DONNA ALWARD - The Texan's Baby

He raised one eyebrow. “I suppose you want me to sign away parental rights, too? No sign or trace of the rodeo bum, no stain on the great Baron name, right?”

Again her cheeks heated. “I didn’t mean that at all! I just meant to say that I’m not here to... God, how do I put this? I’m not after anything from you. That’s all. I’m handling it.”

“Handling it.” Chris put his hands on his knees and angled her a sharp look. “Does that mean you’re taking care of it? Or am I reading that wrong?”

Taking care of it. She knew exactly what he meant. He was asking if she was going to terminate the pregnancy. “And would you care if I did?”

She was holding her breath as she waited for his answer. He met her gaze evenly.

“I would care,” he finally said softly. “I’ve never really thought about it before, but it’s not easy, is it? Theoretically I understand the right to choose. But when I think about this baby being part of me...” His gaze dropped to her stomach and back up. “I find I care very much, Lizzie.”

It might have been easier if he didn’t. If he were a bit more of a jerk, to be honest. Instead, even in his shock, he was remarkably level.

“Maybe you don’t need help,” he continued, “but it’s here for you regardless. I always own up to my responsibilities.”

Something warm slid through her at his gentle and very unexpected words. “How can you say that when you’ve just found out? We hardly know each other. I mean, it took me a couple of days to even wrap my mind around the idea of this. I’m still reeling.”

“There are some things you just know,” he said calmly. “And then you figure the rest out as you go along.”

She rested her palm on her tummy. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all was how protective she already felt towards her unborn child. The pregnancy was going to cause massive problems in both her professional and personal life. And yet there was something incredible about knowing that a tiny person resided inside her. It was frightening and it was awesome at the same time. In that moment, she forgot all about Baron Energies and Christopher Miller and anything else. Nothing was more important than this baby and making the right choices.

Her baby. She was no longer simply Lizzie Baron.

She was a mom.

It scared her to death.

There was a strange buzzing sound in the silence, followed by a series of chimes coming from the area around Lizzie’s feet. She suddenly realized it was her cell, and the ringtone was the one she used for family, not work. “Excuse me just a moment,” she said, reaching down and searching blindly in her bag.

The caller ID showed her stepmother Julieta’s name, so she clicked the answer button. It only took a few short sentences for the blood to drain from her face.

“I’m glad I reached you,” Julieta said, and Lizzie heard strain in her voice. “It’s your dad, Lizzie. He got thrown and he’s hurt.”

Oh, hell. Brock Baron had always thought himself a bit indestructible, and persisted in competing in seniors’ rodeos even though he was getting older. Lizzie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “How bad is it?”

“A badly broken leg, maybe a concussion, and they’re checking his ribs for breaks, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Stupid, stupid man!”

Lizzie could hear the worry in Julieta’s voice and she clutched the phone tightly, pressing it against her ear. “I’m not in Dallas at the moment,” she said, and she heard the wobble in her voice, too. Damn it. Now was not the time to fall apart. Not that there was ever a good time. Her mind started to spin out of control as the ramifications of the call sank in, and she forced herself to deal with the crisis of the moment and not what lay ahead. “I can be there in a few hours, though. What about the rest of the family?”

“The boys are here, Savannah’s coming right from the ranch, and Carly’s on her way.”

“Good, then you’re not alone. I’ll call you when I’m close, okay? And give him my love. Hang in there, Julieta.”

She hung up the phone, dropped it in her bag and faced Chris again. “I’m sorry to cut this short. I know we have things to talk about, but I have to get back to Dallas right away.”

His brows pulled together in concern. “Is everything okay?”

“Not really.” Her voice wobbled and she cleared her throat. “My dad was in an accident. Far as we can tell, he’s got a broken leg, but he’s still unconscious and they’re thinking he also has a concussion.”

“Oh, my God. What happened?”

She shook her head, still not quite believing how full of himself her dad could be from time to time. His age and he still thought he was invincible. “He was competing. The events kicked off this morning. First round and he got thrown.”

They both knew what could happen in the arena. “Of course you have to go. I understand.”

She handed over a card from her wallet. “This is me, at Baron Energies. You can contact me there, okay? I don’t want to tell the family about the baby yet. Especially now, when my dad...”

Her voice broke. Brock Baron was a crusty old bugger but he was her daddy and she still idolized him, faults and all. She stood up and suddenly her head felt light.

“Hey, Eliz...Lizzie, are you okay? You’re white as a sheet.”

She nodded and mustered up a smile. “I forgot to eat lunch is all, and got a bit light-headed.” Which was a complete lie—she’d thrown up her breakfast and then by noon had been ravenous, wolfing down a bacon cheeseburger like a linebacker. Something about the red meat particularly appealed right now. But that was hours ago.

“I don’t think you should be driving all that way by yourself. You’re upset. Let me drive you.”

She clutched the handle of her bag. “And throw you into the mix with my family? Not a chance.”

“You can argue with me and waste time or you can say ‘yes, Christopher’ in that formal voice of yours and we can be on the highway in five minutes.”

“I’m fine.”

He raised an eyebrow.

Who knew the man could be so stubborn? “You can’t order me around.” She reached in the bag and found her keys, looping them around her finger. “And don’t even try forcing my hand by bringing this secret into it.”

Chris went up to her then, close enough she could see the little gold flecks in his rich brown eyes. Close enough she could smell his aftershave and close enough she could reach out and touch his strong chest if she wanted to.

Which she didn’t. But if she did...

“Of course I’ll do no such thing. But I will appeal to your common sense. I want you to be safe. The last thing your family needs is more bad news because you drove too fast or were distracted.”

She was plenty distracted at the moment. Currently she was staring at his lips and remembering one glorious night in a discount motel room...

“If we take my car, how will you get back here?”

“I’ll take the bus. Seriously, it’s not that big a deal. I don’t have any competitions this weekend. I was just going to go out to my folks’ place and I can call and tell them I’ll be a day or so late.”

He put his hand along the side of her face, making the skin there tingle. “You’re pale,” he said softly. “And considering the news you shared with me today...”

“You should be running in the other direction.”

“No, I shouldn’t. Let me make sure you get to the hospital in one piece, okay? Besides, it gives us a chance to talk about all the things we need to on the way.”

That actually made sense. Plus it would keep her mind off Brock and give her company for the drive—even if it was Chris.

“Okay. Can we get going though? I don’t want to waste more time arguing.”

He smiled then, and her heart gave a strange thump at the sight. It was the first time he’d truly smiled since she’d arrived, she realized. And she remembered why she’d fallen under his spell in the first place. Chris Miller was more than just handsome. He was...magnetic. She’d have to be careful to keep things totally platonic. There could be no romantic complications as they moved forward with her plans for the baby.

“We’ll take my car. If I remember right, it’s more comfortable than your truck.”

“Deal.” He put out his hand for the keys.

Reluctantly she gave them to him, and followed him out the door. They went down the elevator and through the foyer and out into the bright Texas sun, which seemed exceptionally warm for March. She squinted and pointed toward her car, but Chris just pushed the unlock button and found her vehicle when the lights flashed on.

“A Mercedes. Nice ride.”

“It’s a company car.”

Which was strictly true. One of the perks of being a VP. Not that she was complaining...

He got behind the wheel and adjusted the mirrors and before she could exhale a deep breath he was pulling out of the parking lot. They were on their way to the highway when he pulled into a strip mall and zoomed into a drive-through. “What are you doing?”

“You looked like you were going to pass out back there. Let’s get you something to eat, okay? You can eat while I drive.”

She should protest, say they were wasting time, but the truth was she was hungry and she knew from bitter experience the last week or so that if she let herself get too famished, she got ill. “Just a roast beef sandwich and a milk for me, please.”

He pulled up to the window and ordered two sandwiches, a milk and a Coke. She took out a twenty to pay for the meal, but he gave her a long stare and levered his hip, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket. “I think I can buy my kid a sandwich,” he said quietly, taking out a couple of bills and handing them to the teenager at the window in exchange for the food.

She put her money away. So the man had his pride after all.

He didn’t waste any time getting to the highway, headed toward Dallas and her family. It was strange seeing someone else in the driver’s seat of her car, and surreal to think that he was the father of the baby growing inside her. None of it felt like it was truly possible; rather the situation was like a weird dream and she’d wake up with a great sense of relief. But it wasn’t. She’d made a mistake. And now she had to deal with it, the way she’d always dealt with changing situations in her life. With logic.

The sandwich was delicious, a bit warm with tangy mustard and lettuce and tomato and she ate neatly, self-conscious the whole time. While she drank from her carton of milk, Chris manhandled his sandwich with one hand while driving and when the first half was gone, he reached for his soda and took a long pull. “Feel better?” he asked, looking over at her.

“I do, thank you.” She tried a smile. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she started eating. “You were right. I needed some fuel. Especially since I don’t know when I’ll eat again once I get to the hospital.”

“You’re close with your family?” He glanced over at her and then back at the road again.

“Mostly.” It was a complicated question. “My mom left when we were pretty small—me and Savannah and Carly and Jet. When my dad remarried, he adopted Peggy’s boys, Jacob and Daniel. Then Peggy died.... I think we’re the new ‘typical’ American family.” She smiled. “Blended a couple of times. Dad’s current wife has a five-year-old son from a previous relationship. We get along pretty well—considering. Even though we’ve all grown, things are still centered out at the ranch. We’ve got the farm and Dad built the ring for rodeo training.”