The Texan's Christmas

“Finished and sling-free.”

“Great. Do you mind if we make a stop on the way to your place? I need to swing by the florist and double-check all the arrangements. And corsages. And bouquets. I’d love to get your opinion on them!” She paused, then flashed a mischievous smile at his rising discomfort. “Kidding. Julieta asked me to drop off some assorted baby supplies Chris and Lizzie left at the ranch yesterday.”

Midday traffic wasn’t too bad, and the drive didn’t take long.

As Carly grabbed the baby stuff from the backseat, she asked, “Aren’t you coming in? I mean, I don’t expect to be here long, but I was going to take the opportunity to snuggle our niece. Assuming she’s awake.”

He’d already missed a family gathering yesterday. Staying in the vehicle now would be downright antisocial. A few feet from the front door, it became evident that baby Natalie was very much awake.

“Yikes.” Carly grimaced. “Someone’s unhappy.”

Daniel wondered if, among the metric ton of other infant-care paraphernalia, Chris and Lizzie had also purchased earplugs.

Without bothering to knock, Carly opened the door. “Hello?” They found Chris in the living room, pacing with his daughter. “I brought some of the things you guys left at the Roughneck. Any chance there’s something in this bag that will help? Favorite pacifier? Magic wand?”

“I think this’ll be over soon,” Chris said. “She can’t even keep her eyes open. It’s not the most peaceful way to fall asleep, but she’ll be out in another ten minutes.”

Ten more minutes of this? Daniel felt a wave of sympathy for the other man.

Chris nodded toward the kitchen. “Lizzie was just about to fill some bowls of soup if you guys haven’t eaten lunch yet.”

“Thanks, but I had a big breakfast,” Carly said. Daniel could have hugged her for declining the invitation. “But I definitely want to say hi before we leave.”

The first thing Daniel noticed as they approached the kitchen was the warm, savory smell. But that was immediately overshadowed by the staggering tension in the room. Lizzie was standing at the counter, holding a ladle in a white-knuckle grip, her eyes bright with emotion.

Seated at the table was another woman, a beautiful brunette who looked vaguely familiar. But if he’d met her before, why didn’t he recognize her? Short of being kicked in the head by a bull and sustaining brain damage, it seemed impossible any man would forget her. She was stunning, with something indefinably exotic about her appearance. Perhaps her coloring, or the shape of her dark eyes? Her delicate features were balanced by her lush mouth and framed by thick, straight hair that tumbled well past her shoulders.

Right now, however, her lovely features were crinkled into an anxious frown. Were the two women distraught over the baby’s misery, or had he and Carly walked in on the middle of an argument?

“Daniel, Carly.” Lizzie cleared her throat, forcing a smile as she met her sister’s gaze. “This is Nicole Bennett.”

Right! “We met in April,” Daniel recalled, “when you brought Lizzie to the hospital.”

Nicole nodded. “Nice to see you again.”

He would have remembered sooner but he’d been preoccupied when they met, worried about Lizzie. He’d always had a soft spot for the oldest Baron. If anyone could understand Brock’s favoritism of Jet and how it made Jacob and Daniel feel, it would have been her. Although she was the firstborn, Brock often underestimated her because she was female. It had taken the old man’s medical leave from Baron Energies for him to finally trust her with the responsibility she deserved.

Carly straightened, her posture alert. “Nicole Bennett who works for AB Windpower?”

No wonder the atmosphere was tense. Had Chris and Lizzie invited the woman here to ask her about the stock purchases?

Whatever conversation had been taking place, Nicole looked reluctant to continue. She rose from her chair. “I should get back to the office.”

“We haven’t even had lunch,” Lizzie protested.

“I wouldn’t have eaten much anyway,” Nicole said. “My, um, stomach hasn’t entirely settled since the turbulent flight into Dallas yesterday. I don’t blame the baby for having an off day, but I’m not sure this is the best time to talk. It sounds like you and Chris wanted to ask me some questions. Instead of trying to cram everything into my lunch hour, why don’t we get together over the weekend?”

“I’d like to be there, too,” Carly said softly. “Sorry. I realize you don’t know me, but—”

“Actually, I think you should be present for the conversation,” Nicole agreed. “Probably Savannah and Jet, too.”

Wow. Her bravery was impressive. Facing down all the Barons at once was no easy task.

“Are you free Sunday?” Lizzie asked. “You could join us at the ranch.”

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. Nothing like trial by fire. “What is that, like ten against one?”

All three females turned to him in surprise. Well, he was surprised, too. He hadn’t meant to voice his thoughts.

“Nobody’s ‘against’ Nicole,” Lizzie said, a hint of indignation in her voice. “She’s right, though. We do have some questions for her.” The Baron sisters exchanged glances, then Lizzie added, “But there’s no reason we have to ask them in front of Dad. After everyone’s done eating, he can take the older kids to feed the goats or something.”

“Just text me what time and let me know what I can bring,” Nicole said. “Dessert? A loaf of French bread?”

“Just answers,” Lizzie said, her expression forlorn.

Instead of looking cornered or dreading the inevitable interrogation, Nicole stepped forward and squeezed her hand. “I’ll answer anything I can, I promise. Guess I’ll see all of you this weekend?” She shot Daniel a questioning glance.

Nodding, Daniel had the fleeting thought that maybe his presence would give Nicole a measure of moral support. Ridiculous. She barely knew him. Besides, if she confirmed that Adele Black was in some way attempting to damage Baron Energies, there wasn’t much Daniel could do to stop the outrage headed her way. Watching her leave, he silently wished her good luck.

When he turned back, he found both his stepsisters regarding him with speculative expressions. For the first time since he’d arrived, Lizzie didn’t look upset. In fact, her lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. She and Carly exchanged knowing glances.

And Daniel experienced a stab of foreboding.

* * *

NICOLE MADE A beeline to the small meeting room Adele was using as an office, sparing a moment from her anxiety attack to appreciate that her friend even felt well enough to come into work. There had been times during the past two years when that had been the exception rather than the rule.

Adele glanced up from the spreadsheet printouts she was going over with one of the local employees, her smile faltering when she saw Nicole’s expression. “Everything okay?”

“Absolutely. I just need to run something by you when you have a minute.”

“We were finishing up here.” She smiled at the bearded man who sat next to her. “Nice job. If there’s nothing else...?”

“Nope, we covered everything.” He straightened his Christmas tie and reached for the suit jacket hanging on the back of his chair. It was very warm in here. Adele, who got cold easily these days, had an electric heater plugged in a few feet away. The man nodded politely to Nicole, then headed down the hall.

Closing the door for privacy, Nicole took a deep breath. We have a problem. But she swallowed back the words, wanting to put a positive spin on the situation. Would it really be so terrible if Lizzie had figured out that Delia Baron and Adele Black were the same woman? Whatever mistakes she’d made in the past, Adele was a wonderful person. The Baron siblings deserved to know their mother and vice versa.

The biggest drawback she could see to Lizzie and the others knowing Adele’s identity was that Adele had been robbed of the opportunity to tell them herself. They might question whether she would have come forward of her own volition.

Nicole dropped into a chair, amazed she could be this tired so early in the day. There had been points in her career when she’d worked until ten o’clock at night without even realizing it. Now she felt as if she needed a nap by two in the afternoon. The half dozen pregnancy books loaded onto her e-reader said exhaustion was normal in the first trimester and often passed. Still, she’d feel better if she could get that confirmed from someone who’d been through it recently. She desperately wanted to confide in Lizzie, but it would be wrong to tell her before Adele, who’d known Nicole for so much longer and given her so many opportunities.

“Did you see Chris and Lizzie?” Adele sat forward in her chair, showing her eagerness for any scrap of information about her daughter.

“I did. They invited me to their house, but we cut lunch short. Your granddaughter is even more beautiful in person than in the pictures Chris emailed me.” There’d been a moment when Nicole first arrived, before the crying started, when Natalie had looked so angelic that tears had pricked Nicole’s eyes. “She also has a healthy set of lungs on her. Her resistance to falling asleep made conversation difficult, so we rescheduled for Sunday. But, Adele, I’m afraid Sunday could get a little tricky.”

“How do you mean?”

“Lizzie said she had questions for me, but she didn’t know how to ask because she knows I’m loyal to my employer. To you. She looked...shaken up. And she’s not someone who rattles easily. I think she and Carly and the others may have figured out that you’re their mother.”