by Desiree Holt
She shifted a little, and Reno came awake at once.
“Are you all right?” He lifted his hand from her arm and rubbed his eyes. “How do you feel?”
“Better, I think. How’s Molly?”
“Pretty good. She woke once during the night. I think her arm was bothering her, so they gave her some baby aspirin. That’s why she’s still sleeping now.”
“Not anymore. Take a look.”
Molly had her eyes wide open and was trying to sit up. Reno bent over the crib and lifted her gently.
“They showed me how to hold her,” he explained. “The bandage on her arm is so big because they want to protect all the stitches. But they took out the IV early this morning, so she can move around better now. They took yours out, too. They said you were pretty well re-hydrated, and you could now take medication by mouth. They want another twenty-four hours, though, to see if you can keep food down.”
Reno settled Molly on his lap, taking care with her arm and showered her face with soft kisses. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her. He touched her hair, her cheeks, her tiny mouth, kissing her over and over again.
Molly, reveling in the attention, giggled and reached up to pat him with her good hand.
Sarah felt tears gathering in her eyes and blinked them away.
“I called Lindsey and Nick and your folks,” Reno informed Sarah. “And Tony. I figured Nicki’s mother would have passed the word on the Vanetta grapevine. And I didn’t want your folks to worry when we weren’t home, knowing you’d been sick.”
“Did you tell them we’re fine now?”
“Yes. They said they’d probably come by later today. I expect to see my partner and his wife this morning, though, and maybe even Tony.”
A nurse’s aide bustled in, carrying a tray that she put on the bed table. “Breakfast for the ladies,” she called out. “Mrs. Sullivan, your orders say you should try some weak tea and dry toast. How’s the nausea this morning?”
“Much better,” Sarah told her. “And I don’t feel quite so dizzy.” She didn’t. The room had settled around her, everything staying in one place even when she moved.
“Good.” This from the nurse entering the room. “Here’s your morning meds and baby aspirin for your daughter. She’ll need this for a few days until the worst of the soreness is gone. Doctor will send you home with some medication for the nausea, Mrs. Sullivan, but he wants you to see your obstetrician as soon as possible.”
“We’ll take care of it right away,” Reno stated, his voice firm.
“I’ll let you get started on your breakfast.” The nurse smiled at Molly. “I’d say you need a highchair to feed this little angel. I’ll send one in right away.”
Reno shook his head. “I’ll hold her on my lap and feed her.”
****
The doctor had put a rush on the preliminary DNA test the night before, and the day seemed to drag by while they waited for the results.
“I’m convinced it’s positive,” Reno said at one point. “Not a doubt at this point.”
“Even if it’s not,” Sarah pointed out, “it won’t make a difference.”
“It will be positive.” Reno’s voice was firm and confident. “I just know it.”
He helped Sarah eat and fed Molly. Then, while Sarah dozed, he held the child on his lap, crooning to her, until she, too, fell asleep. He knew he should put her back in the crib, but he couldn’t get enough of holding her.
The nurse arrived with the evening medication, and the doctor walked in right on her heels.
“First things first,” he said. “I have the results back on the preliminary DNA test.” He grinned. “Good thing you said cost didn’t matter because I think they charged through the nose to rush it. However, there’s no doubt you’re Molly’s father, Mr. Sullivan. I hope that pleases you.”
Reno could only nod, so gripped by emotion he couldn’t speak.
“Well, everyone seems fine here. I’ll just check my patients over, but I think both can go home tomorrow.”
Finished with his exam of mother and child, he made notes on the chart, then told them he was writing discharge orders for the next day. He wanted the two of them there one more night, but they could all go home in the morning.
Reno collapsed back in the chair, still amazed by the turn their life had taken.
Sarah, feeling immeasurably better, grinned at him. “Life sure is good, isn’t it, Daddy?”
“Better than I deserve.” He leaned over and kissed his wife firmly on the lips, then picked up Molly and sat back in the chair. Nestling the little girl against his chest, he reached for Sarah’s hand and twined his fingers through hers.
And that’s how they were, Reno feeding Molly and Sarah sipping at her tea when Nick and Lindsey appeared in the doorway. Sarah looked up and waved them in.
Lindsey came over to the side of the bed and hugged her. “Reno called last night.”
“I figured he would. We’re fine. Honestly.”
“He told us the good news, too. Oh, Sarah, we’re so very happy for you. For both of you. It’s a shame it took this kind of an emergency to turn things around, but I knew everything would work out sooner or later.”
“The best news is we had another DNA test done, and it proves without a doubt that Reno is Molly’s father.” Sarah beamed.
“Oh, my god,” Lindsey gasped. “That is just too much.” She kissed her friends soundly while Nick shook Reno’s free hand. Emotion was very thick in the room.
Sarah turned her head and looked at Reno, cuddling his daughter. Then she looked at Nick, with his arm around Lindsey, glowing with her pregnancy. Two of the best friends in the world.
Her marriage to Reno might have begun as a bargain, but it had certainly turned out to be a good one for both of them. Sarah touched her abdomen where the baby was growing, the child she and Reno had conceived with their love.
A new home, a new child, and a new life.
Chapter Nineteen
The scene could have come straight from a painting. The blue Texas sky, dotted with puffs of cloud, was a backdrop for a golden sun. A soft breeze fluttered the leaves on the oaks and sycamore and drew ripples in the little stream. Next to the barn, in a paddock fenced with white split rails, four horses nickered gently as they nuzzled one another. The aroma of hay and horseflesh drifted on the air.
The house of gleaming limestone and weathered wood sat on the crest of the hill. Huge windows, that filled the house with light, reflected the sun.
On the wraparound porch, two cats snoozed on the wide railing, tails curled comfortably around them. In one chair was a large, muscular man in jeans that molded to his strong thighs. A denim shirt accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, and on his feet were scuffed boots. A graceful-looking woman sat next to him. Her golden sweater picked up the tawny highlights of her thick coffee-colored hair and soft suede jeans clung tantalizingly to her hips.
The man held a little girl about two years old, her head with its tousled curls nestled happily against his chest. The woman, her hair loose about her face and cascading over her shoulders, held a tiny baby against her body. Her cheek rested against the soft, downy head, her lips pressing against the skin.
They rocked in rhythm, unwilling to disturb their sleeping children. Their faces held a look of total peace and serenity. And a love that was so strong it shut out everyone and everything else. People who saw them envied the strength of what they had.
They sat and rocked as the sun began to dip from the sky and the light of day faded. Their children slumbered peacefully in their arms. They had weathered a difficult journey, but now they had reached nirvana. Life was good.
About the Author
Known as the oldest living author of erotic romance, Desiree Holt has produced more than two hundred titles in nearly every subgenre of romance fiction. Her stories are enriched by her personal experiences, her characters by the people she meets.
After fifteen years in the great state of Texas,
she relocated back to Florida to be closer to members of her family and a large collection of friends. Her favorite pastimes are watching football, reading, and researching her stories. She lives with her three cats, who love to sit with her when she writes.
~*~
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~*~
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Also Available
Silencing Memories
Guardian Security Book Two
By Desiree Holt
Just when architect Alexis Craig thinks she’s gotten her life back on track, the terrible nightmares return, and out of nowhere, a stalker sends a note to her office. Photos follow, then emails, and she can’t dismiss the threat any longer. Hiring security seems the logical answer, but there’s nothing logical about her body’s reaction to the sinfully sexy expert bent on keeping her safe.
Guardian Security partner Nick Vanetta believes there’s more behind the situation than a simple fixation, and he wonders if the answer is buried somewhere in her past. As they dig deeper into her family history, the sizzling attraction between them burns hotter and the job becomes much more than playing bodyguard to this headstrong woman. To protect the woman he loves, he must find the stalker...before it’s too late.
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Sin City Alibi
By Sophia Ryan
Sometimes what happens in Vegas follows you home.
Jumping libido-first into a cliché Vegas fling is the last thing on Dani Parker’s mind when she flies to Sin City for some R&R after her lover/boss, Elliott, dumps her. But an innocent night of flirty fun with a sexy hunk she knows only as Matt whirlwinds into a sinfully hot weekend. Back home, she discovers her boss has been murdered, her Vegas fling is heading the investigation into financial irregularities for the company she works for, and she’s smack-dab in the middle of both.
Matt Collins has filled his life with work and no-strings sex since the day his heart went on lock-down. No woman ever cracked that lock. Until Dani. Now all he wants is her in his bed and in his life, but the odds for success are stacked against him. She can’t accept his conditions for love, there’s evidence suggesting she and her former lover embezzled from the company, and the cops arrest her for Elliott’s murder. His gut tells him she’s innocent and he wasn’t just an alibi, but his heart remembers the brutal past that still haunts him.
When everything Matt and Dani hold dear is on the line, they’ll learn that sometimes risking everything leads to the most satisfying payouts.
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