Cowboy Daddy

by Hannah McBride

  With a deep breath, Ace turned back to the punching bag and slammed his hand into the fabric, imagining Cruz’s face beneath his fist. And for the first time, it sunk in that, whether he was going to be part of that child’s life or not, he was about to be a father to that precious child.

  He didn’t want to be like his father, a washed out old drunk who had been no good to anybody. He wanted to be a man of integrity, even though Ace wasn’t sure what that meant. He didn’t know much about integrity, honesty and trust, but he knew that he had to learn pretty quickly if he was going to be a good father.

  And for some reason that Ace couldn’t quite explain, he wanted that. He wanted to be better. He took a deep breath and settled himself in the knowledge that Cruz had not known anything about the studying he’d been doing online. He didn’t think that had anything to do with integrity or trust, but when the insomnia became too bad to manage or deal with and the stress of it all had gotten to his head, he had signed up to a few courses.

  He was getting through them faster than he had expected. He was supposedly stupid. That was what his teachers had always told him. Now he found himself working through the course work quickly, quicker than he had expected, and he realized that there might be more out there for him than fighting.

  But Ace still needed a plan, and he wasn’t even close to that yet. That was okay. Ace knew his plan would come with time.

  Chapter 13

  As Christie sat and listened to the man’s story, she felt a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. She realized, with a dull sense of panic that she had been so focused on chasing the story and keeping her job that she hadn’t really thought about the impact that the story could have on her. Or on the father of her child.

  The men that Ace talked about sounded dangerous. They sounded like the kind of men who would have no problem hurting a pregnant woman, just because she brought their story to the papers.

  She wanted the story, and she was desperate to keep her job, but she just hadn’t thought about what might happen if she eventually got the story that she had been chasing for so long and published it. She felt anxiety shiver through her like a brutally cold spell.

  “Hey lady, you listening? I’m not telling you twice.” He was a surly looking man, skinny and lean, with an edge to his face. He was a friend of a friend of a man she had talked to, and he had seemed very closed off until she had mentioned Ace’s name.

  She didn’t like mentioning Ace, even like this, but it was getting her information and that was what counted for her in the end.

  “Yes, of course. Please continue.” She smiled pleasantly.

  He snorted and continued, “Next fight’s in a few days’ time. It’s a big one too.” He shrugged, “I have no interest anymore, but word gets around when it’s a fight this damn big. Current champ versus a contender.”

  Christie nodded and pretended she knew who these people were. She had dressed down, hoping not to come across as a reporter and it seemed to be working.

  “Really?” She smiled and tried her best to seem interested, “Where will it be held?”

  The man shook his head with a sneer, “It’s not worth my life to tell you, sweetheart. If you don’t know, you don’t know.” He frowned, “Besides, I thought you knew Ace? He’s the damn champ.”

  Christie felt a little giddy at his words. Ace was the current champion? He was in this big fight? She felt nausea creep into her gut. If she blew this open while he was fighting, the police would get him.

  She sighed, “I know him. We haven’t talked for a while.”

  “Oh I see.” He snickered and gave her a dark look, “Good luck, then.”

  He fished a cigarette from his pocket and lit up, a puff of smoke clouding his face, “That’s all I have for you.”

  Christie smiled and nodded, “Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me, you know.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He waved her off and Christie could tell that she would not be getting any more information from him.

  With a sigh, she stepped away, walking down the street and wondering where the nearest coffee shop was. She really wanted a coffee, but she had been cutting back, trying to stick with tea. It was only adding to her exhaustion, which Christie was feeling all the time regardless of how much sleep she was getting.

  Then again, sleep seemed to be eluding her as well. She spent her nights worrying about the baby, worrying about the story, worrying about her job and thinking about Ace. It was a potent mix and it did absolutely nothing for her sleep. She was left feeling tired, exhausted and anxious almost all the time and it was really starting to get on Christie’s nerves.

  She mulled over what her informant had said while she ordered a cup of tea from the lady at the counter. She received it quickly and sipped it slowly, savoring the taste of it. When she was done, she set off back down the street. She had to get back to work soon, as she’d only booked out an hour or so for field work. Christie was convinced that she was getting very close. She now knew the time and date of the fight and even who was fighting in it.

  She just needed a location and she would be fine. She’d be able to go and have a look, jot down important names and details, and get out of there with a great story.

  Still, she was beginning to realize that it was a risky move. These people seemed to be dangerous and well connected and Christie wasn’t sure if she was getting in over her head here by pushing their buttons. But she really didn’t have a choice. She needed the story. She needed the work. It wasn’t an option to quit now. Taking a deep breath, Christie tried to work through her options as she stepped into the warmth of the office. Maybe she could convince her boss to let her publish the story under another name.

  Maybe she could hand him the written story and let him take the glory, while letting her keep the job. She sighed and shook her head. Whoever published the story would be the one who got the full wrath of those they were crossing. She wasn’t sure she could put anyone else in danger like that. Also, she wasn’t completely sure that if she handed over the story it would no longer be her problem.

  As Christie sat down at her desk, she realized that her own thoughts were echoing something that Ace had said to her, about not wanting to put her in danger. For the first time she had a glimpse into what he might be feeling. For the first time, she realized that he might have acted to protect her from a world that was more dangerous that she had been able to comprehend. Even now, she knew that she didn’t truly understand the full extent of it. She was, after all, from a small town.

  Thoughts of Ace surfaced in a rush, and suddenly, Christie couldn’t stop thinking about his smile over dinner, the way his hands had felt on her body, the feel of his lips on hers, the way his eyes sparkled when he saw her, and of course, how he filled her so completely.

  Tears flooded her eyes and Christie squeezed them shut tightly, refusing to entertain the misery that tried to take up residence in her chest. She had to keep moving forward, for the baby’s sake as well as her own. She couldn’t be sitting at work crying over Ace.

  Taking a deep breath, Christie marked off her calendar. The fight was approaching soon and Christie vowed that she would have a location by the time it happened. She would have that story and she would have to deal with the consequences. Fear tingled through her but she steeled her resolve. After all, what choice did she have?

  Chapter 14

  “Jason, I need you to take care of it.” Cruz’s voice was hard and low, but Ace could hear it across the room where he was training. There was a tension in his voice that Ace hadn’t heard for a long time. He seemed to be getting really worked up about this fight, and Ace felt sick thinking about how much money was probably riding on it. He thought about his own savings account and determined that he could probably live on it for a few years, if he didn’t support anyone else, or try and pay for an education.

  The few courses that he had completed got him nowhere close to the degree he eventually wanted to get, but they were a start. Still, wi
thout money, a degree was completely out of his reach, and he needed an education, then experience, in order to earn real money.

  He sighed and got back to work, trying to tune out Cruz’s angry voice and work through his own chaotic thoughts. It wasn’t until he heard mention of a reporter that he started listening.

  “She’s getting too damn close, Jason. Find out who it is and teach her a lesson.”

  Ace felt ice slide down his chest and into his heart. A reporter? What if Cruz was talking about Christie? If they roughed her up, even just gently... Ace shuddered at the realization of what that could mean.

  She could lose the baby. He could lose his child. The sudden thought shot through him like lightning. Ace swallowed the panic in his chest. He couldn’t let anything happen to Christie, but he couldn’t just jump down Cruz’s throat, or he’d know she was close to him. As casually as possible, he stretched and made his way over to the two men.

  “Trouble?” He looked as disinterested as possible, even when his heart was pounding in his chest and making him feel sick.

  Cruz glared at him and Jason just shrugged, “A reporter has been sniffing around and she is getting way to close for comfort, you know?”

  “Yeah.” Ace nodded, “She know about the fight or something?”

  Cruz nodded and looked more than just a little uptight about it, so Ace tried a different tact, “Look, I know some guys at the bar who work close to the big newspaper offices. I might be able to put out some feelers if you leave it with me.”

  Cruz relaxed a little and Jason grinned, “Saves me trying to find her on blind luck. Sure thing.”

  “Make sure you do it soon.” Cruz snarled, “She better be out of the picture before the fight, and I don’t care how you do it,” he said as he stormed off.

  Ace felt a huge rush of urgency in his gut. He couldn’t let Christie get hurt because of him. Not now, not ever. With determination in his heart, Ace followed in Cruz’s footsteps. He needed to fix this and now, and he finally had an idea of how to do it.

  He just hoped that Christie would listen to him after all he had done.

  ***

  Ace raced out of the club as quickly as he could, feeling a burning sensation in his chest as he thought through it all. He couldn’t let them hurt Christie. She was sweet and was working hard to make sure that she did the right thing. She wasn’t the kind of person who deserved to be hurt.

  Ace was a different story. He fought for a living, cheated, lied and hurt the people who cared about him. He deserved to be hurt, but not Christie. Not Christie and certainly not the baby. His baby. His guts twisted and he felt sick. He shook his head and jumped in a taxi.

  He swallowed, feeling almost lightheaded at the rush. Why did she have to chase this story? The thought left him feeling a rush of anger inside his chest. He understood that she was serious about her job, and that she needed to keep it, but it wasn’t worth putting herself in danger.

  And, okay, he knew that reporters often didn’t care about putting themselves in danger, and that was something that he could understand, in a not so distant sort of way. But what he couldn’t understand was the fact that Christie was willing to put the baby in danger. She had been so protective, so determined to make sure that the baby was safe. The thought of her putting that same baby in danger seemed unfathomable to Ace.

  And then it hit him, tumbling down like a ton of bricks and slamming him on the head. He felt nauseous, and he swore under his breath. Of course. It was because of the baby. Ace remembered, with a sudden and vivid clarity, the pictures that she had painted him about her family and home life. She had not been supported or believed in when she spoke of her dreams. No one had wanted her to leave the town and go to work in the city. No one had believed that she would make it.

  If she was to go back home now, pregnant and without a husband, she wouldn’t have achieved her dream, and would have returned as a failure. Her friends and family would not have been kind about it. And they would consider the baby to be illegitimate. At best, they would take her back in and she’d never escape the shame that she would be constantly reminded of.

  She was doing what she did because she had very little choice. She needed to make sure she got a great story; a story that would support her and her unborn child. Ace felt a pain within his stomach. He had put her in danger. He stared out at the darkening sky. Until he found a way to put a plan into motion, he couldn’t be around her, or expose her to any more risk.

  But at the same time, he had to try and get her to accept his help, let her know that, financially, she didn’t have to do this alone. He’d help. He would support her and the baby, financially at least, even if it cost him all he had. He couldn’t promise more than that. Not yet. Life was still too unstable, but he could promise her at least that. Ace felt an odd sense of nerves in his gut and he pushed it away. Now wasn’t the time for nerves. It was do or die time, and like he had done dozens of times before, he got ready for action.

  Chapter 15

  A knock on the door woke Christie out of her thoughts. She had been home, lost in her work, pouring over her notes spread out across the kitchen table, trying to figure out what it all meant and what she needed to focus on. She was close to determining the location- she could feel it. She knew in her gut that she wasn’t far at all, and all of the signs were pointing in one direction.

  She had narrowed the area down to a couple of places downtown that could house a fighting ring and seat a few hundred high-paying fans.

  Christie began to feel worried. The fights had sounded brutal when the man had described them, although he seemed to enjoy the thought, instead of finding them dreadful like Christie did. And then she thought of Ace. She knew that there were many parts of him that she didn’t understand, but she also saw kindness in him, and couldn’t believe that he would want to fight that badly.

  On occasion, it crossed Christie's mind that Ace had been staying away for another reason. Christie sighed and tried to push thoughts of Ace out of her heart and her head. He was through with her. He had made that very clear and Christie knew better than to keep pressing the matter.

  The knock on the door surprised Christie. She was startled because she wasn’t expecting company. She headed over, and after peering through the window, she opened the door, and looked out curiously.

  Ace looked tired, and the clothes that he wore were workout clothes, rather than the polished shirts she usually saw him in. He looked at her for a long moment, “Can I come in?”

  “No.” The answer was immediate and short. Christie could already feel anger burning through her at the fact that he was showing up there, at her doorstep, asking to come in as if nothing had happened. No apology, no nothing.

  Her heart ached for him, but something in his eyes, in his posture and his stance, gave her the impression that he came to talk about something serious. He wasn’t here about romance. Christie glanced back at her table full of notes. He was probably there about work.

  She tensed and wondered if she should call the police. Was he here to hurt her? He had never shown any signs of it before, but what if something had changed? After all, he showed a lot of loyalty to his job, and Christie would not be surprised if he turned on her.

  Instead of getting angry, Ace just frowned, an urgency in his eyes, “Christie, I know you’re mad at me, but this isn’t about us.”

  “Then you can leave.” She said and she was surprised at cold she was to him. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, but there was something holding her back.

  “Christie, I don’t want to fight with you. I just need to warn you.”

  Christie walked directly to the door to close it but he grabbed it immediately, “Christie, you have to listen to me!”

  “Why should I!?” Christie didn’t mean to yell, but it came out loud anyway, loud and angry and hurt.

  “Because if you keep digging in the club’s affairs, you’re going to get yourself hurt!”

  “Why do you care,
Ace?” Her voice was soft now.

  “I care because I ... I don’t want you hurt.” He seemed angry, frustrated, but Christie found it difficult to care.

  “I don’t want you hurt. That’s all.” He sighed and frowned, looking wound up, “My boss is beyond pissed that you’re snooping, but he doesn’t know who you are yet. He has people looking out for you with instructions to rough you up if you don’t stop what you’re doing.”

  Christie stepped back, fear flicking in her eyes. She felt a knot in her stomach. If that happened, the baby could be put at risk. She swallowed and shifted her weight. What if they are really after me, she wondered.

  She swallowed her fear and narrowed her eyes, “Ace, I don’t have a choice.”

  “Yes, you do! Look, I’ve already said I’d help you with the money.” Pain flickered in Ace’s eyes, “I don’t want you to have to struggle, Christie. I don’t want you to have to put yourself in danger.”

  Christie felt anger burn inside of her, “I can make it without you. If you don’t want to be part of this baby’s life, then I don’t want your money.”

  “I can’t be a part of the baby’s life!” He looked angry now.

  “Then just go!” Tears welled up in Christie’s eyes and she buried her face in her hands.

  “Christie…” His voice softened, something hurt and broken at the corners, but Christie couldn’t lift her head. She was finished with all this fighting. She wanted Ace, but she didn’t want all this pain.

  “Christie, I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere and his voice caught, “I want to be a part, I want to be…here. I just…” Ace took a deep breath, “Until I’m out of this club, I’ll only be putting you and the baby in danger.”

  Christie slowly lifted her head, understanding finally dawning. Ace looked upset, his eyes serious and pained, “Leaving the club is dangerous. There’s no exit date in the contract, you know? You leave and you know trade secrets, so they like to make sure you know not to cross them.”