STARTING OVER by Kathy Clark Page A

stopped using birth control, she had been thrilled when the doctor confirmed her pregnancy.
    Doug had been less thrilled, probably, from what she'd discovered lately, because of the financial weight that was pressing down on him. Just as he wanted to give his wife a good life, he must have been anxious that his child be born in the comfort and security money would buy. Kate would have settled for the love and companionship of a husband and father, but she accepted that men had a different way of viewing security.
    Kate also accepted the fact that this, very likely, would be her first, last and only child. Even if she should meet another man she could love, by the time she would be free, both emotionally and legally, to marry him, she would be too old to consider another pregnancy.
    Smoothing her hands over her taut skin, Kate smiled. This baby was created from the love she felt for Doug. At least she had this one precious memory that would last, hopefully, for the rest of her life. This one child would have to be enough.
    The shower didn't relax her as she had expected. Instead, her restlessness increased. She tried to lie in bed, but even her favorite television show didn't keep her interest.
    Finally, giving in to her discomfort, she got up and wrapped a robe around her. The kimono-style garment barely overlapped over her belly, and the belt could only be tied in a single knot, but it covered her enough so she felt her neighbors wouldn't be horrified if they saw her outside—not that they could see her over the six-foot fence unless they were being unreasonably nosy.
    It wasn't until she was standing at the patio door, looking out at the glassy surface of the pool as it sparkled in the moonlight, that she admitted what had concerned her. Her neighbor's nocturnal habits didn't matter in the least. The person who had been keeping her from resting easily was now gliding through the water, barely disturbing it as his long, muscular arms pulled his almost naked body from one end to the other, then back for lap after lap.
    Kate felt the tenseness that the heated massage of the shower hadn't relieved begin to ease away. He had come back. Not only had she worried—as she always did in spite of his assurances—while he was in the air, but she was glad to see him in her pool. In the three weeks she had known him, he had spent more time in that pool than Doug had since the day it had been installed. Her husband had viewed the backyard accessory as a status symbol, something around which he could conduct a party but not something in which he wanted to submerge. But Rusty truly enjoyed the pool itself, and she enjoyed watching him.
    If there was any chance that she might have been attracted to him as a man, she would have thought her pleasure was almost voyeuristic. Instead, she told herself it was nice that the pool was being used and that Rusty had found an activity that pleased him. She wanted him happy. She wanted him to stay.
    A cramp, stronger and more painful than anything she had experienced, wrenched through her body. Kate's grip tightened on the patio door handle as she waited for the discomfort to pass. As quickly as it occurred, it stopped, and Kate sucked in a deep breath. Could it be the first sign of labor? Or could it be a gastronomical reaction to the big lunch?
    Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her body suddenly felt chilled inside the air-conditioned house. Knowing it would be much warmer outside, Kate unlatched the door and slid it open. The humid night air washed over her, making her skin feel even more clammy.
    Rusty didn't notice her as he continued to slide through the water. She walked to the wrought iron patio table and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs.
    As he surfaced after an underwater turn at the wall, he saw her and immediately swam to the side of the pool. He shook his head, flinging a spray of water out of his hair. "Did I wake you?" he asked. "I'm sorry. I tried to be quiet."
    "No, I