A Baby in His Stocking (15 page)

That fact hurt more than he'd ever know.

 

“H
ERE YOU GO
.” A
FTER
the dance, Wyatt stopped his truck in front of Natalie's little white house.

He put the truck in Park, killed the engine, then climbed out to open her door.

“I can manage,” she argued in typical Natalie style.

“I'm sure you can, but you asked me to be your escort for the night and until I've seen you safely inside, I'm responsible for you.”

“That's a ridiculously antiquated notion.” Sticking her key in the lock, she turned the dead bolt on her door.

“Like your assumption every man on the planet will abandon you the same as Craig?” Wyatt hadn't wanted to cause a scene at the school, but she'd seriously pushed his buttons.

Natalie shoved him aside to push her way into the house.

He followed.

“Did I invite you in?” she asked, turning on a lamp before tossing her purse on the entry hall table.

“Sorry,” he said, “but this is one time you don't get a vote.”

“In
my
house, I always get a vote.”

They stood toe to toe, each breathing hard. “What I have to say might take a while, so if you don't mind, have a seat before your feet explode.”

“Right now,” she snapped, “I'm more concerned with my bladder.”

Raking his fingers through his hair, he said, “Take
a brief bathroom intermission and then get yourself back in here on the sofa.”

She raised her chin. “I'd be more comfortable in bed.”

Roaring in frustration, he said, “Woman, I don't give a damn if you sit on a lawn chair in the garage. Do what you have to do in the bathroom and then we're going to talk.”

While waiting, he made himself at home in her room, turning on bedside lamps and studying her few framed pictures. One with her and Josie both looking considerably younger, hamming it up at Weed Gulch's only mini golf course. Another more recent with her parents. Then there were a trio of her with Craig. At the Tulsa Zoo and a beach and skiing. The two had been together for years. Wyatt would have bet major coin on Craig having been in the relationship with Natalie for the long haul.

“Here I am,” Natalie finally said, out of the bathroom and her fancy dress. She now wore gray Weed Gulch Varsity Football sweats. Her former tower of hair leaned to the right, and with her makeup removed, her skin was pale. Passing Wyatt, she tossed back her comforter and top sheet and crawled into bed. Once she'd pulled the covers over herself, then plumped the down pillows behind her head, she closed her eyes and sighed. “This is where I've wanted to be for the past four hours.”

“You should've said something. I'd have brought you home.”

“I couldn't shirk my duty.”

He sat on the bed next to her. “No one would've held it against you.”

“Whatever.” Arms tightly folded across her chest,
she said, “Please get on with what you need to say. I'm ready for bed.”

“The short version is that I'm pretty sure I've fallen for you in a way I never thought I would.”

“Pretty sure?” she all but shrieked. “This is the kind of thing I'm talking about, Wyatt. News flash—I'm going to be a mother. The last thing I need is a weekends-only boyfriend.”

“What if I told you I want more?”

“I wouldn't believe you.” Hands over her face, she shook her head. “And regardless, I'll never settle for anything less than marriage.”

“Done.” Pulse racing to a degree that made Wyatt not entirely certain he wasn't having a heart attack, he licked suddenly dry lips.
Don't do this,
his conscience urged.
You don't love her. You don't even know what love is. Just because you two had a semi-successful run at playing house doesn't mean you should try it again. Especially not in an official capacity.
Overriding all voices of reason, Wyatt said, “Marry me. Give me the chance to be a dad to your son. You've seen me with Dallas and Josie's girls. You know I'll make a great father.”

“Are you even listening to the insanity coming out of your mouth? You don't want to marry me. I'm carrying another man's child. Worse yet, say I agree to your proposal? What then? Because if you marry me in front of God and our families only to one day leave…”

Leaning forward, Wyatt kissed her with every shred of emotion he had in him. “Nat, you're under my skin. The whole time I was in Alaska, all I thought about was getting home. Only without you in it, my house feels empty. I need you and your son to make me whole.”

“This is crazy,” she said with a firm shake of her head. “You're crazy.”

“And?” After kissing her again and again, he drew back and said, “Natalie Grace Lewis, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Natalie managed to choke out through messy tears. “I will marry you.” Logic told her this was madness. Her heart said Wyatt's sincerity to do right by her and her son was true. If it seemed too easy, that's probably because it was right. For all of her insisting she wanted to be a single mom, a shared life with Wyatt sounded much more fun.

“Yes?” He wore an adorable half smile, looking part exhilarated, part terrified.

“Want me to change my mind?”

Laughing, he said, “Nah. But before we let anyone else in on our news, how about stealing the rest of tonight for just us?”

“If that means what I think it does, I suddenly feel energized.”

“Great,” he said with a sexy growl, “because I feel horny for my future wife.”

 

A
FTER A FULL NIGHT SPENT
doing just about everything but sleeping, Natalie should've been exhausted. Instead, she sat snuggled against Wyatt in his truck, excited for Georgina's Sunday brunch. Typically, she just looked forward to the caramel nut rolls and thick-sliced
hickory bacon, but she had a feeling today's announcement would be tastier than anything she might eat.

“What're you thinking about?” Natalie asked Wyatt as he turned onto the main house's drive. Tracing his furrowed eyebrows, she fought a twinge of unease. Getting married was a big step. It was understandable Wyatt would have the occasional serious moment.

“Nothing you need worry about.”

“That kind of evasive answer makes me worry more.” As he parked the truck and turned off the engine, she slid to the far side of the leather bench seat. Clutching her purse, her fingertips felt icy. “If you're having second thoughts, please tell me now. Don't put me through the indignity of celebrating with my closest friends and then calling it off.”

Snagging her by her waist, he slid her against him, pressing an affectionate kiss to her forehead. “If every time my mind wanders you're going to assume the worst, we might have a problem.”

“You're not having second thoughts?”

“Get it through your thick, beautiful head. I like you—a lot.”

After a sharp exhale, she fought tears.

With the pad of his thumb, Wyatt brushed them from her cheeks. “There's no crying at our engagement announcement.”

Nodding, crying more, she said, “Sorry. I feel impossibly full—like everything I've ever wanted is coming true. But if I so much as blink, it could vanish as easily as it appeared.”

“Good grief.” He kissed her and then kissed her more. “Let's hurry up and get this news out in the open. The sooner Mom starts planning our wedding, the sooner we can actually get hitched.”

“Think we can do it before the baby comes?”

Blasting her with his slow, sexy grin, he said, “Not if we don't get out of this truck.”

 

“P
LEASE DON'T TELL ME
your trip to Ethiopia is back on,” Georgina said prior to Wyatt and Natalie's announcement. “Because if that's what you made me stop eating to hear, I'll be mighty grumpy.”

“Relax,” Natalie urged Wyatt's mom. “It's nothing like that.”

Josie turned to Natalie. “You're in on his big secret?”

Natalie's sweet smile lit the room. “You might say that.”

“Out with it,” Dallas said in a lighthearted tone, “before my food gets cold.”

“Yeah,” Bonnie said. “Mine, too.”

Reaching across the table for Natalie's hands, Wyatt stood. “Last night, I asked Natalie to marry me and she accepted.”

Georgina shrieked, then clapped. “I knew you two had funny business going on.”

“How could you keep this from me?” Josie demanded, swatting her friend with her cloth napkin.

Laughing and ducking, Natalie said, “He only asked last night. Trust me, you all are the first to know.”

“We knew a
looong
time ago,” Betsy said.

“Yeah.” Bonnie held three strips of bacon to her mouth. “We knew all the way back when Uncle Wyatt put his hands on Miss Natalie's butt.”

“Butt!” Mabel shouted. “Butt, butt, butt!”

 

O
VER
S
UNDAY SUPPER
,
UPON
digesting Natalie's exciting news, Opal burst into tears. “You have no idea how re
lieved this makes me. I thought Ian would be a good match for you, but you probably had Wyatt on your mind all along.”

“Hold up, Mother. Don't go getting too excited just yet,” Bud said. “No offense, but Wyatt, around these parts, you've got a bit of a wild reputation. Why all of a sudden have you now decided to settle down?”

Frowning, her mother said, “Natalie, your father does have a point.”

“Wow.” Opal's sweet-potato casserole soured on Natalie's tongue. “You all are some pieces of work. First, you're upset with me for being pregnant without a husband. Now, you're unhappy because I didn't choose the right one?”

“That's not at all what your father's saying.” Patting her napkin to the corners of her mouth, Opal said, “You have to admit, Wyatt Buckhorn seems an unlikely choice. He's over thirty and never been in a committed relationship. He goes off for weeks and months at a time, traveling for that oil job of his, and my gut tells me it's not him you love, but the Buckhorn fast and fancy lifestyle. Ever since your friend Josie married into them, you've been—”

“Mrs. Lewis,” Wyatt said, “I've sat through nearly this entire meal biting my tongue. You can insult me all you want, but once you bring my family into it, you and I have a problem. All you need to know is that your daughter means the world to me. And I'm excited to be a father for her son.”

Bud helped himself to seconds of ham. “That's all I need to hear. Mother, that satisfy you?”

“Yes and no,” Opal said, “part of me still wonders why Wyatt hasn't married—or even been with the same woman for any length of time? Is there some
thing about him we don't know? For that matter, as much as I've been praying for our girl to find a husband, hasn't this happened awfully fast? Have either of you thought this through?”

“Thank you for the food,” Natalie somehow said past a throat so tight with tears that finding air had become a challenge. “I'll send you a wedding invitation. Please don't feel obligated to come.”

Natalie waited until Wyatt had driven to the end of her parents' block before she broke down. “Wh-why are they crazy?” she wailed. “Why can't they be happy for me?”

“That's it.” Wyatt pulled to the curb, placing the truck in Park. Hugging her, he said, “Let it out.”

“Th-this was supposed to have been a happy night. I thought my parents w-would be thrilled.”

“Deep down,” he said with a half chuckle, “I'm sure they are.”

“H-how could they be so cruel? I—I adore your family. Th-they've all been wonderful to me. D-Dallas is a little scary, but I'd much r-rather be locked with him in a closet than my p-parents.”

“Hey, whoa,” he protested, a smile lighting his eyes, “kindly keep your sexy self away from closets and my brothers.”

“Y-you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, “but, sweetie, you have to admit, they raised a few valid points.”

“I appreciate you trying to make peace, but don't for a second search their motives for justification when there's none.”

 

T
HROUGHOUT THE TWO WEEKS
leading up to his wedding, Wyatt couldn't keep Opal's tirade from his mind.
What he'd repeatedly tried reminding Natalie was that her mother had been right. There was a reason he'd remained single for so long. Commitment scared the hell out of him. Worse, was Natalie sure she wanted to marry a man who would never give her the big fairytale family she craved? But each time he tried to have a serious conversation, Natalie shut him down.

The women of his family had transformed into wedding-planning whirlwinds. Natalie constantly reminded him how little time they had not just until their big day, but until their son was born.

Their
son.

Most men Wyatt knew would have issues raising another man's child. He viewed the opportunity as a blessing. He ignored the question of what happened a year or two down the line when Natalie wanted more children he couldn't provide.

On this day, he sat patiently in his mother's dining room, listening to a panel of caterers vie for what would no doubt be a huge job. He and Natalie had both worked all day. Wyatt worried about her overdoing it, but she'd assured him that Georgina, his sister and sisters-in-law had done the majority of planning.

“Wyatt?” Natalie elbowed his ribs. “If you don't taste each dish, how are you going to vote?”

“Sweetheart, how about you surprise me and I promise to love everything you pick.”

Natalie's death-ray stare told Wyatt he'd said the wrong thing.

“Or,” he smiled, “I could pay closer attention to these delicious offerings and cast a well-educated vote.”

By the time the caterers left, it was already dark and Natalie had stopped trying to hide her yawns. “What's
wrong with me?” she complained. “My back aches and I'm exhausted.”

“You don't think you're going into labor, do you?”

She shook her head. “I'm not due for another two weeks, and all of my books say first babies are usually late.”

“Think we should call Doc Haven? Just to be safe?”

Wrinkling her nose, Natalie said, “I don't want to interrupt this special night with a false alarm.”

She thanked his mom and the other three ladies present, and then made the same rounds with all of the kids and babies. Even Prissy had come over for the food tasting.

Kitty sat on the grand piano, showing his disdain.

“Come on,” Wyatt said when it looked as if the twins might talk Natalie into staying for a movie. “Let's get you home and in bed. Otherwise, you're going to sleep through work in the morning.”

“All right,” she complained, holding out her arms when he helped her into her warm wool coat. “I get the hint that you're going to be the kind of husband who works me till my fingers bleed.”

Ignoring her, as well as every other woman's jab, he ushered his bride-to-be to the truck and hefted her onto the passenger seat.

Wyatt hoped to bring up his concerns on the ride home, but Natalie fell asleep. Her soft snores made him smile. That told him he'd be a fool not to want to marry a woman this adorable.

At Natalie's house, it took a while to wake her.

“Want me to carry you?”

“No. I'm not an invalid. Just—” As she toddled toward the house, her water broke, trailing in a steaming path up the sidewalk. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes.” They'd been so focused on having the wedding before the baby that the poor kid had taken a temporary backseat. “Let's not panic. We haven't even packed you a suitcase, and that baby book says that's one of the most important things about going into labor.”

“Right now, I think getting to the hospital might be a higher priority.”

“Okay, um—” Wyatt's head started to spin. He was going to be a father. But how could he adequately do that when he couldn't even get the kid's mom to the hospital with the right gear? “You need candles and that new age ocean and whale song music.”

In the house, heading toward the bathroom, she said, “I'd rather listen to Taking Back Sunday or Aerosmith.”

“No,” he argued, raiding her closet and dresser for baby-delivery-appropriate clothes. “The book was quite clear on having soothing music in the birthing room.”

In the bedroom, she asked, “What happened to
my
Wyatt? I'm pretty sure you're not him.”

“I'm being responsible. Is your camera battery charged and do you have plenty of memory cards?”

“I know this is a big deal,” she started rummaging through her dresser drawers, “but last I checked, my card holds almost a thousand pictures. I think we're fine with only one.”

“Just in case, we'll stop off at a Walmart on the way into Tulsa.”

She'd gathered a change of clothes and returned to the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” He followed. “This is an emergency. We have to go.”

“News flash, baby expert! I peed myself with amniotic fluid. I'm taking a shower before going anywhere.”

“Should I get in with you? Make sure you're all right?”

“You're crazy,” she said while shimmying out of her tights. “Not only am I reconsidering marrying you, but I might have you banned from the delivery room.”

“Really?” His heart sank.

On her tiptoes, she kissed him. “Not really. But, angel, you've got to relax. Everything's going to be fine.”

 

E
IGHTEEN HOURS LATER
, Natalie was hot and cold and so far from fine she seriously regretted blowing off Lamaze. Agony didn't begin describing the reality of childbirth. All those idyllic magazine shots of blissful moms in the delivery room? Lies!

“Wyatt?”

“Right here, sweetheart.” He'd been seated in a rocker at the head of her bed, but now stood. “What do you need?”

“Ask when I can have an epidural.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He kissed her forehead. “Be right back.”

“Poor thing,” Josie crooned, holding a cold cloth to Natalie's forehead. “It may not seem like it now, but when you finally hold your baby in your arms, this will all be worth it.”

“If I survive.”

“You'll be fine,” her best friend assured.

Wyatt returned with a nurse.

“I heard you could use a little relief?”

Wincing through her latest contraction, Natalie managed a nod.

“I've put out a call for the anesthesiologist, but it could take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour for him to get here.”