by Tina Leonard
After she’d fallen back asleep, he’d let her rest as long as he thought he could without screwing up either of their schedules. She had that interview to conduct, and he was supposed to be working with a client in Fort Worth. Daniel had trained an Arabian mare for the man, but he occasionally supervised his client’s sessions with the horse to make sure progress was consistent. Also, the client had asked him to be present for today’s veterinarian visit.
It was good Daniel had a full afternoon ahead of him. Stewing in guilt and replaying erotic scenes from last night was not a productive way to spend the day. Staying busy would help him forget about Nicole for a little while. Theoretically.
Who are you kidding? The image of her wearing nothing but lace-trimmed lingerie and leather boots in the moonlight? There wasn’t enough busy in the world to erase that.
* * *
THE INTERVIEW WAS the best Nicole had conducted in weeks. Because the candidate was truly that wonderful? she asked herself afterward. Or are you just in a really good mood today?
Possibly both, she admitted as she unwrapped a turkey sandwich at her desk. Sure, her day had begun rather inauspiciously, but once her nausea had evaporated, like a dense early morning fog lifting to reveal beautiful sunshine, she’d felt amazing.
She returned a bunch of calls, set up another newspaper interview publicizing the wind farm project and made a respectable dent in her email inbox. One of the emails from a colleague in San Antonio ended with her coworker counting down the hours until tomorrow’s opening of a new action movie that starred a mutual favorite actor.
I wonder if Daniel would be interested in seeing it with me. It was hardly the first time today she’d found herself thinking of him, but up until now, she’d avoided wondering when she might see him again. This was uncharted territory for her. She’d never indulged in an affair that she knew had no future. She’d been goal-oriented from a young age, and she didn’t like wasting time on anything pointless.
But this didn’t feel pointless. It felt more like...a vacation, something exotic and wonderful that you accept from the start is fleeting. Before her reality shifted to midnight feedings and more diapers than she could count, she had these couple of weeks in Dallas with Daniel. He was key to the equation; she didn’t know any other man who could have inspired her to behave in such an out-of-character fashion.
So, now what? After assuring him she was an adult who wouldn’t get starry-eyed and mistake their time together for a burgeoning relationship, she didn’t want to call too soon and seem clingy. Yet, since they were limited to only these couple of weeks, she didn’t see the point in playing coy and throwing away time they could have enjoyed together either. It was a relief when her phone rang, reminding her that she was supposed to be a confident executive, not a nervous sophomore fretting over whether or not to ask a boy to the Sadie Hawkins Dance.
“Nicole Bennett speaking.”
“Hey. It’s Daniel.”
Beneath the desk, where she’d kicked off her red patent pumps, her toes curled. “I was just thinking about calling you,” she admitted. “You were so great this morning. I wanted to say thanks.”
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Completely. It can be intense while it lasts, but once it’s over, it’s like it never happened.” An appropriate metaphor for her affair with Daniel? She tried to ignore that depressing thought.
“How’d the interview go?”
“It was really promising. I have to talk to Adele before I make an offer, but I have a good feeling about the candidate. Finally! I was beginning to despair of ever finding someone who was the right fit. This may call for a celebratory piece of chocolate pie at that bakery Lizzie introduced me to. You’re welcome to join me if you’re in the area.” There, that sounded casual. Message: I’d be interested in seeing you again, but no pressure.
“Actually, I have plans tonight. Jacob and I are taking his son Christmas shopping. But you could join me,” he blurted.
For a family outing? She was more confused than ever about the boundaries of this holiday fling.
“It’s weird that I invited you, isn’t it?” he said, sounding as if he second-guessed himself. “It was a wild impulse. But Jacob and I have three stepsisters to shop for, plus Julieta. A female’s opinion could be really helpful, and given your love for Christmas, I thought... I completely understand if you’re not up for crowds and a couple of hours on your feet. You, uh, didn’t get much sleep last night.”
She smiled at the reminder. “Neither did you.”
“Totally worth it—even if I was so sleep-deprived that I kept mixing up the horse’s name and the client’s. I don’t think Tony appreciated my calling him Sugarhoof.”
“You did not!”
“Okay, I may have exaggerated that part. But I did call the mare Tony.”
“Is Sugarhoof really her name?” she asked skeptically.
“You obviously don’t attend many rodeos or watch televised races like the Kentucky Derby. Next to some of the more bizarre names out there, Sugarhoof is the nondescript John Smith of the equine world.”
She laughed, glad he’d called. Talking to Daniel was better than chocolate pie. “Maybe I will join you guys tonight. If you’re sure it will be okay with your brother? After all, Christmas shopping is more fun with company, and I can’t go with Adele since most of the gifts I plan to buy are for her.”
They agreed to meet in the mall food court. She should have just enough time to swing by the apartment and change first. Her lower back was aching a little bit, and she didn’t relish the idea of shopping in the shoes she’d worn to work.
Aches and pains aside, she was looking forward to the evening ahead. During her two recent dinners with Daniel, he’d told her enough stories about his brother that she was starting to feel as if she knew Jacob. He was obviously a terrific guy for his brother to look up to him so much. She wondered if Daniel had considered how difficult it would be to live so far away from the sibling he obviously idolized, but that was none of her business. Maybe she was projecting her own desire for a close-knit family onto someone who would be perfectly happy to keep in touch through online photos and holiday visits.
“Afternoon, stranger.”
Nicole glanced up to see a smiling Adele in the doorway. “Hi. You get that text I sent you earlier? If you’re available next Monday, the two of us should take that interview candidate to lunch. I think you’re really going to like her.”
“I did get your text, and I’m glad we have a solid lead. I know you worry about leaving me in the lurch when you go on maternity leave.”
“True, but that’s still months away.”
“Time flies faster than you expect,” Adele said wistfully. “But I’m not worried at all. You’re the most competent person I’ve ever hired. I know you’ll have everything organized and laid out for us so that your absence causes minimal disruption. And speaking of absences, roomie...” She gave Nicole a pointed look.
Nicole didn’t know whether to be amused or exasperated by the warmth flooding her cheeks. Seriously? She was almost thirty years old, well past the age of consenting adult. It was ludicrous for her to blush just because she’d stayed out all night. “I did tell you not to wait up for me. You weren’t worried, were you?”
“Not in a pacing-the-floors, what-if-she-wrapped-her-car-around-a-tree kind of way, no.” Adele stepped farther into the office and shut the door for privacy. “I do worry, though. You know I think the world of you, dear. You’re compassionate and sharp and very special. I couldn’t be prouder if you were one of my daughters, and I thought it was a crime that you were so busy taking care of me and helping run my company that you didn’t have time to date.
“Not that you need a man,” Adele clarified, “but marriage and family have always been on your horizon. So I’m tickled that you’ve met som
eone who appears dazzled by you. The way he looked at you the other night?” She fanned herself with her hand. “But your situation is unique. If things got serious between the two of you, he’d be committing to an instant family. And even if he thinks he might be ready to parent two babies—”
“He doesn’t, trust me. And things between the two of us aren’t going to get serious.”
Adele cocked her head to the side, her expression perplexed. “How could you possibly know that? Emotions aren’t always planned or easy to control, the negative ones or the positive ones.”
Thinking carefully, Nicole tried to find the words that would ease her friend’s concerns without diminishing Daniel’s worth. He was a hell of a guy. He just wasn’t the guy for her. “He and I have talked about our very different future plans. He hasn’t shared all of his with his siblings yet, so it’s not appropriate for me to tell you about them. But we know we’re not looking for the same things. We’re just enjoying each other’s company, having uncomplicated fun. You don’t have to worry that I’m getting too attached.”
Adele pursed her lips, her body language dubious.
“I promise.” Nicole smiled wryly. “This isn’t going to end in me wearing pajamas for a week, listening to sad songs and eating ice cream out of the carton. It’s not like that between us.”
“All right,” Adele conceded. “I shouldn’t have poked my nose where it didn’t belong. You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders. No more fussing on my part. Now, if you’re about done for the day, how about we go have dinner and you tell me more about this woman you want to hire?”
“Oh. I, um...I’m not actually free tonight. I’m going Christmas shopping. With Daniel,” she added, lifting her chin slightly. She’d just explained that she and Daniel enjoyed each other’s company. There was no reason to feel self-conscious about running such an innocent errand, especially with his brother and nephew there as chaperones. So why did she feel as guilty as the time she’d knocked over a foster mother’s vase and broken it on her first day in a new house?
Adele sighed, then turned on her heel to leave the office.
Nicole exhaled slightly, glad to see her friend had been sincere in her “no more fussing” pledge. “I really expected you to give me grief about seeing him two nights in a row.”
“No. I’m not going to say one word about it. But while you’re out, dear, you might want to look for some comfy pajamas and stock up on ice cream. Just in case.”
Chapter Nine
Daniel was freshly showered and changed into clean clothes when his brother knocked at the front door.
“Ready to go?” Jacob asked. Standing next to him, looking like mini-Jacob, Cody raised his arms. “Hug, hug!”
Daniel scooped the kid into a quick hug, then set him back down. “Ready.”
Even after two months, it still made Daniel do a double take to climb into his brother’s pickup and see, instead of a bull rope and a bag of rosin tossed on the backseat, a toddler’s car seat and plastic toy trucks. The soundtrack had altered, too. Fewer songs about beer and rodeos, more songs highlighting phonics.
When Jacob obligingly hit Repeat on a tune Cody particularly enjoyed, Daniel decided it was as good a time as any to mention his spur-of-the-moment invitation to Nicole. It had been completely unpremeditated. He’d just been so happy to hear her voice and he’d realized he wouldn’t see her tonight, or tomorrow evening because of Luke’s bachelor party, and then she was attending that bridal shower on Saturday... The words had just spilled out of his mouth. He hoped Jacob wouldn’t mind. If there was one thing his brother had demonstrated, it was that he could be flexible and adapt easily to the unexpected.
Daniel cleared his throat. “So, you remember Nicole.”
“The pretty brunette you brought to the ranch four days ago? The one you couldn’t take your eyes off of?” Jacob teased. “Or are we talking about some other Nicole?”
“She and I have been talking this week.” Among other things. “And she has some Christmas shopping to do, so I mentioned we were going to the mall tonight. She’s planning to meet us, if that’s okay. I, uh, figured she could give us input on gift ideas for the girls.”
Jacob snorted with laughter. “You must have it bad if you’re using that lame excuse to spend more time with her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides, you have no room to needle me about going out of my way to spend time with a woman. You moved Mariana into your house right after you met her!”
“That was to help Cody make the transition, and you know it. But I’m sure as hell not sorry about how everything worked out.” Biting his lip, he cast a quick glance at the rearview mirror to see if his son had caught his use of the H-word.
“Anyway. You don’t mind, do you?” Daniel asked. “Because if you’d rather this just be a guy’s night, I could call her...”
“Of course I don’t mind. If she’s important to you, I’d like the chance to get to know her better. To bond. To warn her that if you’re ever in the general proximity of an owl, she should expect to be shoved to the ground while you run off shrieking like a girl.”
“I did not run off. And you didn’t even witness it happen.”
“True. But I’ve imagined it plenty of times, and in my head it’s hilarious.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “One other thing about Nicole...” She’d mentioned that the nausea could come and go suddenly. If it happened to sneak up on her tonight, he didn’t want Jacob to think Cody had been exposed to stomach flu. Besides, now that Lizzie, Chris, Jet and Jasmine all knew about the pregnancy, it wasn’t much of a secret. She’d said this morning that, between medical appointments and the side effects of carrying twins, she’d need to start telling her coworkers soon.
Lowering his voice just in case Cody had developed an interest in the conversation, he said, “She’s pregnant.”
“What?” Jacob took his eyes off the road just long enough to gape at Daniel. “But you aren’t—”
“Of course not! She decided she was ready to be a mother and was artificially inseminated.” Might as well explain the situation now, in case her pregnancy came up tonight, and spare Nicole any awkward questions. “She’s most of the way through her first trimester, and she’s been keeping it pretty quiet.”
“So you’re involved with a pregnant woman?” Jacob looked as if he was having difficulty digesting this information. “Because the other day, you said—”
“We’re not that involved. Just because the rest of you have all caught wedding fever doesn’t mean I’m looking to settle down.”
From the backseat, Cody piped, “Hungry! Crackers? Peese,” he added dutifully.
Jacob asked Daniel to dig through the bag at his feet and find the animal crackers. In Daniel’s limited experience, the crackers wouldn’t ruin Cody’s appetite for dinner. For a little guy, he could put away an impressive amount of food. It must take a lot of fuel to keep him running at Mach 10, which was Cody’s usual speed when not restrained in a car seat.
As Daniel passed a couple of the crackers to his nephew, he reiterated to his brother, “I like Nicole a lot. But that’s all it is.” Though he’d dated a number of women, he didn’t think he’d been in love his entire adult life. Which suited him just fine. Better to leave the long-term entanglements to people who could let themselves be happy without spending all their time waiting for the other boot to drop.
By the time he was a teenager, he’d witnessed adultery, divorce, imprisonment and death. His stepsiblings had dealt with abandonment. Nicole had coped with her birth mother’s addiction and Adele’s cancer. In the past, Daniel had met people who seemed shocked he would willingly ride bulls for a living. “Isn’t that dangerous?” he’d been asked numerous times. Definitely. But as far as he could tell, life in general was a series of treacherous perils.
At least in the rodeo ring, you saw it coming.
* * *
NICOLE LEANED AGAINST the metal railing that overlooked the lower level of the mall and watched as Daniel and his brother approached. Many a female head turned to watch them pass. As if the two dark, tall and handsome men weren’t attractive enough, Jacob had the added appeal of carrying an adorable toddler. Nicole imagined she could hear the sighs that followed them.
Neither man seemed aware of the interest they drew, probably because they’d had years to get used to it, plus the rodeo experience that helped them ignore onlookers and focus on the task at hand. Still, she couldn’t deny that it was heady, the way Daniel seemed too intent on her to notice other women. His gaze had locked on her the second he stepped off the escalator.
She grinned in greeting, wanting to kiss him hello but feeling shy about doing so in front of his brother and nephew. “Hi, there. You guys got here just in time. The smells coming from the food court are so enticing, I was about to give up waiting and go get dinner.” She was, after all, eating for three.
“Hungry!” the little boy declared.
Jacob laughed. “So that’s two votes in favor of eating right away.”
They passed one sit-down restaurant on their way to the horseshoe of casual, to-go vendors that took up half of the second story.
Daniel inhaled deeply. “I see what you mean about the smells getting to you. I was fine until now. Suddenly, I’m famished. Of course, the steak house would take too long. A meal in there would cut too much into our shopping time.”
“After last night,” Nicole told him, “I won’t want steak for a while. What you fixed was so good, everything else is bound to be a letdown.” She became belatedly aware that Jacob was watching them, his expression curious.