10. Emerson
CHAPTER 10
Emerson
A s grateful as I am that Toby doesn’t leave my side throughout the whole ordeal, the waves of embarrassment and worry make me want to be alone in my misery throughout the night. It’s bittersweet having him there, the reminder that I’m not alone, but that I should be, especially when he’s the reason for my predicament.
When a nurse comes by and tells him that visiting hours are over, he reminds him who he is.
“I’m Toby Collins,” he tells her without a hint of arrogance. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She stares at him like he’s sprouted a second head. In the end, he stays in an oversized reclining chair in the private room—one I still can’t believe they snagged for me.
And that’s where he stays, all night in the recliner. He doesn’t move except to get more coffee and use the bathroom.
Contrary to what Brock said about me being part of the Pine Sky crew, I wonder if they really would have done this for everyone, or if they did it because of my condition.
Toby has questions, as I’m sure they all do, but to his credit, he spends his time keeping me entertained when I’m not resting, showing me silly YouTube videos on his phone, or regaling me with stories about his time performing in rodeos.
I want to cry at his boyish charm, his concern thinly veiled through all of it. I really scared the hell out of him.
“I’m sorry you found me like that,” I tell him in the morning.
I’m more coherent now, better rested, and confident that the baby is fine. All the tests came back, and the ultrasound showed no issues.
He stands and stretches, the edge of his shirt revealing his flat and muscled stomach.
“Darlin’, all that matters is that you’re okay,” he tells me sincerely. “I’ve seen a lot of rodeo accidents in my time, but I haven’t seen anything that scared me nearly as much as that.”
“Why?” I’m surprised by his heartfelt confession.
He blinks as if his own words startled him, too. “I suppose because it caught me off-guard.” He perches at my bedside. “And we didn’t know what went wrong.”
His hand curls around mine, and I draw in a quivering breath. He’s only being kind and supportive, but his touch does more to me than I want to admit. I need this human contact right now. Tears flood my eyes, and sympathy floods his face.
“It’s gonna be all right, darlin’,” he promises. “Whatever this is.”
A knock on the door prevents me from blurting out the entire sordid truth, and I’m so grateful when the doctor enters.
“Good morning, Ms. Ward.”
Toby stands to allow the doctor to look me over, her bright eyes looking into mine. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than yesterday,” I answer.
“All your results look good,” she tells me, glancing at her handheld tablet. “And the baby’s good too. There’s no reason you can’t go home today. But you really should get an OBGYN if you don’t already have one. And you’ll need prenatal vitamins. If cost is an issue?—”
“It’s not,” Toby interjects. “Get her whatever she needs. The ranch will cover it.”
I part my lips to argue but clamp them just as quickly. Who am I to protest such a generous offer? One of these guys is the father of my baby… and they are my employers.
Oh, what the hell kind of mess did I walk myself into exactly?
“All right, well, I’ll get that prescription ready and your discharge paperwork. You can get yourself ready to go.”
She leaves us alone, and Toby starts to follow her outside. “I’ll leave you to dress and call Owen to come and get us.”
“Toby…”
He pauses and eyes me from the doorway.
“I… I don’t know how to thank you for everything.”
He lingers for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell us before?” he asks quietly. “Did you know you were pregnant when you interviewed for the job?”
I lower my eyes, gulping back the stone in my throat.
Slowly, he ambles back toward the bed. “Look,” he sighs. “I get you probably didn’t want to ruin your chances of getting hired, but if you’d told us, we wouldn’t have dumped so much on you the first week. You didn’t have to endanger yourself or the baby, Emmy.”
The way he says my nickname makes my heart flutter, but I know it’s because I’m feeling vulnerable.
“I can still do the job!” I protest, aghast. “You don’t need to treat me differently!”
He studies me, that fuzzy glimmer of recognition returning to his face, and I dart my eyes down again.
Shit. I still have to be careful.
“I can tell you’re strong,” he says kindly. “But you’re growing a whole other person in you now. Don’t forget about him—or her. Your body probably can’t do what you thought you could a few months ago. Please don’t do that again. I don’t ever want to find you like that.”
My heart catches in my throat. “Do you think Brock and Owen might make me leave?” I whisper.
He shakes his head vehemently. “I wouldn’t let them if they considered it. But even Brock’s not that big of an asshole—even if he pretends to be,” he reassures me. “Just get dressed. We’ll talk about it back at the ranch.”
Flashing me a smile, he retreats into the hall, leaving me to dress alone, but I know everything’s changed. I’m going to have a hell of a time collecting their DNA with them watching every move now.
* * *
Owen keeps peering at me in the rearview mirror, and I pretend not to notice as I stare out the truck’s window. Despite the circumstances, it’s a lovely drive back to the ranch, taking in the rolling hillside toward Pine Sky.
Cattle roam freely, and we pass a llama farm. The scent of sweetgrass wafts through the open windows and curbs my slight nausea, a formation of low, gray clouds rolling in over the east.
“Looks like rain,” Toby comments brightly.
Oh great. Now we’re talking about the weather.
“That’s all right. We can stay indoors and work on the horse rehabilitation plans,” I suggest.
The brothers exchange a look, and I tense when they don’t respond.
Oh God. They’re getting ready to fire me.
Tears well in my eyes, and I’m appalled at my reaction.
Oh no! No! No crying! No matter what happens back at the ranch, you will not cry!
The fusion of hormones and emotional turmoil is proving exhausting. I’d just given Toby a whole spiel about how competent I am, and now I’m about to dissolve into a puddle of tears. That’ll sell my case for sure.
Get it together, Emerson!
“I am getting back to work, aren’t I?” I press when they don’t respond.
Owen steers the truck up the driveway and through the gates of Pine Sky Ranch’s entrance. “Eventually,” he answers evasively. “Let’s just focus on getting you back home and settled first.”
He bypasses the office, and I smother a groan when I realize they’re taking me directly to the coach house.
“Oh…” I sigh. “Guys…”
“What?”
“I don’t want to go to the coach house. I want to get to work.”
The siblings look at one another again. “Brock is waiting at the house for you,” he explains. “We’ll talk there.”
My brow furrows so deeply it’s beginning to give me a migraine.
Brock sits on the small front porch outside the coach house as we pull up. He’s on his feet as soon as he sees the truck, and he ambles toward the vehicle to open the back door.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice even, but his gray eyes laced with concern.
I offer him a taut smile. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused.”
He steps back to let me out and closes the door as his brothers join us on the stoop.
“I want to get back to work today, Brock.”
Right away, he shakes his head.
“The doctor gave her the okay,” Owen explains quickly, as I part my lips to argue.
“Okay, but what happened in the first place?” he growls. “What if she pushes herself too hard, and it happens again?”
I bite on my lower lip. “It won’t,” I mutter, shamed. “I just?—”
“Is that what the doctor said?” Brock cuts me off. “Or is that what you’re assuming?”
I draw in a breath and meet his eyes evenly. “I didn’t handle the news of the pregnancy very well,” I confess honestly. “Instead of doing what I was supposed to do, seeing the doctor and taking the vitamins, I…I came here. I guess, in a way, I was running away from the truth and not confronting reality. But I am now.”
The triplets stare at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. A peculiar sense of déjà vu rushes through me. The three of them standing around me like this, watching me. It’s hot, and I’m momentarily distracted by the surge of heat rushing between my legs.
Woah.
My gaze shoots downward again, and I adjust my glasses nervously. “If I do what’s required and keep up with my appointments, nothing like that will happen again.”
Brock doesn’t look convinced.
“Guys, I can still do my job,” I plead. “This is what you hired me for, isn’t it? Otherwise, what am I doing here?”
“Why don’t you go inside and have a shower and get changed?” Owen suggests. “Give us a few minutes to talk things over.”
Toby nods encouragingly, and I sigh heavily, sensing I don’t have much of a choice.
“Fine,” I agree, making my way into the coach house. But when I’m inside, I don’t head to the bathroom. Instead, I sit near the open living room window to listen in on their conversation. I want to get some idea of what they’re planning to do with me.
“Fuck,” Brock grumbles. “Now what?”
“She wants to get back to work,” Owen replies. “I say let her. She’s still amazing at her job. That was never in question.”
“I agree,” Toby concedes. “She looks like she’s back to her old self.”
“And if she collapses again?” Brock barks. “This is a disaster!”
“Stop being so fucking dramatic,” Toby snorts. “We’ll keep an eye on her. You heard what she said. As long as she’s eating properly and not overdoing it, she’ll be fine.”
“I wonder what the deal is with the daddy,” Brock says. “That bastard should step up, wherever he is.”
I almost guffaw, and I cover my mouth with my hand.
“Maybe she’ll talk about it when she’s ready,” Owen proposes. “In the meantime, let’s try to regain some semblance of normalcy around here, okay? Let’s offer her some support and get back to business.”
There’s a moment of silence as Brock considers his brothers’ proposal.
“Fine. Tell her she can get back to work when she comes out. I’m going back to the office.”
The crunch of gravel follows his words, and I back away from the window to retreat to the bathroom, a smidgen of relief flooding through me.
Another small disaster averted for the time being, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to uphold this charade. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to let these boys know the truth about the baby I’m carrying.