by Addison Fox
Worse, she had to admit the truth. Just as she’d spent those quiet, lonely nights during her mother’s last days, aware that Allegra wasn’t going to get better, in her bones, she knew the same about Ferdy. If she’d stayed—if she hadn’t found the reason to run that afternoon in his office—she’d have ended up in a far worse position than she found herself in now.
The thought gave her shivers and she huddled under the covers, her arms wrapped around the baby and her mind whirling with all that still lurked in the shadows.
What was she going to do? She couldn’t stay here forever. And what if Ace, or his family, didn’t want anything to do with her?
She’d spent yesterday afternoon hopeful that a visit with Marlowe and Ainsley would produce positive results, but what if it didn’t? What if...
Frustrated and sick of her own thoughts, she tossed off the covers. Yes, she had a lot to think about and a lot of it was freaking scary. But huddling under the covers?
Ferdy Adler had done more of a number on her than she’d ever imagined if that was how she was going to handle the world around her moving forward. Her child deserved better and so did she.
Within a few minutes she’d brushed her teeth, combed her hair and put on something fresh from her bag. She’d noted a small laundry room off Nikolas’s kitchen and she’d ask him if she could do a load of laundry later that day, as well. In the meantime, the least she could do was make him some breakfast. Her culinary skills were somewhat limited but she could manage pancakes and eggs for breakfast.
Nova padded out to the kitchen, finding the door to Nikolas’s room still closed. She took some satisfaction in that and proceeded to the kitchen to bring her plan to life. She easily found the ingredients for pancakes and even lucked out with a package of bacon in the fridge.
Twenty minutes later the distinct scent of heaven began to permeate the condo as the bacon sizzled in the oven. The siren’s song had its desired effect and in another minute she heard the distinct click of Nikolas’s bedroom door.
“Please tell me you’re not a figment of my imagination.”
Nova turned from the counter, her head bopping to an internal beat, the act of doing something going a long way toward crushing the apprehension she’d woken up with. “I don’t know you well enough to bring you breakfast in bed, but I thought it’d be nice to wake up to a meal.”
He smiled and Nova couldn’t help but notice how his sleep-tousled curls matched the sloe-eyed look he gave her. Goodness, the man was lethal in the morning and that was saying something after how cute he looked last night. But there was something about that sleepy look that still rode his eyes and, oh wow, his five o’clock shadow was positively yummy.
And if this was what a solid night’s sleep in a bed not rented did to her, she needed to figure out her future pretty damn quick.
“You thought right.”
Nikolas moved into the kitchen. Although she had no idea how he normally walked around his house first thing in the morning, either by usual choice or in deference to her he was fully dressed. An Arizona State University T-shirt and shorts were hardly seductive clothes.
Yet something about the thickly muscled forearms and the strong calves on display in the shorts made her mouth go dry.
“How do you feel about pancakes?”
“That they’re life-giving?”
“I’m not quite sure I’d give flour and a little baking soda quite that much credit, but I do make a mean flapjack.”
“You made it, being the operative words.” Nikolas walked to the counter and set a cup to brew on his single-cup coffee maker, then turned toward her. “Did you sleep okay? You’re up awfully early.”
“I slept great. Between the nap yesterday, and a full eight hours last night, I feel better than I have in a long time. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.”
His eyes, an intriguing shade between hazel and green, narrowed. “It’s a big day today. Are you ready?”
“I think so. I felt a little wobbly about it when I woke up, but then I gave myself a pep talk and I feel a lot better.”
“A pep talk?”
The moment the words were out, she wished she could snatch them back. What a silly thing to say. Now Nikolas would think she sat around talking to herself.
Or sat around talking herself in and out of things.
Or...or who knew what he thought?
“I do that sometimes. When I’m feeling low. It’s silly, I know. But, well, if there’s no one else around, sometimes you just need to prop yourself up.”
“Do you know how amazing you are, Nova Ellis?”
Heat rushed her face immediately, burning from the middle of her neck on up to cover her cheeks. “For being weird?”
“For tackling the big bad world, and having a child, all by yourself. You know how rare that is, right?”
“I’m not tackling anything.”
Before she could say anything else, he came up to her, taking both of her hands in his. “Yes, you are. You aren’t afraid of doing the hard thing. Of doing what needs to be done. Don’t underestimate that. It’s special and exceedingly rare.”
The baby chose that moment to kick, a swift jab that hit the edge of her rib. Instinctively, Nova squeezed Nikolas’s hands, a reaction against the sharp immediate pain.
“Whoa. You okay?”
Nova gritted her teeth as the second kick quickly followed the first. “Just a bit of morning calisthenics.”
“The baby did that?” Those eyes she’d been admiring only a few moments before widened, their shade shifting toward a bright vivid green. “Like, right now? To you?”
“Seeing as how I’m the only one in the room who’s pregnant, yeah, it was to me.”
She let go of his hands to lay them against her stomach, trying to push her little alien into a more comfortable position. Or at least out of kicking range of her ribs.
“That is so wild.”
“It does happen. Especially now that the hotel room keeps getting considerably less roomy.”
Nikolas’s gaze never left her stomach. “Does it hurt? Every time?”
“No. There are times, if the baby hits me the right way, when there’s some pain. Just now, my little soccer-player-in-training caught a rib. But it doesn’t hurt normally.”
As if on cue, the baby kicked again, but the work she had done to move those little feet paid off.
Nova glanced up, surprised to see the slightest bit of longing where she would’ve expected dismissal.
“Can I touch?” Nikolas asked.
“Sure.” She took one of his hands and settled it on the lower right side of her belly. The baby’s latest position made that the most likely spot to feel a kick. “He or she is active this morning, so you shouldn’t have to wait long.”
“And it really doesn’t hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t. At first, it felt kind of funny. But because the kicks have grown in strength as the baby has grown, Mother Nature kind of eases you into it.”
“It’s just so amazin—” Nikolas broke off, his mouth dropping into an O.
The baby kicked again and Nova had the odd sensation of feeling her child kick from the inside and the press of Nikolas’s hand from the outside. That large palm, so warm and firm, pressed against her belly. And for the first time since she ran out of Ferdy’s office, Nova wondered what it would be like to share this pregnancy with someone.
With a man who wanted the child she carried.
One who wanted her, too.
* * *
Nikolas slathered his pancakes with butter, his mind still reeling over those moments in the kitchen. He’d felt the baby kick.
And man, the kid had some strength in those little legs.
It had been...exhilarating.
And those feelings of protection he’d battled with the night before hit even har
der, a reminder that Nova was especially vulnerable right now.
Vulnerable, Slater, as in not someone you make a move on. You’ve got too much of your father in you to make another woman live like Mom did.
Nikolas dug into his pancakes, unwilling to think too hard about what it meant that he felt...stirrings...for the very attractive pregnant woman in his kitchen.
Or that he felt such a shocking wave of disappointment at his own crappy genes and inability to trust himself to commit.
“Any more pancakes?”
Nova smiled at him as she set a serving plate with more pancakes down on the table. Totally oblivious to the direction of his thoughts.
“Sure. Sounds great.” He forked up a few more pancakes, adding butter and syrup to those as well, further dousing the ones still on his plate. “These are great.”
“I’m glad. I really do appreciate your help and I thought maybe waking up to breakfast would be a nice way to show you.”
He set his fork down at that, his focus fully on Nova. “I meant what I said last night. I really am happy to help you, and I don’t see you as a burden.” Before she could interject, he added, “But I’m never one to say no to pancakes and bacon. So thank you.”
She brightened at that, whatever protest she’d been about to make vanishing. “Good. I’m glad.”
The ping of his phone had them both turning to where he’d left it on the counter. Standing, Nikolas saw even from across the room that it was Marlowe.
“Just as she promised.”
“What?” Nova asked.
Nikolas nodded toward the phone. “Your aunt. Prompt as ever.”
He answered, projecting an air of calm. “Good morning. How’s the baby doing?”
“Much better than yesterday. The new formula the doctor suggested was as good as advertised. Reed was able to settle and Bowie and I actually got a whole four hours of sleep.”
“That’s great. But, um—” Nikolas tried to reconcile her words with how happy she sounded “—only four?”
“Four is great. Four is freaking amazing,” Marlowe added. “So what’s up?”
Nikolas considered the idea that four hours of sleep was great and figured it might be better to introduce Nova and Marlowe to each other in person.
“I’ve got someone staying with me. A visitor to Mustang Valley. She’s pregnant, and I thought it might be nice to introduce the two of you.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, but she’s new to town and looking to find a doctor and a few other suggestions as she settles in. I thought you might be able to help.”
“I’m happy to. Why don’t you head over to the condo around noon and we’ll have some lunch?” She gave him the address.
“You don’t need to cook.”
Marlowe laughed at that. “Nikolas, my dear, sweet man. I’ve got every restaurant in Mustang Valley on speed dial. It’s no trouble at all.”
“Nova and I will see you then.”
“Nova. What a pretty name. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
Nikolas disconnected the call and turned to see Nova waiting anxiously, her hands fisted at her sides as she stood beside the table. “We’re going over there?”
“Yes. For noon.”
“You didn’t tell her who I am.”
“That’s not the sort of news you tell over the phone.” Nikolas moved a few steps closer and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Not if you can help it.”
“That’s a lot to lay on a new mother.”
“It’s a lot to lay on anyone. But you’ve lived with it for almost a year. You’ve held up okay.”
Nova laid a hand on top of his, squeezing his fingers. “I have no idea how I looked up and saw your sign. Or why. But I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I did.”
She squeezed his hand once more before turning and heading back toward the bedroom. As Nikolas watched her go, he considered her words.
It was interesting she had found his sign. That she had picked him.
He’d never been one to believe in fate or destiny or anything remotely smacking of the woo-woo stuff. But he did believe in the fundamental intersection of people. The events that shaped lives and the experiences no one could ever anticipate.
Unbidden, the notepad on the desk in his office filled his mind’s eye.
Ferdy.
He wondered who the man was.
But at the trust he’d seen reflecting back from Nova’s gaze, Nikolas was glad he hadn’t done more than wonder.
Chapter 8
Nova stared up at the luxury condo building before Nikolas made the turn for underground parking. The Mustang Valley Mountains rose up behind them, setting the property off like a gleaming jewel in the bright sun.
“Marlowe lives here?”
“Sometimes. She keeps this place but also lives at Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch with her family.” Nikolas smiled ruefully, driving slowly toward the guest parking area. “Or the Triple R, as the locals love to call it, as if we’re in the know.”
Nova considered that news, memories of her mother’s descriptions of the large ranch house weaving through her mind. “That’s the big ranch my mother spoke of. They all live there?”
“They do. The town loves to talk about it like it’s something out of a movie. Three stories, with individual wings for all of the children, offset by thousands of acres of cattle ranch out their back door.”
“It sounds like quite a place.”
“I’ve been there for a few functions but haven’t gotten beyond the outdoor pool and entertaining areas.”
“It sounds impressive.”
“Impressive, and surprisingly warm. All the Colton siblings have made it their home, but Marlowe keeps the condo in town, too,” Nikolas said. “I suspect, no matter how large the house, a bit of distance from family is nice sometimes, too.”
“I suppose.”
Although her mother had never seen the Triple R, Allegra had spoken of it as if she’d imagined it in her dreams. Or, more to the point, imagined it through the eyes of her love. Ace had obviously told her a lot about his home in Mustang Valley and her mother had remembered some of the smallest of details.
The high wood beams and lush leather furniture in the main living area. The industrial-size kitchen that could house all of them for home-cooked meals. Even the ranch itself, thousands of acres and holding so many cattle.
It wasn’t until that moment that Nova realized how much she’d made Rattlesnake Ridge Ranch into something of her own personal Oz, waiting for her at the end of her journey, ready to solve all her problems.
Was it that easy?
It hadn’t been for Dorothy. In fact, it had been something of a mirage, ultimately sending her away and back to the place she’d begun.
Would that be her own fate? And the fate of her child? A round trip straight back to New York?
Nova rubbed the top of her belly, surprised her own pinging nerves hadn’t riled up the baby. Instead, after the morning activity in the kitchen, he or she had quieted, seeming to understand its mother’s focus needed to be elsewhere for a while.
As if the baby was ever far from her thoughts.
Nikolas pulled into a guest parking area and turned off the car. He shifted in his seat, turning to face her. “Are you ready for this?”
“As ready as I’m ever going to be.”
“We don’t have to do this.”
“I know. But I’ve come this far.”
“Yes, you have.” He reached out and took her hand. “You have come this far. But if we get inside and you change your mind, know there’s still time. I’m just going to introduce you as Nova Ellis. You decide if it goes any further.”
“Okay.”
Nova laid her free hand over his and took heart from the gesture. From the simple connec
tion between them. Whatever came next, she would always be grateful for this man’s help. For the way he’d stepped in and given of himself when there was zero reason for him to do so.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Let me come around and open the door for you.”
She gave him that small moment and it was only as he leaned in and pulled the passenger door open that she saw a few nerves sparking in his eyes, as well.
It only reinforced how much he was doing for her. He did, after all, have a reputation to protect. A business to manage. Yet he’d still stepped in and helped her.
It humbled her, Nova realized, to have found such support. In her mother’s wildest dreams, telling Nova to go west to find her father could never have met with this outcome.
Only this was what she’d found. Support as high as the mountains that rose up outside the condo.
And quiet strength.
It really was all she needed. With that in mind, she stepped from the car. “Let’s go.”
Nikolas led the way inside. Nova took it all in, a few people out and about. Each going about their day, totally unaware that something monumental was happening in hers.
Nova marveled at it, and in a funny way, took heart from it, as well. The world would go on turning, no matter what the outcome of her visit with Marlowe Colton would be.
“They cleared us to go up.” Nikolas extended a hand toward the elevators. “After you.”
“This is quite fancy.”
“This is the palace of condos as far as Mustang Valley goes.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Your father has a place here, too.”
“He does?”
“Yes. He hasn’t been seen here in a few weeks, though.”
Although it was an odd time for Nikolas to drop that news on her, there was a part of her that was grateful for the honesty. Once again, he’d proven that he wasn’t pulling any punches with her. Nor was he shading the truth.
But it did make her wonder yet again where her father was. Although everything inside of her rejected the idea that he was guilty of shooting Payne, it was hard to deny how suspicious it was to leave your home the way Ace had done.
