Page 23 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

Rhonda gave her a chilly look. “No need to get snooty. I’m just saying, Xander ought to see a good thing when it’s shoved under his nose. He might be smart as a hooty owl with numbers, but when it comes to women, he don’t know ‘come here’ from ‘sic ’em.’ I’m simply glad to hear you two are getting along and everything is working out.”

“Yes. We are all getting along fine, and the job is working out perfectly.” Daisy grabbed a napkin and patted her forehead. “Speaking of which, I should get back to mywork, since that’s the reason I’m here.”

“She’s an excellent employee.” Ava winked at Daisy. “You go ahead, dear. I’ll visit with Rhonda a bit.”

Daisy fled. In the office, she checked messages and found a dozen calls from reporters. Oof. Maybe they ought to issue a press release or something. She tried to imagine a headline: Unwed Mother Not Billionaire Bachelor’s Fault.

She deleted the messages, bought the subscription she wanted for Xander, and printed it as a coupon. Funny, she would’ve been able to pay for it out of the Tomlinson accounts, and likely no one would have noticed the relatively small expense. It was shocking how trusting they were. Good thing they hadn’t been stuck with an employee who would take advantage like that.

Not that they’d miss the money, but Daisy wanted this to be a gift from her. She wanted it to mean something. She wanted Xander to know how much she appreciated his kindness, and that she saw him as more than the boss who signed her paychecks or a rich guy who could make her life easier.

Maybe she didn’t want him to see exactly how she was coming to feel about him. But that was probably safe. He would never imagine the pregnant girl was crushing on him hard. Unless of course Auntie Rhonda told him, and Daisy wouldn’t put it past her. But so far, Xander always managed to be somewhere else when Rhonda visited. Daisy could hardly blame him. Good thing he’d never met the rest of her family. If he ever did think of her romantically, which of course he wouldn’t, her family would be enough to send him running. He’d never think of her as more than an employee.

She paused a moment to let that thought sink in. Her parents were fairly awful. She’d been so ashamed, felt so guilty for letting them down. But the Tomlinsons never treated her like she should be ashamed. Carly had had some choice words to say about William when they went over the legal possibilities. She clearly saw Daisy as a victim, which wasn’t exactly flattering, but it was better than seeing her as a tramp who hadmade her bed and had to lie in it. William had abused his power as her employer and coerced her into unprotected sex, and then he got to be the hero because he deigned to marry her?

She let the anger washed over her. Then she tried to let it go. Anger didn’t serve her or the baby.

She was darn lucky to have landed where she did. She’d appreciate it and try to stop thinking about how cute Xander was. He was nice and thoughtful, which were the important qualities in a boss. He’d probably be horrified to know that she sometimes fantasized about cuddling up with him on the couch. That was probably only her hormones talking anyway. Part of her desire to nest.

She put the coupon in an envelope which she decorated with colored markers. She wroteThank Youin fancy letters and added some little flowers and butterflies. Then she threw away the envelope, because it was starting to look like a page out of a junior high girl’s diary. She decorated a new envelope with simply the words.

She left it on his desk and got back to work.

Chapter Eleven

Xander paused outsidethe office building. Carly had forwarded a link to an online gossip site that had a photo of Xander and Daisy. Daisy always greeted each day with a smile. Xander didn’t want to bring her down, but the site even had her name. He had to tell her. Yesterday had been hard enough, and now this.

It still hurt that he couldn’t save the kitten. It hurt that people neglected animals like that. When people had to put down a pet that was suffering and couldn’t be cured, it was one of the most loving things the owner could do. Neglect and abuse were entirely different. He lived on a ranch that raised cattle for beef, so he couldn’t claim he’d never harmed an animal, but those animals wouldn’t even exist if people didn’t raise them as food. His family worked hard to ensure all their animals lived out the time they had in good health. They had the freedom to roam the fields and forests, and they had extra food in winter and medical care when they needed it. Despite all that, sometimes they lost an animal to injury or disease. It hurt every time.

It also hurt that gossips saw a sweet, generous young woman like Daisy and tried to turn her story into something tawdry.

Daisy had made a good point the night before, about celebrating the positive instead of focusing on the negative. He forced his face into a smile and walked into the building.

Daisy swung around. “Good morning!”

Simply seeing her bright smile made his feel more natural. “Hello. Did I see your aunt Rhonda’s car drive up?”

“Yes, so you’ll want to avoid the house for a while. Let me get you coffee.”

“You don’t have to.” But he must be moving slowly, because she bustled over to the kitchenette ahead of him. She poured him a mug and added a splash of cream, the way he liked it. “Thanks.” He leaned against the counter and took a sip.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Daisy asked. “You had a late night.”

He shrugged. “Nothing unusual about that. I’ll survive.”

She touched his arm. “You ought to do more than survive.”

He couldn’t think of an answer at that moment, so he drank some coffee. Maybe it would wake up his brain.

Daisy fidgeted, shuffling from foot to foot. She turned to tidy the items on the counter, which appeared to be in perfect order already. More nesting behavior? Or was she feeling physically uncomfortable? She’d learned how to turn sideways to reach things at the back of the counter, and to use the sturdy footstool if she needed to get into a cupboard, because it put her belly above counter height. She never complained, but it couldn’t be easy, dealing with so many changes to her body.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said.

“Nothing that happened yesterday was your fault.” She looked at him sideways. “Anyway, I’ll survive.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Better than survive, I hope.”

She turned toward him. “Oh, Xander, I am sorry you had to deal with those kittens last night. It’s not fair that everyone dumps their problems on you.”

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