Heart of a Texan

by Charlene Sands

  He waved her off. “There’s enough leftovers to feed my entire crew. Don’t worry about cooking today.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So besides a baby thermometer, what else does she need?”

  “That’s it. I think I have everything else.”

  “Let me see what it looks like. I’ll make sure you get a new one.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “Give me a sec.”

  She went into the bathroom and returned right away, showing Jared the thermometer. “This is it.”

  He took it out of her hands. “I’ll have a new one delivered from the pharmacy in town.”

  She stared into Jared’s concerned eyes. Gosh, he really cared about Sienna. If Bella blew it with him, it might be the biggest mistake of her life. “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “Just keep that sugar plum healthy, will you?”

  * * *

  The baby slept most of the day and Bella managed to get some rest, too. Sienna had no appetite really, only munching on baby crackers and sipping from her bottle. The thermometer Jared had delivered from the pharmacy registered a low-grade fever, which meant Sienna’s body was fighting off an infection.

  Bella got up to shower and change her clothes. She took her computer to the other room and began going over her notes. She was in the middle of designing a different version of a Christmas morning soufflé when Sienna began coughing. The cough was rough, coming from deep in her chest, and nothing Bella had ever heard before. She raced over to her and sat her up immediately, holding her until the coughing fit was over. And then Bella touched her face. “Oh, no, Sienna.” The baby was burning up.

  She raced to the door and called down for help. “Jared! Marie!”

  Sienna’s hacking returned. It was deep and guttural, like barking.

  Bella heard Jared’s footsteps on the stairs and the sound put her a little bit at ease. She needed him right now. “What’s wrong, Bella?”

  “It’s Sienna. She’s burning up and the cough...it’s horrible. I think she’s wheezing. She’s not getting enough air.”

  He walked over to Sienna and the frightened look in his eyes added to her own fear, but his voice was calm as he picked up the phone. “I’ll call Lauren. She’ll know what to do.”

  Bella stayed with Sienna, encouraging her to drink between her coughing fits. The wheezing got worse, and raw panic seized Bella’s stomach. Her baby wasn’t breathing right.

  Jared hung up the phone and strode over to the bathroom. “Bella, while I get the shower going, you get Sienna and hold her on your lap on the toilet seat. We need the room to steam up real fast.”

  She didn’t have time to question him. She did as he asked, picking up the baby and bringing her to the bathroom. He closed the door behind them.

  “We need Sienna to breathe in the steam until she’s back to normal. Lauren is pretty sure it’s croup. It means a ride to the hospital later, but only once we’re sure the steam is reducing the swelling in her throat. That’s what’s causing the wheezing.”

  “Should we call the paramedics?”

  “We could but, honestly, Stone Ridge is so remote, it’ll be faster to drive her to the hospital ourselves. And Lauren says not to be scared. She’s calling ahead to our local hospital. It’s small but efficient and this way they’ll be waiting for her.”

  “Okay, okay.” Her own breathing nearly stopped, but she trusted Jared’s instincts on this.

  “Encourage her to breathe in and out.”

  The room steamed up pretty fast and they sat there for long minutes as the baby began to breathe easier and easier.

  Sienna seemed confused about all of it, but her cough wasn’t as bad as before and her breathing seemed much better. It was time to go.

  Jared helped dress the baby in warm clothes and then tossed Bella her jacket. “Put this on. Mommy doesn’t need to get sick, too.”

  Jared picked up Sienna. “You ready?”

  “Yes, let’s get her checked out.”

  Outside, as they approached her car, a light rain started to fall. Jared put his hand out for her keys.

  “You can’t drive,” she said.

  “I’m driving, Bella. You need to get in the back seat and see to your daughter. There isn’t time to argue. It’s raining and, besides, I know where I’m going. I’ll get us there faster.”

  She stared at him.

  “Safely.”

  He’d read her mind. But, honestly, her nerves were too jumpy for her to drive anyway. She dumped the keys into his hands. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Jared paced back and forth outside the triage room. Bella was in there with Sienna and he wanted so much to be with them. He wanted to comfort Bella and to keep her calm—well, as calm as she could be with her daughter in the hospital.

  His phone rang and he took it out and answered quickly. The hospital waiting area was quiet and he didn’t want to disturb the silence. “Yep,” he whispered.

  “It’s Coop. How’s the baby?”

  “She’s in with the doctor now. Lauren saved the day, I think. Bella didn’t know what to do and neither did I. But the steam seemed to work. Sienna’s breathing was pretty good by the time we got here. Good thing, too. Bella was frantic.”

  “I can imagine. That sweet baby is all she has.”

  Jared took exception to that. She had him. Only he’d never told her. He’d never said the things nearest to his heart. That she’d helped him overcome his trust issues. That she was all the woman he would ever want in his life. That he was a goner when it came to Bella Reid.

  He loved her.

  Grateful he was alone in the waiting room, he grinned like a silly fool just thinking how hard he’d fallen for her. And how, because of her, everything else in his life seemed to fall into place, too. He had to tell Bella he loved her. But now wasn’t the time. She was distraught over her daughter’s illness, and he couldn’t blame her. Sienna was a special kid.

  “Hey, you still there?”

  “I’m here, Coop.”

  “It was all I could do to keep Lauren from running out in the middle of the night to meet you at the hospital. Will you talk to her? Assure her about Sienna?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “Hi, Jared,” Lauren said. “Nurse Lauren needs to know how the patient is doing.”

  “Well, Nurse Lauren, according to the initial diagnosis, you were right. Sienna has croup. Bella is in with her now.”

  “They’ll give her something to reduce the swelling in her throat. She’ll probably stay overnight, just because of her age and the late hour. I would’ve met you there, but Cooper is being overprotective of me right now.”

  “As he should be.”

  “I’m glad you were there with her, Jared. Bella must’ve been so scared.”

  “Yeah, she was.” So was he. But she’d turned to him for help and the significance of that pumped him up.

  The exam room door opened and Bella walked out. “I gotta go, Lauren. Thanks again.”

  “Of course. Give the baby a hug for me.”

  “I’ll be sure to.”

  Jared hung up and stood to greet Bella. “How is she?”

  “She’s sleeping. The doctor says she’s going to be fine. The swelling is down now. And they’re giving me some medication for her. I only came out to tell you they’re keeping her overnight. You don’t have to stay. I can—”

  “I’m staying, Bella.”

  When he expected an argument, she slumped into his arms. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Come here, take a rest. You’re exhausted.” He led her over to a chair and they both took a seat. Wrapping her snugly in his embrace, he kissed her forehead and stroked her arms up and down.

  “That feels good,” she said softly.

  “Feels good to me,
too.”

  She chuckled and a soft glow lit her eyes. “You’re so bad.”

  “You like me that way.”

  Slowly her eyes closed and she nestled closer into his chest. “I like you any way I can get you.”

  Jared smiled, totally knocked out. She was soft in his arms and smelled like a sugar cookie. He lifted her chin and placed a soft kiss to her lips. “Me, too, Angel. I like you any way I can get you, too.”

  Ten

  Tuesday morning dawned gloomy and gray, with a light drizzle coming down. After growing up in San Francisco, Bella wasn’t bothered that much by the lack of sunshine, and especially not today because Sienna was up and happily singing a silly song along with the cartoon characters on her favorite morning show.

  The ordeal with Sienna over the weekend had taken a toll on her nerves. She’d never been more frightened in her life. Yesterday they’d stayed in all day and Sienna had recuperated fast, the meds and the nourishment giving her the boost she’d needed to get better. She hoped to high heaven Sienna wouldn’t get croup again, but if she ever did, now she knew how to recognize it and what to do about it.

  “Are you ready to go downstairs?”

  “See Tared?”

  “In a little while. We’ll make him a nice lunch for when he gets back.” Jared had a doctor’s appointment early this morning. She hoped he’d get a clean bill of health. Not that he’d observed his doctor’s warning about not driving. But Bella had understood his need to take control and help her. She’d actually appreciated his taking her to the hospital. And though he had driven fast, he hadn’t broken any speed laws.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  By the time they got downstairs, the rain was coming down hard. “Looks like we’re in for a storm, baby.”

  They entered the kitchen and she spotted a note at her workstation.

  I’ll be back before noon. See ya then. Love, Jared.

  She smiled at his reference to love. Things were happening quickly between them and she wanted to clear the air, to talk to him from the bottom of her heart. She hoped that he would accept her reasons for not telling him the whole truth. To make him see that it wasn’t him she didn’t trust, but a fear of her father learning her whereabouts that had kept her lips sealed good and tight.

  She glanced at the clock. It was almost noon now. “Okay, well, let’s get started,” she said, rolling up her sleeves and putting her apron on. She set Sienna down in front of her brand-new dollhouse, a gift from Jared, taking up space right next to the kitchen Christmas tree. Because she’s been sick, he’d explained. He teased Bella that he had an even better gift for her, but she had to wait until Christmas.

  As she was putting the finishing touches on a vegetarian chili dish, with enough kick to knock Jared’s socks off, she glanced at the clock. It was already half past twelve and no Jared. She checked the messages on her cell. Nothing.

  She was about to text him about his delay, a little knot of tension working its way into her system, when she heard his footsteps at the front door.

  Thank goodness. He was home. She picked up Sienna and walked to the door. “Let’s surprise Jared,” she said. She opened the door with a big smile. And came face-to-face with her father.

  Oh, no. She froze and then backed away, her mind racing. She could hardly believe her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “That’s a nice greeting for your old man.” He appeared every bit as stately and entitled as he’d always been, but there was sadness in his expression and maybe a few more lines around his eyes than she remembered.

  “You mean the father who threatened to take my baby away? That old man? The man who cut me off and caused me to run away in fear? I don’t think you deserve any sort of greeting from me.”

  “Francesca, please. Do you know what I’ve gone through looking for you? The least you could do is let me inside. It’s brutally cold and I’m getting soaked.”

  She hesitated, but finally, because they needed to resolve this, she mustered her courage and stepped away, allowing him entrance. She had no right letting a stranger into Jared’s house, but what else could she do? Her father wouldn’t just go away. She knew him all too well. He’d stake out the house until Jared got home and then cause a big scene.

  “How did you find me?”

  “I’ll tell you later, but first, let me see Sienna.” He turned his attention to her baby. “Hello, sweetheart. Grandpa’s here now. How pretty you look this morning.” He reached for her to ruffle her hair and Bella stepped back. She wouldn’t allow him to touch her baby.

  He sighed heavily, looking a bit defeated. “I’ve missed you. In fact, I’ve missed both of my girls.”

  A lump formed in Bella’s throat. “Marco, what do you want?”

  “I want...a chance to speak with you, Francesca. That’s all.”

  She squeezed her eyes closed briefly. “Ten minutes.”

  She led him into the parlor and offered him a seat.

  Keeping a steady hand on Sienna, she lowered herself down at the far end of the sofa facing him.

  “You weren’t easy to find, Francesca.”

  “That was the idea.”

  “Yvonne says I’ve been overly harsh with you. She says you believed me when I said I’d cut you off.”

  “Yes, I did believe you. And you did cut me off. You made my life...unbearable,” she admitted, her voice sinking. “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

  “Yvonne told me as much, too. She’s been your advocate, Francesca. I know you two never got along.”

  “You married a woman only ten years older than me. Hardly a mother to me.”

  He pointed his finger at her. “Nobody could ever replace your mother, you remember that. The truth is,” he said, “I never really got over losing your mother and brother. It was very hard on me and I think, in a way, I placed all my hopes and dreams in you. Maybe unfairly.”

  “Extremely unfairly.”

  “I felt you were throwing your life away.”

  “You tried to dictate my life, Father. You told me what school to go to, what boy to date, what man to marry, where I should work, where I should live. I’m twenty-eight years old. While you weren’t looking, I grew up, but you never saw that. You never understood me, never supported my passion for cooking and creating. You wanted me in corporate America. That’s not me.”

  His shoulders slumped. “I was doing it for your own good.”

  “And look how well that turned out.”

  He blinked, and anger sparked in his eyes. “Francesca.”

  “No way, Marco. You have no right to be angry. Not after what you put me through. How do you expect me to trust anything you say?”

  “I know, you’re...right.”

  “What?”

  “I said, you’re right. I admit it. I was overbearing. The truth is, I recently had a health scare. My heart was acting up. I’m going to be okay with diet and a change of lifestyle. But you know, that trip to the hospital got me thinking about my life and what’s important to me. Yvonne says I’ve finally gotten my priorities straight. She’s been helping me with my issues.

  “Believe me when I say she cares about you. She wants us to be a family. I came to tell you I’d never take Sienna away from you. It was an idle threat, Francesca. You’re a good mother and I never meant for any of this to escalate.”

  “Are you saying it was all your wild temper?”

  “I’m saying I was bluffing to get my way. I’m...sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?” She squeezed her eyes closed briefly. “How did you find me?”

  “Apparently a Sienna Reid had been in the hospital overnight. I’ve had a team of detectives checking all the hospitals, making calls all around the country and...well, we got lucky. Not that Sienna being hospitalized is a good thing. But she looks fine now. What was wrong with he
r?”

  “You mean your henchmen didn’t find out?”

  “Francesca, please. I love my granddaughter.”

  “She had a breathing problem due to a virus. Her throat swelled up, but she’s much better now.”

  “Croup?” her father asked.

  “How did you know?”

  “You’re forgetting I was a single father for quite a few years. You had a bout or two of it yourself.”

  Bella stared at him, stunned. She’d never related what she was going through with what he’d gone through when her mother died. Her father had always seemed larger than life to her.

  He gazed at his granddaughter and smiled. “She’s a beauty. Just like you, Francesca. I want you both back in my life.”

  “Things have changed for me, Father.”

  “I heard you’re working here as a chef.”

  “How did you—Never mind.” She didn’t want to know the nefarious ways her father found things out. “I am. I have a job and I’ve been happy here.”

  “You can be happy in San Francisco, Francesca. Please consider coming home. Christmas won’t be the same without you and Sienna.”

  Bella glanced at her watch. Jared was late, but he’d be returning soon. She didn’t want him to find Marco Forte here, not before she had a chance to explain the situation to him. It was time. And she’d promised Veronica she would. “Father, you have to leave. I have...duties.”

  He frowned and inhaled a breath, giving her a long stare.

  She was ready to ask him again but he beat her to it. “Okay... I’ll go.”

  “You will?” She was astonished. Her father usually never backed down. Maybe Yvonne was a better influence on him than she’d ever given her credit for. And maybe, just maybe, that health scare softened up his heart a bit.

  “Yes, as long as you promise to call me. We’ll talk some more.”

  “Yes, we’ll talk some more. I do promise.”

  Marco stood and put out his arms. And when she stood her ground, he walked over to her. Again, she’d triumphed. People always catered to him. She’d never seen this side of her father before.

  They embraced, the three of them, Sienna breaking out in giggles.