“She’s right. We’re excited about the possibilities of this room. It was our idea to call Adrian. We should be here.” Jackie stated her case one more time, but it didn’t help.
Mr. Bergmann crossed his arms and glared. “Which is why I’m putting her in charge. She will make sure the job gets done without wasting money on extravagant ideas. Go or I’ll send Adrian away and it’ll just stay the way it is right now without even hearing a bid.”
With matching sighs, the two women headed down the stairs. He turned back to Nikki and Adrian. He was a tall man with thick dark hair that was sprinkled with silver. He didn’t look old enough to have four grown daughters, but there was a sadness in the lines of his face that proved his life had not been an easy one. “Nikki, you look like you’re in pain. Do you need to go home? Adrian can come back later. We don’t have to do this now.”
She stood and smiled at him. “No, I’m good. I just forgot how overwhelming the twins can be when they’re together.”
He snorted. “Welcome to my life. I think it’s about time someone got married around here and added a male point of view.”
Adrian knew neither of the twins was dating anyone. Danica had mentioned Nikki’s boyfriend, but it didn’t sound like they were still together or that he was a good guy. He really wanted to know, but couldn’t figure out a way to ask without it getting awkward. The silence after that statement made the air heavy.
“Mr. Bergmann, let me show you the walls.” Heading back to the exposed stone, he knew the lumberyard owner wouldn’t be as moved by sentiment as his daughter.
Nikki followed. “Adrian said this would be one of the easiest parts, and it’d get rid of possible mold.”
The tall man nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been worried about the mold after that last big storm.”
“Truthfully, the biggest areas of expense will be the floor and the windows. They’ll have to be custom-made, and to restore the trim I would want to use as much of the original wood as possible. To match it can take time. The wood floor might be tricky too. We really won’t know how much damage we’re dealing with until we remove the tiles. I’ll have to get an asbestos report.”
Bergmann toed a corner of a floor tile. “Can’t we just put some of that laminate wood flooring over the tile?”
Adrian tried to suppress a shudder, at least enough that Mr. Bergmann wouldn’t be offended. That was the problem working on someone else’s building. To hide the magnificence of the aged beauty was a true injustice to the original craftsmanship. Putting fake wood on the floor and burying the truth even deeper was so wrong.
“Daddy, if we’re gonna do this I think we need to do it right. You know the wood under this flooring is irreplaceable. They can’t cut that type of wood planks anymore.” Her gaze darted to Adrian, and she took a deep breath before turning back to her dad. “I remember you and Mom talking about this. She’d want to see the floors restored. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, but I didn’t think you did.”
She nodded. “I do. I think we let Adrian strip the old tiles away and at least see what we have underneath. If there is too much damage to the old wood, then we can talk other options.” She glanced back at Adrian. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s a good place to start. If it’s possible, I would love the opportunity to save the original wood.”
“Okay, get an estimate to me, and we’ll go from there. I’m putting Nikki in charge.”
“Me? Why? I’m not staying.” She crossed her arms.
“You’ll stay until you’re healed and this room is repaired. I trust you. Of all my girls, you’re the most practical. I’ve always been able to count on you to get the job done right. The only reason I’m finally going ahead with this is because you’re here. You leave, and I call it off.” He turned to Adrian. “You have a problem answering to a woman?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. Then whenever you’re here, she’ll be here. She knows construction.”
Adrian lifted his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. He had no problem working with women. He’d done it several times before. What he feared was working with Nikki, and not being able to keep it all business.
Chapter Four
Nikki pushed the stationary bike into double time. She had convinced the new coach to let her in early. By the time the therapist arrived, Nikki had already broken a sweat. When she introduced herself as Teresa Ortega, Nikki hoped she concealed her shock. The Teresa Ortega she remembered couldn’t be old enough to have this kind of responsibility. She was one of the younger Ortegas of the huge Ortega clan. One thing she did know: all of them were good people.
After a quick assessment and a short lecture about the percentage of reinjuries if she didn’t follow protocol, Teresa left her alone to work out.
Wanting to avoid everyone, Nikki had stayed away from town. Adrian said it would take him a week or two to get the quote together, but he needed to take measurements and check out the condition of the existing structure. He would not actually be working, so she convinced her dad she could use the time to rest at home. If she spoke the truth, she would call it by its right name: hiding.
Unfortunately, there were two things she couldn’t avoid. The first being her sisters. They thought their mission was to cheer her up and keep her company.
The concept that she wanted to be in a bad mood and did not want to talk to anyone went over their heads. They came anyway, including her sister’s six-year-old twin daughters.
Second, she had to come to physical therapy. If she wanted the doctor to sign off on her recovery and get back to her real life, she’d have to focus and get it done.
She made plans to show up early, and if she kept her head down, maybe she could get out before Adrian and his daughter saw her.
Her father might have been the third, but he seemed to be doing a great job of avoiding her. The hurt in his eyes whenever they happened to be in the same room was too heavy for either one of them to handle.
Like the good Bergmanns they were, they didn’t talk about something that might turn into a fight. They kept it to themselves. But the burn in her gut told her that strategy was not working.
“Ms. Bergmann!” Mia rushed to her with strong swings of her crutches.
“Mia, careful.” Adrian followed at a more leisurely pace, his hand in the front pocket of his jeans. The whites of his eyes had more red than white in them. He looked as if he’d had a rough night. He glanced down at her new shiny knee brace. “How’s the knee? Any permanent damage?”
She pulled her ponytail tighter. Her stupid heart jumped when she saw him. Even tired and haggard, he was the best-looking man she knew. “No, but I got a lecture on how fortunate I am to escape another surgery.” She stared straight ahead at the large window that covered the wall. It was easier to pretend to focus on the view of the football field as she pumped along on the stationary bike than to look at Adrian. “Party too hard?” She was so lame.
“He was up all night with me. My leg was hurting really bad, and then he had a bunch of two-year-old horses with attitudes, and then he had to take me to the doctor, but not until he—”
“Mia, that’s enough.” He pulled his daughter close. “We’re interrupting her workout.”
“No. I’m fine.” If she could, she would have hit herself on the head. Adrian gave her an excuse to ignore them, but she had to be all agreeable.
Mia moved closer. “They say I might need another surgery.” For a moment, concern flashed in the eyes of both father and daughter. “Hope I get to ride the bike today. It looks fun.” And just like that, the sunshine smile was back on the adorable face.
The trainer walked in and saved Nikki from thinking of something appropriate to say. She watched in the mirrors that sat at an angle above the windows as Adrian shook hands with the petite brunette.
“Hi, Teresa.”
“So, is Mia ready for the next step?” She gave the girl an encouraging look. “It won’t be easy.”
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get back on my horse. I want to ride in the July Jubilee.”
Adrian’s jaw muscles flexed and a glare sat hard in his eyes. “We’ve talked about this. You will not be riding in the rodeo. It doesn’t matter what the doctor says. I’m your father, and I own that horse.”
The sweet face of the ten-year-old suddenly held the same determined glare as her father’s. Nikki couldn’t help but smile. Adrian might not know it yet, but he was about to have his hands full with a preteen girl who wanted her horse back.
Nikki’s father had been a roper, and she and her sisters grew up on the back of a horse. That was how he met Sheila, wife number two. Nikki’s father had been blinded by the beautiful blonde and the idea of giving them a mother. He thought he was giving his daughters a mother and recapturing the family life they’d had with their mom. He’d learned the hard way that everything that glittered wasn’t gold.
She had no right to judge. She’d made the same mistake.
Clearing her thoughts, she went back to watching Adrian as he hovered over Mia’s physical therapist. It didn’t seem as if he wanted to be married, not even to find a mother for his daughter and make his life easier. Any guy who gave up being a star in order to raise his daughter had to be a good man.
She’d dated some losers in the past. Maybe she could try a different kind of guy. A single-dad cowboy.
Ugh. What was she thinking? She leaned forward and closed her eyes, pretending she was outside, being challenged by a rocky terrain. Her knee protested, but she ignored it, pushing harder. She was tougher than the injury.
“Easy, Nikki.” Teresa’s lyrical voice pulled her from the trails on the north ridge. “We’ve talked about this. If you go too hard, you’ll just set back your recovery. And according to your charts, you’ve been making striking progress. You need to give it some rest after the stress of the other day or all your hard work will be wasted and you’ll have to start over. We don’t want that, do we?”
Nikki grunted. She hated being talked to like she was a kid, especially from someone who was basically a kid herself. Leaning back on the seat, she slowed her pace and wiped her face with a towel.
Teresa was walking through the steps of how to use the bike with Mia when a teenage boy walked in. He had the look of an athlete and a shoulder brace. Teresa waved at him. “I’ll be right there. Mia, I’m going to get Chris set up, so just take it slow.” She glanced over at Nikki. “Would you mind keeping an eye on her?”
Great, the kid probably wanted to talk.
“I hate the way they keep saying to take it slow. I know it’s my dad’s fault.”
She nailed that one. Nikki sighed. “So where did your father go?”
The thin shoulders lifted and then she faced Nikki, a small smirk forming on her lips. “Ms. Ortega had a talk with him. He was making us nervous. He’ll be back to pick me up in about fifteen minutes. Then he can ask all the questions he wants. We will probably be here for another hour.” She let out an exaggerated sigh.
“He loves you and is worried.” Great, now she gave advice on dads. She was such a hypocrite.
“He says I’m never going to rodeo again.” She frowned as she stared out the window. All the football players ran by on their way to the field.
“I doubt he really means it.” Then again, what did she know?
“Will you help me? I think they’re following my dad’s orders to go easy on me, but at this rate, I’ll never be ready for the July Jubilee rodeo.” Her large eyes pleaded.
Nikki went back to watching the football players. They were running drills. The last thing she needed was to become the confidante to a ten-year-old against her dad. The silence must have clued Mia in on her doubts. The girl stopped spinning in place and turned to her. A full-on assault with the hurt puppy look.
“It’s not fair. When he was my age, he rode bulls. I just want to run a horse around the barrels.”
“At neck-breaking speeds.” Nikki leaned her head back. This wasn’t her problem. Do not let it become your problem.
The more she tried to ignore this little inner voice that told her she cared, the louder the sucking sound echoed in her head. Yep, the big brown eyes pulled her into a world she wanted no part of, ever.
“If I was a boy, he wouldn’t do this to me.”
And that was it. “If you’re going to heal in record time, you can’t stop moving.” She gave a pointed glance to the feet not peddling. “Just keep working on getting better and show him how much you want to ride again. He’ll come around.”
The whirling sound of the stationary bike on the move picked up, and Mia pushed forward. “Do you think so? He can be stubborn. Even Tío thinks Daddy might not give on this one.”
“I’m sure you can get your uncle George on your side.”
The girl giggled. “I can threaten to use his whole name in public. It’s Jorge Emilio Maria De La Cruz the fourth.”
“Your uncle’s middle name is Maria?”
A delightful giggle made Nikki smile.
“Great-grandpa came from Mexico. Maria is a common name for boys and girls. When Daddy is mad at my tío, he calls him Maria. Don’t tell Tío I told you, or he will get upset with me. He claims there will not be a fifth.”
“I won’t say anything about the name. I can’t make the same promise when it comes to your leg. What does your uncle think about you racing again?”
“He says he has to side with my dad, even if he disagrees.” A sigh sounding too heavy for a ten-year-old escaped. “It was my first real rodeo, and now I’m afraid he won’t let me go back. You’ll help me work out and push me harder?”
Why wasn’t she strong enough to look away from those big brown eyes? “Hey, we’re workout buddies, right?”
Mia’s face lit up, and just like that the joy was back. How did Adrian ever manage to tell her no? “Right.” Leaning forward, her jaw went tight and determination flowed from every ounce of the small body and into the movements. “I wish I had a mom. She’d be able to handle my dad. That’s what moms do, right?”
“You don’t see your mom?” Her chest tightened. Why didn’t she change the subject?
“Nope. Pretty much after giving birth to me, she took off. I know her name, but that’s it. She gave up all her rights to me. I found a picture of her in an old yearbook. Daddy doesn’t want to talk about her. He gets upset.”
Now her stomach knotted. Memories, emotions and acid flooded her body. She gripped the handles and forced air in and out. Outside the window, clouds drifted by. She breathed in the soft white image and breathed out all the ugly of her life.
The panic attack would not win. The air pushed faster through the wheel turning in place. Faster and faster she pushed her legs. Sweat dripped from her body. Mia leaned forward as if they were in a race.
“Hey, easy!” Adrian’s voice crashed into the wall she’d built and knocked a chunk out of the bricks.
“Daddy! You scared me. We’re working to make our legs stronger.” Mia looked at her dad then to Nikki. A silent begging filled the room.
“Your daughter is a hard worker. You should be proud of her, Adrian. At this rate, she should be more than ready to ride again by July. A concrete goal is a great motivator to work through the pain.”
His lips tightened and he turned to Mia. “Go wash off and get yourself ready. We’ll talk to Teresa before we leave.”
Getting off the bike, Mia hugged her. “Thank you, Ms. Bergmann.”
Her heart melted a bit and she sucked in a hard breath. She couldn’t afford a soft heart. “Call me Nikki.”
After Mia left, Adrian turned his full attention to her
. He didn’t look happy. “I’m not sure what you thought you were accomplishing by encouraging her to ride in the July rodeo, but it’s not happening. I’ve been very clear, and she understands.”
“I don’t mean to step on any toes, but she’s determined to ride in July. Your daughter doesn’t understand why she can’t ride if she’s released by the doctor. Adrian, you were riding bulls at her age.”
“It’s different.”
“Why? Because she’s a girl?”
“She’s my daughter. You’re not a parent. You don’t get how scary it is when you see your kid almost die in front of you.”
You’re not a parent. No, she had given up the right to be called by that name. The edges of her eyesight blurred as she tried to force the hot air out of her lungs. It didn’t work. She sucked in through her nose. Grabbing the towel, she swung her leg over and got off the bike. “You’re right. I overstepped. But your daughter asked for my help. So I don’t think she’s given up on the idea to ride again.”
Jaw locked and spine straight, she turned away from him and lifted her bag onto her shoulder. She didn’t dare pause to take a shower or wash off her face. Her hand was on the door when Mia caught up with her. No, no, no.
“What did my dad say?”
Without looking down, she stood on the threshold. “He says you’re not riding. I’ve gotta go. See you later.” A quick movement had the door closed to the little girl who was looking at her as if Nikki could give her something she wasn’t capable of giving.
As fast as her limp would take her, she went to the edge of the sidewalk and looked for her father. Some of the students and teachers leaving campus waved at her. She didn’t recognize most of them. Her father wasn’t waiting for her. The breath froze in her lungs, and she focused on counting. He was never late. He had to be all right. She looked at her watch again. It was still early.
He was fine. A customer held him up. Breathe.
She cleared her mind of the terrible things that could happen to her father, and Mia took over. Those big eyes that went straight to her heart. She hoped she never saw Adrian’s daughter again. It was too much to handle.
Texas Daddy Page 5