Secret Baby Santos

by Barbara Mccauley

  With a small laugh she rubbed a hand over her ample stomach. “I wasn’t about to miss out on all the fun. At least not until the babies are born.”

  This was definitely not the Julianna that Maggie remembered. “Never in a hundred years would I have pictured Julianna Hadley playing poker.”

  “Julianna Hadley never would have, but Julianna Blackhawk would.” A soft smile curved her lips as she touched her stomach. “Children and a husband had been a fantasy for me. I still can’t believe it. Me, Julianna Hadley married to Bad-Boy Blackhawk, of the notorious Wolf River Bad-Boy Threesome.”

  Maggie couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that centered deep in her heart. She was happy for Julianna and Lucas, she truly was. But her happiness for them still didn’t stop the ache in her chest, or the longing for something she could never have.

  “Oh, listen to me, going on like that.” Julianna dabbed at her eyes. “Tell me about your son. Nick says he’s got a killer smile.”

  The thought of Drew lightened the heaviness. He did have a killer smile. His father’s smile. Unable to resist, Maggie pulled out her son’s preschool and last-season soccer game pictures. “His name is Andrew, after my grandfather, but we call him Drew. He’ll be five in three months.”

  “Oh, Maggie, he’s gorgeous.” Eyes wide, Julianna stared at the pictures. “Nick was right. This boy is going to break hearts. His father must be very easy on the eyes.”

  Very easy on the eyes, Maggie thought. It was her heart he was hard on. With a stiff smile, she tucked the pictures back into her wallet.

  “I’ve said something wrong.” Julianna. closed her eyes and groaned. “Oh, God, I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. You’re divorced.”

  Maggie could hardly tell Julianna that she’d been thinking of Nick Santos, not her ex-husband. “You’re not an idiot, and besides, it was an amiable split.”

  “But you’re still in love with him, aren’t you? You had that look there for a moment. And here I am going on about how happy Lucas and I are.” Julianna bit her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry.”

  A shot of panic rang through Maggie. For a moment she thought that Julianna meant she was still in love with Nick. But of course she wasn’t, she didn’t know about Nick. No one knew. Still, Maggie realized that she’d let her guard down while looking at Drew’s pictures. From now on, especially around Julianna, she was going to have to be very, very careful.

  Maggie laid her hand on Julianna’s. “You have nothing to be sorry for. And no, I’m not still in love with my ex-husband,” she said truthfully. “That part of my life is behind me now.”

  The waiter appeared with the sparkling water and menus and glided off again. Julianna reached for her glass. “Well then, here’s to the present and the future. Or as Killian Shawnessy, via Nick Santos, said on the night of my first marriage to Lucas, ‘May you never forget what is worth remembering, or remember what is best forgotten.”’

  Maggie’s mother had relayed most of the story concerning Julianna and Lucas, how Lucas had suddenly returned to Wolf River, then shocked the town by marrying Julianna in the courthouse a few days later. Gossip flew hot and heavy for several weeks, no one expected them to last, until several weeks later when they were married again, with nearly the entire town in attendance. Maggie had heard, down to the color of the centerpiece roses and the chocolate filling in the wedding cake, every romantic detail of the reception that Lucas had surprised Julianna with, how nearly every woman there had swooned when he kissed his wife after repeating their vows. No one questioned their love after that day. True love, lasting love. The kind that time and adversity only strengthens.

  Maggie thought about Julianna’s toast. Never forget what is worth remembering, never remember what is best forgotten. She’d managed to accomplish half of that with Nick: she’d remembered every beautiful moment they’d shared. She just couldn’t quite forget the unpleasant part.

  But she would. She’d vowed to put the past behind her, to let go of her feelings for Nick and simply move on with her life. That’s exactly what she intended to do. That’s what she had to do.

  “We’re having a small celebration Saturday night in honor of Blackhawk Ranch reopening,” Julianna said. “I’d love for you to come.”

  Knowing that Nick would be there, Maggie started to decline, then stopped herself. Hadn’t she resolved to deal with Nick? To simply face him and overcome her feelings? How else was she going to move on with her life?

  “I’d love to come.” Maggie lifted her glass. “Now I’d like to make a toast. To old friends and new beginnings.”

  New beginnings, Maggie repeated silently as they clinked glasses. Her life was starting over again as of right now. The past was the past, and it no longer existed.

  Smiling, she sipped her water, then settled back into the booth. “Now, Mrs. Blackhawk, tell me more about this wonderful hunk you’ve married.”

  Two days later Maggie’s “new beginnings” started to crumble at exactly 6:45 p.m., the precise minute that Nick called and told her he’d be at her house at seven-thirty to pick her up for the party. The telephone dial buzzed in her ears before she even had a chance to say no.

  Not that the word no had stopped him before.

  She stared at the receiver, thought about calling him back, then decided there was no time like the present to confront him. Things had gotten out of hand three nights ago, but that wasn’t going to happen again. Tonight she was determined to have control.

  Besides, this wasn’t a date. He was giving her a lift to the party, that was all. It wasn’t as if they were together.

  And even more important, they wouldn’t be alone.

  The fact that she took a little extra care with her hair and makeup had nothing to do with Nick, she told herself. The fact that she wore her black silk suit and peads—mat had nothing to do with Nick, either. There would be people at the party she hadn’t seen in a long time. She wanted to look nice, that was all.

  When the doorbell rang at seven-thirty, the pearl earring in her fingers slipped and bounced into the bathroom sink. She scrambled for it, narrowly catching it before it slid down the drain. She heard her mother’s hellos, her father’s welcoming grunt, then her son’s enthusiastic greeting.

  “Maggie, dear,” her mother called, “Nick’s here. I’m on the phone in the kitchen, but come say goodbye before you leave. Boyd, you better not be sitting in your chair. You still have three more hallway laps to finish on your crutches.”

  Her hand was shaking as she slid the earring in place and secured it. Her skin felt tight, her palms were damp. Lips pressed tightly together, Maggie stared at her reflection. You’re not little Maggie Smith anymore, she scolded herself.

  Tonight was the night to prove to herself, and to Nick, what she was made of.

  Three deep breaths and she felt much calmer. She intended to have a good time tonight, and not even Nick Santos was going to stop her.

  She passed her father in the hallway and kissed him on the cheek. He grumbled something about slave drivers and stupid doctors, then looked her over and gave her a wink of approval.

  Drew, ready for bed in his Hercules pajamas, sat cross-legged on the floor in the living room. Wearing a black blazer and white polo shirt with black dress jeans and boots, Nick hunkered down beside him, watching while Drew demonstrated the fire power of his brand-new Robot Rider supersonic tank. Both thick, dark heads of hair were bent over the toy in rapt attention.

  Maggie’s heart tripped. How could he not see? she wondered. How could everyone not see that this little boy was Nick Santos’s son?

  “Target locked on,” Drew said in his best Robot Rider Commander voice. “Ready, aim, fire!”

  The lipstick-size foam rubber missile struck her square in the forehead. Drew’s eyes widened in shock, waiting for the firm reprimand against flying objects in the house.

  Nick’s eyes also widened, then narrowed with a dark intensity that sizzled up her spine and made her wish her
skirt wasn’t so short.

  “Sorry, Mommy.” The apology was sincere. “Boy, you sure look pretty!”

  Stunning is the word that came to Nick’s mind. Breathtaking. He quite literally had to remind himself to breathe. Shimmering in black stockings and high heels, her legs went on forever. Her suit, black silk edged with velvet, hugged her hips and waist, showed every tempting curve of her slender body. She’d swept her hair up in a fiery mass of curls, and several wayward strands whispered over the string of pearls circling the base of her neck.

  He tried to swallow, but he’d forgotten how.

  “Thank you, Drew. Hello, Nick.” Her eyes, a deep smoky green, leveled with his as he rose from the floor.

  She smiled slowly, sensuously, the confident relaxed smile of a woman who knew exactly the effect she had on men and wasn’t afraid of it.

  Yet another side to Maggie Smith, Nick thought dimly. And while he definitely liked this Maggie, this poised, self-assured femme fatale, he wasn’t certain his heart could take it.

  When she glided into the room and he caught the scent of her perfume, something erotic and mysterious, he was certain he was a goner.

  And what a way to go.

  “Excuse me,” he said after clearing his throat. “I’m supposed to pick up Maggie Smith. Could you please tell her I’m here?”

  Drew started to giggle. “Silly. That’s my mom right there. She just looks different ’cause she’s got clothes on.”

  From the mouths of babes, Nick thought. A wide grin accompanied his long, slow glance, and a sudden, intense desire to know what she wore under those clothes heated his blood. Black lace, he decided, and his fingers twitched imagining what it would feel like under his hands.

  “Well, now,” he drawled, “it is your mom, isn’t it? For a moment there, I thought she was someone else.”

  “Like who?” Drew asked.

  Nick rubbed his chin and looked Maggie over again, punched back the raw lust rolling in his gut. “Mrs. Peterson, the librarian, maybe?”

  Maggie rolled her eyes at his nonsense. Drew shook his head. “Mrs. Peterson plays bridge with my grandma. She wears big glasses and walks with a limp.”

  Nick nodded with agreement. “I forgot about the limp. Well, how about Mrs. Wimpleman?”

  Drew burst into giggles. “Mrs. Wimpleman has three chins and laughs like a chicken.”

  “Drew,” Maggie warned.

  “It’s true.” All innocence, Drew looked up at Nick. “Grandma says every time Mrs. Wimpleman laughs, they check under her chair for eggs.”

  “That’s enough.” Maggie frowned at her son, but Nick saw the twitch of a smile in the corner of her soft, red lips. She bent to kiss her son’s cheek, then wiped away the faint smudge of lipstick with her thumb. “You go get in bed now. Grandpa’s going to read you a story.”

  “Delbert Dragon’s Talent Show!” he yelled and ran down the hall.

  Maggie reached for her coat and sighed. “What else? They’ve only read it the past four nights.”

  “I hear kids like to know what’s going to happen next.” Nick held Maggie’s coat, smoothed his hands over her shoulders after she slipped it on. “Personally,” he whispered in her ear, “I like a little mystery.”

  She moved away from him, but not before he breathed in the warmth of her scented skin. Not before he felt her tremble.

  Maggie said goodbye to her mother, but when they stepped out on the porch, she touched his arm. “Nick, I appreciate you picking me up, but I want you to understand that this isn’t, I mean, that we’re not... together this evening.”

  We’ll see about that. He smiled easily. “Do you have other plans?”

  She sighed with exasperation. “That’s not what I mean.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just mean that we’re not together.”

  “Oh. So you mean, like—” he traced his finger over the lapel of her coat “—you’re a free agent?”

  “Something like that.” Her voice faltered. “Stop that.”

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop...touching me like that.”

  “How would you like me to touch you?” he murmured, leaning close.

  She swayed toward him, then blinked. With a frown she brushed his hand away. “I’m serious, Santos. We’re going to this party strictly as friends. Remember that.” She turned on her pretty heels and headed for his truck.

  They might be going to the party as friends, he thought with a smile as he followed her. It was how they came home that was important.

  A bottle of beer in his hand, Nick leaned against a back porch rail decorated with tiny white lights and watched the steady stream of guests moving into Lucas and Julianna’s backyard. Along with half the town of Wolf River, there were several cattle ranchers and horse breeders in attendance, as well. An exhibition of Lucas’s new stock was planned for later, and based on the tension in the air among the buyers, the competition was going to be fierce.

  Steaks and ribs grilling on smoky barbecues filled the air, and a caterer’s spread that gave new meaning to the term Texas-size stretched across long, linencovered tables. Drinks flowed freely, served by pretty girls in short Western skirts and boots, and countrywestern music from a six-piece band had the dance floor nearly full.

  Lucas came out of the house and spotted Nick in the shadows of the porch. “Hey, Santos, you hiding back here?”

  “Not very well, I guess.” Nick tipped his beer to his mouth and nodded at Lucas. “Monkey suit looks good.”

  Lucas frowned darkly and tugged at his tie. “Julianna likes it. Wanna make something of it?”

  Nick grinned. There was nothing he’d like better than a round with Lucas to ease the tension brought on by a certain redhead. “Love to, but I figure I’ll wait until after I try out some of those snacks over there and drink up all your beer. Won’t be much reason to stay after that, unless I get to steer your beautiful wife around the dance floor just to make you jealous.”

  “I’ve got two sons to kick you square in the gut if you get too close.” Lucas waved a bottle of beer from a passing waitress and settled back against the railing. “Besides, I thought you were here with Maggie.”

  “We’re not together,” Nick said sourly and tossed back another long swallow. Where the hell was she, anyway? Julianna had pulled her away the minute they’d walked in the door and he hadn’t seen her since.

  Lucas’s brows shot up. “Well, I’ll be damned. You really do have a thing for her.”

  “I haven’t got any thing for anybody,” Nick snapped. “We’re just friends.”

  Lucas gave a bark of laughter. “Nick Santos, friends with a beautiful woman? This I gotta see.”

  “Don’t make me embarrass you in front of all your guests, Blackhawk.” He scanned the crowd again, frowned when he caught sight of a familiar male blond head with a pretty brunette. “What the hell is Gerckee doing here?”

  “Roger?” Lucas narrowed his gaze on their school days bully-turned-lawyer. “Damn. He must have come with Jennifer Hart, the new manager I hired at the Four Winds. She doesn’t know what a scumbag Roger is yet”

  “I thought you sold the Four Winds.”

  “Still entertaining offers, as we say in the world of high finance. I’ve funneled all my other holdings into this ranch and some overseas investments. Once the hotel is sold, I’m a full-time rancher.”

  “And full-time daddy,” Julianna said, slipping her arms under her husband’s as she kissed his cheek. “Mrs. Peterson says you promised her a dance and she’s looking to collect.”

  Lucas searched the dance floor and spotted the elderly librarian. “We could escape now, just you and me, darlin’. No one would miss us.”

  “No one except Mrs. Peterson. Ah, here she comes now.”

  Lucas glanced at Nick imploringly. “Say, Nick—”

  “Not a chance, pal. Friendship only goes so far.”

  With a grin, Lucas slapped Nick on the back. “And in your case, Santos, t
hat’s especially true.”

  Laughing, Lucas strolled off, leaving Nick grinding his teeth and Julianna staring curiously. Nick understood that Lucas hadn’t been talking about their friendship. His dig had been a reference to Maggie and the fact that they hadn’t gone far at all.

  Where in tarnation was the woman?

  Julianna had slipped her arm in his and was hauling him toward the food table when Nick finally spotted the object of his frustration.

  She sat alone at one of the dozen candlelit tables placed on the lawn. Smiling at his good fortune, he quickly filled his plate and was already halfway to the table when MaryAnne Johnson and Stephanie Roberts intercepted him.

  So much for his good fortune.

  “Nick, honey, where you been hiding?” Stephanie drawled sweetly, a glass of white wine in one hand while she twirled a lock of coffee-colored hair with the other. “Me and MaryAnne have been looking all over for you.”

  “Now why would I hide from two beautiful ladies?” Nick said easily, while he glanced over MaryAnne’s bleached-blond bubble-do and watched Brett Rivers, a local cattleman, sit beside Maggie. Damn. Brett was divorced and looking, Nick knew.

  MaryAnne and Stephanie were always looking, too, Nick reasoned as he glanced back at the women. Even when they were married, they’d been looking. He felt like a louse to sic these two vampires on a nice guy like Brett, but all was fair. “Why don’t we all go sit right over here?”

  MaryAnne and Stephanie followed like hungry puppy dogs, but before they made it to the table, Nick watched Kirk Jensen slide onto the open chair on Maggie’s left. Damn. Damn. Kirk was smooth as molasses when it came to the ladies.

  Okay, still no problem. Three women, three men. Nick just had to maneuver the right man to the right woman. MaryAnne for Kirk, he decided. Stephanie for Brett.

  And of course, Maggie for him.

  Easy.

  Maggie glanced up when Nick scooted into a chair across from her, the blonde on his left and the brunette on his right. She frowned at him. He grinned back broadly. “Hey, Brett, Kirk, how’s it going? Hey, Maggie, look who I found. You graduated with MaryAnne and Stephanie, didn’t you? Why don’t we trade places so you three ladies can talk over old times and we menfolk shoot the bull.”