by Sara Orwig
She stopped at her door, getting her card from her purse. “I know you’ll get your way in this conversation, too, Aaron. See you in the lobby at six o’clock. Thanks for dinner tonight and a million thanks for finding Dobbin. That made Mildred happy.”
“It was fun. Mostly it was fun to be with you and see you again. Before we say good-night, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do since the last time we were together.”
“Do I dare ask—what have you been wanting to do?”
“Actually, maybe two or three things,” he said softly. “First, I want to kiss you again,” he said, moving close and slipping his arm around her waist. Her heart thudded as she looked up at him. She should step back, say no, stop him now, but what harm was there in a kiss? She gazed into his light brown eyes and there was no way to stop. Her heartbeat raced and her lips tingled. She leaned closer and then his mouth covered hers. His arms tightened around her and he pulled her against him.
She wrapped her arms around him to return his kiss, wanting more than kisses. She felt on fire, memories of being in his arms and making love tugging at her.
He leaned over her while he kissed her, his tongue going deep, touching, stroking, building desire. She barely felt his fingers in her hair, but in minutes her hair fell over her shoulders.
She had to stop, to say no. She couldn’t have another night like the last one with him.
“Aaron, wait,” she whispered.
He looked down at her. His brown eyes had darkened with passion. “I’ve dreamed of you in my arms, Stella,” he whispered. “I want to kiss you and make love.”
“Aaron, that night was so unlike me.”
“That night was fantastic.” He held long strands of her hair in his fingers. “Your hair is pretty.”
She shook her head. “I have to go in,” she whispered. “Thank you for dinner, and especially for finding the dog.”
She opened her door with her card.
“Stella,” he said. His voice was hoarse. She paused to look at him.
“I’ll meet you in the lobby at six in the morning. I’ll take you to the airport.”
She nodded. “Thanks,” she said, and stepped into her entryway and closed the door. The lock clicked in place. She rested her forehead against the door and took a deep breath. She didn’t intend to get entangled with him at this point in time. Not until she had a definite answer about whether she was pregnant.
* * *
At six the next morning Aaron stood waiting. He saw her step off the elevator. She wore a gray coat and a knitted gray scarf around her neck. Her hair was back in a bun. She was plain—men didn’t turn to look at her as she walked past, yet she stirred desire in him. She was responsive, quick-witted, kind, helpful, reliable. She was bright and capable and—he knew from firsthand experience—sexy.
He drew a deep breath and tried to focus on other things. But he was already thinking about how long she would be gone and when he would see her again. He hoped that would happen as soon as she returned to Royal. Maybe she would let him pick her up at the airport.
He needed to step back and get a grip. If anyone would be serious in a relationship, it would be Stella. She would want wedding bells, which was reason enough that he should leave her alone. He didn’t want a long-term relationship. But she might be one of those women who couldn’t deal with a casual affair.
“Good morning,” he said as she walked up.
“I’m ready to catch a plane,” she said, smiling at him and looking fresh. Beneath the coat he saw a white tailored blouse, tan slacks and brown loafers. Always practical and neat, so what was it about her that made his pulse jump when he saw her?
“You look as if you don’t have a care in the world and as if you had a good night’s sleep.”
“Well, I’m glad I look that way. By the end of some of the days I’ve spent dealing with all the storm problems, I feel bedraggled.”
“I think we can do something about that,” he said, flirting with her and wanting to touch her if only just to hold her hand.
“I pass on hearing your suggestions. Let’s concentrate on getting to the plane.”
“The car is waiting.”
As soon as they were headed to the Royal airport, Aaron settled back to drive. “Cole left a list of what we’re working on and I have the list we made yesterday of more places where we can help. I’ll spend the day visiting the sites, including the Cattleman’s Club. When Cole gets back, I want to be able to talk to him about what I can do to help.”
“If you have any questions, I’ll have my phone, although some of the time it may be turned off.”
“I’ll manage,” he said.
She chuckled. “I’m sure you will.”
“You should be able to get away a day without a barrage of phone calls from Royal. Maybe we should think about a weekend away and really give you a break.”
She laughed again. “No weekend getaways, Aaron. For more than one reason. You can forget that one. I’ll manage without a weekend break.”
“Can’t blame me for trying,” he said, giving her a quick grin. “I’ll miss you today,” he said.
“No, you won’t. You’ll be busy. Once people find out who you are and that you’re here in Royal, you’ll be busy all day long with questions and requests and just listening to problems. I can promise you—get ready to be in high demand.”
“Is that the way it’s been for Cole? If it has, it probably is good for him because it takes his mind off his loss.”
“I’m sure it’s what he deals with constantly. We’ve come a long way, but we still have so far to go to ever recover from all the devastation.”
He turned into the small airport and let her out, then parked and came back to join her for breakfast. All too soon she was called to board. He stood watching until she disappeared from sight and then he headed back to town. At least she had agreed to let him pick her up when she returned later today. He was already looking forward to being with her again, something that surprised him. Since losing Paula and Blake, he hadn’t been this excited about any woman. Far from it. He felt better staying home by himself than trying to go out with someone and fake having a good time.
That had all changed with Stella—which surprised and puzzled him, because she was so unlike anyone who had ever attracted him before.
Three
Stella left the doctor’s office in a daze. The home pregnancy test had been accurate. She was carrying Aaron’s baby. Why, oh, why had she gotten into this predicament?
She climbed inside her rental car and locked the doors, relieved to be shut away from everyone else while she tried to adjust to the news.
To make matters worse, now Aaron was not only in Royal, but staying in the neighboring sixth floor suite at the Cozy Inn. He wanted to be with her, to dance with her. She did not want him to know yet. She wished he would go back to Dallas to R&N headquarters and give her time to think things through. She had to decide how much and when she would tell him.
She groaned aloud and put her forehead against the steering wheel. Aaron was a good guy. He had military training, was caring and family oriented, from what little she knew. She could guess his reaction right now. He would instantly propose.
She groaned again and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “Oh, my,” she whispered to the empty car.
She couldn’t let Aaron know yet. She would have to get so busy she couldn’t go out with him. Her spirits sank lower. He had a suite next to hers—there wasn’t going to be any way to avoid him.
He was a take-charge guy and he would definitely want to take charge of her situation.
He would want to marry her. She was as certain of that as she was that she was breathing air and sitting in Austin.
Glancing at her watch, she saw she would be late meeting her sister for lunch. Trying to focus, she started the car and drove to the restaurant they’d agreed on earlier.
At the restaurant, she saw that her sister was already seated. When Stella s
at down at the table, her sister’s smile faded. “You’ve had bad news.”
“Linda, I just can’t believe the truth,” Stella said, tears threatening, which was totally unlike her. “I’m pregnant. The test was correct.”
“Oh, my, of all people. Stella, I can’t believe it. I’ll tell you something right now. I know you—you’re a wonderful aunt to my children. You’re going to love this baby beyond your wildest imaginings. You’ll see. I know I’m right.”
“That will come, but at the moment this is going to complicate my life. This shouldn’t have happened.”
“Here comes the waiter.”
“I’ve lost my appetite. There’s no way I can eat now.”
“Eat something. You’ll be sorry later if you don’t.”
Linda ordered a salad and Stella ordered chicken soup.
As soon as they were alone, Linda turned to Stella. “Look, I’ll help any way I can, anytime. When the baby is due, you can stay here and I’ll be with you.”
“Thank you,” Stella said, smiling at her sister. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“You’ve said the dad is a nice guy. Tell him.”
“I’ll have to think about what I’m going to do first and make some decisions. I know I have to tell him eventually, but not yet. The minute he finds out, I’m sure he’ll propose.”
“That may solve your problem. Marry him. Accept his proposal. You’ve already been attracted to each other or you wouldn’t be pregnant. There’s your solution.”
“It’s not that simple. Aaron and I are not in love. Look at our parents. That’s marriage without love and it was horrible for them and for us. I don’t want that. And I feel like there are moments Aaron shuts himself off. He doesn’t share much of himself.”
“You may be imagining that. Marry him and if he’s nice and you’ve been attracted to each other, you’ll probably begin to love him.”
“I’m not falling into that trap. Linda, when you married, you and Zane were so in love. That’s the way I want it to be if I marry. I couldn’t bear to do it otherwise. And it will be a sense of duty for Aaron. He won’t give it one second’s thought. I’m just sure.”
“I’m telling you—if he proposes, marry him. You’ll fall in love later.”
“Think back to our childhood and the fights that our parents had—the yelling and Mom throwing things and Dad swearing and storming around slamming doors. Oh, no. You can forget the marriage thing. I’ll work this out. It’s just takes some getting used to and careful planning.”
“At least consider what I’m saying. If this man is such a nice guy, that’s different from Mom and Dad.”
“You know Dad can be a nice guy when he wants to. Mom just goads him. And vice versa. Here comes lunch.”
“Try to eat a little. You’ll need it.”
“It helps to have someone to talk to about it.”
“Do you have anyone in Royal?”
“Of course. You should remember Edie. We’re close enough that I can talk to her about it. She’ll understand, too. Actually, I can probably talk to Lark Taylor.”
“I know Lark, but not as well as you do since you’re both the same age. She’s not the friendliest person until you get to know her.”
“In this storm, believe me, we got to know each other. She and the other nurses from the hospital were out there every day trying to help. So were others that I feel are lifelong friends now. Megan Maguire, the shelter director. I feel much closer to some of the people I’ve worked with since the tornado. I can talk to them if I want.”
“Is he good-looking?”
“I think so.”
“Well, then you’ll have a good-looking baby.”
“Frankly, I hope this baby doesn’t look exactly like him.” Stella smiled. “I’m teasing. I’ll think about what you’ve said. Actually, Aaron is in Royal. I’m having dinner with him tonight.”
“There,” Linda said, sounding satisfied, as if the whole problem was solved. “Go out with him some before you tell him. Give love a chance to happen. You’re obviously attracted to each other.”
“I might try, Linda. It’s a possibility. But that’s enough about me. How are the kids?”
They talked about Linda’s three children, their parents, progress in rebuilding Royal and finished their lunch.
As they stood in the sunshine on the sidewalk saying their goodbyes, Linda asked, “You’re coming for Christmas, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I’ll fly in late afternoon Christmas Eve and then back home Christmas afternoon.”
“Think about what I’ve said about marrying the dad. That might turn out a lot better than it did for Mom and Dad.”
“I’ll think about that one. You take care. See you next time.” She turned and hurried to the rental car.
She paused to do a search on her phone and located the nearest bookshop, which was only two blocks away. She drove over and went inside. It took a few minutes to find a book on pregnancy and what to expect with a first baby but before she knew it, she was back in the car, headed to the airport.
All the way to Dallas on the plane she read her new book. She would have to find a doctor in Royal. She was certain Lark could help her there. She knew of two who were popular with women her age.
When she changed planes for Royal, she tucked her new book into her purse and tossed away the shopping bag in the airport.
As she flew to Royal her dread increased by the minute. She felt as if she had gained ten pounds and her waist had expanded on this trip. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin.
When she stepped off the plane, Aaron was waiting. He had on jeans and a navy sweatshirt. There was no way to stop the warmth that flowed over her at the sight of him and his big smile. She had mixed reactions just as she always had with him.
“Hi,” he said, walking up and draping his arm across her shoulders to give her a slight hug as they headed for the main door leading to the parking lot. His brown-eyed gaze swept over her. He saw too much all the time. How long did she have before he could tell she was expecting?
“How’s your sister?”
“She’s fine. I enjoyed seeing her and all is well.”
“Good. I hope you had a restful day.”
“I did. How was it here?”
“I imagine if you’d been here, you would answer, ‘The usual.’ I saw a great deal of the construction and talked to a lot of people. I’ve been at the Texas Cattleman’s Club most of the day. Repairs have begun on the clubhouse. They didn’t have total destruction, so it should be done before too long. Actually, I helped some with the work there today.” They reached his car and he held the door for her. She watched him walk around the car and slide behind the wheel.
As soon as they were on the freeway, he said, “Let me take you to dinner again. We’ll eat at the Cozy Inn if you prefer.”
“Thanks, Aaron, I would like that. There’s still time for me to go by the hospital this afternoon. By the end of the day, all I’ll be up for is the Cozy Inn for dinner. Right now I want to go back to my suite and catch up on emails.”
“You may regret doing that. What if you have over a hundred emails waiting? You might have to go look for another lost dog.”
She smiled, feeling better.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” he said, “people are really grateful to you for all you’ve done. I’ve had a lot of people out of the blue mention your name. I guess they assume everyone knows who you are and they’ll just start talking about ‘Stella did this’ or ‘Stella did that.’”
“I’m always happy to help.”
“A lot of people are also talking about Royal needing an acting mayor because it’s obvious now that the mayor can’t return to work anytime soon. And people I talked to are mentioning your name in the same breath they talk about needing an acting mayor.”
“Aaron, I’m an administrative assistant. A lot of us are helping others.”
“You’ve been a big help to lots of people and they appr
eciate it.”
She shook her head and didn’t answer him as he pulled to a stop at the front door of the Cozy Inn.
“I’m letting you out here and heading back to the club. I’ll see you at seven.”
“Let’s just meet in the lobby in case I get delayed.”
“Sure,” he said as a doorman opened her door and she stepped out. She walked into the inn without looking back.
In her room she went straight to her mirror to study her figure. She didn’t look one bit different from when she had checked earlier, but she felt different. For one minute she gave herself over to thinking if only—if she were married to Aaron this would be one of the most joyous occasions for her.
With a long sigh, she stopped thinking about being married to Aaron and faced the reality that Aaron was in his thirties and still single. She thought back to the night she had met him after the storm. She had been comforting Paige Richardson whose husband, Craig, had died in the tornado. Others had come to call on Paige and someone introduced Stella to Aaron. He was staying in a motel on the edge of Royal, but he offered to take Stella back to the Cozy Inn. They had talked and one thing had led to another until they were in bed together—a rare event to her.
The next morning, when she told Aaron the night was totally uncharacteristic of her and she wanted to avoid further contact, he had agreed to do whatever she wanted and also told her he wasn’t in for long-term relationships. She really didn’t know much about him. That night they had had fun and lots of laughter, lots of talking, but she was beginning to realize that none of their conversation was about anything serious or important. Last night with him could be described the same way. She knew almost nothing about him and he hadn’t questioned her very much about her background. Aaron Nichols would be the father of her child, and it was time she found out more about him. Whether he hated or loved becoming a dad, that was what had happened and they both would have to adjust to the reality of parenthood.
She went to her laptop to read her emails, answering what she needed to, and then left for Royal Memorial Hospital.
