by Snow Novels
He shook the doorknob again and realized it was open. He turned it and gently pushed the door open, poking his head into the room before his body followed.
"Jackie?" he asked. She looked up from the bed. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet. He rushed to her, wanting to comfort her, but she pushed him away.
"Look," he said. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you heard—"
"I heard everything," she snapped. Her face was a mask of confusion and anger. "Did you get me pregnant on purpose? Just so you could collect that inheritance?"
"What! No!" Clay was shocked that she could think something like that. "I didn't even know about the condition in our father's will until the day that you showed up here."
Her eyes searched him, trying to decipher between truth and lies. "I promise you," he said. "I had no idea. I don't even care about the money."
She laughed. It was cynical and painted her face a distorted shade of red he didn't care for. "How can I believe anything you say?" Her eyes pleaded for an answer that would make her believe.
"Why didn't you tell me about the will sooner?" she asked.
"I didn't think... I didn't want you to think that had anything to do with why you were here."
He saw her soften the tiniest bit and took a chance. He walked to her and placed one hand on her shoulder. She shuddered but didn't brush him off.
"I love you," he said, simply. He saw her struggle to believe him. Then she pushed his hand away and stood up.
"You love me?" she asked, and he realized he'd made a mistake.
"Jackie—"
"No, don't call me that. You barely know me. You can't love me."
"But I do," he said, uncertain how to convince her.
She was shaking her head. "Enough of your lies. Get out." She pointed towards the door. Clay's heart ripped to shreds as he obeyed her wishes. She shut the door behind him and Clay stood there, listening to the sobs from inside her room, knowing there was nothing he could do right now to stop them.
Chapter 11
There was a soft tap on Jaclynn's door. She lifted her head from her pillow. Couldn't he just leave her be? "Go away Clay," she called, too tired to yell any more. Her whole body ached and her stomach fluttered with butterflies she wished would fly away and leave her alone.
"Jaclynn?" The voice spoke in a whisper.
"Becca?" She rose from her bed and opened the door. Becca stood outside with wide eyes. The look on her face was one of worry well beyond her years.
"Hi," Becca squeaked at her. Normally Becca was far from shy, but now she seemed like a timid child peeking in on her parents during a private moment.
Jaclynn opened the door wider and Becca stepped inside.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Becca said.
"I'm okay," Jaclynn said, her heart warmed to know that at least one person in this house cared about her.
Becca moved towards her cautiously, her feet taking small steps as Jaclynn stood by, the tears subsiding now. Finally, when Becca was close enough, she threw her arms around Jaclynn's waist and clung to her like Jaclynn might disappear if she let her go.
"Whoa," Jaclynn said, her balance tipping as Becca's weight pushed against her. Becca pulled her tight.
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Becca grinned and looked up at Jaclynn, who couldn't help grinning back.
"What did my brother do? Sometimes he's a dummy, but he's not mean. I can talk to him for you. I know him real well."
Jaclynn's smile widened. She moved to the bed and sat down. "Thank you Becca. I appreciate that, but it's not something that you can fix."
Becca's face fell. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
Jaclynn caught her breath in her throat. "I... I don't know. Maybe. Yes."
She didn't want to leave. She liked it here, or at least she thought she had. Now that she knew Clay had only been using her though, the sweet things he'd done for her since her arrival seemed cruel and heartless. "Yes," she said again. "I'm leaving."
"But why?" Becca pleaded. "I could understand if it was Mikey or Robert or Tully, but Clay is the best one. He's the only one who plays with me or helps me with homework. Other than Mama."
Jaclynn wished Becca's words were enough to convince her. She liked the image they conjured, of a family man who was kind and considerate. The kind of man she had thought Clay was up until today.
"Becca," Jaclynn began, wondering how to make her understand. "I'm glad Clay is so good to you. I'm sure he's a wonderful person."
"Then why are you leaving? Is it the fighting? My other brothers are always fighting over Daddy's money, but Clay isn't like that."
Jaclynn felt her pulse quicken. "He isn't?"
Becca shook her head, frantic to make Jaclynn stay. "No. He's never cared about money or land. I don't even think he knows how to write a check."
Jaclynn laughed and hugged Becca to her. If only she could believe what Becca said. But as Clay's brothers had pointed out, it seemed like too big of a coincidence. She didn't know what to believe just now. She had to get away. She had to think.
"Thanks Becca," Jaclynn said.
"For what?"
"For caring." Becca smiled and Jaclynn felt something in her stomach move.
"What is it?" Becca asked, alarmed.
"The baby. It just kicked." Jaclynn felt the movement in her belly again and smiled. "Want to feel?" Becca shook her head. Her eyes looked frightened. "It's okay. Here." Jaclynn took Becca's hand and placed it on her stomach. The baby kicked and Becca squealed, delighted.
"I'm gonna be an aunt!" she said, bending her head towards Jaclynn's stomach.
"Hello baby, I'm your Aunt Becca. I can't wait to meet you."
Jaclynn smiled and wished there was some way she could stay right here.
Chapter 12
Clay swallowed the last drops of his whiskey and wobbled around his trailer, looking for a fresh bottle. He still couldn't believe how quickly Jaclynn had been able to disregard him. He'd thought that the moment they'd shared together the previous night, when he'd held her in his arms and kissed her tenderly, was enough to convince her that he meant what he said.
"Doesn't matter," he said to himself. "If she doesn't want me then I don't want her." Only that was far from true and he knew it. His heart ached for her. His body felt empty without her there beside him.
He wanted to blame his brothers, but the truth was it was all his fault. If he'd only been completely open with her to begin with, none of this would have happened. His brothers had been all too eager when Clay had called their lawyer, after leaving Jaclynn's room, and told him to draw up a contract splitting the estate between all of them, including Becca. She wouldn't get her share till she was eighteen, but by then she might be more interested in roping a steer than going to Mars. Anyways, she deserved part of the land too.
Finding only another empty bottle, Clay wandered out of his trailer towards the bull pen. There were a few bulls all in stalls next to each other. The biggest one there was called Baby. A name given to it by its owner, who thought the irony of it was hilarious. Baby was far from small. Weighing as much as two other bulls combined, Baby came up almost to Clay's neck.
No one had ever ridden Baby and gotten away with it. She'd kicked riders, trampled them, and bucked them so far into the air they could've touched the clouds. Yet people returned to her over and over again to try their luck. It was part of Baby's appeal—no man could tame her, and any man that could was a step above and beyond what normal men were. What rodeo junkie could resist?
Clay stretched out one hand towards her now and Baby sniffed at him before crying out and bucking in her stall. She was ready for him whenever he was.
"Clay, what are you doing?" asked Mickey, Baby's owner.
"Just checking things out," Clay said. His mind was already calculating the odds.
"You ain't thinking of riding her?" Mickey asked.
Clay nodded.
"Sure you wanna do that? Maybe you want to wa
it till the booze leaks out of you a little more before you make up your mind."
Clay shook his head. "Nope, I'm good to go now. Let's do it. I'm gonna tame this beast."
Mickey shook his head. "Saddle her up boys," he called. "Looks like we got another death defier on our hands."
There were a series of whoops and several men appeared from nowhere. Suddenly Baby was saddled and ready to go, and Clay had no more time to think. He paused just before getting on, wondering if maybe he was making a mistake. Whatever Jaclynn thought of him now, he still had their child to think about. Then Jaclynn's dark eyes, soaked red from tears that he'd helped cause, flashed before him.
"Let's go," he called. He got on Baby's back and the door opened. She took off with barely a nudge from him, eager to prove her new challenger a fool. Baby was fast and threw her back up and into the air, jumping high and low, trying to find the best way to get the man off her back.
Clay held on tight, refusing to give up his seat even as she tossed him side to side. Men hollered at him from around the arena, cheering and calling his name. He wasn't sure, but he thought he'd already held onto Baby longer than any man before him. At least, it felt that way up here on her back. He was just starting to think he was gonna be the first one to ever beat Baby in the ring, when she kicked her back legs out and up, and Clay flew off her like he was made of cotton.
The last thought he had before Baby's legs came crashing down on him was that he hoped his child would remember him as a brave man, and that Jaclynn would know somehow how much he had loved her.
Chapter 13
Jaclynn stood by the door, waiting for her cab. She was going to the bus stop and back to Los Angeles. She couldn't see any other way. She needed distance. Clay's mother walked up behind her.
"Leaving so soon?" she asked.
Jaclynn nodded, unable to look the woman in her eyes. Martha had been very kind to her.
"I heard about the fight you and Clay had."
Jaclynn turned to her, her eyes filling with a new round of tears. She was getting sick of crying so much and wondered if the hormones could have anything to do with it.
"I just need to think things through," Jaclynn said, hoping that Martha would understand.
"I don't see what there is to think about. That boy loves you. It's obvious to everyone but you."
Jaclynn's eyes clouded over. "But he lied to me," she whispered. Clay's mom waved a hand through the air.
"All men lie once in a while. It's a fact. It's up to you to make him feel guilty enough that he doesn't do it again." Jaclynn smiled, not sure whether Martha was joking. "Besides," she continued, "all couples fight. Not all couples run away."
"I'm not running away," Jaclynn said, but suddenly she doubted herself. Maybe Martha had a point. "When did Clay find out about the provision in his father's will?" she asked.
Martha looked her steady in the eyes. "The same day you showed up," she said.
Jaclynn's heart spilled over into euphoric delight. Tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She never should have doubted Clay. He'd been nothing but kind to her since the first time they'd met. Martha put her arms around Jaclynn and pulled her into a hug.
The front door burst open and Clay's brother, Mike, ran in. He stopped when he saw them and pulled his hat off. His eyes were red. "There's been an accident," he said.
Jaclynn's heart jumped. "Is it Clay?" she asked.
Mike nodded. "Yes Ma'am." He looked at their mother. "Darn fool got drunk and tried to ride Baby."
"Is it bad?" Martha asked. Mike nodded. Jaclynn felt the world sway around her. "Whoa, steady on your feet girl. You're a country girl now, that means you're country tough. Your man needs you, so pony up and let's go."
Michael drove them to the hospital. Jaclynn saw the ambulance carrying Clay pull up just as they arrived. Her heart thumped in her chest and she felt light headed, then she shook her head and cleared the fog, running to Clay. His face was battered and large purple bruises were already forming around his eyes. She could see where the bull had kicked him in.
"Clay," she said, the tears so thick she could barely get his name out. She ran alongside the gurney as they ushered him through the doors.
A medic turned to her as they pushed him into the emergency area. "Sorry Ma'am, you'll have to wait here." Then the doors closed on her face.
She buried her head in her hands and sobbed. A hand, tough and strong, a lot like Clay's, took hold of her arm. She looked up to see Michael looking at her with sorrow in his eyes. "Come sit down," he said. "You should be with the family now." He ushered her into the waiting room and helped her into a seat next to Becca, who'd arrived only a minute before with Tully.
Clay's brothers sat around, waiting. She could see how hard it was for them to just sit. These were not men used to sitting and doing nothing. After what felt like an eternity, the doctor came out and told them Clay's injuries were bad, and the next forty-eight hours would be crucial in determining his outcome.
"Can we see him?" Jaclynn asked through her tears. Becca clung to her like a teddy bear.
"Yes," the doctor said, "but only for a moment."
Jaclynn and the others filed into Clay's room. His head was bandaged and his right leg was in a cast. His face was a swollen mass of flesh.
Jaclynn reached for his hand, the only part of him that didn't seem covered in bruises. "Clay," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you before. I love you too."
The room was silent except for the intruding beep of the machines as they kept Clay alive. Slowly, she felt his hand squeeze around hers.
Chapter 14
Clay's arrival home from the hospital was met with a giant banner strung across the front hall.
"Jaclynn and I did it together," Becca announced proudly as Michael wheeled Clay inside. It seemed like months since he'd been home, but they kept telling him it had only been two weeks. The first week had been a blur. He remembered hearing voices and knowing that people were in the room, but most of the time he couldn't tell who was who, especially when his brothers were there.
The only person he'd been able to identify consistently was Jackie. "She never left your side," his brothers had told him when he'd finally gotten his head set straight. "We were wrong about her."
Clay was glad his brothers were coming around. Jaclynn was going to be in their lives a long time now, because she was going to be in his life a long time. And whether she knew it yet or not, he wasn't going anywhere.
"Oh! The baby's kicking again!" Jaclynn shouted. Clay reached out his hand and touched her stomach. Inside, he felt the tiny pulse of something as it moved around inside her. It still hurt when he smiled, but he couldn't stop his lips from turning up.
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Becca asked.
Jaclynn and Clay looked at each other. "Doesn't matter," Clay said. "As long as they look half as good as their mother."
"And are half as sweet as their father," Jaclynn finished.
Martha went into the kitchen and returned a minute later with a tray of lemonade, coffee, and cake. "Welcome Home" had been spelled out in chocolate chips. "I did that part," Becca said. Everyone laughed.
"It's good to be home again," Clay said, squeezing Jaclynn's hand. Even now, just being near to her made his heart pound and his head tingle. "But before we get to the cake, I have something that I'd like to say." He looked at Michael, who grinned and handed him a small velvet box.
Jaclynn gasped. Everyone in the room grew silent, even Becca. "Jackie, I've never met a woman like you, and I know I never will again. The first time we met I knew you were special, and you've only proven that not just to me, but to everyone in this room. I love you more than I can ever say. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"
He opened the box and revealed a huge diamond set in platinum. It shined at Jaqueline like a star through a telescope. Her eyes welled with tears and she had to fight them back to get her words out.
"On one condition," s
he said.
Clay waited with his heart thumping. He'd never been so nervous in his life. He honestly had no idea what Jaclynn might say. They'd been through so much together in so short a time.
"You can never, ever, ever get drunk and go bull riding again."
Everyone laughed and Clay's face lit up. "It's a done deal," he said.
"In that case," Jaclynn said, taking a deep breath, "yes, I'll marry you."
His brothers burst into a round of cheers as Becca ran around the room hooting and hollering. His mother steadied herself as tears welled in her eyes. Clay wrapped his arms around Jaclynn's waist.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she replied. "And if I ever catch you near that bull again, you'll be even sorrier than you were when Baby trampled you." He smiled as the baby kicked against Jaclynn's stomach, in full agreement with its mother.
THE END
MAIN STORY 3
OF FATHERS AND SONS: A SECRET BABY REGENCY ROMANCE
Chapter 1
If there was a path in my life that I was supposed to take – one that would have helped me avoid the mess I created for myself – I missed it altogether.
I grew up wild and free, the daughter of nobility. My parents were wealthy and respected by the people of our community. They were educated, wise, and powerful beyond their years. However, the lives they led were lonely and false. They wanted me to experience life for what it should have been. They wanted me to break the rules, see the world, and fall in love.
That is what I was told until I was fifteen-years-old. Those morals, those beliefs, were instilled within me. By the time I was a teenager, nobility hadn’t become me. I was something more than that. I was wholly innocent of the world and, yet, I wanted to see it more than anyone I’d ever met.
My parents supported that. They always told me that, when I turned seventeen, I could leave. They told me that I would be happy – living my life away from the worries of maintaining a kingdom. They were willing to let me go, so that I could live.