Tanya Michaels - The Texan's Christmas

Nicole had been Adele’s emissary in hundreds of professional situations. She had mixed feelings about serving that role in this capacity, but if there was any chance she could help reunite a family...

“Okay.” She prayed that she was right about Lizzie and the others wanting a second chance with their mother. If not, Adele would be crushed.

Meanwhile, since Nicole was being so vocal about her friend coming clean and sharing her secrets, maybe it was only fair she take her own advice. “Just so you know, there’s one other thing I want to discuss with Lizzie on Sunday. But I can’t imagine telling her—or anyone else—before first telling you. I’m...”

The word was momentous. She paused, struck anew by the magnitude of her choice. Happiness spread through her, a buzz of warmth and excitement. “I’m pregnant.”

Adele’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“So, I guess it’s safe to say you weren’t expecting that?” Nicole’s queasiness and unusual lack of energy would have eventually given her away, but since she’d been in Dallas for only a day, there hadn’t been enough opportunity for Adele to notice yet.

“N-no, definitely not! I have to admit, I’ve worried at times that taking such good care of me didn’t leave you any room for dating. I—”

“The only ‘date’ involved in conceiving this baby was the cozy night I spent sitting by the fireplace and reading donor files. Well, and the day I had the procedure done, of course.”

“Procedure? You were artificially inseminated?” Adele’s shock didn’t seem to be abating.

“Why not?” Was there a touch of defensiveness in her tone? She dropped a hand to her still-flat abdomen. “I don’t know what the future has in store for me, but I know I’m ready to be a mom. Guy or no guy in my life, I want this.” Unlike Nicole’s younger self, this baby would never, ever feel unwanted. He or she would be completely secure in Nicole’s love. “Be happy for me?”

“Of course I am, dear!” The confusion and surprise in Adele’s expression faded. “You’re going to make a wonderful mom. And if there’s anything I can do to help along the way, to repay you for—”

“There’s nothing that needs repaying,” Nicole insisted. Taking care of Adele hadn’t been a selfless act. It had allowed Nicole to feel as if she had some measure of control, even if it was only an illusion. Watching her friend go through that terrible illness had been wrenching, but it would have been even worse if Nicole had felt useless. Cooking Adele doctor-recommended foods and coaxing her to eat had made Nicole feel like a member of the team, as if she was doing her part—no matter how small—to help beat back the cancer.

“A baby.” Adjusting to the idea, Adele grinned delightedly. “You do know that, as honorary grandmother, I’m going to spoil the kid rotten?”

“I’m sure she, or he, will learn a lot from you. God knows I have.”

There was no question that Adele would make a wonderful honorary grandmother. But Nicole hoped that by the time her child was born in seven and a half months, Adele would already have plenty of practice with her other grandchildren.

Chapter Three

There was a certain kind of soreness Daniel found gratifying—the kind that came from a challenging workout or staying out all night dancing with pretty ladies. As he exited the therapy building Thursday afternoon, he felt sore but upbeat. His physical therapist had not been what he expected. A gorgeous redhead, Sierra Bailey had a face like a porcelain doll and the soul of a drill sergeant.

After explaining the pendulum exercises she wanted him to do at home, she’d warned, “I’ll know if you don’t do them. And there will be hell to pay.”

He believed her. He also believed she was eminently qualified to whip him back into shape. The plan was to start with a regimen that increased his range of motion and flexibility. Strength would come later. Sierra had told him that once he’d regained enough mobility, she’d add biceps exercises. He couldn’t wait to feel like his old self again. He might even spend some extra time at the Roughneck so he could use the ranch’s heated pool for some of his exercises.

As he turned onto the sidewalk that cut through the medical complex toward the parking lot, he spotted a dark-haired woman coming from the other direction. She had a hand against her midsection, and his first thought was that she might be in pain. Then the wind tossed her hair back, away from her face. Nicole Bennett? Unlike the tension he’d glimpsed in her face the other day, now she wore a dreamy expression. She radiated a serenity he wasn’t sure he personally had ever experienced.

“Nicole?” he called.

She looked up, startled. He felt a twinge of guilt for disrupting her moment of peace. “Daniel.” Her voice was breathier than he remembered.

“Did you have an appointment here?” He circled his finger, indicating the horseshoe cluster of buildings that housed medical professionals ranging from orthodontists to podiatrists. Didn’t Nicole live in San Antonio? It seemed odd she would have a doctor in Dallas. Not that it was any of his business.

“Oh.” She blinked. “I, um...”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry. I was just surprised to run into you. I was meeting with my physical therapist for the first time.”

Nicole cocked her head, studying him. “Chris mentioned you were hurt bull riding. Was it bad?” Her dark eyes were still roving over his body, ostensibly checking for injury, but his hormones didn’t seem to care about the platonic reason for her scrutiny. Awareness simmered through him, clouding his thoughts to the point where he could barely remember her question.

“Whoops.” She dropped her gaze. “Guess I’m the one prying now.”

“No, that’s okay. I...” Got distracted. By her eyes. Maybe best not to say that to a near stranger. “My injury was bad enough to need outpatient surgery. I consider myself lucky. Could have been a lot worse. Brock’s living proof of that.” It was ironic, given their many differences, that he and his stepfather had this one thing in common—being knocked on their butts by an ornery bull.

“When I visited Dallas in April, he was in a wheelchair. He’s better now?”

“He’s back on his feet, but I don’t think Julieta’s going to let him enter any more senior rodeos.”

“What about you? Do you plan to get back in the saddle?”

“I haven’t made up my mind, but...probably not.” It was easier to admit that to a virtual stranger than his rodeo-centric family. “I enjoyed competing. I love winning. But I’m ready for something new. I’ve been thinking a lot about my future lately, trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up,” he joked. “Sometimes you reach a point when it’s time to take the next step in your life, you know?”

“I do.” Something flickered in her eyes, and she took a deep breath, as if trying to steady herself.

“Are you okay?” He wouldn’t be surprised if the idea of facing all the Barons this weekend was giving the poor woman an ulcer.

“Absolutely. But I should be getting back to my office.”

“Right. See you Sunday.” He lifted his hand in a brief wave, but it quickly became apparent that, although they’d been coming from opposite directions, they were both headed to the same section of the parking lot. The silence between them as they fell in step frayed his nerves.

He couldn’t help feeling as if Nicole was headed into the lion’s den on Sunday. Growing up on the ranch, he’d had Jacob as an ally. He wanted Nicole to feel she had someone in her corner, too.

“I realize it’s not my place to say this,” he began, “but there’s some history between your employer and the Barons. I don’t want you to be caught in the middle. Adele Black, she...” Now what, genius? The rest of his unfinished sentence was a Pandora’s box he shouldn’t open.