A baby for Christmas (Season of Romance Book 1) (3 page)

“But that’s where you’re wrong, honey.
It is my responsibility; you are carrying my son or daughter.” He leaned his
elbows on the table. “Do you know the sex yet?”

“No, I didn’t want to know.”

He nodded approvingly. “Belle, I don’t
know what you expect of me but I will not be walking away from you or my
child…I was hoping to take you back to my home…to Pine Tree Valley.

It was her turn to cough and choke. He
rushed to the sink, running the cold water from the tap into a glass from the
drainer. Going down on his haunches, he patted her back gently as she tried to
catch her breath.

“Take a sip,” he said, passing her the
glass. Belle took it from him but he had a feeling that the water would have
been over his head if her coughing fit had not taken precedence. Once she’d
regained her composure, her eyes met his, they were as green as the Christmas
trees they sold on the farm, deep and dark…and oh boy, they looked mad. The
dark green eyes holding his mesmerised him; he couldn’t stop looking at her
beautiful face. The way her small nose turned up at the end, the long dark eye
lashes that were so seductive, the deep cupid’s bow of her lips that was so
delicious to taste.

“Ethan—”

“Thompson.” He raised a grin.

“No way on this earth am I leaving my
home with a man I’ve only—”

“Slept with,” he interrupted, narrowing
his eyes so she couldn’t see the mirth that he knew was in them.

“Once,” she interjected.

“I can soon remedy that.” Ethan stood
and her hands gripped the edge of the table pushing back. They stood facing
each other off.

He was close enough that he could almost
hear her heart beating as her breath came through her slightly parted lips. She
was so tiny, so petite compared to his big frame,  he was almost afraid to
touch her.

“Not a chance,” she said looking up at
him, her tone emphasising her words. “No way. Ethan the first time was a
mistake, there won’t be a second time. We don’t even know each other, we were
strangers in the night…it was a huge mistake”

 He looked down at her, and she
moved further away but he just followed until her back was against the wall. He
reached up and placed his hands on either side of her head, and the wall was
warm beneath his touch.

“We may have been strangers but what we
had, what we did produced a baby…our baby... and you can bet your life I am not
walking away from that.” He leaned down. “The small seed inside of you was made
out of passion, a feeling of connection between two people. Do you have any
idea how rare that is, this thing that is clawing at my gut is you. I want to
get to know
you
. I want to explore what we have together.”

He let his mouth touch her small
shell-like ear, her skin warm and soft to his lips.

Belle sucked in a breath when as his
lips touched her ear, just a whisper, just a touch, so gentle and light; it
literally took her breath away. How was this so? How did he do that to her, take
her breath away with a simple touch? But it wasn’t just his closeness that
tugged at her heart, it was his words.

A dry mouth made her swallow hard, her
mind raced for answers that would suit them both. This was crazy, he was just
feeling responsible and she couldn’t base any relationship on him just wanting
to do the right thing. The circumstances of her condition were not going to
change but she’d seen too many young women marry just because they were
pregnant. At the women’s shelter there was plenty there to remind her of that.

Belle laid her hands on his chest…it was
hard, solid and warm to the touch even beneath his clothes; she remembered all
too well how that felt—skin on skin. From somewhere deep, the strength came to
push him away.

She walked across to the sink and rinsed
her hands with cold water; the blast of iciness gave her a focus away from him.
Picking up the towel from the hook she dried them, before turning to face
Ethan.

He stood with his back to the unit that
she had been leaning on, his arms folded, his expression unreadable. Belle
swallowed back the dryness in her throat.

“I know you’ll want to be part of your
son or daughter’s life. I will never deny you that but I will not go with you
just because we are having a child.”

He didn’t say a word although his jaw
tightened and his lips thinned slightly but his eyes were still gentle. Her
heart thawed a little.

“However seeing that you’re here and
Christmas Eve is tomorrow…by the way, haven’t you got family you need to spend
it with?”

“I have, but I’m not ready to leave here
yet, I’ll find a hotel somewhere.”

Belle took a deep breath. “I was just
going to say, I have guest rooms that are empty and I’d be happy to let you
stay in one of those until you can get a flight.”

“Thank you, I’ll take you up on that
offer.” His reply was instant.

“Okay…would you like to bring your stuff
in? I assume you have a suitcase or something?”

Ethan nodded. He took his coat from the back
of the chair, shrugging it on before retrieving some keys from his pocket. He
went through to the hallway and she followed him.

Standing by the staircase, Belle smiled
and let her hand run up and down the banister, caressing the smooth walnut
wood. When she was a child her Gran would slide down first so she could catch
her at the bottom. Belle wished that Gran was still alive so that they could
have shared the months ahead.

Her friends were her family, but nothing
prepared a woman for being a mum, a single mum.

The door opened and Ethan walked back
in, his shoulders and blond hair covered in snow. His jaw was darkened by
growth and he looked tired. It was just after seven; Belle’s stomach rumbled
reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch. Normally she tried to get at
least two meals a day. First thing in the mornings she was still feeling a
little off with the morning sickness.

Belle smiled at Ethan as he climbed the
stairs which curved to the right, narrowing toward the landing. She took him
along the hallway to the left choosing the bedroom furthest away from hers.

Opening the door, she stepped inside and
switched on the two lamps. All the rooms were large and each had an ensuite.
The new décor had only been redone last year, the finished results were good.
The pale blue with white trim left the room looking fresh. She walked over to
the bathroom door and opened it.

“There are clean warm towels and the
water is hot if you prefer a bath.” She turned back to him. He’d left his case
on the floor and taken off his coat which he hung on the back of the door.

Making himself at home, she thought.

“I wouldn’t mind a shower,” he said
rubbing his jaw “And probably a shave.”

“You do look tired.” The words came out
before she could stop them.

He nodded. “Just a little.”

“Do you want to have a nap, and then
I’ll cook you something to eat later?”

“Belle, I don’t need you to take care of
me like I’m your guest.”

“But you are,” she said trying to keep
the conversation as impersonal as she could.

“No…I’m not and you know it.”

She sighed, her hands reaching into her
trouser pockets.

“We have a lot to talk about…I know that
I just thought it would be easier if we kept things on a just friendly basis.”

He laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound.

“I’ll have a shower. I can make myself
something to eat. “He looked at her with another frown. “Have you eaten?”

“No, not yet.”

“I’ll do us both something. You should
be resting with your feet up you look as if a gust of wind would knock you
over.”

“Charming. Thanks for telling me I look
awful.”

She turned to go but not before he
caught her elbow, turning her around.

“You look beautiful—” he let his thumb
smooth beneath her eyes “—but tired.”

“I’m fine, it’s just been a really long
day…I’m not a child, Ethan I can take care of myself, I certainly don’t need
you or anyone else to do it for me.”

Tugging away from him she walked out the
door. “Dinner will be ready in an hour.” She spoke over her shoulder walking
away from the closeness of his body. Her heartbeat was thumping at a hundred
miles per hour; the hands that were in her pockets were shaking.

Damn but this man was making it so hard
for her to appear impervious to his ways…his actions and his caring attitude.
Strolling into the kitchen her fingers slipped around the cold cup of tea
sipping it as she stepped towards the French doors gazing out into the darkness
of the early evening. Switching on the outside light, the reflection was like
sparkling diamonds twinkling iridescently back at her as the snow fell to the
ground already it was about a foot deep.

At this time of year and living in the
village at the foot of the Snowdonia Mountains with the view of the Llanberis
Lake was spectacular. In winter it held stillness that enveloped the whole
prettiness of the area that was just remarkable.

In the summer it was one of the busiest
areas with lots of holiday visitors all wanting to visit the many attractions
including Dolbadarn Castle, which went back thousands of years to the time of
the native Welsh princes.

The small garden where she grew
vegetables in the summer was completely covered in a seasonal wonderland, only
her beautiful winter red roses stood out against the starkness of the white
snow together with her holly bushes bright red with large plump berries.

This summer she would have a baby to
care for. Late April was a perfect time to have a child. Her heart warmed and
her fingers rested on her small stomach rubbing it protectively…yes she would
be a mummy, a word that was unfamiliar to her but one she would get used to
hearing.

****

Ethan tried to nap but he was so tired
he was past getting any sleep, so he took a shower. He couldn’t get Belle out
of his mind, it was as though he was mesmerized by her by what she did and was
doing. Certainly the fact that she was carrying his child weighed on his mind
but even before when he’d first met her, that instant his eyes met hers, he was
a goner.

They seemed to have a chemistry that was
for sure, but there was more. He’d always loved women, their scent, soft skin,
silky hair, the curvature of their spine. Even small ears and soft lobes, hers
were adorable like little pink sea shells.

He let the hot water fall over his neck
as he leaned forward in the shower, his hands on the wall, his head hung low.
Reaching for his shampoo, he applied the wash. The scent of pine reached his
nose, it was their own brand, that was it had the family name on it but it was
his Mom’s business, Gina’s Soaps.

She had started the business long before
she’d married their father who’d already taken over his family’s business of
Christmas
Trees
. The soaps and other body care products were a large part of their
business. After doing a degree in cosmetology his sister Emily was introducing
a new skin care line. Regina or Ginny as everyone called her, was just Mom and
he loved her dearly. She had not been at all impressed when he had told her
that he wouldn’t be spending Christmas with them but she’d understood when he’d
explained the situation.

Although getting a sex lesson from your
mom about contraception had been a little embarrassing to say the least. Trying
to explain to her that he’d only met Belle once had been easier than he’d
expected. It seems that his mom was not oblivious to love at first sight
because that’s how it had been when she had met their father thirty-five years
ago.

He reached for one of the warm towels
and stepped out, drying himself. Dressing in jeans and a blue sweater, he left
his socks and shoes off. Looking in the mirror he swept his fingers through his
hair and left the room.

He followed his nose because the smell
that was swirling in the air was delicious. He heard Belle singing to a
Christmas song on the radio, her voice was sweet and light. As he reached the
kitchen he stood at the door for a moment taking in the sight in front of him.

It looked like she’d showered, her hair
was damp, he was enjoying the view of her ass in jeans swaying to the music…yes
siree, he remembered how those cheeks felt beneath his hands.

Damn, the flies on his jeans were
getting tighter by the second. A small adjustment was necessary before he made
his presence known.

“Something smells good,’ he said as he
strode into the room and straight to her side to see what was on the stove.
“You didn’t have to go to a lot of trouble.”

Her hand went to her chest as she turned
around. “Gosh you startled me.” Belle reached over to the radio turning it
down.

“No need to stop singing, I was enjoying
it.”

She blushed. “Really, I have a terrible
voice but I love Christmas music it’s so happy.”

He looked at her apron and laughed. ‘
Santa
does it only at Christmas’
was displayed in big white letters with Father
Christmas winking back at him.

“Santa does what?” he asked his lips
quirking.

“Delivers presents…get your mind out of
the gutter,” she laughed.

He chuckled. “So what are we eating?”

“Nothing adventurous, just some roast
potatoes with some pork escalope for you, and cheese and mushroom ones for me,
honey roast carrots with some fresh bread that I’ve just taken from the oven so
I hope you’re hungry.” She bent down to pull the tureens from the oven but he
stopped her.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be bending like that
I’ll get the food.”

“Jeez, Ethan I’m pregnant not ill.”
Despite her comment, she gave him the oven mitts allowing him to bring the food
out. “Just put them on the mats on the table in the centre.”

 When all the food was on the table
he sat down and took from her putting it with the breadboard by her set place.

“Please help yourself.” Belle handed him
a plate as she joined him.

“Thank you.” He delved in it all looked
so good.

Cutting the bread into a thick chunky
slice, Belle set it on the side of his full plate.

“This is delicious.”

“Thank you.” Her smile widened as she
handed him the butter for his bread.

“So tell me about the woman’s shelter.
What made you get involved?”

Her eyes lit up with pleasure and he
could tell it was a project close to her heart.

“It’s about five miles from here in
Llanberis, the home was set up not necessarily for abused women but for young
women who found they had nowhere to go whether they were alone or had
children.” She sighed. “At Christmas there always seems to be an influx it’s so
sad that at this time of year young girls find themselves without a home to go
to. In this crazy world we live in it is important that these young girls have
somewhere to go, some place that is safe and warm.”

Ethan swallowed hard as she stared at
him across the table.

“Sounds like hard work.”

“It is for those that work there full
time which is why a few of us volunteer our services…I cook extra food and
donate that especially at this time of year where there seems to be an flood of
girls all so young, who shouldn’t be on their own at Christmas.” She took a sip
from her glass of water “I do what I can, I grew up without parents and although
I never found myself in the position being alone I understand what it was like
not to have a mum or dad.

“You lived with your Gran?

She nodded.

“You miss her?”

Her expression softened as she smiled.
“Even more so at this time of year. It was the only time we closed the B&B
so that we could be together doing the things that we hardly had time to do
when the business was in season.”