CHAPTER 7

	Hannah laughed at Cole as he drove through town towards her apartment.  He
could not stop talking about the baby.  Seeing and hearing it had affected him more than
she had dreamed it would.  When he dropped her off, he seemed disappointed that he
had business to take care of and couldn’t stay, but he made her promise not to do
anything for the rest of the afternoon. 
	“The doctor told me to make sure you rested!” he reminded her. 
	“If you’re going to be such a strict task master, maybe I’m going to regret taking
you in there with me,” she teased him, but she gave him her word that she would curl up
with a good book and do nothing all afternoon. 
	Inside , Hannah looked around at the growing amount of clutter in her apartment. 
Cole had picked up more things to prepare for the baby’s arrival, and there was getting
to be less and less room everywhere.  In her bedroom, there was barely room to walk
between her bed and the crib.  
	It was also the first week of August and very hot and stuffy.  The one thing she
missed most about not working, these days, was not having air conditioning like the
office had. Cole needn’t have worried about her doing anything, it was far too hot to do
anything but sit on the couch and watch television!  Even laying on the bed was
uncomfortable.  She frowned and wiped the sweat off her forehead, thinking how much
more comfortable it had been in Cole’s air conditioned car. 
	Several hours later, she heard a knock on her door and struggled to her feet to
answer it. 
	“What the — !”  Hannah found herself standing face to face with a huge taffy
coloured teddy bear.  It must have been at least four feet tall! It completely hid the
person holding it, except for the legs sticking out below, but soon Cole’s smiling face
popped around the side of one arm.
	“Well, are you going to let us in?” he asked with a grin.
	“Cole McKinley! Where on earth am I supposed to put that!?” she exclaimed.
	He thrust the bear into her arms and stepped inside the apartment.  She let out a
gasp, and hugged the bear close. “It’s so soft!”
	“Isn’t it though?” he grinned.  “I couldn’t resist it!”
	She looked around the room. “But, seriously, Cole, where am I supposed to put
it?”
	Cole took the bear from her again and walked over to the couch, plunking the
stuffed animal down and backing up to have a good look at it. “You’re right, there isn’t
room for both of you. One of you will have to go. Hmm, he looks rather comfortable, I
guess you will have to leave.”
	Hannah laughed. “Is this your scheme to get me to accept your offer? Fill up my
apartment so full that I can’t even breath in here any more?”
	Cole raised his eyebrow.  “Now there’s a thought!” he said.  “That hadn’t
occurred to me at all, but now that you mention it, there were a few more of these down
at the store. Give me about a half hour and I can go get them!”
	She swatted at him but he ducked. “Oh Cole, don’t be so ridiculous!” she
laughed.
	He shrugged. “Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”
	She laughed at him. “You don’t have to try so hard, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
	“You will!?”  He stood staring at her, wide-eyed in disbelief.  The idea of her
moving in with him had been a long shot.  He couldn’t say exactly what had made him
think of it, but once it had planted itself in his head, it had been impossible to shake. 
He’d spent most of the weekend working, because the house had suddenly seemed
much bigger and emptier than it ever had.  He would walk through empty rooms and
remember where she had stood when he had shown her the house, and suddenly feel
lonely, and he didn’t like the feeling.
	If Hannah and the baby were here, he had told himself, there would be activity,
noises, voices.  The house would feel alive again.
	But he had never dreamed she would actually accept.  If he had learned anything at all about Hannah in recent weeks, it was that she was, for some reason,
fiercely independent. She seemed to need to prove that she could look after herself, and
the baby, on her own; that she did not need any help from anyone, not even him.
	Or was that especially not him? 
	Did she still blame him for her predicament? He sighed. Was it guilt that had
prompted him to offer her space in his home, he wondered. No, he was certain that
wasn’t it.  He just knew he wanted the baby near him after it was born, and after having
seen it on  ultrasound, and heard the heartbeat, he knew that even more than ever.  But
it wasn’t just the baby.  For some reason the prospect of having Hannah moving about
the rooms in his home was very appealing. 
	“You — haven’t changed your mind have you?  I can stay here if — “
	“No!”  Cole sprung into action, looking around the tiny room.  “No, of course not!
How soon can you be packed? You’re not supposed to do anything you know,  Gwen
gave me specific instructions not to let you do a thing! I could pack for you?  Don’t worry
about the move, Ty and I can handle that.  I can get some of the men from work as well,
and the trucks.  We can have you moved in a day!  Should you move before the baby is
born? Do you think it would be too much for you?”
	“Cole!”  Hannah stared at him.  “Take a breath!”
	He stopped talking and looked at her.  What he felt inside at that moment, scared
him.  It was fear! Fear that if he didn’t get her moved as soon as possible, she might
change her mind.  Why he would think that way, he had no idea, but it bothered him that
he did.  It also drove him into action.
	“We’re ahead of schedule down at the Forsythe Mall.  I can have Ty bring a
bunch of the men and trucks from there over here tomorrow. Too soon?”
	She sat down beside the huge bear and tried to let the whirlwind slow down. 
“But, where are you going to put all my stuff?  You have furniture in all your rooms
already. “  She looked around the room.  Nothing in her living room would fit in with what
he had in his house anyway, she thought. Her things were old, half of them borrowed,
half having come from the thrift shop. Still, she didn’t want to give them up. When the
time came to move on again, she would need furniture.
	“We can put these things in the basement,” he said, looking around him and
pointing at the couch and chairs. “When Ty moved out he took most of the rec. room
furniture we had down there.  Your stuff will fit there fine.  You can decide if you want
your own things in your bedroom, or leave it with the furniture that’s in it now, and Ty and
I can empty out one of the bedrooms to make room for the nursery. Hmm.  Maybe
tomorrow is a little soon. What about Wednesday?”
	“Cole, don’t you have to work?”
	He shrugged,  “I’m the boss, remember?”
	She laughed and shook her head. “There is no rush,” she assured him.
	Yes there is! he told himself, then shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered
over to the bedroom door and stood staring at the crib. “Which bedroom do you want?”
he asked, absently.
	“It doesn’t matter, you pick one,” she said, and he nodded.
	
	“You’re moving where!?” Jennifer sat down and stared up at her friend.
	“I’m sure you heard me,” Hannah said.
	“I heard you,” Jennifer nodded. “I just didn’t believe you!”
	“Well, believe it!” Hannah grinned at her friend. She still couldn’t believe it herself,
of course.  Not that she was moving into Cole’s house, but that she had actually agreed
to do it!  It must have been the hormones of the pregnancy making her do strange
things, she thought.   They had agreed that they would move her whenever she was
ready, a bit at a time if they had to, so that she was not put under any stress trying to
meet a deadline.  Cole was going to help whenever he could, and she had also enlisted
Jennifer’s help with the packing.  Of course, that had meant admitting to Jennifer that
she had been spending more time with Cole than her friend had been aware of.
	“Are you sure this is a good thing to do?” Jennifer was saying.
	“If I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t have said yes,” Hannah assured her. 
	Are you sure about that?  the little voice inside her head challenged.  Are you
sure it wasn’t just that you are getting tired of playing the independence game?  That
you wouldn’t mind a little sense of security, a little less worries and uncertainties? Or that
you liked the idea of living in the same house as Cole McKinley?
	“Don’t be ridiculous!” Hannah said under her breath, then blushed when she
realised she had spoken to herself out loud. 
	Jennifer shrugged.  “Well, I brought the boxes you asked for.  I guess we can
start with all this baby stuff.”  She reached for a box and started putting sleepers and
towels and blankets into it.  She said no more about the wisdom of her friend’s decision,
though Hannah could tell Jennifer felt there was no wisdom in it at all.

	“Have you lost your mind?” Ty stared at his brother, shaking his head.  “You
have, haven’t you? That must be it.  You asked the woman to move in with you!” They
were standing in the smallest bedroom in Cole’s house, and his brother had just told him
they had to empty all the furniture out of it because it was going to become the nursery
for Hannah’s baby!  
	“I asked her to move into the house; make use of some of the empty rooms.” 
Cole re-worded his brothers statement.
	“Same thing,” Ty frowned. “What got into you?  Even when you were engaged to
Veronica, she never actually moved in.”
	“Thank goodness for that,” Cole remarked coldly.	
	“Yeah!  And what makes you think things are any different with this one?”
	“Because, Hannah is nothing like Veronica, believe me! And besides, this is not
a romantic arrangement. This is purely a logical solution to a problem.” Cole insisted.  
	Ty grunted.  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I like Hannah.  I think she’s a very sensible
girl, and I agree, she’s nothing at all like Veronica. But the way I see it, this isn’t a
solution at all.  It will just cause more problems than it will solve.”
	“Of course it won’t!” Cole glared at him. “Ty, this may come as a shock to you,
but life is full of responsibility, and becoming a father makes a guy think about his
responsibilities.”
	“Yeah, well, at least I make sure I don’t ever become a father,” Ty chided. 
“Maybe you should have had more practice to get that part right?”   
	Cole glared at him.  “That was uncalled for!”
	Ty shrugged. “I tell it like I see it.”
	“What I see is a man who wouldn’t know responsibility if it hit him in the face,”
Cole countered. “There is more to life than living it up with a different woman every
night.”
	“Hey, Bro! Give me some credit, won’t you?  It’s not every night.” Ty said,
sarcastically, but Cole did not mirror the laughter in his brother’s words. 
	“You just wait!  Some day this playboy life you’re living will all catch up with you!”
Cole said, as he turned away from Ty.
	Ty sat down and crossed his arms, shaking his head as he surveyed his
brother’s back. “I know what it is! You’ve fallen for the girl, haven’t you!”
	“What!” Cole swung around and stared at him.
	Ty grinned. “Yeah, that’s it! She’s gotten under your skin  You’ve fallen hook, line
and sinker!”
	"I have not!” Cole snapped at him.
	“Whatever,”  Ty shrugged, but the grin remained on his face.
	Cole glared angrily at him.  He had had quite enough of Ty’s opinions for one
day.  There was work to do, and if Ty wasn’t going to help him do it, he would find
someone else. “Are you going to help me with this furniture, or not?”
	Ty stood up and sauntered over to the bed. “Sure, Bro, I’ll help you. I can’t wait
to see how this whole thing turns out.” 
	By the end of the evening,  the room was empty, and Cole stood in the doorway
looking around while Ty lay on his back in the middle of the floor with his hands under his
head. 
	“So, what are you going to do with this room?” Ty asked, looking around at the
walls.  “These walls could use a coat of paint.”
	Cole grinned at his brother.  “Well, thanks, it’s nice of you to offer!”
	Ty growled at him.  “That was not an offer, it was an observation.”  But he rolled
over onto one elbow and sighed. “When do you want it done?”
	“I’m going to have to check with Hannah and see what colour she wants it,” Cole
said.
	Ty laughed and nodded. “Smart move! It’s always best to check with the woman
on any decorating decisions.”
	“And how would you know?” Cole shot back at him laughingly.
	“Hey, haven’t you ever seen men on construction sites?  Ask them to make a
decision, and they won’t do anything without consulting the wife first!”  Ty sat up and
looked at him.  “Besides, women always tell me I have no taste for decorating.”
	“Having seen your place, little Bro, I would have to say I agree with them!”  Cole
laughed.
	“Well, if you’re going to start insulting me, I’m going to leave.”  Ty stood up, but
still laughing, and the two brothers left the empty room.

	By the end of the week, Hannah was ready to move.  Cole and Ty arrived early
Friday morning, along with several McKinley Construction workers and their trucks.  All
her worldly possessions were loaded into the backs of three pick-up trucks.  Hannah
surveyed the empty apartment with a sigh.  She’d had so many tears in this place when
she had first found out she was pregnant, and later she had imagined all the good times
she would have with her baby there.  Now, it would only be a matter of minutes before
she would hand in her key to the landlady downstairs and this part of her life would
become the past. 
	“Ready to go? The rest of them have already headed over to the house,”  Cole
asked, as he came up beside her and rested his arm casually across her shoulders as
he pressed his hand against the doorjamb on the other side of her. 
	She nodded. “Time to move on, I guess,” she sighed.  Turning to look at him,
they held each other’s eyes for a few moments, and Hannah was surprised at how
peaceful she felt.  Even after she had told him she would accept his offer, she
had still had her moments of doubt.  But now, as she stood so close to him in the
doorway of her empty apartment, she felt secure and safe.  
	“You look tired,” he said, breaking the silence.  He brushed a strand of hair from
her face, then looked down at her belly and frowned.  “You overdid it today.  Gwen won’t
be very happy with me at your next appointment.” 
	“Nonsense, I didn’t do a thing!  You and Ty and the men did everything, it was all
I could do to stay out of the way,” she insisted.  Still, she turned to lean her back against
the doorjamb. She was more tired than she wanted to admit to him 
	He shook his head.  “Much too strenuous!”  he teased her.
	“Gwen has created a monster!” she laughed.
	“Come on,” he said,  reaching for the door and closing it as she moved aside.
“When we get home, you can find a comfortable place to sit and put your feet up, and
the men and I will unload everything.  You won’t have to lift a finger.  Tonight, you can
get a good night’s sleep, and wake up as late as you feel like in the morning.  Tomorrow,
I have a surprise for you.”
	She smiled at him curiously.   “What surprise?” 
	“Aha! If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?”  He winked at her, and
without even a second thought, reached for her hand. She didn’t even object when he
kept her hand  in his, and held it as they manoeuvred down the steps for the last time. 

	As Hannah lay in her bed that night her whole world seemed to be spinning
around her head.  So much had changed in such a short time, and to ask herself
whether she had done the right thing seemed pointless.  If anyone had told her a year
ago that she would be living in Cole McKinley’s house, let alone having his baby, she
would have laughed and called them crazy.  Now, it was such a reality that she dared
not even think about it!
	But of course she had no choice!  Everywhere she looked she saw evidence of
her new surroundings.  Her own furniture had mostly been stored away, except for her
living room things, which had been put into the basement where Cole had never
replaced furnishings after Ty’s move.	There was nothing but her clothes in this
bedroom to remind her she was not just a guest for a few days. 
	It’s just a living arrangement, she reminded herself.  It’s not like we’re actually
living together, or married or anything!
	Married.
	Hannah swallowed hard.  She had always imagined that she would be married,
and deeply in love, by the time she had children.  One night had thrown that childhood
fantasy to the wind, hadn’t it! 
	Well, you could have ended up in much worse places than this! She sighed to
herself and looked around the bedroom in the moonlight. She felt suddenly very lonely,
and very much not tired.  Slipping out of bed, she tiptoed across the room and peeked
out into the hallway.  The room Cole had chosen for her was directly at the top of the
stairs.  His room, the master bedroom, was at the end of the hall, and between them,
was the bedroom he had emptied out for the nursery.  Hannah moved quietly down the
hall to stand in the doorway of the room that now held her crib and the dresser and
change-table that Cole had bought her, as well as the rocking horse he had insisted on
getting. 
	As her eyes fell on the horse, sitting under the window in the glow from the moon, 
she rested her head on the doorjamb and smiled.  Without thinking, she rested her
hands on her belly, as images of her child laughing on the horse ran through her mind. 
Next to the horse,  she spotted the huge bear that Cole had bought, and to her surprise,
she felt tears stinging her eyes.  She put her hand to her mouth and caught her breath.
	Look what your Daddy got for you, she thought to herself, and the tears started
to flow in earnest then.  Daddy.  It was what he was. Not just the baby’s father, but
Daddy!  A word that seemed so much more personal, and yet, by his actions, a role that
Cole was quite willing to take on, despite the circumstances. He would love this baby,
she had no doubt of that.
	If only we loved each other, she thought, and the tears flowed again.
	“Are you OK?” 
	The words were spoken softly in the dark, just as Cole rested both hands  on 
her shoulders protectively.  She hadn’t heard him come up behind her, and as she
turned her head to look at him she found her face so close to his that she quickly turned
away again.  Her actions must have worried him, for his grip tightened just slightly, and
he moved closer, so that her back was rested against him, and his chin brushed the top
of her head. 
	“Everything will be alright,” he said.  “I promise.”
	Hannah hugged herself close.  Oh how she wished she could know this was
true!  Ultimately, the future of this unborn child rested squarely on her shoulders, and the
decisions she made now would make a difference later.  If only ...
	“Oh!”  Hannah straightened and spread her hands over he belly. 
	“What’s the matter?” Cole exclaimed, gripping her shoulders and turning her
towards him. “Is something wrong? Are you alright?”
	Hannah started to smile as she looked up at the almost terrified expression on
his face. “Everything is just fine, Cole,” she said.  “The baby is just doing gymnastics in
there, that’s all.”
	Cole’s eyes shot to her belly, and instinctively he reached a hand out to touch
her, then hesitated and looked at her, questioningly, uncertain if he should go any
farther.  Hannah nodded, and reached for his hand, placing it flat on her belly right over
the spot where the baby was kicking and rolling.  He looked at her in amazement.
	“Does it always do that?” he asked in a hushed voice.
	“Sometimes,” she said, then noticing a look akin to disappointment wash over his
face, she added, “You just haven’t been around before.  It does it a lot in the night when
I’m sleeping — or should I say trying to sleep.”  She chuckled. 
	She looked up at him, and in the dim light she could almost see his eyes sparkle
as he pressed his hand against her.  Then, his expression changed, and she felt herself
pressed closer to him, while his eyes never left hers.  Slowly he lowered his face, and
although somewhere in the back of her mind, Hannah sensed what was about to
happen, she did not move or try to stop it.  Moments later his lips were on hers as he
kissed her, long, soft and tenderly while he held her close. 
	At last, his lips released hers, and he gently pressed her head against his
shoulder.  Not sure what to make of what had just happened, Hannah stood perfectly
still for a few moments before lifting her head and backing slightly away. 
	“I — I’m very tired now, Cole.  I need to go to bed.  Thank you for everything you
have done for me today.”  She held her breath while unrealistic hopes that confused her
went reeling through her head.  At last he let his hands slip from her and took a step
aside. 
	“The last thing I want is for you to get run down,” he said. “I promised to look after
you, remember? I can’t let Gwen down.”  He winked at her in the moonlight, and Hannah
sighed. Of course, his actions were all out of a sense of duty.  Good old Cole, always
stepping up to the plate when he was needed.  Always looking after his responsibilities.
If only there were another reason for his actions. If only he loved her!
	Hannah blinked, and quickly stepped aside, muttering a good night, and heading
to her room.  She climbed into bed and pulled the covers up close around her, then
rested her fingertips gently on her lips as she lay staring into the darkness.
	If only he loved her?  Where on earth had that come from!