A Baby for Mommy Read online

  Discomfort radiated through the upper part of her chest. Stifling another moan of dismay, she gazed up at Dan, who was studying her with a mixture of amused indulgence and concern.

  “I knew this was a mistake,” Emily lamented as the first telltale wave of heartburn hit.

  And so had Dan when he’d seen the size and richness of the combination German chocolate cheesecake covered in dark chocolate ganache and nuts and slathered with whipped cream. Considering the heavy dinner they’d just consumed, he’d wondered if perhaps the two of them shouldn’t opt for something lighter. But Emily, her pregnancy-fueled appetite roaring, had insisted she had room for it all.

  Now, of course, she wasn’t so sure she had. Who said it was a good idea to give in to prenatal cravings? she wondered irritably.

  Dan shook his head. Hand cupping her elbow, he steered her into the pharmacy next door.

  “That may be the case,” Dan observed drolly, “but it didn’t stop you from eating the last bite of cake.”

  Okay, so for a few minutes there she’d been as out of control in the bakery café as she’d been in bed with him.

  Wondering how she’d become such a hedonist, Emily narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you making fun of me?”

  Dan slapped a hand to the center of his broad chest and regarded her with comically exaggerated innocence. “Me? No, ma’am. No way. No how.”

  More out of control emotionally than ever, Emily stamped her foot in a show of temper designed to distract her from the real issue—her inability to stop wanting more with him. More time, more lovemaking, more everything. “You’re laughing!” she accused, indignant.

  Dan’s rich chuckle was music to her ears. “Can’t help it,” he confessed with an unrepentant grin. He tapped the tip of her nose. “You’re very cute when you’re pregnant.”

  Emily scoffed. “You’ve never seen me not pregnant, Dan.”

  Crinkles formed around his eyes. “True.” His hand slid protectively around her as they moved closer to let another customer pass in the pharmacy aisle. “But I can imagine it.”

  That was the problem, Emily thought with a wistful sigh. She could imagine being with Dan for a lot longer than the next two weeks, too. Coming into town with him tonight had just made the fantasy all the more real. Warning herself not to get too carried away, she concentrated on the task at hand—getting something to quell her heartburn. “I have to stop eating so much,” she said, shaking her head in remonstration.

  “You still look very slender for someone who’s nearly five months along,” Dan soothed as they roamed the store looking for the liquid antacid Emily’s doctor had said it was safe to take. His palm slid lower on her back. “Depending on what you wear,” he added.

  Emily shot him a glance. “I just look fat?”

  Exasperation turned the corners of his mouth down. “That was not what I was going to say,” he returned sternly.

  Emily curved her palm over her baby bump and leaned back against the shelf, looking up at him. “Then what were you going to say?”

  Dan braced a hand on the shelf, next to her head, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “That you look cute all the time to me.” He smiled.

  A thrill shot through her.

  Overwhelmed by her deepening emotions, she looked for the clouds in the silver lining. The problem that would keep her from falling head over heels in love with the sexy father of three.

  “Not beautiful,” Emily assumed, feeling another surge of wholly irrational pregnancy hormones soar through her again. “Just cute.”

  Looking ready to risk anything to be with her again, Dan curled a finger around a lock of her hair. “Why do I feel this is a trick question?” he asked, his gaze roving her upturned face.

  Not sure where this was going—not sure where she wanted it to go—Emily wet her lips. “Just answer me,” she prodded quietly.

  Dan let his gaze slowly search her face. “I don’t think you want me to do that,” he said.

  Emily swallowed around the sudden parched feeling in her throat. “Why not?”

  “Because—” Dan sighed, looking as conflicted as she felt “—if I start telling you how incredibly beautiful I think you are every hour of every day, it’s only going to lead to something we have both sworn off.”

  Emily released a long, slow breath. “We did that, didn’t we?”

  Dan held her eyes. “We agreed we would try just being friends for a while.”

  Another dumb idea, Emily thought. How often did she have romance and passion in her life? Not to mention the completely unforgettable kind Dan was offering? And yet here she was, throwing even a short-term fling away, all in the name of protecting her heart, which was getting broken anyway.

  “Now what are you thinking?” Dan asked.

  Emily pressed a fist against the increasing pressure in the center of her chest. Pressure she was no longer sure was all due to too much rich food. “That heartburn in a pregnant woman is no laughing matter.”

  He didn’t buy it.

  But it didn’t matter, because as they proceeded a little farther down the aisle, they located what they were looking for. One transaction at the cash register later, they were outside again. Overhead the moon was clearly visible, and stars shone in the black velvet sky. The rain-scented breeze ruffled their hair.

  Shivering a little, Emily uncapped the bottle and swigged the recommended dose of two tablespoons. The chalky liquid coated the inside of her mouth and slid down her throat. She made a face. “I know what the bottle says, but this is definitely not wild berry.” She shuddered and made another face.

  Dan watched, waited. “But it’s helping,” he said finally.

  Emily leaned against the rough brick facade, liking the warmth of his body. “A lot.” She made another face. “Now, if only I could do something about the yucky taste in my mouth.” Before it brought on another bout of dreaded “morning sickness.”

  Dan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small roll of spearmint breath mints. “Maybe this will help.”

  Their fingers touched as the transfer was made.

  Emily put a mint on her tongue. It did help.

  “Better?” he asked.

  Yes, Emily thought, in that the bad taste was gone. And no, in that her longing for him had just increased a hundredfold.

  MONDAY AFTERNOON, DAN met Travis, Jack, Nate and Grady at a local grocery-store warehouse. They were all participating in the local food drive sponsored by the Fort Worth Community Service League. Travis was lending a truck from his construction company. The rest of them were loading up donated goods, which would be delivered to various shelters and food banks in the area.

  It was more than a chance for Dan and his friends to get together, it was an opportunity for them to give back to the community that had given so much to them.

  And today, Dan thought, it was also an opportunity for him to hit his pals up for a little help in another venue.

  While they loaded cases of canned sweet potatoes and green beans, Dan told his friends about his trip to Fredericksburg and enlisted their help in making Emily’s dreams come true.

  “I’ll ask around, see who’s the best in the area for that type of construction,” Travis said.

  “Same here with the wiring, computer and communication systems,” Jack promised.

  Nate pushed a dolly loaded with boxes onto the truck bed. “I’ll spread the word to all my clients, see if anyone is interested in buying bulk produce from them or underwriting the construction of a restaurant and tearoom,” Nate added.

  The latter of which, Dan planned to surprise Emily with. “Thanks,” he said.

  Grady went back into the warehouse for a load of frozen turkeys. When he returned he asked, “How are things going otherwise? Mealtime any better?”

  “Lots, actually,” Dan said, thinking about what a change Emily had made to his home life.

  “Do you worry about the kids getting too attached to her?” Jack pushed the empty dolly down the t
ruck bed. “Thinking of her as a mother figure or anything?”

  It wasn’t just the kids, Dan thought. He could easily envision Emily as the woman of his house. And that was a dangerous notion. “They know she’s planning on leaving us right after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to move to Fredericksburg.”

  Nate studied Jack. The most analytical of the group and the only one who didn’t have kids, he was always considering every angle of a situation. “You haven’t tried to convince her to stay on? Work for your family permanently?”

  “No,” Dan said.

  “Why not, if it’s working out so well?” Travis loaded boxes of baby formula and cereal.

  Grady grinned like the newlywed he was. “I think I know. Having Emily work for his family complicates things in a way that puts a wrench in other things….”

  Leave it to Grady to figure it out, Dan mused.

  Not ready to discuss feelings that were still way too raw and unexpected, Dan turned the discussion to another aspect of the situation that was a heck of a lot easier to talk about. “She made it clear to me from the very beginning that she wants to turn things around for the orchard her father started.”

  The guys considered that. Dan had an idea what they were thinking: there he went again, giving his heart to another woman on a crusade that would end up leaving him in her rearview mirror.

  Grady stacked boxes of smoked hams near the door of the truck. Because they had to be refrigerated, they would be last on and first off. “Couldn’t she let the guy she’s going into business with do that?”

  If only they’d just been talking about growing fruit here! It would be a lot easier for Emily to walk away and move on with her life.

  Dan vetoed the suggested possibility with a shake of his head. “Tex Ostrander doesn’t have the culinary expertise to start a restaurant or develop products to sell in the retail space. Emily does.” It was an incredible business opportunity for her, the start of a whole new career that still had the connection to her past she craved. Dan couldn’t compete with that, no matter how much he wanted to.

  Travis closed the back of the supply truck and secured the latch. “It sounds like a real opportunity for Emily, but what about you? How do you feel? You want her working closely with that guy?”

  Dan hadn’t told anyone what was going on with him and Emily. But his friends had seen him when he first laid eyes on her, and knew him well enough to recognize the chemistry brewing between them.

  “Yeah, you said he was her ex-fiancé,” Grady remarked.

  They all waited to see Dan’s reaction.

  Dan shrugged and tugged off his work gloves. “Why should I care?”

  Glances were exchanged all around.

  “Not the same as answering the question,” Nate teased.

  Jack grinned devilishly. “Maybe he’s into her.”

  Travis, the most cynical of the group, said, “Be careful, buddy. We were around to help you pick up the pieces the last time a woman left you to fulfill her dreams.” He clamped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We don’t want to have to do it again.”

  “DO YOU THINK MOMMY is going to like my pilgrim?” Kayla asked as she put her latest school art project on the bulletin board in the kitchen.

  Emily smiled. “I think she’s going to love it.”

  Kayla beamed.

  Tommy came in the back door, bag of athletic gear over his shoulder. “Hey, Em? Do you think you can teach me how to make a fruit smoothie? The coach said they’re good for hydrating us.”

  And, Emily thought, they supplied vital nutrients, too. “Sure thing.” She went to the well-stocked fridge. “You want one with your dinner?”

  “Can I have one, too?” Ava asked, looking up from her thick textbook. “I haven’t had enough fruit today, either.”

  Emily got out the blender and set it on the counter. “Coming right up.”

  Ten minutes and one culinary lesson later, they were all sipping fruit smoothies. “You’re really good at that,” Tommy said.

  Ava nodded. “You ought to teach kids how to cook.”

  Kayla smiled through a smoothie mustache. “I’d come!”

  Happiness bubbled through Emily. And suddenly she felt it—the kick of a tiny foot or fist against the inside of her abdomen.

  As always when it happened, she went very still, not wanting to miss a moment of her baby’s attempt to communicate with her.

  Ava’s glance slid to her tummy and the hand Emily had unconsciously shifted there. “Is the baby kicking?”

  Emily nodded as another, harder kick hit her just above the waist.

  “Can I feel it?” Kayla asked in excitement.

  Emily grinned. “Sure.” She held Kayla’s hand against her tummy, hoping the baby would cooperate. The baby did.

  Kayla’s eyes widened. “Wow!” she said. “Feel it, Ava!”

  Looking both thrilled and apprehensive, Ava edged nearer.

  For a moment Emily feared the baby would not cooperate, but he or she eventually did. Then it was Tommy’s turn. And the baby showed off with the biggest wallop to the wall of Emily’s abdomen yet.

  All three kids grinned. “That was somethin’,” Tommy said.

  “He’s really rowdy!” Kayla agreed.

  “It might be a she,” Ava countered. “But you’re right. The baby is really moving around in there!”

  And that was when Emily looked up and saw Dan standing there. She had no idea how long he’d been observing them. Clearly long enough to realize all three of his kids had felt her baby kick.

  Kayla rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Daddy, did we kick like that when we were in Mommy’s tummy?”

  Dan tore his gaze from Emily’s and looked down at his daughter. “Absolutely. In fact, you guys were all so rowdy I thought you were practicing to be rodeo cowboys.”

  Kayla giggled. The older two rolled their eyes at their dad’s joke.

  Walt came in and went straight to the sink to wash up. “Dinner ready? I’m starving!”

  “Just about,” Emily said.

  Ava moved to the computer on the kitchen desk. “Look!” she said. “It’s an e-mail from Mom!”

  DAN HADN’T THOUGHT IT WAS possible to be that disappointed. Again.

  His kids still reeling, he passed on the opportunity to defend their mom and went straight to his study. Picked up the phone. And punched in the emergency number, routed through the International Children’s Medical Service.

  As soon as he got her voice mail, he said tersely, “Brenda, you can’t keep doing this to the kids. Either come home when you promise or stay away altogether!”

  Furious, he slammed the phone down and looked up, to see Emily standing in the doorway.

  She shut the study door behind her.

  Disapproval glittered in her eyes. Her voice and demeanor carried a wealth of worry. “Kayla’s crying—she ran off to her room. Ava went up to comfort her. Tommy stomped outside. He and Walt are talking by the woodpile.”

  Dan exhaled.

  Figuring there was more, he waited. It wasn’t long in coming.

  “You should have stayed and comforted them.”

  “I’m too furious myself to be of any use. Besides, there’s nothing to say.”

  Emily regarded him with a crusader’s zeal. “How about ‘I’m sorry—I know you are all disappointed and I wish things were different’?”

  Dan ignored the knot in his gut—the same one he felt whenever his ex was careless with his kids’ feelings. “They know that.”

  Emily gave him a chiding look. “Do they?”

  The room reverberated with an angry silence. Dan stalked to the window. One of his neighbors was decorating for the holidays, placing a giant horn of plenty on their front door. Thanksgiving was almost upon them. And once again, thanks to the carelessness of his ex, his kids were going to feel neglected by their mom. Worse, he knew they would take it personally—not just now, but likely for the rest of their lives. His being hurt wa
s one thing—he’d long gotten past the disappointment of his failed marriage. His kids being hurt was something else entirely.

  Dan gritted his teeth. “I am so tired of her doing this to them.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “I think I do.”

  And she still thought he was wrong.

  Frustration bubbled up inside him. “My kids need a mother.”

  She perched on the edge of his desk, arms folded in front of her, obviously prepared to listen.

  Dan swallowed. Needing her to understand, he forged on, “One of the reasons they’ve had such a hard time this past year is that there’s no steady female presence in their lives.”

  Emily’s expression gave away nothing. “Which is where I come in.”

  Dan could tell by her tone he had made her feel more a means to an end than a dream come true for all of them. He worked to make amends. “You’ve seen how they respond to you.”

  She tensed, seemingly on guard once more. No doubt she was as loath to the idea of being hurt as he was. “They like me as a family friend, Dan.”

  Is that all she wants to be? Dan looked deep into her eyes. “I think it’s more than that.”

  Another beat of silence fell between them. “We’re getting off the subject,” Emily said.

  Dan lifted a silencing palm. “I don’t want to talk about Brenda. Or the situation,” he returned gruffly. “It would just be a waste of time.”

  Emily’s eyes filled with compassion. “Dan…” She reached out to him, in an apparent bid to make him calm down, listen to her…accept her help.

  And all he really wanted was to take her up on her offer of comfort, haul her into his arms, forget the hardships of divorce and lose himself in the moment. It would have happened, too, had he not had a houseful of kids and a boatload of parental responsibilities demanding his attention. Upstairs, he heard the clatter of feet and the muffled sounds of both girls sobbing their hearts out.

  Barely containing his own emotions, Dan strode past Emily. “I’ll get them down to dinner as soon as I can. Given the situation,” he growled, “it may take a while.”

  EMILY WAITED UNTIL DAN LEFT.