by Sara Orwig
He liked her and maybe there was love up to a point, but he wasn’t into making a total commitment to her. He couldn’t tell her he loved her with his whole heart and that was what she wanted to hear. They hadn’t talked about it, but he felt he was right.
He enjoyed being with her more than any other woman since Paula. It surprised him to realize he wasn’t thinking as often of Paula. He would always love her and Blake and always miss them. He knew every time February 5 came around that it would have been Blake’s birthday. It always hurt and it always would.
All the more reason he wanted Stella in his life—because this baby was his and he wasn’t losing his second child. All he had to do was tell Stella he loved her with his whole heart. But he couldn’t; he had to be truthful about it. He was trying to back off and give her room, let her think things through. Why wouldn’t she settle for what they had, which was very good. They might fall in love in time and he might be able to handle his loss better. But that wasn’t good enough for Stella, because she wouldn’t take a chance on falling in love later.
Stella had some strong beliefs and held to them firmly.
Tossing back the covers, he got out of bed. This was his first night away from her for a little while, and he was miserable. What would he feel like in January when they parted for maybe months at a time?
Aaron felt caged in the small suite at the Cozy Inn. At home he would just go to his gym and work out hard enough that he had to concentrate on what he was doing until he was so exhausted he would welcome bed and sleep. Even without her. He couldn’t do that here. Knowledge that she was sleeping nearby disturbed him. He could go to her easily, but she would just say no.
Stella was intelligent. He figured at some point she would see they were compatible, the sex was fantastic and she surely would see that, hands down, it would be best for her baby to have a daddy—a daddy who would love him or her and be able to provide well for all of them.
Then he thought about Stella’s makeover. He had heard enough talk—guys in Royal had asked her out since she had been back in town after their first trip to Dallas. Trey Kramer had even asked Aaron if they were dating because he wanted to ask her out if she wasn’t committed. That didn’t thrill him. He had told Trey that he was dating Stella, but when he returned to work in Dallas in January, Aaron expected her to be asked out often by several men.
The thought annoyed him. He didn’t want to think about her with other men and he didn’t want the mother of his child marrying another man. He realized on the latter point, he was being selfish. If he couldn’t make a real commitment to her, he needed to let her go.
He suspected she was going to walk out of his life if he didn’t do something. The notion hurt and depressed him.
He paced the suite, hoping he didn’t disturb people on the floor below. He tried to do some paperwork, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Stella.
It was after four in the morning when he fell asleep. He woke at six when he heard his phone ring, indicating he’d received a text. Instantly awake, Aaron picked up his phone to read the message, which was from Stella.
I have very little to move. Mostly clothes. I’ve loaded my car and checked out. I won’t need any help, but thanks anyway. I’ll keep in touch and see you Tuesday evening when we go to the TCC Christmas festival.
She didn’t want to see him until Tuesday evening for the party. He had a feeling that she was breaking up with him. The day after the festival would be Christmas Eve when she would fly out of Royal to go to her sister’s in Austin. Aaron stared at her message. In effect, she was saying goodbye.
At least as much as she could say goodbye when she was pregnant with his baby. One thing was clear: she had moved on from spending nights with him. No more passion and lovemaking, maybe not even kisses.
He was hurt, but he could understand why she was acting this way. He should accept what she wanted. He needed to go on with his life and adjust to Stella not being a part of it.
He did some additional paperwork, then after a while picked up his phone again to make calls. Soon he had moved his Dallas appointment until later in the day so he didn’t have to leave Royal as early. He showered, shaved and dressed, ordering room service for a quick breakfast while he made more calls.
He may have to tell Stella goodbye this week, but before that happened, there was one last thing he could do for her. Hurting, he picked up the phone to make another call.
As soon as the hospital allowed visitors that morning, Aaron went to see Mayor Vance.
* * *
After he finished his business in Dallas later that afternoon, Aaron went home to gather some things to take back to Royal with him. He paused to call Stella. He had tried several times during the day, but she had never answered and she didn’t now.
He suspected she didn’t want to talk to him, because she kept her phone available constantly in case someone in Royal needed help.
Certain he wouldn’t even see her, he decided to stay at home in Dallas Friday night and go back Saturday. He wouldn’t have even gone then except he had appointments in Royal all day Saturday to talk to people about the upcoming appointment of an acting mayor.
He already missed Stella and felt as if he had been away from her for a long time when it really wasn’t even twenty-four hours yet.
He wondered whether she was thinking seriously about taking the Houston job offer. It would be a good job, but Aaron knew so many people in Royal wanted her to take the acting mayor position—including the mayor, who had now talked to the town council about it.
That night Aaron couldn’t get her on her phone. When she didn’t answer at one in the morning, he gave up, but he wondered where she was and who she was with. He missed her. She had filled an empty place in his life. He sat thinking about her—beautiful, intelligent, fun to be with, sexy—she was all that he wanted in a woman. Had he fallen in love with her without realizing it?
The idea shook him. He went to his kitchen and got a beer and then walked back to the guest bedroom downstairs where she had stayed when she had been at his house. He thought about being in bed with her, holding her in his arms.
He missed her terribly and he didn’t want to tell her goodbye. It shocked him to think about it, and decided that he was in love with her. Why hadn’t he seen it before now? He’d wanted to be with her day and night.
When he recognized that he loved Stella, he also saw he might be on the verge of losing her. She was a strong woman with her own standards and views and so far she had turned him down on marriage. Plus, she was considering accepting a very good position in Houston, which was a long way from Dallas.
He was in love with her and she was going to have his baby. He didn’t want to lose her. He ran his hand over his short hair while he thought about what he could do to win her love. She’d accused him of proposing out of a sense of duty instead of love, which was exactly what he had done at the time. But he had spent a lot of time with her since then. There had been intimacy between them, hours together. They had worked together regarding Royal, had fun being together.
Why hadn’t he seen that his feelings for her were growing stronger? He admired her; he respected and desired her. She was all the things he wanted in a woman. He had to win her love.
While he had never heard a declaration of love from Stella, she had to feel something for him. She acted as if she did. He was certain she would never have gone to bed with him with only casual feelings about him. That would be totally unlike her. Was she in love, too?
Had he already tossed away his chance with her?
He stood and moved impatiently to a window to gaze out at the lit grounds of his estate. If nothing else he would see her Tuesday night when he took her to the TCC Christmas festival. He wished he could move things up or go back to last week, but he couldn’t.
He walked down the hall to his office. Crossing the room, he switched on a desk lamp and picked up a picture of his wife and child. “Paula, I’ve fallen in love. I think you’d
approve. You’d like Stella and she would like you.”
He realized that the pain of his loss had dulled slightly and he could look at Paula’s picture and know that he loved Stella also. He set the picture on the desk, picked up his beer and walked out of the room, switching off the light.
He wanted to see Stella, to kiss her, to tell her he loved her. This time when he proposed, he would try to do it right. Was she going to turn him down a second time?
Next Tuesday was the TCC Christmas festival, a special time. The town was getting ready to appoint an acting mayor and they wanted Stella, but she just didn’t realize how many wanted her and how sincere they were about it.
If he had lost her love, there still was something good that he could do for her.
* * *
Saturday morning Stella selected a Christmas tree, getting one slightly taller than usual. As soon as she had set it up on a table by the window across the room from her fireplace, she got out her decorations. Her phone chimed and she glanced at it to see a call from Aaron. She didn’t take it. She would talk to him soon enough Tuesday night; right now she still felt on a rocky edge. Aaron could get to her too easily. She wanted to be firm when she was with him. After Tuesday night, she really didn’t expect to go out with him again except in the new year when she had to talk to him about their baby.
She placed her hand on her tummy, which was still flat. Her clothes had gotten just the slightest bit tighter in the waist, but otherwise, she was having an easy pregnancy so far.
She was excited about the Christmas drive, which was going even better than she had expected. The presents were piling up at the TCC. Paige had told her that each day now, TCC members picked up presents from drop-off points around town and took them to the club to place around the big Christmas tree.
She tried to avoid thinking about Aaron, but that was impossible. She wasn’t sleeping well, which wasn’t good since she was pregnant. After Tuesday, maybe it would be easier to adjust because they wouldn’t be in each other’s lives as much.
She talked to her sister and learned their mother would be in Austin Christmas Eve, too. Stella checked again on her flight, scheduled to leave Christmas Eve and come back Christmas afternoon.
Aaron finally stopped calling on Monday and she heard nothing from him Tuesday. He must have caught on that she didn’t want contact with him. She assumed he would still pick her up, but if he didn’t show by six-thirty, she would go on her own. According to their earlier plans, he would come by for her at 6:15 p.m., which was early because the celebration did not begin until six-thirty. Her anticipation had dropped since she had parted with Aaron. She just wanted to get through the evening, leave the next day for Austin and try to pick up her life without Aaron.
For the first time in her life, Stella had her hair done at the Saint Tropez Salon. The salon was on the east side of town, which had escaped most of the storm damage.
As she dressed, a glimmer of the enthusiasm she had originally experienced for the night returned. It was exciting to have a party and to know it would be so good for so many people who had been hurt in the storm. It cheered her to know that all the families would have presents and money and hope for a nice Christmas.
On a personal level, she hoped things weren’t tense all evening with Aaron, but she thought both of them would have enough friends around that they could set their worries aside and enjoy the party. And Aaron might not care as much as she did that they would be saying goodbye.
She guessed Aaron would ask about her job offers. She still had not accepted the job offer in Houston. Every time she reached for the phone to talk to them, she pulled back.
Getting ready, she paused in front of the full-length mirror to look at herself. She wore the red dress she had worn before. One other new dress still hung in the closet, but the red dress was a Christmas color and it should be fine for the evening. When she put it on, the waist felt tighter. It was still comfortable, but she thought this was the last time she would wear the red dress until next winter.
Thinking it would be more appropriate for this party and also draw less attention, she wore the gold and diamond necklace. Once again, she wondered if Aaron was more interested in the person she had become after the makeover and all that had happened since, or the plain person she really was.
She made up her face as they had taught her at the salon, but when she started to put something on her lips, she stared at herself and put away the makeup, leaving her lips without any. She studied herself and was satisfied with her appearance.
She heard the buzzer and went to the door to meet Aaron. When sadness threatened to overwhelm her, she took a deep breath, thought of all the gifts people would be receiving tonight and opened the door with the certainty that this was the last time she would go out with Aaron Nichols.
Nine
Looking every inch the military man in civilian clothes, ready for a semiformal party, Aaron stood straight, handsome and neat with his short dark blond hair. Wearing a flawless navy suit and tie and a white shirt with gold cuff links, he made her heart beat faster.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
Her lips firmed and she tried to hang on to her emotions. “This is a night we’ve both looked forward to for a long time. Come in and I’ll get my purse and coat.”
“You’re stunning, Stella,” he said as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I’m glad you wore your necklace.”
“It’s lovely, Aaron.”
He studied her intently and she tilted her head, puzzled by his expression.
“So what are you thinking?”
“That you’re the most gorgeous woman in the state of Texas.”
His remark made her want to laugh and made her want to cry. It was a reminder of one of the reasons it was going to hurt so much to tell him goodbye. “A wee exaggeration, but thank you. I’m glad you think so.”
“Tonight should be fun,” he said. “Let’s go enjoy the evening.”
“We’re early, but there may be things to do.”
He pulled her close. “I don’t want to mess up your makeup so I won’t kiss you now, but I’m going to make up for it later.”
She pulled his head down to kiss him for just a minute and then released him. “Nothing on my lips—see. I’m not messed up.”
“No, you’re hot, beautiful and I want you in my arms, Stella,” he said in a husky voice with a solemn expression that might indicate he expected her to tell him goodbye tonight.
“C’mon, Aaron. We have a party to go to.” He held her coat and then took her arm to go to his car.
When they arrived at the Texas Cattleman’s Club, she was amazed to see the cars that had already filled the lot and were parked along the long drive all the way back down to the street.
“Aaron, it looks like most of the people in Royal are here. Wasn’t this scheduled to start at six-thirty tonight?”
“It was. I can’t believe they already have such a huge turnout.”
“I never would have imagined it,” she said. “I know the TCC invited everyone in Royal, but I never dreamed they would all come. Did you?”
“The town’s pulled together since the storm—neighbor helping neighbor. I think everyone is interested.”
“I’m surprised. This isn’t what I expected.”
“It’s what I expected and hoped for.” A valet opened the door for her and she stepped out. Aaron came around to take her arm. Once inside the clubhouse, she glanced around at the rich, dark wood, the animal heads that had been mounted long ago when it was strictly a men’s club. Now women were members and there was a children’s center that had a reputation for being one of the finest in Texas. They paused by a coatroom where Aaron checked their coats and then he turned to take her arm again.
They headed for the great room that served for parties, events, dances and other club-wide activities. The sound of voices grew louder as they walked down the hall.
When they stepped inside the great room,
a cheer went up, followed by thunderous applause. Stunned, Stella froze, staring at the smiling crowd. Everywhere she looked, people held signs that read, Stella for Acting Mayor, We Want Stella, and Thanks, Stella.
The TCC president, Gil Addison, appeared at her side. “Welcome, Stella.”
Dazed, she tried to fathom what this was all about. She looked at Gil.
“This little surprise is to show you the support you have from the entire town of Royal. We all want you to accept the position of acting mayor until an election can be held and a new mayor chosen.”
“I’m speechless,” she said, smiling and waving at people.
“Stella, I have a letter from the mayor that I want to read to you and to all,” Gil said. “Let’s go up to the front.”
“Did you know about this?” she asked, turning to Aaron. He grinned and gave her a hug.
“A little,” he said, and she realized that Aaron might have been behind organizing this gathering of townspeople.
Gil smiled. “Aaron, you come with us,” Gil said, and led the way. There was an aisle cleared to the stage at the front of the room.
As she approached the stage, people greeted her and shook her hand and she smiled, thanking them. Dazed, she couldn’t quell her surprise.
At the front as she climbed the three steps to the stage, more people greeted her. She shook hands with the town council and other city dignitaries. The sheriff greeted her, and the heads of different agencies in town crowded around to say hello.
“Stella, Stella, Stella,” several people in the audience began chanting and in seconds, the entire room was chanting her name. She saw her friends Paige and Edie in the front row, smiling and waving.
“Mercy, Aaron, what is all this?” Dazed, embarrassed, she turned to Gil. “Gil—” She gave up trying to talk with all the chanting. Smiling, she waved at everyone.
Gil stepped forward and held up his hands for quiet. “Thanks to all of you for coming out tonight. The Texas Cattleman’s Club is happy to have nearly everyone in Royal come celebrate the Christmas season and the holidays. We have a bit of business we wanted to discuss before the partying begins.”
