Claimed By The Rancher

There was no good way to answer that question and it was none of his concern anyway. “The contact information, please, and then you can go. Neither Pepper nor I will be discussing this any further without our attorneys present.”

Beneath his touch, Pepper trembled. If she could hold it together long enough for him to usher them out the door, she could break down all she wanted later. Nolan just needed to get her alone.

Mr. Wright gave the name of a high-powered attorney in Houston. Nolan knew his team was better, more ruthless, and there was no way this couple would take Pepper’s baby. Not as long as Nolan was in charge...and he had every intention of seeing this through.

Between the fire, the renovations and now this, Nolan didn’t see himself pulling away from Pepper anytime soon. Which was fine in the grand scheme of things. He owed her more than he could ever repay. So somehow he’d just have to find a way to resist temptation and keep his hands to himself.

Nolan released Pepper long enough to open the door and gesture for the Wrights to leave. “Don’t call or come back. Someone from my law firm will be in touch.”

“Pepper, don’t push us away,” Mrs. Wright said over her shoulder. “You’re carrying the only piece of our son that we have left.”

Nolan closed the door and slid the lock back into place. Pepper continued to stare at the spot where the older couple had just stood. He gently gripped her arm and guided her toward the back room, where he eased her down onto an old wooden chair at the desk as he propped his hip along the edge.

“What am I going to do?” she muttered aloud as she continued to stare at nothing in particular. “I don’t have an attorney and I can’t compete with them anyway. Their money, their power. I can’t let total strangers have custody of my baby.”

She never once looked up at him as she rattled off her concerns. But Nolan was taking all of this in. He leaned down over the desk, bracing his weight on his hands.

“Look at me,” he demanded. “I pay my lawyers a hefty fee. They’ll be on this case today and we’ll make sure they don’t take your child.”

Pepper blinked, sending a tear spilling down her cheek. “I used all the money Matt gave me to invest into this place. I wanted a secure future.”

A wave of fury surged through him. He hated this guy. Who the hell paid a woman to leave him alone?

Shame seized him once again. How had he been any different? He’d pushed her away with his actions, his harsh words. He’d been hurt from the loss of their baby—a baby he hadn’t realized he’d wanted until it was gone.

“My team will take care of this. I’ll put the call in now.”

Pepper shook her head. “No. I’ll handle this. I’m not leaning on you or anyone else.”

While Nolan admired her determination, he wasn’t about to argue with her idiotic logic. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“You have enough on your plate with this building and you said your funds were tied up here. How can you pay for an attorney? A good one you don’t have to second-guess about whether he’s doing what should be done to secure your child’s future with you? How are you going to do that?”

Pepper’s lips thinned as she shrugged one slender shoulder. “The same way I’ve gotten along these last ten years without you. I’ll find a way.”

He jerked in a breath. She was hurting, he understood that, but the jab she delivered had no doubt been bubbling below the surface just waiting to come out. He deserved that, but he wasn’t about to stick around for more verbal punches.

“My contractor is due here any minute to get an estimate ready for your insurance. I’ll have my attorney call you today, too. Don’t hold back with either guy and don’t worry about the money.”

“Says someone who’s never worried about money,” she muttered.

Nolan pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m trying to help and then I’ll stay out of your way. It’s clear you don’t want me around. I get that, Pepper, but I won’t let you deal with all of this on your own.”

Pepper tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “Fine. But I want an itemized list of all the charges so I can pay you back after the insurance kicks in. I may take a while, but I won’t be indebted to you.”

He wasn’t getting into that now. But Nolan had no intention of taking a dime from her. She needed to be stress-free, to concentrate on this pregnancy and a healthy baby, not worry about her new business and a looming custody suit.

To keep the peace, he merely nodded and then headed toward the back to talk to his contractor. He wanted everything done right, sparing no expense. And a few upgrades wouldn’t hurt in the apartment, either. Nolan wasn’t certain what it looked like before, but he planned on personally seeing to it that it was all up-to-date, with state-of-the-art appliances, whatever it took to ensure Pepper had everything she needed to live comfortably.

It was the least he could do. And, yes, guilt spurred his actions, but so what. He was a different man than he was ten years ago.

Except that part of him that still desired her. Damn it. After all this time of not seeing her, having her this close wasn’t something he’d prepared for. She was sexy as hell, her figure a bit fuller from the pregnancy, but she was breathtaking. The fact she wore one of his T-shirts was even more arousing because he recalled many other occasions when she’d wear his shirt...only his shirt.

Nolan headed back to the ranch, determined to work out his frustrations on the farm. But first he needed to call his attorney. There was no way in hell those people were going to take Pepper’s baby. Nolan would make certain of that.

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

Pepper ended up opening her shop later in the day. There was no reason she couldn’t work and she wanted to get her business up and running. She needed to be open to the public during peak hours, and thankfully, this old building was nestled right in the hustle and bustle of the small town.

Maybe if she spent some time on a painting to keep her mind occupied, that would help. Making something beautiful out of a blank canvas always calmed her nerves and right now she needed calm. Between the obvious stressful events of the fire and the contentious visit by the Wrights this morning, she was still reeling over the fact Nolan was so eager to offer help.

Throwing money around was the easy part, though. Perhaps that was the only way he could clear his conscience. Pepper didn’t want his guilt to spawn his actions. If he wanted to help, she’d rather it be because he actually wanted to, not because he was trying to make amends for the past.

As Pepper set up her easel in the back room, the shop’s phone rang. She glanced to the ID, but didn’t recognize the number.

“Painted Pansies.”

“Ms. Manning?” the deep male voice asked. “This is Jason Davis. I represent the Wright family.”

Pepper gripped the edge of the table and slowly sank into the chair. Her heart clenched as fear squeezed it like a vise.

“Is there a time you and your attorney can meet with us?”

Pepper’s mind raced. She hadn’t even talked to an attorney, had no idea if Nolan had even called anyone yet. This was all so fast, so unexpected, she had no idea what to do.

“Mr. Davis, I’m not sure when we could meet.” She hoped her voice sounded strong and confident, considering she was shaking like a leaf. “I’m speaking with my attorney today and he will be in touch.”

She hoped.

“My clients are willing to offer you a generous amount—”

“I won’t be bought or bullied, Mr. Davis. My lawyer will be in touch.”

Pepper hung up, tossed the phone from her jittery hand and attempted to pull in a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to scream, cry or run away and never look back. Maybe all of the above?

No. She wasn’t running. She’d left once before and had circled right back. She would stay and fight. This was where she’d put her roots down, where she’d raise her baby and grow her business. The decision had been made of necessity, but she’d chosen to stay because of her connections to this place.

Pepper had no idea who Nolan’s attorney was or if he could even fight, but there was no way she was going to just hand over her child.

A pang of sadness swept through her. She did feel terrible that Matt was gone. He wasn’t a bad guy. They’d been more friends than anything and he hadn’t wanted to be a father, but she wasn’t about to give his parents a replacement child. They might argue they had superior finances, but didn’t that just prove they were more concerned about money than the actual welfare of their grandchild? Who would be heartless enough to want to rip a baby away from its mother?

Pepper shot off a text to Nolan asking about his attorney because she needed to speak with him ASAP. When the bell on her door chimed, Pepper sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She had customers she needed to tend to. Reputation was everything and she couldn’t be in a bad mood with the public.

How simple would this all be if she could just lean on Nolan and use his power and influence to make the chaos and fear go away? She wanted her baby, her fresh start at life...and she wanted to seek solace in those captivating blue eyes of his.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t turn to him, because they weren’t over what had happened. They’d dodged the feelings, the hurt, the anger...and she’d left.

But she’d moved on. She’d grown up and she wouldn’t give in to temptation no matter how kind and supportive he was being. She knew what it was like to get her heart broken by him.