Daddy by Christmas / Christmas Magic on the Mountain

“I hear your baby is due on Christmas day.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “Who told you that?”

“My sister-in-law, Kira McKane. You both go to the same church.”

She seemed relieved. “How does she feel about you tossing us out of here?”

“I haven’t tossed out anyone, and according to the judge, I won’t be able to until the spring.” Not with Barbara Gillard watching him anyway. If only he could come up with a way to convince everyone to leave a few months earlier.

His only other chance was to get Fulton to hold off on the takeover date. They couldn’t begin construction until the ground thawed. But he wouldn’t get his money either.

He’d put a lot into this project, buying up the surrounding land, including this place. He had too much to lose. And it would cost him even more every day Mountain View Apartments stayed open. And now he was being held prisoner here.

While Jarrett went to the community room, Mia knocked on Joe’s door and asked him and Sylvia to gather the other tenants and bring them to the community room.

Sending the others on ahead, Mia then went to Nola’s place and they walked over together. “We need to make sure you have enough heat, Mia,” Nola said. “For you and the baby.”

They went through the door of the community room to see a dozen or so tenants already there. “I’m fine for now,” Mia answered. Her apartment wasn’t too bad. “I wouldn’t mind a new faucet for the sink, though. It came off last week.”

“You should have told Joe.”

“I wasn’t going to complain when there are apartments with bigger problems.”

Nola gave her a tender look. “You and the baby are a priority.”

Mia smiled. Everyone here had rallied around her like overprotective grandparents since they’d heard the tragic news. “He’s not even here yet.”

“It’s a boy?” Joe said, walking over to them.

“I don’t know,” she insisted. “So you haven’t won the baby pool yet.”

The older man grinned. “It’s a boy all right. He’s going to be born at 12:05 on the twenty-fifth of December.”

Mia looked up to see Jarrett walk in, followed by a middle-aged man with Nichols Heating and Air printed across his shirt pocket.

“Good, most of you are here,” Jarrett began. “This is Harry Nichols. He’s here to look at the heating units.”

Several of the tenants were already on their feet to greet the repairman. Once the niceties were over, the tenants commandeered Harry and went to start the work.

With everyone gone, Jarrett walked over to where Mia sat at the table. “That seemed to please them.”

She studied her new landlord. He was sure proud of himself. “Why not? It’s been a while since they’ve had reliable heat. You’ll probably be rewarded with some more baked goods.”

Jarrett took a seat next to her, filling the space with his large frame. She inhaled a faint scent of his aftershave.

“I had no idea the extent of the last owner’s neglect. I thought it was mostly cosmetic. Now, I’m paying a lot for the repairs.”

Mia eyed his expensive clothes, leather jacket and cowboy boots. She’d seen his top-of-the-line Range Rover parked out front. “I doubt you’ll starve, Mr. McKane. Besides, this isn’t your only property in town.”

He arched an eyebrow. “The last I heard, it’s not against the law to make a living.”

“No. Not unless the properties have been neglected like this one.”

He looked at her with those dark, piercing eyes. “In the first place, I wasn’t the one who allowed this property to fall apart. Secondly, most of my other holdings are commercial buildings. I’ve spent a lot of money renovating run-down properties. You can’t ask for top rent without a quality product.”

Why couldn’t he do the same here? “Have you ever considered putting money into this place? You have a whole other section that’s vacant. That’s twenty-four units that are empty.” She shrugged. “Like you said yourself, this town doesn’t have enough rental properties. With some remodeling you could sell them as townhomes.”

He studied her for a while. “Sounds like you’ve put some thought into this.”

“When we heard that the owner was selling, the tenants tried to buy the complex themselves. They didn’t have enough money, or the expertise to do the repairs.”

“I doubt if anyone can keep up with the repairs of this old place. No one would want to sink the time and effort into it, without knowing if they could recoup their money. The real estate market has been unpredictable.”

He sounded like her father. “Does it always have to be about money?”

He arched an eyebrow. “It does or I go broke.”

She’d been both, and she was definitely happier like this. “I can’t believe you’d lose everything. You still have family and a home. You might lose a little money, but you’ll survive. A lot of these people won’t. They can’t afford to move and pay double the rent elsewhere.”

He frowned. “What are you going to do when the lease is up?”

She blinked, fighting her anger. “Is your conscience suddenly bothering you about evicting a single mother?”

He straightened. “I’m not happy about evicting anyone. But I don’t have a choice. This deal has been in the works for months.”

“Like I said, it’s all about the almighty dollar.”

“What about the jobs this factory will create for the town? The economy isn’t that great to turn this opportunity away.”

“Does a factory have to be built on land that drives people from their homes?”

“I will find them other places to live. I’m not that cruel—I won’t put seniors and single mothers out on the street.”

“Well, you can stop worrying about me. I don’t want your charity.”

“Fine. Let’s see where your stubbornness gets you.”

“I’ve been able to take care of myself so far.”

“Then feel free to continue.” He stood and started to leave.

She tried not to let him see her fear. She raised her chin. “I will.”

Suddenly she felt her stomach tighten and she automatically covered it with her hands.

He must have seen it, too. “Are you okay?”

She nodded as she moved her hand over her belly and rubbed it, but it didn’t help. Then her back began to hurt, too. She tried to shift in the chair, but it didn’t help.

“Mia, what’s wrong?” Jarrett asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He knelt down beside her chair. “The hell it’s nothing.”

She shook her head, looking around the empty room. There wasn’t anyone else there.

His expression softened. “Mia, let me help you.”

A sharp pain grabbed her around the middle. “Oh, no,” she gasped and then looked at him. “I think the baby’s coming.”

Fifteen minutes later Jarrett pulled up at the emergency-room doors. He threw the car into Park, got out and ran around to the passenger side. He jerked open the door. Mia was taking slow measured breaths. Not good.

“Hang on, we’re almost there.”

She couldn’t hide her worried look. “It’s too early for me to go into labor. I can’t lose this baby, Jarrett.”

“And you won’t,” he promised. He had no idea what was going on, or even if the doctors could stop the contractions. “Let’s get you inside and find some help.” He slid his arms around her shoulders and under her legs, then lifted her into his arms.

“I’m too heavy,” she said.

“Are you kidding?” He smiled, taking long strides across the parking lot. “During roundup, I used to have to hoist calves a lot heavier than you.”

“You used to work on your brother’s ranch?”

“Back when I played cowboy, it was our dad’s place. That was a long time ago.”

She studied him. “I can see you as a rancher.”

His mouth twitched. “There’s the big difference, darlin’. I never did,” he drawled as he carried her through the automatic doors.

On the drive over, Mia had phoned her doctor and been told to go to the nearest emergency room, then she’d given Nola a quick call so her friends wouldn’t worry if they noticed she was gone.

Winchester Ridge Medical Center was the closest. Once inside, they were met by a nurse who led them into an exam room. Jarrett set Mia down on the bed and stepped back out of the way. Nurses immediately took her blood pressure, asking questions about due dates and the timing of the contractions. All the while, she kept looking at him.

Jarrett tried to give her some reassurance, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Excuse me,” a nurse said, getting his attention. “Are you the father?”

He shook his head, but hesitated with the answer. “No.” Mia didn’t have any family.

“Then you’ll have to leave while we examine her.”

“I’ll be right outside,” he told Mia. “Just holler if you need me.”

Jarrett stepped back behind the curtain and found a row of chairs against the wall. That was as far as he was going.

For the next few hours, Jarrett watched medical personal go in and out of Mia’s cubicle.

But no one told him a thing.

Finally they moved her down the hall to a room so they could keep monitoring her. Recalling the frightened look on her face, he knew he couldn’t leave her alone. So he followed her and camped outside her room.

He glanced up from the newspaper someone else had left and saw Nola.

He stood as the older woman walked toward him. “Mr. McKane.” She gripped his hand with both of hers. “How is Mia?”

“I don’t know any more than what I told you when I phoned. And the doctor won’t tell me anything because I’m not a relative.”

Nola nodded. “I know, I fibbed and said I was her grandmother so I could come back here.”

He walked Nola to the sofa and sat down. “How did you get here?”

“One of the parishioners from the church,” she said. “Joe can’t drive at night, and Ralph doesn’t have his license any more.” She shook her head. “Mia always takes us places we need to go.” The older woman blinked. “Oh, Mr. McKane, what if something is wrong with the baby?” Those watery hazel eyes turned to him. “She wants this baby so much.”

He already knew that. He’d never felt so helpless and he hated that. “Nola, the doctors here are good and her specialist is here, too. So try not to worry.” He put on a smile. “And will you do me another favor? Please call me Jarrett.”

She beamed at him.

He’d broken one of his cardinal rules. Not to get personally involved when it came to business. A week ago if someone told him he’d be sitting here worried about a pregnant woman and a couple of dozen retirees, he’d have told them they were crazy.

An attractive blond woman in a white coat came down the hall toward them. “Are you waiting to hear about Mia Saunders?”

They both stood. “Yes, we are,” Jarrett said. “I’m Jarrett McKane, I brought Mia in. This is Nola Madison, her…grandmother. How is she?”

The doctor smiled. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Lauren Drake, Mia’s doctor. She’s fine for now. We managed to stop the contractions, but I want her to stay overnight as a precaution.”

“What about the baby?” Nola asked.

“The fetus is thirty-four weeks, so if Mia does go into labor, she could deliver a healthy baby. Of course the longer she carries it, the better.”

“Well, we’ll do everything we can to make sure of that,” Nola said.

The doctor nodded. “I’m glad, because when she goes home, I want her to stay in bed for the next few weeks. She needs to avoid all stress and just rest.”

No stress, Jarrett thought. Great. He’d dumped a truck-load on her. “Is that what caused the contractions?”

“We all have to agree that a lot has happened to Mia in the past few months,” the doctor echoed. “Losing her brother and sister-in-law was traumatic for her.”

Nola spoke up. “We’ve all been trying to help her through it.”

Dr. Drake nodded. “I hope that can continue, because she’s going to need someone to be around more, or at least within shouting distance to check on her.”

“We can be there as much as she needs us,” Nola said and turned to him. “Right, Jarrett?”

Great, he was the last person Mia wanted around. “Of course. I live across the hall. I guess I could keep an eye on her.”

Thanks to the medication, Mia was feeling groggy. She didn’t like that. For years, she’d avoided any and all drugs. But if it kept the baby safe, she’d do whatever it took.

Closing her eyes, she wondered how she was going to manage over the next few weeks. She had deadlines to make, and she needed the money.

Stop! Worrying wasn’t good for the baby. She rubbed her stomach, knowing how close she’d come to delivering early. She wasn’t ready for the baby. She didn’t even have any diapers and very few clothes. The baby bed wasn’t set up, either. She sighed. How was she going to do everything? How could she do everything and be a good mother, too? A tear slid down her cheek.

She thought back to her childhood. She’d always messed up. How many times had her father told her that? She couldn’t please him no matter how hard she tried. He’d been too busy for her, but the one way she got his attention was being bad. Until he finally gave up on her altogether. No she couldn’t let Brad down. She was going to be a good mother to his baby.

Mia glanced toward the door and saw Nola and Jarrett standing there. She quickly wiped away any more tears and put on a smile.

“Hi.”

Nola rushed in. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cried. “How are you?” Nola hugged her.

Mia relished the feeling, the love and compassion. “I’m doing better now.”

The older woman pulled back. “We were so worried about you.”

Mia looked at Jarrett. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

Nola frowned. “Of course we’d worry. You are special to us. We love you.” She fussed with the blanket, smoothing out the wrinkles. “And we’re going to take good care of you. Aren’t we, Jarrett?”

“Looks that way,” he said, feeling awkward standing in the room.

“I can’t impose on either of you.”

“You’re not imposing on any of us. We’re happy to do it. You need someone around to help you. Jarrett and I volunteered.” She clutched her hands together. “Oh, I need to go and call the others. I’ll be right back.”

“Here, use my phone,” Jarrett said, handing it over to her. They both watched the woman walk out of the room.

Jarrett turned back to Mia. “So how do you really feel?”

“Scared, but good.”

“You need to stop that. Your doctor said you need to relax and avoid stress.”

“Did you tell her that you lived across the hall?”

He fought a smile, but lost. “Yes. Did you tell her that you and your friends brought me there?”

She met Jarrett’s gaze. Her heart sped up and the monitor showed it. “So, I guess we’re stuck with each other for a while.”

Chapter Four

THE next day, Mia arrived home the same way she’d left. In Jarrett’s car. He pulled into a parking spot at the front of the building. There were two heating-and-air-condi-tioning-repair trucks there, along with several uniformed workers.

“Looks like we’ll have heat soon,” she said.

Jarrett turned off the engine and glanced out the windshield. “It’s just in time. There’s a snowstorm coming in tonight.” He looked at her. “Soon you’ll be tucked into your warm bed. But be warned, Nola is heading a welcome-home committee.”

“Oh, I don’t want them to go to any trouble.”

“I doubt they think you’re any trouble. Too bad she and her group don’t run this town. A lot more would get done.” He climbed out of the SUV and walked around to her side.

He pulled open the door and the cold air hit her. She shivered as she tried to climb out, but he wouldn’t let her.

“Remember what the doctor said? Bed rest.”

“I will as soon as I get to my apartment.”

“No, as soon as I get you to your apartment.” He scooped her up into his arms.

“Please, you can’t carry me all the way upstairs.”

“Of course not. Once I get you inside, Joe’s going to take over.”

She made a face at him. “Very funny.”

Mia refused to admit she liked being taken care of by a big, strong man whose mere presence made her aware she was a woman. The way he smelled, his rock-solid chest and arms. She bit back a groan. Hormones. It was all just hormones.

She had to think of Jarrett McKane as the man who would be kicking them all out of their homes in a few months. Nothing more.

Sylvia held open the door to the building so they could come in. “Welcome home, Mia.”

She got more greetings from a group of tenants waiting in the lobby.

“Thank you everyone. It’s good to be home.”

“Okay, let’s get you upstairs.” Jarrett continued to the stairway to her apartment.

Nola was waiting there and motioned him toward the bedroom. “Bring her in here.”

“No, I can stay out here on the sofa for now.”

Jarrett stopped, then said, “Doctor’s orders are to put you to bed.” He continued through the short hallway and into her room.

Mia blinked as they entered the bedroom. It didn’t look like the same room she’d left yesterday. The dingy walls had been painted a soft buttery yellow. The furniture was rearranged and her bed was adorned with a pastel-patterned quilt.

She turned around and saw the white baby bed that had been Brad and Karen’s last purchase for the baby assembled. It was decorated with yellow-and-green sheets and an animal mobile hung overhead.

Tears flooded her eyes. “Oh, my.”

“Do you like it?” Nola asked. We were going to give you the quilt for Christmas but since you’re going to be spending so much time in bed now, we decided not to wait.” The older woman pulled back the covers so Jarrett could set her down on the snowy-white sheets.

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” She examined the intricate work. “How could you get all this done? I’ve only been gone overnight.”

Nola exchanged a look with Jarrett. “We knew we had to. The scare yesterday made us realize that you’ve been working so hard for us, you put off getting ready for the baby.” She helped Mia take off her shoes and put her feet under the blanket. “So we hope this helps you to stop worrying so much.” She stood back. “And when you’ve rested I’ll show you all the baby clothes we’ve collected.”

Nola walked to a small white dresser. “Joe found this for you. He sanded and painted it last week and Jarrett helped bring it up. Sylvia and I washed all the baby things and put them inside. If you don’t like how we arranged them, you can change it.”

“I’m sure it will be perfect.” Mia clasped her hands together. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” The older woman came to the bed and hugged her. “Just take care of yourself. We love you, Mia. You’re like family.”

“I love you all, too.”

She’d tried for a lot of years not to get too close to people, except for Brad. Starting with her parents. Whenever she’d let people in, they’d ended up hurting her. She looked across the room at Jarrett standing in the doorway. She definitely had to keep this man away.

“Tell everyone thank you.”

“I will,” Nola assured her. “Now, you rest and don’t worry about lunch. Sylvia will be here to fix you something.”

“She doesn’t have to do that.”

Nola raised her hand. “She wants to. We all want to help.” The older woman went out the door, followed by Jarrett. Mia called him back. “Mr. McKane, could I speak to you a moment?”

Frowning, he came toward the bed as Nola left. “Suddenly I’m Mr. McKane again.”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It’s better if we don’t become too friendly…given the situation.”

He studied her for a moment. “The situation you are referring to is that you’ve already gotten to stay here until the spring.” He shrugged. “But, hey, I won’t bother you again.”

He turned and walked out. The soft click of the front door let her know she was truly alone. She told herself it was better this way. She couldn’t get any more involved with a man like Jarrett McKane. Not that she had to worry that he’d ever give her a second look.

She rubbed her stomach. All she needed to focus on right now was her baby.

Jarrett kept hearing a ringing sound. He blinked his eyes as he reached for his cell phone on the bedside table.

“Hello,” he murmured, running a hand over his face. It was still dark outside.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

It was Mia. He sat up. “Mia? Is there a problem?”

“No. No. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Wait, Mia. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it the baby?”

“No, the baby’s fine. I just need a favor, but I’ll call back later.”

“I’ll be right over.” He hung up, grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on along with a sweatshirt. He grabbed his keys and phone and headed across the hall. He let himself into her apartment with his master key and hurried to the bedroom.

Mia was sitting on the bed, dressed in a thermal long-sleeved shirt that hugged her rounded belly and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. Somehow she managed to look somewhere between wholesome and far too good at this time in the morning.

Was it morning? “What’s the problem?”

She looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry I woke you.”

“Well, since you have, tell me what you need.”

“Could you pull out the table and see if my cable is plugged in? I didn’t want to move the table by myself.”

“You’re on the computer at this hour?”

She shrugged. “I slept so much during the day, I’m wideawake. So I thought I’d get some work done.”

Jarrett went to the bedside table and pulled it out. Seeing the loose battery cable, he knelt down and pushed it back into the outlet. “It’s fixed.” He moved the table back and stood next to the bed. “You’re really not supposed to be working.”

“I’m bored. Besides, if I don’t work, I don’t eat or pay my rent.”

The computer screen lit up and he asked, “What are you working on?”

She kept her focus on the screen. “A Web site for a Denver-based company.”

He glanced at the home-page logo. “Are you going back to law school?”

As she clicked the mouse and another program opened, she didn’t show any surprise that he knew her history. “Not for a while, but I hope I can go back someday. It won’t be easy with a baby.”

“I’m sure everyone here would love to help you.”

“We won’t be living here…together,” she said.

When she looked up at him with her scrubbed-clean face, large sapphire eyes and her hair in a ponytail, she looked fifteen. “How old are you?”

Mia blinked at his question. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to ask a woman her age?”

He shrugged. “You look like jailbait.”

“I’m twenty-nine. How old are you?”

“Thirty-seven.”

She studied him for a few seconds. “You look it.”

Frowning, he combed his fingers through his hair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What did you mean when you called me jailbait?”

“I meant it as a compliment. You look young for your age.”

“Thank you.” She sobered. “Are you really going to try and find us all a place to live?”

“I’m not sure I can find everyone a place, but I’ll see what I can do.” Was he crazy? Where would he find affordable apartments for them all? He moved away from the bed. “Man, I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”

“Sorry, I’m off caffeine for a while,” she told him. “But I’d fight you for a jelly donut.”

“I guess that’s one of those crazy cravings, huh? Well, I’d better go.” He walked out, thinking a donut didn’t sound so bad.

He retrieved his car keys and a jacket from his apartment and headed down to his car. The ground was covered in a dusting of snow. He climbed into his vehicle, missing the warm garage back at his house. Pushing aside his discomfort, he started the engine and the heater. He was on a quest for one hungry pregnant woman.

In every town there always seemed to be a twenty-four-hour donut and coffee shop and Winchester Ridge was no exception. He picked out a couple of dozen assorted donuts along with a large coffee and an orange juice.