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“You didn’t say your name was Lizzie the night we met.” He followed her inside and shut the door. She looked at him nervously, pulling her hands together.
“I was trying to be mysterious.”
“It worked.” He put his hands in his pockets. “How did you find me?”
Was that a bit of color in her pale cheeks? Her gaze skittered away slightly and her fingers twisted tighter together. “I tried 411 first, but there are over one hundred Christopher Millers in the state of Texas.”
He waited for her to go on.
She frowned. “So then I tried Google. I entered your name and added ‘+ saddle bronc’ to the search. San Antonio popped up. But there’s more than one Christopher Miller here, too. So I called a friend of mine, called in a favor, and they gave me your address.”
“A friend?”
“Yeah.” She tried a small smile. “Rodeo’s a small world. Which was why I was surprised that I’d never heard of you before.”
His hands came out of his pockets. “You’re saying that you got my address from rodeo records?”
The blush was back. “Yes.”
He wasn’t sure if that information was guaranteed to be confidential or not; he’d never considered it either way. But Elizabeth—Lizzie—had gone to some trouble to find him. He was pretty sure the reason wasn’t going to be a good thing. She didn’t look like she was the type to come out with “I couldn’t forget our night together.”
That sounded snide in his mind and more than a little hypocritical, since he hadn’t been able to forget that night one bit. And if he’d had more to go on than a first name, he might have gone looking for her, too.
“Why would you do that?”
She straightened her shoulders and unclenched her hands. “Because I need to talk to you.”
Quiet settled through the condo. This was so bizarre. Not what he expected in the middle of the day. Hell, he was only in town today to do some laundry and pack his duffel before heading back out to his mom and dad’s. She was lucky to have caught him.
She definitely hadn’t shown up bent on seduction. Everything about her screamed hands off. Just his bad luck he found that crazy sexy. Not that he planned on trying anything, but her tidy suit and librarian hair fanned the flames of a few latent fantasies all right.
“Why don’t you have a seat? Can I get you something to drink?”
“Just water, thank you.” He watched shapely calves and the gentle sway of her hips as she went to an armchair and sat down. A seat for one, he noticed. Not on the sofa where he might have sat beside her.
He got a glass from a cupboard and added crushed ice and water from the fridge dispenser. When he handed it to her, he noticed her hand was shaking. Whatever she wanted to tell him, she was nervous. Afraid.
And it hit him upside the head. The difference in her appearance. The first name only, the disappearing in the morning. It was all too clichе for it to be the first time she’d done this. God, was she here to tell him he needed to be tested for something? Go get antibiotics? He told himself to relax. They’d used protection after all.
He sat across from her and decided to just ask rather than dance around the topic. “Look, do I need to be tested for an STD or something? Is that why you’re here?”
Her eyes widened and she choked on the water, coughing uncontrollably and he reached out, calmly removed the glass from her hand, and waited for the paroxysms to stop. When they finally did, her eyes had watered and there was an angry set to her lips.
“What the hell would give you that idea?”
“I don’t know!” This whole situation was strange and surreal. “Hey, you’re the one who disappeared before I got up and only gave me your first name. Now you show up weeks later, looking completely different and say you need to talk to me. If it’s not an STD, what the hell...”
His mouth dropped open.
Her gaze slid to the floor.
“No,” he whispered harshly. “No, it isn’t possible. We used condoms.”
She looked up, misery etched in every feature. “I assure you it is possible,” she replied, reaching into her purse and withdrawing the positive test as proof. “I’m pregnant, and the baby’s yours.”
Chapter Two
His reaction was exactly what she’d expected, so why was she so disappointed?
“I was just as surprised as you,” she murmured, twisting her fingers together as she looked up into his face. “This was so not in my plans right now.”
“Or mine.”
It would help if he didn’t look so perfectly devastated. She had a sudden horrible thought. “God, you’re not married, are you?”
He did laugh a little then, a huff of laughter that wasn’t completely amused, but clearly the idea of being married was ridiculous. “No, not married. You can relax about that.” He frowned. “And if I were, I wouldn’t be cruising bars looking for some action.”
Heat rose to her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to insinuate...”
Chris sighed heavily. “Look, let’s just cut to the chase. We’re both single. We hooked up one night and something went wrong. Is that accurate? Assuming you’re not married, of course. Or using me to be your baby daddy.”
“What?” She leapt up, putting her hands on her hips. “Of course I’m not! What a joke!”
His expression darkened further. “So now I’m a joke?”
Lizzie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “This is going all wrong.” She gathered her thoughts and tried again. “Why don’t we start at the beginning,” she suggested. “Hi, I’m Lizzie Baron.” She held out her hand.
“Lizzie Baron?” Now Chris stood up and stared at her as though she’d grown an extra head. “Like the Baron Energies Barons?”
She nodded, dropping the hand that he’d never shaken.
“Like Jacob and Jet’s sister?”
She nodded.
“Which is why you were at the rodeo.”
She nodded again. “I try to support my family, especially during local events.”
“Drinking alone is a funny way to show your support.”
Her lips twisted. Christopher Miller was a little too astute for her liking. She and her brothers didn’t always see eye to eye. Jacob wanted to take on a bigger role at Baron, and she even agreed with him. But Brock had other ideas. Jacob kept putting pressure on her to help his cause but it wasn’t that easy. Changing her father’s mind was impossible once he’d made it up.
That particular weekend Jacob had nagged at her again and she’d gone to the bar to blow off some steam rather than argue. Chris had been there, all long legs and dark hair and rugged smiles. The perfect distraction.
“A girl can’t go get a beer once in a while?”
He smiled then. “True enough.” The smile faded. “You’re really one of the Barons? And you’re pregnant?”
“I’m afraid so. On both counts.” She sighed. “Can we sit down again?”
“Sure.” He gestured with his hand and she sat, then he followed suit. Manners, she realized, and was slightly encouraged.
Lizzie reached for her water again and took a sip, buying time to put her thoughts back together. “You deserved to hear it first,” she said quietly. “Before I tell anyone else. I don’t expect anything from you, Christopher, that’s not why I came. I’m fully capable of supporting this baby on my own. This mistake doesn’t have to be a big deal for you, okay? I certainly don’t need child support or anything.”
He raised one eyebrow. “I suppose you want me to sign away parental rights, too? No sign or trace of the rodeo bum, no stain on the great Baron name, right?”
Again her cheeks heated. “I didn’t mean that at all! I just meant to say that I’m not here to... God, how do I put this? I’m not after anything from you. That’s all. I’m handling it.”
“Handling it.” Chris put his hands on his knees and angled her a sharp look. “Does that mean you’re taking care of it? Or am I reading that wrong?”
Taking care of it. She knew exactly what he meant. He was asking if she was going to terminate the pregnancy. “And would you care if I did?”
She was holding her breath as she waited for his answer. He met her gaze evenly.
“I would care,” he finally said softly. “I’ve never really thought about it before, but it’s not easy, is it? Theoretically I understand the right to choose. But when I think about this baby being part of me...” His gaze dropped to her stomach and back up. “I find I care very much, Lizzie.”
It might have been easier if he didn’t. If he were a bit more of a jerk, to be honest. Instead, even in his shock, he was remarkably level.
“Maybe you don’t need help,” he continued, “but it’s here for you regardless. I always own up to my responsibilities.”
Something warm slid through her at his gentle and very unexpected words. “How can you say that when you’ve just found out? We hardly know each other. I mean, it took me a couple of days to even wrap my mind around the idea of this. I’m still reeling.”
“There are some things you just know,” he said calmly. “And then you figure the rest out as you go along.”
She rested her palm on her tummy. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all was how protective she already felt towards her unborn child. The pregnancy was going to cause massive problems in both her professional and personal life. And yet there was something incredible about knowing that a tiny person resided inside her. It was frightening and it was awesome at the same time. In that moment, she forgot all about Baron Energies and Christopher Miller and anything else. Nothing was more important than this baby and making the right choices.
Her baby. She was no longer simply Lizzie Baron.
She was a mom.
It scared her to death.
There was a strange buzzing sound in the silence, followed by a series of chimes coming from the area around Lizzie’s feet. She suddenly realized it was her cell, and the ringtone was the one she used for family, not work. “Excuse me just a moment,” she said, reaching down and searching blindly in her bag.
The caller ID showed her stepmother Julieta’s name, so she clicked the answer button. It only took a few short sentences for the blood to drain from her face.
“I’m glad I reached you,” Julieta said, and Lizzie heard strain in her voice. “It’s your dad, Lizzie. He got thrown and he’s hurt.”
Oh, hell. Brock Baron had always thought himself a bit indestructible, and persisted in competing in seniors’ rodeos even though he was getting older. Lizzie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “How bad is it?”
“A badly broken leg, maybe a concussion, and they’re checking his ribs for breaks, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Stupid, stupid man!”
Lizzie could hear the worry in Julieta’s voice and she clutched the phone tightly, pressing it against her ear. “I’m not in Dallas at the moment,” she said, and she heard the wobble in her voice, too. Damn it. Now was not the time to fall apart. Not that there was ever a good time. Her mind started to spin out of control as the ramifications of the call sank in, and she forced herself to deal with the crisis of the moment and not what lay ahead. “I can be there in a few hours, though. What about the rest of the family?”
“The boys are here, Savannah’s coming right from the ranch, and Carly’s on her way.”
“Good, then you’re not alone. I’ll call you when I’m close, okay? And give him my love. Hang in there, Julieta.”
She hung up the phone, dropped it in her bag and faced Chris again. “I’m sorry to cut this short. I know we have things to talk about, but I have to get back to Dallas right away.”
His brows pulled together in concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really.” Her voice wobbled and she cleared her throat. “My dad was in an accident. Far as we can tell, he’s got a broken leg, but he’s still unconscious and they’re thinking he also has a concussion.”
“Oh, my God. What happened?”
She shook her head, still not quite believing how full of himself her dad could be from time to time. His age and he still thought he was invincible. “He was competing. The events kicked off this morning. First round and he got thrown.”
They both knew what could happen in the arena. “Of course you have to go. I understand.”
She handed over a card from her wallet. “This is me, at Baron Energies. You can contact me there, okay? I don’t want to tell the family about the baby yet. Especially now, when my dad...”
Her voice broke. Brock Baron was a crusty old bugger but he was her daddy and she still idolized him, faults and all. She stood up and suddenly her head felt light.
“Hey, Eliz...Lizzie, are you okay? You’re white as a sheet.”
She nodded and mustered up a smile. “I forgot to eat lunch is all, and got a bit light-headed.” Which was a complete lie—she’d thrown up her breakfast and then by noon had been ravenous, wolfing down a bacon cheeseburger like a linebacker. Something about the red meat particularly appealed right now. But that was hours ago.
“I don’t think you should be driving all that way by yourself. You’re upset. Let me drive you.”
She clutched the handle of her bag. “And throw you into the mix with my family? Not a chance.”
“You can argue with me and waste time or you can say ‘yes, Christopher’ in that formal voice of yours and we can be on the highway in five minutes.”
“I’m fine.”
He raised an eyebrow.
Who knew the man could be so stubborn? “You can’t order me around.” She reached in the bag and found her keys, looping them around her finger. “And don’t even try forcing my hand by bringing this secret into it.”
Chris went up to her then, close enough she could see the little gold flecks in his rich brown eyes. Close enough she could smell his aftershave and close enough she could reach out and touch his strong chest if she wanted to.
Which she didn’t. But if she did...
“Of course I’ll do no such thing. But I will appeal to your common sense. I want you to be safe. The last thing your family needs is more bad news because you drove too fast or were distracted.”
She was plenty distracted at the moment. Currently she was staring at his lips and remembering one glorious night in a discount motel room...
“If we take my car, how will you get back here?”
“I’ll take the bus. Seriously, it’s not that big a deal. I don’t have any competitions this weekend. I was just going to go out to my folks’ place and I can call and tell them I’ll be a day or so late.”
He put his hand along the side of her face, making the skin there tingle. “You’re pale,” he said softly. “And considering the news you shared with me today...”
“You should be running in the other direction.”
“No, I shouldn’t. Let me make sure you get to the hospital in one piece, okay? Besides, it gives us a chance to talk about all the things we need to on the way.”
