The Bachelor's Baby Dilemma

“I’m sorry.” He could see how distressing it was for her. It also explained why her ex wasn’t involved. She hadn’t owned the house with him.

“I’m down to a part-time job now. Enrollment is low at the studio where I work and some of my classes had to be cut. I’ve been looking for another part-time job to make up the difference, but I haven’t found anything yet.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I’ll get through it. Eric and Dana offered to let me stay with them after this place sells so I can take a little time to get on my feet and not burn through the money. Not that it will be that much. I messed up my equity by taking out that second loan.”

“How close are you to foreclosure?”

“The bank hasn’t started the proceeding yet, so there’s still time. But it concerns me.” She swallowed, as if a lump had formed in her throat. “I never imagined being this broke.”

“I understand. I’ve been through some tough times, too. My mom loaned me the money for the down payment on my stables, and she took a huge risk on me. It was a run-down facility, and building it into a successful operation didn’t happen overnight. It was touch-and-go there for a while. I was really worried that I was going to lose everything, including her investment in it.”

“What’s it like now?”

“It’s everything I envisioned it should be. We offer full-service boarding, riding lessons and trails to Griffith Park. The public can rent horses from us, of course, and go on guided tours of the trails, but we also provide rentals for the movie industry. It’s like the stables I worked at when I was a kid, except way nicer. We cater to both English and Western riders. We host equestrian events, too.”

“It sounds wonderful. I’m glad for you, Tanner.”

“Thanks. I hope things improve for you.”

“For now, I just need to sell my house.”

Deciding to be direct, he said, “I like this place. It has a lot going for it, but I don’t know if I’m going to make an offer. I still have other properties to see.”

“I understand, and I appreciate you letting me know up front. A lot of people have gushed over it, but then they disappear without a word.”

“I’ll let you know, either way.”

“Thank you.”

They exited her bedroom, and she walked him out to the porch.

Neither of them leaned forward for a hug. The emotion connected to this reunion was too heavy for a lighthearted embrace, and they both seemed to know it.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t hunger to take her in his arms or breathe in the scent of her skin or put his mouth against hers. If she was the kind of woman who was prone to affairs, he would seduce her, just to satisfy the longing. But he sensed that Candy wasn’t that kind of woman. That deep inside, she was the same proper girl he’d left behind.

Before the moment got ridiculously quiet, he repeated his promise to keep in touch. “I’ll call when I make a decision.”

“Okay.” Her gaze lit softly on his. “Talk to you later.”

“You, too.” He almost smoothed a strand of hair that blew across her cheek, but he caught himself, keeping his hands at his sides. Saying goodbye shouldn’t be this hard.

He descended the steps and strode out to his truck. By the time he climbed into the cab and glanced back at the house, Candy was no longer on the porch. But it was just as well. Tanner didn’t want to see her standing there, tempting him to feel things he didn’t want to feel.

* * *

Later that evening, Candy sat on the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her and her smartphone on speaker. She and Dana were in the midst of a conversation, with Candy relaying the events of the day.

“Tanner seems the same, but different.” A swoon-worthy boy who’d grown into a powerful man. Her heart was pounding just thinking about him. “It was a gripping reunion, that’s for sure. His life is even more mixed-up than mine.” She repeated his tale, going all the way back to when they were teenagers.

Dana reacted with sympathy. “That’s so awful for his family, to lose a baby. And now his other sister being in prison and being forced to be separated from her child. I can’t imagine how she must feel.”

“You wouldn’t have to imagine it. You wouldn’t have embezzled money from your job. But I feel sorry for her, too. She was such a sweet little girl when I knew her.”

“Tanner certainly must be a decent guy. I mean, let’s face it, not many men would do what he is doing. Eric was petrified of marrying me and becoming a new father, as you well remember. And here Tanner is going to be a father figure to his niece.”

“I agree that what he’s doing is admirable. But he’s beyond scared.” Candy blew out a sigh. “He’s concerned about everything, including how raising his niece over the next two years is going to affect his dating life.”

“Why? Is he a player?”

“I have no idea how much he plays around.” Nor did she want to envision him with a slew of women at his beck and call. “But he definitely likes being single. He made that clear. He’s even keeping his apartment at the equestrian center to make dating easier. I guess he doesn’t want to bring someone home to where his niece and the nanny are going to be.”

Dana went silent, as if the cogs in her pretty little blond head were turning. Then she said, “Why am I getting the feeling that his dating life bothers you?”

Candy’s pulse quickened. Should she admit that she was still attracted to him or keep that bit of information to herself? She opted for an evasive answer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Come on, fess up. Give me the skinny.”

She should have known better than to think she would get away with this. Fooling Dana was like trying to fool a wise old owl, even if Dana was younger than Candy. “All right, fine. There was definitely some rekindled heat between us.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.” A big sappy smile sounded in Dana’s voice. “Do you realize that he’s the first man you’ve been attracted to since your divorce?”

“Yes, and he’s someone I used to date. Starting up with him again would be a disaster.” A road that was better left untraveled.

“Maybe so, but at least you’re getting your libido back.”

She didn’t see where that was going to help, not if it left her fantasizing about him. She needed to be careful. Because if she let her hormones drive her, she just might do something she would regret. Even now, as she touched a finger to her lips, she could conjure the long-ago flavor of his kiss.

“I think he’s going to buy your house.”

Distracted, Candy nearly bit the tip of her finger. She was still dreaming about the taste of Tanner’s kiss. “You do? Why?”

“I just felt all along that something good would come of this.”

“You always think something good will come of everything.” Dana was a naturally positive person. She didn’t have to try to be happy; she just was. Candy worked heart and soul to feel that kind of inner bliss. “But I hope you’re right. If he buys it, then Ivy will be growing up in my house, and that’s a nice thought. I also like the idea of it becoming the place Meagan shares with her daughter.”

But what about Tanner? she asked herself.

How did she feel about him being part of the mix? Did she want him—this beautifully complicated man from her past—drinking coffee in her kitchen or showering in her tub or sleeping in her room?

Yes, heaven help her, she did. As romantically frazzled as her connection to him was, Candy was intrigued by the notion of Tanner living there, too.

Chapter Three (#ulink_10fd9442-bc28-552a-ad5b-e211a01e07ca)

The sun shined in the sky, reminiscent of the happy drawings Meagan used to do. But the crayon-colored weather didn’t improve the setting, and neither did the other families gathered on picnic-style benches. The chain-link fence and watchful eyes of prison guards ruined it. As much as Tanner loved his sister, he hated visiting her here.

Struggling not to frown, he glanced across their bench, where she sat attired in her unflattering uniform. Meagan was a level-one inmate, which meant that she was the least dangerous kind of offender. At the moment, she was considered special needs because of her pregnancy.