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  “Fair warning,” he said, “it can get a little chaotic.”

  She was grinning in anticipation. “But family chaos is the best kind!” At his disgruntled look, she laughed. “So you’re not planning to have six kids of your own someday?”

  “I don’t plan to have kids at all. Not that I dislike them,” he added, trying to lessen the harshness of his words. His nephew, Cody, was adorable, but he added so much intensity to Jacob’s life, so much fear. Cody had fallen off a bleacher at a rodeo, and Daniel knew the experience had probably taken ten years off his brother’s life. “In the abstract, I like them just fine. But I’m not cut out for...all of this.” It was a lame way to try to sum up twenty years of not feeling as if he fit in.

  Nicole had gone quiet. Given her own upbringing and lack of relatives, was she irritated that the huge, boisterous family had been wasted on someone who didn’t appreciate it?

  He rounded the truck to open her door for her, but she was already stepping down when he got there.

  Offering a smile, he tried to recapture the lighter mood they’d shared when he first picked her up. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

  Today was one of those days that made it clear why people would want to winter in Texas. The sunshine offset the chilly breeze, and the youngsters were taking advantage of the pretty weather. The front lawn was abuzz with activity. Under Julieta’s smiling supervision, children chased each other in a free-form game of tag where everyone seemed to be It at the same time. Carly’s future stepdaughter, Rosie, was chasing Alex with a stuffed elephant, giggling when the five-year-old boy pretended to be afraid.

  Jet, who had one three-year-old girl on his shoulders and another twirling in circles around him, waved at them. “Look who finally made it! Lizzie and Chris arrived about twenty minutes ago. Y’all are the last to show up. Nice to see you again, Nicole.”

  She nodded. “You, too. I see you have your hands full,” she said, smiling fondly at the girls. She crouched down to ask the name of the one on the ground; the other twin demanded to be let down to meet the new person.

  Meanwhile, Savannah stepped off the porch and came toward them. “Daniel! It’s great to see you without the sling. How’s your shoulder feeling?”

  “Not too bad. The therapist isn’t exactly Miss Congeniality, but she’s got a reputation for getting great results. Savannah, I’d like you to meet Nicole Bennett.”

  Savannah turned to their guest with a smile. Whatever reservations Savannah had about her estranged mother or AB Windpower’s stock purchases, the only thing in her expression was a friendly welcome. “So glad you could join us! Lizzie’s feeding the baby on the patio. You and Daniel can join her while we finish getting the food ready.”

  Daniel knew he was exempt from carrying dishes and platters of food until his shoulder was 100 percent again. They crossed through the house so others could offer Nicole a quick hello. Then they passed through the French doors onto the spacious patio with multiple tables and an outdoor kitchen that got a lot of use during the spring and summer. Today, a fire had been lit and portable heaters were spaced between the padded wicker chairs and glass-topped tables to ensure everyone was comfortable.

  “Nicole, Daniel.” Lizzie kept her greeting soft. She’d apparently finished feeding Natalie, who looked nearly asleep.

  “You want me to take her inside to the bassinet?” Christopher offered. There was a baby monitor on the table in front of them, so they’d have no trouble telling when she awoke. Based on what he’d heard the other day, Daniel wasn’t sure monitors were necessary. If Natalie needed attention, the people in the next county would probably be able to tell.

  “In a minute,” Lizzie said. “She’s almost out. Would you mind bringing me some more water when you come back?”

  “How about you?” Daniel asked Nicole. “Can I get you something to drink? If you’re nervous, a beer might help,” he teased.

  “Actually, water’s fine for me, too.”

  “I’ll bring a pitcher and a couple of glasses. Then you’re both covered,” he said. “Be right back.”

  But no sooner did he set foot in the kitchen than he was ambushed by females.

  Julieta poked him lightly in the ribs—thankfully, his uninjured side. “After all these Sundays, I wondered if we would see the day when you brought a friend. Nicole’s lovely.”

  “Uh, she’s really Lizzie’s friend,” he corrected. “Lizzie and Chris invited her. I was only the transportation.”

  “You sure?” Mariana countered. “Because Jacob said you seemed kind of hung up on her.”

  Mentally throttling his big brother, Daniel rolled his eyes. “Aren’t three weddings and two engagements enough for you people?”

  Ever the attorney, Mariana folded her arms and smirked. “Deflection is not the same as a denial.”

  * * *

  “SO. YOU AND Daniel seem to be getting along well.” Lizzie grinned encouragingly.

  Nicole kept her tone neutral. “He’s nice.” Very nice. And one day, he’d probably make a great romantic interest for some woman who lived here in Dallas and shared his resistance to having kids. “Just in case you or Chris is harboring any wild matchmaking ideas, you should know I don’t have any interest in dating right now. I have...too many other things going on.”

  “Other things like trying to stealthily buy up Baron Energies stock?”

  “What?” The shift in conversation nearly gave Nicole whiplash.

  “Sorry. I wanted to catch you off guard so I could get your honest, unvarnished reaction. My dad raised six kids. Watching him, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to get confessions.”

  “I don’t have anything to confess,” Nicole said. At least, not about that. Adele had bought that stock for personal reasons, not as part of a nefarious scheme. “Look, Lizzie, while we’ve got this moment alone, let me say...yes, Adele is your mom. I didn’t know any of her personal history when I started interning for her in college or even for a few years after she hired me. But I was working late one night and came across her crying. It was your birthday. She told me she’d struggled for a long time with depression and that, as a result of her condition, she’d left her children behind.”

  Lizzie’s eyes glistened with emotion, but she didn’t interrupt.

  “I knew you were her daughter when I came to Dallas last spring, but I hope my keeping her secret doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” She had a moment of alarm when Lizzie turned her head away. Was the other woman regretting her invitation to have Nicole come to the ranch? “For what it’s worth, which may be nothing, my mom left me when I was thirteen. So I know a little bit of what you’re going through.”

  “Would you want to see her if she showed up now?”

  “Yes.” Nicole didn’t have to stop and think it over—she’d thought about it for years.

  “Me, too.”

  The band of tension around Nicole’s chest eased. Adele would be overjoyed. Lizzie’s words weren’t a guarantee of any future relationship, but they were a start.

  “I can’t imagine any force in the world that would separate me from Natalie,” Lizzie said. “I don’t understand why my mom did what she did. I remember her, though. She loved us. But after she came home from the hospital with Jet, she just wasn’t... She changed. Whatever she was going through that would make her abandon us must have been awful. I want to see her. I want to give her a chance to meet her granddaughter.”

  Nicole swallowed, her throat stinging as she thought of her own unborn baby. She vowed to give it all the love she could, but she couldn’t offer it much in the way of extended family.

  Lizzie leaned forward. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Of course.” Between Nicole nursing Lizzie’s mother through cancer and once taking Lizzie herself to the hospital, they were pretty we
ll past formalities.

  “How far along are you?’

  “What? I—” Groaning, she ran a hand over her face. “I was cradling my stomach again, wasn’t I?”

  “And you declined the beer. And you bolted from my kitchen the other day looking like you were about to lose your breakfast—which, incidentally, is a feeling I well remember. And when you look at Natalie, you get this teary, wonderstruck expression. I mean, my kid’s definitely the cutest baby in Texas,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “but people don’t normally get weepy when they glance at her.”

  Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you know. I have about a million questions I want to ask you! Maybe we could get together sometime, just the two of us? I’m only in my second month, so I’m not really telling people yet. But it would be nice to have someone to talk to.”

  “Congratulations! And I’m not exactly an expert, only having had the one, but I’m happy to share my experiences. Do you have any sonogram pictures yet?”

  Nicole shook her head. “I’ve got my first ultrasound scheduled for later in the week.”

  “Chris and I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone...” She looked abashed that she’d dropped hints about Daniel.

  “I’m not. Wasn’t. Well, except a fertility specialist. I decided to do this on my own.”

  Lizzie whistled. “Brave woman. But if anyone can do it...” She smiled. “So, when you said this was a bad time to be dating, you were serious—not just looking for a polite way to tell me you aren’t interested in my brother?”

  “Right.” She thought of the zing she’d experienced when Daniel admitted he’d been thinking about her. Unimportant. With everything else that was going on, everything she had to prepare for, men were definitely not on her radar right now. Not even one as good-looking and disarmingly considerate as Daniel Baron.

  Liar, liar... Running a hand over her pants, she surreptitiously scooted her chair farther from the fire pit and hoped Daniel would be back soon with that pitcher of water. Just to be on the safe side.

  * * *

  NICOLE ENJOYED THE meal far more than she could have predicted, eating with gusto. Knowing that Lizzie didn’t blame her for any secrets she’d kept, secrets that hadn’t been hers to tell, did a lot to restore her appetite. The food was wonderful, the kids were hilarious and listening to Carly and Luke excitedly discuss their upcoming wedding was heartwarming. Though she still wasn’t sure how the group conversation about Adele would go, between Daniel, Chris and Lizzie, she felt as if she had allies in her corner.

  After everyone had eaten and Anna and Julieta began clearing plates away, Jacob asked his father to help him herd kids on a visit to the stables. It was Nicole’s understanding that Brock knew his daughters had made some inquiries about their mom but didn’t support the idea of their reestablishing a connection.

  Once Brock was gone, others found subtle ways to busy themselves. There was no obvious mass exodus, yet within ten minutes, Nicole found herself alone with Adele’s four children, plus Luke and Daniel. She suspected Chris and Travis had left only because their wives were afraid of Nicole feeling overwhelmed.

  She shared with them what she’d already outlined for Daniel and Lizzie—Adele was recovering from serious illness, a revelation that left both Carly and Savannah teary-eyed, but that her health had improved, she was currently in Dallas and she very much wanted to see her children. Nicole took care not to sound as if she were making excuses for what their mother had done. There was no erasing the pain of Adele’s abandonment. She explained how the postpartum depression hadn’t abated with time, only darkened into a more serious depression that actually began to scare her. Adele had felt overwhelmed with the care of four children and unable to confide her “failings” in her larger-than-life husband. Nicole tried not to paint Brock as an unfeeling husband or scapegoat.

  “When can we see her?” Carly asked.

  “As soon as you’re ready,” Nicole said. “I’ll give you all the numbers—the office, the apartment, her cell.” She knew that as soon as she returned to the apartment tonight and reported to her friend, Adele would be on high alert, waiting for a phone to ring.

  “I can’t believe she was so sick and we had no idea.” Savannah still looked stricken by the knowledge of her mother’s disease.

  “I don’t want to waste another day,” Carly said. “I want to talk to her.”

  Jet looked somewhat less eager. Though he’d been funny during dinner, a clear extrovert, he’d grown solemn while Nicole talked about his mother. He was the youngest Baron sibling, the one whose birth had preceded Adele’s depression. Did he blame himself or wonder if he was partially responsible for the others losing their mom? Or perhaps he just had fewer good memories of her than his sisters.

  “Maybe you girls should see her first,” he said, forcing a smile. “Mother-daughter bonding time. All four of us together might be a bit much.”

  As if she’d been watching from inside and could sense her fiancé needed her, pretty blonde Jasmine Marks stepped out onto the patio. “The other ladies sent me to find out if anyone’s ready for dessert or coffee.”

  Daniel rose from his chair. “I’ll go round up the kids and let them know it’s sugar time. Nicole, would you like to come with me? It’ll give you a chance to see more of the ranch.”

  And it would give her some time to decompress after an emotionally draining conversation. She shot him a grateful smile. He hadn’t said much while she talked to the others, but she’d been hyperaware of his presence, his nods of encouragement and supportive glances. It was a shame Daniel didn’t want children because she could imagine that quiet, steady reassurance coming in handy while teaching a kid to ride a bike or add fractions.

  “I’d love to see more of the ranch,” she said.

  They walked in companionable silence, which she appreciated. Jacob and Brock met them halfway, already on their way back to the house. When Jacob’s son, Cody, heard that dessert was being served, he let out an excited whoop and tugged his dad’s hand, urging him to hurry.

  “We’ll be along in a bit,” Daniel said. “Thought I’d show Nicole around first. But save us some pie. Or at least a couple of brownies.”

  Jacob gave a snort of laughter. “With that horde? I make no promises.”

  Now that the sun was beginning to set, the air around them felt a lot more like winter. Nicole wrapped her arms around herself, and Daniel noticed.

  “You’re cold. Do you want to follow them back?”

  “Not yet. It’s so peaceful out here.”

  “Sorry I don’t have a jacket to offer you.”

  She imagined snuggling into a coat warm from his body, enveloped in his scent. Since she was daydreaming, why stop there? He could heat her up a lot faster by enfolding her in his arms. She sighed. Knock it off, Nic. She’d seen the speculative matchmaking gleam in Lizzie’s eyes earlier. It would be sheer folly to encourage that.

  They passed two barns and a corral, stopping by a practice ring where Daniel said he and his siblings had honed their rodeo skills.

  She leaned against the railing, studying his profile. “Do you think you’ll miss it?” she asked. “If you don’t go back to rodeo?”

  “I’ve been giving that a lot of consideration. I liked competing with my brother. Jacob’s pretty much been the standard I’ve always measured myself against. But now that he’s a dad, his focus has changed. I doubt he’ll be in the arena much.”

  Did that have anything to do with Daniel not wanting children, the sacrifices and lifestyle changes kids caused?

  “The other parts of rodeo that I enjoyed can be duplicated in ranch work,” he said. “The horses, the people, the physicality of it. I can’t imagine ever sitting behind a desk all day. I like working with my hands, getting sweaty, collapsing into bed bone-tired but satisfied. I guess that do
esn’t sound sophisticated or ambitious.”

  “It sounds...” Sexy as hell. “Like you know what you want.” But given the comments he’d made about growing up not-quite-a-Baron, she assumed he wasn’t planning to do all that sweaty, satisfying work here at the Roughneck. “Did you have a particular ranch in mind?”

  “A buddy’s helping me set up an interview in Colorado.” He straightened suddenly, shaking his head. “I haven’t told anyone I’m considering that move. Not even Jacob. I figured I’d hold off discussing it until after Carly’s wedding, when I have more details. But you’re very easy to talk to.”

  Adele had told her the same thing on more than one occasion. Nicole acknowledged the compliment with a smile. “Guess it’s a skill I cultivated as a kid—getting others to talk about themselves. Took the pressure off me. I didn’t like answering questions about my absentee, addict mom. Plus, letting others carry the conversation helped me make friends.” Shallow friendships, some of them, with older kids who didn’t know Nicole well but liked how important she made them feel. It had helped her survive the constant shifts in households.

  “Well, your conversational skills aren’t limited to listening,” he said, turning to face her. “You did a hell of a job today. You were calm and tactful and respectful of everyone’s feelings. Adele couldn’t ask for a better ambassador. She’s lucky to have you.”

  She wanted to thank him but had trouble speaking around the sudden lump in her throat. The whole time she’d been talking to the Barons, she’d fought to keep her emotions tightly reined in. The discussion had been awkward enough without a pregnant lady sobbing her way through it. But now that she’d had some distance and wasn’t keeping herself so closely guarded, it all bubbled to the surface. How much family meant to her, how desperately she hoped Adele and her children could forge a new relationship, how scared she’d been for her friend during Adele’s battle against cancer.