Royal Holiday Baby (18 page)

Tina was reluctant to disclose much more. “We'll see. Tell me about your life. What made you leave Logan country?”

Sienna shrugged. “I needed to get away. Made a few mistakes along the way, but I'm better now. The city suits me. I like the anonymity.”

“Is there anyone special in your life?” Tina asked.

Sienna shook her head. “Just my cat and my job, and I'm okay with that. I don't want to lose touch with you, Zach and Daniel now. I'm too busy to come home for Christmas, but maybe I can visit afterward.”

“That would be great,” Tina said. “I haven't made definite plans about what I'll be doing once the baby is born, but—”

“You won't be staying?” Sienna interjected, clearly shocked.

“It's a complicated situation,” she said.

“Zach would die if he couldn't be near his child,” Sienna said.

Tina sighed. “I respect that. I truly do, but I also want my child to see an overwhelming love between her parents. I'm not sure Zach can do that with all the loss he has experienced.”

Sienna reached toward her and took her hand. “Don't count him out. You haven't seen the way he looks at you. Promise me,” she said.

“I promise,” Tina said. “I promise I will listen to my heart and Zach's heart if he can open up to me.”

“Good,” Sienna said with a nod. “I'm glad I came.”

“I am too,” Tina said, but she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep.

 

Tina was thrilled with the success of the holiday project. Now that all the donations had been collected, invitations had been sent to the families in need of help to pick up their gifts at a community center about thirty miles from the ranch.

Zach absolutely did not want her to go, but Tina insisted. Part of the reward of the project was seeing the happiness on the faces of those who received the gifts. Plus several other
people in the community had worked hard and Tina wanted to personally thank each of them.

Hildie was charged with transporting her and making sure she didn't work too hard. Joining the other volunteers gave Tina a rush of excitement. She could tell she was more than ready to get out again.

“You're doing too much,” Hildie warned.

“Nonsense,” Tina said as she packed donated groceries into bags for the families. “I'm loving every minute of it. Look at how happy that mother is over there.”

Hildie also helped load groceries and shook her head. “I never would have expected we'd see so much donated this year since it's been a rough one for just about everyone.”

“The idea is to make it easy,” Tina said. “If you make it easy, then people feel successful about giving and then they want to do even more.” She glanced at the clock. “Look at the time. The next group will be coming in just twenty minutes. Do you mind telling Charlene to urge people to finish with their selections?”

“As long as you get something to eat and drink,” Hildie said firmly, wagging her finger at Tina.

“I'm fine,” Tina insisted, exhilarated by the success of their efforts. “I'm a grown woman. I know when to eat and drink. I'll get something soon.”

Somehow soon turned into later, and everything turned into a blur after four o'clock. In the back of her mind, she noticed her back beginning to hurt. She was very thirsty, but with everyone working so hard, it was easy for her to procrastinate taking a break. Tina was so busy she barely noticed when a local news team entered the distribution room.

Suddenly a microphone was pushed in her face. “Princess Valentina, how do you feel about your holiday gift campaign?”

“Tina or Ms. Devereaux is fine,” she said, glancing up
from her task and suddenly feeling very tired and thirsty. “It's not
my
holiday gift campaign. It's the community's gift campaign, and everyone has done a brilliant job.”

“How's the pregnancy coming?”

“My watermelon seed has grown,” she said, frustrated by her sudden feeling of weakness.

“Any chance for an upcoming wedding?”

“One thing at a time,” she said. “Thank you for stopping by. Did you talk to Charlene Kendricks? You really should. She's kept everything moving today.”

Tina's stomach turned and she felt her knees go rubbery. “Excuse me,” she murmured to the reporter. “I'm going to get a drink of water,” she said, moving toward the back of the room.

The room began to tilt and sway. “All I need is water and a chair,” she coached herself.

“Tina,” she heard Hildie call and then she collapsed.

T
ina awakened to a crowd of people standing over her, including a cameraman, of course. Covering her face, she groaned. Of all the things she didn't want to make the news…“Oh, please.”

“She said she needed some water,” a male voice said.

“We'll get that,” Hildie said. “Now back off so she can breathe. You, with the camera, stop that or I'll break it. Don't you doubt for a minute that I will,” she said.

“Here's some water, Ms. Devereaux,” a different female voice said. “Can we find a pillow?”

“How about a stuffed animal?” someone else said.

Willing the room to stop spinning, Tina rose to her elbows. A stuffed animal was stuffed behind her back and she took a sip of the bottled water. “Thank you, Chloe,” she said to the woman helping her. “I really didn't want to make a scene. I'm sure I'll catch blue blazes for this from Zach.”

Chloe shot her a look of sympathy. “Those Logan men
are tough as nails,” she said, catching sight of Hildie giving the cameraman a piece of her mind. “Would you like some crackers?”

“What I would like is to get away from this crowd,” she said.

Chloe glanced around and waved over a few men. “Can you guys help her to the back room?”

“We can carry her if you like,” one of the three men offered.

“No,” Tina said. “If you could just help me stand. I'm a bit like a beached whale in my current state.”

“Honored to assist, ma'am,” one of the men said, and Tina prayed she didn't give any of them an injury. After she took another sip of water, they helped her to her feet and led her to a chair in an adjoining room with a door, thank goodness.

“Thank you very much,” she said to the men. Chloe remained with Tina while she sipped on the bottle of water.

“Are you sure I can't get you something to eat?” Chloe asked.

Tina shook her head. “I just need to get my equilibrium back. I should have paid more attention to the signs my body was giving me, but I got caught up in the excitement. Zach is going to kill me.”

“If it helps any, I fainted when I was pregnant,” Chloe said.

“Really?” Tina said.

“More than once,” she said.

“That must have terrified your husband,” Tina said.

“Different situation. We weren't married.” Chloe paused. “I was very young. He wasn't really in—” She broke off and waved her hand. “Water under the bridge now. We need to make sure you're feeling better.”

Tina racked her brain for what she'd heard about the lovely
woman. “Your husband passed away, didn't he? I'm sorry for your loss.”

Chloe lifted her slim shoulder. “Thank you. We were separated at the time.”

“Oh, that just makes it all the more difficult,” she said.

Chloe gave a wry smile. “Exactly. Now what—”

“I taught that cameraman the meaning of respect,” Hildie said as she marched into the room, carrying the camera with her. Her cheeks were flushed with anger, clearly invigorated from the fight.

“Oh, Hildie, he could charge you with stealing,” Tina said.

“Let him try,” Hildie said. “I'll give it back. I just need to erase the memory thingy. In the meantime, we need to get you to the doctor before Zach hears about this.”

“But I'm fine,” Tina said.

“That's what you said earlier when I told you to eat a snack, take a break and drink some water,” Hildie said in a stern voice.

“But—”

“No buts. A record number of people in this community will be having Christmas because of you. You've done enough. Now you need to take care of yourself and the baby. I've already called the doctor.”

 

Zach walked into the ob-gyn clinic, swearing under his breath and sweating blood. If only Tina had listened to him. If only she hadn't gone to the community center. She simply didn't understand her fragility. It was past office hours. Thank goodness Hildie had insisted on getting Tina and the baby checked.

He knocked on the door to the inner office and waited, counting to ten then twenty. Finally, Hildie opened the door.
“The doctor just finished the ultrasound. Your little bugger is kicking up a storm as usual.”

His lips twitched at Hildie's enthusiasm. “Do you know how this happened?”

“It's my fault,” Hildie said. “I asked her to take food and water twice, then everything got busy. I'm sorry, Zachary.”

He shook his head. “It wasn't your fault. You couldn't force-feed her. She just got busy and ignored her own needs. Where is she?”

Hildie pointed in the direction of a closed door and Zach knocked. The doctor opened the door. “Come in. No complications. Our mother just stretched herself a little further than she should have.”

Zach met Tina's sheepish gaze. “We covered this subject this morning.”

“I know,” she said. “I was fine until the late afternoon crowd. I started working and forgot about taking a break or drinking some water.”

Zach took a quick breath, but held his tongue. He looked at the doctor. “Any professional advice?”

“She's in excellent health, but she shouldn't run a marathon or oversee a holiday Christmas charity event without breaks.”

“Please tell him the rest of the story,” Tina said to the doctor. “That it's not unusual for a pregnant woman to faint and that it's not necessarily a sign of anything bad.”

“True,” the doctor said. “Pregnancy produces a tremendous strain on the body, especially during the later months. It's not unusual for a pregnant woman to faint every now and then.”

“Not my woman,” Zach said and met Tina's gaze again. “I'm taking you home and making sure you get the rest you need.”

Five minutes later, he helped her into his SUV. His gut was
still twisting. From the moment Hildie had called him, he'd feared the worst. He slammed her door closed and climbed into the driver's side.

Zach wasn't sure what to say. He was still terrified that something would happen to Tina or the baby.

“It could have been much worse,” Zach said as he drove out of the parking lot. “You could have fallen in a way that hurt the baby.”

“The amniotic fluid is supposed to cushion the baby. With all the swelling I've had, trust me, I've got plenty of fluid,” Tina retorted.

“I told you that you shouldn't go. I knew you would overdo it, but you ignored me,” he said.

“This was one of the happiest days of my life,” she said. “Seeing all those people accept the gifts from the community…”

“Was it worth risking your health? The baby's?” he demanded. “What if you had been permanently injured? Or the baby? Would you have been able to live with that?”

She sucked in a shocked breath and he felt her gaze on him. “Is this about me and Kiki or Jenny and the baby you lost?” she whispered.

He blinked at her blunt question.

“At some point, you're going to have to realize that I'm not Jenny and this baby is not the one you lost. I'm doing the best I can to live my life to the fullest at the same time I nurture my baby. Don't accuse me of being a bad mother again.”

“I wasn't,” he said.

“It certainly sounded like it,” she said and looked out the passenger window.

They rode several miles in silence. Zach struggled with her accusation. He wasn't sure she knew how fragile her life or the baby's life could be, and he couldn't begin to make her understand.

Zach pulled into the garage and stopped. “Thank you for the ride home. Good night,” she said and stepped out of the car and away from him.

 

For the next several days, Tina slept in the guest bedroom and avoided Zach at dinner. After a week passed, he approached her in the hallway late at night.

“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.

She crossed her arms under her chest. “I wouldn't use the word mad,” she said, lifting her chin.

“Then what word would you use? Furious? Murderous? Beyond angry?”

“Murderous is close,” she said, her sexy impudent gaze meeting his.

“Why murderous?” he asked. “All I did was drive you home from the doctor.”

“While you accused me of being a bad mother,” she said, her own green gaze turning dark.

“I didn't say you were a bad mother,” he said.

“Close enough,” she retorted.

“How could you be a bad mother when you fled all your royal crap to search out what was best for you and your baby?” he asked.

She paused a long moment. “Do you realize what I turned down?”

“I have an idea,” Zach said. “Even though you were pregnant with another man's child, you could have married an English earl, an Italian count or a Spanish prince.”

She appeared surprised at his knowledge. “They wanted my title. They didn't want me.”

“I want you,” he said.

“How do I know you don't want me just because of the baby?” she asked.

“Because I wanted you before the baby existed,” he said.

She searched his gaze then looked away. “I hadn't thought about that.”

“Why don't you think about it some more while you sleep with me?” he asked.

“I'm not a good sleep partner,” she said. “I wake up every hour, go to the bathroom, toss and turn.”

He took her hand in his and pulled her against him. “Come to bed with me.”

“As long as you understand there's no sexy hootchie koo in your near future,” she warned.

“No sexy hootchie koo,” he agreed and reveled in her warmth. “But that's not because I don't want your sexy hootchie koo.”

Tina sighed. “That's good to know.”

 

With each day that passed, Tina felt as if she must be gaining at least a pound. Her back hurt, her thighs ached and her abdomen seemed to cramp every other hour.

“This sucks,” Tina said to Hildie and Eve. “If every woman felt like I did, there would be no population explosion.”

“Sit down and put your feet up,” Hildie said. “You need to focus on the gorgeous baby you're going to have in just a few weeks.”

“Easy for you to say,” Tina said. “You don't have hemorrhoids.”

Eve winced then patted Tina's hand. “I have to tell you that the assistant to the assistant of your brother got in touch with me.”

“Salvadore,” Tina said, astonished, but at the same time not. “Stefan wants to steal you away to manage his prize horses. What did you say?”

“Two words I learned from Zach,” Eve said with a wily grin.

“What's that?”

“More money,” Eve said.

Tina laughed. “Good for you. You will earn every penny if you work for my brother, so make sure you negotiate a fantastic salary. Are you really willing to live in another country to work and earn your living?”

“I'm not happy doing what I'm doing. We'll see how the Devereauxs come through.”

“I should warn you that my brother is ruthless when he finds something he wants. Be careful,” she said.

“I'm a big girl,” Eve said. “As much as I like you, I'm not at all susceptible to a royal title. In my mind, you are the amazing exception that proves the arrogant rule.”

“I'll take that as one of the highest compliments I've received,” Tina said.

 

A week before Christmas, Tina hid in her bedroom so she could wrap the gifts she'd ordered online for Zach, Hildie, and Eve. She'd already ordered gifts for her family and Zach's brother and sister that should arrive any day.

She felt more crampy than usual but put it down to bending and stretching. Crankiness went against her usual nature, but she was also still bothered about what she was going to do after her agreed-upon time with Zachary passed.

The closer the time came for her to deliver the baby, the more she wanted to be home, but now she wasn't sure where home was for her.

A cramp twisted her muscles, momentarily stealing her breath. The intensity of it took her by surprise.
Labor?
she wondered, then pushed the possibility aside. She'd been having cramps for weeks. This wasn't any different, she told herself.

But then she felt a gush of water rush down her leg.

She gasped in shock. Her water had broken. She was in labor. She was going to have her baby very soon. Her heart
hammering with excitement, she didn't know what to do first. Tell Zach. Change clothes.

She decided to change clothes and told herself to stay calm. Women did this every day. Everything would be okay. Her abdomen tightened again, this time stronger. She took another breath.

In the past two centuries of the Devereaux women giving birth, none of them had done it naturally, and she didn't plan to be the first. Right now she wanted to get to the hospital to get her epidural as quickly as possible. No need fighting the contractions.

Despite her discomfort, excitement rushed through her.
Kiki was coming soon.

She went to the bathroom to change. As she looked at her clothes, she saw blood instead of water. Alarm shot through her. She panicked at the sight of bright red. Was her baby okay?

Tina smothered a sob. She had to hold it together. Zach would be nervous enough for both of them. Quickly changing her clothes, she grabbed a towel and went downstairs.

“Hildie,” she called. “Hildie, where is Zachary? I need to speak to him immediately.”

Hildie poked her head out from the kitchen. “He went out. Some calves got caught in some barbed wire. Poor animals are dumber than dirt….”

She must have read the alarm on Tina's face. “What's wrong?”

Tina swallowed over the knot of fear forming in her throat. “My water broke.”

Hildie's eyes rounded. “Oh my goodness. We have to get him here right away. Call him. Call him.”

“I hope he's reachable,” Tina said, taking the house phone from Hildie. Zach's cell rang once, twice, three times. Her nervousness ratcheted up another notch.