Книга - A Texas Soldier’s Christmas

A Texas Soldier's Christmas
Cathy Gillen Thacker


Their Christmas miracleJust the sight of United States Army Lieutenant Zane Lockhart makes nurse Nora Caldwell (and every other woman he meets) weak at the knees. But Nora has to keep a level head this time. As tempting as it is to fall into his finely sculpted arms – again – she's got her beautiful baby boy, Liam, to think of now. She can't settle for some temporary loving. She and her son need, and deserve, more.Zane has always responded to the call of duty. But that dedication has meant saying goodbye to Nora far too often. He can't blame her for doubting that he's finally ready to put her – and Liam – first. Can the Christmas gift of a lifetime convince her?







THEIR CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Just the sight of United States Army Lieutenant Zane Lockhart makes nurse Nora Caldwell (and every other woman he meets) weak at the knees. But Nora has to keep a level head this time. As tempting as it is to fall into his finely sculpted arms—again—she’s got her beautiful baby boy, Liam, to think of now. She can’t settle for some temporary loving. She and her son need, and deserve, more.

Zane has always responded to the call of duty. But that dedication has meant saying goodbye to Nora far too often. He can’t blame her for doubting that he’s finally ready to put her—and Liam—first. Can the Christmas gift of a lifetime convince her?


Resisting the urge to throw herself into his arms, she met his gaze deliberately.

His dark silver eyes roamed her frame hungrily, and still neither of them moved. Not the slightest bit.

He was here. Alive. Safe. A feat that, as always, felt almost too good to be true...given the types of dangerous missions he went on.

“Oh my!” Retired librarian Miss Mim fanned her face while Zane and Nora continued to silently size each other up. “Is it hot in here or what?”

It was definitely steaming, Nora thought. But then, wasn’t that always the case when she and Zane were in the vicinity of each other? Sparks flew, even as duty and honor and strong wills tore them apart.

“If this is the result of serving in the Army Nurse Corps, I wish I’d done a tour or two,” Miss Patricia teased.

Not, Nora thought, if your heart had been shattered as often and surely as hers had by this gorgeous hunk of a man.


Dear Reader (#u25a9ba43-1024-555e-b081-376a5eb98d45),

Christmas is a time of miracles—when impossible wishes are granted, and even the most elusive love is given and received.

Nora Caldwell learned heart-wrenching sacrifice as a child. She is determined her only son will not suffer the same lack of parental devotion. Zane Lockhart is a Special Forces soldier who had everything growing up. Except a purpose. He found that serving his country.

Nora and Zane can’t deny their attraction to each other any more than they can seem to make their on-again, off-again relationship work. Duty and honor keep getting in the way. Zane wants to put their country first. Nora believes family should surpass all priorities.

It takes Nora’s adorable three-month-old baby, Liam, and the wise residents of Laramie Gardens Home for Seniors to matchmake some sense into these two, and give them the happily-ever-after kind of Christmas they deserve!

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy holidays!

Cathy Gillen Thacker

PS: For information on this and other books, please visit me at cathygillenthacker.com (http://www.cathygillenthacker.com) and/or my Cathy Gillen Thacker Facebook Official Author Page (https://www.facebook.com/CathyGillenThacker/).


A Texas Soldier’s Christmas

Cathy Gillen Thacker






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


CATHY GILLEN THACKER is married and a mother of three. She and her husband spent eighteen years in Texas and now reside in North Carolina. Her mysteries, romantic comedies and heartwarming family stories have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists, but her best reward, she says, is knowing one of her books made someone’s day a little brighter. A popular Mills & Boon author for many years, she loves telling passionate stories with happy endings and thinks nothing beats a good romance and a hot cup of tea! You can visit Cathy’s website, www.cathygillenthacker.com (http://www.cathygillenthacker.com), for more information on her upcoming and previously published books, recipes, and a list of her favourite things.


Contents

Cover (#ufc2a164e-f59a-57ba-9ae5-037ea1e8aa87)

Back Cover Text (#u4bf793f8-1425-5187-abb9-8aa9862e587e)

Introduction (#u66791f25-d8f5-5abb-b025-64877b137243)

Dear Reader (#u1c1294b5-144c-5be8-9fc5-d38ab2ba862c)

Title Page (#u92c1577d-d014-5b32-b11c-9ca73f8fae7e)

About the Author (#uda52434f-4ea4-5967-9449-705407c5aebc)

Chapter One (#u2fc49fa8-a82f-5b49-820f-b307d817e1fc)

Chapter Two (#u5ca6a7d7-e59f-500d-8ec8-8a1064357b11)

Chapter Three (#u959a0222-8b05-5a5c-b669-2d8a95e9185b)

Chapter Four (#ud8dc006c-5960-566f-9038-a620501d3cf5)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Chapter One (#u25a9ba43-1024-555e-b081-376a5eb98d45)

“It certainly looks like Christmas came early for you, Nora!” ninety-year-old Miss Sadie said.

Nora Caldwell regarded the ladies gathered in the Laramie Gardens community room. All were grinning and merrily nudging each other. Not sure she wanted to know what was causing such hilarity, she slowly turned toward the portal. What she saw in the doorway was enough to stop her heart.

United States Army Lieutenant Zane Lockhart, the love—as well as the bane—of her life. And it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet! Her knees went weak as she took him in.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Nora noted that the Special Forces officer did not show any new battle scars.

Clad in desert camouflage shirt and pants and utility boots, his six-foot-three-inch frame was as broad-shouldered and solidly muscled as ever. His ruggedly handsome face bore the perpetual tan she knew so well, his sensual lips the same knowing slant. It didn’t appear he had done more than run a hand through the thick layers of his wheat-gold hair, but it didn’t matter—the cropped shiny-clean strands looked good no matter which way the wind tossed them.

Resisting the urge to throw herself into his arms, she deliberately met his gaze, while his dark silver eyes roamed her frame every bit as hungrily as she surveyed his. And still, neither of them moved. He was here. Alive. Safe. A feat that, as always, felt almost too good to be true, given the types of dangerous missions he went on.

“Oh, my!” Retired librarian Miss Mim fanned her face, her face turning as red as her auburn hair while Zane and Nora continued to silently size each other up. “Is it hot in here or what?”

It was definitely steamy, Nora thought. But then, wasn’t that always the case when she and Zane were in the vicinity of each other? Sparks flew, even as duty and honor and strong wills tore them apart.

“If this is the result of serving in the Army Nurse Corps, I wish I’d done a tour or two,” Miss Patricia teased.

Not, Nora thought, if your heart had been shattered as often and surely as hers had by this gorgeous hunk of a man.

Oblivious to the admiring glances of the three dozen women gathered in the community room, Zane asked, “Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but may I have a word with you, Nora?” His expression abruptly becoming inscrutable, he added, “Privately?”

Where was his usual wide-as-all-Texas grin, the easy charm he managed to exhibit no matter what, Nora wondered, acutely aware he could be about to give her bad news about one of their fellow soldiers.

Oblivious to her worry, the ladies promised in unison, “Go ahead. We can handle the rest of the holiday planning session.”

Breaking eye contact with Zane, Nora drew a deep enervating breath and said to one and all, “I’ll be in my office if you need me.” Shoulders stiff with tension, she led the way down the hall to the door just off the formal entry.

Zane read the bronze plaque next to the door. “Are you just the director, or the director of the nursing staff?”

“Both.” Although she imagined he, like her brigadier-general mother, did not view her current position with the same high regard as her previous assignment in one of the premier military hospitals in the world.

He followed her inside.

Nora spun around to face him, still tingling all over. Zane shut the door behind him. Ignored the chair she offered.

She sat down behind her desk anyway.

“Why didn’t you tell me what was going on with you?” he said plainly.

He wanted to talk about their ill-fated off-and-on-again romance? Now? Over a year after it had finally ended? With an insouciance she couldn’t begin to feel, Nora waved an airy hand. “I didn’t think my resignation from the Army was relevant to you, given the way our relationship ended.”

Zane’s gaze narrowed all the more. “How about your private life?” His square jaw jutted out. “You didn’t think I had a right to know about any of that?”

Why was he acting so weird? Like a man on a mission? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known she intended to return to the small West Texas town where she had grown up when she ended her career in the military service.

Laramie was home to her.

Laramie was comforting.

It had been to him, too, as a child, when he had left his wealthy life in Dallas and visited his much more rustic paternal grandfather’s Laramie County ranch in the summers.

But now he clearly wasn’t thinking about their closeness back then.

Doggedly, he persisted, “You didn’t think you should at least write or call me and let me know of your plans?”

Feeling even more baffled, Nora shrugged. “Ah. Not really.”

His expression changed. Became almost rueful. He sat down and leaned forward, his muscular forearms on his spread knees. He speared her with his gaze. “Did I really disappoint you that badly?”

If he only knew. Hurt filled her heart. She swallowed and tried again to explain, “I told you...it wasn’t you. It was never you.” Zane had been clear about who and what he was from the very start. “It was me,” she admitted in a low, strangled voice. “I’m the one who couldn’t handle the intensity of our affair.” The fact that every time he left she had to contend with the fact she might never see him again.

He straightened, squaring his broad shoulders. “So you came here?”

It was the only thing in her life at that time that had made sense. Especially with everything else she’d had going on, familywise. “My sister, mother and I all still jointly own a home here, the one my grandparents left us.” The one she had grown up in.

Nora swallowed around the parched feeling in her throat. “After serving in field hospitals and military trauma centers—” helping the sometimes mortally wounded “—I needed something low-key.”

He squinted, displeased. “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me about your future plans.”

Actually, Nora thought, it pretty much explained everything. Sharing in his obvious exasperation, she glared right back at him. “We weren’t in touch after we ended things.” And hadn’t been for the last year.

“Actually, Nora, you ended things,” he jumped in to correct. Sounding a little angry and resentful now.

Guilt flooded her. “Okay, yes, I did. And I told you then that it wasn’t your fault. You handled the dangerous aspects of your military service just fine. It was me who couldn’t take the not knowing where you were, or what you were doing, or if you were okay. It was me who couldn’t take you just showing up hurt, repeatedly, in the military hospital where I was assigned.”

It had gotten to the point where she couldn’t eat or sleep, or even smile when he was deployed, he was on her mind so much.

That was when he had begun to worry about her, too.

And being distracted like that, they both knew, could get him killed. So she had ended it, and a few months after that, exited the armed service honorably.

He rose and paced the office for several long moments. Stopping abruptly, he leaned against a wall, arms folded in front of him, and locked his steely gaze on her. “Okay, I get all that. What I can’t fathom is why you didn’t think I had a right to know!”

She huffed in frustration. Demanded finally, “Know what?”

“That you had our baby.”

* * *

ZANE HAD BRACED for a lot of different reactions from Nora Caldwell. Defiance, anger, resentment, even heartlessness. He wasn’t prepared for shock. And dismay.

Nora pushed back her chair and shot to her full five feet nine inches. Her hair, always a beautiful chestnut brown, now sported sunny golden highlights and fell past her shoulders in the kind of loose, sexy waves military regulations never would have permitted. Beneath her elegant cheekbones, her soft luscious lips clamped down on an O of surprise, while her sky blue eyes radiated a resentment that seemed soul-deep.

Still glaring at him furiously, she propped her hands on her hips. In a pair of black scrubs, with a long-sleeved light blue T-shirt underneath, she was as lithe and physically fit as ever.

Frowning, she demanded, “What in heaven’s name are you talking about?”

So. She was going to carry the ruse on to the end. Another disappointment. He’d thought she was better than that.

He met her glare equably. “Our son?”

Her delicate brow furrowed. “You and I don’t have a baby!”

“Your Facebook page says differently.”

“First of all, you and I aren’t Facebook friends.”

“And now I know why. Because you didn’t want me to know about the baby.”

She drew a deep breath and shoved a hand through her hair. “Obviously, you are referring to all the photos of Liam I’ve posted since I adopted him three months ago.”

Adopted!

Zane paused. “You didn’t say anything about that in any of the photos.”

“Maybe because I didn’t need to!” Flushing, she turned away. “Maybe all I need to know—all anyone needs to know—is that he is my son and I love him with all my heart, you dumb son of a gun!”

She was swearing at him again.

That meant she still had some feelings for him, right?

“Hey.” Still holding her gaze, he aimed a thumb at his chest. Not ready to give up on what he had assumed up to now to be true, he shot back, “The timing fits.” Too well for comfort, if you asked him. “We broke up a year ago. The kid was born three months ago.”

Looking as if it were taking every ounce of self-control she possessed not to slug him, Nora nodded. “So naturally he had to be yours. Right, soldier?”

She hadn’t slept with anyone else. Of that he was certain. She was as much a one-man woman, as he was a one-woman guy.

Hence, there had been only one conclusion to jump to. Still could be. Aware there was a very good reason—in her mind anyway—for him not to be named the little tyke’s daddy, he folded his arms across his chest. “Let’s just say that there was a definite probability.”

Just as there was a definite probability their on-again, off-again relationship was about to be right back on.

Her brow lifting in disdain, she huffed, “Which is the only reason you showed up here like this! So you could do your duty and honorably acknowledge paternity!”

He wanted to say it wasn’t true.

But he couldn’t.

The minute their mutual friend had showed him the social media pages, he had started making plans, arranged for long-overdue leave and hopped a flight back to the good old US of A, figuring Christmas had come early for him, too.

Nora Caldwell, however, apparently had other ideas.

Ideas that apparently did not include a welcome home hug and kiss. Or anything else of a friendly nature.

She clamped her soft, kissable lips together tightly. Looked him up and down, finding nothing but fault. “I see.”

Did she?

Because as far as he was concerned, adoption or no adoption, this was their big chance. Maybe their last chance. If they could go back a step and start this reunion over. Something that again did not appear to be in her game plan.

“Well. Nice seeing you again, Lieutenant.” She whipped her hands off her hips and shoved him none too gently toward the portal.

He dug in his heels. Once again, he had blown it with her, without meaning to. He lifted both hands in abject surrender. Not a usual acknowledgment on his part. “Nora...”

His heartfelt plea fell on deaf ears.

“Don’t let the door hit you on your way out!” She gave one final shove to the center of his chest, and then he was standing on the other side of the portal. Her office door slammed in his face.

* * *

THE FIRST THING Zane noticed was the fact he wasn’t alone. In fact, quite a crowd of senior men and women had congregated in the hallway. The expressions on their faces indicated they had heard at least part of what had transpired.

The second thing he saw was a young woman dressed like a student, in jeans and a community college T-shirt. She had a diaper bag slung over her shoulder, a baby boy cradled in her arms.

Liam.

Zane had spent enough hours poring over the social media photos, while on the flight home to Texas, not to recognize this little angel. The tiny fella was again dressed all in blue. He had a cute little face and the same long-lashed sky blue eyes as his mother. The hair peeking out from beneath the cap was light, too.

No wonder Nora had called him the love of her life.

Zane was completely captivated by him, too.

As were all the smiling seniors.

“Umm...is Nora available?” the young woman asked. “She usually collects Liam when she gets off work, which should have been about ten minutes ago. And I’ve got to go to class...”

The office door swung open. Nora stood there, a light jacket thrown over her uniform, car keys in hand. “Hey, Shanda. Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

“No problem.” With a smile, Shanda handed little Liam over.

Zane stood there. Ready to apologize again. Nora sent him a look. “Don’t even...”

The circle of seniors seemed to agree it would be a bad idea to talk to her now. So, cursing the circumstances—which always seemed to be against them—Zane left.

* * *

“WELL, THAT’S A RELIEF,” Nora murmured to Liam as she ducked back into her office, gathered up their belongings and walked out to her red minivan. He cooed as she put him in his car seat. “I wasn’t sure Zane was going to exit so readily.”

Liam stared up at her, listening intently.

“It’s a long story,” Nora reassured her baby boy. Finished buckling him in, she shut the door and climbed into the driver seat. “The bottom line is, Zane would not approve if he knew exactly how and why you came into my life. He would tell me that letting someone else out of their familial obligations and adopting you was a big mistake that could only hurt me in the end. And he would be wrong.” Nora drew a deep breath as she turned off Spring Street and onto Wildflower Lane, then into her own driveway. “Because I know firsthand how a child needs at least one parent in his or her life. Every day. I know what it feels like when they’re not,” she said, putting her minivan in Park. “And I am going to be there for you, my darling baby boy.” Whether Zane likes it or not.

Liam chortled in agreement.

Nora grinned at her son’s happy acknowledgment, then got out to begin their evening. As always, it began with a leisurely postworkday play session. She read him a few stories—on the premise that it was never too soon to start loving books—then followed that by giving him a relaxing bath. When he was cozy in his pajamas, she sat down in her rocking chair to feed him a bottle.

He drank it readily, burped like a champ and then fell asleep to the sound of his favorite lullaby. She was just about to ease him out of her arms when a knock sounded at her front door.

Wondering who it could be, she set her sweetly snoozing son gently down into his Pack ’n Play. She moved soundlessly to the portal. Opened it. And sighed.

“You again,” she said.


Chapter Two (#u25a9ba43-1024-555e-b081-376a5eb98d45)

“I thought we should start over,” Zane Lockhart said, capturing her gaze in that intent way that always made her catch her breath.

Nora wasn’t surprised to see the handsome soldier on her doorstep so soon after their argument. She knew he’d been taught to rectify mistakes, ASAP. Whereas she’d grown up, picking herself up, dusting herself off and pretending whatever had hurt her didn’t matter, because time healed all wounds.

But sadly, in this case, the passage of months hadn’t fixed anything and might never.

Keeping her guard up, she stepped out onto the porch opposite him. Across the street, smoke curled from the chimney of a neighbor’s home, scenting the air with burning oak.

Wary of letting him back in her life in even the slightest way, she stared up at him coolly. “And I think we should leave things as is.” Frustration curled the corners of his lips. “Come on, Nora.” He pressed a brightly wrapped present and a bouquet of flowers into her hands. “Hear me out.”

She supposed she owed him that much, after all they had once been to each other.

She set the gifts on one of the rockers on the front porch. Trying not to notice how strappingly handsome he looked in the soft glow of her porch light, she turned back to him and folded her arms in front of her. “I’m listening.”

His expression sobered. “First, I apologize for any conclusions I might have jumped to.”

About time, she thought.

He held her eyes for a long moment. His voice dropped a compelling notch. “And second, I want to congratulate you on your new son.”

His words were so sincere she couldn’t help but respond. Figuring peace was better than conflict any day, Nora drew an enervating breath. “Thank you.”

Regret tautened the chiseled lines of his face. “I should have known if Liam were mine, you would have told me.”

“You’re damn right about that,” she said fiercely, trying not to think how much she had always longed to have his baby.

And perversely, she still did. But that wasn’t happening any more than a reconciliation, so the best thing to do was end their disagreement, and hence his reason for pursuing her.

“Thank you for coming by to say that.” Nora shivered in the cold November air. “I accept your apology.”

“Does that mean I get to come in long enough to see Liam again and watch you two open the baby gift?”

It’d be rude not to have him come in for a moment.

Aware she was practically shaking she was so cold, Nora picked up the gift and flowers. Turning toward the door, she led the way inside.

Acutely aware of him following lazily behind her, she glanced over her shoulder, frowned. “Why is it if I give you an inch you take a mile?”

He held the door for her. “Must be my easy Texas charm.”

She made a face and quipped right back before she could think. “It’s definitely something.”

He had changed into his civilian clothes since she had last seen him. The tweed sport coat and light blue shirt hugged his broad shoulders and muscled chest. Worn jeans cloaked his hard thighs, sturdy Western boots covered his feet.

Eyes twinkling, he followed her into the living room, where Liam still snoozed contentedly in his Pack ’n Play.

Zane paused to regard her son with a mixture of longing and tenderness that further stirred her emotions.

Nora set the flowers on the coffee table, then perched on the edge of a chair, the present on her lap. She gestured for him to have a seat on the sofa.

“Going to guess what it is?”

She couldn’t—wouldn’t—make too much of this. Ignoring the faint flutter of her heart, Nora tilted her head to one side. “Something the clerk at the baby boutique in town picked out for you?”

He flashed a cheeky grin. Not the least bit put off. “I’m more invested than that.”

She certainly hoped not. Because to have him invested in her life—in Liam’s—was the path to heartache, all over again. Doing her best to keep her guard up, Nora undid the ribbon.

Inside the box was a completely adorable red velvet Santa outfit, complete with cap and knit booties that looked like little black boots.

Zane turned his attention to the Pack ’n Play. Observing Liam, his expression grew tender once again. “I know Liam is a little young to know what the holidays are all about, but seeing as how this is his first Christmas—” his voice roughened slightly “—I figure he ought to celebrate it up right.”

Nora knew as an adoptive parent, versus a biological one, she should not be having postpregnancy hormonal shifts. But having Zane back in her life, even temporarily, was causing a seismic shift. She jerked in a quavering breath, still not daring to look her ex in the eye. “It’s lovely,” she murmured back huskily. “Thanks.”

He reached across the chasm of space between them, clasping her delicate hand in his rougher one. “So we’re good?”

Yes, Nora thought, her pulse racing despite herself. And no...

Luckily for her, she was saved from having to answer that by the ringing phone.

She rose to get it.

The news on the other end was not good.

* * *

“YOU HAVE TO go back to work now?” Zane asked.

Aware she had no time to don her scrubs again, Nora grabbed a belted cardigan-style jacket instead, looped the chained badge over her head and settled the ID between her breasts. She paused to pull on her favorite pair of Western boots. “It’s an emergency with a new resident. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to wait for a sitter to get here...so I’m going to have to take Liam with me.”

He followed her back to the Pack ’n Play. “Is that going to be a problem?”

Gently, Nora eased her son into a fleece jacket and cap. “No. He goes to Laramie Gardens with me every day.” It had been part of her employment deal, and the only way she would go back to work so soon. “I just usually have a sitter there with me. To keep an eye on him between feedings.” Which she usually did herself.

“Want me to go along and help?” Zane asked.

An extra pair of hands was always helpful, particularly when an infant was on the scene. Nodding, Nora collected the diaper bag and her purse, then gathered her son in her arms. “Actually, yes, if you wouldn’t mind. At least until I can get reinforcement.”

Together, they hurried out to the drive. Luckily, Liam seemed more dazed than unhappy to be woken up. Not always the case.

The pickup truck Zane had driven forever was parked behind her. “I’ll follow you over there,” he called.

Short minutes later, the two of them were walking into the home for senior citizens. Just before they entered the doors, Nora handed Liam, who was still strapped snugly into his infant carrier, off to Zane.

And not a moment too soon, it appeared. At the other end of the hall, a determined Russell Pierce was slapping a jaunty brown felt fedora on his head. In a safari shirt, khaki cargo pants and a worn leather jacket, he bore a striking resemblance to Harrison Ford. With a physical vigor belying his eighty-five years, he was arguing with the night charge nurse, Inez Garcia. “I’m telling you, nice as this visit has been, I have to go close up The Book Nook, and then get home to have dinner with Esther and the baby.”

Wordlessly, Nora directed Zane to take Liam into the community room, where help awaited him. “Hey, Mr. Pierce,” Nora said, sauntering closer.

“Well, hello there, young lady!” he said. “I was just about to call you. The rest of your special order came in.”

“Great.” Nora smiled and gently took his arm, attempting to orient him. “Do you know where we are?”

He looked around. Suddenly confused.

“Laramie Gardens, Home For Seniors,” she said.

He squinted, uncertain.

“Will you let me walk you back to your room so we can take your blood sugar and talk a moment?”

Mr. Pierce hesitated. “I still need to get home to Esther,” he said more urgently than ever.

“I know you miss her and want to be with her,” Nora said softly.

He nodded. Tears glistened.

Nora fought the lump rising in her throat. She put her arm through his, and together, they walked back toward his room.

An hour later, all was calm.

Nora went in search of Zane and the baby, hoping they were still in the community room. Only to hear sounds of what had increasingly become the norm.

“Yes, but it isn’t fair,” Wilbur Barnes said.

“All the activities are female oriented,” complained Kurtis Kelley.

“We want an equal-opportunity holiday around here!” Buck Franklin reiterated gruffly.

“Hey! We gave you fellas ample time to weigh in on the scheduled activities,” the always-elegant Miss Sadie said.

“You all refused,” retired librarian Miss Mim pointed out.

Nora crossed the threshold.

Zane stood in front of the fireplace, a wide-awake Liam cradled in his arms. The two of them were a picture of contentment. Leading Nora to secretly wish for the impossible...

“What do you think, Zane? You’ve got enough distance to lend perspective,” Darrell Enlow, the resident peacemaker, said.

Zane squinted at the group gathered around him. “I’m not sure you want to hear what I have to say.”

“Yes, we do!” everyone cried in unison.

Zane looked at Nora. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to get an outside opinion, she encouraged him with a nod.

He drew a breath, his attention focused solely on the thirty or so seniors gathered around him. “Well, when I hear you argue about whether hand-painting ornaments is an appropriate activity for guys I can’t help but think about all my fellow soldiers stationed around the world right now who are away from their families, who would give anything to be home with their loved ones. In fact,” he admitted, in a low, gravelly voice, “they’d be so damn grateful, they wouldn’t care what they were expected to do as long as they could spend time together.”

The ache in Nora’s throat came back, full force.

This was the Zane she had loved.

The big, strong guy with the heart as vast as the Lone Star State. The man who never let her—or anyone else who was depending on him—down. The soldier who was always ready and willing to render aid to someone else in need.

Who was helping her out with her son, even now.

Several throats cleared. More than one resident dabbed their eyes.

“You’re right,” Wilbur Barnes said finally. “We can do better.”

Zane shifted Liam a little higher in his arms. Her son reacted by resting his blond head contentedly against Zane’s broad chest. “Which isn’t to say I don’t understand your frustration,” he continued empathetically. “The holidays are a time when it’s just as easy to think about what you don’t have as it is to count your blessings.”

How true, Nora thought, aware right now she was acutely cognizant of how much she had missed him. And maybe always would...

“I also know that you-all would feel a lot less lonesome if you were helping someone else,” Zane concluded, his gaze softening as Liam yawned sleepily and cuddled even closer against him.

Smiling down at him, Zane stroked Liam’s downy soft head.

The moment so affectionate, so unexpected, it brought tears to Nora’s eyes.

Zane continued in a tone that was both pragmatic and gentle, “And I’ve got just the idea on how to make that happen.”

* * *

“THAT WAS BRILLIANT, getting them involved with the West Texas Warriors Assistance nonprofit,” Nora complimented Zane, as they walked out to the parking lot. Aware this was beginning to feel like a date, when it most certainly was not, she forced herself to put aside her increasingly warm feelings for the sexy soldier.

He opened the door for her, then stepped back to give her room to settle the sleeping Liam back in his car seat. “My family and the others running it can use the help, especially this time of year.”

Nora straightened and shut the door. To her relief, Liam continued sleeping.

Tilting her head back, she looked Zane in the eye. “I know Bess Monroe, the nurse who runs the rehab unit. I’ll call her tomorrow and see what we can do to set things up between us.”

Zane flashed another flirty grin. “I can help with that, you know.”

Awareness swept through her. Fighting the urge to touch him, Nora took a step back. “I appreciate your Good Samaritan spirit.”

“But?” The street lamps brought out the wheat-gold hue of his hair.

Resisting the urge to run her fingers through the thick strands, Nora frowned. “I can’t go down this road with you again, Zane.” And working closely with him, on anything, would lead to just that. A fact he seemed to know all too well.

He regarded her with barely veiled bemusement. “Our relationship doesn’t have to end badly. In fact—” he shrugged his broad shoulders laconically “—it doesn’t have to end at all.”

Nora tossed her bag into the car. “I think, given the very different things we want in life, that it already has,” she said, casting him a probing sidelong glance. “In any case, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. It will be a very busy day at Laramie Gardens, with all the guests and family coming in.”

“I’m guessing it won’t be a happy occasion for everyone.”

Nora dipped her head, acknowledging wearily this was true. For every happy heart, there would be a broken one to mend. “I’m going to need all my energy to see them through it. So we better call it a night.”

Apparently not quite ready to give up just yet, he watched her climb behind the wheel. “Sure you don’t need my help getting Liam in the house, or seeing you get some dinner?”

Need?

No. She could do whatever was required all by herself.

Want was a different matter entirely.

* * *

“I HEARD MY dad had another episode last night,” Lynn Russell informed Nora the next morning.

Nora ushered the sixty-year-old noted actress into her private office. Although currently filming a television series in NYC, the glamorous redhead had flown back to enjoy the holiday with her dad.

“He suffered a period of brief confusion last night.”

“Wasn’t that the second time since he’s been here?”

“In the course of two weeks. Yes.”

Lynn settled in a chair on the other side of Nora’s desk. “Do you know why?”

“We initially chalked the first incident up to simple fatigue. He was exhausted by the plane ride and long drive here. Neither of which is easy for someone his age.”

“And the one last night?”

Nora regarded the medical chart in front of her. “We’re not sure. He hasn’t had much of an appetite since he moved in. So his blood sugar was a little off. We got the levels back to normal after he finished eating his dinner. And it was normal again this morning.”

“So that’s not likely it.”

“Probably not. But with folks his age, we keep a close tab on that just the same. He could also have been sundowning a little.”

Lynn turned off her phone and set her bag on the floor. “What’s that?”

“It’s a type of confusion that occurs later in the day. It can be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s or dementia. But I’ve also seen it brought about simply by a change in environment in an elderly person.”

“So, if it’s just the move back to Texas causing this...?”

“Then his occasional disorientation will ease as he adjusts to life here at Laramie Gardens and everything becomes more familiar to him.”

Lynn tapped her fingers, thinking. “And if not?”

Nora sobered. “Then treatment might be required. Which is why we have a geriatric specialist, Dr. Ron Wheeler, coming in tomorrow morning to go over his medical records and examine him. But not to worry, your dad is in fine spirits this morning. So you should have a nice holiday together.”

Her expression regretful, Lynn walked with Nora to the door. “I wish I could have convinced Dad to stay with me in New York City and continue to have home care help to assist him in my absence. But he was insistent he return to the place where I grew up and he and my mother spent their entire married life.”

Together, they moved down the hall. “I can see where that would be comforting.”

Lynn shook her head sadly. “He’s never gotten over losing her two years ago.”

Nora recalled Esther, who had worked side by side with her husband at the Laramie bookstore they founded. A kinder, more devoted couple could not have been found. “How long were they married?” She paused just outside Mr. Pierce’s door.

“Sixty-three years.” Lynn smiled and waved at her dad, who was standing in front of a bookcase of leather-bound classics. Treasure Island, Moby-Dick, A Christmas Carol, Gunga Din, The Catcher in the Rye, Don Quixote... Mr. Pierce had quite the collection. And he was deeply attached to them all.

“Wow,” Nora said. “I can hardly imagine what it would be like to be married that long.”

“I know.” Lynn grinned as she headed in to see her father. “Not many couples make it that long these days.”

Certainly, Nora thought, not she and Zane.

* * *

“IS LIEUTENANT LOCKHART coming for the feast this evening?” Miss Mim asked.

“We invited him to attend,” Miss Sadie said helpfully.

Nora cradled Liam against her shoulder, all the while keeping an eye on the dining room, where places for all one hundred and fifty residents, and the hundred special guests also in attendance for the buffet dinner at 4:30 p.m., were being set up.

Nora shoved aside her own need to see the handsome soldier. “I expect he’s with his own family today.”

“Ah...think again...” chimed in Miss Mim, who’d been matchmaking for the two of them since they were kids who hung out together every summer, when Zane visited his paternal grandfather.

Every nerve end tingling, Nora turned.

And there came Zane striding toward her in an olive green shirt, tie, blazer and jeans. He had a huge sheet cake in his hands. “Did your sister, Sage, make that cake?” Buck Franklin asked.

Zane chuckled. “She did. And she even put the great big turkey on it, just like I asked.” He held it out so everyone could see the decoration adorning the vanilla frosting.

Nora couldn’t help but compliment, “That was so nice of you and Sage.” His sister was a fabulous chef, as well as café bistro owner.

Zane grinned and regarded Nora mischievously, his eyes alight with interest. “Consider it the Lockhart family’s contribution for the feast today.”

It was something, all right.

Oblivious to the sparks flying between Zane and Nora, Wilbur Barnes stepped in to relieve Zane. “Thanks, son.”

Miss Patricia led the way across the dining hall. “I’ll make room for it on the dessert table.”

Suddenly, the world narrowed once again. Zane regarded Liam, who was looking around with a slightly perturbed expression on his cherubic face. “Not to worry, little fella,” he said, patting Liam’s head. “You’ll have a chance to have cake when I bring it next year.”

As if Zane would be there with them next November, Nora thought irritably. The practical side of her laid down odds he would not. Which meant for all their sakes she had to keep her guard up.

As the seniors gathered around them eased off to give them a little privacy, she nodded at the brash fabric knotted around his neck. “Where did you get that tie?” she quipped. “Pick it out yourself?”

He held out the brown, orange, gold and green silk. Then gazed admiringly at the upside-down design. “Neckwear sporting a traditional cornucopia is hard to find.”

Nora rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet.”

He chuckled, knowing—as always—he was doing a great job of getting under her skin.

Figuring she had no choice but to brazen her way through this situation, Nora cleared her throat. She had a job to do here, and her first order of business was getting rid of him. “Seriously, it was nice of you to drop by, but doesn’t your family want you to spend the holiday with them?”

Stubbornly refusing to take her hint, Zane shrugged his broad shoulders. “Mom served her dinner at noon. She didn’t want any football games interrupting the family meal.”

Trying not to think how much his nearness disturbed her, Nora returned, “I thought Lucille didn’t allow any televised sports at holiday get-togethers.”

One corner of his sensual lips slanted up. Dark silver eyes glittering warmly, he leaned closer and teased huskily, “I like the way you remember every little thing about me...”

She recalled way too much all right, Nora thought, flushing self-consciously.

Like the way he kissed and touched her. The way he smelled when he first woke up, or was fresh out of the shower. The way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t aware, like he wanted to hold that moment in his heart forever.

A riptide of sentiment swept through her. Followed swiftly by a physical longing that was just as intense.

“This particular memory was about your mother,” Nora fibbed, lifting a nonchalant brow.

He chuckled at her sassy tone. “Yes, well, Mom’s softening a bit in her old age. She allows a game or two to be on as long as we all have dinner together—uninterrupted—first.”

Nora let her gaze rove over his tall, solidly built frame. Told herself she wasn’t affected. Nope. Not one little bit. “Ah.”

“Anything we miss, she figures can be recorded and watched later.”

She didn’t want to kiss him again, either. Not today. Not tonight. Not ever. “Smart woman.”

Oblivious to the ridiculously out-of-bounds nature of her thoughts, Zane sighed and shook his head.

“Who, unfortunately, understands very little about the superstitious nature of sporting events. Luckily for me, the guys here do know how much viewer participation it takes for any team to win,” he announced, grinning when Nora groaned. “So they have told me, they are all in, and will be ready to cheer on my teams with me.”

Which meant Zane would be here for hours. As would she, since she was pulling a double today. It was all Nora could do not to stamp her foot in dismay.

“Just don’t let things get too rowdy,” she warned.

Zane grinned in all innocence and gave her a once-over that quickly had her tingling from head to toe. “Who, me?” he said.


Chapter Three (#u25a9ba43-1024-555e-b081-376a5eb98d45)

Nora didn’t know what was worse. Having Zane underfoot during the Thanksgiving feast, paying attention to her. Or having him underfoot, blissfully unaware she was even around.

All she knew for sure was that he was a hit at the table he was sitting at during the meal. Even from the other side of the dining room, she could hear the bursts of laughter in response to whatever stories he was telling.

And he was an even bigger hit in the TV room, watching the football games. Enough of a man’s man to appeal to all the guys and enough of a charmer to appeal to the ladies.

Luckily, she had a lot to concern herself with. Three bottle feedings and a number of diaper changes for Liam. A lot of families, and lonely residents, to speak with. By the time her second shift ended at eleven that evening, she was worn to a thread.

Aware the last football game was just about over, she decided to duck into her office and wait until Zane bid adieu to his new pals and departed. With a sleeping Liam snuggled safely against her chest in his BabyBjörn carrier, Nora sat down on the love seat in the corner of her office and let her head fall back against the cushions.

The next thing she knew she was snuggled against something big and solid and warm, struggling to wake up.

Blinking, she looked down. Liam was still snoozing in his BabyBjörn. It was to her left that...

Oh, my heaven!

She struggled to sit up.

Not easy when she was cuddled snugly into the curve of Zane Lockhart’s tall, strong body. But somehow she managed. Turning toward him, she leaned forward and watched his eyes open. Refusing to get lost in the mesmerizing depths, she declared, “You can’t sleep with me in my office!”

Night supervisor Inez Garcia loomed in the open doorway. “I totally agree.” She shook her head at Nora and Zane. “You-all ought to go home. Pronto!”

* * *

“THERE’S NO NEED to be embarrassed,” Zane said, stepping outside with her. The chill from earlier in the day had faded into an unusually balmy warmth. The night air was scented with approaching rain. “I’m sure it’s nothing your nurse-colleague hasn’t seen before.”

Irked to find the weather shifting as erratically as her moods, Nora stumbled slightly under the weight of the baby still strapped to her chest, his diaper bag and her own shoulder bag. “That’s not the point,” she grumbled.

Zane reacted as swiftly as usual, easing a palm beneath her forearm, the other around her waist. As soon as she steadied, he tenderly searched her face. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Nora fibbed, “I’m...”

He took the diaper bag from her resisting fingers, slung it over one broad shoulder and moved in even closer. “Barely awake?”

The sad truth.

She eased away from the hand beneath her elbow. “It was a long day.” A very, very long day.

He fell into step beside her. Staying close enough to assist her if need be, far enough away not to crowd her. His every action as perfectly gallant as always.

“Let me drive you both home.”

When even the gruff sound of his voice had her tingling all over? Not wise. Wishing she hadn’t parked quite so far away from the door, Nora kept her eyes on her waiting minivan. “It’s only two miles.”

Zane tilted his head at her and Liam. “Plenty of time for you to fall back asleep, jump a curb and hit a tree.”

She hated it when he was right. A sixteen-hour shift on a holiday, while simultaneously caring for her infant son, was too much. He, on the other hand, looked chipper as could be. But then Special Forces soldiers were trained to get by on very little shut-eye and still perform at optimum ability.

Using what felt like the very last reserves of her energy, she picked up her pace. “Then how are you going to get to your pickup truck?”

One half of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “I’ll run back. I haven’t worked out today. It’ll be fine.”

The wind gusted. With one hand, Nora held back the hair that had blown into her face. Maybe he did want a good run. In any case... With a sigh, she reluctantly gave in. “Fine. If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

Not daring to look him in the eye, she used her firmest voice to let him know, “Once we get there, I’m not asking you in.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug, his expression inscrutable. “Not asking you to.”

She turned her head to face him. They locked gazes.

Damned if he didn’t look serious about that, too.

With a sigh, Nora traversed the last ten feet to her minivan. Unlocked it via the keypad, then handed him her keys at the same time Liam finally woke.

Her little angel was not happy about being eased out of his cozy baby carrier, and into his car seat. He let his discontent be known with loud howls all the way home. And Liam was still crying furiously as Zane unlocked her front door.

“How can I help?”

Stubborn pride made her want to refuse. However, three months of experience had taught her self-reliance only took a new mom so far. If she wanted Liam to be as happy as possible, and she did, she had to let others assist her in situations like this.

With a reluctant sigh, she asked, “Do you know how to change a diaper?”

“Yep.”

She regarded Zane skeptically. She knew they did not cover that in the military training he’d had.

His expression deadpan, he explained, “I’ve got five nieces and nephews in the infant and toddler stage. Three brothers, a sister and various in-laws, none of whom are shy about asking me to lend a hand when I’m in town.”

Which probably meant he knew a lot more than she had given him credit for. “Okay then,” she acquiesced, watching while he followed her and Liam across the threshold.

She paused to hand over her squalling son. “The nursery is upstairs, next to the last room on the right. His pajamas and a clean diaper are already laid out. If you can get things started up there, I’ll warm a bottle for him and be right up.”

Liam, who had miraculously slowed down his crying during their exchange, stared worshipfully up at Zane, tears still glistening moistly on his rosy little cheeks.

She understood the abruptly spellbound attitude.

Zane had that effect on a lot of people.

Even on her.

Zane smiled down at Liam, as fondly as if he were her son’s daddy. Nora’s heart gave another leap.

“Atta boy,” Zane soothed, running a hand over Liam’s back. “We’ll get you into your jammies in no time...” He headed up the stairs, Liam now quietly compliant in his arms.

Trying not to think about how nice it would be to have Zane here helping her all the time, Nora went into the kitchen. Three minutes later, she joined them.

Zane was standing over the changing table, laughing, a big, gentle hand placed over Liam’s bare chest. “Nice shot, fella. You have a future as a comedian.”

Nora edged closer.

Saw, too late, the damp arc across Zane’s sport coat, holiday tie and shirt. Smelled the urine. Oh, no. She sucked in a breath of embarrassment and regret. “I’m so sorry.”

“Really?” Zane chuckled, stepping back to let her take over, as promised. His eyes twinkled merrily. “Because I would’ve thought you would feel it was what I deserved for hanging out on your office sofa, waiting so long for you to wake up that I fell asleep myself.”

Why did Zane have to possess such a great sense of humor? Take everything in stride? Even the news that this darling little baby wasn’t his, after all.

Nora lifted an airy hand. Ignoring her mounting desire for him, she professed, just as humorously, “One of the hazards of raising a boy, I have learned.”

He shrugged out of his sport coat, unknotted his tie, set both aside. “You’ve taken incoming, too?”

“Oh, yeah. The worst time was my first day back at work when Liam was six weeks old. I was trying to get him changed before we headed out the door. And bam, he hit me with everything he had. I ended up having to completely change both of us.”

While she finished dressing Liam, Zane unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. “Do you always take him to work with you?”

Nora nodded. “It was part of my condition for returning so early, that I have Liam nearby. I hire student-sitters during my shift to help out with him. But I try to do all his feedings myself, even if it means I stay a little longer to finish up my work.”

Overhead, without warning, a soft staccato sounded. Was that...?

Catching her frown of dismay, he confirmed, “It’s raining.”

Nora gathered Liam in her arms. She looked up at Zane, achingly aware how cozy this all was. How right it felt. And would have been if only Liam were Zane’s baby, too.

But he wasn’t. The sound of the rain overhead picked up, thundering against the roof. Nora peered outside and frowned. “How are you going to get back to your vehicle?”

Looping his soiled garments over his arm, Zane shrugged nonchalantly. “I think I can handle a little precipitation. Besides—” he held out the stained fabric of his dress shirt and the T-shirt beneath “—maybe the downpour will help rinse out some of the smell.”

Nora grinned.

Only Zane would be able to find the bright side in that.

Together, they walked downstairs.

The rain came down even harder. Nora hesitated. Only a heartless woman would send a soldier home on leave out into torrential downpour at one in the morning. Reluctantly, she insisted, “You have to stay.”

He shook his head stubbornly, shrugged on his damp jacket and turned up the collar against his neck. “I don’t think so.” Zane opened the front door.

Another wave of guilt and anxiety swept through her. Followed swiftly by a soul-deep emotion that was even harder to rein in. “But...” she protested.

Their gazes clashed as surely as their wills. His scowl deepening, he said huskily, “You’ll only resent me in the morning.”

She put out an arm to stop him from shrugging on his jacket. Her hand curled over the flexed muscles of his bicep and she felt a jolt of electricity skitter through her. Face flushing self-consciously, she looked him in the eye, determined to clarify this much. “I didn’t mean in my bed.”

He regarded her with mounting amusement. Eyes gleaming mischievously, he said, “I didn’t think you meant in your bed.”

She dropped her hand. “Then...”

His sensual lips formed a sober line. “I showed up at Laramie Gardens today because I promised Miss Mim and Miss Sadie and all the guys that I would. It wasn’t because I wanted to annoy you.”

She fought back a sigh. “You didn’t.”

He clearly didn’t believe her for one second. “Uh-huh.” Another silence fell, fraught with tension. Gently, he continued, “I came by your office after the last game ended to tell you that.”

And then he had stayed to rescue her. Lending a hand, showing her all over again what a great guy he was.

Nora released a wistful breath.

Why did he have to make everything so simultaneously hard and wonderful? “So now that I have...” He released her, turned, and swung open her front door again. Another blast of wet air flowed in. A sudden yellow zigzag of light filled the sky, followed immediately by a clap of thunder loud enough to make her jump. “I’ll be on my way.” He stepped onto the porch.

Like heck he would. Feeling very glad he was there, despite herself, she caught his arm, her palm curving around the swell of his bicep and tugged him right back inside. “You’re not going anywhere, soldier. Not in a thunderstorm.”

He turned to her, his shoulder nudging hers in the process. “There’s no need for you to babysit me,” he insisted.

Her palm tingling as badly as the rest of her, she dropped her hand.

Rocking forward on his toes, he hooked his thumbs in the denim loops on either side of his fly. “I’ll wait out the worst of it on the porch. Then go.” Their eyes met and held, and another jolt of awareness swept through Nora. Letting her know just how very much she had missed him.

She hesitated, unsure.

“I’ll be fine.” His tone was both conciliatory and deadpan. So why was he suddenly looking as if he were thinking of kissing her again? Why was she feeling the same way?

Nora winced and ducked as another sharp zigzag of electricity lit up the sky and thunder rumbled half a second later. Wow, that was close. Dangerously so.

A fact that left her no choice.

She had a duty and responsibility here to maintain his safety, just as he’d done for her half an hour prior.

Her heart racing, she countered in exasperation, “No, you won’t,” she said.

He quirked a brow.

She dragged in a bolstering breath, then stepped closer, determined to try and talk sense into him. “You know how it is in Texas, Zane, particularly this time of year. This storm could go on for hours.” She gave him a long level look. “There is no reason to huddle out here on the porch, never mind risk life and limb, waiting for a reprieve that might not come until dawn. I have a guest room. You can bunk there tonight.” She waved an amiable hand, deciding if she was in, she might as well be all in. At least when it came to reluctantly hosting. “I’ll even wash your pee-soaked shirt.”

He waved off her offer of aid, then cupped her shoulders warmly. “I can do that if you point me toward the laundry room. You look ready to collapse on your feet.”

She was.

“So how about you go on to bed?” he suggested, seemingly oblivious to the way the casual contact was affecting her. With another brief companionable squeeze, he let her go. “I’ll start the washer and close up down here.”

Had she acted too hastily? Could they still actually be friends?

Savoring the possibility, she reluctantly gave in. “Okay. Thanks.”

He nodded at her, like the Texas gentleman he’d been raised to be. “See you in the morning.”

His innate gallantry brought forth another slew of memories. Time seemed to be suspended. Suddenly it was just the two of them again, their only duty and responsibility to each other.

Her heart racing, she jerked in a steadying breath, inhaling the brisk masculine fragrance of his hair and skin. It had been hours since he had shaved, and the stubble of new beard on his jaw only enhanced his raw sex appeal. “You know which one the guest room is?”

He cocked a brow, his gaze drifting over her lazily. “The one on the other side of the nursery, with the silver comforter on the bed?”

Trying not to wonder if his mind was traveling down the same forbidden paths as her own, Nora smiled. They were both adults. They could handle this.

“That’s the one,” she confirmed lightly. “There are towels, washcloths and soap in the hall bath, extra toothbrushes and toothpaste, if you need that.”

Thunder roiled, even louder.

He nodded again. “Thanks.”

She felt him watching her as she headed upstairs, realizing that despite everything, even when they were moving apart, fate kept throwing them back together again.

* * *

NORA FELL ASLEEP listening to the sound of the rain still drumming on the roof and thinking about Zane. She woke to the sound of an even softer rain and Liam starting ever so gently to fuss.

By the time she had changed her son’s diaper and put him in a new playsuit, the sumptuous smell of breakfast cooking filled the air.

She went downstairs, not all that surprised to see Zane standing at her stove, making himself completely at home. Bare-chested, with his jeans riding just below his navel, he looked sexy as hell. It was all she could do not to run her fingers through his rumpled hair and rub her cheek against the morning beard lining his square jaw.

HE SMILED WARMLY at her and the baby in her arms. “I’ll be out of here as soon as my shirts are dry. In the meantime I thought you might be as hungry as I am.”

She was.

Trying not to think how often he had made breakfast for her in the past, never mind how often they had made hot, passionate love to each other after that, she eased past him. Retrieved a bottle of formula from the fridge. “What are you making?”

He looked in the pantry, emerged with a bag of tortilla chips. “Migas.”

Her favorite.

And he’d brewed coffee and poured juice, too.

This was all so cozy. Too cozy.

She put Liam’s bottle in the warmer, still cuddling her son close, then looked out the window at the water pouring down.

He followed her glance. “Yep, it’s still raining.”

She had hoped it would have stopped by now, but that did not look very likely, given the gloomy skies overheard.

Zane cast a glance at her drenched shrubbery and lawn. “No thunder, though.” He beamed as Liam offered him a toothy grin. Reaching out, he gently touched her son’s cheek. Liam chortled softly in response.

Zane slid his little finger into her son’s tiny fist.

Liam held on tight.

The way Nora wanted to hold on...

Oblivious to her forbidden thoughts, Zane regarded her son, then lifted his glance to meet her gaze. “I forgot to ask you last night. Do you have to work today?”

Acutely aware of how wonderful it would have been if Liam had been Zane’s child, Nora shook off her wistful mood. She swallowed around the sudden parched feeling in her throat and forced herself to meet Zane’s eyes. “No. I’ve got the day off.”

Liam jerked on Zane’s hand. Grinning at the mingled demand and curiosity in her son’s baby blue eyes, Zane stepped closer still. His smile widened as Liam chortled happily.

Zane nuzzled Liam’s knuckle, eliciting another happy gurgle, then smiled again and turned his attention back to her. “Any plans?” he asked, that charismatic intensity solely focused on her now.

He smelled like toothpaste and soap. And pure, primal man.

Blushing at the memories the tantalizing fragrance elicited, Nora turned her attention away from Zane and plucked the bottle out of the warmer.

Working to corral her escalating feelings, she sat down at the table to feed Liam. “My sitter is coming at ten o’clock. I was going to go get a Christmas tree, but with it raining, I don’t know that it’s the best time to try and pick one out. I wouldn’t be able to bring it inside until it dried out anyway, so I’ll probably get a jump on my holiday shopping instead.”

Still listening, he crumbled chips in his fist, and stirred them into the pan of scrambled eggs and cheese.

Nora drew a deep breath as the Tex-Mex aroma filled the room. “In any case, not to worry,” she continued, giving him a look to let him know this meal would not be followed with the usual passionate lovemaking. “I can drive you over to get your pickup truck and drop your jacket off for cleaning on the way.”

Zane flashed a sexy smile. “Actually, I’ll take care of the dry cleaning if you do me a favor.” He spooned up a plate of migas and a side of salsa, and carried both over to her.

Curious, she met his eyes. It was unlike him to drive a bargain. Usually he gave, then walked away. Thereby keeping control of the situation. But now he clearly wanted something from her. Something he seemed unsure she would be willing to give.

Aware this was a first, she looked at him, waiting.

He grabbed his breakfast and sat down opposite her, their knees touching briefly beneath the table. Then, his emotions suddenly as fired up as hers, said, “Come out and see the ranch my father left me in his will. And give me your unvarnished opinion about what you think I should do with it.”


Chapter Four (#u25a9ba43-1024-555e-b081-376a5eb98d45)

Nora told herself the only reason she was following Zane out to his ranch was because she was interested in seeing exactly what he had inherited from his late father.

Well, that, and it had been a good way to get the sexy soldier out her door, back to his pickup truck and on his merry way as fast as possible. Before she started wanting to make love with him again... Which, she promised herself resolutely as she followed him out of town in her minivan, she most certainly did not.

Being completely alone with him without her son as an emotional shield, however, proved more challenging than she had expected. Luckily, they had the No Name Ranch he had inherited to focus on.

The two-thousand-acre spread was surrounded on all sides by barbed wire fence and covered with scrub vegetation and the occasional strand of trees.

In the center of the long-neglected land, a half mile back from the road, there was a newly renovated A-frame ranch house with a raised wraparound deck. Inside, everything from the wood floor to the open kitchen-family-living area and big masculine furniture on the first floor bore the same neutral brown and gray color palette as the exterior.

Zane’s king-size bed and a luxurious bath with steam shower dominated the loft-style second floor. A lone duffel sat on the floor in the wide-open space, reminding Nora just how light Zane traveled.

She headed back downstairs, determined to stay just long enough to be polite before getting back into her minivan and heading out to Christmas shop, as planned. “Your brother and sister-in-law did a nice job on this for you. Did Molly and Chance pick out the furniture, too?”

“Actually, I told them not to furnish it, since up until a few days ago—”

When he’d learned about Liam, Nora realized uncomfortably. And jumped to the erroneous conclusion her child was his...

“—my intention was to sell.”

Made sense, she noted, since he was rarely in Texas. “And property with a move-in-ready home fetches a much higher price,” she guessed, shivering a little.

“Right.” He strode to the thermostat and made an adjustment. The furnace kicked on with a purr.

She looked around, trying not to feel disappointed he was already on his way out of her life. Again. “Well, your stagers did a remarkable job here.”

He stood, looking over at her, hands braced on his waist. “Actually, I didn’t plan on doing that, either.” He tossed her a fond look. “All the furnishings, down to the dishes and towels, are an early Christmas gift from my mother.”

A rueful smile curving his sensual lips, he walked into the kitchen and began making a pot of coffee. “She wanted to make the No Name Ranch house so cozy I’d never want to leave.”

Nora slid onto a stool at the island. “Did it work?”

His gave her a long look that spoke volumes. Finally he leaned toward her and with an even more intimate look, said, “It’s not the decor that interests me here.”

Oh, dear.

She pulled in a stabilizing breath, clasped her hands in front of her and tried again. “In any case, it’s a really nice bachelor pad.” For whoever eventually wanted it.

He leveled an assessing gaze on her, kept it there.

“Yeah, well—” he shrugged and turned away “—my dad never expected me to want to marry or settle down.”

No one did.

In fact, she was pretty sure they still didn’t.

She breathed in the delectable scent of freshly brewed coffee. Aware her knees weren’t as steady as she wanted them to be, she slid onto a counter stool. “So he left you the ranch as an investment?”

Nodding, Zane lounged on the other side of the island, his arms folded over the hard muscles of his chest. “And a place I could crash while on leave and still be close to the rest of my family, who also all inherited property here.”

And yet Zane had still, by his own admission, been thinking of selling the property. A move she sensed the rest of the close-knit Lockhart clan would not have taken well.

The coffeemaker gurgled as it reached the end of the brewing cycle. She searched his face, wishing for some chink in Zane’s emotional armor, some sign that he was capable of more than fulfilling his pledge to defend their country. “Did your dad expect you to ranch?”

With a brief shake of his head, he filled two mugs and pushed one her way. He got the peppermint-mocha creamer from the fridge and handed that, along with a spoon, to her.

“No. Dad knew I don’t have an ounce of rancher blood in me. He suggested I do something more outside the norm with the land.”

“Like...?”

“Set up a skydiving school, shooting range, ninja-warrior-type obstacle course or outdoor physical fitness training center.”

Interesting. Frank Lockhart always had been a visionary. With the hedge fund and charitable foundation he created. As well as his wife and five kids...

Nora took her mug and, feeling the mood inside his home had gotten a little too intimate for comfort, walked back outside. He followed suit.

The rain had finally stopped but the ground and deck were still soaked. Hence, she had to be careful not to touch or lean against anything. Especially him.

She traversed the length of the deck, overlooking the property, thinking, considering. “Any one of those ideas would work if you marketed to city slickers looking for a little adventure. Although—” she tossed him a teasing look over her shoulder “—the property would need a new moniker.”

He chuckled and sauntered closer, filling up the space, making her all the more sensually aware of him.

“You don’t like the one it’s got?”

He shook his head, his eyes drifting slowly over her face, before returning to her eyes. “No,” he said gruffly. “Not at all.”

Nora looked up at him. For a guy who’d planned to sell the property, he suddenly seemed proprietorial. “How did it become the No Name Ranch?”

“The husband and wife who owned it before me were never able to agree on much of anything,” he replied with an affable shrug. “Including what to call this land, which they used as a vacation-home-slash-investment. So they jokingly called it the No Name, decided they liked that better than anything either of them was suggesting and eventually even made up a sign.”

“That’s actually a kind of cute backstory, Zane. You could probably use it in whatever you decide to do with the property.” Even if it’s just as a way to eventually sell the place.

He moved closer. “Maybe.”

Or maybe not, Nora thought, judging by his unenthusiastic tone.

Not surprised Zane wasn’t interested in doing anything he saw as that frivolous, even if it could benefit him financially, Nora took another sip of her coffee. “What does the rest of your family think you should do with the property?”

Disappointment glimmered in his eyes. “Just what you’d expect. My brother Wyatt thinks I should board and train horses, like he does on his ranch. Chance wants me to start a cattle breeding operation to supply quality mama cows for his bucking bull breeding and training operation.”

No surprise there. His two middle brothers were absolute cowboys and always had been, from the time they had first set foot in Laramie County, visiting their paternal grandpa when they were kids. “And Sage?”

“Thinks I should find something adrenaline fueled to do for a living, then use the No Name as a private retreat where I can recoup from my new and exciting yet somehow less risky profession.”

“I like the way your only sister thinks,” Nora quipped, before she could stop herself.

Zane set his empty coffee cup on the railing. “So does my mom, except she doesn’t want me to do anything the least bit dangerous anymore.”

I see her point. Suppressing her desire to protect him, too, Nora pushed on, “What about Garrett?” His brother, a highly skilled physician, had served in the Army, too, before resigning to lead the family charitable foundation.

Zane sobered. “He wants me to help separated and current military at West Texas Warriors Assistance, here in Laramie.”

“Like you’re doing with the holiday gift basket drive.”

“Except on a more permanent basis.”

“But that doesn’t appeal to you, either?” she asked curiously.

Zane exhaled. “I’m happy to volunteer. But as for a career, I see myself in a more physically active role, whatever it is.”

“You could join local law enforcement.” They took a lot of ex-military. And Lord knew their life was full of challenges, Nora thought.

He nodded as if he had expected her suggestion. “I’ve got an appointment to talk with the Laramie County sheriff’s department next week.”

“Good!”

“Don’t get your hopes up.” His lips twisted. “I’m not sure that will be a good fit.”

But he was looking into it. That was something he’d never been willing to do before. “You never know.” He was certainly selfless and heroic enough for the job.

“No. You don’t,” he agreed, taking her coffee cup out of her hands and setting it aside. “And I’m going to have to do something when I leave the military,” he murmured as he drew her into his arms. “So I might as well look at all my options.”

Nora caught her breath as one palm slid down her spine, flattening her against him, and the other hand eased through her hair, tilting her face up to his. “What are you doing?” she gasped, way more turned on than she wanted to admit.

Eyes warming, Zane looked down at her. He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip. “Making amends with you.”

Nora splayed her hands across his solid, muscular chest, holding him at bay. Not the least bit surprised to suddenly be so flustered. It happened every time they were together.

He’d come striding in and give her one of his “I can’t get enough of you” looks, and she’d start feeling the same way. As if there were no one else on earth who was ever going to affect her the way he did. Excited. Enthralled. And ready for so much more. “Hey...” she chided softly, her heart already racing, as he held her flush against him, buried his face in her hair and breathed in, “I said we weren’t going to make love again.”

He moved closer still and her body registered the heat.

“At your place last night.” He dropped a string of butterfly kisses from her temple to her cheekbone, the lobe of her ear and the nape of her neck.

As she felt the pounding of his heart, the depth of his desire, tingles swept through her. She melted against him, her insides fluttering even as she struggled to keep her feelings in check.

Grinning seductively, he slid his hands down her hips to cup her against him. Softness to hardness. “We didn’t say anything about today...”

The turmoil inside her increased as his lips parted hers. Her knees went ever weaker. She jerked in another quick, bolstering breath, the kiss deepening, their warm breaths mingling. “Zane...”

Over and over his tongue plunged into her mouth, stroking and arousing. “I’ve missed you, Nora.” His lips covered hers. He kissed her hotly, ardently. Until she kissed him back. Until her arms were wreathed about his neck and there was nothing but need and yearning, and more need...

He kissed her the way he always kissed her, slowly, purposefully, demanding everything she had to give. Until he wasn’t just taking but giving. Inundating her with the heat of him, his masculine strength. Filling her heart and soul with everything she had ever yearned for. And still the clinch continued. His mouth moving expertly over hers, his arms wrapped tight around her, plastering their bodies together. And lower still, she felt the searing pressure of need. His, hers. And she gave herself over to the thrill of being loved by him once again. Then, finally, when she thought she could bear it no more, he lifted his head. Drew back. Said gruffly, “And the way you just kissed me back says you’ve missed me, too.”

And then some, Nora thought, trembling.

“So why don’t we give each other a little early Christmas gift and make love. Here,” he rasped. “And now.”

* * *

NORA KNEW ALL the reasons why she should say no. Zane was never going to put her ahead of his commitment to country. He didn’t love her the way she needed to be loved. As if she—and now Liam—were his entire world. And given the fact that he was a soldier first and foremost, he probably never would.

But she did care very much about him. Always had and always would. And now that he was here with her again, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, all she could think was she needed to make up for all those long, lonely days and nights. Needed to do something to assuage the ever-present fear that something would happen to him and she would never see or be with him again.

So, if that meant she threw caution to the wind once again and let him into her life for just a little while, then she would. She could worry about being sensible later. When he eventually left Texas again. As she knew, deep down in her soul, that he would.

* * *

ZANE HADN’T EXPECTED Nora to give in so easily, but he couldn’t say he minded the enthusiasm she showed as they kissed their way through the downstairs of his A-frame and all the way up the stairs.

It had been a long time. Too long, since he’d had her in his arms. Too long since he’d felt the sweet give of her lips beneath his, or the soft swell of her breasts nestled against his chest. And it had definitely been too long since he had seen her naked.

Easing his hands beneath the hem, he lifted her sweater over her head. Her silky camisole top followed. Beneath the lace of her bra, her nipples jutted impudently. A familiar thrill soaring through him, he bent his head to kiss her again and rubbed his thumbs across the crests. His body tightened all the more as he felt her impatience and heard her moan, soft and low in her throat.

“You next,” she insisted throatily. Unbuttoning his shirt, guiding it off, then tugging his T-shirt over his head, she caught her breath. “This is new.” She kissed an angry red scar on his upper arm.

And the last time he’d be wounded while participating in a covert military mission, he wanted to promise her. But couldn’t. Not just yet. Not and have her believe him. So instead, he admitted to the injury with a shrug, tugged off her boots, jeans, bra and panties, and tumbled her onto his bed.

Hand beneath her head, she struck a sexy pose. Grinned and watched him strip down, too. Aware they were probably moving way too fast—as usual—he joined her on the bed. Naked, too. “Now...where were we?” he murmured.

To his delight, she cupped him in her hand. “Right here, I think...”

Eager to please her, he shifted her onto her back and slid between her thighs. Kissing his way across her breast and belly, he mused playfully, “I think it might have been here...” Gasping, she clung to him. Determined to make it last, he caught her hips in his hands and went lower still.

“Oh, Zane...” she whispered, her response honest and passionate and uncompromising.





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