Daniel cut through the water with a blind ferocity that would no doubt vex his physical therapist, each stroke like a swing at an unseen enemy. Last night had been the worst sleep he’d had since his hospital stay after his injury in the rodeo ring.
Maybe he would have been better off remaining at the bachelor party because when he reached his house, the quiet solitude had rung in his ears more punishingly than the distorted casino music. He’d tried to call Nicole once, but she hadn’t answered her phone. Maybe reception had been lousy in the hospital or she’d been busy trying to help Adele with something. When he finally gave up on the idea of her calling him back, he’d gone to bed, where he’d been plagued with nightmares.
Jumbled memories of his mom’s death mixed with the image of Nicole sitting alone, crying in a hospital corridor. He’d been standing next to her, calling her name, but she hadn’t been able to hear him. Around three in the morning, he’d awakened feeling dejected and heartsick. He’d turned on a late-night movie, but must have fallen asleep sometime before dawn. He woke hours later on the couch, troubled by a crick in his neck and creepy, lingering scenes of a terrified Nicole giving birth in an abandoned hospital.
He’d cooked himself brunch just to have something to do, then realized he had no appetite and headed for the ranch so he could exorcise his demons in the pool. He knew that Kim and Lizzie were hosting Carly’s shower here this afternoon, but that was still a couple of hours away. So he was surprised to hear female voices above the splash of his body through the water.
Reaching the other end, he did a roll underwater and kicked off the concrete. Then he headed back to the shallow end and stood. If Lizzie had arrived to start setting up, maybe he could help her. That should keep him from compulsively dialing Nicole to see how she and Adele were doing.
Lizzie was nowhere to be seen, however. Jasmine stood on the porch next to Nicole, who looked absolutely beautiful in a deep green dress. Without pausing, he took the pool steps two at a time and went straight to her.
She let out a startled yelp when he hugged her. “Um...hi?”
Jasmine poked him in the side. “You do know you’re all wet, right? It’s one of the side effects of time in the pool.”
He released Nicole, but couldn’t tear his gaze off her. “I was worried about you.”
Her eyes widened at the intensity of his tone. “I told you I was okay,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back. By the time I got your voice mail, it was pretty late. I didn’t want to bother you.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she was allowed to bother him, that she should call anytime. But the words felt hypocritical and drastic. Once spoken, they couldn’t be unsaid, and being someone’s emergency phone call was the kind of responsibility he’d always shied away from. So he bit his tongue, wondering if being a coward was better than a hypocrite. Nicole deserved better than either.
“Daniel?” Her expression softened. Was she interpreting his silence as further evidence of deep concern?
Aware that Jasmine was openly staring at him and that he was behaving like a sleep-deprived lunatic, he struggled for a casual tone. “How come you’re here so early? Did I get the time of the shower wrong?”
“No, Jasmine and I decided to meet here to talk twin stuff since we had trouble finding time during the week that worked for both of us. Jet’s meeting his mother for coffee, so he’ll bring Adele in time for the shower and I can drive her home later.”
He’d forgotten that Jet hadn’t gone with the girls to see Adele earlier in the week. For his stepbrother’s sake, he hoped the reunion went well. Life took some bizarre twists—if Adele hadn’t walked out on her children all those years ago, would he and Nicole ever have met?
“Well, I should probably get going then, let you and Jasmine chat.”
“Don’t let us run you off,” Jasmine said. “We were going to sit at the table since it’s pretty out, and Anna’s bringing a pitcher of tea and some muffins. But you certainly won’t be bothering anyone in the pool.”
“It’s okay. I was done with my workout anyway.” That was true, more or less. He’d been desperate to relieve the tense, helpless frustration that had coiled inside him during the night. Seeing Nicole had done a lot to accomplish that.
Jasmine cleared her throat. “You know what? Anna’s really busy working on the cake for the shower.” When Daniel had come through the house earlier, Alex had been trying to convince the housekeeper to let him taste test all the goodies for the shower, and Julieta had told Brock he should take her son to the nature and science museum for the afternoon.
“I’ll just get the muffins and tea myself,” Jasmine continued. Then she disappeared into the house.
Nicole blinked. “Well. That was a painfully transparent attempt to give us time alone.”
“I for one am grateful.” He took her hands between both of his. “Now, tell me the truth. Are you really all right?”
She lowered her gaze, looking flustered by his concern. “Hey, Adele was the one who had the reaction,” she joked. “I was just the driver. They think she’s developed a sensitivity to eggs. There was some in her Caesar dressing. She’ll be careful what she eats for the rest of our time here and follow up with an allergist when she’s back in San Antonio.”
He waited expectantly. Although he hoped Adele’s allergic reaction was a fluke and not a sign of anything more ominous, his chief concern was Nicole, not her boss.
She sighed. “My calling you was a total overreaction and, having had time to sleep on it, I feel foolish. I had this weird moment of déjà vu and claustrophobia where it felt like the hospital walls were closing around me.”
“Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. I can’t stand hospitals. I mean, they’re probably not anyone’s favorite destination spot, but ever since my mom...” He tried to shove aside the painful memories, but it was difficult with last night’s bad dreams so fresh in mind.
He changed the subject. “While we have a moment to ourselves, can I add that I’ve been thinking about you since we said goodbye at the mall?” The awkward way they’d left things after their shopping trip had rattled him. “I want to see you again.”
When she didn’t immediately answer, foreboding slithered through him. “Nicole? Has something changed? Did I—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, anticipating his question. “And...I’d like to spend more time with you, too. I’ve missed you.”
The last of his tension melted away. Unable to stop himself, not caring if Jasmine or Anna or anyone else saw, he cupped her face and kissed her. That kiss felt more like coming home than driving up to his dark house last night had. Her fingers clutching his bare shoulders reminded him sharply that he wore only a pair of bathing trunks. She felt so damn good against him, it took all his willpower not to suggest they go find a place where she could be equally shirtless.
He straightened, trying to look nonchalant and not like a man considering throwing her over his shoulder caveman style. They could be at his house in three minutes... “So you’re still my date for Carly’s wedding?”
“Absolutely.” She gave him an impish smile. “I need excuses to wear as many cute dresses as I can while I still fit into them.”
He grinned. “In that case, I think I get to bring a plus-one to the rehearsal dinner, too. But that’s not until next Saturday. Will I have to wait that long to see you?”
On Friday, he was leaving for Colorado and would return Saturday afternoon in plenty of time for the rehearsal and wedding on Sunday. Nicole and Adele planned to be back in San Antonio by the new year. His time with her was rapidly slipping away.
“I don’t want to wait that long, either,” she said. “But the next couple of days are pretty busy. Tomorrow, Adele and I are taking everyone from the Dallas staff to see the Nutcracker and then dinner in Reunion Tower. It’s pretty much our version of an office Christmas party. And, of course, another excuse for a great dress. Monday’s booked, too.”
“You’re telling me we have to wait until Tuesday?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah, I think so.”
He kissed her forehead. “Luckily, you are worth the wait. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to dive back into the pool.” He suddenly had a different type of frustration in need of an outlet.
* * *
NICOLE HAD BROUGHT a small spiral notebook with her for her chat with Jasmine. As the time for the shower approached, she realized she’d filled lots of the pages with advice and product recommendations. One of Jasmine’s key suggestions was to find a local club for moms of multiples and attend even when the thought of trying to get herself and two infants ready to leave the house seemed impossible. Jasmine assured her that the moral support and friendship she’d find there would be entirely worth it.
Admittedly, the thought of having a network of people she could talk to was heartening. Nicole was well liked and respected among her peers in San Antonio, but she was only just starting to realize how much she’d distanced herself from her social circle while taking care of Adele. Now she was feeling adrift. Twins were going to be a lot to handle by herself.
Jasmine had cautioned her to accept help whenever it was offered. “Don’t be proud. And two newborns go through supplies like you will not believe! At the hospital, they’ll give you some freebies like diapers and wipes or lotion samples. Take it all! Take anything you can legally get out the door with you. If it turns out to be something you don’t use, you can always give it to one of your new buddies at the multiples club, but you cannot be too prepared. You must stock up on supplies—we’re talking zombie-apocalypse-level stockpiling! Only, in this case, you’re going to feel like the zombie. At least for the first few months. But I promise you, it gets easier.”
On the table, Jasmine’s phone pinged and she glanced down, then back up with an expression that was both hopeful and nervous. “Jet texted. He and Adele just pulled onto the Roughneck property. Do you want to go out front and meet them? I can’t imagine being in her shoes and coming back here. I’m sure she’d appreciate the friendly face.”
Nicole nodded. “Did he happen to mention how it went?”
Jasmine shook her head. “No idea. But no matter how well it went, I doubt that many years apart can be bridged during one coffee meeting. I imagine the situation will take lots of patience.”
Nicole smiled. “You are very wise.”
“Well.” The woman returned the smile, her eyes twinkling. “Jet’s not marrying me for just my good looks.”
They rounded the house in time to see Jet pulling up with Lizzie driving behind him. Jasmine went immediately to kiss her fiancé hello, and Nicole studied Adele’s face, which looked splotchy. After careful scrutiny, Nicole decided her friend’s features were tear-stained and that the blotches weren’t an indication of another hives outbreak.
“Did it not go well?” she asked Adele softly.
Adele swallowed. “It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.” That was saying something, given her medical history. “But, overall, it went better than I had any right to expect. Jet said that, if his father and Julieta agree, we should come for Christmas, that family should be together.”
“Huh.” In the abstract, Nicole didn’t disagree. But wouldn’t that be terribly awkward with Brock and his new wife in the same room? She assumed Carly had spoken to her father about Adele coming to the wedding, but she had no idea how that conversation had gone.
While Jet introduced his mother to Jasmine, Nicole went to greet Lizzie and a pretty young woman with warm brown eyes. Lizzie pronounced her “Kim Healy, cohost extraordinaire” and Carly’s best friend since the two girls had tried to punch each other’s lights out in second grade. Nicole laughed at that. When Daniel had told her during one of their dinners that the only one who’d rivaled him in the troublemaking department was Carly, she’d thought he’d been exaggerating. Maybe not.
Lizzie and Kim were pulling bags of decorations and door prizes out of the trunk.
“Anything I can do to help?” Nicole volunteered.
“You want to take these rolls of toilet paper?” Lizzie suggested. “They’re lightweight.” When Nicole stepped forward, Lizzie added under her breath, “Do we know how it went with Jet and Ad...with Mom?”
Hearing Lizzie call Adele that almost brought tears to Nicole’s eyes. Her mother’s struggle with addiction had been a harsh lesson that people were not always capable of changing who they were, even when they were motivated. But at least the Barons were proving that people were capable of compassion and forgiveness.
“I think it must have gone all right,” Nicole speculated. “He mentioned her coming over on Christmas.” It would be a nice chance for Adele to meet her grandchildren before Carly’s wedding.
Lizzie looped her arm through Nicole’s. “Then you’ll join us, too, right? You can’t spend Christmas alone in some efficiency apartment downtown.”
Jasmine sent Nicole a teasing grin. “Her joining us can be Daniel’s gift this year. He’s out in the pool, and you should have seen the way he looked at her! His expression was scorching enough that Anna could have cooked with it!”
Nicole could feel the prickly heat of a blush spreading across her face, worsening when she realized Adele had overheard Jasmine, too. “It’s not... We aren’t...”
Laughing, Kim shook her head. “Another Baron falls, huh? Unbelievable. Is there something in y’all’s water supply I don’t know about?”
They headed toward the house, happily chatting, and Nicole didn’t want to be churlish by correcting Kim. Daniel hadn’t “fallen” for her. That wasn’t the kind of relationship they had. At least, it wasn’t supposed to be.
But even though she knew better than to let herself fall for him, was she growing dangerously dependent on him? During her brief panic attack at the hospital, Daniel had been the person she’d wanted to comfort her—the only person she’d wanted. You’re smarter than this, Nic. If anyone should be good at insulating her emotions so that she didn’t get hurt when it was time to say goodbye, it was the girl who’d lived in a parade of foster homes.
She’d understood the rules between her and Daniel since before he’d asked her to his house for dinner.
Have fun. Store up memories for long, lonely nights ahead. But do not get attached.
* * *
DRIED OFF AND once again wearing street clothes, Daniel was ready to leave the Roughneck. He thought about taking the long way around the outside of the house so that he didn’t interrupt the women inside, but, technically, the party hadn’t started yet. And he couldn’t resist saying goodbye to Nicole.
When Julieta saw him in the kitchen, she narrowed her eyes in a mock-stern expression. “I’m guarding the food while Anna cleans up and changes clothes. We figured we were safe once I chased Brock and Alex out of the house, but if your hand reaches for anything on this kitchen island, prepare to get snapped with a dish towel.”
He laughed. “I have no designs on the food, I swear. I was about to head home.”
“All right then. See you Christmas Eve?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He followed the sounds of female laughter into the spacious front living room.
Carly waved a finger at him when she saw him. “Hey, this is a no-man zone.” But she was smiling when she said it.
“I—”
From the foyer behind them, Brock’s voice boomed. “Don’t mind me. Got halfway there and realized I forgot my wall— What in the hell is she doing in my house?”
Daniel spun around in time to see his stepfather’s face turn a mottled red with fury. He was glaring across the room at where Adele sat between Lizzie and Savannah.
Both sisters swung their gazes to Carly.
“I thought you talked to him!” Lizzie scolded.
“Julieta was going to help me find the right time,” Carly said. Her hands went to her hips, and she straightened, her tone defensive. “Fine, I’ve been procrastinating for a few days. That’s nothing compared to the years he had to tell us that our mother had come back to see us and that he sent her away. But you’ll notice how that never came up!” It was still a source of contention that Carly had discovered from an old family friend how Brock had never told his children he’d forbidden Adele any contact with them.
Adele paled, looking stricken by the hostility in the room. “Maybe I should—”
Daniel stepped forward, taking advantage of his position between Brock and the spirited, hot-tempered daughter who was so much like him. “Carly, you have a bridal shower starting in ten minutes. I’ll help your dad find his wallet.”
“It’s not lost,” Brock said as Daniel gripped his arm and marched him past the room.
“Semantics. The fact remains, this is a no-man zone.”
“It’s my house!” Brock pulled away from him at the end of the hall. “And that woman isn’t welcome under my roof. You weren’t here when she left. You don’t have the first damn clue what those kids—”
“Don’t I?” Daniel snapped in a low tone. “Are you forgetting that my mom died? I know exactly what it’s like to have your mother ripped away from you, one day there, the next day gone.”
The older man looked shamefaced but didn’t back down. “That was different. Peggy, God rest her soul, died. She never would have abandoned you willingly. Delia made a conscious choice to walk away from little ones who needed her. Who cried for her for months.”
Brock shoved a hand through his hair. “I sure as hell couldn’t fill the hole for them. Not any more than I could for you and Jacob after your mama’s death. I excel at a great many things—rodeo, making money. But parenting...” He didn’t meet Daniel’s gaze as he stumbled through the halting words. “It’s been pointed out to me repeatedly in the past year that I’ve...made mistakes.”
Daniel blinked, stunned. Brock Baron was not a man who easily admitted he was wrong. Maybe he could be reasoned with, after all.
“Don’t let today turn into a mistake,” Daniel urged his stepfather. “I know how much you love Carly. Don’t you want her to be happy?”
“Of course! I—”
“Well, it’s important to her that her mother be part of the wedding celebration. You kept them apart once. If you’ve ever regretted that decision, now’s your chance to atone. Don’t try to keep them apart now. Carly and the others...they’re adults. They have to make their own choices about the relationship they want with Adele.”
“Maybe. But when you have children of your own, you’ll understand,” Brock said gruffly. “Adult or not, they are still my kids.”
They. Not you. But that didn’t matter right now. This wasn’t about Daniel not feeling like a true part of the family, it was about repairing a rift between people he cared for. Maybe Nicole’s compassion was rubbing off on him.
“Well.” Julieta stomped toward them, holding Brock’s wallet out. “That was quite a spectacle you caused. Are you going to leave peacefully, or do I need to escort you to your truck?”
Daniel smothered a laugh. Julieta might be the only person on the planet who could make Brock look nervous. Thank God she had a big heart. He knew she would campaign for the Baron siblings to reunite with their mother.
“I’m going,” Brock said. He jerked his head in Daniel’s direction. “This one already talked some sense into me.”
Julieta raised an eyebrow. “Did you, now? Then I take back what I said earlier about the dish towel. You’ve earned the right to sample some of the goodies in the kitchen.”
“I’m honored, but I’m just going to head out.” Food didn’t sound that appealing. Although everything seemed to have been handled for now, residual tension knotted his stomach. Even when he’d seen Brock in the hospital, the man hadn’t seemed as vulnerable as he had when he’d admitted that he hadn’t known how to be there for his kids.
For years, Daniel had resented feeling like a second-class citizen and questioned whether his stepfather cared about him. But the situation had been complicated. Maybe Brock had cared and simply hadn’t been good at expressing himself, how to reach out to two motherless boys and ease the loss they’d felt. Their brief, heated conversation in the hall had been unexpectedly candid. It was also the closest Daniel had ever felt to the man. A shame that, if Daniel moved to Colorado, there wouldn’t be many opportunities to develop that bond further.