Chapter Four
Four
Maybe he’d been too harsh, too demanding.
Ryan gripped his steering wheel as he headed back toward Yellow Rose Ranch.
His plans today had been coffee with a contractor to discuss some remodeling of his guest house, riding the fence lines to check for weak or worn areas, then talking with his ranch foreman about moving a herd to another pasture. He got two of the three done.
Running into Morgan earlier had put a spin on the end of his day. Now he knew why she’d been so cryptic. While he did meet with the contractor and ride the fence line, he sure as hell didn’t have the mental capacity or the energy to discuss moving cattle.
Tomorrow he’d have to go back to the contractor and discuss renovating some of his main house, as well. Adding in a nursery close to the main bedroom would have to take priority over renovating the guest cottage.
A baby. He was going to have a baby. Well, Morgan was having a baby. Their baby.
The idea that he had a chance now at the family he’d always wanted thrilled him. He was going to have a legacy, someone to pass all of his land and his estate down to, and a new generation of Carters.
He’d almost had that lifestyle once, but it had all been ripped from his hands. He’d thought himself in love, but he’d been young and naive with stars in his eyes. He was older now, wiser, and he sure as hell didn’t believe in love. What did that have to do with marriage?
With Morgan so adamant against marriage, he had to think she didn’t believe in love, either.
Her mind worked similar to his in the manner of business.
They were more alike in that way than he’d ever thought before, so now he had a leg up.
He would have to use that angle to his advantage to get her to see his way.
Of course, using her attraction wouldn’t hurt, either.
She’d been damn near ready to climb up his body back at her boutique.
Just thinking of how hot she made him had Ryan really wishing she’d just agreed to his proposal and come back to the ranch.
What did she have to think about? She hadn’t given his proposal any consideration before she threw out her automatic rejection.
Why wouldn’t she want to marry him? He took offense to that, actually. Because she was Vic’s sister, they’d known each other for several years. They were damn good together in bed and they were going to have a child together. Many marriages were built on much less.
Maybe she hadn’t wanted a shotgun wedding and perhaps his delivery could have used a little finesse, but in his defense, he’d been caught off guard.
A pregnancy was definitely not something he’d been expecting.
Ryan merely thought she’d been acting cagey because she hadn’t seen him since their night together.
He thought she felt awkward, but apparently she’d known that morning and had been afraid to say anything.
He honestly had no idea how Morgan was handling the news. He hadn’t asked and he also hadn’t asked her how she was feeling. He’d gone straight into selfish mode because he’d instantly panicked and flashed back to seven years ago when his fiancée left him standing like a fool.
He’d vowed then to put himself and his ranch above anything and anyone else.
But that time period didn’t give him the excuse or green light to be an ass. Morgan deserved better and he’d never win her over by being a bully. He had to rethink and regroup.
He’d won arguments with her before and all he’d had to do was think like her. She wanted to have the control, so all he had to do was make her believe she held the reins and he’d win once again. Because this would be their most important argument to date.
Ryan’s cell chimed just as he pulled into his drive. He paused in front of the automatic gate beneath the arch that had the ranch logo and name on display.
He saw Jayden’s name and tapped his screen. Ryan put the call on the speaker as the gate slowly slid open to give him access.
“Hey.”
“Bad time?”
“No,” Ryan replied.
“I just called to vent. You sure you’re not busy?”
“Let me guess. Heath Thurston?”
“Damn straight,” Jayden confirmed.
Ryan’s best friend had always been a go-with-the-flow type of guy and never let anything rattle him. But this nonsense about Heath’s claim of oil beneath the Lattimore and Grandin ranches had turned the entire town of Royal upside down and had everyone questioning everything they’d known.
Was it any wonder Jayden Lattimore was so upset? The idea of someone digging beneath a ranch that had sat for decades untouched wouldn’t sit well with anyone.
“I’m just damn thankful the surveyor didn’t find any oil beneath the estates,” Jayden stated. “But Heath is still a pain in my ass.”
Ryan pulled up next to the stables instead of going on back to the barn. He needed to unwind and a nice, long ride might do the trick.
“Heath was looking for what he thought was a serious payout with oil,” Jayden went on. “Who knows what he’ll do now that he is losing ground with his claims.”
“He really needs to end this,” Ryan grunted.
“Agreed. Nolan says Heath’s heart is in the right place, but I don’t see how. I’ll never understand how those two can be twins and be polar opposites.”
According to Jayden and Vic, Cynthia, the mother of Nolan and Heath, had oil rights deeded to her by the Grandins and Lattimores.
Supposedly the oil sat beneath the two largest ranches in Royal—owned by the wealthiest families.
Upon her death, the deed would have gone to her daughter Ashley, if she’d lived.
Now it was with the Thurston boys, and Heath had been hell-bent on staking his claim since he’d found the papers in his mother’s effects.
All that did was cause an uproar for the past several months. Having the Lattimores and the Grandins as enemies wasn’t the smartest move, but Heath didn’t seem to mind. Clearly he had his eyes on the prize—the oil.
Ryan killed his engine and rested his arm on his console. “How are things going with Zanai?”
“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
A stirring of something akin to jealousy coursed through him.
Where the hell had that come from? Jayden and Zanai were in love.
That wasn’t an area Ryan ever wanted to venture into again.
To open up and be exposed to such vulnerability seemed like a nightmare.
Ryan was happy for his friend, though, and wouldn’t say anything to degrade what he’d found.
“So, how is your love life?” Jayden asked. “Anything to report?”
No way would he be getting into this, especially now that Morgan carried his child.
And that was just another area he and Morgan need to discuss. When and how would they tell people? Time was not on their side and a baby clearly couldn’t be hidden away forever. They couldn’t even hide their secret a few months.
“Nothing to share,” Ryan told his friend.
“Is that right? Well, I guess you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Ryan didn’t want to say anything more and give Jayden clues to what happened immediately following the Masquerade Ball.
“I’ll let you go,” Jayden told him. “I assume I’ll see you at the Christmas party, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Ryan disconnected the call.
The Christmas party at the Cattleman’s Club was always the biggest event of the season. Now Ryan had to decide if he wanted to show up alone or if Morgan would be on his arm. If she went with him, everyone would know the status of their relationship had changed.
Clearly everything hinged on what Morgan decided she’d do as far as they were concerned.
And that was where he came in. He owed her an apology for not asking about her health, he owed her an apology for assuming she’d just drop everything and be thankful for his proposal, and he needed to figure out how the hell to get her to marry him.
Damn it. Apologizing wasn’t something he’d ever had to do with her. They’d run into each other at various events or restaurants, get into a quarrel, and go on about their way. Odd, but that was just their thing.
Apologizing would be a big move in this new path with their relationship.
Ryan stepped from his truck and headed toward the stable. He hadn’t ridden Midnight in some time and his oldest, dearest horse was just what he needed to get a clearer picture of his future...and his potential bride.
Morgan scooted the raw edge table from the front of her store toward the middle.
She had piles of clothes stacked all around the perimeter of the showroom and had rearranged twice already.
She was tired, irritable, and she had a mess on her hands that needed to be put back together before she opened in the morning.
Right now she either wanted to call in Kylie for emergency help or sit in the middle of this pile of accessories and shoes and cry.
She didn’t even know which thing she’d be crying about, so maybe just a good blanket cry to get everything out would be best. Then she could be done and move on stronger than ever.
She really should have waited on Kylie to help her, but Morgan had needed to get some of her frustrations out. Her business she could control, so she’d always used this passion as her outlet.
Morgan stared at the table placement and hated this spot, too.
She should just burn the thing and start from scratch.
Maybe she needed to hire a designer to come in and have a nice renovation.
Hell, while she was at it, she should change the name of the store.
The Rancher’s Daughter seemed so...simple.
Morgan blew out a sigh and rubbed her hands over her face. She couldn’t very well change everything all at once. She was just irritated and scared as hell that her life was out of control right now. She was grasping at anything that was within her power to maneuver or change.