CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Melanie stared in disbelief at the blue stick from the pregnancy test. There it was—physical proof that her monthly calendar wasn’t inaccurate. She was pregnant. With Gavin’s child. Again.
Ecstasy mingled with pain. What could she do? Sitting on a corner of the bed, she weighed her options and decided not to make the same mistake twice. She had to tell Gavin and she had to tell him soon.
Sighing, she shoved her hair from her eyes. She had to confide in him—there was no question of that. But she didn’t have to marry him. In fact, she’d be more than willing to raise his child alone.
No longer a frightened girl of seventeen, she could handle the demands of a child and a career—if she ever got her career going again. Never again would she turn to another man. Marrying Neil had been a mistake she would never repeat. If and when she married, it would be for love.
And she couldn’t imagine loving anyone but Gavin.
“You’re hopeless,” she told herself, but couldn’t ignore the elation that she was pregnant.
Suddenly she wondered how she’d be able to speak with Gavin alone tonight—opening night. She thought about avoiding the party but knew that both Gavin and Rich expected her to attend. As official photographer for the lodge, she could hardly beg out now.
She spent the day wondering how she would tell him. There was no easy way.
Finally, that evening, she took an hour getting ready for the formal party that would officially kick off the season and reopen Ridge Lodge. Tomorrow there would be races, sleigh rides, an outdoor barbecue and snowboarding and skiing demonstrations, but tonight the lodge would be ready for dancing and hobnobbing.
Not in a party mood, Melanie stepped into her one nice dress, a mid-thigh royal blue silk sheath with high neckline and long sleeves, then added a slim silver necklace and matching bracelet. She brushed her hair and let it fall in curls that swept past her shoulders.
Slipping into a pair of heels, she muttered, “Here goes nothing,” to Sassafras as she petted him on the head while grabbing her coat.
She drove carefully to the lodge, joining a procession of cars up the steep grade and smiling to herself as snowflakes landed on the windshield. If Gavin’s lodge failed, it wouldn’t be for lack of snow.
The lodge was ablaze with lights. Torches were lit outside and every room cast golden rays from the windows and dormers. Melanie parked near a back entrance and, squaring her shoulders, walked through the main doors, where her pictures were now highlighted by concealed lamps.
Guests, employees, caterers and musicians already filled the lobby. In one corner a piano player and backup band were playing soft rock. In another a linen-covered table was arranged with silver platters of appetizers, and behind the bar two bartenders were busy refilling glasses. Waiter and caterers hurried through a throng of bejeweled guests.
Smoke and laughter floated up the three stories to the ceiling, and Melanie wished she was just about anywhere else on earth. She spotted some local celebrities and a couple of famous skiers and their wives, as well as some of the more prominent townspeople.
She mingled with the crowd, searching for Gavin, wondering how she could break the news.
“Well, what do you think?” a male voice whispered in her ear. She turned to find a beaming Rich Johanson surveying the crowd.
“Looks like a success.”
“I think so,” he agreed anxiously. “And Gavin was worried!”
“That’s what he does best.”
“I—um, sorry about the article in the paper,” Rich said. “I had no idea—”
“None of us did,” she said. Then her heart thumped painfully. Behind Rich, through the crowd, stood Gavin, tall and lean, impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo. At his side, her arm threaded through his, was the most beautiful redhead Melanie had ever seen. With a sinking heart she realized the woman was Aimee LaRoux.
Rich, following her gaze, frowned. “Surprise guest,” he said with a shrug.
“She wasn’t invited?”
“Not by me.”
But by Gavin. Melanie cast the unhappy thought aside. She trusted Gavin, and he had told Melanie he loved her, hadn’t he?
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, wending her way through the guests to Gavin. He hadn’t seen her yet—his head was bent as he listened to Aimee—but when he raised his eyes and found her standing in front of him, he managed a tight smile.
Melanie returned with one of her own. “Congratulations, Gavin,” she said. “The party looks like a big hit.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, this resort is just fabulous!” Aimee said, bubbling. “But everything Gavin touches turns to gold.”
“Not quite,” Gavin said.
Melanie drew on her courage. “When you’ve got a minute—not now—I’d like to talk with you.”
“Alone?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Gavin glanced at his watch, whispered something to Aimee, then, taking Melanie’s arm, propelled her quickly to the back hall. “Hey, wait, you’ve got guests,” she protested.
“Doesn’t matter.” He strode quickly to his private suite and locked the door behind them.
“There’s something you should know—”
“Mr. Doel?” A loud knock thudded against the door.
Gavin, swearing, opened it quickly. “What?”
The caterer, a tall man of thirty or so, stood fist in the air, poised to knock again. “I’m sorry to bother you, but the champagne is running low—”
“Open another case—there’s more in the refrigerators near the back door,” Gavin said, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. “And if you have any other questions, talk to Mr. Johanson.”
“Yes, sir,” the caterer replied.
Gavin closed and locked the door again. “Now—what’s so all-fired important?” he demanded.
Her stomach, already knotted, twisted painfully. “You left the other morning in a hurry,” she said, reaching for the back of a chair to brace herself. “And I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” he repeated, frowning. He folded his arms over his chest and waited.
Her palms began to sweat. “Aren’t you leaving soon ... to rejoin the racing circuit?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t made definite plans. It all depends on what happens here.” He crossed the room and stood only inches from her. “What’s going on, Melanie?”
She cleared her throat. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, facing him and seeing the shock and disbelief cross his features.
“You’re what?”
“Pregnant.” When he paled, she added, “Of course, the baby’s yours.”
“But you said—I thought you couldn’t have children.”
“I couldn’t—not with Neil.”
“You’re sure about this?” he said, still not making a move to touch her, his suspicious gaze drilling into hers.
“I took a pregnancy test this morning, but no, I haven’t seen a doctor. I’m late and I’ve been throwing up and I haven’t felt this way since the last time.” Her fingers were digging into the back of the chair, and she felt herself begin to shake.
“We’ll get married,” he said without a second thought.
“No.”
His head snapped up, and he regarded her in disbelief. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“I’m not going to trap you, Gavin. You have your life and it doesn’t include me or a baby. You won’t be happy unless you’re racing headlong down a mountain as fast as you can.”
“And so what do you plan to do? Marry another man?”
She sucked in a swift breath. “No. I’m going to raise this baby alone, the way I should have the first time. And I’m going to love it and—”
“You lost the first one.”
The words crackled through the air, burning deep in her heart. “I won’t lose this one,” she vowed, “no matter what.”
“You’re right about that,” he said, his disbelief giving way to a new emotion. His lips twisted, and his eyes turned thoughtful. “I won’t let you,” he said softly, kicking the chair from her hands and throwing his arms around her.
“Mr. Doel?” Pounding erupted on the door again.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered against her ear.
“But . . .” She cast a worried glance at the door.
“Come on!” Taking her hand, he opened the back door and hustled her down the steps of his private deck.
“Where’re we going?” she asked, and his answer was a ripple of laughter.
When her high-heeled shoes sank into the deep drifts, Gavin lifted her easily into his arms and carried her toward the base of Rocky Ridge, where a gondola sat.
“You’re not serious . . .” she whispered, but he was. He started the lift and ushered Melanie inside the gondola. The operator, recognizing Gavin, took instructions, and within seconds Melanie and Gavin were moving quickly uphill, the night dark around them.
“You’re insane,” she chided.
“Crazy. The word is crazy and I’m crazy about you.” When the gondola was at the top of the lift, it stopped suddenly.
Melanie gasped. “What’s going on?”
“Tony’s giving us half an hour of privacy.” Gavin drew her tightly into the circle of his arms. “And in those thirty minutes, I’m going to convince you to marry me.”
“Gavin, you don’t have to—”
His mouth closed over hers, and his tongue slipped intimately between her teeth.
Melanie’s knees sagged, and he propped her up against the side of the car. “Marry me, Melanie.”
“But I can’t—”
He kissed her again, and this time she gave in, kissing him with all the fire that raced through her blood. She closed her eyes, unaware of the view of the lodge or the surrounding night-darkened hills.
Groaning, he lifted his head. “Well?”
“OK,” she said, her lips breaking into a smile.
“Just ‘OK’? Tough crowd.”
“Yes! I’d love to spend my life with you.”
His grin slanted white in the darkness, and he reached into the pocket of his tuxedo. Taking her hand, he placed a soft velvet box in her palm.
Breathless, she opened it to discover a large solitary diamond ring nestled in a tuft of black velvet. He slipped the ring on her finger, and it fit perfectly.
“You had this planned,” she whispered.
“That’s why the operator was standing by at the base of the lift,” he admitted sheepishly. “I was going to wait until the party had wound down a little, but I had already decided I wanted to marry you and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
“You did?” she asked incredulously. “But what about the Tribune? You accused me of—”
“I know. But we don’t have to worry about the Tribune anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I bought it yesterday.”
“You did what?” She stared up at him, sure that he was teasing her, but his face was dead serious.
“Remember, I told you I had things to do. When I left your place I called the owners of the paper, made them a more than generous offer and bought them out. As for Brian Michaels—he’s already packing, along with Jan.”
Melanie could hardly believe it.
“Yesterday I decided that it was time to set a few things straight. So—if you want it, you can have your old job back, with a raise.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ve decided that I don’t need to race in Europe, unless my family needs a vacation.”
“Will you be happy living here?” she asked.
“Only with you.”
“But what about your dad?”
“Oh, I straightened him out. And it seems that you two had a chat the other day. Dad’s decided maybe he was wrong about you.”
Melanie could hardly believe her ears. “So why did you put me through all this—this confession? Why didn’t you propose before I told you about the baby?”
He took her into his arms again and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Because I wanted to hear what you had to say—I had no idea you were pregnant. And then I wanted to make sure that you really wanted our child.”
“Oh, Gavin, did you doubt that?”
“Not for a minute, love,” he said, grinning ear to ear. “But I had to know that you were marrying me because you wanted to, not because you wanted the baby to have a father.”
“That’s convoluted thinking.”
“No more than yours.” He kissed her again, and she snuggled against him. “I can see it all now—the headline in the next edition of the Trib: DOEL MARRIES GIRL OF HIS DREAMS.”
Melanie laughed and glanced down at the diamond on her left hand. “It’s my dream, you know. I’ve dreamed about this for so long.”
“It’s our dream,” he replied, his voice tight with emotion. “A dream that will last forever.”