The Texas Tycoon’s Christmas Baby

by Brenda Harlen

  “There are a lot of stones,” he noted, turning the platinum band to examine it from every angle.

  She nodded. “The big one at the center represents the Santa Magdalena Diamond, because it was the search for that which brought the two of you together. The slightly smaller ones on either side represent you and Paige, and the even smaller stones, graduated in size until they’re almost just jewel chips at the back of the band, are for all of the little treasures that your future together will bring.”

  Travis was silent, still studying the ring.

  Penny was unaccustomedly nervous as she waited for his verdict. She’d created designs for rich and famous customers around the globe, but no project had mattered to her as much as this one, the ring that would be given to her sister by the man she loved and worn by her forever.

  “I know you asked for a design, not a finished product, but I was really excited to see what it would look like, and Edmond had the time to put it together, but—”

  “No buts,” he finally interrupted to say. “I think it’s absolutely perfect.”

  She exhaled. “Really?”

  “Really. And I’m so glad I asked you to do this.”

  Her personal relief gave way to professional indignation. “You had doubts that I was up to the challenge?”

  He shook his head. “But I did wonder if I should have put you on the spot with my request. Because I realized after the fact, that it was a little insensitive to ask you to design an engagement ring for your sister, in light of everything that was going on between you and my brother.

  “And for what it’s worth,” he continued, “I’m really glad things have worked out between you and Jason.”

  “I wouldn’t say they’re worked out, but we’re working on them.”

  Travis nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “Now we should get back inside, so that you can take your fiancée somewhere more private to make your engagement official.”

  “And so you can be alone with your husband?”

  She ducked back into the condo rather than attempt to find an answer to his teasing question.

  While Penny and Travis were out on the balcony, Jason was trapped in the close confines of the kitchen with his new sister-in-law. Paige didn’t seem nearly as uncomfortable as he felt, but maybe that was because she hadn’t seduced his virginal sister. She had, however, been caught sneaking around his brother’s ranch—a somewhat lesser violation, perhaps, but a violation nonetheless.

  Still, she was the first to break the silence.

  “I think I’d like to try your coq au vin sometime,” Paige said, offering the proverbial olive branch.

  “Because you enjoyed your meal so much, or because getting together for dinner again will give you an opportunity to keep an eye on your sister?”

  “You’re perceptive,” she noted. “And maybe I’m feeling a little guilty, too.”

  “About ratting me out to your sister?”

  “Hardly.” She put the salad dressings back in the refrigerator. “About telling her she should marry you.”

  He smiled at that. “You think you talked her into it?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Penny doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do,” he reminded her sister. “Ever. She may look sweet and docile, but she has a spine of steel and a mind to match.”

  “Hmm.” Paige considered him as she wrapped up the leftover cake. “You might understand her better than I gave you credit for.”

  “I didn’t think you’d given me any credit.”

  “I’m trying,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to wipe the slate clean.”

  “I wouldn’t dare hope that you would.”

  “You hurt her, Jason.”

  He didn’t reply to that, because he knew that no glib response could refute the truth of her statement any more than it could reflect how truly regretful he felt.

  “She may have a sharp mind and a strong will,” Paige said. “But she also has a soft and generous heart, and you took advantage of that.”

  He finished loading the cutlery and closed the dishwasher door. “I know.”

  Her brows lifted. “You’re not going to offer any explanations or excuses?”

  “Not to you.”

  Paige seemed taken aback by his response at first, but then she nodded. “Take care of my sister.”

  “I will,” Jason promised, then smiled. “If she’ll let me.”

  After Travis and Paige had gone, Penny felt awkward and uncomfortable being alone with Jason. She’d watched her sister and his brother throughout the evening, and had envied the casual intimacies of two people who were obviously connected on so many levels.

  It was ironic, really, because Paige hadn’t been with Travis even half as long as Penny had dated Jason, but they were so at ease with one another, so obviously in love.

  Penny, on the other hand, was pregnant and married to the father of her babies, but love had never been part of the package.

  She felt a pang of longing deep in her heart, and the empty feeling wasn’t at all assuaged by Jason’s next words.

  “I want to head back to Houston tomorrow,” he told her.

  “You’ve been away from the office a lot recently,” she acknowledged.

  He nodded. “But if you need to stay until your mom comes home from the hospital, or—”

  “I don’t need to stay,” she interrupted. “She has Rex, and I’d probably just end up feeling like I was in the way.”

  “You want to come with me?”

  He sounded not just surprised but wary, and she wondered if, despite his invitation the night before, he didn’t want her with him in Houston.

  “It will be kind of difficult for both of us to be there for our babies, if we’re not living together,” she said.

  “We have some time before the babies come,” he reminded her.

  “What are you suggesting—that we continue to live apart until after I give birth?”

  “No, of course not. I’m just suggesting that, if you need some time, you should take it.”

  “I don’t need time, Jason.” She waited a beat. “Do you?”

  “No.”

  His response was both immediate and adamant, and eased the nerves in her tummy a little. The nerves eased a little bit more when he reached for her hand and tugged her down beside him on the couch.

  She leaned back, but couldn’t quite relax. She didn’t have the first clue about being a wife or simply being with the man who was suddenly her husband.

  “Did you know that Travis is four years younger than me?” he asked.

  She frowned at the question that seemed to come out of the blue. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “He’s four years younger than me but two years older than your sister, and you’re the same age as Paige, which means that I’m six years older than you.”

  She’d never thought about the age difference before and she certainly wasn’t going to worry about it now. But apparently, he was, so she responded lightly, “That just makes it less likely that you’ll throw me away for a younger model in ten years, because I’ll still be the younger model.”

  “There is that,” he agreed with a smile.

  Then his gaze locked with hers, and his smile slowly faded. His eyes darkened and his head dipped closer. Penny felt her breath catch and her heart pound. But then he drew back and abruptly pushed himself off of the sofa.

  “Come on.”

  She blinked, confusion and disappointment tangling inside of her. “Where are we going?”

  “I’m getting you home so that you can get packed,” he said. “It’s moving day tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Penny awoke early the next morning, filled with both apprehension and excitement. It was, as Jason had called it, moving day. But she knew it was more significant than just moving her clothes from the McCord mansion in Dallas to his penthouse in Houston. It was the day they were finally going to star
t moving forward with their life together.

  Rex brought Eleanor home from the hospital just before lunch, allowing Jason and Penny to share a quick visit with their respective parents before heading out. Penny was pleased to see that her mother was doing so well. In fact, she didn’t just look good, she looked radiant, though Penny suspected that had more to do with the care of her husband than the doctors at the hospital.

  But after a quick lunch, they said their goodbyes and headed out. Because she wanted to have access to her own vehicle in Houston, Penny drove her car and Jason drove his. And she realized that four hours alone on the road was a lot of time to think.

  Mostly, she thought about Jason and their marriage. She wanted them to get settled and feel comfortable with one another before the babies came along and created further chaos in their lives, but she suspected that wouldn’t happen easily. Even though he’d been the one to suggest getting married, she wondered if he felt trapped by the circumstances that had triggered his proposal. But then she remembered the look on his face when he’d seen their babies on the sonogram, and she discarded that thought.

  Her mind was still filled with unanswered questions when she followed his car into the parking garage. Or maybe it was the not knowing what Jason wanted from their marriage that had her feeling as nervous as a virginal bride. Ironic, considering that she’d lost her virginity months earlier and her status as a bride two days previously.

  Technically, she and Jason were newlyweds, but she didn’t feel like a newlywed. In fact, she didn’t feel wed at all because, aside from the ring on her finger, absolutely nothing had changed in their relationship since they’d spoken their vows.

  In all fairness, they’d been both busy and preoccupied since their quick trip to and from Las Vegas. Now that they were alone together, she was sure that things would change.

  Wouldn’t they?

  When Lucas, the doorman she remembered from previous visits to the penthouse, came in with her luggage, Jason was on the phone in the den.

  “Where would you like your bags, Miss?”

  “In the spare bedroom, please, Lucas.”

  He smiled, pleased that she remembered his name, and went to do her bidding.

  He didn’t know, obviously, that she and Jason were married, and since she wasn’t feeling very married, she didn’t bother informing him of the fact. Or maybe she didn’t tell him because she didn’t want him to wonder why Mr. Foley’s wife wouldn’t be moving into his bedroom.

  By the time he came back to the foyer after delivering her bags, Jason had finished his call.

  “Thank you, Lucas,” he said, and slipped a no doubt very generous tip into the man’s hand.

  “Thank you, Mr. Foley,” Lucas replied, then nodded to Penny and walked out, leaving Jason and Penny alone with a whole lot of tension.

  She felt awkward and tongue-tied, like a woman on a blind date, certainly not like a woman who was finally alone with the man she’d married two days earlier.

  “Are you hungry?” Jason asked, breaking the silence.

  “I’m always hungry these days.”

  “I’ve got some pasta sauce in the freezer.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I’ll put the water on to boil, if you want to unpack.”

  “Sure,” she agreed.

  They escaped the awkwardness of the moment by moving in different directions—Jason into the kitchen and Penny down the hall.

  She looked around the room she’d claimed as her own, at least temporarily, and decided it was more than suitable. The dark mission-style furniture contrasted with the natural bamboo flooring and combined with the copper and bronze colors in the bedding and drapes to provide an overall effect that was both attractive and warm. It could use a few feminine touches, perhaps, but Penny hoped she wouldn’t be sleeping there long enough for it to matter.

  But for now, she unzipped her duffel and began transferring her clothes from the bag to the dresser.

  She was nearly finished the task when she heard footsteps in the hall. Glancing up, she saw Jason in the doorway.

  His brow furrowed when he realized what she was doing. “Did you forget where the master bedroom was?”

  “No,” she said. “I just thought we might both need some space. For a while.”

  His frown deepened. “I thought we’d make this room into a nursery.”

  She noticed that he didn’t actually say he wanted her to share his room and his bed, only that he had other plans for this one.

  “We’ve got almost six months before the babies are due,” she reminded him.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

  It seemed to Penny that he was almost relieved by her decision, a belief that was supported when he made no further protest about the sleeping arrangements but only said, “Dinner’s ready.”

  After they’d eaten, Jason said he wanted to catch up on some e-mails, so Penny claimed exhaustion and went to bed.

  She thought it was ironic that her first time in Jason’s penthouse as his wife was the first time she would be sleeping in the guest room. Not that she expected to get much sleep. How could she, when there were so many questions swirling through her mind? Most notably—how had things gone so wrong so quickly?

  Everything had been good when they were in Las Vegas. Better than good. Jason had obviously made an effort to give her a wedding with all of the trimmings, an effort that reminded her of the wonderful man he was, the man she’d started falling for when he crossed a wide hotel lobby to say hello.

  Unfortunately, their celebration had been cut short by her mother’s emergency surgery, but she didn’t understand how or why that would change anything between her and Jason. Because something had definitely changed.

  He hadn’t kissed her since their wedding. There had been some casually affectionate gestures—a touch of his hand to her arm, a brush of his lips against her cheek—but nothing more than that.

  It was as she’d feared: now that Jason’s ring was on her finger, the challenge was gone. He had what he wanted, a marriage to the mother of his children, and he wasn’t interested in anything more.

  But what about what she wanted? Because a marriage in name only wasn’t exactly her dream come true.

  The problem was, she didn’t have the first clue how to go about getting what she did want.

  By the end of the week, Penny still didn’t have any answers.

  It wasn’t as if Jason ignored her so much as he always seemed to have excuses for keeping a careful distance between them. If she was cooking dinner, he was on the phone. If she was watching television in the living room, he had work in the den. If she wanted to go for a walk, he had any one of a dozen excuses that rolled easily off of his tongue.

  And though Penny was usually a cheerful person, she found herself falling into a funk. She felt so far away from everything that was familiar, everyone she knew. She missed her sister, her mother, even her overprotective brothers, though everyone seemed to be so busy with their own lives she wasn’t sure she’d have seen much of them, even if she was still in Dallas. But she wasn’t in Dallas, so it wasn’t even an option.

  Apparently, her dark mood wasn’t something she could or did hide very well, because even Jason commented on it when he found her nibbling on a slice of toast in the kitchen Saturday morning.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her, pouring himself a mug of coffee from the pot she’d brewed. “You look a little out of sorts.”

  She shrugged. “I’m just feeling a little lonely, I guess.”

  “Ouch.”

  She managed a smile. “Maybe homesick is more accurate.”

  “You miss your family,” he guessed.

  “I know you’re my family now, too,” she said, “but you’re hardly ever here. And when you are, you treat me more like a roommate than your wife.”

  “Because I don’t demand dinner when I walk in the door?”

  He was joking, but Penny wasn’t amused. She was tryi
ng to adjust to all of the recent changes in her life, and he wasn’t helping.

  “Because you don’t demand anything,” she told him. “Because you rarely come home before eight o’clock at night, and even when you do come home, I’m not sure you realize I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry if you’ve been feeling neglected,” he said. “But we have some big projects going on at work, and—”

  “I’m not asking you to change your schedule to accommodate me. I don’t need to be entertained, just acknowledged. Until they get my office renovated at the Houston store, I’m working from here. Day in and day out, these walls are the only thing I’m seeing.”

  “You want a change,” he guessed.

  Which was both a true and wholly inadequate generalization of what she was feeling, and she wondered if he really didn’t get it or if he was deliberately misunderstanding her.

  “I want to spend some time with you.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go shopping.”

  Shopping?

  Jason almost couldn’t believe it when he heard the word come out of his mouth. But truth be told, anything—even shopping—was preferable to being alone with her in his apartment all day. Sure, he could hide out in his den, but it seemed as if he’d been doing a lot of that, and sooner or later, Penny would figure out that he was deliberately distancing himself from her. What she wouldn’t know was that he was doing so because it was the only way he could be sure to resist the temptation of her.

  But if he couldn’t maintain a safe physical distance between them, he could at least add the buffer of a crowd and a public venue. As explicit and prurient as his fantasies might be, it was highly unlikely he would be overcome by lust in the middle of a shopping center on a Saturday afternoon.

  They started at a major home décor center, and he willingly followed her around, looking at window coverings and throw pillows and lamp shades.

  “What do you think of that rug?” she asked, pointing to a carpet on display against a wall.

  He shrugged, deciding it was inoffensive, if not particularly appealing. “Where would you put it?”