Her Secret, His Baby

“Thank you. I am sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing.” There were manuals and chat rooms, even documentary-style television shows that revolved around pregnancy and birth. But none of them had outlined the protocol for how to weather whispered rumors, or break the news to appalled, overprotective brothers or how to cope with the gorgeous one-night stand you’d never expected to see again.

His smile faded. “If you’d told me the truth, maybe we could have figured it out together. For the record, since you broached the subject today, there’s no girlfriend, serious or otherwise.”

The declaration warmed her far more than it should have. Not because I’m interested in him romantically, but because I’d hate to complicate a third person’s life with all of this.

“Based on what Hugh said, can I safely assume there’s no guy in the picture?” he asked.

She almost laughed at the suggestion that she was dating anyone. How many men fantasized about meeting a gal who barfed for months on end, then began steadily swelling to the size of a beluga? The hint of vulnerability that flickered in Garrett’s gaze sobered her. Did he worry that someone else was poised to play the role of father to his child?

“No guy,” she said softly. Except you.

His tense shoulders lowered the merest fraction of an inch. There was relief and something less definable in his eyes. Possessiveness? Awareness sizzled through Arden, replacing her earlier lethargy with something more energetic. And far more complicated. Her voice caught in her throat.

Changing the subject, he clapped his palms together. “Point me in the direction of the kitchen. I’ll check out the dinner options.”

“I wasn’t kidding about rations being low.” She used the arms of the chair to hoist herself upward. “But I think we can manage salad and some grilled cheese sandwiches.”

As someone who lived alone, she wasn’t used to anyone else puttering around in her kitchen. Letting him wait on her would just be too weird. “Can I offer you something to drink? I don’t have any sodas or beer, but there’s lemonade or filtered water. I could brew some tea.”

“Lemonade sounds great.” He trailed her into the kitchen.

“I’ll get glasses. Lemonade’s in the fridge,” she directed. “And there should be some fruit salad left.”

He turned to the refrigerator but stopped when he caught sight of the sonogram photos secured with promotional magnets from the Donnelly ski lodge. The first picture was from so early in the pregnancy that the baby was a mere peanut-shaped blip; a circle the doctor had drawn in ink showed where the heart was. But the other pictures were from a recent appointment. It was easy to make out the baby’s head and profile.

“So, um, that’s the little guy. Figuratively speaking,” she clarified. “I have no idea what the gender is. I’ve decided to be surprised.” She’d had trouble explaining her decision to friends and family, but there had been enough ugly surprises in Arden’s life. Why not revel in one that was wonderful? “I’ve been calling the baby Peanut since I’m not sure what pronoun to use.”

Garrett traced his thumb lightly over the edge of a photo. “These are amazing. To have such a clear look at someone who’s not even... I’ve looked at bovine sonograms, but this—”

“Did you just compare pictures of our unborn child to those of cows?” she interrupted with mock indignation. Reaching around him, she pulled butter and cheese from the refrigerator.

He shrugged. “Hey, it’s the life I know. Sleep with a cowboy, you gotta expect the occasional livestock mention.”

“Good to know. I’ll keep that...” In mind for next time. The thoughtless words evaporated from her lips. Next time? With whom? Certainly not him.

For starters, her major lie of omission probably guaranteed there would never be anything tender between her and Garrett. That aside, romance of any kind had dropped completely off her list of priorities for the time being. She hoped that, eventually, she and Garrett could overcome the strain between them for their child’s sake, and develop a smooth, cordial relationship. Romantic entanglement was a risk that didn’t make sense. Long-distance dating was difficult under the best of circumstances, and if they braved a relationship, only to have it end badly... I’ll take ‘Ways to Make an Awkward Situation Even Worse’ for a thousand, Alex.

No, definitely not worth the gamble.

Casting about for a neutral topic, she placed buttered bread in the skillet. Since he’d made the joke about livestock, she decided that maybe his ranch was the safest subject.

“When you first told me what you do for a living,” she began, “you sounded like you really love it. Do you think you would have eventually found your way into ranching even if you hadn’t grown up surrounded by cattle and horses?”

He leaned against the kitchen counter, considering the question. “I honestly can’t say. It’s so much a part of who I am that I never gave any thought to another line of work. If I had to be cooped up inside an office like Hugh every day, I’d go stark raving mad. Running the Double F alongside my father... He’s a hell of a man. I always wanted to be—” He broke off, his jaw clenched. Tension lined his rugged face.

Was there conflict between Garrett and his dad? Arden flipped the cheese sandwiches, backtracking quickly. “What about your mom?” Her voice was too shrill with forced cheer, and she struggled to sound natural. “Are the two of you close?”

“Not currently.” He set the bowls of fruit salad on the table with a muted crash.

Strike two. “Any, uh, brothers? Sisters?”

“Only child.”

She chuckled bleakly. “You with no siblings, me with no parents. It’s like, between the two of us, we have enough puzzle pieces to make a whole family.”

“A family.” His expression darkened. “Maybe under different circumstances, we could have been. Maybe I would’ve known what it was like to teach my own son how to ride a horse, how to drive a tractor.” He stared her down, so much pain in his steely gaze that it stopped her breath. “You know what? I’m not hungry, after all. Guess I’ll head back into town.”

Garrett, wait. At least eat something before you leave. She followed him, but her protests never made it any farther than her mind. She’d made a sufficiently disastrous mess of things for one night. Given his charged mood and her own emotional unpredictability, it was probably best to let him go.

He hesitated at the door, his look almost menacing. “I’ll be in touch soon. Like it or not, we have a lot to discuss. I won’t be a stranger in my child’s life, Arden.” With that, he left.

Possibly to do online research on Colorado family law and paternity rights. He’d looked furious. Was he enraged enough to challenge her for custody?

She pushed the horrible thought away. Garrett was a good man. Yes, she’d screwed up by not telling him of her own volition that he would be a father, but the baby wouldn’t be here for another few months. She prayed that was enough time to somehow make this right.

Chapter Five

Garrett pulled over at the end of Arden’s street and texted Hugh, asking if his friend could meet him in town. Fifteen minutes later, both men were parking their vehicles outside Hugh’s favorite bar. The place didn’t look like much—the lot was gravel rather than pavement and a couple of the light poles had burned-out bulbs—but Garrett had been here before and knew that the food was good and the drinks were reasonably priced.

“Thanks for joining me,” Garrett said, his words brusque but sincere. “Feels like I’ve been asking you for a lot of favors lately. Hope I didn’t interrupt you and Darcy’s dinner.”

“Nah, she’s got book club at a friend’s and isn’t even home. For tonight, it’s just us guys.” Hugh squinted at him in the dim lighting. “So this might be a good time to finally tell me what brings you to town. Besides my obvious awesomeness.”

Garrett had no idea where to begin. The astonishment over his mother’s confession was still fresh, but now there was the tangle of Arden’s deception, too. He felt battered by lies and weighty decisions he needed to make. “What would you do if Darcy ever lied to you?”

“What, you mean like about how expensive a pair of boots were?” Hugh asked.

“No. About something major.”

Shaking his head, Hugh reached for the door to the bar. “She wouldn’t do that.”

Isn’t that what Garrett had told himself twenty-four hours ago? That Arden Cade wasn’t the kind of person who would hide her pregnancy from the baby’s father? Lord, had he been wrong. But maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. Apparently the closeness he’d felt between them during their night together had been merely superficial. An illusion. What did he really know about her?

That she’s a talented photographer and a young woman who’s lost too many people in her life, that she’s scared but already loves this baby fiercely. He didn’t want to empathize with her, but he couldn’t help admiring how she’d dealt with the deaths of her best friend, her nephew and her parents. Even though he was avoiding his own mother right now, the thought of either of his folks dying one day turned his stomach and made his flesh clammy.

The men stepped inside and waited for the hostess to find them an available booth.

Amid the bar’s many neon lights, the concern on Hugh’s face was unmistakable. “I don’t want to push, but, buddy, you look like you’re gonna snap if you don’t talk to someone.”

It was a fair assessment. “Okay, but this conversation will require some time. And definitely some beer.”

* * *

“CANNOT BELIEVE YOU’RE gonna be a daddy,” Hugh slurred. It wasn’t the first time he’d made the declaration. “I assumed it would be me before you. Since I’m, you know, actually married.”

“Hey, I figured it would be you and Darcy first, too.” Accepting reality was a cyclical process, one he’d been stuck repeating all day. It was like trying to unknot gnarled fishing line—each time he thought he was making progress, he’d have to start all over again.

“Have another glass,” Hugh suggested sympathetically. He’d gone through more than half the pitcher while Garrett, now the designated driver, was busy spilling the story. Or at least an abbreviated version of it. He got through the upsetting news of his mom’s affair, which had spawned this trip, to the secret of Arden’s pregnancy. But he left aside the issue of Will needing a kidney transplant for now. It was too much for one night.