HER SECRET, HIS BABY

by Tanya Michaels

  “I’m calling because she’s in the hospital.” The swaggering man had never sounded so fragile. “How soon can you get here?”

  * * *

  BY THE TIME he reached the hospital, it was all over. Garrett was ravaged with self-blame. Why hadn’t he been here with her? Had this happened because they’d had sex? Between all the machines in the hospital interfering with cell phone reception and Garrett driving through several “dead spots,” he hadn’t been able to stay in constant contact with Justin. Those moments of not knowing what was happening had been sheer hell.

  What he did know was that Arden’s membranes had ruptured a month too early. The doctors had given her antibiotics and had considered a drug to discourage labor as well as steroids to help speed development of the baby’s premature lungs. But ultimately they’d decided the safest thing for both mother and child was an emergency C-section.

  When he’d last spoken to Justin, that was all the man had known. Garrett burst into the maternity waiting room, frantic. Layla rose from a chair and ran to hug him.

  “Tell me she’s okay,” he implored.

  She nodded. “With the type of C-section they did, they had to knock her out. She’s still asleep, but she should be fine. The baby was having a little bit of trouble breathing on her own, but she’s on a ventilator in the NICU and—”

  “She?” Garrett grabbed Layla’s shoulders. The errant tears he’d fought since he’d jumped into his truck spilled over unchecked. “I have a daughter?”

  Layla nodded emphatically. “Four pounds even. Name yet to be determined. Come on, her uncles are already upstairs watching her through windows.”

  Four pounds? Lord, she was smaller than a bowling ball but already had so many people in her life who already loved her. He followed Layla to the elevator bank. Now that the adrenaline in his body was starting to ebb, his legs felt too rubbery to take the stairs. The doors parted, and he was about to step inside the elevator when a nurse behind them called, “Family and friends of Arden Cade?”

  He spun around. “Is she awake? Is she all right? Can I see her?”

  The woman lowered her clipboard and gave him a patient smile. “Slow down there, sir. She’s awake, but groggy. She’ll experience some discomfort over her recovery period, but right now she’s on some pretty strong painkillers. And, yes, you can see her. Only one at a time in the room until she’s had a bit more rest.”

  “I’ll go tell the guys.” Layla squeezed his arm. “You tell Arden we all love her.”

  We all love her. God, he’d been an idiot. Why hadn’t he dropped to one knee the last time he’d been with her, told her he’d never felt this way about another woman and begged her to marry him? He’d been cynical lately about matrimony and fidelity and honesty, but was that the kind of world he wanted to raise his daughter in? A place where people saw the worst in each other and didn’t take risks with their hearts?

  The nurse led him to a dimly lit maternity suite with a couple of guest chairs and a hospital bed angled so that Arden was reclining but not flat on her back. She was connected by IV to several different apparatuses and monitors. Wearing an unflattering hospital gown, tubes sticking out of her arms, plastic bracelets encircling her wrists, her damp hair sticking to a face bloated with the fluids they’d given her, she was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  She blinked in confusion, as if trying to decide whether she was dreaming. “Garrett?” Her voice was slurred. “That you?”

  “It’s me.” He came to her side, wondering if she’d let him hold her hand. Unable to stop himself, he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Congratulations, I understand you have a beautiful daughter. But no way is she as beautiful as her momma.”

  “I need to hold her!” Splotches of color rose in her cheeks. “They put me under, I only glimpsed the hospital blanket and a blur and—”

  “The nurse who brought me in here said they’ll wheel you upstairs soon. They need to check some vitals first.”

  That seemed to calm her. She swallowed audibly, the sound dry and cracked, and he looked around for a pitcher of water.

  “How’d you get here so fast?” she asked.

  Fast? Under other circumstances, he would have laughed at the irony. “Sweetheart, those were the slowest, most agonizing hours of my entire life. I felt like I was stuck in another dimension and couldn’t reach you. It was a living nightmare.”

  Her eyes slid closed once again. “You’re here now.”

  * * *

  AFTER A NIGHT that passed in a fragmented series of narcotic impressions, Arden woke the next morning with a sense of awe. I have a baby girl. It seemed almost a dream, except for the pain in her midsection and the still-vivid memory of the fear she’d felt when the doctor had said they needed to do an emergency Caesarean.

  Trying to remember how much of what she recalled was real, she turned her head to identify the source of snoring. She half expected to see Justin or Colin, but it was Garrett, his jaw covered in stubble, his legs hanging off a chair that transitioned into a twin bed about a foot too small for him.

  “Garrett?”

  He came awake immediately, his expression as chagrined as if he’d fallen asleep while he was supposed to be keeping watch. “I only closed my eyes for a minute.”

  She started to chuckle, but it hurt, tugging her insides in opposite directions. “You’re allowed to sleep. How is she?”

  “Healthy. She’s upstairs in an incubator, but they say she’s doing incredibly well for a preemie. She may have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks, but she should be home by Thanksgiving. My parents called about an hour ago. Would you mind if they come see you?”

  “No, they should be here. Family’s the most important thing in the world.”

  “Then you must be my family.” He stood, coming to her side. “Because all I could think when I hauled ass to the hospital yesterday was that you’re the most important thing in the world to me. You are my world. I’m sorry I didn’t articulate that clearly enough until now.”

  She didn’t know what to say. Could she trust what she was hearing, or were the drugs in the hospital very, very good?

  “I can’t wait to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a family,” he said. “And Christmas! I’ll put so many lights on the outside of the house the baby thinks she lives in Times Square.”

  “You...sound like you plan to spend a lot of time at my house. Don’t they need you at the ranch?”

  “I don’t want to be here just for your recovery—or hers, no matter how much I love her. I want you, Arden. If I have to, I’ll ask Dad to give the foreman extra responsibilities, hire some extra help. I’ll stay in Cielo Peak as long as you want. If you’ll have me,” he said brokenly.

  “But the Double F—”

  “What’s one ranch compared to the entire world?”

  “Arden, is this bum bothering you?” Justin’s teasing voice came from the door, and Arden was glad to see his familiar face—although it looked as if it had gained several new worry lines in the past twenty-four hours.

  “I’m not sure,” Arden began, “but he might have been proposing.”

  “In a hospital room with no ring?” Justin snorted. “Frost, my sister deserves a string quartet and a five-star meal.”

  “As soon as she’s all better and you volunteer to babysit your niece, I’ll take her out for those things. Right now, I’m improvising.” He turned to Arden. “You asked me before why I wanted to marry you?”

  She held her breath, almost afraid to hope.

  He took her hand, his heart in his eyes. “Because I love you and always will.”

  “I love you, too.” Joy filled her, and for a second she felt no pain at all. “And I’d like nothing more than to marry you.”

  Epilogue

  Arden stood by her
daughter’s hospital crib, watching her sleep. “I hate that I’m going home without you, but I’ll visit every day. And going home just means I can supervise Daddy while he gets your room set up perfectly,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you a secret, you’ve already got Daddy completely wrapped around your finger. Be careful with him. He may be a big, strong cowboy, but he’s got a tender heart.”

  She couldn’t believe he’d really been willing to move to Cielo Peak for them. She’d informed him that under no circumstances would she allow such a sacrifice. But they would have to remain for at least a few months, as their daughter got stronger. They’d relocate to the ranch sometime after New Year’s and were hoping to get married around Valentine’s Day.

  Her husband-to-be was waiting for her in the hall, having already said his temporary goodbye to their daughter. As soon as the drugs had begun to wear off and Arden started having longer stretches of lucidity, Garrett had asked if she’d decided on a name for a baby. During her pregnancy, she’d toyed with the notion of perhaps naming a daughter for Natalie. Or after her own mother. But those both felt off the mark now. There was nothing wrong with honoring the past, but Arden wanted to focus on the bright, bright future ahead of them. They’d christened their daughter Hope.

  “Everyone’s waiting downstairs,” he told her, putting his arm around her shoulders. “If you want to change your mind, I can tell Mom that—”

  “No, we agreed. Caro’s going to stay with me while you finally get that testing done. You already had to postpone because of me. I don’t want this hanging over your head, Garrett. The nurses are giving Hope the best care possible, and you know your mom will look after me and call you with daily—possibly hourly—updates.”

  “I just hate to leave you.”

  “I know, but we have a whole lifetime ahead of us. We can spare a week of that to find out whether you can help Will.”

  During the days she’d been in the hospital, Garrett had told her all about how Brandon had forgiven his wife’s transgression. And Arden had thought about the many rich blessings she and Garrett shared. If they could bless someone else with a second chance...

  Even though she was able to walk by herself, hospital policy dictated that she be taken to the exit in a wheelchair. Apparently, there was a waiting list for the chairs, because the nurse who said she’d be right back had yet to reappear. The elevator doors parted, but it wasn’t the nurse who stepped off the conveyance. Both her brothers were loaded down with her belongings, ready to take them to Garrett’s truck, and they were accompanied by Layla and the Frosts.

  “We just wanted one last peek at Hope through the window before we go,” Layla said sheepishly. “I can’t wait until you can bring her home, and I get to hold her as much as I want.”

  “Sorry, honey,” Caroline said. “I’ve got grandmother’s prerogative. You’ll have to wait in line.”

  “Her parents get first dibs,” Garrett said firmly.

  Affection and gratitude filled Arden. How was it possible she had ever felt alone? She looked from the group assembled in the hall back to her beautiful daughter, then up into the eyes of the man who loved her. My family. Hope didn’t know it yet, but they were the luckiest two ladies in all of Colorado.

  * * * * *

  Be sure to look for the second book in Tanya Michaels’s

  THE COLORADO CADES trilogy—SECOND CHANCE CHRISTMAS.

  Available in December 2013!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Home to the Cowboy by Amanda Renee

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin American Romance story.

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  Chapter One

  A loud caterwaul rose from the backseat of Tess Dalton’s rental car as she crossed over Cooter Creek.

  “We’re almost there.” The tires thumped against the wooden boards of the old steel bridge, increasing her tabby’s anxiety. “Oh! What in heaven’s name is that smell?”

  Ricky’s stink bomb was the cherry on her already bountiful sundae. At least she’d had the foresight to pack a disposal kitty-litter box. Tess traveled the country over with her beloved feline and, never fail, he did it every time. She thanked the stars above it hadn’t happened on the plane. They probably would’ve declared an emergency landing due to toxic warfare if it had.

  The noxious odors filling her car added one more page to Tess’s book of highlights for the week. Her swift, security-assisted escort off the aircraft the moment it touched down deserved its own chapter. Ricky’s rendition of “Cat Scratch Fever” wasn’t exactly the cabin crew’s idea of in-flight entertainment. But did they really have to applaud when she exited the plane?

  No matter the hassle, Tess wouldn’t have it any other way. Ricky was the one constant in her life, and wherever she went, he went.

  The fall foliage lined the narrow two-lane highway in brilliant shades of crimson and gold. The sun peeked over the corrugated roof of Slater’s Mill, gilding the honky-tonk’s parking lot in a warm glow. It always amazed Tess how beautiful the most mundane things appeared when bathed in the morning light. The luminous orb didn’t drop by her New York City apartment until almost noontime.

  “Everything’s the same.” She draped her arms across the top of the steering wheel, peering through the windshield at the old brick-front buildings, decorated for Halloween with bats and scary cats.

  Change was inevitable in New York. You went to sleep with a deli on the corner and woke to a dry cleaner in its place. Not in Ramblewood, the land where time stood still.

  A horn startled Tess.

  “Whoops! Sorry.” Tess waved to the man behind her. She drove another block and angled her car in front of the Magpie Luncheonette.

  Located in the heart of town, the Magpie began as a bakery. Her mother wanted to call the place Maggie’s Buns but Tess’s father, Henry, put the kibosh on the idea the moment she uttered the words. Naming it “the Magpie” was his idea. It was appropriate, since her mother and her friends lived to chat and gossip and were downright busybodies. The townsfolk flocked to the Magpie for their coffee and quick meals while they caught up on who was involved with who and what was new in town. Henry never understood why Ramblewood still bothered to print a newspaper. You could get more information in five minutes at the Magpie than if you read the Gazette from cover to cover.

  There was a chill in the fresh fall, cat-poop-free air. She grabbed her sweatshirt from the passenger seat and stretched, stepping from the car. Shrugging the buttery-yellow fleece over her head, Tess felt the muscles in her legs throb from the red-eye flight and drive in from the airport.

  Removing the offending care package Ricky had thoughtfully left for her, Tess pulled the carrier into the shade of the backseat with one hand, digging into her purse for a bottle of hand sanitizer with the other.

  “I’ll be right back.” She tossed the Baggie into the garbage can near the curb.

  Surveying the treats on display in the luncheonette’s grand picture window made her feel like a kid again. Every day, on her way home from school, Tess played a guessing game to figure out which treat her mother had baked. Kentucky Sky-High Pie had been her favorite and still was to this day.

&nbs
p; Maggie had started the patisserie when Tess was four, hoping to bring a little cultural flair to the town. By Tess’s tenth birthday, the bakery had grown into the luncheonette. Maggie’s little eatery was a favorite with the locals for a quick bite, but no matter how successful or busy Maggie was, she always found time for her only child.

  A familiar cowbell sounded from above the door as heavenly aromas greeted Tess, causing immediate salivation. “One of these days that bell is going to fall off and clunk someone right on the head,” she grumbled.

  “Isn’t that the truth?” A striking redhead stepped out from behind the counter. “Girl, it’s been way too long!”

  “Bridgett!” Tess hugged her old friend. “You look amazing!”

  Bridgett spun around in the middle of the restaurant with the grace of a runway model. She stopped when a bell dinged from behind the counter, letting her know her order was up. “Meet me at Slater’s tonight so I can catch up on your exciting life in New York and that cretin you almost married.”

  Almost married.

  Her ex-fiancé, Tim, hadn’t really given her much of a choice. While Tess was home selecting flower arrangements with their wedding planner, Tim was in Las Vegas eloping with his assistant. What was it about that city? It wasn’t the first time she’d been scorned by someone in Vegas, because despite the tourism commercial, not everything that happened there stayed there. At least Tim had had the courtesy to do it before the wedding and not leave her at the altar. The thought alone made her heart stop beating for a few seconds. Mortified would have been the understatement of the year.

  “Hey, Bert,” Tess called to the chef through the kitchen window. He was her father’s best friend and an honorary member of their family. Tess even spent the first few years of her life thinking he was one of her uncles. “Give us a minute out here, will you.”