Lonetree Ranchers: Morgan

“Morgan, I want to know what—”

“I don’t want to argue with you, Samantha,” he interrupted. “It’s not good for you, and I really don’t have time for it. I’d like to get back to the Lonetree by lunchtime. So get dressed and I’ll meet you out front.”

Before she could demand answers, he grabbed the small overnight case she’d brought with her to the hospital, turned and left the room, leaving her to stare after him. She needed to get back to her grandfather’s ranch—make that hers now—to see about her car. And with very little money, she really didn’t have any other options of getting there.

She sighed heavily, then removing the tags from the jumper and T-shirt, slipped the pieces of lightweight cardboard into her purse. She wasn’t a charity case. As soon as she could, she’d pay Morgan back for the clothes.

Hurriedly changing from the hospital gown, she hardened her resolve to find out what he meant about the hospital bill being taken care of. They had a good sixty mile drive ahead of them, and if he’d done what she suspected, they were going to have a long talk on the way. A really long talk.

Fifteen minutes later, when the nurse guided the wheelchair through the double glass doors of the hospital’s front entrance, Morgan was leaning against the fender of his shiny silver-gray truck, his arms folded across his chest, boots crossed at the ankles. His denim jacket emphasized the width of his shoulders and his well-worn jeans hugged his muscular thighs like a second skin. She gulped. He looked like every woman’s fantasy—rugged, handsome and thoroughly masculine.

When he saw her, he smiled as he straightened to his full height and opened the passenger door of the shiny pickup. A tiny shiver coursed through her when his hand brushed her breast as he reached to take Timmy.

“You three make a nice little family,” the nurse said, watching Morgan cradle the baby with one arm, while he helped Samantha up onto the bench seat with the other. “Have a safe trip home.”

“Thanks. We’ll do that,” he said, handing the baby to Samantha. He closed the door of the truck before she could correct the nurse about them being a family.

“Why didn’t you tell her we aren’t together?” Samantha demanded when he slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition.

“It just seemed faster and a whole hell of a lot easier than explaining the situation,” he answered, shrugging one shoulder.

She fastened the seat belt over the car seat she’d had him get from her car the day before when he’d brought her and the baby to the hospital to be checked over. “You don’t approve of my having a child without a husband, do you?”

“I can’t say that I do, or don’t,” he said, putting the truck into gear. He steered it out onto the street, then glancing at her, added, “Samantha, I don’t know the circumstances.” His expression turned grim. “But the baby’s father should have been here to help you through this.”

She watched the easy way Morgan handled the big truck as he navigated the traffic. He was a man in complete control, and one who could be counted on in any situation. Unlike Timmy’s father.

Her chest tightened at the thought of the man who’d fathered a child he cared nothing about. How could she have been so wrong about Chad?

When they first started living together, they’d both worked at achieving the true give and take of a successful relationship. But six months later, Samantha suddenly realized that things had changed between them. She’d been the one doing all of the giving and he’d been the one doing the taking. Then one day she’d come home from work to find that he’d moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. That’s when she realized how shallow and uncaring Chad really was. He hadn’t even bothered to face her to tell her things were over between them. He’d left a rather impersonal note stuck to the front of the refrigerator, saying that he’d had fun, but that it was time for him to move on.

“There’s really not that much to tell,” she found herself saying. Why Morgan’s opinion mattered, she had no idea. But for some reason she wanted him to know that the choice to handle everything on her own, hadn’t been hers. “We weren’t married, and I didn’t find out I was pregnant until after he and I had parted company.”

She watched Morgan’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, and she knew what he was thinking before he even asked, “He doesn’t know about the baby?”

“Oh, I told him,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. She would not allow herself to dwell on how hurt she’d been by Chad’s decision. “I didn’t ask him for any kind of help when I told him. I just thought he should know he’d fathered a baby, and that he might want to be part of Timmy’s life. But he wasn’t interested in knowing his child now, or in the future. He offered to sign away all legal rights to Timmy, and I accepted. End of story.”

“Why would he do a dumb-ass thing like that?” Morgan asked bluntly. He shot her a scowl that stated quite clearly what he thought of Chad, and she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that it would be the last thing he’d do in the same situation.

Gazing down at her sleeping son, Samantha blinked back the threatening tears. “I suspect he thought it would insure that I’d never ask for any kind of financial help from him.”

Morgan snorted. “I think a man who shirks his responsibilities and denies his child should be shot.”

Samantha swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I think Timmy and I are better off this way.”

“How do you figure that?” Morgan asked, clearly unable to comprehend her reasoning.

“Chad turned out to be very selfish and self-centered,” she answered, gently touching her son’s soft cheek. She took a deep breath to chase away the sadness she always felt when she thought of all that Timmy would miss by not having a father. “Why would I want a man like that helping me raise my son? It’s not the kind of example I want set before Timmy. Besides, he deserves a father who loves him unconditionally, not one who simply views him as a monthly support check.”

Morgan was silent for several long moments before he nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. But when a man gets a woman pregnant, whether he ever sees the child or not, he has an obligation to help her.”

Reaching the outskirts of Laramie, he set the cruise control, then stretched his right arm out along the back of the seat. His fingers brushed her hair and she felt warmed all the way to her toes.

Startled by her reaction, Samantha scooted over to lean against the door. “I have a question,” she said, determined to regain her equilibrium.

He glanced her way and smiled. “And that would be?”

His easy expression caused her pulse to skip a beat. She took a deep breath to chase away her accompanying breathlessness. “When you walked into my room back at the hospital, you said everything had been taken care of at the business office. What did you mean?”

“Just that,” he said, staring at the road ahead. “The bill is paid.”

Samantha felt her stomach start to churn. “Would you like to tell me who paid it?”

“I did.”

Anger swept through her. “Why?”

“Call it a baby gift,” he said, his smile so darned charming that she had to fight the warmth filling her chest.

She shook her head as she tried desperately to hang on to her anger. “A baby gift is a high chair, a blanket, a set of bibs. It’s not paying a hospital bill.”

His smiled faded and a muscle began to work along his lean jaw. “Look, Samantha. I’ve got the money, and I don’t mind helping out.”

“I don’t need your help,” she said stubbornly. “I’m not a charity case.”

He shook his head. “I never said you were.”

“How much was the bill?” Reaching into her purse, she removed a pad of paper and a pen. “I’ll reimburse you as soon as I find a job.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Dammit, woman.” He looked exasperated. “I said no.”

“You’re used to people doing what you tell them to do, aren’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

He shrugged, but remained silent.

“Well, let me treat you to a reality check, cowboy.” She stuffed the paper and pen back into her handbag. “I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. I make my own decisions and I pay my own way.”

As she glared at Morgan, the baby suddenly opened his eyes, waved his little fists in protest and wailed at the top of his lungs. Their raised voices had startled him.

“Why don’t we put this argument on hold until we get home?” Morgan asked, steering the truck off the main road.

Samantha quieted the baby, then looking around at the scenery, she frowned. Nothing looked familiar and she knew for certain they hadn’t traveled this road when Morgan had taken her and Timmy to the hospital the day before.

“Where are we going?” she asked, noticing the neatly fenced pastures on either side of the road.