Romanced by the Malones (Haven, Texas) Read online

  Romanced by the Malones

  Laylah Roberts

  Laylah Roberts.

  Romanced by the Malones.

  Haven, Texas.

  © 2021, Laylah Roberts.

  [email protected]

  laylahroberts.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Cover Design by: Allycat’s Creations

  Editing: Celeste Jones

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Books by Laylah Roberts

  Merry Christmas, Baby

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  How West Was Wed

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Let’s keep in touch!

  Untamed Daddy

  Books by Laylah Roberts

  Doms of Decadence

  Just for You, Sir

  Forever Yours, Sir

  For the Love of Sir

  Sinfully Yours, Sir

  Make me, Sir

  A Taste of Sir

  To Save Sir

  Sir’s Redemption

  Reveal Me, Sir

  Montana Daddies

  Daddy Bear

  Daddy’s Little Darling

  Daddy’s Naughty Darling Novella

  Daddy’s Sweet Girl

  Daddy’s Lost Love

  A Montana Daddies Christmas

  Daring Daddy

  Warrior Daddy

  Daddy’s Angel

  Heal Me, Daddy

  Daddy in Cowboy Boots

  A Little Christmas Cheer: a crossover novel

  MC Daddy

  Motorcycle Daddy

  Hero Daddy

  Protector Daddy

  Untamed Daddy (coming March 2021)

  Haven, Texas Series

  Lila’s Loves

  Laken’s Surrender

  Saving Savannah

  Molly’s Man

  Saxon’s Soul

  Mastered by Malone

  How West was Won

  Cole’s Mistake

  Jardin’s Gamble

  Romanced by the Malones: two novellas

  Harem of Daddies

  Ruled by her Daddies

  Men of Orion

  Worlds Apart

  Cavan Gang

  Rectify

  Redemption

  Redemption Valley

  Audra’s Awakening

  Old-Fashioned Series

  An Old-Fashioned Man

  Two Old-Fashioned Men

  Her Old-Fashioned Husband

  Her Old-Fashioned Boss

  His Old-Fashioned Love

  An Old-Fashioned Christmas

  Bad Boys of Wildeside

  Wilde

  Sinclair

  Luke

  Merry Christmas, Baby

  1

  Mia burst into tears.

  Sobs shook her body. Despair had her shoulders slumping.

  “Mia? Shit, Mia! Are you okay?”

  She turned to see Beau standing there, looking completely horrified. That’s what she got for not shutting the door.

  Pure humiliation.

  “Go away!” she wailed. Was there no privacy in this house? Couldn’t a woman stand in front of a mirror and cry her heart out without a damn Malone getting all up in her face? Was that really too much to ask for? Was it?

  “Why’re you crying? Is it the baby? Shit, the baby’s coming! I’ll go boil water. I’ll get Alec. The doctor. We need a doctor! Shit!” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at it and looking like he was about to have a breakdown.

  fool.

  “It’s not the baby. I just want to cry. In private. Now go away.”

  “It’s not the baby?” he asked.

  “No.” Really? Would he not just leave?

  “You sure?”

  “No, Beau, I’m not sure whether I’m in labor or not. Don’t you think I’d know! Now, get!” She flung her arms at him as though she was about to shoo him away.

  His gaze narrowed. “If it’s not the baby, why’re you crying?”

  “Because it’s that time of the month, okay!”

  Most men would go running at that declaration. Trip over their feet in their haste to get away.

  But not a Malone man. Nope. They were built of tougher stuff. Just her luck.

  “Your period, huh?” he said with a strange look on his face.

  “Yep, I’m all crampy and hormonal and shit. So off you go. Leave a girl in peace.”

  “Riight,” he drawled. “There’s just one thing you’re forgetting, sweetheart.”

  “What’s that?”

  He gestured at her belly. “You’re pregnant.”

  “I could hardly forget that. I’m bigger than an elephant and twice as clumsy.” She sniffled and tried to reach down to grab the tissues from the bottom shelf of the bathroom cabinet. Holding onto the rim of the sink to balance herself, she bent as far as she could without falling over.

  And still she was inches short.

  “Goddamn huge-ass Malone genes. There’s no way he couldn’t have made a small baby, is there? Oh no, he has to be an overachiever,” she muttered.

  Suddenly, Beau was beside her. He grabbed her gently under the arm and helped her straighten. Then he led her to the toilet and closed the seat.

  “Sit.”

  “Don’t wanna,” she said grouchily.

  “Mia, sit,” he said more sternly.

  Surprised at the firm tone, she sat and watched as he easily crouched down and grabbed the tissues.

  “Show off,” she muttered.

  He shook his head and walked over to kneel in front of her, holding up the tissues. She took a couple and wiped her face. Then she blew her nose.

  “Okay, you want to tell me what’s really going on?”

  “I already told you.”

  “Mia, sweetheart, you’re pregnant.”

  “Yeah, so?” Like she didn’t know that? She could barely get on and off the toilet without a crane to help. She could no longer see her feet. And don’t get her started on her boobs.

  “Well, I might be wrong, being a simple country boy and all,” he laid the drawl on thick and she rolled her eyes. “But my understanding is that you don’t get your period while you’re pregnant.”

  Shit.

  Good one, Mia.

  “Fine. I don’t have my period. But I am hormonal. And I just want to be left alone. Okay?”

  “Thing is, sweetheart, I need my face to stay pretty if I’m gonna have some fun tonight at Patty’s bar.” Patty’s bar was in Freestown.

  “I thought you were banned from there.”

  “Nah, that was just a bit of a misunderstanding. Patty can’t stay mad at me for long.” He gave her a cheeky grin.

  “Is there really a Patty?” She’d thought it was just the name of the bar.

  “Sure. She’s about eighty, drinks like
a fish, and wears skirts so short you can nearly see her hoo-ha.”

  “She sounds charming,” Mia said dryly. “But what does your face have to do with me?”

  “Well, if I leave you here alone while you’re crying then Alec is gonna rearrange it for me. Then I’ll struggle to get myself some companionship tonight, get me?”

  She doubted that would put any of the women off. She’d seen the way they flocked to Beau. He was arguably the most charming of all the Malones, and that was saying something. “Alec won’t find out that I’ve been crying.”

  “Sweetheart, I hate to tell you, but anyone that looks at you will know you’ve been crying. And I know better than to keep anything to do with you from Alec. He can forgive most things, but when it comes to you, he’s just a touch protective.”

  She glared at him. “I haven’t left the ranch in a month and my due date is three weeks away. A bit protective?”

  “You’re precious to him, sweetheart. Now, how about I take you back to your room for a nice nap, okay? Want me to bring you a cup of tea?”

  How come none of the boys flirted with her anymore? They used to. But now they were all about naps and cups of damn tea.

  She didn’t want a cup of tea. She wanted to feel sexy. Desired. Wanted. And right now, she felt anything but.

  He helped her stand and led her from the room. Like she was a damn invalid. Mia let out a deep breath.

  Just go along with it. He’ll leave soon.

  “Do you know how to make tea?” she asked.

  “Course I do. Tea bag. Water. Done.”

  They walked into her bedroom. “What are you doing up here, anyway?” she asked him.

  “Oh, just need to borrow something from Jaret’s room.”

  “What?” she asked suspiciously.

  His eyes danced mischievously. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  Uh-huh. Beau was a flirt and a prankster. She wouldn’t put anything past him. He helped her sit on the bed. Then he actually fluffed up some pillows so she could lean back against them. Grasping her legs, he lifted them onto the bed.

  Picking up the blanket from the end of the bed, he placed it over her legs.

  Good Lord.

  She gave him a look of disbelief, but he was already walking out the door. “I’ll get your tea and let Alec know you’re feeling out of sorts. You just stay there, okay, darlin’?”

  She waited until the count of ten, before flinging off the blanket and moving her legs back over the edge of the bed. It took her a couple of tries to heave herself up.

  “Idiot,” she muttered as she moved to the stairs.

  She’d been banned from going up and down the stairs on her own for the last month. Just like she wasn’t allowed to leave the property without Alec. In fact, she was pretty sure he’d prefer she stay in bed twenty-four seven.

  Not happening.

  She needed some space. She managed to get down the stairs without being caught. Now just to get out of the house. It was Friday evening, most of the boys would be in the bunk house getting ready to go into Freestown. So, the only ones she was likely to run into were Alec, Beau, and maybe Jaret, who now lived in the house. Flick and West had built their own place not too far from here.

  Mia wondered if she should head over there. She could do with some of Flick’s cheerfulness. But Flick was deep into wedding preparation at the moment. West had given her four months to prepare for their Valentine’s Day wedding.

  Damn idiot Malone men. She loved them. But right now, she’d happily strangle all of them.

  As quietly as she could manage, she stepped into the mudroom, avoiding the kitchen. Then she grabbed a set of keys to one of the farm trucks and slid out the back door, glancing around. She knew she must look ridiculous. It was kind of hard to be stealthy when you waddled like a duck.

  She stepped down off the porch towards one of the trucks. A cold wind sliced through her clothes, chilling her skin. Crap. She hadn’t thought about how much colder it would be outside. December evenings in this part of Texas were a bit chilly. No snow though.

  Still, she probably should have grabbed a jacket. And maybe some boots. But her feet were so swollen they probably no longer fit her. Her slip-on shoes might not keep her feet warm but at least they fit.

  Glancing back at the house, she thought about going back to grab a jacket but she risked getting caught. Besides, she could turn the heater on in the truck.

  Reaching the truck that matched the license tag on the key ring, she opened the door and looked up.

  Shoot.

  This was going to be fun. She took a half step back then heaved her leg up onto the running board, nearly falling on her ass in the process.

  Damn it.

  Grabbing the seat with one hand and the steering wheel with her other, she strained, managing to haul herself up. Victory!

  Only, she was puffing for breath, sweaty, and her legs were shaking like she’d run a marathon.

  Great job, Mia.

  This was probably the stupidest idea she’d had. What was she doing? Going off in a fit just because everyone was treating her like she’d break if she tried to file a nail without supervision?

  “Things could be worse,” she muttered. “A lot worse.”

  She was being an idiot. And a brat. This wasn’t solving anything. She couldn’t run off like a child having a temper tantrum.

  There was no way she should be driving on her own in the dark. Without a phone. Or a jacket. Or anyone knowing where she was.

  She was reaching for the door to climb down, just as it swung open. Without thinking, she screamed and shied back.

  A big man loomed in the space, menace oozing off him. “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  2

  Alec Malone was holding onto his temper by the merest of threads.

  What the fuck was his woman, his heavily-pregnant wife, doing out on her own in one of the farm trucks at night? Without his fucking permission. After Beau had just found her fucking crying in the bathroom and put her to bed to rest. When she was most certainly not allowed to climb the stairs or drive on her own.

  Or leave the house. On. Her. Own.

  He ground his teeth together, trying to calm himself.

  She’s pregnant. You can’t scare her. You can’t put her over your knee and wallop the hell out of her ass until your arm tires or your temper calms, whichever comes first.

  He was willing to bet it would be his arm that gave in first. Fuck!

  “Alec?” she asked in a timid voice. He wasn’t fooled. There wasn’t a timid bone in this woman’s body. She’d go toe to toe with a tiger if that tiger was threatening someone she loved.

  Mia didn’t do things by halves. She loved big. And she felt big. This pregnancy hadn’t been easy on her. She’d been really ill the first trimester. So much so, that he’d sworn that this baby was going to be their only one. And now, she was feeling cumbersome and awkward. She had swollen feet, a sore back, and was having trouble sleeping.

  Bouts of tears followed by explosions of temper weren’t an uncommon occurrence.

  “I needed some alone time.”

  “Some alone time,” he repeated slowly, in a voice filled with disbelief.

  “Yes, alone time.”

  “And you couldn’t get alone time in the house?” he asked, proud of his calm voice.

  “No, obviously not or I wouldn’t be out here. You know, you’d think it would be easy to get time to yourself in a house that big, but not when there are a quadrillion Malone men around and they’re all nosy as fuck.”

  “A quadrillion, huh?”

  “Yep, a quadrillion.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Well, she tried to, but she wasn’t terribly successful.

  “If you wanted privacy, all you had to do was say so, and I would have made sure that everyone gave you some space.”

  “Right. And you? Would you have given me privacy?” she asked.

  “You’re my wife,” he stated,
getting annoyed with the conversation.

  “And?”

  “There’s no privacy between us. I need to know everything about you or how am I supposed to take care of you properly?”

  Privacy? What the hell did she take him for? One of those men who didn’t give a shit where their wife was or what she was doing or who she was with? She married the wrong guy if that’s what she wanted. And now it was too late, because she was his. And Alec Malone fiercely guarded what belonged to him.

  A shiver ran through her, and he suddenly realized she didn’t have a jacket on. Fuck! He quickly stripped his off and tucked it over her shoulders.

  “Damn it, Mia. Where’s your jacket?” He reached in and lifted her out, holding her close to his chest. He left the keys in the truck.

  “I f-forgot it,” she said through chattering teeth.

  “You’re gonna catch a cold. What were you thinking? It’s December, damn it. Do you even have proper boots on?” He peered down at her feet. The outside lights provided enough illumination for him to see she only had flip-flops on.

  “You are in so much trouble, little girl.”

  “It’s not like you’ll do anything,” she muttered.

  He paused just inside the mudroom door. “Excuse me?”

  “I said, it’s not like you’ll do anything. You’re not gonna spank me while I’m this pregnant.”

  He’d given her several spankings in the second trimester when she’d been full of energy and mischief. But they’d been light in comparison to the punishments she’d have gotten if she weren’t pregnant.

  What was going on with her? Sure, she’d been a bit up and down lately. But she’d never do anything to put the baby in jeopardy. And going out on her own at night with no jacket on and without telling anyone was not like her. Something was wrong.

  He walked into the kitchen just as Beau entered. “Alec, I can’t find her any . . .” He trailed off, putting his hand on his chest in relief. “Fuck, you found her. Thank fuck. Jesus fucking Christ.” He leaned against the counter and wiped his forehead. “Shit. That’s a relief.” Then he straightened up, his eyes narrowing as he glared at her. “And just where the hell were you? I took up your tea and you weren’t there. Then I searched the entire second floor for you. Couldn’t find you. Nearly had a heart attack when I raced downstairs to get Alec. Just where were you?”