Harlequin American Romance November 2014 Box Set: The SEAL's Holiday Babies\The Texan's Christmas\Cowboy for Hire\The Cowboy's Christmas Gift (27 page)

Quite possibly.
She shrugged.

“Hey, you think something over there might work for Lizzie?” He pointed past Nicole's shoulder at a window display for a store that specialized in business gifts—briefcases, high-quality pens and coffee travel mugs that could be monogramed or engraved. “Will you come look with me?”

“Sure.” She let herself be dragged away since, ostensibly, giving her expert opinion was one of the reasons she was here. But she couldn't help question the pattern. Upstairs, he'd run off Jacob when he and Nicole had been bonding over the emotional rewards of a child's love. And now he was leading her away from the cute baby.

Was he discomfited by her getting sentimental over parenthood? Did he dislike the reminders that her own babies were on the way? That possibility rankled but, really, why should it matter? He'd be long gone before her own children were ever born. Which, somehow, didn't make her feel any better.

* * *

“O
NE
FINAL
STORE
?”
Jacob asked, looking to Nicole and Daniel for input.

Daniel glanced down at his nephew. “I can make it. Not sure about him, though.” The last time Daniel had seen eyelids that heavy was on a cartoon dog.

Nicole offered a murmur of assent but didn't say anything. Come to think of it, she hadn't said much for the past fifteen or twenty minutes. Daniel shot her a questioning glance, but she didn't meet his gaze.

“This is the place that's supposed to have top-of-the-line coffeemakers on sale. Mariana wants me to get one for her mom.” Jacob scooped up his son, and by the time a salesclerk had shown them to the right aisle, Cody was snoring softly against his dad's shoulder.

Jacob turned to Daniel. “Can you take him a minute? I need to compare a couple of these boxes. I should have picked up Lucille's gift sooner—we're leaving for Austin Monday after work—but with the new job and best-man duties, time's been flying.”

Jacob and Mariana were having an early Christmas with her mom and grandmother in Austin and would return for Christmas Day with the rest of the Barons. Daniel knew his brother wanted to make up for Thanksgiving, when he and Mariana had been briefly separated, casting a dark cloud over the holiday. But that was behind them now. This Christmas would be their first as a family.

“Here.” Daniel held out his arms. “I've got him.” The sleeping toddler weighed less than saddles Daniel had lifted; still, he was careful to nestle the boy against his uninjured left side.

Once he had Cody situated, he looked up to find Nicole watching him. Was it fatigue or sadness that haunted her eyes? The pregnancy mood swings made her difficult to read. It was sometimes tough to distinguish whether he'd done something wrong or if she was reacting profoundly to something that might not have bothered her on another day.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Of course not.” She gave him a wan smile. “I'm counting the days until I can have caffeinated coffee again. I'm not a morning person, even when the mornings get off to a smoother start than today's.”

They waited at the front of the store while Jacob paid for the chosen coffee machine. Nicole nodded to Cody. “He looks like you.”

“Well...he looks like his daddy. Jacob and I have always shared a strong resemblance.” It was a silly technicality to argue. But it was important she didn't convince herself she saw something that wasn't really there.

When Jacob emerged, Daniel happily swapped Cody for the large shopping bag. They'd all parked near the food court. Daniel walked Nicole to her car while Jacob buckled Cody into his car seat.

“I'm glad you came with us,” he told her, wondering if she felt the same. She'd been teary at least three times and had become uncharacteristically withdrawn over the past half hour.

In response, she flashed him a smile. It didn't reach her eyes.

When she pressed a perfunctory kiss against his cheek and darted into her car, seeming eager to part ways, he had his answer about whether she was upset or simply tired.

“Nicole...” Part of him felt as if he owed her an apology. But what had he actually done wrong?

She gave him another one of those not-quite smiles. “It's getting late, and I don't want Adele to worry about me. Better get home before I turn into a pumpkin.”

He straightened so she could shut her door, frowning at her fairy-tale reference. In some ways, she resembled a fairy-tale character—brave and resourceful, overcoming misfortunes in her quest for happiness. Too bad Daniel wasn't cut out to be anyone's happy ending.

* * *

T
HE
BLONDE
DEALER
on the other side of the table flashed a contrite smile as she flipped over the ace of spades that gave her blackjack. Meanwhile, Daniel's cards added up to seventeen points.
Not my lucky night.

When he got up to give someone else his spot, he discreetly checked the time. Out of deference to Luke, the guest of honor, and Jacob, who'd arranged the evening, he didn't want to broadcast his desire to leave. Although Daniel enjoyed an occasional game of poker, this glitzy private party in a Dallas hotel wasn't his idea of a good time. Bass-heavy remixes of Vegas standards vibrated the room, the cocktails all had ridiculous novelty names, and one of Luke's cousins responded to everything from joke punch lines to decent card hands with a shrill “Wooo!” that could probably be heard all the way to the front desk.

Someone bumped Daniel and he turned, realizing it hadn't been an accidental collision. Jacob was nudging him to get his attention over the music.

His big brother peered at him. “You do know we're only playing for chips and door prizes, not actual money right? Because you look as miserable as a man who genuinely lost his fortune.”

“Just trying to add some casino realism.”

“You also look like a guy who's thinking about sneaking away,” Jacob said knowingly. “Plans with Nicole?”

Hardly. Daniel shook his head, wishing he did have plans with her. They hadn't spoken all day. He'd stared at her number on his phone half a dozen times but opted to give her space.

He rubbed his arm. “I think maybe I overdid it in physical therapy this morning. My shoulder's killing me. You reckon anyone would miss me if I ducked out early?”

Jacob hesitated, as if trying to decide how to respond. His expression was incongruently somber for someone celebrating at a bachelor party. Behind them, another exuberant
“Wooo!”
resounded.

Get me out of here.

Finally, Jacob said, “Yeah, you'll be missed. But I don't want to stop you from going if that's what you need to do.”

“Brotherly powwow?” Jet appeared suddenly, edging between them and draping one arm around each of them.

“Nothing major,” Jacob said. “Daniel was just saying good-night.”

“Already?” Jet dropped his arm and pointed across the room. “I was going to see if either of you wanted to try your luck with me at the roulette table. I am on fire tonight! Too bad we're not gambling actual cash, or I'd be well on my way to paying for the honeymoon of Jasmine's dreams.” He turned to Jacob. “Have you and Mariana thought that far ahead?”

Taking discussion of weddings and honeymoons as his cue to leave, Daniel handed Jet his remaining chips. “Here, hope you have better luck than I did. Guess I'm not much of a gambler.”

He was halfway across the room when his phone vibrated. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hear anyone in the makeshift casino, he increased his pace. When he saw Nicole's name on the screen, it was all he could do not to sprint for the door.

“Hello?” he pressed a hand to his other ear to block out as much noise as possible.

“D-Daniel?” The sound of her trembling voice sliced right through him.

“What is it? What's wrong?”

She sniffed. “Nothing major. I hope. I just needed...She didn't want me to worry Lizzie or the others, but I had to call someone. We're at the hospital. Me and Adele,” she clarified. “She had this weird reaction at dinner that she's never had before, and I was afraid it might be anaphylactic and they tell you in all the information for postcancer follow-up care to see a doctor in case of wheezing or trouble breathing or—”

“Hey,” he interrupted softly. “You sound like you're the one having trouble breathing. Slow down, honey.” He sat on a padded bench in a quiet hotel corridor, wishing with his entire being that he could put his arms around her right now.

He heard her shaky intake of breath and slow, measured release.

“Sorry for flipping out on you,” she said. “Adele and I went to dinner, and a few minutes after the main course was served, her face started swelling and she couldn't stop coughing. Being here at the hospital with her triggered so many bad memories...”

She stopped, took another deep breath. She was finally starting to sound like herself. “I wanted to call Lizzie and Chris, but Adele was adamant we not make this seem like a big deal if it's just some bizarre food allergy we didn't know about before. The E.R. doctor's no oncologist, but he said chemo alters a body and he's heard of instances where cancer survivors develop strange new allergies after treatment.”

“I take it they got her reaction under control?” If not, he imagined Nicole would still be at her side, refusing to let anyone chase her out of Adele's room.

“Yeah. They gave her a shot for the hives and have her under observation. I should probably get back in there with her. I just needed a moment.”

“Which hospital are you at? I'll meet you there.”

“Don't you have Luke's bachelor party tonight?”

“I was on my way out, anyway.”

She was quiet, and he heard the refusal in the pause before the words actually came. “Thanks, but it's pointless of you to drive over here if they're going to be releasing her soon. I shouldn't have called.”

He scowled. “Of course you should have! You've already seen her through a traumatic health scare, and watching her get sick again—even if it's something minor—understandably stressed you out. I'm glad you called. Stress isn't good for you and the babies.” Frankly, he thought it was selfish of Adele that she hadn't let Nicole call in his stepsiblings for moral support. The woman hadn't wanted to worry her own children, but she'd been okay with Nicole shouldering the anxiety by herself? “Are you
sure
you don't want me to come?”

“Positive. I'm better now. I drove us here calmly, I accessed all her patient information that I keep stored on my phone, filled out the forms. I was holding it together just fine, but then... Temporary anomaly. I really am okay.”

That made one of them. Even after he disconnected the call, he felt shaky from the adrenaline that had surged through him when he'd heard her distress. She'd sounded so fragile. It had been the only time in his whole life he'd desperately wanted to be at a hospital.
But she doesn't want you there.
The irony churned like acid in his stomach.

As he'd watched his siblings over the past year, he'd told himself that, unlike Jet and Luke and Jacob, he wouldn't emotionally bind himself to a woman, so he could avoid moments like these. He'd allowed himself a strictly temporary fling with Nicole, secure in the knowledge that it would end soon and he wouldn't have to field emergency calls and pregnancy scares and parenting woes.

Yet now it occurred to him that there was something even worse than facing potential tragedy alongside someone you cared about—
not
being there and worrying that she faced it alone.

Chapter Ten

Daniel cut through the water with a blind ferocity that would no doubt vex his physical therapist, each stroke like a swing at an unseen enemy. Last night had been the worst sleep he'd had since his hospital stay after his injury in the rodeo ring.

Maybe he would have been better off remaining at the bachelor party because when he reached his house, the quiet solitude had rung in his ears more punishingly than the distorted casino music. He'd tried to call Nicole once, but she hadn't answered her phone. Maybe reception had been lousy in the hospital or she'd been busy trying to help Adele with something. When he finally gave up on the idea of her calling him back, he'd gone to bed, where he'd been plagued with nightmares.

Jumbled memories of his mom's death mixed with the image of Nicole sitting alone, crying in a hospital corridor. He'd been standing next to her, calling her name, but she hadn't been able to hear him. Around three in the morning, he'd awakened feeling dejected and heartsick. He'd turned on a late-night movie, but must have fallen asleep sometime before dawn. He woke hours later on the couch, troubled by a crick in his neck and creepy, lingering scenes of a terrified Nicole giving birth in an abandoned hospital.

He'd cooked himself brunch just to have something to do, then realized he had no appetite and headed for the ranch so he could exorcise his demons in the pool. He knew that Kim and Lizzie were hosting Carly's shower here this afternoon, but that was still a couple of hours away. So he was surprised to hear female voices above the splash of his body through the water.

Reaching the other end, he did a roll underwater and kicked off the concrete. Then he headed back to the shallow end and stood. If Lizzie had arrived to start setting up, maybe he could help her. That should keep him from compulsively dialing Nicole to see how she and Adele were doing.

Lizzie was nowhere to be seen, however. Jasmine stood on the porch next to Nicole, who looked absolutely beautiful in a deep green dress. Without pausing, he took the pool steps two at a time and went straight to her.

She let out a startled yelp when he hugged her. “Um...hi?”

Jasmine poked him in the side. “You do know you're all wet, right? It's one of the side effects of time in the pool.”

He released Nicole, but couldn't tear his gaze off her. “I was worried about you.”

Her eyes widened at the intensity of his tone. “I told you I was okay,” she whispered. “I'm sorry I didn't call you back. By the time I got your voice mail, it was pretty late. I didn't want to bother you.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she was allowed to bother him, that she should call anytime. But the words felt hypocritical and drastic. Once spoken, they couldn't be unsaid, and being someone's emergency phone call was the kind of responsibility he'd always shied away from. So he bit his tongue, wondering if being a coward was better than a hypocrite. Nicole deserved better than either.

“Daniel?” Her expression softened. Was she interpreting his silence as further evidence of deep concern?

Aware that Jasmine was openly staring at him and that he was behaving like a sleep-deprived lunatic, he struggled for a casual tone. “How come you're here so early? Did I get the time of the shower wrong?”

“No, Jasmine and I decided to meet here to talk twin stuff since we had trouble finding time during the week that worked for both of us. Jet's meeting his mother for coffee, so he'll bring Adele in time for the shower and I can drive her home later.”

He'd forgotten that Jet hadn't gone with the girls to see Adele earlier in the week. For his stepbrother's sake, he hoped the reunion went well. Life took some bizarre twists—if Adele hadn't walked out on her children all those years ago, would he and Nicole ever have met?

“Well, I should probably get going then, let you and Jasmine chat.”

“Don't let us run you off,” Jasmine said. “We were going to sit at the table since it's pretty out, and Anna's bringing a pitcher of tea and some muffins. But you certainly won't be bothering anyone in the pool.”

“It's okay. I was done with my workout anyway.” That was true, more or less. He'd been desperate to relieve the tense, helpless frustration that had coiled inside him during the night. Seeing Nicole had done a lot to accomplish that.

Jasmine cleared her throat. “You know what? Anna's really busy working on the cake for the shower.” When Daniel had come through the house earlier, Alex had been trying to convince the housekeeper to let him taste test all the goodies for the shower, and Julieta had told Brock he should take her son to the nature and science museum for the afternoon.

“I'll just get the muffins and tea myself,” Jasmine continued. Then she disappeared into the house.

Nicole blinked. “Well. That was a painfully transparent attempt to give us time alone.”

“I for one am grateful.” He took her hands between both of his. “Now, tell me the truth. Are you really all right?”

She lowered her gaze, looking flustered by his concern. “Hey, Adele was the one who had the reaction,” she joked. “I was just the driver. They think she's developed a sensitivity to eggs. There was some in her Caesar dressing. She'll be careful what she eats for the rest of our time here and follow up with an allergist when she's back in San Antonio.”

He waited expectantly. Although he hoped Adele's allergic reaction was a fluke and not a sign of anything more ominous, his chief concern was Nicole, not her boss.

She sighed. “My calling you was a total overreaction and, having had time to sleep on it, I feel foolish. I had this weird moment of déjà vu and claustrophobia where it felt like the hospital walls were closing around me.”

“Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. I can't stand hospitals. I mean, they're probably not anyone's favorite destination spot, but ever since my mom...” He tried to shove aside the painful memories, but it was difficult with last night's bad dreams so fresh in mind.

He changed the subject. “While we have a moment to ourselves, can I add that I've been thinking about you since we said goodbye at the mall?” The awkward way they'd left things after their shopping trip had rattled him. “I want to see you again.”

When she didn't immediately answer, foreboding slithered through him. “Nicole? Has something changed? Did I—”

“You didn't do anything wrong,” she said, anticipating his question. “And...I'd like to spend more time with you, too. I've missed you.”

The last of his tension melted away. Unable to stop himself, not caring if Jasmine or Anna or anyone else saw, he cupped her face and kissed her. That kiss felt more like coming home than driving up to his dark house last night had. Her fingers clutching his bare shoulders reminded him sharply that he wore only a pair of bathing trunks. She felt so damn good against him, it took all his willpower not to suggest they go find a place where she could be equally shirtless.

He straightened, trying to look nonchalant and not like a man considering throwing her over his shoulder caveman style. They could be at his house in three minutes... “So you're still my date for Carly's wedding?”

“Absolutely.” She gave him an impish smile. “I need excuses to wear as many cute dresses as I can while I still fit into them.”

He grinned. “In that case, I think I get to bring a plus-one to the rehearsal dinner, too. But that's not until next Saturday. Will I have to wait that long to see you?”

On Friday, he was leaving for Colorado and would return Saturday afternoon in plenty of time for the rehearsal and wedding on Sunday. Nicole and Adele planned to be back in San Antonio by the new year. His time with her was rapidly slipping away.

“I don't want to wait that long, either,” she said. “But the next couple of days are pretty busy. Tomorrow, Adele and I are taking everyone from the Dallas staff to see the
Nutcracker
and then dinner in Reunion Tower. It's pretty much our version of an office Christmas party. And, of course, another excuse for a great dress. Monday's booked, too.”

“You're telling me we have to wait until Tuesday?”

She gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah, I think so.”

He kissed her forehead. “Luckily, you are worth the wait. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dive back into the pool.” He suddenly had a different type of frustration in need of an outlet.

* * *

N
ICOLE
HAD
BROUGHT
a small spiral notebook with her for her chat with Jasmine. As the time for the shower approached, she realized she'd filled lots of the pages with advice and product recommendations. One of Jasmine's key suggestions was to find a local club for moms of multiples and attend even when the thought of trying to get herself and two infants ready to leave the house seemed impossible. Jasmine assured her that the moral support and friendship she'd find there would be entirely worth it.

Admittedly, the thought of having a network of people she could talk to was heartening. Nicole was well liked and respected among her peers in San Antonio, but she was only just starting to realize how much she'd distanced herself from her social circle while taking care of Adele. Now she was feeling adrift. Twins were going to be a lot to handle by herself.

Jasmine had cautioned her to accept help whenever it was offered. “Don't be proud. And two newborns go through supplies like you will not believe! At the hospital, they'll give you some freebies like diapers and wipes or lotion samples. Take it all! Take anything you can legally get out the door with you. If it turns out to be something you don't use, you can always give it to one of your new buddies at the multiples club, but you cannot be too prepared. You must stock up on supplies—we're talking zombie-apocalypse-level stockpiling! Only, in this case, you're going to feel like the zombie. At least for the first few months. But I promise you, it gets easier.”

On the table, Jasmine's phone pinged and she glanced down, then back up with an expression that was both hopeful and nervous. “Jet texted. He and Adele just pulled onto the Roughneck property. Do you want to go out front and meet them? I can't imagine being in her shoes and coming back here. I'm sure she'd appreciate the friendly face.”

Nicole nodded. “Did he happen to mention how it went?”

Jasmine shook her head. “No idea. But no matter how well it went, I doubt that many years apart can be bridged during one coffee meeting. I imagine the situation will take lots of patience.”

Nicole smiled. “You are very wise.”

“Well.” The woman returned the smile, her eyes twinkling. “Jet's not marrying me for
just
my good looks.”

They rounded the house in time to see Jet pulling up with Lizzie driving behind him. Jasmine went immediately to kiss her fiancé hello, and Nicole studied Adele's face, which looked splotchy. After careful scrutiny, Nicole decided her friend's features were tear-stained and that the blotches weren't an indication of another hives outbreak.

“Did it not go well?” she asked Adele softly.

Adele swallowed. “It was the most difficult thing I've ever done.” That was saying something, given her medical history. “But, overall, it went better than I had any right to expect. Jet said that, if his father and Julieta agree, we should come for Christmas, that family should be together.”

“Huh.” In the abstract, Nicole didn't disagree. But wouldn't that be terribly awkward with Brock and his new wife in the same room? She assumed Carly had spoken to her father about Adele coming to the wedding, but she had no idea how that conversation had gone.

While Jet introduced his mother to Jasmine, Nicole went to greet Lizzie and a pretty young woman with warm brown eyes. Lizzie pronounced her “Kim Healy, cohost extraordinaire” and Carly's best friend since the two girls had tried to punch each other's lights out in second grade. Nicole laughed at that. When Daniel had told her during one of their dinners that the only one who'd rivaled him in the troublemaking department was Carly, she'd thought he'd been exaggerating. Maybe not.

Lizzie and Kim were pulling bags of decorations and door prizes out of the trunk.

“Anything I can do to help?” Nicole volunteered.

“You want to take these rolls of toilet paper?” Lizzie suggested. “They're lightweight.” When Nicole stepped forward, Lizzie added under her breath, “Do we know how it went with Jet and Ad...with Mom?”

Hearing Lizzie call Adele that almost brought tears to Nicole's eyes. Her mother's struggle with addiction had been a harsh lesson that people were not always capable of changing who they were, even when they were motivated. But at least the Barons were proving that people were capable of compassion and forgiveness.

“I think it must have gone all right,” Nicole speculated. “He mentioned her coming over on Christmas.” It would be a nice chance for Adele to meet her grandchildren before Carly's wedding.

Lizzie looped her arm through Nicole's. “Then you'll join us, too, right? You can't spend Christmas alone in some efficiency apartment downtown.”

Jasmine sent Nicole a teasing grin. “Her joining us can be Daniel's gift this year. He's out in the pool, and you should have seen the way he looked at her! His expression was scorching enough that Anna could have cooked with it!”

Nicole could feel the prickly heat of a blush spreading across her face, worsening when she realized Adele had overheard Jasmine, too. “It's not... We aren't...”

Laughing, Kim shook her head. “Another Baron falls, huh? Unbelievable. Is there something in y'all's water supply I don't know about?”

They headed toward the house, happily chatting, and Nicole didn't want to be churlish by correcting Kim. Daniel hadn't “fallen” for her. That wasn't the kind of relationship they had. At least, it wasn't supposed to be.