by Leanne Banks
“But I didn’t want them to pretend with me.”
Benjamin’s gut twisted. Twice. She went silent and turned away from him.
* * *
Eleven long hours later, they arrived in Dallas, gritty-eyed and exhausted. One of his assistant foremen, Ray, greeted them after they picked up their luggage.
Benjamin sat in the front while Coco and Emma sat in the back of the SUV. Emma began to fuss and Coco gave her a bottle of diluted juice. Emma sucked it down in no time and gave one of her hearty burps. It must have been enough to tide her over, however, because she stopped whining.
“Fill me in,” Benjamin said to his assistant foreman.
Ray did, and the news wasn’t all that pretty. Benjamin had several full days of work ahead of him. Less than an hour later, they pulled into his ranch’s driveway. Benjamin unfastened Emma’s car seat and carried her inside.
“I’ll take care of her,” Coco said.
“The time change may have messed her up,” he said.
“The time change will have us all messed up,” she said with a tired smile.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said and lowered his head to kiss her. It wasn’t a publicly necessary kiss. It was just something he was compelled to do. He felt her breathless surprise and took her mouth. It was an indulgence he allowed himself because he knew he would work nearly nonstop during the next few days.
He pulled back slightly. “Listen, about my talking to Stefan about you. No self-respecting fiancé would do less.”
She studied his face. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Well, you do now,” he said, and kissed her again.
* * *
It took over twenty-four hours for Coco and Emma to begin to recover from the time change. Half the time, when Emma was awake, Coco rested the baby on her chest. Two days later, she took Emma for a stroll around the house. Then another. And another.
At that point, it occurred to Coco that Emma needed exercise more than she did. She took the baby inside and set her down on a blanket for baby aerobics. Emma didn’t enjoy the session. She cried until Coco rolled her onto her back and entertained her with toys. After several moments of more baby aerobics, Emma wailed for a few more moments.
Then Emma sank back against her baby pad and closed her gorgeous baby eyelids. “Well, that’s my sign,” Coco murmured and picked up the baby and carried her to her crib. Seconds later, Coco climbed into her own bed.
A few hours later, she awakened in the middle of the night. She rushed into the nursery to find Benjamin walking the floor with Emma.
Her heart leapt. “Sorry,” she said. “I can take over now.”
“I’m good,” he said. “How has she been since we got back?”
“I took her for a long walk, but she needed a workout,” she said.
He looked at her as he jiggled her while he walked. She rested her mouth on his shoulder. “She’s drooling. Is she teething?”
“Probably,” Coco said. “You’re good at that bobbing thing.”
He shot her a wry glance. “Think so?”
“Yeah. How was life on the ranch today?” she asked.
“Coulda been worse. There’s always catch-up when you go away. That’s probably why my father never took a vacation.”
“Do you regret the trip?” she asked.
“Not really,” he said. “I danced with the most beautiful woman in the world in Chantaine.”
She couldn’t help smiling all over. “That’s pretty darn nice.”
“Just telling the truth. Go back to bed.”
“I feel guilty,” she said.
“You won’t in the morning when she wakes up screaming for a bottle.”
Well, it had been a long several days, especially over the Atlantic. Which had been Benjamin’s indulgence of her. “Sure?” she asked.
He nodded. “Go to bed.”
She did as he suggested because she knew the next several days would be uncertain at best. When Coco awakened in the morning, she waited for the sound of Emma screaming, but there was only silence. Coco wasn’t sure whether to relax or panic. She sat up in her bed and listened as she took a deep breath. Silence. No sound of Emma screaming or unhappy.
Rising from her bed, and still listening, she cracked open her bedroom door, but she still heard nothing. She feared not taking the opportunity to take a shower, but couldn’t stop herself from listening for Emma. It was instinctive.
After several more moments of silence, Coco dove into the shower and washed herself from head to toe. She scrubbed herself dry, pulled on her clothes and went downstairs to find Emma in a high chair in the kitchen and Sarah spilling more Cheerios on her tray.
Emma picked up as many of the cereal bits as she could and stuffed them into her mouth.
“Take it easy,” Sarah said. “You’re not that hungry, sweetie. You put that fist in your mouth and you’ll choke. Fact of life.”
Coco winced and went toward the kitchen. Emma began to choke. “Sarah,” Coco said. Both of them tugged Emma’s fist from her mouth.
“Emma, don’t do that to yourself,” Coco said.
“Learn this lesson young,” Sarah said. “You can’t eat more than you can fit in your mouth.”
Coco decided an outing was in order. After breakfast, she plunked Emma into the stroller, then into the car seat and drove into town. She wheeled Emma through a discount store then went to the diner where her friend was serving several guests.
Coco asked to be led to a booth in the back and requested hot cocoa with marshmallows. A moment later Kim plopped down her hot chocolate along with applesauce and a spoon. “Back in a minute,” Kim said.
“I’ll be here.” Coco sipped her hot chocolate and spoon-fed Emma.
The baby accepted the applesauce. “Good girl,” she said as she stole a sip of hot chocolate.
Kim slid into the booth seat across from her. “Hello? So you’re a princess? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Trust me. I’m no princess,” Coco said and gave Emma another spoonful of food.
“But you went to Champagne,” Kim said.
“Chantaine,” Coco corrected. “I’d never heard of it, either.”
“What were they like?” Kim asked.
Coco took a deep breath. She had to decide what she was going to say about the Devereaux. Now. She decided to go with the truth. “They were very kind to me,” Coco said. “They work hard. They have children and husbands and they worry just like you and I do.”
Kim frowned. “No dirt?”
Coco shook her head. “No dirt. They were nice.”
“Well, that’s boring,” Kim said.
Coco laughed. “Sorry. You wanted me to have a miserable time?”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I just thought it would be more exciting. Wasn’t there anything exciting about the trip?”
“The island was beautiful. The beach was lovely. I got a great pair of shoes that I left in the villa where we stayed.”
“Villa?” Kim echoed.
“House,” Coco said. “We didn’t stay at the palace. I went to tea and spilled mine on the tablecloth. Benjamin and I attended a gala at the palace.”
“Oh, the gala must have been fabulous,” she said with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Speaking of Benjamin, though, I understand you’re engaged. Tell me more.”
Coco gave a tentative nod. “It just happened. We’re taking it slow,” she said.
“Hmm,” Kim said, lifting her eyebrow. “That sounds mysterious.”
“It’s not,” Coco said. Emma let out a yell, bless her heart. “Oops, I think she wants more applesauce,” she said and shoved another spoonful into the baby’s open mouth.
“She is so cute,” Kim said. “Do you want anything else for
her?”
“I’m packing cereal, so I’m good,” she said.
“You’re so smart. You could be a mom,” Kim said. “Gotta go.”
Coco sighed as Kim walked away. For now, she had decided not to think about her connection to the Devereaux. Before, she couldn’t help hoping for some great connection with the family who shared her father’s genes and blood. The truth, however, was that they were all just people and, in her case, they had no bonds of history. She was truly alone in the world now, and she needed to make her peace with that.
Emma opened her mouth for more applesauce. Coco fed the baby several more spoonfuls. “Yummy, huh?” she asked and wiped off Emma’s face.
Emma squawked, but permitted the cleanup. “Time to go,” she said and lifted her from the high chair. She left extra money on the table for the bill and tip and headed out the door, waving at Kim as she left.
As she stepped outside the door, several people greeted her with microphones and cameras. “Miss Jordan, tell us about your experience in Chantaine. How did your sisters and brothers treat you? When will you be seeing them again?”
Emma curled against her in fear. “The Devereaux were very kind and welcoming to me. They could not have treated me better. The royal family works hard for the people of Chantaine, and they are just lovely.” She paused a half beat as she heard the cameras flash. “That is all I have to say.”
“But, Miss Jordan, what about your relationship with the Devereaux? What about—”
“That is all I have to say. I’ve responded to you. Now, you’re frightening Emma. Please respect my privacy,” she said, and walked to her car and put Emma into her safety seat. She got into the driver’s seat and headed back to the ranch, jittery all the way.
When she pulled to the side of the house, Emma was fully asleep. Coco was relieved that the baby had not been traumatized by the experience, but it bothered her that the paparazzi had surprised her. She was still upset by it.
Coco took Emma inside, set her down in her crib for a nap and went to her own bed for a rest. For the first thirty minutes, her mind whirled. She remembered how Emma’s body had tensed against hers in fear as the reporters surrounded them. The memory made her sick. More than anything, she wanted Emma to feel secure. She hated the idea that she was causing any kind of stress for the baby who had already lost her mother. Although she was exhausted, she tossed and turned, but finally fell asleep.
It must have been five minutes later that she heard Emma screaming at the top of her lungs. Coco nearly levitated from the bed. She glanced at the clock. It hadn’t been five minutes. It had been nearly an hour. She collided with Benjamin as she raced into the nursery. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I guess I was sleepier than I thought.”
“Understandable,” Benjamin said. “We’re all still adjusting to the time change.”
“I guess,” Coco said and reached for Emma. “How are you, sweetie? Are you still frightened from this afternoon?”
“What happened this afternoon?” Benjamin asked as Coco changed Emma’s diaper.
“I went to town, stopped at the diner, and a bunch of reporters and photographers were waiting outside. I think they scared Emma because she was wrapping herself around me like a rubber band.”
Benjamin frowned. “I would have thought the fuss would have died down by now.”
“You and me both,” Coco said and held Emma against her. “I decided to give a positive statement about the Devereaux. Nothing more, but of course, they wanted more.”
Benjamin sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to keep one of my men available for you.”
Coco felt guilty. She knew that Benjamin had lost two of his top employees. “That doesn’t seem fair,” she said. “I don’t think it’s right that you should have to give up one of your employees because of me.”
Benjamin shrugged. “You gotta do what you gotta do. Other than the scare today, how’s she’s doing?”
“She’s getting more interested in sounds. I think she may try to communicate even more soon.”
“Seems to me she communicates pretty strongly when she screams,” Benjamin said in a wry voice. At the same time, he lifted his hand to the baby’s hand. Emma curled her fist around his finger. “So tiny. So vulnerable. Keeping her safe scares the hell out of me sometimes.”
“You’re doing a pretty good job,” Coco said as she slid her hand over his.
He met her gaze for a long moment. “So are you. I’ve missed you.”
Her heart skipped over itself. “I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered.
“Ranch demands have been crazy since I got back,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “It was a luxury for you to go to Chantaine with me. I still appreciate it.”
“Even though you didn’t want me talking to Stefan on your behalf,” he said.
“Well,” she said and took a deep breath, “I think you were operating in my best interests.”
“I didn’t want to have to beat him up for him to see the truth,” he said, sliding his hand over her hair.
“You would have been arrested for that,” she said.
Benjamin shrugged. “Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Listen,” he said. “Ask Sarah for help. She’s okay with it, and Emma doesn’t mind her.”
Coco nodded. “I’ll work on it. I just don’t want to overwork Sarah. She has a lot to do, preparing meals for your staff.”
“Yeah, but she took advantage of the time we were away. With a baby in the house, we all have to make adjustments and Sarah knows that, too.”
“Okay,” she said.
“And I’ll assign one of my men to you,” he said.
“That shouldn’t be necessary,” she said. “I don’t go out that often and I don’t like the idea of pulling someone away from their assignments just because I want to go into town.”
“I’ll give you a cell number. Let him know when you want to go out and he’ll escort you. It won’t be a big deal,” Benjamin said.
“Are you sure?” she asked, skeptical.
“Yeah. Now don’t argue with me. There are times when my guys are sitting around doing nothing. You’re just making one of them earn his pay every now and then.”
“If you say so,” she said.
“I am,” he said and lowered his mouth to hers, taking her in a long kiss that reminded her of the night they’d shared at the villa in Chantaine.
Chapter Eleven
Although it was a bit chilly outside, Coco bundled up the baby and took her for a stroll. Emma really seemed to enjoy the outdoors. After she returned it was dinnertime, and she fed the baby then bathed her and put her to bed after one more bottle. As much as Coco had needed that little nap she took earlier, she knew it would be a while before she would be tired enough to sleep tonight, so she put on a jacket and went for another walk around the house.
After she’d made two and a half circles, Benjamin appeared at her side. “So, what’s bothering you now?”
“Nothing,” she said, thinking she was most bothered by the warm pleasure she felt just having him by her side. “I guess I was caught off guard at the diner today, but I’m hoping the interest will die down now.”
“It will,” he said. “What else?”
“Nothing. I’m just trying to burn off some extra energy, so I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
“I would have thought Emma would take care of burning off any extra energy,” he said.
She chuckled. “She usually does, but since I took that late nap...”
He stepped in front of her and pulled her against him, and looked down at her from beneath his hat. He pushed a strand of hair from her face. “I can help you burn off your extra energy,” he offered in a low voice that made her heart stutter.
His suggestion was unmistaka
bly sexual. Her nerve endings hummed. “What about Sarah?” she asked because the housekeeper lived in a small suite downstairs.
“Sarah will be too busy watching her reality television to notice,” he said. “I haven’t stopped thinking about being with you.”
Coco hadn’t stopped thinking about him, either. “Okay,” she whispered because her throat was tight with anticipation. “How— Where—” She shrugged.
“Your room,” he said. “You go upstairs first. I’ll be up in five minutes or less,” he promised then lowered his head to kiss away any reservations.
Her heart hammering, she strode quickly to the house, then upstairs to her bedroom. Pulling off her jacket, she wondered if she should change clothes. She didn’t have any sexy lingerie. She started to panic, but then he opened the door and closed it behind him.
“Nervous?” he asked as he walked toward her.
“A little,” she admitted.
“Or excited,” he said with a sexy grin.
“Maybe,” she said, wishing she had half his confidence. “What about you?”
He gently pushed her down on the bed with his arm beneath her to cushion her fall. He followed her down. “I’m not at all nervous,” he said and when she felt his hard lower body against hers, his arousal was unmistakable.
Then he kissed her and everything blurred deliciously together. He helped her remove her clothes. She awkwardly helped with his. His hands heated her skin everywhere he touched her. She relished the sensation of his muscular body entwined with hers. He touched and teased her and she did the same to him until they couldn’t stand the anticipation one second longer. He drove her over the edge and he followed.
Benjamin rolled to his side, panting after his release. Pulling her against him, he nuzzled her head with his chin. “I can’t get enough of you. How’d you do that?” he asked.
She smiled into his throat. “Same, same,” she said. “I lo—” He stiffened and she broke off in horror because she’d almost said she loved him. “I—” She cleared her throat. “I really like being with you,” she said. “In every way.”
She felt his body relax against hers. “I feel the same way,” he said and rubbed his mouth down her cheek to her lips.