Читать книгу Daddy by Christmas / Christmas Magic on the Mountain: Daddy by Christmas / Christmas Magic on the Mountain - Melissa McClone, Melissa Mcclone - Страница 9

MIA couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

She stepped inside her apartment and closed the door. She didn’t want Jarrett McKane in her life, or in her space. And he was suddenly in both.

A long time ago, she’d learned about men who thrived on control. Her father was one of those. It had taken her years to get out from under his reign and finally to be free of him.

She walked across her cozy living area. A secondhand sofa and chair faced the small television. A triangular rug hid a lot of the worn carpet underneath. A small table off the galley kitchen was used for eating and for working on her computer.

Her laptop was the only thing of value that she had and the only means she had these days of make a living. Despite her privileged upbringing, she’d never been materialistic. Maybe that was the reason it had been so easy to walk away, or in her case, run away.

To Preston and Abigail Saunders their daughter had always been a problem, a disappointment from the start. An overweight child, Mia had morphed into a rebellious teenager. She had never fitted into her Boston society family. So, once she was of age, she’d just disappeared from their lives.

Even Brad had eventually bucked their father’s plans for him. Instead, her older brother had became an ordained minister and had ended up disowned, too.

Now she’d lost her only family. She caressed her stomach, feeling the gentle movement of the baby. At least she’d have a part of Brad and Karen and she vowed to love and protect this child. So she wasn’t about to let her parents know where she was. Or let them find this baby.

Mia sat down in the chair, still in awe of the life she carried inside her. Onetime wild child, Margaret Iris Ashley Saunders was going to have a baby. She blew out a breath. She was going to be a mother and D-day was approaching soon. There were so many things she had to get done before Christmas.

She closed her eyes. For months, she’d had to push aside all the feelings she was having for this baby. A mother’s feelings. The only thing that had saved her was knowing this child would always be in her life. Brad and Karen would have been the perfect parents and she could be the favorite aunt who spoiled the child.

Now, Mia had to step up and be a parent to this baby. She wasn’t sure she was cut out to do it.

That afternoon, with the help of his office staff, Jarrett had made several phone calls. He’d finally found someone to start on the repairs. A local furnace repairman was to come out. He’d also contacted the handyman who serviced some of his other properties to help out with some of the minor fixes.

Flipping his phone shut, he decided to wait downstairs and get out of his depressing apartment for a while. In the hall, the door across from his opened and Mia walked out carrying a large trash bag. She stiffened the second she saw him.

He smiled. “Hello, Mia.”

She nodded stiffly. “Mr. McKane.”

She was dressed in her standard black pants and oversize blouse, but with an added long sweater for warmth.

“I don’t see why we can’t be on a first-name basis since we’re going to be neighbors.”

“You’re the man who’s evicting us. Why would I get friendly with the enemy?”

He took the bag from her. “It doesn’t seem to bother the others.” He gave her a sideways glance. “Someone must have really have done a number on you.”

She glanced away. “Now you’re a psychiatrist?”

“No, just observant.”

“Well, observe somewhere else. Thanks to you, I have a lot on my mind.”

He wasn’t crazy about having to move her in her condition. “I’m not your enemy, Mia. I’m trying to find all of you places to live.”

“We can’t afford most of the other places.”

Was that his fault? “The rent here is well below average for this area. Even if I kept the place and did all the repairs, I’d have to raise the rent.”

“Well, you can’t yet. Some of us are barely getting any heat or hot water.”

“I’m taking care of that.”

“I can’t tell you how many times we heard that from the last owner.”

“The last owner hadn’t been court-ordered,” Jarrett said. He slowed his pace so she could keep up. He knew little or nothing about pregnant women. Only that Kira had had a rough time with her pregnancy and had had to stay in bed the last few months.

“That’s where I’m going now,” he continued, “to meet with a furnace guy.”

She stopped. “You mean we could have some heat today?”

He shrugged. “I’m paying him extra to start right away.”

They continued their way down the stairs to the main lobby. “I would like to ask a favor,” he said.

She paused with a glare.

He hid a smile as he raised a hand. “Good Lord, woman, do you mistrust everyone? I only want you to help get everyone together so we see who has the worst problems and fix them first.”

“Then come to the community room. It’s where a lot of the tenants hang out because it has a working heater.”

They stepped outside into the frigid weather. He first tossed the sack into the Dumpster, and then they continued on to the center.

“I hear your baby is due on Christmas day.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “Who told you that?”

“My sister-in-law, Kira McKane. You both go to the same church.”

She seemed relieved. “How does she feel about you tossing us out of here?”

“I haven’t tossed out anyone, and according to the judge, I won’t be able to until the spring.” Not with Barbara Gillard watching him anyway. If only he could come up with a way to convince everyone to leave a few months earlier.

His only other chance was to get Fulton to hold off on the takeover date. They couldn’t begin construction until the ground thawed. But he wouldn’t get his money either.

He’d put a lot into this project, buying up the surrounding land, including this place. He had too much to lose. And it would cost him even more every day Mountain View Apartments stayed open. And now he was being held prisoner here.

While Jarrett went to the community room, Mia knocked on Joe’s door and asked him and Sylvia to gather the other tenants and bring them to the community room.

Sending the others on ahead, Mia then went to Nola’s place and they walked over together. “We need to make sure you have enough heat, Mia,” Nola said. “For you and the baby.”

They went through the door of the community room to see a dozen or so tenants already there. “I’m fine for now,” Mia answered. Her apartment wasn’t too bad. “I wouldn’t mind a new faucet for the sink, though. It came off last week.”

“You should have told Joe.”

“I wasn’t going to complain when there are apartments with bigger problems.”

Nola gave her a tender look. “You and the baby are a priority.”

Mia smiled. Everyone here had rallied around her like overprotective grandparents since they’d heard the tragic news. “He’s not even here yet.”

“It’s a boy?” Joe said, walking over to them.

“I don’t know,” she insisted. “So you haven’t won the baby pool yet.”

The older man grinned. “It’s a boy all right. He’s going to be born at 12:05 on the twenty-fifth of December.”

Mia looked up to see Jarrett walk in, followed by a middle-aged man with Nichols Heating and Air printed across his shirt pocket.

“Good, most of you are here,” Jarrett began. “This is Harry Nichols. He’s here to look at the heating units.”

Several of the tenants were already on their feet to greet the repairman. Once the niceties were over, the tenants commandeered Harry and went to start the work.

With everyone gone, Jarrett walked over to where Mia sat at the table. “That seemed to please them.”

She studied her new landlord. He was sure proud of himself. “Why not? It’s been a while since they’ve had reliable heat. You’ll probably be rewarded with some more baked goods.”

Jarrett took a seat next to her, filling the space with his large frame. She inhaled a faint scent of his aftershave.

“I had no idea the extent of the last owner’s neglect. I thought it was mostly cosmetic. Now, I’m paying a lot for the repairs.”

Mia eyed his expensive clothes, leather jacket and cowboy boots. She’d seen his top-of-the-line Range Rover parked out front. “I doubt you’ll starve, Mr. McKane. Besides, this isn’t your only property in town.”

He arched an eyebrow. “The last I heard, it’s not against the law to make a living.”

“No. Not unless the properties have been neglected like this one.”

He looked at her with those dark, piercing eyes. “In the first place, I wasn’t the one who allowed this property to fall apart. Secondly, most of my other holdings are commercial buildings. I’ve spent a lot of money renovating run-down properties. You can’t ask for top rent without a quality product.”

Why couldn’t he do the same here? “Have you ever considered putting money into this place? You have a whole other section that’s vacant. That’s twenty-four units that are empty.” She shrugged. “Like you said yourself, this town doesn’t have enough rental properties. With some remodeling you could sell them as townhomes.”

He studied her for a while. “Sounds like you’ve put some thought into this.”

“When we heard that the owner was selling, the tenants tried to buy the complex themselves. They didn’t have enough money, or the expertise to do the repairs.”

“I doubt if anyone can keep up with the repairs of this old place. No one would want to sink the time and effort into it, without knowing if they could recoup their money. The real estate market has been unpredictable.”

He sounded like her father. “Does it always have to be about money?”

He arched an eyebrow. “It does or I go broke.”

She’d been both, and she was definitely happier like this. “I can’t believe you’d lose everything. You still have family and a home. You might lose a little money, but you’ll survive. A lot of these people won’t. They can’t afford to move and pay double the rent elsewhere.”

He frowned. “What are you going to do when the lease is up?”

She blinked, fighting her anger. “Is your conscience suddenly bothering you about evicting a single mother?”

He straightened. “I’m not happy about evicting anyone. But I don’t have a choice. This deal has been in the works for months.”

“Like I said, it’s all about the almighty dollar.”

“What about the jobs this factory will create for the town? The economy isn’t that great to turn this opportunity away.”

“Does a factory have to be built on land that drives people from their homes?”

“I will find them other places to live. I’m not that cruel—I won’t put seniors and single mothers out on the street.”

“Well, you can stop worrying about me. I don’t want your charity.”

“Fine. Let’s see where your stubbornness gets you.”

“I’ve been able to take care of myself so far.”

“Then feel free to continue.” He stood and started to leave.

She tried not to let him see her fear. She raised her chin. “I will.”

Suddenly she felt her stomach tighten and she automatically covered it with her hands.

He must have seen it, too. “Are you okay?”

She nodded as she moved her hand over her belly and rubbed it, but it didn’t help. Then her back began to hurt, too. She tried to shift in the chair, but it didn’t help.

“Mia, what’s wrong?” Jarrett asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He knelt down beside her chair. “The hell it’s nothing.”

She shook her head, looking around the empty room. There wasn’t anyone else there.

His expression softened. “Mia, let me help you.”

A sharp pain grabbed her around the middle. “Oh, no,” she gasped and then looked at him. “I think the baby’s coming.”

Fifteen minutes later Jarrett pulled up at the emergency-room doors. He threw the car into Park, got out and ran around to the passenger side. He jerked open the door. Mia was taking slow measured breaths. Not good.

“Hang on, we’re almost there.”

She couldn’t hide her worried look. “It’s too early for me to go into labor. I can’t lose this baby, Jarrett.”

“And you won’t,” he promised. He had no idea what was going on, or even if the doctors could stop the contractions. “Let’s get you inside and find some help.” He slid his arms around her shoulders and under her legs, then lifted her into his arms.

“I’m too heavy,” she said.

“Are you kidding?” He smiled, taking long strides across the parking lot. “During roundup, I used to have to hoist calves a lot heavier than you.”

“You used to work on your brother’s ranch?”

“Back when I played cowboy, it was our dad’s place. That was a long time ago.”

She studied him. “I can see you as a rancher.”

His mouth twitched. “There’s the big difference, darlin’. I never did,” he drawled as he carried her through the automatic doors.

On the drive over, Mia had phoned her doctor and been told to go to the nearest emergency room, then she’d given Nola a quick call so her friends wouldn’t worry if they noticed she was gone.

Winchester Ridge Medical Center was the closest. Once inside, they were met by a nurse who led them into an exam room. Jarrett set Mia down on the bed and stepped back out of the way. Nurses immediately took her blood pressure, asking questions about due dates and the timing of the contractions. All the while, she kept looking at him.

Jarrett tried to give her some reassurance, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Excuse me,” a nurse said, getting his attention. “Are you the father?”

He shook his head, but hesitated with the answer. “No.” Mia didn’t have any family.

“Then you’ll have to leave while we examine her.”

“I’ll be right outside,” he told Mia. “Just holler if you need me.”

Jarrett stepped back behind the curtain and found a row of chairs against the wall. That was as far as he was going.

For the next few hours, Jarrett watched medical personal go in and out of Mia’s cubicle.

But no one told him a thing.

Finally they moved her down the hall to a room so they could keep monitoring her. Recalling the frightened look on her face, he knew he couldn’t leave her alone. So he followed her and camped outside her room.

He glanced up from the newspaper someone else had left and saw Nola.

He stood as the older woman walked toward him. “Mr. McKane.” She gripped his hand with both of hers. “How is Mia?”

“I don’t know any more than what I told you when I phoned. And the doctor won’t tell me anything because I’m not a relative.”

Nola nodded. “I know, I fibbed and said I was her grandmother so I could come back here.”

He walked Nola to the sofa and sat down. “How did you get here?”

“One of the parishioners from the church,” she said. “Joe can’t drive at night, and Ralph doesn’t have his license any more.” She shook her head. “Mia always takes us places we need to go.” The older woman blinked. “Oh, Mr. McKane, what if something is wrong with the baby?” Those watery hazel eyes turned to him. “She wants this baby so much.”

He already knew that. He’d never felt so helpless and he hated that. “Nola, the doctors here are good and her specialist is here, too. So try not to worry.” He put on a smile. “And will you do me another favor? Please call me Jarrett.”

She beamed at him.

He’d broken one of his cardinal rules. Not to get personally involved when it came to business. A week ago if someone told him he’d be sitting here worried about a pregnant woman and a couple of dozen retirees, he’d have told them they were crazy.

An attractive blond woman in a white coat came down the hall toward them. “Are you waiting to hear about Mia Saunders?”

They both stood. “Yes, we are,” Jarrett said. “I’m Jarrett McKane, I brought Mia in. This is Nola Madison, her…grandmother. How is she?”

The doctor smiled. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Lauren Drake, Mia’s doctor. She’s fine for now. We managed to stop the contractions, but I want her to stay overnight as a precaution.”

“What about the baby?” Nola asked.

“The fetus is thirty-four weeks, so if Mia does go into labor, she could deliver a healthy baby. Of course the longer she carries it, the better.”

“Well, we’ll do everything we can to make sure of that,” Nola said.

The doctor nodded. “I’m glad, because when she goes home, I want her to stay in bed for the next few weeks. She needs to avoid all stress and just rest.”

No stress, Jarrett thought. Great. He’d dumped a truck-load on her. “Is that what caused the contractions?”

“We all have to agree that a lot has happened to Mia in the past few months,” the doctor echoed. “Losing her brother and sister-in-law was traumatic for her.”

Nola spoke up. “We’ve all been trying to help her through it.”

Dr. Drake nodded. “I hope that can continue, because she’s going to need someone to be around more, or at least within shouting distance to check on her.”

“We can be there as much as she needs us,” Nola said and turned to him. “Right, Jarrett?”

Great, he was the last person Mia wanted around. “Of course. I live across the hall. I guess I could keep an eye on her.”

Thanks to the medication, Mia was feeling groggy. She didn’t like that. For years, she’d avoided any and all drugs. But if it kept the baby safe, she’d do whatever it took.

Closing her eyes, she wondered how she was going to manage over the next few weeks. She had deadlines to make, and she needed the money.

Stop! Worrying wasn’t good for the baby. She rubbed her stomach, knowing how close she’d come to delivering early. She wasn’t ready for the baby. She didn’t even have any diapers and very few clothes. The baby bed wasn’t set up, either. She sighed. How was she going to do everything? How could she do everything and be a good mother, too? A tear slid down her cheek.

She thought back to her childhood. She’d always messed up. How many times had her father told her that? She couldn’t please him no matter how hard she tried. He’d been too busy for her, but the one way she got his attention was being bad. Until he finally gave up on her altogether. No she couldn’t let Brad down. She was going to be a good mother to his baby.

Mia glanced toward the door and saw Nola and Jarrett standing there. She quickly wiped away any more tears and put on a smile.

“Hi.”

Nola rushed in. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cried. “How are you?” Nola hugged her.

Mia relished the feeling, the love and compassion. “I’m doing better now.”

The older woman pulled back. “We were so worried about you.”

Mia looked at Jarrett. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

Nola frowned. “Of course we’d worry. You are special to us. We love you.” She fussed with the blanket, smoothing out the wrinkles. “And we’re going to take good care of you. Aren’t we, Jarrett?”

“Looks that way,” he said, feeling awkward standing in the room.

“I can’t impose on either of you.”

“You’re not imposing on any of us. We’re happy to do it. You need someone around to help you. Jarrett and I volunteered.” She clutched her hands together. “Oh, I need to go and call the others. I’ll be right back.”

“Here, use my phone,” Jarrett said, handing it over to her. They both watched the woman walk out of the room.

Jarrett turned back to Mia. “So how do you really feel?”

“Scared, but good.”

“You need to stop that. Your doctor said you need to relax and avoid stress.”

“Did you tell her that you lived across the hall?”

He fought a smile, but lost. “Yes. Did you tell her that you and your friends brought me there?”

She met Jarrett’s gaze. Her heart sped up and the monitor showed it. “So, I guess we’re stuck with each other for a while.”