Perfect Partners

Morgan’s gaze went to his daughter’s arm, which was securely locked in Joel’s. “Keep us posted.”
    “Sure.” Joel walked Letty toward the front door.
    Letty said nothing as they went out into the misty rain and got into the Jeep. Joel slanted her a quick side-long glance as he drove out of the driveway and onto the street.
    “Look,” he finally said at the first stoplight, “I’m sorry if your ego got crunched back there because everyone thinks Dixon’s here to get his hands on Thornquist Gear rather than on you. Don’t take it personally, okay?”
    “Don’t take it personally?” She stared straight ahead through the windshield. “Joel, I’ve told you before that you lack sensitivity when it comes to dealing with women. Take some advice. Don’t try to lessen the blow. The damage to my ego has already been done. You’re only making it worse.”
    “You wouldn’t want him back, even if he went down on his hands and knees,” Joel argued. “You have too much pride.”
    “Do I?”
    “Yes, damn it, you do. Now, forget the personal side of this and let’s talk about the business angle.”
    “I don’t feel like talking about business tonight.”
    Joel ignored that. “Did you tell Dixon to stay out of Thornquist Gear?”
    “It’s a little hard to tell Philip anything, Joel. Besides, this is his area of expertise. Philip has had a lot of experience with companies the size of Thornquist. He’s annoying at times, but he’s very good at what he does. He’s quite capable of managing the firm.”
    “I don’t give a damn how good he is at running companies like Thornquist. I won’t have him using his past relationship with you to get a toehold in my business, and that’s final.”
    “You know something, Joel? I’m a little worried about Stephanie,” Letty said slowly.
    “Huh?” He tried to follow the unexpected twist in the conversation. “Stephanie? What’s Stephanie got to do with this? We’re talking about you taking a strong stand against Dixon. And it’s going to have to be a really strong stand, Letty. In fact, you’re going to have to hit that pompous ass over the head with something damn heavy in order to convince him you mean business. I’ll give you a hand.”
    “She’s scared, Joel.”
    “Who? Stephanie?”
    “Yes.”
    “Scared of Dixon?” Joel frowned. “I don’t think she needs to be scared of him, exactly. This isn’t anything you and I can’t handle.”
    “She’s scared of having this baby. Scared to death.”
    Joel finally realized Letty was off on another tack entirely. “What’s the matter? Are there problems?”
    “No. That’s just it. As far as I can tell, everything is going along just fine.”
    Joel struggled to find something intelligent to say on the subject. “I suppose it’s normal to have some apprehension. I mean, they say that labor still hurts like hell, even with all the modern advances. But women don’t die in childbirth anymore, do they?”
    “The statistical probability is quite low. Stephanie knows that. And I don’t think she’s afraid of the pain, either.” Letty paused. “She’s terribly anxious because she considers this her one shot at having a baby, of course. But I think there’s more to it than that.”
    “Letty…”
    “I sensed real fear in her tonight. I suddenly realized that all this emphasis on getting the best doctor and the best hospital and taking every class from the most noted experts she can find is her way of dealing with the fear.”
    “Letty, everybody knows expectant mothers are neurotic to some degree or another.”
    “Is that right?” Letty’s voice sounded cool.
    “Yeah. It’s the hormones or something.” He grinned fleetingly. “Heck, I’ll bet you’ve read an article about it somewhere.”
    “As a matter of fact, I have. And I still say that Stephanie is not experiencing the normal apprehension and mood swings of pregnancy. She is genuinely terrified. And that doesn’t fit with her personality. She’s usually very much like my father. She intellectualizes everything. Very rational and calm.”
    “I’m sure Stephanie will be okay.”
    Letty leaned back against the headrest. “Then again, what do I know? I’ve never been pregnant. Maybe I’d go bonkers, too.”
    The thought of Letty pregnant sent a jolt of sensation through Joel. He pictured her ripe and round with child—his child—and he felt more possessive that ever. He stomped too hard on the brake as he slowed for