She suddenly looked unsure. “We didn’t know what to do, so we came here.”
Nola walked into the room. “Mia, what’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
“No, I’m fine, but the community room is flooded.” Mia looked back at Jarrett. “We have no place to have our dinner.”
Every eye turned toward him. He had no choice. “Well, since everyone is here, I guess it’ll be at my house.”
Cheers filled the room, then everyone scattered to do their chores. He pulled out his phone and punched in the McKane Ranch number, wondering how he’d gotten into this situation. He glanced at Mia Saunders, those big blue eyes staring back at him. A sudden stirring in his gut told him he was headed for disaster if he wasn’t careful. Hell, he’d never been careful in his life.
His brother answered the phone.
“Hey, Trace. Why don’t you load up Kira and Jenna and come here? It seems I’m having Thanksgiving at my house.”
Two hours later, Mia was still sitting on the large sofa in Jarrett’s great room. Although it wasn’t her taste, the place was decorated well. A lot of chrome-and-glass tables and black leather furniture filled the room. The most beautiful feature was the huge wall of windows and the French door that led to the deck and the wooded area at the back of the house. Although the trees were bare and a dusting of snow covered the ground, she could picture it in the spring with green trees and wildflowers along the hillside.
She turned toward the open-concept kitchen, looking over the breakfast bar to see rows of espresso-colored cabinets, and marble counter tops. The commercial-size stainless-steel appliances looked as though they were getting a rare workout today.
The dining room was on the other side, the long table already set up for the meal, along with several card tables scattered around to accommodate all the people coming today. Mia didn’t even want to count them. All she knew was that her brother and sister-in-law wouldn’t be at any table. These people were her family now. She rubbed her stomach. Hers and her baby’s.
“Are you okay?”
She glanced up to see Jarrett standing beside the sofa. “I’m fine. Really. Thank you for having us today.”
“There wasn’t a choice, and you know it.”
“It’s still very generous that you let us use your home.”
He shrugged. “I also get a home-cooked meal.”
“You have family. And I bet you could get someone to cook for you pretty easily.”
His dark gaze held hers. “I’m pretty selective in choosing my friends.” His mouth crooked upward in a sexy smile. “Also who cooks for me.”
“Well, you’ve got some pretty good cooks in your kitchen right now.”
“I’m glad about that, because I’m getting hungry just smelling all the wonderful aromas.” He sat down across from her. “If your cookies are any indication, I’d say you know your way around a kitchen, too.”
The man was too handsome and, when he wanted to be, charming. She scooted to the edge of the sofa. “Could you direct me to the bathroom, please?”
“Of course.” He helped her up, but didn’t release his hold on her arm. They were walking toward the hall when the doorbell rang.
She looked at him. “I thought everyone was here.”
Jarrett pulled open the door to a young couple with a little girl. She recognized them from church.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Unca Jay,” the girl cried as she ran inside.
He scooped her into his arms. “Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Jenna. I’m glad you could come today. Welcome, Kira, Trace.”
They all exchanged greetings.
Jenna kept her hold on her uncle. “Mama said it must be a really special day because we never get invited to your house. She’s really happy because family should be together.”
“Jenna,” her mother warned.
“Well, you did say that,” the child acknowledged, then looked at Mia. “Who’s this lady, Unca Jay?”
“Hi, I’m Mia.”
Jarrett set her down. “I’m Jenna, and I’m almost four years old. But my daddy says I’m really thirty.” The child caught sight of Mia’s rounded stomach. “Are you going to have a baby?”
“Jenna.” Kira sent another warning glance to her daughter, and then looked at Mia. “Hi, Mia. It’s good to see you again.”
Trace removed his cowboy hat and nodded. “Hello, Mia.”
“Nice to see you, too. I hope you don’t mind that we took over Jarrett’s house.”
The pretty blonde smiled and glanced up at her husband. Love radiated between them just as Mia had seen between her brother and his wife.
“We think it’s wonderful,” Kira said. “I’m just wondering how you did it.”
“I believe a judge did it, along with several of the tenants.”
They all looked toward the living room and saw the numerous people. “Welcome to Mountain View Apartment’s Thanksgiving Day celebration.” Mia turned to Kira. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find a restroom.”
Jarrett watched Mia walk down the hall. He wanted to go after her. Why? She was capable of finding the bathroom.
“How is she doing?”
Jarrett looked at his sister-in-law. “She should be off her feet. So would you watch her?”
“Sure. If you and Trace unload the car. I brought a few things for dinner, too. I’ll take Jenna to the kitchen and see if they need any help.”
“Just ask for Nola.”
“I know Nola Madison. I see her at church nearly every week.”
“Okay. You’ll probably know a few of the others, too.”
Once the group of seniors spotted Jenna, they began to fuss over her. His niece couldn’t get enough of the attention.
“So tell me about you and Mia Saunders,” Trace said.
Jarrett turned around. “There’s nothing to tell. She had a scare with her pregnancy and I had to take her to the hospital. The doctor ordered bed rest. She was allowed to come here, but she needs to stay off her feet.”
He glanced down the hall. “And if she doesn’t come out soon, I’m going in to get her.”
Trace arched an eyebrow. “So when did you become her protector?”
Jarrett turned to his younger half brother. Trace stared back at him.
“She doesn’t have anyone else,” Jarrett reminded him. “Remember, she lost her brother a few months back.”
Trace nodded. “Yeah, Reverend Brad was a good man,” he said, studying Jarrett. “I just never knew my brother to care much about anything that wasn’t about the almighty dollar. You must be getting soft in your old age.”
“Hey, I’m not that old.” He didn’t want to discuss his age or his relationship with Mia. They were neighbors. Temporary neighbors. “But don’t go thinking I’ve bought into the family scene.”
“Never say never, bro,” Trace challenged. “I’ve seen you with Jenna. You wouldn’t be a bad dad.”
Jarrett froze. He didn’t want to be a dad at all. His own father had been lousy at the job. “Look, as soon as I make the repairs to the complex, I’m out of there. And I won’t be looking back.”
On returning from the bathroom,