Home For Christmas. Carrie Weaver
The rebellious tilt to her chin and the hurt in her eyes touched Beau. Beau started to reach out to her but let his arm drop to his side. He couldn’t offer more than friendship.
“What made you decide on adopting after he died?”
Seeing Nancy frown, he realized he’d goofed. “Sorry, that’s none of my business, either.”
Nancy’s features relaxed. “Have a seat.” She gestured toward one end of the couch and sat at the other end. “I guess I’m a little defensive. Some of the folks back home in McGuireville were pretty disapproving of a single woman adopting a child. Unfortunately, my mother was one of them. And the fact that I adopted a ‘foreign’ child didn’t help any.”
“That’s too bad.” He sat where she’d indicated. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why?”
“Maybe because I wonder if I’ve been selfish. I adopted because I’ve wanted to be a mom for as long as I could remember. And I guess I felt I deserved to have a child after everything I went through with Eric. We never conceived, though he fathered a beautiful little boy with another woman. So, I guess, I figured he owed me in a way.”
“That’s not selfish. You needed a baby, Ana needed a home. It’s a win-win situation. You’re a wonderful mother and Ana’s obviously a happy, healthy kid.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to hear someone say that every once in a while. Even though I don’t have a clue what I’m doing at times, as you pointed out earlier.”
Beau stifled a groan. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just a dumb old country boy flapping my gums.” He pointed to the coffee table where several child-development books rested. “You’re learning all you can and you love Ana like crazy. That’s what matters.”
Nancy moved to perch on the front of the cushion. “Sometimes…when it’s been a really long day and everything has gone wrong and Ana’s been like the Energizer Bunny, I wonder if she’d be better off if I hadn’t adopted her.”
“Aw, darlin’, look at the pictures. No matter how much the staff cared about those kids, it’s not the same. You’re giving Ana a chance to live like a real kid, not in some institution.”
Nancy sighed. “That’s what I keep telling myself. But some days, there just doesn’t seem to be enough of me to go around.”
“Most days there doesn’t seem to be enough of me to go around. Staying one step ahead of Rachel is a full-time job. But I don’t know any different—Laurie and I were already separated when Rachel was born. I imagine it’s a little easier with two parents because you can tag-team. But I don’t seriously think having only one parent hurts as long as there’s plenty of love and dedication.”
Smiling, she said, “Did you hear yourself, Beau Stanton? You sounded like you could run for the Parent-Teacher Association.”
Beau flushed. “Well, as the song says, the times they are a-changin’.”
“Folk music, too? What is a good old Texas boy doing listening to anything but hard-core country?”
“I don’t want to scare you or anything—” he leaned closer, watching her sea-green eyes widen when their faces were merely inches apart “—but I like to listen to blues and Motown, too.”
“Beau Stanton, I do believe you’ve been holding out on me,” she breathed, her accent as thick and warm as sorghum on toast.
Lust nearly knocked him off the couch. It had been so long since he’d bedded a woman. Longer still since he’d spent the whole night with one, talking and laughing in the dark.
Nancy had a terrific laugh. And the thought of her seductive voice coming from the other side of the bed had him instantly aroused.
Nancy’s eyes narrowed. “Time for you to go, buddy.” Her emphasis on the last word reminded him of his place, which was nowhere near her bed.
This friends stuff was proving to be difficult. Very difficult.
Chapter 4
Nancy caught herself gazing out her office window yet again. In the two days since her midnight chat with Beau, she’d found herself doing that a lot.
Her face warmed as she recalled telling him about Ana’s adoption and some of the disappointing responses she’d received back home. She shook her head, wondering at her own ability to open up to a man who had originally appeared to be only one step up on the evolutionary ladder from Eric.
But Eric had rarely listened to her like Beau had the other night. And a part of her really wanted to believe Beau’s interest had been more than just a ploy to get into her bed. But then she remembered that he’d pretty clearly wanted to seduce her before she sent him on his way.
Sighing, Nancy realized she might never understand the male mind. Worse yet, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
A tap at her open door drew her from her mental maze.
Beau leaned against the doorjamb. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
“I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been there?”
“A couple minutes. You seemed lost in thought so I was enjoying watching you. Nice view.” His distracted frown belied his words, telling her he was hitting on her more out of habit than actual interest.
And for some reason, that ticked her off. Her accent deepened, as it always did when she was upset. “Honey, this view is strictly off-limits.” Still, she couldn’t help but smooth her hair.
His grin told her he knew exactly what she was doing. “Don’t worry, I’m here for your business acumen, not to drool over your…attributes. And to thank you for letting me come over the other night. I really did need to talk to someone.”
“I think maybe I needed to talk to someone, too. Thanks for listening.” Her voice was softer than she intended.
“Anytime.” He held her gaze. “And I’ll try not to screw it up by letting my hormones get in the way.”
Nancy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Agreed. Now, you wanted to talk business?”
He took a deep breath, as if he intended to dive into the deep end of a pool—a pool teeming with alligators. “I need a house.”
“To rent?”
“No. I want to buy one.”
Nancy hesitated. “I would have figured you more for a short-term renter. Have you ever owned a home before?”
“Um, no. This is a first. Emily Patterson said you’re the best Realtor in the county.”
“Emily’s kind of a one-woman PR team. She talks me up way more than I deserve.”
“She’s very passionate in describing your abilities. Says you found a five-bedroom fixer-upper for her when she was practically broke and if anyone can find a perfect house for me, it’s you.”
“If she keeps that up, I’ll have to put her on the payroll. Have a seat.” She nodded toward a chair on the other side of her desk. “How’s Rachel? Didn’t she have a court appearance yesterday?”
“Yeah. Fortunately, the whole process scared the living daylights out of her, so she didn’t mouth off at the judge. He gave her a stern lecture and a few hours’ community service in the form of peer mediation training at school.”
“I’m so glad, Beau. Maybe this is just what she needed.”
“I hope so. We had a long, heart-to-heart talk the other night. To make a long story short, she’s trying to fit in. You know how it goes, Rachel’s the new kid in school. And, um, the kids call her names and stuff—about being skinny.”
“Poor thing. Kids can