Chapter 5 #2
Should’ve figured that just because it’s been a few months, our one-night stand wouldn’t stay under the radar for long. Nothing gets past Ma. She’s convinced my being single is a problem and keeps a hawk’s eye on anything remotely tied to my dating life—or, much to her dismay, the lack thereof.
I’ve dated casually in the past, but I’m far from boyfriend material.
Most of my days are spent running the ranch, and the little free time I do have goes to building a house on the far side of the property.
It’s slow going, but I hope to settle down someday, and when I do, I want a place that doesn’t feel like an extension of work and offers more privacy than I have now.
I push off the fence post and square my shoulders. “Don’t you have a missing mailbox to investigate?”
The corner of Walker’s mouth curves up. “Yeah, I’d better get going, but don’t think Ma will let this go. She’s been on me nonstop for months to talk to you about Charlie, and she won’t stop until she figures out what’s going on with you two.”
“She could just ask me,” I point out.
“And miss out on the fun of speculating?” Walker tips his head, laughing. “She would never.”
“The next time she brings it up, you can tell her nothing is going on between Charlie and me,” I grunt.
It’s the truth. Even if I wanted more, it wouldn’t make a difference. She was gone when I woke up the morning after the wedding and has been avoiding me since, making it crystal clear she wants to pretend it never happened.
I’ve tried convincing myself I’ve moved on, but that night keeps replaying in my mind—Charlie on all fours as I drove into her from behind, her breathy moans echoing through the room.
I should have talked to her after and admitted I wanted more, instead of going along with the act that what we shared meant nothing.
The truth is, it meant everything.
I’ve been haunted by the memory of her body wrapped around mine and the way her breathing evened out as she fell asleep in my arms. It made me realize that after all this time of trying to ignore how I felt, that’s where she was meant to be all along, and I’d give anything to make her mine.
The problem is, enough time has passed that I doubt she’d be willing to hear me out or assume I’m just trying to get her back in bed. No, I’ll have to play the long game and wait for another chance to make things right.
There’s no guarantee I’ll get another chance, but if the opportunity comes, I’m taking it—and this time, I’m not letting her go.
After Walker left, I spent the afternoon moving cattle to another pasture and wrangling Petunia and her friends back into their stalls.
They did everything they could to make the job as difficult as possible, somehow managing to leave my Wranglers caked in mud by the end of it.
I’m looking forward to a shower to get all the dirt and grime off me.
I’m just coming out of the barn, lifting my hat to wipe sweat from my brow, when Charlie comes into view.
What is she doing here?
She rarely comes to this side of the ranch anymore, now that Briar and Jensen have their own place a mile up the road, and certainly not after the night of the wedding.
I watch as she strides toward me, her red hair flowing in untamed waves, her eyes locked on me.
She’s a damn vision, and I hate how fast my pulse kicks up when she comes to a stop in front of me.
“You lost, hellcat?” I drawl.
“No.”
I prop a shoulder against the barn wall. “Here to admit you haven’t been able to stop thinking about our night together?”
Because I can’t.
“Yeah, not happening. That’s what got us into this mess to begin with,” she mutters cryptically.
I tilt my head, looking at her with confusion. “I’m not following.”
When Charlie doesn’t answer right away, I study her more closely and notice her tense shoulders and red-rimmed eyes.
Has she been crying?
“We need to talk,” she says with a slight tremor in her voice as she scans the area to make sure no one else is around.
“What’s going on? You in some kind of trouble?” I question.
If she was, I’d do just about anything to fix it for her. I hate seeing her anything less than bold and confident. Cheering her up has suddenly become my top priority, even if it comes at my own expense. Yet my whole plan is upended by the next words out of her mouth.
“I’m pregnant,” Charlie blurts out. “I took a test earlier, and it came back positive.”
I stare at her, my mind scrambling to catch up with what she’s just said. I’m pretty sure she’s telling me she’s having a baby.
She’d rather take on a raging bull than come to me with something like this, which means it’s mine. There’s no other reason she’d be standing here. The problem is, when I open my mouth to answer, the shock leaves me tongue-tied, and nothing that comes to mind feels adequate for the situation.
“Do you think I wanted this to happen?” Charlie huffs, finally breaking the silence, and takes a step back. “I figured you’d be an asshole, but the least you could do is respond… God, I knew coming here was a mistake.” Her voice cracks on the last word.
It’s rare to see her this rattled. She tends to keep her emotions locked down tight.
If I weren’t still processing the bombshell she just dropped, I might find her nervous rambling cute as hell.
As it is, all I can do is stare at her like the floor’s dropped out from under me, my thoughts refusing to form into coherent sentence.
She sighs, turning to leave, and I’m moving before I can stop myself, my fingers curling around her wrist. “Charlie, wait.”
She reluctantly meets my gaze, her emerald eyes cloudy with uncertainty. “Why?”
So I can figure out what the hell I’m supposed to do.
If I don’t fix this fast, she’s going to leave and will probably never speak to me again, which isn’t an option. Not after promising myself that if I ever got another chance to make her mine, I’d take it.
“You’re pregnant,” I repeat, still staring at her in disbelief.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Marry me.”
Charlie gapes at me. “Are you insane? I tell you that I’m pregnant, and your solution is to propose?”
I nod, taking a knee as I grab her hand. “You’re having my kid. I’m going to take care of you both.”