CHAPTER 12

	The following Friday, as Hannah was walking the baby in the stroller, Cole came
speeding around the corner in the company truck and pulled up alongside them.
	“Hannah, I’ve got to ask you a favour,” he said.
	“What, Cole?” she asked, and he lifted a brow and gave her a pleading look.
	“There is a big Do down at the Coulson tonight.  I’ve had the announcement
sitting on my desk at work for a month, but with Morgan being born I pushed it aside and
then  kind of forgot about it. It’s one of those real classy, formal things that I really hate
going to but I pretty much have to go.  They’re giving out some plaques or something
there and I’m one of the recipients.”  His pleading look deepened.  “Hannah, I don’t want
to go to this thing alone, will you please go with me?”
	She looked at him, stunned.  “But what about Morgan?  There isn’t anyone I can
trust leaving her with.  Except maybe — “
	“Claire?”  Cole asked, at the same time as Hannah mentioned the woman’s
name.
	“Will you go, please?  If I can get Claire to do this for us, will you go with me?  It
would mean a lot to me.”  He was looking at her with puppydog eyes, and Hannah
sighed.  She could hardly bring herself to say no, but —
	“Cole, I have nothing appropriate to wear!”
	“We’ll get you something!” he promised.
	“Well — alright then.”
	Cole beamed at her.  “Head back to the house and we’ll go shopping. I’ll try and
get a hold of Claire,” he said, and pulled a U-turn with his truck and spun away back
towards the house.  Hannah turned the stroller around and sheepishly smiled at Mrs.
Cooper, whom she just realized was standing a few feet away, then quickly headed back
towards the house.
	When she rounded the curve in the driveway the first thing Hannah saw was Ty’s
motorcycle parked haphazardly next to the truck.  She lifted Morgan out of the stroller
and entered the house to find Cole on the phone and Ty lounging on the couch.  Cole
gave her an apologetic glance, spoke for a few more minutes, then hung up the phone.
	“Damn!” he exclaimed, looking worried. “There’s a problem down at the
construction site I have to go deal with.  Are you sure you don’t have anything suitable to
wear, Hannah?”
	She looked from one to the other and chewed on her lip. “The fanciest dress I
own is the one I wore to the Christmas party when —
	“For the presentation tonight?” Ty interrupted, looking at them questioningly then
shook his head.  “No way that dress is glam enough for that.” 
	Hannah groaned.  “I’m not exactly a glam girl.  That’s all I own. “
	“Damn!”  Cole cursed under his breath again, and glanced at his watch. There’s
no way I can make it over there, settle this problem and get back here in time.   I’ll only
have time to get cleaned up and dressed myself.”  He paced the floor a bit, glanced at
Hannah and the baby, glanced at Ty, then cursed again.  “And I still have to call Claire
and sweet talk her into baby-sitting.”
	Ty stood up.  “That’s my cue to leave!”  he said.  “I love that little ragamuffin, but
I’m not into baby-sitting!”
	Cole raked his fingers through his hair as his brother spoke, then suddenly
looked at Ty as if he had just had an idea. “That’s it! Ty —
	Ty held up his hand.  “Uh un!  No way! I said I’m not baby-sitting!”
	“No, not baby-sitting.  Take Hannah shopping while I go down to the site and fix
things up.  C’mon, she can’t go by herself, she needs someone to watch Morgan while
she tries things on.  Besides, you know what these ceremonies are like, you’ll have a
good idea of what sort of dress will be appropriate.”  Cole looked at Ty as if he were
begging him to say yes, and his brother finally groaned and scowled at him. 
	“You’re gonna owe me big time for this!” he said, but when he turned towards
Hannah he gave her a big grin.
	“Great!” Cole beamed.  “Keep your fingers crossed, I’ll call Claire before I go.” 
He tossed a set of keys at Ty.  “Take my car, the car seat is already in the back.  Take
her to Solomon’s and just have them put whatever you get on my account.”
	Ty continued to grin as he tossed the keys in his hand.  “You got it, Big Bro.,”  he
said, then he turned towards Hannah.  “Shall we go?”
	Half way downtown Ty’s cellphone rang, and after answering it he spoke quickly
and hung up again.  “That was Cole. Claire will be there.”
	Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.  She wasn’t sure what she was getting herself
into, but at least she didn’t have to worry about Morgan for the evening. Now all she had
to do was get a dress!
	That task turned out to be more daunting than she had thought it would be.  After
wandering along the racks at Solomon’s and pointing out several dresses that she felt
she would be comfortable wearing, and receiving Ty’s frowning shake of the head in
response, she sighed and threw up her hands in defeat.
	“Well then, what  can I wear to this thing?” she asked in frustration.
	“Hold on,” Ty told her. “Let me have a look around.”  He left her for a moment
and started looking at dresses, pulling this one and that one out off the racks, putting
some back, taking out others, then finally returned with about five in his hand which he
proceeded to hold up for her approval.
	“No way!”  Hannah exclaimed, wide eyed as he held up a skimpy dress covered
with sequins.  “Absolutely NOT!”  she retorted to the next dress he held up, and the rest
of them met with similar responses.  Ty chuckled.
	“Alright then, I guess we will have to find some middle ground.”  He returned the
dresses to the rack and looked around again.  At last he returned with three more.  “At
least try them on.  You’ll never know til you see yourself in them,” he said, when she
frowned at his choices. 
	“Well, I’m not trying that one!” she insisted, pointing to a bright red dress with
spaghetti straps.  Ty shrugged and hung the dress back up. “Then it’s between these
two.”  He handed her the dresses and sat down beside the stroller.  “Let’s see how sexy
your mommy looks in those, shall we?” he said to Morgan, and when Hannah turned on
him with a glare he just grinned at her as she disappeared into the dressing room.
	The first dress was a deep electric blue, and Hannah did not like the fit.  She took
it off without leaving the dressing room, and put on the second dress.  It was a simple,
yet elegant  form fitting black dress, knee length,  with spaghetti straps and a slightly
draped neckline.   
	“Well, let’s see!” Ty called from outside, and Hannah chewed her lip as she
looked at herself in the mirror.  The dress was much more revealing than any she had
ever worn in public before.
	“Ty, I don’t know, I — “  she began, but he insisted she show him the results.
	“Let me be the judge, Hannah.  I know when a woman looks good in a dress,
believe me.”
	Nervously she opened the door and stepped out, keeping her eyes on the mirror
outside the dressing room door.
	“Whoa!”  Ty whistled, sitting up from where he was lounging back in the chair. 
“Turn around.  Yeah, that’s one sexy dress!”
	Hannah blushed and wrapped her arms in front of herself. “Oh Ty, you’re
embarrassing me! I better go change!”
	“No!” he insisted. “No, really, Hannah, you look fantastic in that.  It’s perfect. Not
too slutty,”  he winked at her, “but just sexy enough. You just need the right shoes to go
with it, and your hair and make-up done.  You’ll look fantastic!”
	Hannah frowned. “Well, I’m not used to doing myself up for fancy occasions like
this.”
	Ty grinned. “Don’t worry about that.  Can you do a simple chignon?” he asked. 
	“Well, yes…”
	“Then you’ll be fine.  Believe me, Cole won’t be looking at your hair anyway. 
Neither will any other red blooded males at this thing, for that matter.  Let’s go look at
shoes.”  
	“Ty!” she exclaimed, blushing.  Ty simply grinned and pushed her back into the
dressing room.  Once there, Hannah changed back into her clothes and draped the
black dress over the stroller, and they went to look at shoes.  When they had selected
the ones Ty said would be perfect for the dress, he had the sales clerk charge the items
to Cole’s account, then he drove her back to the house.
	“My deed is done,” he announced, as he parked the car and tossed her the keys. 
“I’m heading out.  It looks like Claire is already here.”  Walking away from the car, he put
on his helmet and straddled his bike, then looked back at Hannah. “Don’t worry,
Hannah, you’ll be just fine. You’ll knock Cole’s socks off!”  He grinned at her then started
the bike and rode away, leaving Hannah standing there nervously, wishing she hadn’t
agreed to go to this presentation in the first place.

	Later that evening Hannah heard Cole come upstairs and shower while she sat
nervously applying her make-up. At last she slipped into the dress and the strappy
shoes, and stood looking at herself in the mirror.   The sound of Cole leaving his
bedroom almost made her jump, and she took a deep breath.
	“Hannah?”  he called quietly from the other end of the hall. “Are you almost
ready?  We should be going.  I’ll be downstairs.”  
	She listened to his footsteps on the stairs and contemplated what would happen
if she just didn’t ever leave her room.  The thought of letting Cole down made her frown,
however, and she took a deep breath and walked out into the hall.  As she walked down
the stairs she saw Cole picking up his keys from the table just inside the living room
door.  Her heart started to beat faster as she got more and more nervous, and she
thought about turning and running back upstairs, but before she had a chance Claire
walked into the foyer from the other direction and smiled up at her.
	“Now don’t you look just lovely!” Claire said in a cheery voice, and at her
comment, Cole turned around to face the stairs. The look on his face stopped Hannah in
her tracks on the fourth step from the bottom, and she clung to the banister for support. 
She’d seen that look on the faces of leading men in the movies, but no one had ever
looked at her that way!  He just stood there staring at her for what seemed like forever,
then he seemed to swallow and shoved his keys in his pocket and stepped out into the
foyer.
	“Doesn’t she look lovely, Mr. McKinley?” Claire repeated, walking over to stand
beside him where they both looked up at her.
	“She certainly does!” he exclaimed, and Hannah blushed. Dragging her eyes
away from him so she would be able to breathe, she concentrated on her feet so as not
to fall down the rest of the steps, and walked towards him.  Then, he offered her his arm
and after saying goodnight to Claire, they headed on their way.
	“I’m going to have to have a word with my brother about that dress!” Cole said
when they were in the car and pulled out of the driveway.
	“Oh no!” Hannah exclaimed, worry in her voice. “Is there something wrong with
it?  I knew I shouldn’t buy this dress.”
	Cole laughed and glanced at her.  He reached for her hand and squeezed it
reassuringly.  “Oh no, there is nothing wrong with it! Nothing wrong with it at all!  You
look stunning!  I was just thinking that I might not be able to give my speech tonight
because I won’t be able to take my eyes off you!”
	“Oh, don’t be silly!” she said, but his comment had brought a smile to her face,
and she laughed nervously.
	“Believe me, Hannah, I’m not being silly!” he assured her. “You’re beautiful!  You
have no idea how beautiful you look to me right now!”
	She blushed, and turned to look out the side window, and they made the rest of
the trip to the Coulson in relative silence.  Once inside, Cole rested a hand possessively
on her back and ushered her into the hall, and Hannah noticed that as soon as the first
man in a three-piece suit headed towards them with his eyes on her, Cole drew her even
closer to his side. 
	In fact, he never left her side the whole evening, except for when he had to
accept his plaque and make his acceptance speech, which, Hannah noticed with a wry
smile, he was able to deliver just fine.  When he was done, and he returned to his chair
beside her he slid his arm across her shoulders in a gesture that Hannah realized was
clearly meant to dissuade the man sitting on the opposite side of her from getting any
closer.   She wasn’t sure if Cole was fully aware of his possessive behaviour, but she
knew her reaction to it was very real.  
	When the evening drew to a close and Cole immediately drew her towards the
door without stopping to talk with anyone on the way, she began to wonder, however, if
he’d been somehow embarrassed to be seen with her. 
	“I’m sorry if I’m not the right kind of girl for this sort of event,” she said, frowning,
when they were in the car again.
	“The right kind of girl?” he asked her in astonishment.  “What on earth do you
mean?”
	She shrugged, and looked out the side window. “Well, you seemed like you were
in such a hurry to leave, I just thought maybe — “
	“Not at all!” he interrupted, insisting she was wrong. “I just thought you might
want to get home and see how Morgan is.  Afterall, it is the first time we’ve left her with
anyone.” Hannah glanced at him and smiled.  Suddenly she thought she knew why he
was in such a hurry to leave the party. He was worried about Morgan!
	When they arrived back at the house Claire assured them that Morgan was
perfectly fine, then while Cole bade the cleaning lady goodnight, Hannah slipped upstairs
to check on the sleeping baby.  Having peeked into the crib, she was standing at the
doorway, gently pulling the door closed behind her, when Cole appeared at her side. 
	“She’s sleeping peacefully,” Hannah whispered as she turned to face him.  He
smiled down at her.
	“I told you she’d be fine with Claire,” he said softly, then his eyes travelled over
her face and lower. “You looked beautiful tonight, Hannah,” he said, resting his hands
gently on her shoulders.
	Not knowing how to respond or where to look, she lowered her gaze to the
middle of his shirtfront, and he whispered her name softly.  She looked up and he looked
into her eyes, as if searching for something, then as if in slow motion, he lowered his lips
to kiss her. It was a soft, gentle kiss at first, almost testing the waters.   When she did not
resist, his kiss deepened, until he was holding her close against him and kissing her
longingly.  
	And she kissed him back.
	When he finally released her lips, he wove his fingers through her hair and
pressed her head against his shoulder, breathing deeply next to her ear.  “Hannah!  I’ve
wanted to do that all night!”  He moaned softly into her hair as he slowly caressed her. 
He had never known a woman like her before. He had never wanted a woman quite the
way he wanted Hannah either— the way he’d wanted her for a long time now — and
he’d dated many women in his past.  He’d even been engaged to Veronica for months! 
This thought made him groan under his breath, and she lifted her head to search his
eyes. The look on her face brought another groan to his throat, and he couldn’t help
himself. He had to kiss her again!
	It was no wonder he had been unable to resist her when he’d been drunk after
the Christmas party,  he thought, as he was met with a longing in her lips that matched
his own.   He was having a hell of a time resisting her now, with all his faculties intact!
	“Hannah!” he whispered against her lips. 
	“Mmmm,” she murmured.
	“I think we should let Morgan sleep,” he said, his breath warm against her neck
as his lips traced a trail to her ear.
	“Yes,” she said, for her head was in a spin and she could think of nothing else to
say.
	“Hannah,” he whispered again.
	“What, Cole?”
	“I don’t want to let you go!”  His voice was heavy with a mixture of desire and
uncertainty, and his arms were tight around her.  He found her lips again and kissed her
deeper than before, and she responded just the same.  Impulsively he scooped her up
into his arms and carried her down the hall as she clung to him, her arms wrapped
around his neck. 
	He carried her to his bedroom, kicked the door open, and strode purposefully
across the room.  He laid her on his bed and looked down at her.  She said nothing, but
her eyes held a dark passion that he could not resist. He bent to kiss her again, and as
she reached for him, sliding her hand around to his back, he cautiously lowered himself
beside her. 
	He held her close, and kissed her, exploring her with his hands until he reached
under her dress, caressing the bare skin of her back.  She wove the fingers of one hand
through his hair, holding his head close as they kissed urgently, while her other hand
trailed down his back and slid over his thigh as his leg slid over her.  Her touch made
him groan, and he pressed closer to her.  There was no doubt of his desire for her, she
could feel him pressed against her through the confines of their clothes.  When her
fingers found their way to the bottom of his shirt and pulled it free so her hand could slide
underneath it, he gasped huskily against her lips. 
	“Hannah?” he moaned, lifting ever-so-slightly and looking into her eyes.  “You
know I want you.”
	She nodded. If she said she couldn’t tell, she would be lying to herself.  But she
wanted him, too.  With her eyes locked onto his, she slid his shirt upwards until her
hands reached his arms.  Without a word, he unbuttoned the shirt and removed it
completely.  Immediately he reached for the strap of her dress, and slid it off her
shoulder, caressing her soft skin.  He bent his head and kissed her again, then his lips
traced a trail of kisses down her neck, over her shoulders, and along the edge of the soft
fabric, while his fingers slipped behind her and lowered the zipper.  Once he had it free,
his slid his hand around to cup her breast gently, while his lips returned to her mouth and
he slid the soft fabric of the dress away.
	“Hannah?”  his voice holding back as he looked down at her.  “Are you sure you
want this?” he asked in a husky voice, for her touch would have brought him to his
knees if he hadn’t already been lying there with her. 	
	 She nodded, and coaxed him over her.  She had never been so sure of
anything in her life before. She knew he didn’t love her, but he did love their baby and
wanted them to be a family.  If all he could give her right now was his desire, she would
take it, and give her own in return.  If she had learned anything at all over the past
few weeks, since moving into his house and giving birth to his baby, it was that even
though he didn’t love her, she loved him!  She could deny it no longer.   
	“I’m sure, Cole,” she whispered, and those were the words he wanted to hear. 
He slowly pressed his way into her, watching as she closed her eyes and  tipped her
head back against the pillow.  Her hands caressed him, pressing him downwards, and
again he kissed her, with a throaty moan as his hips began a rhythmic motion. 
	Had it been like this?  Hannah found herself wondering, as they made
passionate love. Had the first time with him been like this?  Somehow, she was glad she
couldn’t remember it, because now she knew it would have been sheer hell working all
those months so near to him.  She never would have survived as casually as she had
for those first seven months!   As it was, she was deliberately avoiding all thoughts of
how she was going to live in the same house with him after this and not want him to
touch her again!  But then, if he didn’t love her, at least he did  have a physical desire for
her, that much was certain.  It would have to be enough, she thought, as she let out a
soft gasp and all thoughts left her completely.
	Much later, as they lay in each others arms, drifting in a dreamy state of
contentment, he traced a trail along her neck to her shoulders with his fingers and kissed
her softly on the forehead.
	“You’re beautiful,” he said again, then kissed her lips. 
	“Cole,” she started to speak a little nervously. “What does this mean — now that
we — “
	“Shhh.” he whispered, laying a finger against her lips, then leaning in to kiss her.
“Sleep. We’ll talk about that in the morning.  I have an early appointment with the lawyer,
with Ty, but after that, I promise, we’ll talk.”
	He wrapped his arm around her and nestled his head against her shoulder, and
Hannah closed her eyes.  Whatever it was he was going to tell her in the morning,
Hannah was determined not to let it bother her tonight.  For now, she would drift off to
sleep in this dream, while it lasted.