Baby's First Christmas

“OH, MY,” Pansy Trifle said when Zach walked through the heavy glass-and-wood doors of the Tulips Saloon.

Helen Granger stood, her hands on her hips. “This is Ladies Only Day, Zach.”

“I know,” he said, with a most regretful tone, to the room at large, “so I’ve brought you a lady.” He tipped his hat to all of them, and gave Jessie a gentle push. “Take good care of my friend from Saks Fifth Avenue.”

He left, a broad grin on his face. Very soon he would be in big trouble with the elders of the town, and he was going to enjoy being the cause of all the uproar.

In the meantime, he had a T-bird to “hide,” just in case Ms. Saks decided to take a fast hike, à la Duke’s wife, the cagey Ms. Liberty Wentworth.

History would not be repeating itself.

Chapter Three

Helen and Pansy stared at the newcomer with surprise, sympathy and curiosity. Nervously, Jessie said, “I’m not really from Saks.”

The ladies in the room laughed.

“Sit down here,” Ms. Pansy said, patting an antique chair. “Zach must want us to get to know you better or he wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Which makes him even nuttier than we’d previously surmised,” Helen said. “I’ll get you a cup of tea while Pansy introduces you to everyone. Then we’ll be more than happy to advise you on whatever problem that Forrester male is giving you.”

Following some brief introductions, Jessica told her story. “Well, you see,” Jessie said, after being introduced, “I hit his steer. Or maybe it was a bull. I’m not certain of the proper terminology.”

Pansy looked at her. “Not Brahma Bud?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh, my,” Helen said. “I do hope Bud’s all right. Zach’s had him since he was a child. Won’t part with him.”

Jessie blinked. “I didn’t realize it was a pet.”

“Well,” Pansy said, “it was a gift from his parents. So it’s a link with the past, you might say.”

“I might have been a bit callous,” Jessie said. “I might have called Bud a hunk of steak or something. I don’t remember. I was very angry.”

“Why were you angry, dear?” Pansy asked gently.

“I was in a hurry to get somewhere,” Jessie said, “and the bull—do you call it a bull or a steer?”

“Not important,” Helen said, dropping a lump of sugar into her teacup. “Continue, please.”

Jessie sighed, realizing they didn’t want to have to explain something to her that was plainly obvious to everyone in the room. “There are places I need to be. Bud stopped me. He wouldn’t move. I thought maybe he was hurt or in shock, but I really barely tapped him. In fact, he did more damage to my car than I realized, because Zach said my car was leaking.”

“Hmm.” Pansy put some cookies on a plate for her. “We’re so glad you’ve come to Tulips, dear.”

“But we understand you want to be on your way.” Helen smiled around at all the ladies in the gathering. “Are you staying with Pepper and Zach?”

“I don’t want to,” Jessie said. “Is there a hotel in town?”

“We’ll have one in the future, I feel certain,” Helen said. “Or at least a bed-and-breakfast.”

Jessie shook her head. “My family isn’t used to me being anything other than right on schedule.”

They perked up. “Do tell us about your family,” Pansy said.

“Well, my mother and father own a cosmetics company called Jessie’s Girl Stuff. I have two brothers. They’re lawyers,” Jessie said.

“Lawyers,” Pansy said, glancing at Helen.

Helen smiled at her. “Did you call them, dear?”

“I let them know where I was. And I told them I’d be on time for the convention in two days.” Jessie took a deep breath. “Zach says I can’t leave, though.”

“Until your car is fixed,” Helen said.

“Until…” Jessie paused, not about to admit her plight.

“Oh, my,” Pansy said, “I do believe our Zach is developing feelings for you, Jessie.”

Jessie’s eyes went wide. “Just the opposite. He’s quite pigheaded.”

“Aren’t they all?” Helen said with a smile. “Do you like him?”

“No,” Jessie said. “Bossy men are not my thing.”

“We completely understand.” Pansy nodded. “So what we want you to do is call this number.” She scribbled a number onto a tulip-printed pad and handed it to Jessie. “We have a few men in our town, very few, mind you, but the ones we have are mostly useless. I mean, useful.”

“Yes,” Helen agreed. “Ask to speak to Bug Carmine. He’ll be more than happy to taxi you wherever you want to go. Where is this convention of yours, dear?”

“California,” Jessie said. “Do you think it will take that long to fix my car?”

“You could call roadside assistance,” Pansy said. “They’d probably be out here lickity-split and fix you right up.”

Jessie straightened. Of course they would! “You ladies are marvelous! I never thought about that! I don’t know why I didn’t, except that I never hit a bull before—”

“And Zach swept you off your feet,” Helen inserted.

“Yes, and that’s never happened before, either. I mean, how many people hit a poor sweet animal like Brahma Bud…But roadside assistance is the perfect answer! Shame on Zach for saying you all had issues,” Jessie said. “You’re clearly as smart and capable as anyone I’ve ever met.”

Helen sniffed, reaching for a cookie off the tray Pansy had set down. “Zach said we had issues?”

“Oh, yes,” Jessie said, nodding. “He said I didn’t even know the meaning of the word until I’d met ‘the Gang.’”

“Well.” Pansy smiled brightly. “Helen, dear, why don’t you hand sweet Jessie the phone so she can make her call? I’ll telephone Sheriff Duke while you’re doing that, and let him know his baby brother needs his brotherly supervision.”

Helen grinned and gave Jessie the old-fashioned, floral-painted phone.

“And if they can’t fix your car today,” Pansy said, “you’re welcome to stay at my house for as long as you like.” She and Helen shared a secretive and satisfied glance as Jessie dialed.

FAR FROM BEING SUPPORTIVE and helpful, Zach learned that the Gang wasn’t going to be as conniving about him and Jessie as they’d been about Liberty and Duke. Much to his chagrin, they’d ratted him out to his brother about Jessie’s presence at the ranch, earning him a lecture on propriety and a babysitter in the form of Pepper.

Pepper was the soul of responsibility. A hardworking student and now a much-lauded doctor, she was well respected not just in Tulips, but in the medical community. With Duke and Pepper on his case about his houseguest, Zach was certain he’d never feel the glory of Jessie’s skin again.

But what had he expected from the Gang? They never operated the way one suspected they might. Now he understood why Duke had been so miserable as the object of their machinations.

Secretly, he’d hoped that they would try to encourage some type of romance between he and Jessie. He’d been looking, in fact, for some matchmaking by the little old ladies, and perhaps a bolstering of his worth in Jessie’s eyes.

Something had gone terribly wrong. Jessie was now staying with Pansy, and Helen wouldn’t speak to him. Duke was breathing down his neck, and even Molly hesitated to allow him to pet her.

He was in the proverbial doghouse, and it was a very uncomfortable place to be.

But a man had to stand firm. When the roadside assistance fellow came out to the Triple F ranch, Zach told him the car had been repaired and that he could leave. It was lucky he’d thought to hide Jessie’s car in one of the outlying barns on the ranch.

“It’s hard to be the villain,” he told the chickens that were checking out the white-walled tires of Jessie’s T-bird. “Being dishonorable is not fun. But if I let that gal out of my sight, I could very well end up worse than Duke.”

He and Duke and Pepper had grown up in a traditional family. Liberty had been raised by parents who mainly ignored her, but luckily she’d lived nearby and had been befriended by Zach—who had always looked at her as a brother would—and by his parents. But her sad upbringing had hurt her all her life. He could never do that to a child of his own.

He sat on the bumper of Jessie’s car. “I wish I could say I shouldn’t have done it, but I liked being with her,” he told Molly as she sat beside him, her golden fur soft and reassuring under his touch. “I liked being with Jessie more than I ever liked being with a woman in my life.”

Molly barked at him.

“Yeah, it’s crazy.” He got off the bumper. “I just hope she’s not as fertile as she looks, because as hard as it’s been to keep her in Tulips, I’d likely never get her to the altar!”

JESSIE PUT her carpetbag away in Pansy’s guest room, glad she always carried makeup and a change of clothes. She had a secret, one of many, only this one was a big one, and the cowboy had made her realize how much she didn’t like hiding it.

She was afraid of settling down. She’d simply wanted a baby, and her ex-boyfriend had been the way to achieve that.

She’d come to the unhappy realization that she’d probably never been in love with him, which probably meant she was shallow and vain. Her family was successful; she shouldn’t have needed to conjure up a relationship in order to validate her goals in life.

Maybe she was lacking a fundamental building block in her personality, like patience or strength of character. “Trust a relaxing jaunt through the country to give me more time to think and be hard on myself. Just what every second-thoughts bride needs.”

She heard the doorbell ring as she put away her belongings. A second later, Pansy called, “Jessie!” up the stairwell.

Jessie walked down, surprised to see Zach sitting very properly in Pansy’s living room. “Hi, Zach,” she said, trying to ignore the excitement rushing through her.

Pansy sat down in a nearby chair and began to knit, a quiet chaperone. Jessie sat in a floral chair across from Zach.

Zach looked at her. “Settling in all right?”

Jessie nodded. “Yes, thank you. And I sent roadside assistance out to repair whatever was leaking on my car.”

Zach shifted on the sofa. “Would you like to take a walk?”

Jessie shook her head. “I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Okay.” Zach stood, nodding to Pansy. “See you all later.”

He departed, surprising Jessie. She looked at Pansy as the door shut behind Zach.

“Oh,” Pansy said. “I do think he likes you.”

Jessie knew what was really on Zach’s mind. “I don’t think so. I just think he’s very protective.”

Pansy put away her knitting. “You know, it’s been difficult for Zach. He’s the middle child, and was often pushed to the side. Not quite the man of the house, and not the baby. Sometimes I thought he was never certain whether he wanted to follow in Duke’s footsteps or be a role model for Pepper. He tried to do both and somewhere along the line, he became a bit arrogant and somewhat overly determined.”

“I can see where women would be attracted to that trait.”

“Yes,” Pansy said with a smile, “but he’s never bothered to ask any of them to take a walk.”

Jessie shook her head. It didn’t matter. She was leaving as soon as her car was fixed. There were enough stray matters in her life to occupy her time. “Thankfully my car might be repaired tomorrow. Good night, Pansy. Thank you for everything.”

Pansy waved a hand as Jessie stood. “I’m enjoying having you here, Jessie. Plan on staying as long as you like.”

Until the morning, Jessie thought. And then I’m out of here.

Before she was waylaid by the temptation of an attentive, opinionated cowboy who had “bad for you” written all over him.

JESSIE SLEPT WELL. In the morning she showered, ate breakfast with Pansy and Helen—scones and hot tea—packed her carpetbag and hitched a ride in Sheriff Duke Forrester’s truck to the Triple F.

“If my brother gives you any more trouble,” Duke said, “you just let me know. I’ll give him a pounding he’ll never forget. Or better yet, just tell Pepper. Zach hates it when Pepper gets on to him.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Jessie smiled. “My car should be fixed by now, and I’ll be out of everyone’s hair.”

“Well,” Duke said, “if you ever want a place to visit, I know the ladies would love to have you back. They’re always trying to entice people to settle here.”

“Oh.” Jessie looked out at the passing countryside. “It’s pretty here, but—”

“Not your kind of place,” Duke said kindly. “I understand completely.”

“You do?”

“Sure. Liberty has a wedding shop in Dallas, as well as one here. I go into town with her from time to time. There’s a lot to offer folks in the city. Here in Tulips, we live life at a snail’s pace.”

“The Gang doesn’t seem very snail-like to me,” Jessie said. “They seem rather lively.”

He grinned. “Be careful. They’d just love to figure out a way to bring you into the fold. Wait until you meet Liberty. Together, they got me to the altar.”

She heard the pride in his voice. “I rather like the single life.”

“I did, too, for a while. But Liberty had other plans.” He laughed. “Actually, that’s a small-town big tale. It was hard to catch that little girl, and I did all the chasing.”

Jessie smiled as they pulled into the Triple F. “I think I may have heard that from Helen and Pansy.”

“You watch those two. If they decide Tulips would be better off with you on the census rolls, here you’ll remain. All I do as sheriff is make certain everyone behaves.”

Jessie got out of the truck. “Thanks for the ride, Sheriff.”

“Sure.” He glanced around. “Where’s the pink Caddy I’ve heard so much about?”

“T-bird. Maybe the roadside assistance person moved it.”

Zach walked out on the porch, waving. “Good morning.”

“Where’s her car?” Duke asked.

“I sent it over to Holt’s to look at. The roadside repair guy was terrible. Didn’t know his hat from his ankle.”

“Holt’s our town hairdresser,” Duke said to Jessie. “It’s in good hands now.”

Jessie’s eyes went wide. “I don’t see how hair relates to automobiles.”

“Oh, he can fix anything,” Duke said easily. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Jessie felt her teeth grinding. “Did Holt say how long it would take for him to fix it?”

“No,” Zach said. “Come on in and have some breakfast. Pepper’s cooking.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Duke said, striding toward the porch. Jessie hung back.

“Is there a problem?” Zach asked.

“Yes,” Jessie said. “I can’t seem to get my car back into my possession.”

“It’s Saturday,” Zach said. “What’s your hurry?”

Jessie took a deep breath. “I don’t trust you. I want away from you, and this town. I feel like I’ve fallen into Peyton Place, or maybe even Brigadoon, and I want back into the twenty-first century—my life as I know it.”

Zach nodded. “You can borrow my truck to get wherever it is you need to go.”

Jessie’s breath left her for an instant. “Really?”

“Of course.” Zach frowned at her. “You’re not a prisoner, Jessie. For Pete’s sake!”

“I—” She narrowed her eyes.

He shook his head. “You’re not being a drama queen, are you?”

Jessie put out her hand. “Keys.”

A moment stretched long between them as he stared at her. Reaching into his pocket, he tugged his keys out and handed them to her.

Jessie looked at him another long moment, clutching the metal pieces of freedom.

“It’s over there,” he said, pointing. “Happy trails, Jessie.”

Chapter Four

Giving Jessie his truck was the fair, manly thing to do. After all, he was hiding her car. This way, he wasn’t exactly kidnapping her, as Duke had claimed, threatening to put him in the jail until Jessie left town if he didn’t behave. Zach was wisely keeping a bargaining chip. Something precious to her for which she would return. When she came back after the convention, perhaps there would be some light shed on the subject he was most worried about.

He looked at Jessie as she considered his offer, dismayed to realize he was envisioning her in a maternity dress. Liberty could whip Jessie up a beaut.

Shoving that thought from his mind, he shrugged. “The truck’s got a full tank of gas. Hit the pedal.”

“I don’t know,” Jessie said. “It seems unfair to take your truck after I hit your livelihood.”

“Call me a gentleman,” Zach said. “I don’t want you in trouble with your boss.”

Jessie glanced over at the truck. “My family owns the company. I’m the president of Jessie’s Girl Stuff.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “I sensed you might be a bit of a princess. Tell me more.”

“In case I’m the future mother of your child?”

“It’s an intriguing thought. I’m not as put off by it as I probably should be, under the circumstances.”

“And what are those?” Jessie asked.

“You’re a highly excitable female,” Zach said. “But I was looking for some excitement so I’m okay with that.”

“Funny,” she said, “you don’t seem like the type to like a high-maintenance woman.”

“True. There’s a difference between high-maintenance and excitement. I love independence in my women.”

“Excellent.” Jessie jangled his keys at him and headed toward his truck. “Thanks for the wheels.”

“No problem.” He headed after her, getting into the passenger seat. “My wheels are your wheels. It’s the least I could do for a lady who gave me an afternoon I’ll never forget.”

She barely glanced at him as she switched on the engine. “Wow. Listen to all that vroom.”

“Yep,” he said happily, putting his arms behind his head. “It’s a lot of horses.”

“And won’t I just look sophisticated when the valet parks my truck at the convention?” She glanced at him. “You can get out now. I’ve turned on the amazing vehicle without incident.”

“Oh, I’m not getting out.” Zach grinned at her. “My stuff’s all packed and in the truck bed. I like your style of traveling, so I tossed my change of clothes into a hefty bag.”

“This hefty bag of mine,” she said, holding up her carpetbag, “is a Merada Fine. It cost one thousand, nine hundred and fifty-four dollars. Please do not refer to it in the same breath with a plastic garbage sack, as convenient as one is at times.”

“That much money and it doesn’t even carry itself. Gosh, you’d think it could run by remote control or something. Or voice activation. ‘Purse open,’” he said. “‘Purse close.’”

“Very funny. My girlfriend makes these purses, so I’ll thank you not to make fun of them. I’m supporting her efforts.”

He touched her cheek. “Meradas are actually a respected breed line of horses in Texas. So it’s interesting that you’re carrying something that’s a little less urban than you’re used to.”

“Coincidence. Nothing more.”

He grinned at her stiffness. “We actually have the same sense of humor if you’d ever let yourself smile.”

“I smile. Just not around annoying men.”

He laughed. “I don’t annoy you that badly. Do I?”

“Need you ask?” She backed down the driveway. “I’ll take you with me, simply because you’re such an excitement freak. This is going to be the most boring thing you’ve ever done in your life.”

“Lots of women there, though.” Zach pulled his hat over his face, preparing to snooze while Jessie drove. “As long as my eyeballs are busy and excited, that pretty much takes care of my brain’s need for activity.”

“It’s nice of you to trust me to drive your truck.”

“No trust involved. I’m right here, overseeing the whole adventure.” Assuaging his conscience from the front seat of his truck was no difficult task, but she didn’t know that. Although he tried to drift off, Zach could smell Jessie’s fragrance, making it entirely too difficult to relax.

Possibly his senses were overstimulated because he’d been thinking of the upcoming holiday season, which Jessie had mentioned after their glorious afternoon together. He’d always loved winter holidays, most of all when he was a child.

He might have a child one day to decorate the house for, bake for and share stories with. A longing burst inside him that he’d never before recognized. “I never thought I’d want children,” he said slowly, and Jessie nodded.

“You’ve alluded to that.”

“If I had kids, though, I’d have a reason to hang candy canes. I like to decorate at the ranch.” Zach frowned. “Duke tells me I’m being childish because I love Christmas.”

“Didn’t you say he’s just had a baby? He’ll probably beat you to the decorating this year.”

Zach grinned, enjoying the thought of the tables turning on his big brother. “I’ll be at his elbow every time he puts one raisin on a gingerbread man, every time he hangs an ornament, to tell him how childish he is.”

“Probably one reminder of a person’s mistakes is enough,” Jessie said. “I sure wouldn’t want anyone belaboring me over mine.”

He raised a brow. “Story time.”

“I’m busy driving.”

He sent an assessing look her way. “Try one on me. I know nothing at all about you, except that you have a strong sense of adventure.”

“Change has been my downfall. Really.”

“Not from my point of view,” Zach said sincerely, “unless you count T-bird sex as a pastime.”

“I don’t,” she said, and he grinned.

“Maybe I’m the catalyst for change in your life. I’d count that as being a positive influence.”

“Maybe just a pain in the ass,” she said, a trace of irritation in her voice.

“Hmm.” Zach thought about the sheets of plastic he’d dragged over her pretty T-bird to keep the chickens out of it and decided not to push his luck. No one ever knew what the future would bring. “So did you love him?”

“Who?”

“The ex-boyfriend who cheated on you.”

She turned her head to look at him briefly. She’d put on big black sunglasses with gold G’s in the corners that made her look like a reclusive movie star, and she had on way too much red lipstick for kissing, although it did look porn-star sexy on her. When they got to know each other better, he was going to tell her that all these girly enticements she was using to subconsciously lure him were not necessary. He liked his women plain and natural.

“I did not,” she said. “If I’d loved him, why would I be sitting in a Ford?”

He mulled that. “Perhaps you said Ford in a slightly disdainful tone.”

She laughed.

He noticed irritation slipping into his comfort zone. “Fords are the kings of the road, I’ll have you know.”

There was no response to his allegation. No argument, no comment, nada. He rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to have my baby, you’re going to have to understand a few things.”

“I am not having your child,” Jessie said. “As much as I wanted a baby, I would not want to make one with you.”

Rubbing his chin, he said, “So you’re not going to claim your pregnancy is a result of wanting to catch me?”

“I don’t think so. And who says I’m pregnant?”

She’d become so saucy. Snooty, even.

“I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now if you hadn’t stolen my car,” she said. “Never mind claiming you as the father.”

“Aha! You admit it! You wouldn’t have told me if I’d given you a baby.”

“I would have told you,” Jessie said, “but it wouldn’t have mattered to me. I wasn’t trying to catch any old guy just to get over my broken heart.”

“I thought you said you weren’t in love with him.”

“Oh.” She glanced at him, her lovely eyes hidden by the dark glasses. “My ego was bruised like any normal woman’s would be.”

“That’s code to mean you did love him.” Zach thought about that. “So you slept with me on the rebound. Revenge lust.”

“Oh, hell no,” Jessie said, laughing. “I just—”

He waited, watching the smile slip from her face.

“Well, it’s one or the other,” he said. “Either you slept with me to subconsciously avenge your boyfriend’s treatment of you, or you are, in fact, attracted to me.”

“Maybe I was just having a bad-girl moment?”