The Texas Tycoon's Baby(29)

As the driver opened the door for them, Mina poked out her head, seeing that her niece, Lizzie, was already sprinting out the perennial flower-decorated front entrance, dressed in her fairy dress with the wings flapping behind her.

But…Lizzie?

What was her niece doing here when Mina hadn’t said anything to her mom about inviting Katie to this short-but-sweet hello for her dad’s birthday?

“Mina!” the little girl shouted, crashing into Mina as she got out of the limo and hugging her legs so tightly that it was impossible to walk.

Mina bent down and embraced Lizzie, kissing her red-haired head. “Hey, there, Tinkerbell! Are you going to recreate your show from last week for me?”

“Yes!”

Lizzie backed up to get a good look at Mina, and the expression on her freckled face was so open and full of innocent love that it was almost heartbreaking. But in a way that let Mina know that she’d done something right to earn her niece’s affection.

She fought the urge to rest her hands over her tummy, just to feel the other member of the family who would be joining them.

Lizzie was already staring at the limo, and at Chet, who’d come to stand beside Mina while he held the chocolate sheet cake and the wrapped present Mina had brought for her father—a computerized ebook reader that he could use on the cruise after she showed him how to work it tonight.

At Lizzie’s unwavering curiosity with Chet, Mina fortified herself.

And so it would begin.

“Lizzie, this is Mr. Chet,” Mina said. “I work with him.”

Lizzie just smiled a little shyly and said a tiny, “Hi.” For a rambunctious toddler, she could sure get quiet fast in front of strangers.

“We’re on our way to a wedding,” Mina added, as if she felt the need to explain it to a youngster. Then again, maybe she was just practicing for all the queries that were going to come from her family, since it looked like Katie was here.

Darn her mom. She’d sounded the alarms for the troops to check out the man Mina had finally brought home. There would be lots of explaining to do tonight.

“What’s a wedding?” Lizzie asked.

“It’s where there’s a bride dressed in a beautiful white dress,” Mina said. “You went to Aunt Amy’s wedding a few months ago, and you’ve seen pictures from your mommy and daddy’s.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Chet had gotten to a knee to bring himself to Lizzie’s height, and Mina’s chest closed in on itself.

“Hi there, Lizzie,” he said, extending his hand for a shake.

The little girl returned his greeting, but just as quickly rushed back to Mina, burying her face in her aunt’s long skirt.

Mina grinned at Chet, who was rising to his feet.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Lizzie’s going to be your best friend in about ten minutes.”

“I’ll be ready for it.”

He’d better be, along with fortifying himself against the rest of the brood.

“Lizzie,” she said, “did I tell you that Chet has a new niece? A baby?”

The little girl peeked at him, her interest awakened.

Chet said, “Her name’s Caroline.”

Lizzie let go of Mina’s skirt a bit. “She’s a baby?”

He laughed. “She’s my brother Jeremiah’s pride and joy.”

By then, Mina’s parents had come out the front door. Her mother, whose red hair was just beginning to be paled by strands of gray, made a beeline for Mina. Meanwhile, her dad made his way down the brick front steps, limping slightly, his salt-and-pepper hair in a buzz cut. Sometimes his joints got stiff, and it looked like today was one of those days.

After her mom enfolded her in a hug, Mina went to her father, greeting him the same way.

“Happy early birthday, Dad,” she said into his shoulder.

When the hug ended, he said, “Good that you got to stop by before your mom drags me off on that boat for parts unknown.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m torturing him with this vacation. It’s such a hardship.”

He shrugged good-naturedly, and both her parents rested their attention on Chet…and that limousine.

Now the fun would really start.

“This is my boss,” Mina said. She’d only told her mom that they were able to stop by tonight because the house was on the way to Florence Ranch. However, she hadn’t said anything about Chet being more than a carpool buddy for the wedding. She’d even told her mom not to read anything into the visit.

Didn’t matter though, because her mother had obviously conjured her own interpretation of tonight, since this was the cowboy Katie had spied during her computer call with Mina. From the “Hallelujah, my daughter’s actually brought a man home!” look on her face, Mina knew that Mom was in heaven.