The Texan's Baby. Donna Alward
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what was she going to do? Run an entire energy company in between bouts of morning sickness and prenatal appointments?
She squared her shoulders. Well, why not? If she didn’t, she’d just prove every chauvinistic thing Mark Baker ever said absolutely true.
“You’re sure you won’t come aboard?”
Jet smiled his charming smile. “I’m sure you’ll do a great job, Liz. And I’ll tell Dad that, too, if it helps.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot,” she answered halfheartedly.
Jet disappeared after that, and she caught sight of him texting in a corner of the waiting room. She took a seat and slid off her heels, which were starting to hurt her feet. She leaned back and closed her eyes as exhaustion began to creep in. Maybe they’d soon be allowed to see Brock and then she could go home to her comfy apartment and bed....
“Lizzie?”
It was Jacob this time, looking incredibly earnest. She knew right away why he’d come to sit with her. While Jet couldn’t be convinced to take on a bigger role at Baron Energies, Jacob wanted one and Brock kept holding out.
“Hey,” she said tiredly.
“Looks like Dad’s going to be out of commission for a while. Do you think that puts you in charge?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I’d be happy to step up, take on a bigger part at the company if that would help you out, ease some of the pressure.”
Lizzie considered her words. Jacob was a good man and they tended to think a lot alike. She didn’t understand why Brock kept him in the wings at Baron. She also knew that his offer came from a genuine willingness to help, and not really from trying to advance his personal position.
“I’ll let you know. I appreciate the offer, Jacob, but I’m going to have to run everything by Dad, you know that. Even if he does have to hand day-to-day control over to someone...me...I can’t sanction changes he wouldn’t make. You understand that, right?”
“Shit would hit the fan,” Jacob acknowledged with a smile. “I’m going to be on the road a lot this summer. The one thing I do that he seems to approve of is rodeo.” He frowned. “But will you promise that if you need anything, you’ll ask?”
“I will, but Jacob, it’s not even a done deal.”
“Sure it is. We all know who he’d like to have running the company....” Jacob looked over at Jet in the corner. “But he relies on you and you’re family. That trumps everything.”
“So are you,” she pointed out. Sure, she remembered the time before Peggy and the boys had come on the scene, but they had been a part of their lives for so long there was no question about their place in the family—at least for her.
“In a way I’m glad I’m not you.” He grinned suddenly. “He’s going to hate being at home and away from the office. I bet he calls you a dozen times a day.”
The unit doors opened again and a grinning Alex burst through, carrying a paper bag nearly as big as he was, Chris following closely behind with a cardboard tray of cups in one hand and a sack in the other.
The two ten-dollar bills Julieta had given Alex wouldn’t have come close to paying for the sheer volume of food they brought back, and she looked at Chris with something that felt like affection. Damn it, she was starting to like him on top of everything else.
That probably wouldn’t be a good idea, would it? Especially if the goal was to keep things logical and businesslike. He stopped and handed her a hot cup. “I thought you could use an herbal tea,” he said quietly, so close to her ear that shivers snuck deliciously down her spine. “Sadly, the other sack is full of doughnuts and cinnamon buns. You may have to make a sacrifice.”
She took the cup and wrapped her hands around its warmth. “It was nice, what you did,” she said, looking up and meeting his gaze. “It’s a long day for Alex.”
“He’s a great kid,” Chris replied. “A lot of energy, but great.” His smile was a little crooked. Lizzie found it endearing.
“I don’t know how long we’re going to be here.” Lizzie took a restorative sip. “But you’re welcome to stay at my place for tonight. My couch is pretty comfortable.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Oh please. You totally dropped everything for me today and under what might have been really tense circumstances. I appreciate it, Chris. I think it’s a good sign, really, for how we’ll be able to deal with each other in the months ahead.”
Right. Because they weren’t actually dating. It was all an act for tonight. And the details to be worked out were more like a business negotiation than a relationship.
A nurse approached the group. “If you’re waiting for Brock Baron, you can see him now. Just for a few minutes. Follow me.”
Chris took her cup from her fingers. “Go,” he ordered, nudging her forward. “I’ll wait for you here.”
She followed the nurse along with the rest of the family, suddenly nervous. She wasn’t ready. Not ready to sit at the head of the boardroom table, and definitely not ready for motherhood—and she was, in all reality, being thrust into both roles at the same time.
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