conversation,” she echoed dutifully.
And trouble, he thought to himself. Let’s not forget about the trouble. He knew with every fiber of his being that he was asking for it.
Eight
“Haven’t seen much of Val lately,” Harlan Patrick said, the casual tone belied by the wicked glint in his eyes. “Any idea what she’s been up to?”
Slade muttered a response he hoped would end the subject, though his boss wasn’t known for taking a hint.
“What was that?” Harlan Patrick asked, his expression innocent.
Slade looked up and met his gaze evenly. “I said go to hell.”
Harlan Patrick hooted, obviously undaunted by Slade’s bad temper. “Now is that any way to treat your boss and the man who brought Val into your life?” he taunted.
“Probably no way to treat the boss,” Slade agreed. “As for the other, I probably ought to kick your butt from here to Dallas for inflicting that woman on me. From the minute you suggested I entertain her while you and Laurie dealt with your own family crisis, she’s been pestering me to death.”
“Which bothers you so much that you’ve started having dinner with her every night, just so you can keep an eye on her,” Harlan Patrick teased. “Yep, you never know what a woman like Val might be up to. Gotta keep a close eye on her.” He grinned. “Real close, I’d say.”
“Like I said—”
“I know. I know. None of my business.” Harlan Patrick’s gaze turned serious. “Of course, Val and Laurie are more than business associates. They’re friends. I’m right fond of Val myself. She helped me out when I was chasing after Laurie and trying to convince her to marry me. I’d feel real badly if anyone were to hurt her.”
Slade regarded him evenly, accepting the fierce protectiveness that was typical of an Adams when one of their own was endangered. It extended to anyone they cared about. “Message received.”
“Good,” Harlan Patrick said with a sigh of relief. “Now I’ve done my duty. Maybe Laurie will get off my back.”
Slade grinned. “So it was your wife who put you up to bugging me about this?”
“She’s nesting,” Harlan Patrick said. “I’m told it’s natural with pregnant women. They want everyone around them settled down and happy.”
Slade regarded him with surprise. “Laurie’s pregnant?”
Harlan Patrick grinned, looking pleased as punch. “Yep. She found out yesterday, though Val told her she was weeks ago. I guess she recognized the signs from last time.”
He said the last without rancor, though Slade knew for a fact it had been a very sore point that Laurie had kept his baby from him. If it hadn’t been for a front-page picture in a tabloid, Harlan Patrick might never have known about his daughter, might never have made one last-ditch effort to get Laurie to marry him.
“Congratulations,” Slade said, pumping his boss’s hand. “I guess that means she won’t be doing any concert tours for a while, then. That must make you happy.” He also knew that Laurie’s music and the traveling it required had been a real bone of contention between them before they’d married. The battles over it had been legendary until someone had finally taught the two the meaning of compromise. They were still struggling to get the knack of it, though, from what Slade had observed.
“Actually, the tour’s still on,” Harlan Patrick said with an air of resignation. “She claims she’s healthy as a horse and there’s no reason not to go ahead with her plans. I made her promise not to be on the road for at least two weeks before the baby’s due. I’m not having my second child born in some other state with me nowhere to be found. I intend to be right by Laurie’s side this time.”
“You know, Harlan Patrick, sometimes Mother Nature has a mind of her own,” Slade pointed out. “The baby might not stick to your timetable.”
“Which is why I’m going on the road with her for the last two weeks of the tour. I’m not taking any chances on missing this kid’s arrival.” He studied Slade. “What about you? Were you there when Annie was born?”
Slade concentrated on cleaning Black Knight’s shoe. “Nope. I was on the circuit up in Wyoming then. Suzanne was back here in Texas. She never forgave me for it, either. My mama was at the hospital. She said Suzanne cursed me so loudly in the delivery room, it was a wonder I didn’t hear it all the way up in Cheyenne.”
“I think we get the blame most