Claimed By The Rancher

“I’d already dropped her off when I was heading home.”

For reasons Pepper didn’t want to delve into, she was glad to know the recipient of the mixed bouquet went home alone.

“Well...if I didn’t say it earlier, thanks.”

Nolan stared at her another minute, his eyes dropping to her lips for a half second, but it was all she needed to know. He was affected by the fact they’d been thrust back together, albeit temporarily—it had made him leave his date.

Maybe coming back to Stone River hadn’t been the best idea, but she was all out of options at the moment. All she had to do was get through this night and then she could make a concerted effort to dodge Nolan Elliott at all costs. Because she wasn’t sure she could resist the temptation if she had to spend too much time with him.

Three (#ufecb0958-231e-578d-81df-4e457eeed325)

Despite how insistently Pepper protested, Nolan joined her the following morning at Painted Pansies to assess the damage. He used the excuse that he had to drive her, but he wouldn’t have let her face this alone regardless.

The apartment wasn’t a total loss, but she would not be living there anytime soon. Thankfully, the store wasn’t harmed, but an electrician needed to come out to double-check things because the fire marshall was sure the spark that started the fire had come from the outlet her warmer was plugged into.

Nolan had already contacted someone and expected him shortly. Pepper wouldn’t like that he’d taken over, but someone had to because she looked dead on her feet.

And, okay, maybe some of that past guilt was spurring his actions, but he knew that top-notch contractors could get things done quicker than she could if she were left to her own devices. There was no reason she should wait on insurance to get their act together, because they were notorious for being slow, and Nolan was just offering his aid. Money meant nothing to him and he could see that Pepper could use a break.

Pepper walked around the shop and into the back room. Nolan took in the window display with large canvas paintings and the flamboyant bouquets in various heights. Everywhere he looked, there was vibrancy, color, life. He knew Pepper had always envisioned something like this, but she’d been such a free spirit, wanting to travel the world, he’d never really thought she’d set down roots anywhere.

Of course, once upon a time, they’d planned on settling down together. They’d designed a house when they were so young and tossing one dream after another out into the wind, hoping they would catch.

Regret tightened the corners of his mouth. Some things just weren’t meant to be, because when faced with reality, he hadn’t been able to take charge. The death of their unborn baby made him too wary to consider going down that path again.

When someone tapped on the glass of the front door, Nolan jerked around. A middle-aged couple stood on the other side and he shook his head and pointed to the closed sign.

Behind him, Pepper let out a gasp.

Nolan glanced over his shoulder. “You know them?”

Her eyes remained fixed on the door as she nodded and pressed a hand protectively over her stomach. She’d thrown on one of his T-shirts and still had on the same shorts from last night. Her hair had been washed but left down to dry in long, silky ringlets. Desire pulsed through him. He knew exactly what that hair felt like between his fingertips and draped over his body, but now was not the time to get turned on. Still, his fingers itched to touch those luscious locks again, to see if they were just as smooth as he remembered.

“Want me to get rid of them?” he asked.

The tapping grew louder, more persistent.

“They’ve already seen me.” Pepper raked a hand through her hair and finally looked his way. “I hate to ask this, but can you stay? I’m exhausted and this could get ugly. I know we’re not necessarily friends or anything, but—”

“I’ll stay.”

Whoever these people were, Pepper wasn’t happy about seeing them.

She crossed the store and placed one hand on the knob, the other on the lock. Throwing a look over her shoulder, she caught his eyes again. “Their son is the father of my baby. I’ve only met them once.”

A sense of unease roiled through him. Of course, he knew nothing about the father of her baby, other than the fact he was obviously not in the picture at the moment, but his parents showing up here from...wherever it was they were from was probably not good news for Pepper.

He bit back a curse. Why was he sticking around? Whatever Pepper had going on in her life was her concern, her business. He should be at Pebblebrook helping Colt with the ranch or coming up with things he could do at Hayes’s house. Hayes was one of his other brothers, and he would be home from his deployment overseas in two weeks.

With four Elliott boys, there was always someone in need of a helping hand. Nolan hadn’t seen Beau, Colt’s twin, in nearly a year. He’d been too busy shooting one film after the next. That must be the life he loved out there in LA, because he rarely came home.

The flick of the lock pulled Nolan’s attention back to the moment. Pepper moved back and opened the door.

The couple swept in like they owned the place. Nolan was instantly on alert. He didn’t like to stereotype, but he figured he had these people pegged. Expensive clothes, flashy car on the curb... He knew how much that car was because he’d had one, as well, and sold it for an upgrade. The way the woman looked condescendingly down at Pepper had Nolan taking a step closer, his protective instincts kicking into high gear.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wright. What are you doing here?” Pepper asked.

“We didn’t have a number to reach you, but Matt told us where you were moving to and we heard you opened a little shop in Stone River.” Mrs. Wright glanced around the shop, her nose snarled as she turned back to Pepper. “Is this typically how you come to work?”

“I’m actually not open today.” Pepper cast a worried look to Nolan. “We’re doing some minor renovations.”

The couple glanced to Nolan but immediately dismissed him. Most likely they figured him for the hired hand. That was fine. He wasn’t here to make friends or to give a good impression. He was here for...what? To support Pepper, although she didn’t want it and he had other things he really needed to be doing.

“Can we talk privately?” Mr. Wright asked quietly.

Pepper crossed her arms over her chest. “You can just tell me now.”

“We have some...devastating news.” Mrs. Wright swiped at her eyes, and Nolan knew that expression. He’d been a doctor long enough, had seen grief too many times to count. He took another step toward Pepper but resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. He wasn’t sure what the Wrights were going to do and he didn’t want to show his hand this soon and reveal that he and Pepper had a past. They didn’t need to know.

“Matt had a heart attack two nights ago,” the woman whispered as if speaking through the tears clogging her throat. “He didn’t make it.”

“Oh...no.” Pepper reached a hand out for support and Nolan grabbed it right away, the worry for her far outweighing the need to keep his distance. “But he was so young,” she murmured in disbelief.

Again, Nolan knew from experience that age meant nothing in the medical field.

“I know he told you he wanted nothing to do with this baby, but we do.” Mr. Wright wasn’t quite as emotional as his wife, and he seemed to be ready to get down to business. “We want full guardianship rights for the baby now that our son is...is gone.”

“What?” she whispered, her eyes widening in shock.

“We’re filing for sole custody. It just... It makes sense given how stable we are and the financial backing we can provide.”

Pepper’s hand tightened in Nolan’s. “No, you can’t do that. I don’t even know you. Matt paid me. He gave me money to leave him alone and to invest however I wanted for the future of the baby, provided I never contact him again. He signed his rights away right before I left...”

Pepper seemed to be rambling out of fear, and Nolan knew in that second he’d do anything to keep this baby in her life. Forget what happened between them years ago. Pepper needed someone in her corner and he damn well wasn’t going to leave her to face these vultures all alone. He owed her that much at least.

His chest constricted with guilt as realization struck. This Matt guy had treated Pepper like she was a burden...the same way Nolan had done years ago.

“Matt’s gone now,” the lady sniffed. “And we want to raise our grandchild. We’ve already contacted our team of attorneys.”

“What?” Pepper gasped.

“We aren’t questioning your parental skills, but we feel the child would be better off with us,” Mr. Wright reiterated. “We know our rights. We’re determined to have a DNA test done to prove we’re the grandparents. You have to be realistic here and see that we’re more financially stable.”

Nolan wrapped his arm around Pepper, which drew the attention of the other couple. “Pepper isn’t going to discuss this any further without talking to her attorney. If you’ll leave me your lawyers’ information, I’ll be sure to have someone contact them.”

Because he had his own team on retainer and he would be calling them before the Wrights pulled away from the curb.

Mrs. Wright’s eyes narrowed. “And who are you?”