by Donna Alward
“Black-eyed peas,” Lizzie lamented, screwing up her face. “Our housekeeper, Anna, made black-eyed peas and I hated them. And it didn’t matter if we could afford it or not—we had to eat whatever was made for dinner.” She smiled sadly. “It was like that when Mom was around, but she always found a way to make sure we had our favorites. After she left, things weren’t so strict. Just having the family together for meals was enough, and Anna stepped in and looked after us. And then when Dad married Peggy, it was really good again.”
“Your mother left you?”
“Yeah, when Jet was little.”
Chris tried to imagine that. How could a mother just walk away from her four kids?
Lizzie finished the first piece of pizza and reached for another. “This is so good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“You need to make sure you eat. That taking care of yourself thing.” She wasn’t going to do anyone any good if she was tired and weak.
“Yes, Mom,” she joked. He noticed the color was back in her cheeks and her hair looked soft and slightly mussed from the nap. He liked it.
When his first two slices of pizza were gone, he wiped his fingers on a paper napkin and sat back. “Lizzie, I want to be involved. I know it’ll be hard from here, but you’ve got enough on your plate that I don’t want you to feel like you’re all alone.”
She looked startled at his words and put down her pizza. “Oh. Well, I won’t be alone. I’ll have Savannah and Carly and Julieta, won’t I?”
“Except they don’t know about the baby.”
“Right.”
“And you’re going to be busy running Baron, too.”
“What are you suggesting, Chris?”
He didn’t blame her for looking wary. “I’m not sure, and I’m going to need a few days to think, but will you at least call me and let me know how you’re doing? I’d like to come to a doctor’s appointment, too, if I can. Is there anything you need?”
She shook her head. “The only thing I need right now is to eat well, get lots of sleep, take my vitamins.”
He got up and grabbed a notepad and pen from the kitchen. “Here are my numbers.” He jotted them down. “This is my phone here at the condo, and this is my cell which is probably more reliable. And this is my email address. You can text or email or phone anytime, day or night, okay?”
He tore the sheet off the tablet and held it out.
“Thanks.” She took it and then wiggled her fingers for the paper. “I should do the same for you. My cell and my office. The two best places to reach me.”
He found it odd she didn’t include her home number, but whatever.
She pushed her plate away. “This was great, but I should be going. Thanks for the rest stop. I needed the nap and the food, I guess.”
“Anytime,” he answered, but it made things awkward as they both knew it wasn’t possible to pop in at random since they lived so far apart.
She got up from the table and picked up her purse from the end of the sofa. “I guess I’ll drop in and see Dad before visitors’ hours are over tonight, and tomorrow I’ll work out the board meeting I’ve arranged for Monday. Wish me luck.”
She smiled at him then, and he saw something new in her. Vulnerability. For all her confidence, she wasn’t as sure of herself as she led people to believe.
He went forward and, against his better judgment, folded her into his arms. “You’ll do great,” he murmured against her hair.
She was stiff for a few seconds and then she relaxed, her hands resting on Chris’s shoulders as she softened into his embrace. “I hope so.”
Having her close, pressed up against him was igniting the attraction again. It would be so easy to slide his mouth over hers, to press her body more firmly into his, maybe even carry her into his bedroom and make love to her again. There was no denying the chemistry that still sizzled between them.
But he did the right thing and put his hands on her arms, pushing her away a little and pasting on what he hoped looked like a platonic smile. “You’ve got a bit of a drive. Text me when you get there, okay?”
“You’re not going to get all overprotective, are you?” Her dark, mysterious eyes gazed up into his and he felt himself slipping.
“I just want to know when you’re there safe and sound, that’s all.”
“I’ll text you.”
“You want some pizza for the road?”
Their bodies still hovered close together. “Honestly,” she murmured, “you don’t have to look after me. I’m a big girl.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead—the safest area of her face. Then he opened the front door, let her out, and closed it again behind her.
He pressed his forehead to the door and exhaled heavily. She was right. He didn’t have to look after her. And damn it all anyway, because even though he didn’t have to, he wanted to.
And that probably wasn’t good at all.
Chapter Six
Lizzie rested her elbows on her desk and her forehead against her fingers. Thank God that was over. She’d just managed to chair her first board meeting without messing things up too badly. She’d been right. Mark Baker wasn’t thrilled with her sitting in the big chair, but support had come from a few unexpected sources, giving her a boost.
Emory, her assistant, knocked discreetly on the door. “Hey, Lizzie? You want some lunch?”
Her stomach rumbled. Maria, Brock’s executive assistant, had thought to have a selection of muffins on hand along with coffee for the meeting. Lizzie had stuck with water, but the blueberry wheat muffin had kept her full enough to ward off any lingering nausea.
“I’d love a turkey sandwich, Em.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Emory shut the door quietly behind her. Rather than move into Brock’s larger office, Lizzie had decided to stay in her own space. Maria was only down the hall if she needed anything anyway.
She was skimming a resume for a new engineer—someone named Jasmine Carter—when her phone buzzed. She looked down to see an incoming text message. One click told her it was from Chris.
How did the meeting go?
She held the phone in both hands and typed with her thumbs.
Meh. As good as could be expected. The predicted resistance though some support too. There were muffins.
Do you ever think of anything other than food?
Yes. Sleep.
She imagined him smiling on the other end.
LOL
She shouldn’t be enjoying the simple messages so much, but they were a bright spot in her day. She had two more meetings this afternoon and tonight she would be back at the hospital to give Brock an update. But this break helped her wind down a little bit.
I got the date for my next checkup. It’s two weeks from tomorrow at four o’clock.
Will you hear the heartbeat or anything?
Maybe. I’ll be over ten weeks by then.
Over ten weeks. Soon after that, she’d have to finally tell her family. Her clothes wouldn’t fit forever, and with her usual power suits and fitted outfits, a change in wardrobe would be noticeable. Besides, then she’d be past the first trimester.
I could come with you—if you want.
Oh my. She imagined being examined with Chris in the room and was sure she’d be embarrassed. But then she imagined hearing her baby’s heartbeat all alone and it didn’t feel right. It seemed right to share it with someone, and who else but the baby’s father?
You sure you want to make the drive?
There was a bit of a pause between messages, but finally a reply came.
No biggie. I’ll be there. Just text me the address.
Emory knocked and came in bearing Lizzie’s sandwich and a bottle of water. “Thanks, Em,” she said, smiling, a
nd checked her watch. Just enough time to eat and get ready for her next meeting.
Lunch is here. GTG. TTYL.
C U soon, he replied.
She tucked the phone away and unwrapped her sandwich. She was looking forward to seeing him—perhaps too much.
* * *
CHRIS STEPPED INTO the coffee shop and scanned the customers. There she was, her dark brown hair tucked up in a no-nonsense bun, clicking away on her smartphone. One thing he could say about Nicole Bennett—she was one hell of a hard worker. She was a one-woman dynamo, always at the forefront of anything happening with the company. Everyone knew she was Adele Black’s right hand at AB Windpower.
He grabbed a plain black coffee from the barista and made his way over to her table. “Hey, thanks for meeting me,” he said, pulling out a chair. “I could have come into the office.”
Nicole looked up and smiled, putting down her phone. “That’s okay. I like to get out of the office now and again. And it gives me an excuse to grab a chocolate pecan bar.”
The empty paper wrapper sat under her coffee cup.
“So,” she said, picking up her beverage, “you’re looking to come back to work already. Rodeo not all you expected?” She took a sip, a curious expression on her face as she asked him the question.
“Actually, the rodeo’s been great.” Too great. The more he thought about it the more he knew this was the right thing but he was choked that he was going to miss the rest of the season. “Something’s come up, is all.”
“Yeah, earning a living wage is kind of important, huh.” She grinned again. “And you won’t hear complaints from us anyway. I know Adele gave you the leave because she wanted to keep you happy and make sure you came back. She was thrilled when I told her you’d called.”
Which should have made him happy. Instead all he felt was locked in, inside a career he didn’t truly want.
“Nothing’s written in stone yet, Nicole.” He blew on his coffee before taking a hot sip. “I was wondering if there’s any chance to work somewhere other than San Antonio. If there’s anything closer to the Dallas–Fort Worth area.” He’d thought about it all day yesterday and figured at least that way he’d be a bit closer to his kid. He was pretty sure Lizzie had no plans to leave Baron and her family and move this way, and really, why would she?
Nicole met his gaze evenly. “You turned down the management offer before.”
Management. Talk about being locked in even more. At least in his position here, he’d been out in the field some of the time. It wasn’t the same thing day in and day out. If he moved into something supervisory, those opportunities would be gone.
Then again, he’d be in a more secure position to be a dad. He kept thinking what his own father would say. And it would center around providing the best life possible for his kid. That’s what his dad had done for him, and without the benefit of the education Chris had. Didn’t his kid deserve the same?
“It would depend on the position,” he responded cautiously.
“We’re still looking for someone to manage a satellite office in Dallas. I know you didn’t want to be that far from your family before, so what’s changed?”
They hadn’t told anyone about the baby yet and he wasn’t about to tell Nicole before they’d even announced it to family. “Some personal circumstances,” he answered cryptically.
“Well, it’d be a bump in salary for you. You’d head up the office there, manage the engineers and technicians for our local interests. Right now we have an admin assistant there who is reporting to head office, but it’s not the most efficient way to run it. It needs someone on site. Anything to do with head office can be done over the phone. And you’d have to travel here a little, for meetings, but that would be minimal. You’d be our front person in that part of the state.”
She took a napkin and wrote a number down on it. “This is the salary offer. The benefits package is a little nicer, as well. I can email you those details.”
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. When they’d first approached him about the job, he hadn’t even considered it. He wanted the year off and he wanted to be close to his parents, not have to move. This was a good offer. A damned good offer. And he could drive to see his mom and dad now and again, especially if he had a son or daughter to take with him.
A son or daughter. Sometimes thinking about that still freaked him out, made his chest tighten and his heart race. He was so not ready for fatherhood!
“Can I have a few days to think about it?”
She smiled. “Of course you can.”
Her coffee was gone and she reached down for her bag. “I’ve got to get back to the office for a meeting. It’s kind of an exciting time to be in energy. And hey, when you’re in Dallas you’ll be in the heart of it. What do you hear about Baron Energies these days?”
It was too casual a question for it to not be intentional. His eyes narrowed. “Why? I’ve met the brothers before. They’re a big rodeo family, as well as being in the oil business.”
“Just curious. There was a press release this morning about Brock Baron being injured late last week and being out of commission for a while. His daughter, Elizabeth, is taking over. Do you know her?”
His throat felt tight. “A little.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how she handles being at the helm—if she’s a Daddy’s girl with a token position or if she can really stand the heat. They lost a big contract not long ago.”
The words to defend Lizzie rose to his tongue but he wisely refrained. “Knowing that family, you’d be smart not to underestimate them,” he advised. “What’s the big interest all of a sudden? They’re oil. We’re alternative energy.”
Nicole shrugged. “It’s interesting, that’s all. Besides, Elizabeth has publicly said that she’s interested in other energy alternatives.”
It still felt a little off, but Nicole got up and patted his shoulder. “Give me a call later this week and let me know what you’ve decided. The space is there, we’d just need to order furniture for your office, that sort of thing.”
“Thanks. I’ll call you soon.”
She shouldered her bag and maneuvered around the tables in the café on her way out while Chris sat and pondered the offer. Under the circumstances it was the perfect solution. And really, what had he expected? This year was supposed to be a onetime leave. It wasn’t a life plan, so why was he letting it bum him out so much?
He’d do some thinking, make a few arrangements and talk to Lizzie when he went to Dallas for her doctor’s appointment.
* * *
DOCTOR MENDEZ’S OFFICE was like any other medical office in America: pastel walls covered in prints, coffee tables with magazines, pamphlets in a display and several patients waiting on vinyl chairs while the phone rang incessantly.
Lizzie shifted in her chair. At ten weeks she wasn’t discernibly pregnant, though quite often lately she’d found herself undoing her trousers or skirt button. The morning sickness hadn’t abated either, and she was getting rather tired of the morning routine of throwing up before she even made it to the shower.
She checked her watch again—it was three-twenty-seven and her appointment was for three-thirty and no sign of Chris. He’d said he was coming in his text yesterday, but as each minute ticked by she wasn’t so sure of him.
Their first...well, second, really...weekend together had gone far better than she’d imagined, but that had been two weeks ago. Maybe he’d changed his mind. Maybe it would be easier for everyone if he did.
The door opened and he stepped through, all wind-swept hair and plaid shirt and jeans paired with scuffed but clean boots.
Easier, maybe. But she couldn’t deny that she was glad to see him just the same.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, sitting down beside her. “I took a wrong turn, and then I
had a hard time finding parking. I’m not as familiar with Dallas as I should be.”
“It’s okay. I haven’t been called in yet, and I think she’s running a little late anyway.”
He let out a breath and leaned back in his chair. “So...how’re you feeling?”
“Fat,” she answered, sounding distinctly grumpy.
He laughed. “You’re not even showing yet, and you feel fat?”
“Maybe I’m not showing, but I’m outgrowing my clothes. My waistbands, at least. Which makes me feel fat.”
He didn’t say anything, so she looked over at him and caught him smiling at her, his arms folded across his chest. “What?” she asked.
“You look great,” he said. “So don’t worry about it.”
“Charmer,” she muttered under her breath, and he surprised her again by chuckling.
“Hey, if we’re in this together, it’s probably easier if we get along. Right?”
“Yes, but do you have to be so nice about it?”
Again he laughed. “Relax, Lizzie.”
“Elizabeth Baron?”
They looked up in unison at the nurse standing by the desk. “That’s me,” she whispered, picking up her purse.
“Do you want me to... That is...”
“I’ll get her to bring you in at the end, okay?”
He looked relieved. “Okay.”
She followed the nurse to the exam room and was surprised that she didn’t have to put on a gown. “Just remove your pants,” the nurse suggested. “We’ll try to hear a fetal heartbeat today, but there are no guarantees. Sometimes we can’t hear it for another few weeks.”
After the nurse went out, Lizzie removed her trousers and draped them over a chair, and then lay down on the exam table and pulled up the light cotton sheet. Moments later Dr. Mendez came in carrying Lizzie’s chart and offering a friendly smile.
