Daddy by Christmas Read online

  “Thanks to you,” Mia said, then added, “I couldn’t even figure out it was gas.”

  Jarrett took her by the arm and led her across to the queen-size bed. They sat down side by side.

  “So now you’ll know,” he said, seeing the dark circles around her pretty blue eyes. He brushed back wayward strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. His heart pounded at the surge of desire that shot through him. He needed to leave, but he already knew nothing could draw him away from her.

  “Call Kira. She had trouble with Jenna, too. That’s how I knew what to do. And the next time you’ll know, too.”

  She swiped at the last of her tears. “You’re lucky to have family.”

  He glanced away. “Trace and Kira didn’t always think so.” He’d made so many mistakes with his brother.

  “You and your brother haven’t always been close?” she asked.

  “Try never,” he admitted. “It was mostly my fault.”

  “You two look pretty close now.”

  “Sometimes damage can’t be fixed. But thanks to Kira, we’ve been working on it.”

  She watched him, waiting for more. “You’re half brothers?”

  He nodded. “Different mothers. I lost mine at six.” He shrugged. “My dad remarried, and his wife had a baby, Trace.”

  “Was she a good stepmother?”

  “Alice? She didn’t have much time for me, so I don’t know much about her mothering skills. My dad just dealt with the ranch business, and that included taking me along.” He glanced away. “I hated it. I can still smell the stink of the cattle, the burning hide of the steers during branding. And it’s damn hard work, for damn little money. And as soon as I could, I got out. Straight into college.”

  She smiled. “Bet they were proud of you.”

  “Yeah, sure.

  “Brad was my cheering squad. My best friend. Whether I wanted him to be or not.” She glanced away. “All I gave him was trouble.”

  “I can’t believe that. I bet you were a good kid.”

  She shook her head. “I was resentful, headstrong, but mostly stupid. An overweight girl who did anything to fit in. I turned out to be a big disappointment to a lot of people.” She released a breath. “So I ran with a crowd that accepted me.”

  Jarrett could only nod, but he wanted to know so much more about Mia. What had hurt her so much she couldn’t talk about it?

  “Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us.” He began. “I took out resentment for my father on Trace. And it was well over thirty years before I figured out he wasn’t my enemy. We’re still working on it.”

  She brightened. “I bet little Jenna helps.”

  He tried not to smile but failed. “Okay, the little squirt has my number. But look at her. She’s too cute to tell her no.” So are you, he nearly confessed, trying to fight the attraction he felt.

  “I agree. You are so lucky to have them.”

  “I’m realizing that.” He eyed her closely. “When was the last time you slept?”

  She shrugged. “I nap when BJ does.”

  He breathed a curse. “It’s not enough, Mia. You haven’t even been out of the hospital a week.” Had it been that long since he’d seen her? Since he’d been purposely avoiding her? He’d worked late at the office, staying away to finish the repairs. Anything not to get any more entangled in her life. Trace was the family guy, not him.

  Tonight, he realized how much he’d missed her. His gaze went from those brilliant blue eyes to her full mouth. God, he had to be crazy, but he couldn’t stop himself as his head lowered to hers.

  “Jarrett…”

  “I like the way you say my name, Mia. A lot.” He reached for her, pulling her to him until his mouth closed over hers. She released a sigh as her fingers gripped his arms and she leaned into him.

  Only the sound of their breathing filled the room as his mouth moved over hers in a slow, sensual, drugging kiss, taking as much as she was willing to give. And he wanted it all.

  Hungry. He was hungry for her. His tongue slid past her parted lips and tasted her, but it wasn’t enough. He never could get enough of her.

  He broke off the kiss and they both drew in needed air. He knew he had to stop, it was too soon for her.

  Yet, it was already too late for him.

  Mia stirred in the warm bed. It felt so good as she pressed deeper into her pillow. Sleep. She loved just lying in bed. Soon her thoughts turned to last night and Jarrett. The kiss. Smiling, she opened her eyes to the morning light coming through the window, then reality hit her, as she registered her tender breasts.

  “BJ,” she whispered, throwing back the covers to get out of bed. The crib was empty. Her heart pounded in her chest and she raced out to the other room. That was when she heard a familiar voice in the kitchen. Nola.

  She stood in the doorway. “You are getting to be such a big boy,” the older woman cooed at the baby in the plastic tub. BJ’s tiny arms waved in the air as he enjoyed his bath.

  Nola glanced at her. “Well, good morning.”

  “Good morning, Nola.” She brushed her hair back. “What are you doing here? And why didn’t you wake me to feed him?”

  “He slept most of the night until five o’clock, which is when Jarrett called me and asked about using the bottle of breast milk in the refrigerator. I instructed him on how to heat it and he fed BJ. That was an hour ago, when I came up to relieve him. So I decided to steal some time with this guy while you got some more sleep.” She grinned down at the baby, who was cooing. “BJ and I are getting to know each other.”

  Mia glanced around the empty apartment. When she’d dozed off last night Jarrett was still here. She suddenly recalled several things from their evening together. The things she’d told him about herself. Things she hadn’t told anyone.

  “If you’re looking for Jarrett, he had a meeting to go to. He said he’d be back later today. I hope in time for our Christmas party.”

  “Who said I was looking for Jarrett?” She hated that she was so easy to read. “Why did he call you instead of waking me?”

  “Because we’re both worried about you.” She nodded for Mia to hand her the towel. She lifted the baby out of the water and Mia wrapped her son in the hooded terry cloth. “New mothers can get burnt out.”

  Mia hugged BJ to her. “I need to be able to take care of my son.”

  “You are a good mother, Mia,” Nola assured her. “You’re also doing this alone. But you have what’s most important, a good heart and a lot of love for this little boy.”

  Together they walked into the bedroom and dressed BJ in one of his new outfits with a shirt that said, Chick Magnet.

  Before Mia could pick him up, Nola did. “You need to eat something first. And I figure you have just enough time for some breakfast and a shower before this guy wants his mommy’s attention.”

  She smiled. How lucky she was to have friends. “Thanks, Nola. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “We owe you a lot, too. We’d all be homeless without your help.”

  “We’ll all be homeless soon anyway. So I didn’t help that much.”

  The older woman pushed her bifocals back in place. “It’s not over yet. I have faith in our handsome landlord. I also see the way he looks at you, Mia.” She smiled. “And you should have seen him with BJ this morning. He’s a natural.”

  Mia tried not to think about Jarrett McKane. He wasn’t the man for her. He was the kind who only thought about the financial bottom line. Business before family. It was all about profit. The money. “He’s counting the days until we’re all out of here.”

  Nola watched her. “Yeah, that’s the reason he had us all out to his house for Thanksgiving. And helped Joe paint your apartment. And stayed with you at the hospital during the birth of this little one.” She glanced down at the baby, but quickly looked back at Mia. “Jarrett has a few rough edges, but that just makes him interesting.” She lowered her voice. “And sexy.”

  Mi
a felt heat rise to her face. He had always been the one who’d showed up to help her. She recalled the way he made her feel when he kissed her last night. She hadn’t wanted him to stop. That was a problem. If she got involved in a relationship with a man, she had to think about BJ, too. They were a package deal.

  Worse yet, could she share all her secrets about her past? Even the lies she’d told to protect herself. What happened when Jarrett discovered who she really was?

  Just a little before noon, Jarrett walked into the restaurant for his meeting. He hoped his lack of sleep last night wouldn’t hinder him from convincing Fulton of his new plans. If he kept thinking about Mia and their kiss, it would. Or the fact that he’d left a beautiful woman’s bed and gone into the other room to sleep on the sofa. That had been a first for him. There had been a lot of firsts with Mia, including being a babysitter for her son.

  When Nola had relieved him from his duties early this morning, he’d had time to shower at his apartment and then go to the office where he’d finished up the presentation for today.

  Over the past week or so, he’d been working on new plans for the Fulton factory. He hoped he’d come up with some changes to the construction that would be beneficial to everyone.

  And save this deal for him.

  If this new idea didn’t go over with the CEO, he could lose a lot more than just a sale. Business ventures like this just didn’t come down the road every day. It could take years for him to unload this property.

  He walked across the restaurant behind the hostess to find Neil at the table by the window. The man didn’t look happy, but Jarrett was hopeful he could convince him to make a few concessions.

  “Neil, glad you could make it on such short notice.”

  They shook hands then sat down. “I hope you have some good news. I’d like to finalize this before I fly out tonight.”

  Jarrett released a quiet breath to calm his nervousness. Don’t let them see you sweat, his college football coach had always told him. “Then let’s get to it,” he suggested.

  The waitress came by and took their order.

  “Now, tell me what’s so important.” Neil checked his watch. “I have to get on a plane and be back in Chicago tonight for a Christmas party. Robin will kill me if I’m late, especially since we’re hosting it.”

  “It’s what I want to show you.” Jarrett pulled out the sketches for the plant site. “As you know, I have two apartment buildings located on the property.” He took a breath and rushed on. “Because of airtight lease agreements, the remaining tenants aren’t moving out until March.”

  Fulton frowned. “I thought you said you had it handled, that the building would be demolished by the end of January so we could break ground by early spring.” Fulton was visibly irritated. “You assured me there wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Well, a judge stepped in and said otherwise.” Jarrett raised a hand. “So I have another idea that might work even better.”

  Jarrett opened the folder and presented a sketch of the factory structure. “There’s enough land to move the location of the new factory to the back of the property, and put the parking lot in front, leaving the existing apartment buildings.”

  “And why would I want to do that?” Fulton asked.

  “Well, there’s a couple of reasons,” Jarrett began. “For one thing, it’s a better location, a little further from town. So it won’t be a traffic nightmare at rush hour.”

  “It would also cost more for extra materials for laying the utilities,” Neil argued.

  Jarrett pushed on, hoping his idea would work. “But if you use one of the existing apartment buildings for your corporate offices, you’ll save on construction costs.”

  Neil’s brow wrinkled in thought. “You can’t be suggesting I use those dilapidated buildings?”

  “Use one of the buildings,” Jarrett corrected. “Why not? They’re solidly built. They might have been neglected, but a remodel is a hell of a lot more cost-efficient than brand-new construction, even if you gut it entirely. You’d be recycling and it’s better for the environment. And best of all, the building is already vacant. You could start the inside remodel after the holidays. No delay waiting for the ground to thaw.”

  Jarrett pulled out another drawing. “I had a structural engineer check out the building. It has the fifties retro look, but that can be changed, too. The main thing is it’s large enough to house the plant’s executive offices. Overall, you’ll save money on this project. The shareholders will have to be happy about that.”

  Fulton didn’t say anything for a while as he went over the new plans, then he looked at Jarrett. “There’s no way you can remove the tenants?”

  Jarrett shook his head. “I can’t and won’t. The majority are seniors on fixed income and two are disabled. I promised them they could stay until the spring.” Then he said something that he never thought he would. “If possible, I’d like them to stay in their apartments for good.”

  Fulton leaned back in his chair. “You know that there are other locations the board of directors are looking at for this project, don’t you?”

  Jarrett’s gut tightened as he nodded, seeing everything he’d worked for going down the drain. “Yes, I do. But you know this is the best location.”

  Fulton arched an eyebrow. “These people mean this much to you?”

  Jarrett sat back. He hadn’t thought about it until now, but these people been more accepting of him than his own father had. Truth was, they were starting to matter to him. Too much. He thought of Mia and BJ.

  He eyed Neil Fulton’s expectant look and shrugged. “Hey, I’m just trying to stay out of jail.”

  Later that evening, when Jarrett returned to the apartment building, he was exhausted. Fulton wouldn’t give him an answer, but he had promised to talk it over with the board. Jarrett couldn’t ask for any more.

  He walked up the sidewalk toward the double doors. If Fulton went along with the new plan it meant Jarrett would keep the apartment building open. Of course, he’d have to put more money into the place, starting with paint. A lot of paint.

  He shook his head. It was too soon to get excited. In these economic times nothing was a sure thing.

  So Jarrett was in limbo. He thought about last night. Mia Saunders had stormed into his life and begun messing up his perfect plans. He’d liked things his way. Most of his life he’d been able to get what he wanted, until everything started to change, thanks to a blue-eyed do-gooder and her merry band of followers.

  Hell, he’d never been a follower, and now look at him. Even worse, he was anxious to see her.

  He pulled open the entry door and walked in, surprised to hear the sound of singing. A group of about two dozen tenants stood around an upright piano singing Christmas carols.

  Standing back, he watched the people he’d come to know over the past few weeks sharing the joy of the holiday. This was hard for him. He couldn’t remember when Christmas had been a happy time. Not since he was a small boy.

  Then he spotted Mia across the room and felt a familiar stirring in his gut. She looked pretty, dressed in a blue sweater and her usual black stretch pants. Her dark hair was pulled back and adorned with a red ribbon. Smiling, she waved at him.

  Maybe it would be a happy holiday after all.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MIA caught sight of Jarrett when he walked into the open lobby. It was hard not to notice the man. In a charcoal business suit with a crisp white shirt and a striped tie, covered by a dark trench coat, he looked more Wall Street than small-town Colorado.

  “That’s one good-looking man.”

  Mia glanced at Nola who was holding BJ. “Both the McKane men are handsome.”

  Her friend smiled. “But you’re only interested in the older brother.” She nudged Mia. “Now, go talk to him before someone else lays claim to your man.”

  She glared. “He’s not mine.”

  “And he won’t be if you keep ignoring him.”

  Nola gave her ano
ther gentle push, sending her off in Jarrett’s direction.

  Mia hadn’t seen much of him, so there hadn’t been a chance to invite him to the impromptu party. She couldn’t blame him for keeping his distance. He was probably tired of taking care of her.

  Besides, why would a man like Jarrett McKane be interested in her? Why would he want to take on a woman with a baby? Yet he’d done so many things for her. He’d been there when she’d needed him the most. How could she not care about a man like that?

  Mia discreetly moved around the back of the crowd as Nola watched over BJ. Heart pounding in her ears, she walked up behind him. “You’re expected to sing along,” she managed to say.

  Jarrett turned around to face her. Immediately, she caught the sadness in his eyes before he could mask it. “Everyone will be sorry if I do. My voice is so bad I don’t even sing in the shower.”

  “I can’t imagine you doing anything badly.” Great. She was acting like an infatuated teenager, and she had never been any good at flirting.

  “You’d be surprised at all the things I’ve messed up.” His dark gaze held hers. “Did you get enough sleep last night?”

  “Yes, thanks to you,” she said, wondering if he’d thought about their kiss. Her gaze went to his mouth, then she quickly glanced away. “And thank you for not bringing up my meltdown.”

  Jarrett couldn’t stop looking at Mia. Blue was definitely her color, bringing out the richness of her eyes.

  “What meltdown?” he said, trying hard to focus on what she was saying. “You were just exhausted from lack of sleep and worried about your baby.”

  He couldn’t help but remember how, during the night, he’d kept going in to watch her sleep. How strange was that? “I hope you got enough rest.”

  She nodded. “Plenty. And you’re a good neighbor for coming to my rescue.”

  He tensed. Neighbor? What neighbor kisses you like I did? “That’s me, just the full-service landlord,” he said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He started to leave, but she put her hand on his arm.