Harlequin American Romance May 2014 Bundle: One Night in TexasThe Cowboy's DestinyA Baby for the DoctorThe Bull Rider's Family

by Linda Warren

Without another word he hurried to his room, showered and changed clothes and made his way back to the hospital. He had to know how his daughter was doing.

  As he drove toward Temple, it hit him that he hadn’t had any sleep. He had sobered up from a pretty bad drunken stupor. He wasn’t in his twenties anymore, and the all-nighter would catch up with him sooner rather than later. But nothing was keeping him away from the hospital. This morning his daughter would be awake, and he had this urgency just to see her face—her animated face—so he could get a feel of who she really was.

  He didn’t allow himself to think of Angie. His anger toward her was still raw, but he had to be honest. She wasn’t the only one to blame. He should’ve checked back with her. He knew that would weigh heavily on him in the days ahead, as would her earlier attempts to talk to him about the pregnancy.

  His dad thought he should save his reputation, but Hardy was more concerned about trying to save his self-respect. He’d let Angie down, and he would think about that when his anger got the best of him.

  As he neared Temple, his heart beat faster. In a few minutes, he would see his daughter.

  And Angie.

  What was he supposed to say to her now?

  * * *

  ANGIE WOKE UP with a start. She was still in the chair with her head resting on Erin’s bed, one hand on Erin’s stomach. The doctor said Erin would be fine, but she still had to feel her daughter’s heartbeat just to make sure.

  Around midnight, Erin had woken up crying and the nurse had injected something into the IV so she could rest. Angie brushed soft brown hair from Erin’s warm forehead; some of it was caked with blood. The bruise was now almost black. That was going to take a while to heal. Her baby would be in some pain for several days, and Angie would do everything she could to ease the trauma Erin was going through.

  Angie stood, stretched her aching shoulders and walked around to exercise her stiff legs. Light seeped in through the window. It was a new day, and Angie felt it was also a new beginning. She had no idea what Hardy was going to do now, but she had to be prepared. For herself. And Erin.

  She took a shower and changed into capris and a sleeveless top, grateful AnaMarie had thought to bring them. After brushing her hair, she whipped it into a ponytail and went back to her daughter. Erin was still out. Angie paced around the room to keep from sitting and worrying. She dared not leave to go for coffee, but, oh, she needed some.

  The door opened, and Hardy stood there with two cups in his hands, the same as last night. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears. They stared at each other for a long moment, neither knowing what to say.

  His dark hair was slicked back, and worry mixed with anger slashed across the strong lines of his handsome face.

  Finally, he held out one of the cups. “Thought you might need this.”

  Her hands closed around the offering without a second thought. “Thank you.”

  Hardy looked toward the bed. “Has she been awake?”

  “Once, and they gave her something for pain. She should wake up anytime now.”

  He walked to the bed and stared at Erin. His sun-browned skin paled. “What day was she born? And where? There’s so many things I don’t know about her. All I know is she’s Jody’s best friend.”

  “Could we not get into this now, please?”

  His eyes caught hers. “When, then? Another eleven years or so?”

  The hurt in his eyes jolted her and a hollow feeling settled in her stomach.

  “I’d rather not talk about this in front of her, even though she’s asleep.”

  “I want her to know I’m her father.”

  Angie swallowed hard. “I’ll tell her, but not until I know she can handle it. She’s only ten years old. Her birthday was yesterday.”

  His eyes darkened. “Yesterday? I hit her on her birthday?”

  “That’s why all the cars were there. I gave her a big party.”

  “Oh, God.” He looked at Erin again. “I’ve run out of ways to say I’m sorry. I’ve run out of ways to be angry and to justify all this. She’s my kid, and you never told me. I’m struggling with that.”

  Her heart broke for what he was going through. For what she had caused him. And he was right. There was no other way to say I’m sorry. It had all been said. They had to go forward.

  “Let’s concentrate on Erin and her well-being. You’re welcome to stay. I’ll have to explain why you’re here. She’ll be surprised, but, please, let’s take it slow. For Erin.”

  He kept staring at his child. “She looks nothing like me.”

  “Wait till she opens her eyes. They’re dark blue like yours. I’ve worried for two years that you would notice that, but I don’t think you ever saw her. I mean, really saw her. She was Jody’s friend. That was it.”

  He glared at her. “And it made you happy that I never recognized my daughter?”

  She bit her lip. “Honestly, no. It just made me very aware of the enormous secret I lived with, and I knew one day it would have to be told. For Erin’s sake and yours.”

  “It didn’t have to be a secret, Angie. That was your decision alone.”

  “Could we not do this now?” she asked again.

  Erin stirred. “Mama,” she whimpered.

  Angie immediately went to her. “I’m here, baby.”

  “My head...hurts.”

  Angie stroked back Erin’s hair with one hand and pushed the nurse’s button with the other. “You bumped your head. Remember?”

  “No,” Erin replied, and tears rolled from her eyes.

  “Shh. It’s okay. The nurse will be here in a minute.”

  “A nurse? Where are we?”

  “We’re in the hospital. Remember? You were in an accident.”

  “I want to go home,” Erin cried.

  A nurse came in. “Hi, Erin. You’re awake. Are you in pain?”

  Erin looked at Angie.

  “Tell her how you feel, baby,” Angie urged.

  But Erin closed her eyes and turned her head.

  Angie gently caressed her cheek. “Tell the nurse how you feel.”

  Erin opened her eyes. “My...my head hurts.”

  “How does your leg feel?” the nurse asked.

  “I don’t know,” Erin murmured.

  The nurse checked the IV and Erin’s pulse, then took her blood pressure and temperature. She turned to Angie. “She’s running a low-grade fever, but nothing to be alarmed about. I’ll put something in the IV to relax her, but I’d like for her to stay awake for a little bit.”

  “Okay,” Angie said. “But I don’t want her to be in pain.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of that.” The nurse disappeared out the door.

  “What happened, Mama?” Erin asked, her voice shaky.

  “You were in an accident. You were running after your beach ball and—”

  “Yeah. I had to get it before it went into Mrs. Wimby’s yard because she keeps whatever she finds in her yard.” Erin moved her head and winced. “I don’t remember any more.”

  “It’s okay, baby. We’ll talk about it later,” Angie told her. “Try to relax.”

  “Why does my head hurt?”

  Angie swallowed again, trying to explain without upsetting her daughter. “You banged your head in the accident.”

  “Oh.” Erin looked past Angie to Hardy. “What are you doing here, Mr. Hardy? Did I do something wrong?”

  To Erin, Hardy represented the law.

  Hardy stepped closer to the bed, his skin now a pasty white. “I’m sorry...Erin. I didn’t see you. All of a sudden you were in front of my truck, and I slammed on the brakes. You didn’t do anything wrong. I should have been more alert.”

  Erin glanced at Angie, not understanding what Hardy was talking about. “You ran out in front of Mr. Hardy’s truck, and he hit you. That’s why you’re in the hospital. You hurt your head on the pavement and fractured your leg.”

  Erin’s expression didn’t change, and Angie wondered if she und
erstood what she was trying to tell her. “Is it Monday?” Erin finally asked.

  “No, baby. It’s Sunday.”

  “Then tomorrow we’re leaving on our trip?”

  Angie chewed on her lip, knowing Erin wasn’t going to take this well. They’d planned for two years to go to Disney World. How did she break her heart, especially when she was in pain? But she had to tell her the truth, which seemed hypocritical since she was keeping the biggest secret of all from her.

  Angie stroked her daughter’s hair once more. “No, baby, we won’t be going to Disney World this summer. We have to stay home so you can heal and learn to walk on your leg again.”

  “No! I can walk. I can walk. We can go.”

  Angie kissed Erin’s cheek. “We’ll go when you’re better, but not tomorrow.”

  “That’s not fair. I saved my money and...” Big tears rolled from her eyes again, and she cried openly, much as she had when she was younger.

  Angie just held her, not knowing what else to say.

  The doctor walked in. “Good morning.”

  Erin burrowed against Angie.

  “Not a good morning, huh?” The doctor walked to the bed to check Erin’s leg. He pinched her toes to check for blood circulation, and then he checked the bandage on her hip. From there he looked at the bruise on her forehead.

  “She’s complaining about her head hurting,” Angie told him.

  “Is that what the tears are about?”

  “No. We had a trip planned for Disney World and now we can’t go.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, still looking at Erin.

  “I want to go home,” Erin said.

  “Sorry, but I’d like to keep you for a few more days. You have to learn to walk on crutches, and we want to keep an eye on the bruise on your forehead.”

  “Crutches?” Erin wailed. “I don’t need them. I can walk.”

  Dr. Robbins shook his head. “Not for about six weeks.”

  Erin looked at Angie. “We have to do what the doctor says so you can get better,” she tried to reassure her daughter.

  Erin didn’t say anything. She just seemed to sink farther into the bed, and Angie’s heart ached.

  Angie followed the doctor to the door, then realized Hardy was behind her. She’d almost forgotten he was in the room.

  “I’m worried about her head,” Angie said.

  “It’s a bad bruise, but we’ve run all the tests and everything is fine. She just needs time to heal.”

  “How long will she have to stay here?”

  “Maybe a week. If she’s feeling okay, the therapist will get her up on crutches this afternoon to teach her how to use them. But I don’t want to push it if her head is still hurting. The nurse will remove the IV this morning. She’ll bounce back quickly, Ms. Wiznowski. We’ve taped her fractured ribs. The nurse will show you how to remove the bandage to bathe her. They’re tiny fractures. At her two-week checkup, we’ll do more X-rays and I’ll probably remove the tape. Try not to worry. I’m sorry about the trip, but there will be other ones. If anything changes, the nurse will call me.” He looked over Angie’s shoulder to Hardy. “Relax and she’ll relax. Have a good day.”

  “Mama,” Erin called.

  Angie went to her daughter. “What?”

  “Can I have something to drink?”

  “What do you want?” Hardy asked. “You name it and I’ll get it.”

  Erin giggled. That was a good sign. She was bouncing back.

  “Some juice. And ice cream.”

  Angie shook her head. “Juice and breakfast.”

  “You want ice cream? You’re getting ice cream,” Hardy said, and walked out of the room.

  Angie quickly followed him. “Hardy, you can’t give her everything she wants.”

  “The first thing my child asks for is ice cream and she’s going to get it, breakfast or no breakfast. That’s the way it is, Angie.”

  She threw up her hands. “Okay. But remember, it’s only seven o’clock.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He stepped closer to her, and a light, musky scent drifted to her. Almost eleven years, and that scent always reminded her of him, his touch, that night and everything that happened that had changed her life. “Before this week is over, she will know she’s my daughter.”

  Holding on to her pride, she asked, “Are you prepared for her reaction?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you?”

  No, she wasn’t, but she wouldn’t admit that to Hardy. By the end of the week, her daughter could hate her and the walls of her life would come tumbling down.

  Chapter Six

  The next few days were a tug-of-war between Angie and Hardy. She didn’t expect him to be at the hospital every day, and it was starting to get on her nerves. Erin recovered quickly, as the doctor had said she would, and she learned to use the crutches even quicker. The bruise on her head started to heal, and she didn’t complain about headaches anymore. She was back to her cheery self, especially with all the attention she was getting from the family and her friends. And Hardy.

  The room was full of stuffed animals, toys, balloons and flowers. Angie stopped telling him it was too much because he never listened. A showdown was coming soon.

  Erin was going home tomorrow, and Angie was hoping for some sort of normalcy. That might be wishful thinking on her part because they were far, far away from normal.

  Erin played on Hardy’s phone, and he sat watching her, enthralled.

  “I can’t wait to get a phone,” Erin said. “Jody and I are going to get one at the same time. I want a pink one. She wants a blue one. It’ll be so cool.”

  “I’ll buy you one,” Hardy said without even looking at Angie, without even thinking she might disapprove.

  Erin stopped poking the keypad. “You can’t buy me a phone, Mr. Hardy.” Erin looked at her mother. “Can he?”

  “No, sweetie. Remember? When Jody turns eleven, you both get a phone. Since she’s three months older, we agreed you could get one then. And we’re not changing the plan now.” She gave Hardy a sharp stare.

  Erin raised a fist in the air. “Mama rules.” She handed Hardy his phone. “Besides, you’ve given me all this stuff.” She glanced around the roomful of goodies. “You didn’t hit me on purpose or anything.” Erin dropped her voice to sound like the sheriff. “You didn’t do anything wrong, so you are now free to go.” She ruined the seriousness of the declaration by giggling.

  Hardy stared at her with the same enthralled expression. “So I’m forgiven?”

  Erin nodded. “But you can always buy me ice cream.”

  “Deal, but I’d still like to come by and check on you.”

  “Sure.” Erin bobbed her head. “I’ll be home mending.” She made a face.

  Hardy kept staring at Erin, and Angie could see it was killing him that she didn’t know she was his daughter. She felt a stab of regret like so many she’d had over the past ten years. Her heart should be a pincushion by now.

  The move home went smoothly. Hardy was there to help her get Erin into the SUV, and then he carried Erin into the house and into her bedroom. The whole family was there, and it turned into a three-ring circus, a juggling angry-brother act, a fire-eating grandma and twin comedians determined to make Erin laugh. Hardy stayed through it all. Long after everyone had left, he was still there.

  Angie sat in the kitchen, wondering how to tell Hardy it was time for him to go home. There didn’t seem to be a proper way, so she played it by ear and prayed for strength to get through the next few hours.

  * * *

  HARDY FLIPPED THROUGH the channels, looking for something for Erin to watch. Erin lay on the sofa, propped up with pillows, and he was at her beck and call. He would do anything for her. It amazed him he had these fatherly instincts come out of nowhere.

  “Tell me when you find something you like and I’ll stop,” he said, zooming through a ton of channels.

  “Oh,” she cried excitedly, pointing to the TV. “Let’s watch The Big
Bang Theory. It’s funny.”

  “The Big Bang it is.” He sat in a chair and listened to his daughter giggle, and it was the most beautiful sound. Every time she looked at him with those deep blue eyes, he was captivated.

  Angie came in looking tired, and his heart twisted. She’d had a rough few days, and his presence made it worse. On one hand, he couldn’t feel sorry for that because she’d caused it. But deep inside, he knew he did.

  “Sweetie, it’s time for bed,” she told Erin. “You don’t want to overdo it on your first day home.”

  Erin scrunched up her face. “But Mr. Hardy and I haven’t had ice cream yet.”

  Hardy got up. “I put ice-cream bars in the freezer.”

  Erin raised her arms in the air. “Yay!”

  Hardy offered Angie a bar, but she refused, a stubborn expression etched across her face.

  After they finished their treat, he said, “Now, peanut, it’s time for bed.” He had started calling her that in the hospital because she’d looked so tiny in the hospital bed. She seemed to like it.

  He handed Erin the crutches, and she stood up and wobbled a little. “I can carry you to the bed.”

  “No,” Angie immediately protested. “Erin has to learn to use the crutches, and she knows how to use them.”

  “Mama’s tough,” Erin said, making her way into her pink-and-white bedroom.

  Erin already had her gown on because Angie had helped her with her bath earlier. “Say good-night to Mr. Hardy,” Angie instructed while getting Erin comfortable.

  “Good night, Mr. Hardy, and thanks for the ice cream and for helping Mama get me into the house. You rock.”

  “Good night, peanut. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He wanted so badly to step over and kiss her good-night, and it took a lot of willpower not to do that.

  Angie walked him to the door as if she couldn’t get rid of him fast enough.

  “It’s time to tell her.”

  “I disagree. We need to talk first.”

  He sighed. “That’s not a surprise.”

  “Give her time to heal before we throw this at her.”

  He stared into her eyes. “No, we’re going to do this just as soon as possible.”

  “Are you even thinking about Erin? Or is it just about you and your pride?”