Pregnant by the Texan

by Sara Orwig

  * * *

  That evening as they ate, she made plans with Aaron to go to Lubbock the next day. She tried to be positive about it, but she had butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it.

  She had finished eating and sat talking to Aaron while he sipped a beer when her phone rang. She listened to the caller, then stood up and gave instructions. When she hung up, she turned to Aaron.

  “I heard some of that call. Your part,” he said.

  “We can talk as we walk to the car. That was Leonard Sherman. He’s fallen and his daughter is out of town. He can’t get up and he needs someone to help him. He hit his head. I told him that I would call an ambulance.”

  Aaron waited quietly while she made the call. As soon as she finished, she turned to him. “I need to go to his house to lock up for him when the ambulance picks him up. He lives alone near his daughter. He said his neighbor isn’t home, either.”

  “Does everyone in town call you when they have an emergency?”

  Smiling, she shook her head. “Of course not, but some of these people have gotten so they feel we’re friends and I’ll help, which I’m glad to do. It’s nice they feel that way. I’m happy to help when I can.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  A valet brought Aaron’s car to the door of the inn. As they drove away, she finished making her calls.

  “You don’t need to speed,” she said. “I don’t think he’s hurt badly.”

  “You wanted to get there before they took him in the ambulance, so we will.”

  In minutes Aaron pulled into Leonard Sherman’s driveway. She stepped out of the car and hurried inside while Aaron locked up and followed.

  The ambulance arrived only minutes later and soon they had their patient loaded into the back and ready to go to the hospital. As the paramedics carefully pulled away from the curb, Stella locked up Leonard’s house, pocketed the key and walked back to the car with Aaron.

  “You don’t have to go to the hospital with me. I’ll call his daughter and she’ll probably want to talk to the doctor. He said she’s coming back tonight, so hopefully, she’ll be home soon.”

  “I’ll go with you. These evenings are getting interesting.”

  She laughed. “I told you that you don’t have to come.”

  “You amaze me,” Aaron said. “I’ve never told you any news I get about anyone in Royal that you don’t already know. People tell you everything. I’ll bet you know all sorts of secrets.”

  “I’m just friendly and interested.”

  “People trust you and you’re a good listener. They call you for help. Mayor Vance doesn’t do all this.”

  Stella watched him drive, thinking he was one person who didn’t tell her everything. She always had a feeling that Aaron held personal things back. There were parts of his life closed to her. A lot of parts. She still knew little about him. She suspected Cole knew much more.

  She called Leonard’s daughter and, to her relief, heard her answer.

  When Stella was done with the call, she turned to Aaron. “I’ll go to Memorial Hospital to give her the key to his house, but his daughter is back and she’ll be at the hospital, so we don’t need to stay.”

  “Good. You said you wanted to get ready for tomorrow, so now you’ll have a chance unless calamity befalls someone else in this town tonight.”

  “It’s not that bad,” she said.

  “I had other plans for us this evening. We’re incredibly off the mark.”

  “That’s probably for the better, Aaron,” she said.

  “You don’t have to do everything for everyone. Learn to delegate, Stella.”

  “Some things are too personal to delegate. People are frightened and hurting still. I’m happy to help however I can if it makes things even the smallest bit better.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Remind me to keep you around for emergencies,” he said lightly, but she again wondered about what he kept bottled up and how he had been hurt. He might want them to be alone tonight, but she had to respond when someone called.

  And she stuck to her guns. When they got back to the hotel, she told Aaron good-night early in the evening so she could get ready to leave for Lubbock with him the next morning.

  As soon as she was alone in her suite, she went over her notes for the next day, but her thoughts kept jumping to Aaron. Every hour they spent together bound her a little more to him, making his friendship a bit more important to her. Now she was counting on him for moral support tomorrow.

  * * *

  The next morning, when she went to the lobby to meet Aaron and head for Lubbock, she saw him the minute she emerged from the elevator. The sight of him in a flawless navy suit with a red tie took her breath away and made her forget her worries about speaking. He looked incredibly handsome, so handsome, she wondered what he saw in her. She was plain from head to toe. Plain clothes, plain hair, no makeup. This handsome man wanted to marry her and she had turned him down. Her insides fluttered and a cold fear gripped her. Was she willing to let him go and marry someone else? The answer still came up the same. She couldn’t marry without love. Yet Aaron was special, so she hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake

  This baby coming into my life is a gift, not an obligation. She remembered his words from the night before last. How many single men who had just been surprised to learn they would be a dad would have that attitude? Was she rejecting a very special man?

  He saw her and she smiled, resisting the temptation to raise her hand to smooth her hair.

  She was aware of her plain brown suit, her skirt ending midcalf. She wore a tan blouse with a round neck beneath her jacket. Her low-heeled brown pumps were practical and her hair was in its usual bun. When she crossed the lobby, no heads would turn, but she didn’t mind because it had been that way all her life.

  When she walked up to him, he took her arm. “The car is waiting,” he said. “You look pretty.”

  “Thank you. Sometimes I wonder if you need to get your eyes checked.”

  He smiled. “The last time I was tested in the air force, I had excellent eyesight,” he remarked. “You sell yourself short, Stella. Both on giving this talk and on how you look.”

  She didn’t tell him that men rarely told her she was pretty. They thanked her for her help or asked her about their problems, just as boys had in school, but they didn’t tell her how pretty she looked.

  In minutes they were on the highway. She pulled out a notebook and a small stack of cards wrapped with a rubber band. “These are my notes. I have a slide presentation. I think the pictures may speak for themselves. People are stunned when they see these.”

  When she walked into the private meeting room in a country club, her knees felt weak and the butterflies in her stomach changed to ice. The room was filled with men and women in business suits—mostly men. It was a business club and she couldn’t imagine talking to them. She glanced at Aaron.

  “Aaron, I can’t do this.”

  “Of course you can. Here comes Boyce Johnson, my friend who is president,” he said, and she saw a smiling, brown-haired man approaching them. He extended his hand to Aaron, who made introductions that she didn’t even hear as she smiled and went through the motions.

  All too soon, Boyce called the group to order and someone made an introduction that Aaron must have written, telling about how she had helped after the storm hit Royal. And then she was left facing the forty or so people who filled the room, all looking at her and waiting for her to begin.

  * * *

  Smiling and hoping his presence would reassure her, Aaron sat listening to Stella make her presentation, showing pictures of the devastation in the first few hours after the storm hit Royal. That alone would make people want to contribute. After her slide presentation, Stella talked. She was nervous and it showed. He realized that right after the storm, adrenaline—and the sheer necessity for someone to take charge with Mayor Vance critically injured and the deputy mayor killed—had kept her going. Now that life in Royal
was beginning to settle back into a routine, she could do it again, but she had to have faith in herself.

  He thought of contacts he had and realized he could help her raise funds for the town. Her slide presentation had been excellent, touching, awesome in showing the storm’s fury and giving the facts about the F4 tornado.

  He sat looking at her as she talked and realized she might like a makeover in a Dallas salon. She could catch people’s attention more. The men today were polite and attentive and she was giving facts that would hold their interest, but if she had a makeover, she might do even better. It should bolster her self-confidence.

  She had done interviews and brief appearances almost since the day of the storm. Maybe it was time she had some help. He had statewide contacts, people in Dallas who were good about contributing to worthwhile causes. While she talked, he sent a text to a Dallas Texas Cattleman’s Club member. In minutes he got a reply.

  He sent a text to a Dallas salon, and shortly after, had an appointment for her.

  He hoped she wouldn’t balk at changing her hair. She clung to having it up in a bun almost as if she wanted to fade into the background, but hopefully, the makeover in the salon might cause her to be willing to change.

  When she finished her speech and opened up the floor to questions, she seemed more poised and relaxed. She gave accurate facts and figures and did a good job of conveying the situation in Royal. Finally, there were no more questions. Boyce thanked her and Aaron for coming. He asked if anyone would like to make a motion to give a check to Stella to take back to Royal now because they seemed to need help as soon as they could possibly get it.

  Boyce turned to ask their treasurer how much they had available in their treasury at present and was told there was $6,000.

  One of the women made a motion immediately to donate $5,000. It was seconded and passed. A man stood and said he would like to contribute $1,000 in addition to the money from the treasury.

  Aaron felt a flash of satisfaction, happy that they could take these donations back to Royal and happy that he had proved to Stella she could get out and lead the recovery effort now, just as she had right after the storm.

  By the time the meeting was over, they had several checks totaling $12,000. Stella’s cheeks were once again rosy and a sparkle was back in her blue eyes and he felt a warm glow inside because she was happy over the results.

  With the help he planned to give her, he expected her to do even better. As he waited while people still talked to her, he received a text from the TCC member he had contacted. Smiling, he read the text swiftly and saw that his friend had made some contacts and it looked hopeful for an interview on a Fort Worth television station. Aaron sent a quick thank-you, hoping if it worked out Stella would accept.

  It was almost four when they finally said goodbye and went to his car. When he sat behind the wheel, he turned to her, taking her into his arms. His mouth came down on hers as he kissed her thoroughly. Finally he leaned away a fraction to look at her.

  “You did a great job. See, you can do this. You’ve raised $12,000 for Royal. That’s fantastic, Stella.”

  She smiled. “My knees were shaking. Thank heavens you were there and I could look at your smiling face. They were nice and generous. I couldn’t believe they would take all that out of their treasury and donate it at Christmastime.”

  “It’s a Christmas present for Royal, thanks to you. That’s what that club does. It’s usually to help Lubbock, but Royal is a Texas town that is in desperate need of help. You did a great job and I think I can help you do an even bigger and better one,” he said.

  She laughed. “Aaron, please don’t set me up to talk to another group of businesspeople. I’m an administrative assistant, not the mayor.”

  “You did fine today and I promise you, I think I can help you do a bit better if you’ll let me.”

  “Of course, I’ll let you, but I keep telling you, this is not my deal.”

  “You’re taking $12,000 back to Royal. I think you can make a lot more and help people so much.”

  “When you put it that way—what do you have in mind?”

  “I have lots of contacts in Dallas and across the state. Let me set up some meetings. Not necessarily a group thing like today—what I have in mind is meeting one-on-one or with just two or three company heads who might make some big donations. You can also make presentations to agencies that would be good contacts and can help even more.”

  “All right.”

  “Good. After your talk today I went ahead and contacted a close friend in Dallas. Through him you may get a brief interview on a local TV show in Fort Worth. Can I say you’ll do it?”

  “Yes,” she answered, laughing. “You’re taking charge again, Aaron.”

  “Also, if you’ll let me contact them, I think I can get meetings in Dallas with oil and gas and TV executives, as well as some storm recovery experts. The television people will help get out the message that Royal needs help. The oil and gas people may actually make monetary donations. How’s that sound?”

  “Terrifying,” she said, and smiled. “Well, maybe not so bad.”

  “So I can try to set up the meetings with the various executives?”

  She stared at him a moment while she seemed to give thought to his question. “Yes. We need all the help we can get for the people at home.”

  “Good,” he said, kissing her lightly.

  “Let’s take some time and talk about dealing with the press and interviews. We can talk over dinner. The press is important.”

  “I’ll be happy to talk about interviews, but I don’t think that I’ll be giving many more.”

  “It’s better to be ready just in case,” he said, gazing into her wide blue eyes.

  “Also I sent a text and asked for a salon makeover in Dallas for you. It’s a very nice salon that will really pamper you. Would you object to that?” he asked, thinking he had never known a woman before that would have had to be given a sales pitch to get her to consent to a day at an exclusive Dallas salon.

  She laughed. “Aaron, that seems ridiculous. I’m not going into show business. Mercy me. I don’t think I need to go to Dallas to have a makeover and then return to Royal to help clean up debris and hunt through rubble for lost documents at town hall. That seems ridiculous.”

  “Stella, we can raise some money for Royal. A lot more than you did today. Trust me on this,” he said, holding back a grin. “I told you that it’s a very nice salon.”

  Shaking her head, she laughed again. “All right, Aaron. I can arrange to get away to go to Dallas. When is this makeover?”

  “Someone canceled and they have an opening next Wednesday and I told them to hold it. Or they can take you in January. With the holidays coming, they’re booked.”

  “How long does this take? I’ll have to get to Dallas,” she said, sounding as if he had asked her to do a task she really didn’t relish.

  “Cole and I have a company plane. We can fly to Dallas early Tuesday morning and be there in time for you to spend the day. I’ll get you to the Fort Worth interview and I’ll try to set up a dinner in Dallas that night. Afterward, we can stay at my house. I have lots of room and you can have your own suite there.”

  She smiled at him. “Very well. I can go to the salon Wednesday and get this over with. Thank you, Aaron,” she said politely.

  “Good deal,” he said, amused at the reluctance clearly in her voice. “Take a dress along to go out to dinner. The next convenient stop, I’m pulling over to text the salon about Wednesday.”

  “I think this is going to be expensive for you and a waste of your money. People can’t change in a few hours with a makeover. I really don’t expect to do many more appearances or interviews.”

  “Just wait and see,” he said.

  “While we’re on the subject of doing something for Royal, I’ve been thinking about Christmas. There are so many people who lost everything. We’ve talked about Christmas being tough for some of them. I want to orga
nize a Christmas drive to get gifts for those who lost their homes or have no income because of their business losses. I want to make sure all the little children in those families have presents.”

  “That’s a great idea, Stella. I’ll help any way I can.”

  “I’m sure others will help. I’ll call some of the women I know and get this started. It’s late—we should have started before now, but it’s not too late to do this.”

  “Not at all. I think everyone will pitch in on this one. You’re doing a great job for Royal.”

  “Thanks, Aaron. I’d feel better knowing that everyone has presents. We have a list now of all those who were hurt in some way by the storm. It’s fairly detailed, so we know who lost homes and who is in the hospital and who lost loved ones or pets—all that sort of thing, and I can use it to compile a list for the Christmas gifts.”

  With a quick glance he reached over to take her hand. As he looked back at the highway, he squeezed her hand lightly. “Royal is lucky to have you,” he said.

  She laughed. “And you. And Cole and Lark and Megan and so many other people who are helping.” He signaled a turn. “There’s a farm road. We’re stopping so I can send the text.”

  As soon as he stopped he unbuckled his seat belt and reached over to wrap his arms around her and pull her toward him.

  “Aaron, what are you doing?”

  “Kissing you. I think you’re great, Stella,” he said. As she started to reply, his mouth covered hers. It was as if he had waited years to kiss her. Startled, she didn’t move for a second. Then she wrapped her arm around his neck to hold him while she kissed him in return.

  What started out fun and rewarding changed as their desire blossomed. She wound her fingers in his hair, suddenly wanting to be in his arms and have all the constraints out of her way. She wanted Aaron with a need that overwhelmed her. The kiss deepened, became more passionate. She wanted to be in his arms, in his bed, making love. Would it give them a chance to fall in love?