Lone Star Reunion

by Joss Wood

  Alex was in tough-girl mode, and damn, that prissy, bossy voice coming from that sexy mouth sent all his blood rushing south. Daniel resisted the impulse to bang his forehead against the nearest wall and settled for biting the inside of his lip until he tasted blood.

  Act like the adult you are, Clayton.

  Alex issued another set of instructions, none of which he listened to, his eyes too full of her to take in anything she was saying. How hard could it be? Walk on, try not to scowl, get sold, walk off.

  At the end of her lecture, Alex smiled again, and Daniel immediately recognized that fake-as-hell, I’m-trying-to-act-normal expression. The other men in the room might have had all their brains fried by the combination of Tessa Noble looking super hot and Alex Slade looking super sexy, but in the small part of his brain that was still functional, he knew that something was up with Alex. Something life changing, crazy making, worry inducing. He could see the tension in her shoulders, the tight cords of her neck. And that blinding smile didn’t come anywhere near her sky blue eyes.

  Daniel started to go to her but then her gaze clashed with his and he easily read her request not to approach her, her guarded expression telling him that she couldn’t deal with him. Daniel lifted one eyebrow, a silent appeal, asking her what the hell was going on, and she gave him the tiniest shake of her head.

  Daniel tapped his shirt pocket, where the outline of his cell phone was clearly visible, hoping she’d understand that he needed to know, even if it was only by text message.

  A tiny nod, but Daniel didn’t fool himself into believing that his phone would soon buzz with an incoming message. Alex had only acknowledged his request, not agreed to do what he asked. The woman had her own mind and, God, he liked her that way.

  Frankly, he liked her any damn way he could get her.

  * * *

  “Six thousand dollars, ladies, for Lloyd Richardson. Who has seven?”

  I’m pregnant.

  Alex acknowledged a bid from Gail, Tessa’s friend, and that bid was quickly topped by Steena Goodman. Alex briefly wondered what these women saw in Lloyd to make them go that high. Gail, looking sulky but determined to have her date with Lloyd, raised her paddle again. Well, she’d have to pony up because Steena had deep pockets and her wealthy now-dead husband’s money to spend.

  She was pregnant with Daniel’s baby.

  It was like two halves of her brain were operating independently. One half was playing the role of the merry, if slightly manic, auctioneer, while in the other half, she was curled up in a fetal position, battling for breath.

  Grandpa’s first great-grandchild is going to carry Clayton blood.

  “Eight thousand dollars, Gail? Wow, that’s super generous.” Too generous, Alex thought, alarm bells ringing in her head. Gail didn’t look like she had that sort of money lying around. “Oh, a new bidder at nine thousand dollars! Marvelous.”

  She had to tell Daniel...and Gus. Daniel would have to tell Rose and, God, what fun that was going to be.

  “Fifty thousand dollars.”

  Alex blinked at Steena’s outrageous offer. She couldn’t possibly have heard her right. Alex looked at Rachel, who was standing to her right, and judging by Rachel’s shocked expression, she knew that her hearing wasn’t faulty. Steena Goodman had just bid fifty thousand dollars for a date with Lloyd. Was she out of her ever-lovin’ mind?

  But knowing her money was good—those weren’t fake diamonds hanging from her ears and decorating her fingers—Alex gripped the gavel, preparing to sell Lloyd to the woman before she came to her senses. She flashed a smile at Rachel and lifted her gavel.

  “One hundred thousand dollars.”

  Oh no. Oh hell. Oh crap. Alex widened her eyes at Gail’s ridiculous offer, waiting for her to wave the offer away, to tell her it was a joke. But Gail just kept her eyes on Lloyd, one hand on her hip. A low buzz swept through the room as the drama unfolded. Alex knew that she should sell the date, that nobody—not even Steena—would top Gail’s ludicrous bid. She also knew that there was no way that the charity would see a hundred thousand dollars from Gail.

  Call it a hunch.

  Alex looked toward James Harris, the new TCC president, and he lifted his hands in a what-can-you-do gesture. Maybe she was judging a book by its cover; maybe Gail did have a hundred grand to spare. This was, after all, Texas, where anyone could be a billionaire. It had happened before.

  Alex dropped the gavel, hiding her trepidation. “Lloyd Richardson has been sold to Gail Walker.”

  Gail clapped her hands like a little girl getting an award and skipped up to the stage to fling her arms around Lloyd’s neck. He responded by laying a hot kiss on her. Gail kicked up her foot and Alex immediately noticed the scuff mark on the back of the heel of her shoe. Oh boy, this wasn’t going to end well.

  Alex felt a little dizzy as she watched Lloyd and Gail leave the stage. She was exhausted and overwhelmed. Two more to go and then she could go home and collapse.

  Tessa wouldn’t be a problem; she’d just have to watch the bids roll in. But Daniel? Well, hell, crap and damn. How was she going to sell her baby’s father to another woman?

  * * *

  Alex, after spending thirty excruciating minutes accepting congratulations on the success of the evening, slipped out of the festively decorated gardens and headed toward the TCC clubhouse.

  She needed some time alone to get her racing heart under control, to reflect on this crazy day, to think, dammit!

  Wrapping her arms around her waist, she stepped inside the clubhouse and headed for the small office James had allocated for auction-related business. After closing the door behind her, she flipped on a desk lamp and half sat, half leaned on the wide wooden desk.

  Selling a date with Tessa had been a dream, as she’d barely been able to keep up with the flurry of bids for her gorgeous friend. Tessa had looked surprised at the attention she garnered and then relieved when Ryan topped all the other bids with a whopper offer. She’d caught Tessa’s pleading look and quickly closed the bidding, accepting Ryan’s overly generous bid with a quick snap of her gravel. Maybe there had been a man in the audience who could top Ryan’s bid, but Tessa had been a good sport and she deserved a date with Ryan. And maybe, finally, the two of them would figure out what the rest of the community already knew: that they should only date each other. Permanently.

  Selling a date with Daniel hadn’t been as easy. Rachel, bless her, had offered to take over as auctioneer but that would’ve caused speculation they could ill afford. So she’d gritted her teeth, pasted on a bright smile and, after fifteen excruciating minutes, she sold Daniel to an oil baron’s daughter from Houston: a tall, cool brunette with a predatory look in her eyes.

  She’d wish him luck—everyone knew Iona Duckworth had a thing for cowboys. And cowboys who also owned and operated one of the most iconic ranches in the state? Jackpot!

  Alex dropped her head, finally able to devote her full attention to the problem at hand. She was pregnant.

  With Daniel’s baby.

  God.

  Alex stared down at the exotic wooden floor. How did this happen? Why was life punishing her like this? She wasn’t ready to be someone’s mom, and couldn’t imagine being fully responsible for another life. Moreover, she knew nothing about babies—except how they were made, and apparently she didn’t know enough about that! How on earth was she going to raise a child, accept Mike’s amazing offer to be a partner in his new start-up and... God!

  Through this child growing inside her, she was now connected to Daniel forever. Well, at least until their child became an adult, but that was long enough. Once she told Daniel about the baby, he’d be a permanent and constant part of her life, exactly what she’d been trying to avoid when she told him that they had to stop sleeping together. She didn’t want Daniel in her life—she couldn’t cope with all the emotions he pulled to the s
urface, all the memories, the resurgence of the hopes and dreams she’d had as a stupid-with-love teenager.

  Being close to Daniel, even if it was just a physical thing, was dangerous enough. But this child, their baby, would require them to find a way to interact, emotionally. Emotional interaction led to attachments and she didn’t do attachment.

  Though, apparently and according to the three pregnancy tests she’d done earlier, she had no choice but to become attached. That was what happened with moms and babies, wasn’t it?

  Oh God, she was going to be a mommy.

  Alex heard the door to the office open and then she felt Daniel’s arms around her. Her bones liquefied, and she fell into him, utterly exhausted and emotionally winded. She didn’t think she could take much more tonight.

  “Lex. God, honey, what the hell is going on with you?” Daniel demanded, lifting her up and pulling her into his body.

  Should she tell him now or later? What was the point of delaying? This news wouldn’t be any easier to hear tomorrow or a month from now.

  Daniel held her head with one hand and for a moment she felt safe, not so very alone. If she told him now, he’d push her away from him and she’d lose this closeness, this support. Should she tell him? How could she not?

  “Lex, you’re scaring me,” Daniel said with concern in his voice. “You’re as white as a sheet and you’re trembling. I’m starting to freak out here.”

  He was freaking out? And he hadn’t even heard the life-altering news yet.

  Alex wound her arms around his waist and rested her forehead on his chest. Once she told him, she’d have to build another wall between them, reinforce her barriers. It would be so easy to allow Daniel to take control—he was a take-charge and do-what-I-say type of guy. He was an alpha male, supremely comfortable with making quick decisions, plotting a course and following it.

  And she was so tired, feeling so utterly overwhelmed that it was tempting to let him take control, to follow his lead. But at some point, she’d start to rebel and argue. Or worse, she might—although, given her contrary nature, this wasn’t likely—start to like him taking charge. No, she was the captain of her own ship.

  Even if her ship was currently a leaky rowboat with a broken oar.

  Alex gathered her courage and stepped out of Daniel’s arms. Pushing her hair off her face, she met those deep, dark worried eyes.

  “Dan, I have something to tell you. You’re not going to like it.”

  He lifted one eyebrow. “What can be worse than having to spend any time with the cowboy-obsessed Iona Duckworth?”

  Oh, she could easily top that. “I have a date for you that’s going to last the rest of your life.”

  Surprise and shock skittered across Daniel’s face. Then panic set in. He lifted up his hands and took a step back. “Lex, it was just an affair. We haven’t spent enough time together to make those sorts of pronouncements. You don’t know me anymore.”

  If her heart wasn’t threatening to jump out of her chest, she might’ve laughed at his erroneous assumption. “I’m not talking about you and me, Daniel!”

  Relief replaced panic and Alex ignored the flare of disappointment. He’d once spent hours with her, painting their future, but now the thought was abhorrent. Yes, they’d grown up, they were adults now, and she’d packed up dreams of her and Daniel a long time ago.

  It shouldn’t hurt but it did. Far too much.

  This, this, was why she had to keep her emotional distance, why she had to spend as little time with Daniel as possible. With him, foolish thoughts, remembered dreams and unwelcome emotions crept in and threatened her unattached heart. She’d planned on walking away from him and Royal—leaving all these pesky emotions behind. But if she left now, she’d be taking a part of Daniel with her...

  “Seriously, I’m about to shake your news out of you,” Daniel muttered.

  “I’m pregnant, Daniel.”

  His guttural bark was short on amusement and long on disbelief. “That’s not funny, Alex.”

  “I know. It really isn’t. And I really am pregnant.”

  Alex walked around her desk, pulled her bag out from the bottom drawer and shoved her hand inside. She pulled out the three pregnancy tests and threw them across the desk. Daniel picked up each one in turn, saw the positive indications and Alex watched a muscle jump in his tight jaw. His sensual mouth was now a slash in his face and his olive skin turned pasty. The news was finally starting to sink in...

  “It’s mine?”

  What the hell? How dare he ask that? She dramatically slapped her hand against her forehead. “Oh, wait, no! It could be one of the many other men I was sleeping with at the same time I was sneaking around with you!”

  Daniel shoved his hand through his hair, pushing an errant curl off his forehead. He sent her a sour look. “Still as sarcastic as ever.”

  “It’s my default response to stupid comments,” Alex shot back. She walked out from behind her desk, sat on the corner and crossed her legs. “I’m newly pregnant, just a few weeks.”

  Daniel released a couple of f-bombs and followed those with a string of creative curses. When he was done, he stopped pacing, stood in front of her and curled his big hands around her bare upper arms. The heat of his hands burned into her skin as lust burned through her. Her desire for him surprised her; she’d thought that the news of her pregnancy would’ve killed any thoughts of sex.

  But no. She wanted him as much as ever.

  “What do you want to do, Alex?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “What can I do? It’s here.”

  “You’re not considering an—getting rid of it?” Daniel asked, obviously worried.

  “You wouldn’t want that?”

  He shook his head and she noticed his bleak eyes, the desperation. “This sucks. It’s not what either of us wanted, but...it’s a consequence of the choice we made. We have to deal.”

  We. Not you. On hearing that one small word, Alex relaxed a fraction. She wasn’t in this alone...not entirely.

  Daniel rested his forehead against hers, released another swear word and sighed. “I’m sorry, Alex. Jesus, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Alex heard the buzz of her phone and looked down at the desk. She frowned at the message that popped up on her screen. It was an SOS from James Harris, of all people. The auction was done and some of the guests had already drifted away. What on earth could’ve happened that warranted three SOS texts and a terse “We have a major situation”?

  She also noticed two missed calls from James and four from Rachel.

  “I need to go.”

  “Uh, no. We need to discuss this, Alex!”

  “Something has happened—”

  “Damn right something’s happened. You’re pregnant with my child. I want to discuss this, find a way forward.”

  Yep, alpha male. Alex remembered her grandmother’s words, heard Sarah’s voice in her head. Start as you mean to go on, honey. And don’t take any horse crap.

  Alex pulled away from his strong grip. “The baby will still be here tomorrow, Daniel, and the next day. We have time.” She could see that her answer irritated him, but she didn’t much care. Daniel liked having all his ducks in a row, knowing where they were going and how to get there. He’d once confided in her—a moment that was both random and rare—that living with his mom was like standing in a bucket on a raging river, not sure when or how he’d be tossed into the rapids or over the waterfall. He liked planning his own route, being in control of his destination.

  She understood that, and they would sit down and have a decent conversation, but right now the bachelor auction had hit a snag and she was needed.

  Daniel threw up his hands. “I cannot believe you are walking out on me. You’ve just told me that we are having a baby, Alex!”

  Alex drilled her index finger into his chest. �
��I am having a baby, Clayton, not we. Do not think that you can stomp into my life with your size thirteens and take over. That’s not going to happen.” She huffed out a breath. “When I am ready to deal with you, with the situation, I will give you a call.”

  Daniel’s eyes widened at her strong statement. Good. The sooner he realized she wasn’t a pushover, the better off they’d both be. This is what happens when you spend your time together making love and not talking, Alex realized. Assumptions were made.

  And babies, too.

  She picked up her cell phone, walked toward the door and slipped into the hallway. Pushing away thoughts of that big gorgeous, confused man she’d left behind inside, she walked down the hallway to James’s office.

  Another fire to extinguish. Hopefully this would be the smallest, as well as the last, of the evening.

  Four

  In the parking lot of the TCC, Daniel glanced at his watch and grimaced. It was after 1:00 a.m., and he was exhausted. Tired and worried and, yeah, completely freaked out.

  He was going to be a dad. Holy crap. He’d never had a father, or even a proper male role model, and as a result he knew next to nothing about being a good father. He was going to be responsible for a tiny human life...a terrifying prospect for someone who didn’t have the smallest idea about what to do or how to be a dad. Fatherhood, a state he’d thought he’d only consider far into the future, was a nebulous concept, something as inexplicable as black holes or the binary code.

  There was nothing Daniel hated more than the fear of the unknown.

  Thanks to his erratic and unsettling childhood, he found security in planning his life, breaking down his future into five-, ten-, fifteen-, twenty-year goals. But to be honest, those plans were all ranch and business related, he hadn’t spent a lot of time planning his personal life.

  Or any at all.

  Leaning back against Alex’s sports car, he linked his hands behind his neck and stared up at the vast Texas sky. All his energy—every drop of sweat and blood—went into making The Silver C Ranch the best it could be. He knew and loved every inch of his land and he knew that the ranch was his place, his corner on earth. People came and went, but his grandmother and The Silver C kept him stable as a child and anchored as an adult.