Texas Mum

Texas Mum
Roz Denny Fox

FOR THEIR SON…Texas vet Delaney Blair will do anything to find a bone marrow donor for her little boy, Nickolas. Never mind that the only likely match is his father, Dario… who doesn’t even know he has a son!When Delaney travels to Argentina to find him, a shocked Dario immediately returns to Texas. Before long Nick and Dario become close and, despite his family’s disapproval, Dario can’t hide the feelings he’s always had for the woman who’s borne his child.But is the love between Delaney and Dario strong enough to keep them together?

Dario shaded his eyes.

For a split second he thought he was hallucinating as the bright sunshine reflected off the flame-red hair of a woman climbing down from the back of his sister's horse. He went hot, then cold, and felt his tongue tangle with his teeth, impeding his ability to speak as he gaped at the lovely apparition walking toward him, her full skirt appealingly kicked up by the wind. Never had he expected to see Delaney Blair again. Certainly not at his ranch, and especially not in the company of his half-sister, Maria Sofia, who studied him with a wicked, mischievous smile.

Forcing back his initial surge of joy, Dario deliberately turned his back again. “Maria Sofia, escort our uninvited guest the hell out of here and off our property.”

The last response Delaney expected from Dario if ever they met up was that he'd totally and completely reject her in such a cavalier manner.

But then his sister spoke. “Honestly, you need to spare a minute and hear what this particular guest traveled so far to tell you.”

Texas Mom

Roz Denny Fox

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ROZ DENNY FOX’S first book was published by Mills & Boon in 1990. She writes for various Mills & Boon

lines and for special projects. Her books are published worldwide and in a number of languages. She's also written articles as well as online serials. Roz's warm home-and-family-focused love stories have been nominated for various industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America's RITA

Award, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Quill and others. Roz has been a member of the Romance Writers of America since 1987, and is currently a member of Tucson's Saguaro Romance Writers, where she has received the Barbara Award for outstanding chapter service. She's also a member of the Desert Rose RWA chapter in Phoenix, Midwest Fiction Writers of Minneapolis, San Angelo Texas Writers’ Club and Novelists, Inc. In 2013 Roz received her fifty-book pin from Mills & Boon.

Readers can e-mail her through Facebook or at rdfox@cox.net (mailto:rdfox@cox.net).

This book is dedicated to all the devoted research teams who work tirelessly to find cures for the many forms of cancer that continue to plague us.

Time and dollars are making inroads.

I'm grateful for those who work in, march for and donate to the cause.

Contents

Cover (#u1f367061-a2f8-5179-a1cb-d58b08c01bdb)

Introduction (#ue6a3984f-8efe-52bc-be8f-6d35ab12018f)

Title Page (#ue0edf33e-dbcb-54b7-b946-72991a44c6bf)

About the Author (#u190668cf-0754-52b2-b9ee-f653e4eb0531)

Dedication (#u33800368-ca67-5b2d-9e77-dfd8838f1dac)

Chapter One (#ulink_6d9c2d28-b59e-5b16-b8a5-f537b01ec121)

Chapter Two (#ulink_ec13cabf-2c2c-5234-927d-4a02dc5a3600)

Chapter Three (#ulink_7f1e7eb5-c481-5320-b961-91f63f7a831d)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#ulink_83a59bdc-82f3-5333-8534-b826765eabd6)

Delaney Blair stood at the window in the hospital conference room. Lightning flashed as raindrops battered the glass. The summer storm sweeping through Lubbock matched her mood. Two of her son’s doctors sat at the table she’d vacated. They’d been discussing Nickolas’s prognosis, and it wasn’t good.

Neal Avery, the pediatric oncologist who’d cared for Nickolas throughout his first illness, interrupted her chaotic thoughts. “Delaney, we’ve explored every avenue available to Nick at the moment. There simply are no marrow donor matches in the national donor bank. Nor have any emerged from the collection drives you and your friends ran.”

Delaney rubbed at goose bumps on her arms and hunched her shoulders against the harsh reality of Dr. Avery’s words.

Konrad Von Claus, a visiting pediatric oncologist and immunologist, chimed in. “I’ve gone over all of Nickolas’s records from the leukemia he fought when he was eighteen months old. Like Dr. Avery and the others who treated him, I found no reason to suspect his remission wouldn’t last. Regrettably, patients who fall out of remission require more aggressive measures.” Switching gears, he said, “It’s a fact ethnic minorities have difficulties finding matches. One reason is due to migration. Blood markers are inherited. Some families don’t migrate together. And many people are from blended cultures. What about Nickolas’s father, Ms. Blair? I don’t see anyone named Sanchez listed among the people from your area donor drive.”

Delaney turned from the window. “Dario Sanchez isn’t relevant, Dr. Von Claus. He isn’t now, and never has been in Nick’s life. Dario lives in Argentina.”

The visiting physician locked eyes with Delaney. “Hmm. I’d say he was a very crucial part of your son’s life once, wouldn’t you? We must face facts,” he said a little more gently. “Among ten million people signed up to be bone marrow donors, less than ten percent are Latino. To complicate matters, Argentines are often of European descent. Their bloodlines are Spanish or Italian, but some have a mix of English, German, mestizo or indigenous. That essentially means Nick’s chance for finding a match outside his family is well below the norm. We already know that you’re not a match. For Nick’s sake, you should ask his father and family to be tested.”

Mouth twisted to one side, Delaney shook her head until her red curls danced. “I haven’t seen Dario in over five years. Nick is four and a half...” She broke off and said, “Dario doesn’t know he has a son. We met when my father, rest his soul, bought eight bulls from Estancia Sanchez. To make a long story short, my father died suddenly, the bank foreclosed on our ranch and forced Dario’s family to take back their very expensive bulls and...the truth is he didn’t care about me.” Delaney’s voice faltered again because the doctor didn’t lower or soften his gaze. She threw up her hands. “You’re right. This isn’t about me or my feelings toward a man who promised to keep in touch but didn’t. This is about saving Nick’s life. I’d walk to hell and back for my son. I’ll see if I can find a phone number for the estancia online.”

Von Claus closed the medical chart and turned to his colleague. “You should go there and speak to Mr. Sanchez. Don’t you agree, Neal? Facing someone makes it harder for them to decline. A phone call may make it too easy for a man you haven’t spoken to in years, one unaware he’s a dad, to simply cut you off.”

Dr. Avery left his chair and took Delaney’s icy hands. “Dr. Von Claus is right. Time isn’t on our side. No man with half a backbone would refuse to help his own child. You need to see him and explain the whole problem. I know a trip will be costly, but I agree a physical meeting offers the best chance you and Nick have. You might also be able to obtain blood samples from his other relatives while you’re there.”

Delaney squared her shoulders. “The good people of La Mesa recently set up a fund for Nick and me. I could use that money to fly to Buenos Aires. But is it okay for me to leave Nick?”

Both doctors nodded. Neal Avery said, “Nickolas is here where he’s getting the best care possible for his spiraling condition until a spot opens for him in Dr. Von Claus’s study in San Antonio. We can arrange for Mr. Sanchez and his family to be tested at a hospital in Buenos Aires. Of course, if any of them are a match, that person will need to travel here for the harvest procedure.”