Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise Read online

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “We don’t know the details. Only that someone found the puppies in a box in the freezing cold. Daisy was the only one to make it. However, she isn’t ready for adoption yet. She has a lot of recovery to do. And as you can tell, she needs to be socialized. She doesn’t trust people, and with her history, I can’t blame her.”

  “Can I try?” Pepper was drawn to the puppy.

  “Go ahead. I don’t have to tell you to take it slow.”

  No, she didn’t. Pepper had done this countless times. She opened the kennel door. “Hey, Daisy. My name’s Pepper.” She wanted the puppy to get used to her voice. “I was hoping we could be friends.”

  Daisy silently stared at her with those big brown eyes. Her whole body, from her nose to the tip of her tail, quivered with fear. She was going to be a tough case, but Pepper was eager to work with her. Immediately, Pepper felt a bond forming between them.

  In one breath, she knew she wanted to take Daisy home. In the next breath, she remembered the sobering fact that she didn’t have a home. And Pepper was quite certain that Simon would not appreciate having a puppy on his gleaming floors or near his priceless pieces of art. To Pepper, it was like the man lived in a museum rather than a home.

  “I’ll just let you two get acquainted,” Stephanie said with a knowing smile.

  A while ago, Pepper had mentioned that she would love to have a beagle. Leave it to Stephanie to remember. But she was not adopting Daisy. She was in absolutely no position to even consider it.

  Pepper reached into her pocket and pulled out the doggie biscuits she’d made. They were all too big for the little girl. “I’m sorry,” Pepper said, “I don’t have any treats for puppies. We don’t have too many puppies your size that pass through here. But I promise to make you some for our next visit.”

  Pepper stayed there visiting with Daisy for as long as she dared before going to finish setting up the table. And then she took a seat at the information desk, where she was assigned to work for the next few hours.

  * * *

  She was tired. Absolutely exhausted.

  It felt as though she hadn’t slept in days.

  Pepper used the spare key Simon had given her to let herself into the penthouse. All she wanted now was to curl up with a black-and-white classic movie—

  “You’re home.”

  Pepper jumped at the sound of Simon’s voice. She dropped her things near the door, then followed the voice to the living room. Simon stood next to the wall of windows overlooking Central Park.

  “Did you need something?” she asked.

  “I didn’t know where you were, and when I couldn’t reach you on the phone, I, uh, didn’t know what to think, with you not feeling well this morning.”

  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. The missed calls appeared on the screen. He hadn’t called once. He’d called twice.

  Was he worried about her? Really? Simon Ross had been worried that something had happened to her?

  For the briefest moment, she toyed with the idea that he still cared—that they were still good friends. And then she dismissed the ridiculous notion. He was most likely hoping she’d found other accommodations.

  She had a tiny amount in her savings. It wouldn’t tide her over for long, but she didn’t have much choice.

  “Sorry. I had my phone on Mute. I’m feeling better now. Nothing to worry about.” She thought about telling him that she’d been at the animal shelter, but she decided they weren’t back at the stage where they were sharing things with each other. “Before I go, can I get you something to eat?” It seemed like such a small way to repay him for all he’d done for her, but at the moment it was all she had to offer.

  He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Then I’ll get my things and leave.”

  He pressed his hands to his sides. “Where will you be staying? You know, in case something comes up and I need to reach you.”

  What would come up that he’d need to reach her? She refrained from posing the question. Instead, she mentioned checking into a small motel in New Jersey.

  He frowned. “Surely your insurance can do better than that.”

  “They aren’t paying. I should get going before it gets late.” She turned to walk away, hoping he wouldn’t ask more questions—questions she didn’t want to answer.

  “Why aren’t they paying? You do have insurance, don’t you?”

  She turned back to him and shrugged her shoulders. “I do. But there’s a suspicion of arson. And until it’s resolved, they’ve put a hold on the money.”

  “That’s not right. If they knew you, they’d know you would never do such a thing.”

  It felt good to know that he was in her corner, believing in her innocence. “But that’s the thing—they don’t know me.” She worried her bottom lip. “What if it was arson? How will I ever prove that it wasn’t me?”

  Sympathy glinted in his eyes as he approached her. “Don’t worry. It’ll all work out. And soon you’ll have your bakery back.”

  “But not in time.”

  “In time?” His brows drew together.

  “For all of the holiday events I had scheduled.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of orders once you’ve reopened.”

  She wished she felt as confident as he sounded. “Only time will tell.”

  She turned and headed for her room. It wouldn’t take long to pack her things. She had a bag of clothes she’d just purchased and that was it.

  Tomorrow she’d have to start canceling her remaining list of events that she had scheduled. No matter what happened with the arson investigation, there was no way the bakery would be open and ready for operation.

  Knock. Knock.

  She hadn’t closed her door. She turned to find Simon standing there. His forehead was creased as though he had something on his mind.

  When he didn’t say anything, she asked, “Did you want something?”

  He nodded. “I want you to stay.”

  Her heart leapt into her throat. What was he saying? Had she heard him correctly? Surely not. It had been a really long day.

  “What did you say?”

  He stepped further into the room. With each step he took, her heart beat faster. For just a moment, she imagined him sweeping her into his arms and passionately kissing her like he’d done on that not-so-long-ago night. She missed him, his embrace, his mouth against hers—

  “I’d like you to stay.” His voice startled her from her wayward thoughts. “You know, until your apartment is ready. You can use the kitchen to bake. It’s not like I ever use it.”

  She struggled not to stare at his inviting mouth—to remember the delicious things he could do to her with it. What was wrong with her? They came from very different worlds. They obviously wanted different things in life. So why was she still drawn to him? Why did she long for him in her dreams?

  Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Simon said, “I’ll go order dinner while you unpack.”

  “Wait,” she called out. “Why would you do that? Why would you want me here?” And then another more troublesome thought came to mind—troublesome from the standpoint that she didn’t trust herself around him. “We aren’t going to share a bed.”

  “No. That was a one-time thing.”

  His brush-off stung. It put an immediate end to her heated thoughts. Not that she wanted to pick things up where they’d left off. Still, she’d thought that night had been special for not just her. Obviously, she’d been wrong.

  She told herself it was for the best; everyone and everything she cared for was eventually lost to her. She couldn’t lose anyone or anything else. She was better off on her own.

  “Won’t my staying here be awkward?”

  “I work long hours. I’m not seeing anyone. So you’ll
have the place to yourself most of the time. Now, I’ll go order dinner.”

  And with that he turned and walked away like it was all settled because he said so. Part of her wanted to stay. Though this place was a bit on the cold, minimalist side, it was clean. She knew on her budget the cleanliness of the motels she could afford would be iffy at best. But why would any of that matter to Simon?

  She followed him into the kitchen, where he’d just disconnected a phone call. His motives shouldn’t matter to her, but they did. She tried to tell herself it was idle curiosity, nothing more.

  “I hope you don’t mind pepperoni pizza,” he said.

  “It’s fine. But I can’t accept your offer to stay here. It’s too much. I could never repay you. You’ve already done so much.”

  He sighed. “The food is ordered. You have to eat. And it’s getting late. Stay the night and think about it.”

  What would one more night hurt? It would certainly help stretch her funds. But she had to do something for him in return.

  “I could bake you something to take to the office. Perhaps some cherry turnovers.”

  He didn’t say anything at first, but a spark of interest shone in his eyes. “It’s a deal.”

  Not exactly an even exchange—far from it—but at least she could hold her head up.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  HE HAD A very important meeting.

  It was about his company’s expansion.

  Simon bounded out of bed, ready to take on the world. The plan was to kick off the new line of stores right before Christmas with a shop here in New York, and then after Christmas, they would start unveiling the chain in various large cities throughout the country. But something just wasn’t right.

  As he grabbed a quick shower, he mulled over his uneasiness with the project. It had been bothering Simon for months. There was something lacking from their plans, that extra oomph to take their Pet Playground from okay to amazing. They didn’t want to be just another pet store. They needed it to be a destination. They needed to offer something shoppers couldn’t get anywhere else.

  He’d had his team working on it for months. And so far, they’d come up with some good ideas, but nothing to wow him. And now their first store was about to be revealed without the wow factor. If he didn’t do something fast, the new chain would sink before it even launched.

  And he wouldn’t let that happen.

  But in the back of his mind, his father’s harsh words echoed. “You’re a loser. You’ll always be a loser.”

  It wasn’t the only time his father had spewed such hurtful words, but those were the final words his father had ever said as he was led in handcuffs from the courtroom. Ever since, Simon had strived to prove the man wrong—to prove to himself that he wasn’t anything like the man with whom he shared DNA.

  Simon sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head, chasing away the troubling thoughts. The ghosts of the past weren’t worth dwelling on. He had more important things to do—lots of things that required his full attention.

  He opened his eyes, focusing on the here and now. He dressed and headed for the kitchen. When he stepped through the doorway, he expected to find Pepper already busy baking up some wonderful smelling creations. Or decorating something she’d baked the evening before. But when he stepped into the room, there weren’t any lights on. The kitchen was empty.

  Where was Pepper? She’d told him the night before how much work she had to do today for the party this evening. She’d even asked how early she could start in the kitchen without disturbing him. So where was she?

  He headed for her room.

  Tap. Tap.

  “Pepper?”

  “Come in.” Her voice sounded weak. It definitely lacked her usual pep.

  He opened the door to find her in bed. He didn’t have to ask her to know that she didn’t feel well, again. This was the second day in a row. And she didn’t seem to be getting any better.

  He could understand the first day, with the shock of the fire. But two days due to shock with no improvement? He wasn’t buying it. There was something more afoot.

  “Get dressed,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. “You’re going to the doctor.”

  “What? No. I’ll be fine. Just give me a bit. I promised to bake the items for the office—”

  “Forget the baking.” He shook his head. “You’re not well. And this has been going on too long. I want a doctor to have a look at you and make sure it’s nothing serious.”

  Pepper jumped out of bed. “See? I’m—”

  Her face grew pale and she rushed to the bathroom. She sent the door slamming shut behind her.

  Fine. Right. And I’m Santa Claus.

  He pulled up the number of his family doctor. The man may be old now, but he’d been treating Simon his whole life. He wouldn’t trust anyone else with Pepper.

  By the time he got off the phone, having arranged an appointment right away, Pepper had returned from the bathroom. “I’m fine. I just got out of bed too fast, is all.”

  As though she hadn’t just made the flimsiest excuse, he said, “You have a doctor’s appointment this morning. Get dressed and we’ll be off.”

  She perched on the edge of the bed. “I told you. I’m fine.”

  “Actually, you got to I’m and then you rushed out of the room. So I don’t believe you’re fine. I think you need to see a doctor, because this could be something serious.”

  She shook her head. “You’re making too much of this.”

  “And you’re not making enough of it.”

  She crossed her arms and stared at him. “I can’t go.”

  He pressed his hands to his waist. He could be just as stubborn as her. “Why not?”

  She didn’t speak at first. When she did, her voice was soft, as though the admission was hard for her. “Because bad things always happen to my family when it comes to doctors and hospitals.” She shook her head as though chasing away bad memories. Softly but firmly she said, “I can’t.”

  His arms lowered. “I had no idea.” He sat beside her. “What happened?”

  She glanced away, keeping him from seeing into her expressive eyes. “It started when I was eight.” Her voice was rough with emotion. “My mother was walking home from her baking job at the local grocery store. A car came out of nowhere.” Pepper drew in a deep breath. “It hit her, sending her tumbling over the roof—” Her voice caught. “The driver kept going. My mother...she was taken to the hospital. I—I remember being allowed to see her before surgery. Her hand was so cold. Her face was a pasty white...” Pepper shook her head as though chasing away the painful images. “She died in surgery.”

  He reached out to her, hesitated and withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “My grandmother took me in. And then one day she went from being healthy and bossy to being a victim of breast cancer. She went through months of chemo before the doctors declared nothing more could be done.” Pepper turned to him. “So you see why I keep my distance from doctors.”

  “But this is different. You’ll be fine.”

  “Exactly.” She stood. “That’s why I don’t need to go.”

  He got to his feet. His gaze met hers. They stood there staring at each other for the longest time.

  He sighed. “Has anyone told you that you’re particularly stubborn?”

  “I believe my mother had mentioned it on occasion. So, are you going to stand there all day?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. How was he going to get through to her that she really needed a doctor to examine her?

  As though in answer to his thoughts, her face grew pale. She pressed a hand to her stomach before rushing out of the room once more. His concern for her health intensified.

  When she returned a little bit later, she was still pale. “Well, don’t just stand there. I have to get ready.”
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  At last he was making progress. “Don’t take long. I had to call in a favor to get this appointment.”

  “I won’t. I have work to do. And so do you.”

  He was already reaching for his phone again as he headed for the door. Once the bedroom door was closed, he started texting his assistant. He told her to cancel any meetings that didn’t have to do with the new store launch. And then he had her push back his remaining meetings.

  She asked him if anything was wrong. It wasn’t like him not to come into the office first thing in the morning, much less cancel important meetings. He assured her that everything was fine. At least, he hoped so.

  * * *

  He was making a big deal of nothing.

  And that’s exactly what Pepper told the doctor a short time later. The man was older, with silver hair and observant eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses. He was a quiet man who only spoke when he needed to, but he appeared to listen to everything Pepper nervously said.

  It wasn’t that she was worried there was something wrong with her. She knew it was just stress—lots of stress. Who wouldn’t feel the pressure in her situation? And that’s exactly what she told the doctor.

  “So you see,” she told the doctor. “I’m just stressed out. Simon is worrying about nothing. If you could just tell him that, we can get out of your way.”

  “We’ll just wait for your test results. It won’t be much longer.”

  Simon was out in the waiting room. She could just imagine him pacing a hole in the carpet. Who’d have guessed Simon was such a worrier?

  The doctor started for the door.

  “Could you have someone show Simon back here?” she asked.

  The doctor nodded in his quiet way.

  Besides, it would help to have someone distract her. Otherwise, she would soon be climbing the walls, wanting to get out of here. Her grandmother had come to the doctor for one thing and walked out with orders to have tests done for something else entirely.

  Was that what was going to happen to her? Surely not. She was just letting her imagination get the best of her. It was this place. It gave her the creeps...