Harlequin American Romance November 2014 Box Set: The SEAL's Holiday Babies\The Texan's Christmas\Cowboy for Hire\The Cowboy's Christmas Gift (26 page)

She laughed, glad he'd called. Talking to Daniel was better than chocolate pie. “Maybe I will join you guys tonight. If you're sure it will be okay with your brother? After all, Christmas shopping is more fun with company, and I can't go with Adele since most of the gifts I plan to buy are for her.”

They agreed to meet in the mall food court. She should have just enough time to swing by the apartment and change first. Her lower back was aching a little bit, and she didn't relish the idea of shopping in the shoes she'd worn to work.

Aches and pains aside, she was looking forward to the evening ahead. During her two recent dinners with Daniel, he'd told her enough stories about his brother that she was starting to feel as if she knew Jacob. He was obviously a terrific guy for his brother to look up to him so much. She wondered if Daniel had considered how difficult it would be to live so far away from the sibling he obviously idolized, but that was none of her business. Maybe she was projecting her own desire for a close-knit family onto someone who would be perfectly happy to keep in touch through online photos and holiday visits.

“Afternoon, stranger.”

Nicole glanced up to see a smiling Adele in the doorway. “Hi. You get that text I sent you earlier? If you're available next Monday, the two of us should take that interview candidate to lunch. I think you're really going to like her.”

“I did get your text, and I'm glad we have a solid lead. I know you worry about leaving me in the lurch when you go on maternity leave.”

“True, but that's still months away.”

“Time flies faster than you expect,” Adele said wistfully. “But I'm not worried at all. You're the most competent person I've ever hired. I know you'll have everything organized and laid out for us so that your absence causes minimal disruption. And speaking of absences, roomie...” She gave Nicole a pointed look.

Nicole didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated by the warmth flooding her cheeks.
Seriously?
She was almost thirty years old, well past the age of consenting adult. It was ludicrous for her to blush just because she'd stayed out all night. “I did tell you not to wait up for me. You weren't worried, were you?”

“Not in a pacing-the-floors, what-if-she-wrapped-her-car-around-a-tree kind of way, no.” Adele stepped farther into the office and shut the door for privacy. “I do worry, though. You know I think the world of you, dear. You're compassionate and sharp and very special. I couldn't be prouder if you were one of my daughters, and I thought it was a crime that you were so busy taking care of me and helping run my company that you didn't have time to date.

“Not that you
need
a man,” Adele clarified, “but marriage and family have always been on your horizon. So I'm tickled that you've met someone who appears dazzled by you. The way he looked at you the other night?” She fanned herself with her hand. “But your situation is unique. If things got serious between the two of you, he'd be committing to an instant family. And even if he
thinks
he might be ready to parent two babies—”

“He doesn't, trust me. And things between the two of us aren't going to get serious.”

Adele cocked her head to the side, her expression perplexed. “How could you possibly know that? Emotions aren't always planned or easy to control, the negative ones
or
the positive ones.”

Thinking carefully, Nicole tried to find the words that would ease her friend's concerns without diminishing Daniel's worth. He was a hell of a guy. He just wasn't the guy for her. “He and I have talked about our very different future plans. He hasn't shared all of his with his siblings yet, so it's not appropriate for me to tell you about them. But we know we're not looking for the same things. We're just enjoying each other's company, having uncomplicated fun. You don't have to worry that I'm getting too attached.”

Adele pursed her lips, her body language dubious.

“I promise.” Nicole smiled wryly. “This isn't going to end in me wearing pajamas for a week, listening to sad songs and eating ice cream out of the carton. It's not like that between us.”

“All right,” Adele conceded. “I shouldn't have poked my nose where it didn't belong. You've always had a good head on your shoulders. No more fussing on my part. Now, if you're about done for the day, how about we go have dinner and you tell me more about this woman you want to hire?”

“Oh. I, um...I'm not actually free tonight. I'm going Christmas shopping. With Daniel,” she added, lifting her chin slightly. She'd just explained that she and Daniel enjoyed each other's company. There was no reason to feel self-conscious about running such an innocent errand, especially with his brother and nephew there as chaperones. So why did she feel as guilty as the time she'd knocked over a foster mother's vase and broken it on her first day in a new house?

Adele sighed, then turned on her heel to leave the office.

Nicole exhaled slightly, glad to see her friend had been sincere in her “no more fussing” pledge. “I really expected you to give me grief about seeing him two nights in a row.”

“No. I'm not going to say one word about it. But while you're out, dear, you might want to look for some comfy pajamas and stock up on ice cream. Just in case.”

Chapter Nine

Daniel was freshly showered and changed into clean clothes when his brother knocked at the front door.

“Ready to go?” Jacob asked. Standing next to him, looking like mini-Jacob, Cody raised his arms. “Hug, hug!”

Daniel scooped the kid into a quick hug, then set him back down. “Ready.”

Even after two months, it still made Daniel do a double take to climb into his brother's pickup and see, instead of a bull rope and a bag of rosin tossed on the backseat, a toddler's car seat and plastic toy trucks. The soundtrack had altered, too. Fewer songs about beer and rodeos, more songs highlighting phonics.

When Jacob obligingly hit Repeat on a tune Cody particularly enjoyed, Daniel decided it was as good a time as any to mention his spur-of-the-moment invitation to Nicole. It had been completely unpremeditated. He'd just been so happy to hear her voice and he'd realized he wouldn't see her tonight, or tomorrow evening because of Luke's bachelor party, and then she was attending that bridal shower on Saturday... The words had just spilled out of his mouth. He hoped Jacob wouldn't mind. If there was one thing his brother had demonstrated, it was that he could be flexible and adapt easily to the unexpected.

Daniel cleared his throat. “So, you remember Nicole.”

“The pretty brunette you brought to the ranch four days ago? The one you couldn't take your eyes off of?” Jacob teased. “Or are we talking about some other Nicole?”

“She and I have been talking this week.” Among other things. “And she has some Christmas shopping to do, so I mentioned we were going to the mall tonight. She's planning to meet us, if that's okay. I, uh, figured she could give us input on gift ideas for the girls.”

Jacob snorted with laughter. “You must have it bad if you're using that lame excuse to spend more time with her.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, you have no room to needle me about going out of my way to spend time with a woman.
You
moved Mariana into your house right after you met her!”

“That was to help Cody make the transition, and you know it. But I'm sure as hell not sorry about how everything worked out.” Biting his lip, he cast a quick glance at the rearview mirror to see if his son had caught his use of the
H-
word.

“Anyway. You don't mind, do you?” Daniel asked. “Because if you'd rather this just be a guy's night, I could call her...”

“Of course I don't mind. If she's important to you, I'd like the chance to get to know her better. To bond. To warn her that if you're ever in the general proximity of an owl, she should expect to be shoved to the ground while you run off shrieking like a girl.”

“I did not run off. And you didn't even witness it happen.”

“True. But I've imagined it plenty of times, and in my head it's hilarious.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “One other thing about Nicole...” She'd mentioned that the nausea could come and go suddenly. If it happened to sneak up on her tonight, he didn't want Jacob to think Cody had been exposed to stomach flu. Besides, now that Lizzie, Chris, Jet and Jasmine all knew about the pregnancy, it wasn't much of a secret. She'd said this morning that, between medical appointments and the side effects of carrying twins, she'd need to start telling her coworkers soon.

Lowering his voice just in case Cody had developed an interest in the conversation, he said, “She's pregnant.”

“What?” Jacob took his eyes off the road just long enough to gape at Daniel. “But you aren't—”

“Of course not! She decided she was ready to be a mother and was artificially inseminated.” Might as well explain the situation now, in case her pregnancy came up tonight, and spare Nicole any awkward questions. “She's most of the way through her first trimester, and she's been keeping it pretty quiet.”

“So you're involved with a pregnant woman?” Jacob looked as if he was having difficulty digesting this information. “Because the other day, you said—”

“We're not that involved. Just because the rest of you have all caught wedding fever doesn't mean I'm looking to settle down.”

From the backseat, Cody piped, “Hungry! Crackers? Peese,” he added dutifully.

Jacob asked Daniel to dig through the bag at his feet and find the animal crackers. In Daniel's limited experience, the crackers wouldn't ruin Cody's appetite for dinner. For a little guy, he could put away an impressive amount of food. It must take a lot of fuel to keep him running at Mach 10, which was Cody's usual speed when not restrained in a car seat.

As Daniel passed a couple of the crackers to his nephew, he reiterated to his brother, “I like Nicole a lot. But that's all it is.” Though he'd dated a number of women, he didn't think he'd been in love his entire adult life. Which suited him just fine. Better to leave the long-term entanglements to people who could let themselves be happy without spending all their time waiting for the other boot to drop.

By the time he was a teenager, he'd witnessed adultery, divorce, imprisonment and death. His stepsiblings had dealt with abandonment. Nicole had coped with her birth mother's addiction and Adele's cancer. In the past, Daniel had met people who seemed shocked he would willingly ride bulls for a living. “Isn't that dangerous?” he'd been asked numerous times. Definitely. But as far as he could tell, life in general was a series of treacherous perils.

At least in the rodeo ring, you saw it coming.

* * *

N
ICOLE
LEANED
AGAINST
the metal railing that overlooked the lower level of the mall and watched as Daniel and his brother approached. Many a female head turned to watch them pass. As if the two dark, tall and handsome men weren't attractive enough, Jacob had the added appeal of carrying an adorable toddler. Nicole imagined she could hear the sighs that followed them.

Neither man seemed aware of the interest they drew, probably because they'd had years to get used to it, plus the rodeo experience that helped them ignore onlookers and focus on the task at hand. Still, she couldn't deny that it was heady, the way Daniel seemed too intent on her to notice other women. His gaze had locked on her the second he stepped off the escalator.

She grinned in greeting, wanting to kiss him hello but feeling shy about doing so in front of his brother and nephew. “Hi, there. You guys got here just in time. The smells coming from the food court are so enticing, I was about to give up waiting and go get dinner.” She was, after all, eating for three.

“Hungry!” the little boy declared.

Jacob laughed. “So that's two votes in favor of eating right away.”

They passed one sit-down restaurant on their way to the horseshoe of casual, to-go vendors that took up half of the second story.

Daniel inhaled deeply. “I see what you mean about the smells getting to you. I was fine until now. Suddenly, I'm famished. Of course, the steak house would take too long. A meal in there would cut too much into our shopping time.”

“After last night,” Nicole told him, “I won't want steak for a while. What you fixed was so good, everything else is bound to be a letdown.” She became belatedly aware that Jacob was watching them, his expression curious.

“Daniel cooked for you?” he asked.

“I suppose you have some smart-alecky remark to make about that?” Daniel grumbled good-naturedly. To Nicole, he said, “He's already hit his quota on giving me grief about owls.”

“Nothing smart-alecky. It just reminded me of the first time Mariana came over,” Jacob said. “I cooked for her and Cody. She seemed surprised I knew how.”

If they didn't stop talking about cooking and food, Nicole's stomach was about to start growling. She scanned the options, trying to decide what she felt like. The place that sold customized salads was probably the healthiest choice.

Meanwhile, Cody had become distracted from his quest for food. He was pointing at the small carousel tucked in the corner by an ice-cream parlor. “Migo!”

Jacob laughed. “We've been over this, buddy. Not all horses are Amigo, and not all doggies are Buster. Our pets,” he told Nicole. “Cody loves animals.”

The casual comment made her wonder about her own children, what their likes and dislikes would be, whether they'd have mutual interests or be total opposites. It was exciting to imagine getting to know them and watching their personalities develop. At moments like this, she blocked out the anxiety about everything she needed to do to get ready and couldn't wait for them to be born.

When she realized she was absently rubbing her stomach—and that Jacob had noticed—she asked, “Did Daniel tell you I was expecting?”

He nodded. “Congratulations. I missed Cody's early months, so I'm no authority on infants, but I can tell you, there's no feeling in the world like looking down into that little face and being overwhelmed by love. Six months ago, I didn't know he existed, and now there's nothing I wouldn't do for him.”

A lump rose in her throat. She blinked, determined not to do something as undignified as start blubbering in front of a place that sold chicken-fried ears of corn and barbecued sausage on a stick.

“Good grief, Jacob.” Daniel inserted himself between them, scowling in mock aggravation. “We haven't been here five minutes, and you've already made her cry. Nice going.” He waved Jacob and Cody toward the pizza counter the little boy had been eyeing at the other end of the corridor.

Once father and son had walked away, Daniel turned to her with an impish smile. “I thought they'd never leave.” Then he pulled her to him for a brief but ardent kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers. “I've been wanting to do that since I saw you from the bottom of the escalator.”

She grinned. “You must've been reading my mind, then.”

“Do you know what you want?” He winked at her. “Food-wise, I mean.”

Hand in hand, they walked to the salad place, then rejoined Jacob and Cody at an empty table.

As they ate, Jacob entertained her with stories of trying to baby-proof his home. “Mariana might be able to give you some pointers on that and other stuff.” He ruffled his son's hair. “She was part of Cody's life from day one.”

She shook her head wryly. “Between seeking advice from Jet and Jasmine on raising twins— Oh, Daniel didn't mention I'm having twins?” She laughed at Jacob's expression. “Anyway, talking to you and Mariana, Jet and Jasmine... This must be what they mean by ‘it takes a village.'”

Jacob nodded. “I know I'm grateful I have people around me I can ask for tips. And favors. Cody's only been in my life for a couple of months, but we've already had a few babysitting emergencies. This would be impossible without support.” He grimaced, as if suddenly recalling she didn't have an extensive family network.

She appreciated the Baron siblings' willingness to offer encouragement and guidance, but she should be careful not to rely too much on others. They weren't
her
village, they were Daniel's. Only, he didn't want them.

After they finished their food and cleaned up the table, they hit a couple of stores. Nicole offered her opinion on a pretty scarf for Julieta. They “cheated” picking out presents for Carly and Luke by using the couple's department store registry to select gifts for both Christmas and the wedding.

As they waited for the clerk to hand over the receipt, Jacob asked, “So will you be coming to the wedding with Daniel?”

“I...” She faltered, not sure of the answer. They hadn't discussed it. She'd been expressly invited to the bridal shower Saturday, but not the ceremony itself.

But Daniel met her gaze, looking untroubled by his brother's question. “Sounds like a great idea to me. I look forward to watching you do the Chicken Dance at the reception. What do you say, be my date to Carly's wedding?”

Warmth bloomed inside her at the easy way he'd included her, his repeated demonstrations that he wanted her company. “Yes to the wedding. A firm don't-get-your-hopes-up to the Chicken Dance.”

They exited the department store, and, as they returned to the congested center of the mall, she caught a glimpse of Jacob's profile. Was it her imagination, or did he look smug? Maybe Lizzie wasn't the only one who'd thought matchmaking between Nicole and Daniel was a good idea. She smothered a sigh. She could have told them that she and Daniel didn't need help being pushed together. Mutual attraction was not a problem.

Cody began wiggling with excitement, chanting “Santa!” Sure enough, there was a North Pole display a few yards away. Despite the overall crowd, the line to see Mr. Claus wasn't too long.

“You two mind if we humor him?” Jacob asked. “Mariana and I already took him to get his official picture taken, but...” He broke off, his eyes twinkling. It was clear he was enjoying his first yuletide season with his son.

“Fine by me,” Nicole said.

They got in line behind a couple with three kids. The youngest, cradled in her mother's arms, looked only a few months old and was completely adorable in a tiny red velvet dress. The woman passed the baby to the father so she could lean down and fix her preschooler's hair. Nicole's eyes stung. She couldn't honestly say whether she was reacting to the miniature perfection of the infant or the fact that the mom had a partner to share these small, everyday moments.

Irritation welled within her. It wasn't as if she'd made the decision to be a single mom lightly. She'd known what she was getting into, so why did the idea now cause her these periodic twinges of sorrow?

“Nic—” Daniel's questioning tone broke off as he followed her gaze. If he'd been about to ask what was wrong, he'd answered his own question. He shook his head. “Are you going to get misty every time you see a cute kid for the next six months?”