Page 13 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

She also got her bedroom set up the way she wanted it. It was nice to have a space for herself now. Strange to share living space with a family that wasn’t hers, but she’d grown up with brothers, and Ava and Xander were used to a full house. The other Tomlinson boys lived nearby and wandered in and out on a whim. They were friendly in a casual way, letting Daisy sit quietly and listen to the laughter and roughhousing. She would’ve said they didn’t even notice she was there, except every one of them was quick to pull out her chair or grab the dirty dishes out of her hands during cleanup.

The three woman who’d—in Auntie Rhonda’s words—snagged Tomlinson brothers joined them for dinner one evening. When they finished eating, Carly clapped her hands and said, “All right! Time to plan Hallie and TC’s wedding.”

Josh, Cody, and Xander immediately stood, making excuses about ranch chores, although Daisy overheard Cody whisper something to Josh about a NASCAR race on TV.

“Go.” Carly made a shooing motion with her hand. “We don’t need you.”

TC had remained seated at the table, looking pained.

“You can go too,” Hallie said.

His expression shifted to hopeful. “Are you sure?”

“You don’t care what the wedding or reception are like, so I’ll make the decisions, and you can pay for it.”

“Done.” TC slid a hand around the back of Hallie’s head and gave her a firm kiss. “You’re the best. Plan whatever you want, and if you’re happy, I’ll be happy since I get to marry you.”

Mallory made gagging noises. Her boyfriend, Cody, tugged on her hair and she swatted his hand away. TC winked at her and headed toward the door.

Xander hovered by Daisy’s shoulder. “Do you need anything?”

She lifted her chin and tried to look stern. “If I do, I can get it myself.”

“We’ll look after her,” Ava said, rather dampening the effect of Daisy’s defiance.

Daisy watched Xander leave. He really was awfully sweet. If Auntie Rhonda had to pick out a potential husband for Daisy, she could have done much worse. Not that Daisy was looking for a husband, having already turned down one offer that was “perfectly acceptable,” according to her mother. And not that a cute, kind billionaire would have any interest in a woman who was heavily pregnant with another man’s child.

When she turned back to the table, the other women were studying her. She wiped the smile from her face. Maybe they hadn’t noticed. If they had noticed, she hoped they assumed her smile was for Xander and not one of the other brothers. Better to be teased about her stupid crush than have anyone think she was after a man who was taken.

“Interesting.” Mallory glanced at the other woman. “Are we going to talk about this? Because I’d like to talk about this. Not that wedding planning isn’t a laugh a minute, but new romance?” She clasped her hands together and batted her eyelashes.

“Xander does seem taken with his new employee and roommate,” Carly said.

Daisy’s face burned. “It’s not like that. He’s simply being nice, because, you know.” She gestured at her huge belly. “He apparently thinks I’m incapable of doing anything for myself.”

“He’s always had a soft spot for creatures in trouble.” Carly winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to compare you to a pregnant cat someone dumped at the end of the ranch road. I just mean he’s a caregiver type.”

Daisy gave an uncomfortable shrug. “You’re not that far off with the pregnant cat thing either.” She looked at Ava. “Don’t worry. I’m not assuming his attention is anything other than the kindness of a gentleman trying to be a good boss. He hasn’t been flirting, and neither have I.”

Ava smiled at her. “You’re certainly not obligated to develop personal feelings for him. I know your aunt might have put that idea in your head, but I offered you this job so you would have choices and independence. That’s far better in the long run than having someone take care of you.”

“And I’m so grateful, and I would never betray that confidence!” Daisy said.

“Wait a minute, what’s this about your aunt?” Hallie asked. “Who’s your aunt?”

“Rhonda Gillespie,” Mallory said. “You know, the one with the gray helmet hair and the jaw like a nutcracker.”

“The one who thought Ava should’ve shared the winning lottery ticket with her knitting group instead of her family,” Carly added.

“We made peace over that, so we can forget it,” Ava said.

Carly shook her head. “Some of us don’t forget.” She glanced at Daisy. “But I’m sure she’s... Well, maybe I should simply say that she’s your aunt, but I won’t hold it against you.”

Daisy felt like she should defend her aunt, but so far no one had said anything untrue. “She took me in when I ran away from my wedding. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.” Daisy assumed the gossip had made its rounds, but if not, she didn’t want to hide anything.

Hallie frowned. “Did I know that? No, I think I would have remembered. Rhonda is pretty memorable.” TC’s girlfriend was a little quieter and less forceful than Carly or Mallory, often taking a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke. That was risky in a raucous crowd like this family, but the others generally noticed when she wanted to speak and gave her the time she needed. “More to the point, yikes,” she added. “I’m glad you had somewhere to go, but things must’ve been pretty bad.”

“They weren’t great. I guess a lot of people would say I was lucky. I didn’t mean to get pregnant, but when I did, the father offered to marry me. Insisted, actually. Things just kind of happened, with everyone else making decisions, and I got dragged along. He was actually waiting at the altar when the panic hit and I just—” She waved her arm. “Took off. Auntie Rhonda had met William and didn’t like him, so I figured she wouldn’t make me go back to him.”

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