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It had been a night she yielded to passion—which was so unlike her. Never before had she done such a thing or even been tempted to, but Aaron had swept her away. He had made her forget worries, principles, consequences, all her usual levelheaded caution, and she had rushed into a blissful night of love with him.
Now she was going to pay a price. As time passed after their encounter, she suspected she might have gotten pregnant. Finally she had purchased a pregnancy kit and the results confirmed her suspicions. The next step would be a doctor. Tomorrow she had an appointment in Austin. Her friends thought she was going there to visit her sister; Stella hadn’t actually said as much, but people had jumped to that conclusion and she had not corrected anyone. She did not want to see a doctor in Royal who would know her. She didn’t want to see one anywhere in the vicinity who would recognize her from her appearances on television since the storm. If a doctor confirmed her pregnancy, she wanted some time to make decisions and deal with the situation herself before everyone in Royal had the news, particularly Aaron.
Tomorrow she would have an expert opinion. Most of the time she still felt she wasn’t pregnant, that something else was going on. It had only been one night, and they’d used protection—pregnancy shouldn’t have resulted, regardless of test results or a missed period.
She studied herself in the mirror—her figure hadn’t changed. She hoped the pregnancy test was wrong, even though common sense said the test was accurate.
Given all that was going on, she should have turned Aaron down tonight, but she just couldn’t do it.
She looked at her hair and thought about what he had said. She would keep it up in a bun as a reminder to stop herself from another night of making love with him. In the meantime, she was going to have dinner with him, work with him and even have fun with him. Harmless fun that would allow them each to say goodbye without emotional ties—just two people who had a good time working together. What harm could there be in that?
Unless it turned out that she was pregnant. Then she couldn’t say goodbye.
She showered, took down her hair to redo it and selected a plain pale beige long-sleeved cotton blouse and a dark brown straight wool skirt with practical low-heeled shoes. She brushed, twisted and secured her hair into a bun at the back of her head. She didn’t wear makeup. Men usually didn’t notice her and she didn’t think makeup would make much difference. The times she had worn makeup in high school, boys still hadn’t noticed her or wanted to ask her out except when they were looking for help in some course they were taking.
An evening with Aaron. In spite of her promises to herself and her good intentions, the excitement tingled and added to her eagerness.
When it was time to go meet Aaron, she picked up a small purse that only held necessities, including her card key, wallet and a list of temporary numbers that people were using because of the storm. She wouldn’t need a coat because they wouldn’t be leaving the Cozy Inn.
When she stepped off the elevator, she saw him. She tried to ignore the faster thump of her heart. In an open-neck pale blue shirt and navy slacks, he looked handsome, neat and important. She thought he stood out in the crowd in the lobby with his dark blond hair, his broad shoulders and his air of authority.
Why did she have such an intense response to him? She had from the first moment she met him. He took her breath away and dazzled her without really doing anything except being himself.
He spotted her and her excitement jumped a notch. She felt locked into gazing into his eyes, eyes the color of caramel. She could barely get her breath; realizing how intensely she reacted to him, she made an effort to break the eye contact.
When she looked again, he was still watching her as he approached.
“You look great. No one would ever guess you’ve been working since before dawn this morning.”
“Thank you,” she answered, thinking he was just being polite. Nobody ever told her she looked great or gorgeous, or said things she heard guys say to women. She was accustomed to not catching men’s attention so she didn’t give it much thought.
“I have a table in the dining room,” he said, taking her arm. The room had been transformed since they’d left it. Lights had been turned low, the tables covered in white linen tablecloths. Tiny pots wrapped in red foil and tied with bright green satin bows held dwarf red poinsettias sprinkled with glitter, adding to the festive Christmas atmosphere.
A piano player played softly at one end of the room in front of a tiny dance floor where three couples danced to a familiar Christmas song. Near the piano was a fully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights.
Aaron held her chair and then sat across from her, moving the poinsettia to one side even though they could both see over it.
“I haven’t seen many Christmas trees this season,” she said. “It’s easy to even forget the holiday season is here when so many are hurting and so much is damaged.”
“Will you be with your family for Christmas?”
“No. My parents don’t pay any attention to Christmas. They’re divorced and Christmas was never a fun time at our house because of the anger between them. It was a relief when they finally ended their marriage.”
“Sorry. I know we talked about families before. Earlier today you said you are going to see your sister in Austin tomorrow. Do you see her at Christmas?”
“Some years I spend Christmas at her house. Some years I go back and forth between my parents and my sister. Mom has moved to Fort Worth. She’s a high school principal there. After the divorce my dad moved his insurance business to Dallas because he had so many customers in the area. I see him some, but not as much as my mom. My grandmother lives with her and my grandfather is deceased.”
“So this year what will you do at Christmastime?”
“I plan to stay here and keep trying to help where I can until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Then I’ll fly to Austin to be at my sister’s. I have a feeling the holidays will be extremely difficult here for some people. I’m coming back Christmas afternoon and I’ve asked people here who are alone to come over that evening—just a casual dinner. So far there are about five people coming.”
“That’s nice, Stella,” Aaron said, sounding sincere with a warmth in his gaze that wrapped her in its glow.
“What about you, Aaron? Where will you spend Christmas? You know more about my family than I do about yours.”
For an instant he had a shuttered look that made her feel as if she had intruded with her question. Then he shrugged and looked at her. “My parents moved to Paris and I usually go see them during the holidays. My brother is in Dallas and I’ll be with him part of the time, although he’s going to Paris this year. I like to ski, and some years I ski. This year I’ll see if I can help out around here. You’re right. A holiday can hurt badly if someone has lost his home or a loved one. After losing his brother, Cole will need my support. So I’m going to spend the holidays in Royal.”
As he spoke quietly, there was a glacial look in his eyes that made her feel shut out. She wondered about his past. More and more she realized how little she knew about him.
Their waiter appeared to take their drink order, and Aaron looked at her, his brown eyes warm and friendly again. “The last time we were together you preferred a glass of red wine. Is that what you’d like now?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. I would prefer a glass of ice water. Maybe later I’ll have something else,” she said, surprised that he remembered what she had ordered before. She didn’t want to drink anything alcoholic and she also didn’t care to do anything to cause him to talk about the last time they were together.
“Very well. Water for the lady, please, and I’ll have a beer,” he said to the waiter.
As soon as they were alone, Aaron turned to her. “Let’s dance at least one time and then we’ll come back to place our order. Do you already know what you want? I remember last time it was grilled trout, which is also on this menu here.”
“I don’t know what I want and I need to read the menu. I’ll select something and then we’ll dance,” she said, trying to postpone being in his arms. If she could gracefully skip dancing, she would, but he knew from the last time that she loved to dance. He was remembering that last time together with surprising clarity. She figured he had other women in his life and had forgotten all about her.
“Let’s see what we want. When he brings drinks, we can order dinner. I remember how much you like to dance.”
“You have a good memory.”
“For what interests me,” he said, studying her.
“What?” she asked, curious about the intent way he looked at her.
“You’re different from last time. Far more serious.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “You notice too much, Aaron. It’s the storm and all the problems. There are so many things to do. How can I look or feel or even be the same person after the event that has touched each person who lives here,” she said, realizing she needed to lighten the situation a bit so he would stop studying her and trying to guess what had changed and what was wrong.
“C’mon. One dance. You need to get your mind off Royal for just a few minutes at least. We can order dinner after a dance. You’re not going to faint on the dance floor from hunger. Let it go for a minute, Stella. You’ve got the burden of the world on your shoulders.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think it’s that bad. Very well, you win,” she said. By trying to stay remote and all-business, she was drawing more attention instead of less, which wasn’t what she wanted.
“That’s more like it,” he said, smiling. “What time do you leave in the morning?” he asked.
“I’ll fly the eight-o’clock commuter plane from here to Dallas and change planes for Austin.”
They reached the dance floor as the music changed to an old-time fast beat. She was caught in Aaron’s direct look as they danced, and his brown eyes had darkened slightly. Desire was evident in his expression. Her insides clenched while memories of making love with him bombarded her.
His hot gaze raked over her and she could barely get her breath. How could she resist him? He was going to interfere in her work in Royal, interfere in her life, stir up trouble and make her want him. The last part scared her. She didn’t want Aaron involved too soon because he was a man who was accustomed to taking charge and to having things his way.
Watching him, she gave herself to dancing around the floor with him, to looking into brown eyes that held desire and a promise of kisses, to doing what he said—having fun and forgetting the problems for just a few minutes. The problems wouldn’t go away, but she could close her mind to them long enough to dance with Aaron and have a relaxing evening.
As they danced the beat quickened. Smiling, she shut her mind to everything except dancing and music and a drumming beat that seemed to match her heartbeat. The problems would be waiting, but for a few minutes, she pushed them aside.
Her gaze lowered to Aaron’s mouth and her own lips parted. Having him close at hand stirred up memories she had been trying to forget. If only she could go back and undo that night with him, to stop short at kissing him.
The dance ended and when a ballad began he held her hand to draw her closer.
“Aaron, I thought we were going to have one dance and then go order dinner,” she said, catching her breath.
“I can’t resist this. I’ve been wanting to dance with you and hold you close.”
The words thrilled her, scared her and tormented her. They danced together and she was aware of pressing lightly against him and moving in step with him. Memories of being in his arms became more vivid. His aftershave was faint but she recalled it from before. Too many things about him were etched clearly in her memory, which hadn’t faded any in spite of her efforts to try to avoid thinking about him.
The minute the song ended, she stepped away and smiled. “Now, we’ve danced. Let’s go order so we get dinner tonight.”
“There, that’s good to see you relax a little and laugh and smile. That’s more the way I remember you.”
“I think you just wanted to get your way.”
“No. If I just wanted to get my way, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’d be upstairs in my room.”
She laughed and shook her head, trying to make light of his flirting and pay no attention to it.
At their table she looked over the menu. She selected grilled salmon this time and sipped her cold water while Aaron drank a beer.
“See, it’s good to let go of the problems for at least a brief time. You’ll be more help to others if you can view things with a fresh perspective.”
“I haven’t done much of this. The calls for help have been steady although it’s not like it was at first. We’ve had some really good moments when families found each other. That’s a triumph and joy everyone can celebrate. And it’s touching when pets and owners are reunited. Those are the good moments. Frankly, I’ll be ready to have my peace and quiet back.”
Her phone dinged and she took it out. “Excuse me,” she said as she read the text message and answered it.
Their dinner came and they talked about the houses that were being rebuilt by his company and the families who would eventually occupy them. With Aaron she had a bubbling excitement that took away her appetite. She didn’t want him to notice, so she kept eating small bites slowly. Before she was half-through, she got a call on her phone.
“Aaron—” She shrugged.
“Take the call. I don’t mind.”
She talked briefly and then ended the call. “That’s Mildred Payne. She’s elderly and lives alone. Her family lives in Waco. Her best friend was one of the casualties of the storm. She just called me because her little dog got out and is lost. Mildred’s crying and phoned me because I’ve helped her before. I’m sorry, Aaron, but I have to go help her find her dog.”
He smiled. “Come on. I’ll get the waiter and then I’ll take you and we’ll find the dog.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to be with you and maybe I can help.”
“I need to run to my suite and get my coat.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby near the front door in five minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“Wouldn’t miss a dog hunt with you for anything,” he said as they parted.
She laughed and rushed to get her coat. When she came back to the lobby, Aaron was standing by the door. He had on a black leather bomber jacket and once again just the sight of him made her breathless.
His car was waiting outside and a doorman held the door for her as Aaron went around to slide behind the wheel. She told him the address and gave him directions. “You’re turning out to be a reliable guy,” she said. “I appreciate this.”
“You don’t know the half about me,” he said in an exaggerated drawl, and she smiled.
“To be truthful, I’m glad I don’t have to hunt for the dog by myself. I do know the dog. It’s a Jack Russell terrier named Dobbin. If you’ll stop at a grocery I’ll run in and get a bag of treats because he’ll come for a doggie treat.”
“I’ll stop, but if we were home and I was in my own car, we wouldn’t have to. My brother has a dog and I keep a bag of treats in the trunk of my car. That dog loves me.”
“Well, so do I,” she said playfully. “You’re willing to hunt for Dobbin.”
“When we find Dobbin, we’ll go back to the Cozy Inn and I’ll show you treats for someone with big blue eyes and long brown hair—”
“Whoa. You just find Dobbin and we’ll all be happy,” she said, laughing. “Seriously, Aaron, I appreciate you volunteering to help. It’s cold and it’s dark out. I don’t relish hunting for a dog, and Dobbin is playful.”
“So am I if you’ll give me half a chance,” he said. She shook her head.
“I’m not giving you a chance at all. Just concentrate on Dobbin.”
“I’ll only be a minute,” he said, pulling into the brightly lit parking lot of a convenience store. He left the engine running with the heater on while he hurried inside. She watched him come out with a bag of treats.
“Thanks again,” she said.
“Hopefully, Dobbin will be back home before we get there. You must get calls for all kinds of problems.”
“I’m glad to help when I can. I’m lucky that my house didn’t have a lot of damage and I wasn’t hurt. Mildred had damage to her house. She’s already had a new roof put on and windows replaced. She has a back room that has to be rebuilt, but she was one of the fortunate ones who got help from her insurance company and had a construction company she’d worked with on other jobs, so she called them right after the storm.”
“That’s the best way. Make the insurance call as soon as possible.”
“It worked for Mildred.” They drove into a neighborhood that had damage but not the massive destruction that had occurred in the western part of Royal. Houses were older, smaller, set back on tree-filled lots. Stella saw the bright beacon of a porch light. “There’s her house where the porch light is on. Mildred is in a block where power got restored within days after the storm. Another help. There she is, waiting for us and probably calling Dobbin.”
“He could be miles away. It’s a cold night and she’s elderly. Get her in where it’s warm and I’ll drive around looking for Dobbin. Hopefully, he loves treats.”
When they reached the house, Aaron turned up the narrow drive. A tall, thin woman with a winter coat pulled around her stood on the porch. She held a sack of dog treats in her hand.
“Thanks again, Aaron. You didn’t know what you were in for when you asked me to eat dinner with you. I’ll get her settled inside and then I’ll probably walk around the block and look. She said he hadn’t been gone long when she called.”
“That’s good because a dog can cover a lot of ground. I have my phone with me. My number is 555-4378.”
“And mine—”
“Is 555-6294,” he said, startling her. “I started to call you a couple of times, but you said you wanted to say goodbye, so I didn’t call,” he said.
That gave her a bigger surprise. She figured he had all but forgotten the night they were together. It was amazing to learn that not only had he thought about calling her, he even knew her phone number from memory. He had wanted to see her again. The discovery made her heart beat faster.
“Stella—”
Startled, she looked around. He had parked and was letting the motor idle. She was so lost in her thoughts, for a moment she had forgotten her surroundings or why they were there. “I’ll see about Mildred,” she said, stepping out and hurrying to the porch as Aaron backed out of the drive.
“Hi, Mildred. I came as quickly as I could.”
“Thank you, Stella. I just knew you would be willing to help.”
“I’m with Aaron Nichols, who is Cole Richardson’s partner. They own one of the companies that has helped so much in rebuilding Royal. Aaron will drive around to search for Dobbin.”
“I appreciate this. He’s little and not accustomed to being out at night.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him,” Stella said, trying to sound positive and cheerful and hoping they could live up to what she promised. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm and I’ll go look, too. You should get in out of the cold.”
“You’re such a help to everyone and I didn’t know who else to turn to. There was George, my neighbor, but their house is gone now and he and his family are living with his sister.”
They went inside a warm living room with lights turned on.
“You get comfortable and let us look for Dobbin. Just stay in where it’s warm. May I take the bag of treats with me?”
“Of course. Here it is.” Mildred wiped her eyes. “It’s cold for him to be out.” Gray hair framed her long face. She hung her coat in the hall closet and stepped back into the living room.
“I’m going to walk around the block and see if I can find him. Aaron is looking now. We’ll be back in a little while.”
Mildred nodded and followed Stella to the door.
“This is nice of you, Stella. Dobbin is such company for me. I don’t want to lose him.”
“Don’t worry.” She left, closing the door and hurrying down the porch steps. “Dobbin. Here, Dobbin,” she called, rattling the treat sack and feeling silly, thinking Dobbin could be out of Royal by now. She prayed he was close and would come home. No one in Royal needed another loss at a time like this.
“Dobbin?” she called, and whistled, walking past Mildred’s and the lot next door where a damaged house stood dark and empty. The roof was half-gone and a large elm had fallen on the front porch. Away from the lights the area was grim and cold. She made a mental note to check tomorrow about Mildred’s block because she thought this section of town had already had the fallen trees cleared away.
“Dobbin,” she called again, her voice sounding eerie in the silent darkness.
A car came around the corner, headlights bright as it drove toward her. The car slowed when it pulled alongside her and she recognized Aaron’s rental car. He held up a terrier. Thrilled, she ran toward the car. “You have Dobbin?”
“Dobbin is my buddy now. He’s waiting for another treat.”
“Hi, Dobbin,” she said, petting the dog. “Aaron, you’re a miracle man. I’ll meet you on Mildred’s porch.”
“Get in and ride up the drive with me. I’ll hold Dobbin so he doesn’t escape.”
She laughed, thinking it was becoming more and more difficult to try to keep a wall up between them. All afternoon and this evening he had done things to make her appreciate and like him more.
She climbed into the warm car. “I’ll hold Dobbin,” she said. When Aaron released the terrier, he jumped into her lap. Aaron drove up the drive and parked.
“Come in and meet Mildred because she’ll want to thank you.”
“Here, you might as well give Mildred the bag of treats. I’ll carry Dobbin until we get to the door,” Aaron said, taking the dog from her.
On the porch Aaron rang the bell. In seconds the door opened and Mildred smiled. “You found him. Thank you, thank you.” She took the dog from Aaron and the bags of treats from Stella. “Please come in. I’m going to put him in my room and I’ll be right back. Please have a seat.”
When she came back, Stella introduced everyone. “Mildred, this is Aaron Nichols. Aaron, meet Mildred Payne.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Dobbin was in the next block, sitting on a porch of a darkened, vacant home as if waiting for a ride home. I had a bag of treats, so he came right to me.”
“Good. He doesn’t like everybody.”
“Mildred, we’re going back. It’s been a long day and I still have some things to do.”
“I wish you could stay. I have cookies and milk.”
“Thanks, but we should go,” Stella said. Mildred followed them onto the porch, thanking them as they left and still thanking them when they got into the car.
“Now you’ve done your good deed for today,” Stella said when he backed down the drive. “It was appreciated.”
“It was easy. I think you’ve become essential to this town.”
“No. I’m just happy to help where help is needed. And I’m just one of many helping out. The Texas Cattleman’s Club has been particularly helpful, and you and Cole have certainly done more than your fair share.”
“Your life may have changed forever because of the storm. I’m surprised you haven’t had job offers from people who saw you on television.”
“Actually, I have from two places. The attorney general’s office in San Angelo has an opening for an administrative assistant and another was a mayor’s office in Tyler that has a position that would have the title of office manager.”
“Are you interested in either one?”
“No, I thanked them and turned them down. My friends are in Royal and I’ve grown up here so I want to stay. Besides, they need me here now.”
“Amen to that. I’m glad you’re staying here because we’ll be working together and maybe seeing each other a little more since we’re both at the Cozy Inn.”