Page 20 of A Baby for the Billionaire Cowboy

“One was too sick.” His voice came out raspy. “He was suffering. We had to let him go.” Xander took a moment to regain control. “The other two will probably survive. The vet had to remove one eye from each of them, because the eyes were so damaged and the infection could spread. We’re hoping to save their other eyes. Blind cats can live decent lives, but it will be easier to find adopters if they each have some sight.”

“Oh. Poor things.” Could Daisy adopt them? Could she handle a new baby and two kittens that might need extra attention?

Not anytime soon. She could hardly ask the Tomlinsons to let her bring two new cats into their home, even if she promised to take care of them. Maybe one day, when she had enough money saved up for a place of her own, and for vet care, she could think about pets.

The baby kicked. Daisy rubbed a hand against the spot, trying to convince her baby and herself that everything was all right.

“The two who are still alive will probably be okay. I just wish...” He trailed off.

Daisy turned to Xander and slipped her arms around him. He stiffened for a moment and then returned the hug. It was strange hugging with her big belly in the way, but he needed this, and maybe she did too.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Some people stink, and then there are people like you, who don’t. It was kind of you to take responsibility for those kittens. We should be celebrating the fact that you saved two of them.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, simply breathed in and out. Then he drew in a huge breath and let it out in a sigh. He dropped his arms, so she stepped back.

“Thank you,” he said. “I guess I’m grateful for the two we could help.”

“You have to count the wins. There are few enough of them.”

“True.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I hope your evening was better than mine.”

She turned back to the stove. Should she answer that? He had a lot on his mind already. She got busy with the mugs and cocoa powder to give herself a moment to think. She poured a little milk in each mug and stirred vigorously to blend the cocoa powder into a paste before adding the rest of the hot milk.

In the end, it wasn’t really a choice. He’d find out eventually. She would have resented it if he’d kept the truth of the kittens from her. Xander already tended to overprotect her. If she wanted him to be honest and direct with her, she needed to do the same with him.

She picked up the mugs and led the way to the living room. They might as well be comfortable while she delivered more bad news.

They settled on the couch. The calico climbed into Xander’s lap. Maybe the cat sensed that he needed comfort. Or maybe he simply had more lap available than Daisy did these days.

“So,” she said, “you remember that woman from the medical offices today?”

“What? Oh, the one who acted so weird? I guess that was today. It feels longer ago.”

“Right. And this isn’t something you have to worry about, but it came up earlier, and I thought you should know.”

His eyes closed for a few seconds. “What?”

“Apparently she’s some kind of social media influencer, trying to become a celebrity news reporter or something. I guess TC recognized her.”

“Wait, when did TC see her?”

“In the video. The one she took of us.” Daisy took a sip of cocoa. “The one that she posted online. It had over ten thousand views a couple of hours ago. I haven’t checked since.”

For a minute, Xander simply stared at her. Finally he gave his head a little shake. “She must have had her camera set up on the bench. But how did she know—Oh. Someone in the waiting room tipped her off.” He grimaced. “I wonder if people are getting paid for hot tips about thebillionaire bachelor brothers, or if they just do it for the joy of spreading gossip.”

Daisy hunched around her warm mug. “I’m sorry. I never should’ve asked you to go with me.”

“No.” He reached out and touched her shoulder, featherlight. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I should have thought. I’ve avoided the worst of the attention. It helps that I don’t leave the ranch much. And I’m probably not as interesting as my brothers.”

“That’s not true,” Daisy said.

His shoulders twitched, dismissing the issue. “TC is funny, and according to the gossips, he’s cute. They think Cody is brooding and sexy, and Josh is handsome and rugged or something. At that fundraising dinner, women paid to get seated with my brothers. People paid to join my table so they could pitch business ideas.” He shrugged. “It’s okay. I prefer it that way.”

He’d referred to the fundraising dinner as if she’d know what he meant. Had he recognized her after all? Or did he assume by now she’d heard all about it?

That hardly mattered. “Maybe you’re lucky that people don’t pay as much attention to you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not as...” Handsome, sexy, desirable. She couldn’t say any of that. “You have as much to offer as any of your brothers. As any man. In fact, you have a whole lot more to offer than most. Believe me, I have some experience in this field.”

At least that made him smile. “Thanks. I guess this is another time I should be focusing on the positive instead of all the trouble the lottery brought. Don’t get me wrong, it was a blessing, but it came with complications we didn’t expect. Sometimes I wish it had never happened, but it’s foolish to waste time thinking like that.”

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