Pregnant by the Texan

“Thanks, Aaron, I would like that. There’s still time for me to go by the hospital this afternoon. By the end of the day, all I’ll be up for is the Cozy Inn for dinner. Right now I want to go back to my suite and catch up on emails.”

“You may regret doing that. What if you have over a hundred emails waiting? You might have to go look for another lost dog.”

She smiled, feeling better.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” he said, “people are really grateful to you for all you’ve done. I’ve had a lot of people out of the blue mention your name. I guess they assume everyone knows who you are and they’ll just start talking about ‘Stella did this’ or ‘Stella did that.’”

“I’m always happy to help.”

“A lot of people are also talking about Royal needing an acting mayor because it’s obvious now that the mayor can’t return to work anytime soon. And people I talked to are mentioning your name in the same breath they talk about needing an acting mayor.”

“Aaron, I’m an administrative assistant. A lot of us are helping others.”

“You’ve been a big help to lots of people and they appreciate it.”

She shook her head and didn’t answer him as he pulled to a stop at the front door of the Cozy Inn.

“I’m letting you out here and heading back to the club. I’ll see you at seven.”

“Let’s just meet in the lobby in case I get delayed.”

“Sure,” he said as a doorman opened her door and she stepped out. She walked into the inn without looking back.

In her room she went straight to her mirror to study her figure. She didn’t look one bit different from when she had checked earlier, but she felt different. For one minute she gave herself over to thinking if only—if she were married to Aaron this would be one of the most joyous occasions for her.

With a long sigh, she stopped thinking about being married to Aaron and faced the reality that Aaron was in his thirties and still single. She thought back to the night she had met him after the storm. She had been comforting Paige Richardson whose husband, Craig, had died in the tornado. Others had come to call on Paige and someone introduced Stella to Aaron. He was staying in a motel on the edge of Royal, but he offered to take Stella back to the Cozy Inn. They had talked and one thing had led to another until they were in bed together—a rare event to her.

The next morning, when she told Aaron the night was totally uncharacteristic of her and she wanted to avoid further contact, he had agreed to do whatever she wanted and also told her he wasn’t in for long-term relationships. She really didn’t know much about him. That night they had had fun and lots of laughter, lots of talking, but she was beginning to realize that none of their conversation was about anything serious or important. Last night with him could be described the same way. She knew almost nothing about him and he hadn’t questioned her very much about her background. Aaron Nichols would be the father of her child, and it was time she found out more about him. Whether he hated or loved becoming a dad, that was what had happened and they both would have to adjust to the reality of parenthood.

She went to her laptop to read her emails, answering what she needed to, and then left for Royal Memorial Hospital.

The west side of town had taken the brunt of the F4 tornado. Town hall where she had worked was mostly reduced to debris. Almost all three stories of the building had been leveled. The only thing left standing was part of the clock tower—the clock stuck at 4:14 p.m., a permanent reminder of the storm. She couldn’t pass it without shivering and getting goose bumps as she recalled the first terrifying moments.

Approaching the hospital, she saw the ripped and shattered west wing. As far as she could tell, rebuilding had not yet begun.

As soon as she went inside the building, outside sounds of traffic and people were shut out. She stepped into an elevator. A nurse had already boarded and Stella realized it was Lark Taylor. They had known each other since childhood, but had become closer in the weeks after the storm. Some accused the ICU nurse of being unfriendly, but Stella couldn’t imagine how anyone could feel that way.

“Here to see the mayor’s family?” Lark asked.

“Yes. I try to stop by every few days. The changes are slow, but I want to keep up with how he’s doing. How’s Skye?” As she asked about Lark’s sister, Stella gazed into Lark’s green eyes and saw her solemn look.

“No change, but thank you for asking about her.” Skye had sustained head injuries during the tornado and had been in a medically induced coma ever since. Stella knew Lark was worried about her sister and the baby and it hadn’t helped that no one knew who the baby’s father was.

“And how’s her baby?”

“She’s doing well,” Lark answered, her voice filling with relief. “I’m so thankful to work here so I can be closer to them.”

“I’m glad Skye is doing well,” Stella said, happy to hear good news about Skye’s tiny baby, who came into the world two months prematurely after her mother was injured during the storm. “Every storm survivor is wonderful,” Stella said.

“Right now, we’re looking for Jacob Holt.” Stella remembered the gossip four years earlier when Jacob had run away with Skye.

“You think he’s in Royal?”

“No. If he was here in Royal, I think, in a town this size someone would know. But they’re trying to find him. His brother is looking.”

“If Keaton doesn’t know where Jacob is, I doubt if anyone else does.”

“You know so many people—have you heard anything about him?”

“No, nothing. If I do, I’ll let you know.”

When the elevator stopped on Lark’s floor, she stepped into the doorway and turned back.

“If you do hear about him, please let me know. Skye can’t tell us anything, and her baby certainly can’t. We need to talk to Jacob. With him missing and Skye in a coma, Keaton wants to test the baby’s DNA to see if she’s a Holt.” Lark shook her head. “If you hear anything at all about Jacob, please call me. You have my cell number. Just call or text.”

Stella nodded. “I will.”

The doors closed and Stella thought about Skye. So many people had been hurt by the storm. But Stella was happy to hear the joy in Lark’s voice when she said the little preemie was doing well.

The elevator stopped on Mayor Richard Vance’s floor. When she went to the nurse’s station, she was told the mayor’s wife was in the waiting room.

* * *

It was an hour later when Stella left the hospital and hurried to her car. Before she left downtown she stopped at a drugstore to pick up a few things she needed at the Cozy Inn. When she went inside, she recognized the tall, auburn-haired woman she had known for so long because their families were friends. She walked over to say hello to Paige Richardson.

At her greeting Paige turned and briefly smiled. Stella gazed into her friend’s gray eyes.

“How are you? How’s the Double R, Paige?” she asked about Paige’s ranch, which she now had to run without her husband.

“Still picking up the pieces,” Paige said. “I heard Aaron Nichols is here again to help. Are you working with Cole and Aaron?”

“A little. A lot of their paperwork comes through the mayor’s office. Cole is out at a friend’s ranch now—Henry Markham, who lost his brother, too, in the storm.”

“His ranch was badly damaged. Cole’s probably helping him.”

“The storm was hard on everybody. I’m sure you keep busy with the Double R.”

“Some days I’m too busy to think about anything else. Is Cole staying very long with Henry?”

“It should be four or five more days.”

“How’s the mayor?” Paige asked. “I’m sure you’re keeping up with his condition.”