The Lumberjack's Nanny: A Forbidden Romance (Rockford Falls Romance)

by Natasha L. Black

  I stalked out before I could ram my fist into the wall in frustration. This was the last thing I wanted, extortion and the threat of a lawsuit for money or visitation or both, a huge dramatic mess. I shook my head as I hurried out of that building.

  I felt like I needed a shower to get the greasy feeling off of me after having to deal with Jenna.

  25

  Rahel

  Max was twenty minutes late coming home, which wasn’t like him. It must’ve been a busy day at work, was what I thought. Then he came into the house and gave Sadie an absentminded hug.

  “You’re off the rest of the week, full pay. Sadie and I are going on a little trip, spur of the moment thing. We’ll see you next Monday unless I message you with a schedule change,” he said abruptly.

  “Where are we going?” Sadie asked excitedly.

  I just looked at him. Way to put me in my place, just announcing as my boss that I was off for the week. I wanted to question him, wanted to talk to him alone, but I was running late for my shift at the diner.

  “Okay, you have fun, Sadie Lady. I’ll see you when you get back. Have your dad let you send me a picture, okay?” I said, giving her a hug.

  “I’ll give you a call later,” he said dismissively.

  I shot him a look that said I was hurt and angry by his attitude, but I breezed out, not wanting to say anything in front of Sadie. My shift was busy, which mostly kept my mind off of Max. I looked at the schedule to see where I could pick up some extra hours during the rest of the week, but I couldn’t decide whether to change it or not. I needed to talk to him. After I finished up and got in my car, I checked my phone. I had a missed call and a voicemail, both from Max.

  I sat in the parking lot and played the voicemail.

  A woman’s angry voice, muffled.

  “…you seduced me when I was young and poor and then used your money and power to take away my baby. Then I’ll take you to court. It’ll be messy. The kid will have to be questioned. Is that what you want?”

  Max’s voice, harder, colder than I’d ever heard it.

  “None of this from the moment you knocked on my door has been what I want. Give me a couple days and I’ll get back to you. Be good, stay quiet, stay the hell away from us.”

  I played the message three times start to finish, not knowing what to think. It must’ve been a pocket dial, a conversation I wasn’t meant to hear. I checked the time and it had been this afternoon when he was supposed to be at work. When he was with some woman, arguing, instead. My stomach lurched. I felt miserable over this, over him hiding something from me, and a creeping sense of betrayal. I thought I might throw up from it.

  26

  Max

  For a country girl used to running around barefoot all summer, Sadie sure liked city life. We were back in New York City for the first time since she was an infant, and as far as she was concerned, room service was mankind’s greatest invention. We’d been to the Museum of Natural History and I’d taken her to the top of the Empire State Building. The first one impressed her because of the big animals, but the viewing deck up high was boring to her. “Everything looks little,” she had said like I was wasting her time. I had laughed so hard at that. I’d even snapped a photo of her not-having-any-of-this-crap expression, thinking I’d send it to Rachel, but I’d stopped myself.

  I hated how I’d left things with her, but I had a strong instinct to get Sadie out of town and away from Jenna. I needed to consult my attorneys in person about this matter, so a quick trip was my best answer. It was almost two days since I’d seen Rachel though, and despite how much fun my daughter was having on this impromptu vacation, I was miserable. Every time I was about to call her, I couldn’t think of anything to say. Just to call and say I missed her would be disrespectful, pointing out that I didn’t trust her with my secrets, but I wished she was here for my comfort. It sounded shitty, and I didn’t want to be like that. But I wasn’t ready to disclose anything going on with Jenna until the situation was over and done with.

  Because I didn’t have childcare here, I insisted my attorneys meet with me in the living room of our hotel suite. I set Sadie up with a fruit plate and some cookies from room service and a movie to watch. Then I let the attorneys in the living room and explained the situation more fully than I had on the phone.

  “I reviewed the existing paperwork this morning, and it was iron-clad. When she signed away her parental rights, she effectively tied her own hands with regard to seeking visitation or financial maintenance. The agreement even specified that she wouldn’t seek to contact the minor child until she had reached her legal majority. She can be held in breach of contract if you want to go that far.”

  “Robert, I’d prefer to keep this out of court, obviously,” I said, my voice low as I glanced at the bedroom door where Sadie was watching Dumbo.

  “I see. Margaret and I have drawn up a possible solution but I’m not certain you’ll like it.”

  “Okay, what’s the possible solution?” I asked. “I came here for your advice.”

  Margaret held out a folder. “Since she doesn’t have legal recourse the only thing she can do is slander you, compromise your reputation, and make things uncomfortable for you. If needed we can prepare and request an order of protection against her, but right now she only qualifies as a nuisance. She has no legal claim to the child, but she can make your life difficult by talking to the media if she can get them to pay attention, that sort of thing. So, our advice is to give her a small lump-sum payment on the condition that she signs a contract stating that she will be given no additional monies or assets by yourself or your agents. If she attempts to extort you or slander you, we will bring a civil lawsuit against her. It will cost her any net worth she has plus legal fees.”

  “I don’t want to give her money. She’ll come back for more.”

  “That’s why she has to sign the paper to get the money. To safeguard against repeated attempts,” Margaret assured me.

  “She doesn’t even want Sadie,” I said quietly. “She just wants a payoff. It’s disgusting.”

  “Consider it valuable proof that Sadie was better off with you and that you made the right choice at the time,” Robert offered. I nodded, accepting the compliment.

  “Thank you both. I’ll take this and—and speak to Jenna about it. I hate it but I know you’re right. This is the only way out.”

  “There is a confidentiality agreement in the appendix. Make sure she initials it.”

  “Thank you again.”

  I walked them out and looked over the documents, resigned to the fact I was about to write Jenna a check for a hundred thousand dollars to walk away and never look back again.

  27

  Rachel

  I rinsed my mouth out, and then tried to brush my teeth without gagging myself. It was the second time I’d thrown up, and I felt sick all the time. Ever since I heard that voicemail. I was turning myself inside out worrying about what Max was hiding from me. Had he really forced Sadie’s mother to give her up? I was literally sick over it.

  I had to pull myself together. Not to mention the fact I worked in a diner where greasy food smells were everywhere. Normally I thought the French fries and chicken fingers smelled mouth-watering, even in the mornings. I loved yummy, salty home cooking. Lately, everything turned my stomach, though. Truth was, I was still working just the dinner shift. I didn’t take on any extra hours because I was beside myself over the argument I’d overheard on voicemail, over the cold and distant way Max had treated me and the radio silence from him since then. I couldn’t concentrate. I just slept and felt queasy and cried. It was a mix of feeling completely devastated and anxious along with puking. I didn’t really need the side order of vomiting to go with the emotional distress, but it wasn’t optional evidently.

  Laura called and I let it go to voicemail. Then she called right back. I knew she’d keep calling till I answered, so I picked it up.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “What’s up
?”

  “Nothing, I just haven’t been feeling great. I’ve got a stomach virus I think. I just—”

  “What else is wrong?” she asked, using her cop voice.

  “Max and Sadie left town on a trip. It wasn’t planned, it was all of a sudden. He just walked in late and said they were leaving in the morning and I had the week off. That’s it. No explanation, not even a phone call.”

  “So you slept with him and then you two are hanging out and you’re acting really happy and then he skips town with his kid?” she said.

  “I don’t think he committed a crime, if that’s what you’re implying,” I said.

  “That’s shady. He’s hiding something. Do you think maybe there was a death in the family? Something like that?”

  “He’s not close to his family. They’re not even in Sadie’s life. So I doubt it. I mean, I’d love it if that were the explanation but it’s not an excuse for him taking off without telling me why or giving me any indication of—”

  “Did you just dry heave?”

  “Yes. Sorry. I tried to eat yogurt. I thought the good bacteria in it would settle my stomach. It was peach flavored.” I gagged again.

  “I’m coming over and bringing soup. No arguments,” she said.

  When she got to my apartment, she let herself in with her key. I got up off the couch and looked around helplessly. I should have picked up the mail and the catalogs and the empty cups where I’d tried to drink water or tea. It was a mess. I was a mess.

  I took one look at her and burst into tears. Laura set the soup down and came and wrapped me in her strong hug. “I’ve got you. It’s gonna be okay. Either he comes back and apologizes to you and everything is fine, or else he’s a jackass and I frame him for drug trafficking. Either way, you’re good.”

  “Do not frame him for anything,” I said seriously.

  “I was kidding,” she said. “What?”

  “You were only kidding. I know you.”

  “I have never framed anyone in my life,” she said.

  “I believe you. But that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t if you thought it was karmic justice.”

  “I do like to imagine myself as an avenging angel with a badge. A sort of law-abiding would-be vigilante,” she said.

  “You have got to quit watching the CW, I swear,” I said, returning her hug. She laughed.

  “At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Now come try some soup.”

  “All I’ve heard from him is a voicemail and it had to be a pocket dial. Because I heard an argument between him and some woman, her saying that he took her baby because she was poor and young and alone and him saying she’d better be quiet and stay away,” I admitted.

  “Shit,” she said. “I can run a background on him at the station, see if there’s anything in his past that might be coming back to haunt him.”

  “No, thanks. Really. Don’t do that,” I said.

  “Okay, if you change your mind, let me know,” she said. “Meanwhile, check this out. Minestrone, fresh from my mom’s.”

  Laura took the lid off the soup. I glimpsed the shiny orange grease around the edge of the chunky red liquid and clapped my hand over my mouth. I ran for the bathroom and threw up again. Once I was cleaned up and I’d rinsed the horrible peach taste out of my mouth again, I came out of the bathroom.

  “Are you pregnant?” she demanded.

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Uh, no.” I replied. I looked at the date on my phone and realized my period was late. It had been a little over a month since I slept with Max the first time. “Maybe,” I said.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Laura took off and was back in ten minutes with a white paper bag from the pharmacy. She went in the bathroom with me and held my hands while I waited, afraid to look. I sat on the closed toilet, chewing my lip. I wanted to hide under a blanket, wanted to stop this from happening. What had I gotten myself into?

  “Two blue lines, sis,” she said when the timer went off. “Both positive. You’ve got a bun in the oven. A tiny bearded lumberjack growing in there.”

  “Oh my God,” I said. Tears sprang to my eyes. I had no idea what to do.

  28

  Max

  Jenna had agreed by phone and my attorneys wired her the documents. Once they were signed, Robert transferred the money into her account. When the owners of the White Birch confirmed she’d checked out, Sadie and I packed up. I hadn’t spoken to Rachel in days. I tried to call her, but she didn’t pick up. Worry was starting to creep in. I’d taken off so suddenly and been so absorbed in everything going on with Jenna that I hadn’t given her any explanation for why I left all at once. I still hadn’t figured out what to say to her, how much to disclose. She deserved to know, but I was also aware how it looked. How I was a wealthy man who had paid off the mother of his child to make her go away. There wasn’t a pretty side to that. I wanted her to trust that I acted for the best, but I could also see how it wasn’t the most flattering portrait of me. I needed to speak with her, get her to understand that I was protecting my family. That I’d stop at nothing to keep my family safe.

  With Jenna out of our lives, I felt like I could concentrate on what Rachel and I had begun together. I just needed to make sure she was still interested in a relationship with me after the way I had acted, taking off like that.

  When we got back to Rockford Falls, we went to the diner. The waitress said Rachel wasn’t there. I wanted to leave and go find her, but Sadie wanted a grilled cheese, so we stayed there and ate. After that, we headed over to Rachel’s apartment. I didn’t like the idea of showing up unannounced at her home, but she wasn’t at work and wasn’t answering my calls. I wanted to make sure she was okay.

  I knocked on her door. After a minute I heard shuffling footsteps and she opened the door. She looked pale with dark circles under her eyes. I wanted to pull her into my arms, but I hesitated. She shook her head.

  “I haven’t been feeling the best. It’s not a great time for a visit,” she smiled a little at Sadie. “I don’t want you to catch this nasty bug I’ve got. I’ll call you guys later if that’s okay.”

  I wanted to say something to her, but not in front of Sadie. “Get to feeling better,” I said instead, “let me know if you need anything.”

  She went back inside and closed the door. I took Sadie home and got her a bath and settled her with a story and song. When she was asleep, I let myself think about Rachel and what was going on. She wanted me out of there, and she did look like she’d been sick. There was something else going on. I had no right to ask, especially after I’d stonewalled her when she suspected something was amiss after Jenna showed up. But I was concerned for her.

  I was scrolling through my call log, trying to decide if I should ring her or if she’d be resting. I saw a call I didn’t remember making, a two-minute call to Rachel’s number from the afternoon I went to Jenna’s room at the bed and breakfast. I stared at it. Shit. It must have been a butt dial. Voicemails record for exactly two minutes. So there was a good chance she had gotten not only a garbled pocket dial call from me, but a voicemail excerpt of our conversation. No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with me, I thought ruefully. I wasn’t exactly polite that day. I owed Rachel an explanation. If I could even get her to hear me out, considering the fact that she had probably heard something pretty damning on the voicemail. I winced as I wondered which part of that exchange she’d overheard accidentally.

  I took a long breath and tried to call her again. I didn’t leave a message, figuring she wouldn’t listen to it. I texted her a couple of times. Then I waited and hoped she’d respond. I had done everything including standing on her doorstep uninvited and she had sent me away. I was going to have to do something I wasn’t accustomed to at all. I was going to have to wait, be patient, and let her take the lead. I sat in bed and stared crazily at my phone, wishing she’d call me.

  Every time I checked—and I checked too often�
��the messages I’d sent were on ‘read’. No reply. No triple dots of her typing and then deleting, no sign that she was going to respond to me at all. I sat there, knowing I deserved it, and knowing even more that if she was worth fighting for, she was worth waiting for as well. No matter how difficult it was for a man of action to be patient instead.

  29

  Rachel

  The alert on my phone pinged again. I knew it was Max. He’d been blowing up my phone with calls and texts. Wanting to apologize, wanting to see me, wanting to explain. The sharp ding of the alert was painful to hear. I didn’t want to deal with him. I had no idea what to say. What would he think of me? And with the way he had talked to the woman on the recording—'be good, stay quiet’—could I tell him about the pregnancy at all? I didn’t believe that Max had really taken anyone’s baby away from them. I knew him too well for that. But I also knew firsthand how masterful, how controlling he could be. Once he knew about the pregnancy, he would undoubtedly take charge of it. He’d want to make sure I wasn’t on my feet too much, that I took vitamins, drank enough water, went to all my appointments. In short, he’d want to take care of me, which was nice, but he would be overprotective, which was smothering. I wasn’t sure even someone as stubborn as I was, could hold out long under the force of his personality. A tiny part of me wondered if I wanted him to take over, if I wanted him to take charge and care for me.

  Another annoyingly cheerful ding from my phone. I picked it up, ready to shut it off for the evening. I was anxious and my phone lighting up and jingling all the time was getting on my nerves, especially when I was avoiding the fact that I had to tell him the truth. I glanced at the screen to check the time and saw the latest message he’d sent.