new emotions, too-ones he hadn’t even known he was capable of feeling. He knew right then and there that he welcomed them. He was falling in love, he thought, dazed. He was falling in love with his wife, and he was loving every minute of it.
“She really is very beautiful,” the older official said, watching Michael’s face with good-humored understanding.
“I…yes. I’m sorry.”
“There’s definitely no need to apologize, sir,” the man said, and beamed. “We see all sorts in this business, and it’s a pleasure to see a happy marriage. And I sure don’t blame you for looking at her. If I may say so, your wife’s not the sort of woman you’d want to take your eyes off for a minute.”
“No. I…” He forced his mind back to business. Or some of his mind-the part that wasn’t taken up with his stunning new discovery. “The interview?”
“It’s just a formality, as I said. A check that you know each other as well as most married couples do.” His beam widened. “It’s my guess that your knowledge might be deeper than most, so there’s nothing at all to worry about. We’ll contact you in a few weeks. All the very best for the baby’s arrival, and if her ladyship causes trouble, please let us know.” He shook Michael’s hand. “Charles!”
Charles rose reluctantly from the floor, where he’d been petting Socks.
“YOU KNOW,” Jenny said casually as Michael accompanied the immigration officials to the door, “I might just slip into something a touch more respectable.” She smiled at Megan. “Entertaining in my revolting old pajamas…”
“Hey, I like your pajamas,” Lana told her. “They could start a new fashion in comfortable maternity wear.” She grinned, but Megan shook her head. She rose from her chair, gave Jenny a hand up from the floor and propelled her toward her bedroom.
“Let’s give the girl back some dignity,” she told Lana. “Jenny, now’s your chance. You make a break for it, and we’ll cover your pajama-clad butt.”
TWO MINUTES later Michael walked into the kitchen after seeing the immigration officers off the premises, and found Jenny had gone. His sister and Megan wore identical goofy grins as they watched him enter. Michael stopped at the door and stared at the pair of them.
“What?” he demanded.
“What do you mean, what?” Lana asked innocently, and her eyes danced.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like I have a huge joke written across my forehead.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Lana declared. “Do you, Aunt Megan?”
“Who, me? No, dear. I can’t imagine. We’ve sent your Jenny to get dressed, Michael, dear.”
“She’s not
“Oh, I think she is.” Megan reached down to fondle Socks’s ears. “Deny it all you like. It’ll work about as well as convincing me that Socks isn’t your dog.”
“That’s another thing,” Lana said carefully. “Where did Socks come from?” She fixed her bother with bright-eyed interest.
“Jenny found him,” he muttered.
“And brought him home. I see.”
“If you laugh, you’ll live to regret it,” he warned.
“Behold me terrified.” Lana gave little Greg a hug and held him at arm’s length. “Greg, honey, your big, bad uncle Michael just threatened me. Did you hear? Were you frightened? Nope?” She chuckled. “Me, neither.”
“Lana…”
“Yes?” She smiled sweetly at him, and he practically ground his teeth in frustration.
“Well,” Lana said, apparently satisfied with his response. “I hate to be the one to break up this cozy family get-together, but-”
“You’re leaving?” Michael asked hopefully.
“Not alone. I hope to have Jenny with me. When you asked me to find her something to wear for the wedding, I realized she had nothing organized at all.”
“I don’t think she wants more clothes.” Michael frowned. “Except pajamas. I’d agree she could use replacements. But she hardly needs more maternity clothes. The baby’s almost due.”
“That’s what I mean,” Lana said patiently. “Jenny looks like she’s due to drop her bundle any minute, and how many diapers do you have on hand, brother dearest?”
“Diapers?”
She sighed, as if she was addressing a bear of very little brain. “Yes, diapers, you dope. If you intend to raise a baby without diapers, we’ll see the end of this place as a classy neighborhood. Oh, and on the subject of baby gear…you told Gloria that you were painting the baby’s bedroom. Which bedroom exactly? And do you have a crib?”
“Crib?”
She sighed again. “Michael…”
“Okay, okay.” He held up his hands in defeat. “I’m not entirely nuts. I know what a crib is.” Then, as Jenny appeared in the doorway, demurely dressed in her plain secretarial maternity dress, he turned to her in relief. She’d brushed her curls from her face, and he could almost pretend she was back to being his secretary again-a role he could cope with emotionally. “Jen, do you have diapers? Do you have a crib?”
“Not yet.” She blinked and stared at the faces watching her. These people were practically too much to take in all at once. Her assorted family.
One husband. One sister-in-law with baby attached. One sort of aunt-in-law. One dumb but gorgeous dog.
She’d gone from rags to riches in the family stakes in one fell swoop, she thought suddenly, and it felt… stunning. There was affection on all their faces, and she felt tears sting her eyes.
But they were waiting for her answer.
“So when are you planning to get them?” Lana asked patiently.
“Sometime soon.”
“And this baby?” Lana probed. “He intends arriving sometime soon?”
“In three weeks.”
