Chapter 7 DAVIE
DAVIE
This man is more dangerous than I thought.
Marry him?!
Who would suggest such a thing to a stranger they just met?
Not a sane and responsible person.
But what worries me more than Cormac’s proposal is my gut reaction to agree. Sure, I produced the expected outward incredulity, but inside, his plan makes a whole lot of sense.
If he’s Jesse’s father.
“Okay, well, first things first. We need to determine if you’re Jesse’s bio dad.
Since it’s court-mandated, you’re required to use an approved lab for testing.
” I bite my lip, wishing Jessica had remembered—or known Cormac’s last name at the ruling—because then the information would have been couriered to him, rather than me needing to track him down across state lines.
Cormac pulls out his phone and starts typing. “There’s a doctor in town. Though it won’t be official, maybe we can get a rapid test done before moving forward.”
“Right… Wouldn’t want to make the trip for nothing.”
His head whips up so fast I jerk back in my seat, baffled over the fierceness in his gaze.
“I’m going to court with you no matter what,” he says. “It’s just a matter of knowing how strong our case will be. Married, so the bio aunt isn’t a single mom, since the judge doesn’t seem to approve of that, or married, so the bio aunt and bio dad are the obvious choice for placement.”
“Wait, you’ll marry me even if you’re not Jesse’s father?”
“Damn straight. Now, let’s get going. Dr. Landish will meet us at the clinic for the test. We’ll have to pick up Jesse to get his DNA, too.”
Everything is moving so fast that I don’t even protest when he guides me out the door with a large palm on my lower back.
We bypass my car for his truck before I remember Jesse’s car seat. After switching directions, the two of us load into my sedan with Cormac behind the steering wheel, despite his too-large frame in the small space, and drive toward the B&B.
I text Linnea a brief update to prepare her for our arrival, but a few short sentences barely scratch the surface of how this morning is turning out.
Glancing at Cormac in my periphery, I try to sort out the picture he makes. Grizzled rancher with shaggy hair and glints of silver in his beard, suntanned and burly from working outside, and armed with an explosive temper. He’s not exactly who I would have chosen as Jesse’s dad.
Or a husband.
You’re not marrying the man. He’s not serious about going through with a marriage.
Surely, he can’t be.
But the longer I stare, the more I sense Cormac’s not the type of man to make idle promises.