Baby, Be Mine (Holiday Brides Series) Read online

  “Your cow babies,” Jack said with a smile. “To be.”

  Nikki dusted the snow from her hair and shoulders, then stepped past him when he opened the door. “Ew!” She covered her mouth against the stench. “Really!”

  “They’ve got to go somewhere,” he told her, jimmying the door shut.

  She stared up and down rows of stalls as huge brown eyes turned in her direction. “Mooo!” one cow bellowed. Nikki surveyed a large one that appeared to be nearly twice the size of the others. “Jack, look!” She pointed to a metal plaque that hung above the cow’s head. “Mallory named them.”

  Jack read the lettering. This one had been named Mama. “I think she forgot the Big in front of that.”

  Mama craned her neck forward, and Nikki tentatively patted her head.

  Jack spoke from behind her. “Hey there, Ma. How’s it going?”

  “Stop it,” Nikki scolded. “You’re making fun of her.” The cow met her gaze in agreement and tried to nuzzle closer, but a stall crossbar stopped her. Nikki studied the host of equipment protruding from the far wall. “That’s ghastly. Do they hook her up to that?”

  “I’m guessing they do.”

  Nikki frowned. “Doesn’t seem like a very good life.”

  “Maybe it’s all she knows?” He gave the cow a pat, and they kept walking. Jack was impressed by the size of the operation. From the outside of the barn, he’d had no idea. No wonder Nikki’s aunt raked in a fortune in Cheez Whiz. They passed stall after stall, each of them labeled with an individual name.

  Nikki paused before one, her jaw dropping. “She didn’t.”

  Jack surveyed the name plaque with amusement. “Maybe she meant it as a compliment?” He reached toward the cow. “Here, Nikki, Nikk… Nikk—”

  Nikki slapped his hand away. “Very funny.” But her lips twisted up slightly at the corners, and Jack knew she saw the humor in the situation as well.

  “Could have been worse,” he said, glancing back at Mama.

  Nikki started to say something smart, but then her face fell in sadness. “Jack,” she said, slowly meeting his eyes. “They will be okay? All of them?”

  Hoo boy, he’d known this was a bad idea from the moment she suggested it. The last thing someone as caring as Nikki needed to do was go involving her emotions in what was already primed to be a highly charged situation. “I’m sure your aunt wouldn’t really have left them without some sort of plan.”

  Big Mama mooed.

  “She’s right,” Nikki said. “You didn’t know her.”

  She set her chin and glanced around the crowded barn.

  “You seen enough?”

  Nikki paused a long while before answering. Finally, she said, “We’ve got to find a way to fix this, Jack. A way to make it work for everyone.”

  “I know you have a soft spot for animals, Nikki, but—”

  “For everyone, Jack. Not just them.”

  She dove into his soul with a stare, and Jack knew that whatever was coming next was serious. “I haven’t told you about my mom. But I will.”

  “When?”

  “Tonight, when we get back to our motel. But first…” She wiped back a tear with her mitten. “I need to get out of here.”

  Nikki sat across from Jack as he munched on his Philly cheese steak sandwich. He’d insisted they grab a bite before heading back to their motel, and he’d been right. They’d done delivery pizza the night before and had spent half an hour arguing over ingredients. Jack took another bite, and melted cheese oozed out the side of his sub.

  Nikki set down her salad fork. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

  Jack stared at her with utmost innocence. “What?”

  “Ordered that.”

  “Hey, look.” Jack wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Just because you’ve gone all vegan on me doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a bit of beef.”

  “Bad time to order cow, Jack. Not to mention provolone.”

  “Well, Ms. Cream-of-Mushroom-Soup—but oh! Can you hold the cream? What would you have suggested instead?”

  Nikki frowned at the nasty cup of soup she’d pushed aside. She really should have known better at a place called the Royal Corral. When she made her request, the server looked at her like she’d arrived from Mars. Everything on the menu involved either meat or dairy, except for the meager side salad, which Nikki eagerly dug into now. “I’m just saying you could have showed a bit of sensitivity.”

  “Sorry.” Jack picked his sandwich back up. “My sensitivity doesn’t extend all the way down to my stomach.”

  They finished their food in silence, and Jack could tell Nikki was growing grumpy, like she did when her blood sugar got low. Maybe they could find something on the dessert menu to perk her up, assuming the pie a la mode could be served without the ice cream. “Hey, look,” he told her. “It’s really not that bad. It’s not like the world’s coming to an end or anything like that.”

  “Tell that to Big Mama.”

  “We really shouldn’t have gone in that barn.”

  “Of course we should have.” Her pretty blue eyes flashed with determination. “I needed to see for myself what I was getting into.”

  “Or out of, Nikki. There’s still time to get out of it.” She stared at him. “Your aunt’s ridiculous condition, I mean.”

  “Conditions,” she corrected. “With an S.”

  “Yeah, both of them. I can call my cousin Dave. He’s a lawyer. Maybe he knows someone up here.”

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but—”

  “But what?”

  She inhaled deeply, then let it out. “I could really use that money, Jack.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed lightly. “We could all use a couple of million. But not all of us are willing to sell ourselves for it.”

  “You make it sound so cold.”

  “Blame Mallory, not me.” He studied her a beat, noting her expression had grown cloudy. “Is there something else going on that I don’t know about?”

  “My mom’s not getting any better.”

  “That neck thing?”

  “Her slipped disk, yeah.”

  “I thought she was going to have surgery?”

  Nikki looked at him sadly. “She can’t afford it.”

  “What about the diner? Don’t they provide insurance?”

  “It’s a crappy plan, barely covers half the cost.” Her brow creased with worry. “It hurts her every day to go to work. Even getting up in the morning is painful.”

  “She said that?”

  “She didn’t have to. I’ve seen how she moves.”

  “Well, maybe she can get a loan, talk to the doctors? Hospitals sometimes have repayment plans.”

  “We’ve looked into that. I even offered to help.”

  Jack understood that was generous, but he also knew Nikki didn’t make a lot of money herself on her department store tailor’s salary.

  “But she’s too proud. She’d never take me up on it, knowing I barely scrape by myself. Besides, she says if I’m going to help anyone out, it should be Tony.”

  “Tony?”

  “He graduates high school this year, and really has his heart set on going to college.”

  “That’s expensive these days.”

  “Way costly. Even in state.”

  “What about scholarships? He’s a good student, right?”

  “State assistance was cut back with the recent budget cuts. He says he may have to put off going. Work a few years first.”

  Jack studied her with sympathy. “Sounds rough.”

  “Some days Ma can’t even make it in to work. They dock her pay in that case. And she’s got a mortgage to meet and bills to pay for Tony.”

  Jack stared at her with incredulity. “Just what are you saying? That you’re considering meeting your Aunt Mallory’s conditions?”

  “Maybe it won’t be so bad? In the short term.”

  He leaned forward and touched her arm. “But in the long term? Over time?
”

  “I’m not saying it has to last forever. Me and the prospective”—she appeared to nearly choke on the word—“groom can cut a deal.”

  Jack massaged his brow. “Who are you planning to marry, Nikki? You’re not even seeing Dean anymore.”

  “That’s true.” She licked her lips and sat up a little straighter. “But I’ll find someone, don’t you think? I’m not such a bad a catch. Especially not for half a million dollars.”

  “I thought it was two?”

  “That’s the amount I’m willing to share with someone who’ll go through with it. I guess if they insist, I could negotiate up to half the total.”

  “Now you’re talking crazy.”

  “No, I’m being reasonable.” And when she said it, for a lunatic instant, it looked like she believed it.

  “So you’re going to go out there and find someone to marry. Just like that! By February fourteenth.”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’d better start looking.”

  Although he suspected the outcome, Jack decided to chance it anyway. “You could always marry me…?”

  “Oh, Jack, please be serious!”

  He affected a chuckle to make it seem like he’d been kidding. “Well, someone’s got to lighten the mood around here.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re a very funny guy. But most importantly, you’re my best friend. Which is why you’ve got to help me.”

  Jack adored Nikki, would move heaven and earth for her. But help her find another man to marry? He wasn’t sure he could do that.

  “Come on, Jack, puleeze?” She batted those eyes, and Jack knew he was a goner. He’d never been able to refuse Nikki anything in his entire life. And now his life, and all the secret hopes and dreams he’d harbored, were about to be harpooned by her ludicrous request. “I’ve always wanted a baby.”

  “There are places you can go for that without signing the rest of your life away.”

  “It’s not the rest of my life. I don’t even have to stay married. Just long enough to get pregnant.”

  Jack willed his mind not to go there. There was nothing worse than thinking of Nikki with another guy. When she was with a boyfriend, it was easy enough for him to push those thoughts away completely. It was when she was between them that Jack’s hopes became renewed. Time and time again. When would he ever learn? Hadn’t Nikki made things clear enough the night of their senior prom?

  She appeared to be thinking, those mental wheels turning in some sort of diabolical plan. When she set her gaze back on his, she seemed buoyed, as if she’d convinced herself this entire wacky scheme could work.

  “We’ll have the kid call you Uncle Jack,” she continued brightly. “In the end, you’ll probably be closer to him than his own dad. It’s not like Dad will be much in the picture. That will be part of the deal.”

  Jack felt the burn in his eyes but smiled tightly to disguise his feelings. “What if Dad doesn’t agree?”

  She brushed aside his concerns with a wave of her hand. “Aren’t you the one who’s fond of saying there’s always a way to work things out?”

  Now she was twisting his words to serve them back at him. “Nikki—”

  “Don’t Nikki me. You know we can do this, you and me. If anyone can pull it off, we can.” She reached across the table to take his hands. “Please tell me you’ll help. Help Ma. Help Tony, and…” She hesitated, then said with a desperate look, “Big Mama.”

  Jack pursed his lips, knowing there was no way he could do it. But in a stronger sense, he knew he couldn’t deny helping the one person on earth he loved. Nikki’d had his heart forever, and now—without even being aware—she was going to stomp all over it. And Jack was going to help her, damn it. Help her because he understood that if he couldn’t be hers, he’d better damn well ensure that the guy who was deserved her. For Nikki wasn’t just beautiful. She was smart and funny, and such great company to be around. The fact was, he’d rather hang out with her than any of his buddies. She was way more entertaining and very easy to be with. Nikki had that eclectic blend of streetwise and sophisticated, with her own unique quirkiness mixed in. And Jack found that headily intoxicating. Now he was about to help someone else get drunk on her. Once they did, and discovered what is was like living with her day after day, Jack was certain no man in his right mind would be willing to give up Nikki. Worst-case scenario, she might even start falling for him… This was turning out to be a very un-merry Christmas for sure.

  Jack fought the lump in his throat and squeezed Nikki’s hands. “What are best friends for?”

  Chapter Two

  Nikki sat cross-legged on one double bed while Jack propped himself up against some pillows on the other. They’d been too cheap to get separate rooms. Besides, what did she have to worry about with Jack? Nikki reached into her large corduroy bag and withdrew Jack’s present. She’d nearly forgotten what day it was until the attorney reminded them. Christmas. Who would have thought she’d be spending it in some budget motel with Jack?

  “Here,” she said, handing him the gift. “I got you something.”

  He looked up from where he’d been busily typing a message into his smartphone. “You what?” he asked, setting his phone on the nightstand.

  “For Christmas, you big monkey. Go on,” she urged. “Take it.”

  He reached across the narrow space between them and accepted the package, visibly touched. “Geez, Nikki. You didn’t have to. Especially with this sudden trip… How did you…?”

  “Got it a while ago. On sale,” she lied. The truth was this holiday gesture had cost her a fortune. Nearly a week’s wages, in fact. But if anyone deserved it, Jack did. Nobody had stood by her the way Jack had, not even any of her girlfriends over the years.

  He tore back the wrapping and extracted the gift CD. Then his face fell.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you already have it?” It was a new Christmas album release of Jack’s favorite jazz artist. It had only been available since Thanksgiving.

  “I love it.” He met her eyes, and his own registered sadness. “It’s the best. You’re the best. The only thing is…” He hesitated a moment, holding the CD in his hands. “I didn’t bring your present with me.”

  “Is that all?” she asked, relieved. “Gosh, Jack, you had me worried there I’d really flubbed something up.”

  “You never mess things up,” he told her, his fingers apparently skimming the tickets taped to the back of the case. He flipped it over in awe. “You didn’t.” Though their surroundings were dreary, Jack’s smile lit up the whole shabby room. Nikki couldn’t help but think how good-looking he was. Tall, dark, and handsome, and a totally great guy too. What was wrong with the women out there?

  He leapt off his bed to give her a hug. “I can’t believe you did this! This is amazing, Nikki. You’re amazing. Thanks so much.”

  She hugged him back, laughing. “Hey, it’s only tickets and not a backstage pass.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He settled down on the bed beside her, studying the tickets like they were some sort of holy grail. “I see you got me two,” he said, fanning them in the air.

  “I was hoping you might get lucky.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

  “No, seriously. How long has it been?”

  “Since?”

  “Don’t play cute with me. I know you’ve been seeing Veronica.”

  “Well, maybe it’s none of your business.”

  “You know all of mine.”

  “That’s because you’ve got a great big blabbermouth.”

  “I do not!”

  “Um-hmm,” he said smugly. “But, no worries. Your secrets are safe with me. All of them.”

  She nabbed a pillow and bopped him over the head.

  “Ow! What was that for?”

  “For being such a smartie. And for forgetting my gift!”

  He grabbed a pillow and slammed her back,
whacking her across the shoulder. “And that’s for not giving me the benefit of the doubt!”

  “Hey!” She hit him again, harder this time, clean across the chest, then fell back with a giggle.

  “Oh no, you don’t…” he said, clobbering her again.

  She raised her eyebrows, and he tackled her by the shoulders, tumbling forward. Nikki stopped laughing as he lay on top of her on the bed, his torso pinning hers to the mattress. She could feel the solidity of his frame, the lean muscles in his thighs and chest, the power of his masculinity above her. Jack looked down at her with deep brown eyes, and she could swear she could hear every measure of his breathing. Or maybe it was her own breath that was coming out in rapid puffs as her heart hammered hard between them. “Nikki, I…”

  She felt fire in her cheeks as her heart careened wildly out of control. “Jack… What are you doing?”

  He blinked hard, then pushed back, rolling off her and onto the mattress. She hoped he would say something, but even she couldn’t explain what had just happened. It was as if in that split-second he’d gone from being just Jack to some sexy, desirable…

  The pillow crashed down on her crown with a thwunk! “That,” he teased, “is a lesson in what happens when you tempt fate.”

  Nikki grabbed another pillow away from him before he could nail her again. “Oh, so you’re fate now?” she asked, clutching the pillow against her.

  Jack rolled onto his side and stared at her, dark eyes dancing. “One day, some woman will call me her destiny.”

  Nikki’s breath caught in her throat, because she knew that was true. Jack wouldn’t be single forever. Someone out there was bound to snap him up, and then what would become of their friendship? Another woman might not be as understanding as Jack had been of Nikki having boyfriends. “I’m sure that’s true.”

  His brow rose in amusement. “What? No snarky comebacks? No contest?”

  But Nikki didn’t want to banter anymore with Jack, not even if it was play arguing. She was having a difficult enough time getting the feel of his rock-hard body out of her mind. She handed him the pillow she’d been holding and sat up. “I’m going to grab a shower.”

  He appraised her as if he was trying to discern whether something was wrong. “All right.”