The Rancher's Secret Son

by Sara Orwig

  After their breakup Nick didn’t try to call and she didn’t want to talk to him. Then she discovered she was pregnant. Hurting, still angry with him, she’d planned to tell him about her pregnancy, but it was easier to keep quiet and avoid another confrontation. Nick would only push harder for marriage. He’d have to, as an out-of-wedlock baby would hurt his political future.

  While she was thinking about how to tell him she was pregnant and what she would do about it in the future, time slipped past. From a friend she heard that Nick had gotten engaged. Shocked and angry with him, she was hurt badly that he had rushed into marriage with someone else so soon after breaking up with her. She’d decided to keep quiet about his child. He would marry and have his own family, and he didn’t need to know about the baby she carried. Nick had made his choice, so she would go on with her life just as he had gone on with his.

  Until now. Now he had lost his wife and their unborn child. For the first time since she had learned of her pregnancy she felt compelled to tell Nick about his son. In spite of the angry words, hurt feelings, the bitterness and heartbreak between them when they parted, she had to let him know he had a child. How they would work out sharing a son, she didn’t know. But she knew it wasn’t right to keep his son a secret when Nick had already lost one child.

  Standing, she retrieved her phone and called home, wanting desperately to talk to Cody. Her grandmother answered and Claire felt like a child again, wanting to blurt out her problem and have her support and her wisdom. But she was grown now and she tried to shelter her grandmother from worries instead of taking them home to her. Grandma would have to know about this soon enough, but she didn’t have to hear about it while Claire was halfway across the state of Texas.

  She asked to talk to Cody. Just hearing his voice, she wished she could reach through the phone and hug him.

  She talked to him about bugs and his fish tank—his two favorite topics. Then she talked briefly to Irene, his nanny, who was there two days a week and whenever Claire left town. She talked again to her grandmother, for almost an hour before she finally told them goodbye. When she ended the call, she burst into tears. The reality of her situation was too much to bear. Nick was so close to his dad, so tied into his own family, that she was certain he would want his son in his life. She would have to share Cody with Nick. But how?

  For a long time she had tried to avoid thinking about Nick, but seeing him today, realizing she would have to bring him into her life and her family’s lives, she could not keep him out of her thoughts. Staring into space, memories overwhelmed her.

  A fellow Texan, Nick was in DC when she met him. She had graduated from college with a business degree and gone to work with her grandfather in his real estate business where she had worked part-time for years. When he sent her to Washington to a sales workshop, she had accepted a friend’s invitation to a cocktail party. She remembered holding a martini that she hadn’t even sipped when she looked across the room into the blue eyes of a tall, brown-haired man who gazed back. That first moment had been sizzling, a look that caught and held her attention. As she gazed at him, he raised his glass as if in a toast and she couldn’t keep from smiling and raising hers in return.

  She had turned back to her new friend from Dallas. “See the brown-haired guy across the room? Do you know who he is?”

  “Oh, yes. That’s Nick Milan, a lawyer with a prestigious firm here. Rumor has it he’ll be entering Texas politics someday. The Milans are a prominent old Texas family. Very wealthy.” She sucked in a breath and grabbed her drink. “He’s coming this way. I don’t think it’s to talk to me. I’ll see you in a little while.”

  “Don’t go. I don’t even know him.”

  “You’re going to,” her friend replied, and moved away only seconds before Nick stepped in front of her.

  Claire’s heartbeat had sped up as she looked into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

  “I think it’s time we make our escape from this party. I’m Nick Milan, single and a lawyer. I live in Georgetown and I want to have dinner with you. And you are...?”

  “Claire Prentiss. You use the fewest words and get to the point faster than any lawyer I have ever met,” she said. “You don’t even know if I have a husband here tonight.”

  “You don’t have a wedding ring on your finger. I looked when I got close. If you had, I would have gone in another direction. May I take you to dinner?”

  “That’s nice, thank you, but you’re a stranger. I usually know the people I go out with.”

  “You should be cautious, but this is an exception. First, I assure you I’m perfectly safe. Second, you can’t deny we have chemistry between us. So go out with me.”

  She smiled. “Not too bashful, are you?”

  He shrugged. “I know what I want.” He set his drink down on a high-top table and speared her with his undivided attention. “If you need more information, I can tell you this. I’m from Dallas, where my dad’s a judge, but I work in DC for Abrams, Wiesman and Wooten. Excellent client list, I might add.” He nodded to where her friend had gone. “I saw you talking to Jen West. She’s met me and knows who I am. She can vouch for my character. Or we can go find Lydia and she’ll tell you more about me. Then we can tell her goodbye.”

  His fingers closed lightly on her arm and Claire walked with him to their slender, auburn-haired hostess, who turned to smile at them. “I see you two have met.”

  “Just met, Lydia,” Nick said. “I need a character reference so I can talk Claire into going to dinner with me.” He flashed Claire a smile that sent another sizzle through her.

  “Now, do I want to give you that character reference or not?” Lydia teased.

  “I think you just did,” Claire replied. She turned to Nick. “I accept your offer. You can tell me all about yourself over dinner.”

  “Oh, my,” Lydia said. “Now he won’t stop talking until midnight.”

  “I promise, I will,” he said to Claire, causing her to laugh again. “Lydia, we have to run. The party was delightful. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

  Claire also thanked Lydia and in seconds she was in a cab with Nick. She barely saw the elegant private club where he took her to dinner and she tasted only bites of a delicious, perfectly cooked sirloin. It was Nick who captivated her.

  Tall, incredibly handsome and charismatic, he charmed her. She learned about his family, which had settled in Texas in the 1800s, mutual friends they had, Nick’s political ambitions. She fell in love with Nick Milan that night.

  When he asked her to come back to his place for a drink before he took her to her hotel, she agreed. The minute she walked through the entryway into the spacious living area in the suite on the thirty-third floor, she forgot the view and turned as Nick drew her into his embrace.

  “This has been the perfect evening,” he said. “I knew when I looked across the room and saw you that I wanted to get to know you and wanted to go out with you tonight,” he said, his gaze going to her mouth.

  She had stood on tiptoe, slipping her arms around his shoulders as he leaned down to kiss her. The moment his mouth touched hers, she was in flames. The chemistry between them had sparked and heated her all evening, but when he kissed her, desire consumed her.

  They had made love that night and Nick had talked her into staying two extra days over the weekend.

  He had finally called a cab to take her to the airport and, while they waited, he said he would fly to Houston the following weekend and meet her family. On weekends, over the next few months after their meeting in March, Nick had flown to Houston or she flew to DC. In June, on a weekend in Houston, Nick proposed marriage.

  It had been a dream come true. She still remembered that night as if it had happened yesterday, not four years ago.

  Attempting to shake off the mental picture of that night, Claire stood and walked to the window
to gaze at the Dallas skyline. But she saw none of it because she was lost in memories. No matter how many times she thought of Nick’s proposal, she always returned to the same answer—she could not leave her family.

  When she had rejected his proposal, their fight had been bitter, deep and long-lasting. Nick had flown back to DC that night and they’d had no contact since. Nick had truly broken her heart, but if she had it to do over again she still wouldn’t change her answer to him. She had done the only thing she could.

  Whatever happened when she let him know about his son, she knew one thing: she’d never fall in love with him again because she never wanted to repeat that pain. And there was so much more to work out now between them, because Nick’s political life was on a fast track, while she had her grandfather’s business to run and still had her grandparents with her. Plus, the biggest issue of all, now they had a son and had to work out sharing him.

  She caught her reflection in the window and saw the concern etched across her face and darkening her eyes. She turned away from the window. What she’d like to do right now was cancel their dinner date and fly home and never see Nick again, because whatever she did tonight, if she told him about his son, she would be hurt.

  Nick’s November wedding had been months before Cody’s birth the following February. Claire had decided he would have his wife and someday, their children, so there was no need to even let him know about Cody.

  Tonight, though, she had to tell him. Would he understand why she hadn’t let him know? Nick was a successful, billionaire attorney from a family who had influential friends all over Texas. Would he want this son in his life after losing the baby he had expected?

  He had been friendly today, but not the sexy guy who had flirted outrageously when he’d first met her and made it clear that he wanted to be with her. She felt he had asked her to dinner tonight on an impulse. Truthfully, if he hadn’t been widowed, she would have turned him down. She’d had every intention of refusing his offer until she learned about the death of his wife and his unborn baby.

  Glancing in the mirror of her dresser, she studied her business suit. Except for casual slacks and a cotton shirt for travel, this suit was all she had brought to wear and she had worn it all afternoon with Nick. Shedding the jacket, she picked up her purse and went downstairs. The hotel, she remembered, was close to an elegant boutique and she hurried, wanting to find a dress for tonight. If she had to tell Nick about Cody, she wanted to look her best when she did so.

  At ten to seven, when she was finally ready, she stood in front of the same mirror to take one last look at herself.

  She wore a pearl necklace given to her by her grandfather and a delicate pearl bracelet she had bought herself. She turned slightly to look at her image, smoothing the flawless deep-blue long-sleeved dress with a plunging V neckline. Would Nick even notice her new dress? The Nick she had once known would, but she no longer knew this man.

  There was only one way to find out, she told herself. She picked up her flat bag with her phone that held pictures of Cody, locked the door and left her hotel room.

  As she rode down in an empty elevator, she couldn’t shake the feeling of calamity. She couldn’t get rid of her fear about Nick’s reaction to the news she was about to tell him. Sure, she was afraid he’d be furious with her for keeping the secret. But far greater was her concern that Nick would want Cody in his life. He was a family man, close to his own father, so she was certain he and his parents would want to bring Cody into their family. The big question was, how much?

  When she stepped off the elevator and gazed around the elegant lobby with its marble floor and potted palms, she spotted Nick instantly. In his charcoal suit and matching tie, he was definitely the most handsome man there. Crossing the expanse, he approached her.

  Her heartbeat quickened, an unwanted reaction she couldn’t shake. She had a feeling she was in for another terrible fight with Nick and she didn’t want to find him appealing at the same time. She wasn’t going to let him hurt her again.

  Trying to ignore the heat that enveloped her, she smiled at him and gripped her purse even more tightly. She had to get through this evening—without tears, without anger...and without desire. She took a deep breath and faced him. She had to. For Cody.

  Two

  As Nick watched Claire step off the elevator, desire surged in him. His gaze raked over her, taking in the low-cut blue dress that hugged her slender figure, revealed enticing curves, and ended high enough to display her long, shapely legs. Willowy and tall at five foot ten, she’d always worn clothes well. But there was something about her now...she was downright stunning.

  He walked up to her. “Hi. You look great.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded at him, then angled her head toward a corridor off the lobby. “The hotel has a great restaurant. We can eat here and it will be easier.”

  He smiled at her. “Taking you out to dinner is not a difficult task. C’mon,” he said, ushering her toward the door. He’d already called the valet desk and had his car brought around to the front. As they crossed the lobby, he made small talk. “How’s your family?”

  “Mother passed away a little over a year ago and my grandfather is in assisted living now. I hope he’ll be able to return home before this year is over.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I guess your grandmother is in good health?”

  “Yes, but she’s older now and not quite the same. What about you? Do you enjoy being a State Representative?”

  “Very much. Sometimes it’s frustrating and occasionally it’s disillusioning, but overall, I like politics and plan to run for a US Senate seat in the next election that will be four years from now.”

  “You’re ambitious, but I knew that before. I’m sure you’d make a good senator, Nick.”

  “Thanks,” he said, aware of her walking close beside him, catching a faint whiff of an exotic perfume he didn’t recognize, but liked. He remembered how silky her hair had felt. In spite of their fiery split, he had never been able to forget her, yet there was no point in trying to see her after tonight. They would have the same difficulties, only now much more so, and he wasn’t going to get hurt by her again.

  When they exited the hotel, the valet opened the car door for her and she slid inside with a flash of her long legs that the valet admired as much as Nick did. He walked around to the driver’s side, tipped the valet and thanked him for holding the door.

  They drove out of the hotel’s circular drive and in seconds were on the freeway. The winter sun had already set behind the tall buildings and the darkness was the perfect backdrop for the bright Christmas lights that gave a festive feeling to the night.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her question breaking the silence that had descended in the car.

  “I’m taking you to a private club I belong to. It’s quiet enough to talk and they have dancing on certain nights, more often now that it’s December and there are more Christmas parties,” Nick said. “We can dance a few times, if I haven’t forgotten how. I don’t go out except with family or for business.”

  Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him. “That surprises you,” he said.

  “Yes. Somehow I pegged you for the type to sort of bounce back, if one ever can from that deep a loss.”

  “I guess I’m not,” he replied abruptly. He didn’t want to talk about that loss. His late wife and the child he’d never known were subjects best left for another time. If they had another time. Changing topics, he said, “The deal went smoothly today. Do you do much business in Dallas?”

  “Very little,” she replied. “We did this as a favor to a long-time client who suddenly went into the hospital and couldn’t possibly come.”

  “Are you running the agency?”

  “Yes, I am. They’re giving Grandpa physical therapy and he hopes to regain his strength, bu
t he can’t ever be in charge again. Still, he can come to the office and be part of it, and that expectation keeps him going. One nice thing that made him happy—the agency has grown since I took over.”

  “That’s what counts,” Nick said. He wasn’t surprised by her success. He’d always known she would be competent in running the agency and in dealing with people.

  Soon he turned into well-tended grounds, winding through trees strung with miniature multicolored lights until they came to a sprawling stone building. Leaving his car with the valet, they entered the lobby where a huge Christmas tree stood in the center, and red ribbon and bows had been artfully strung along a hallway. Nick led her through the clubhouse to the dining room where they were seated at a corner table beside floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded a panoramic view of a golf course. More Christmas lights lit up the covered veranda and, beyond that, a pond that held two fountains.

  In one corner of the dining room a man played a ballad on a piano while two couples danced. The waiter came to take their orders and Nick asked for white wine. When it was poured, he raised his glass. “Here’s to a successful deal that closed easily today.”

  “I’ll drink to that, Nick,” she said solemnly, her dark eyes filled with unfathomable secrets. He wondered about her life now. For all she’d said so far, she’d told him nothing except that she was head of the family real estate agency.

  “Let’s see if I’ve forgotten how to dance,” he said, standing, curious if she would dance with him. She was cool, standoffish and seemed preoccupied tonight. He wondered whether she was worried about her grandfather or if something else was disturbing her. Or was it a lasting anger with him over their breakup? She wasn’t the light-hearted, fun-filled Claire he had known, but he wasn’t the same person anymore, either.

  They went to the dance floor where he put his hand on her waist, careful to keep distance between them as they danced to a soft ballad. “You’re not out of practice,” he said, remembering other times they’d danced together, him holding her close, his heart racing. Even now, he had a sharp awareness of her as she gazed at him intently.