Mountain Man's Accidental Baby Daughter (A Mountain Man's Baby Romance)

by Lia Lee

  “You don’t have to go to court to get what you want. Often, you just have to show these people that you are willing to see it through. If you can outlast them before it becomes too much trouble, they’ll give up.”

  “I think landlords like this know that anyone who rents from them doesn’t have the time or the money to devote to really taking them down.” April swirled her pasta onto her fork and left it there. “I just feel stupid, you know? I should have known that things would turn out so badly. I shouldn’t have trusted the managers to do the right thing.”

  “You can’t scold yourself for making bad decisions when your choices are so severely limited,” Samson said. “Let me come down there with you. I cost nothing, and I’m certain that if they can be intimidated, I will do so.”

  “I bet you will.” April’s lips curved to the side.

  “That’s a yes?”

  “If you really want to waste a day arguing with a brick wall. Be my guest.”

  ***

  Samson had once heard of a social theory that one could physically feel out of place somewhere that contrasted too sharply with one’s upbringing. Walking into the front gate of April’s old apartment complex on a Thursday afternoon made Samson wonder if that theory were true. He’d never been in a space that was so clearly not for him. He wasn’t sure that it was for anybody.

  “Try to look more uncomfortable. I think that will keep people from robbing you,” April drawled.

  “Stop, you. We have a few minutes. Show me around.”

  “Yes, sir.” April led the way. “Over here is the lovely green chlorinated pool that you swim in if you would like to get a yeast infection.”

  “I—What?”

  “Right behind the main office, that’s where all of the mail for everyone is located.”

  “That seems inconvenient for such a large complex.”

  “The postman is as freaked out by this place as you are.”

  Samson slipped his hands into his pockets and scanned around the complex. The grass had looked nice from the front, but as he walked through, he could see it browning and dying, which was a pity because the large, shady trees and the space for greenery would have been a high point off this complex. He could see cracked, impassible sidewalks between the buildings. Rain gutters were bent. The fence was almost halfway to the ground on one side.

  “What happened there?” Samson pointed to the fence.

  “People jump it. Mostly tenants, honestly, since otherwise, they have to walk all the way around to the entrance.”

  “Why walk? Can’t they drive in?”

  “They could, if they owned cars. Not everyone in this neighborhood owns one.”

  Samson scowled. “Then they should design the gate so people can come in at different points.”

  April shrugged. “Preaching to the choir. But a fence won’t work here, anyway. It has to be at least half a wall, with fencing on top and specific points where the tenants can get in. The gate for the parking lot doesn’t even work. It never has. You just drive on through, or walk.”

  “Why in the world did you live here?”

  “I couldn’t afford rent anywhere else.”

  Samson rolled his eyes. “You are the most stubborn human being. You could have been living with Lana, and you chose to live here. That says something about you, as a person.”

  “Yes, it says that I’m used to having to take care of myself.”

  Samson was about to argue that she didn’t have to do that anymore when his eyes shifted over to several men sitting on the stoop of their apartment, playing some kind of card game. He was about to ask about that when a tiny dark-skinned woman with a huge laundry basket on her hip came up to the steps to shoo them off before she went inside. The men made a few rude noises at her and then returned to their game once she’d gone in.

  “Would a wall help this place?” Samson asked doubtfully.

  “To a degree. There would have to be other structural changes, and you would have to do some rebuilding. And the tenants would have to be able to still live here, if you started doing renovations. The rent has to stay sort of low. Partially because most folks aren’t going to live this far from the center of town in a bad neighborhood, even if you fix up a complex or two.”

  “Hmm.” Samson took his hands out of his pockets and put his arm around April. She leaned into him.

  “Hey there, pretty lady!” a man wearing sunglasses called to them cheerfully. He was around April’s age, and dressed in a blue tank top over a pair of threadbare jeans.

  “Hi, Rene!” April waved. “Still stuck in this place?”

  “Welcome to Hell, babe. Be glad you got out.” Rene propped his sunglasses on top of his head and peered up at Samson. “Good God, you’re tall. How tall are you?”

  “I’m six-foot-five.”

  “He should play basketball,” Rene told April.

  April grinned. “Samson, this is my old neighbor, Rene. He lives a couple of units down from where I did.”

  “Yeah, they had her strung out on that last unit by the fence like bait. A girl all alone right there where creeps come crawling in.” Rene shook his head. “They knew what they was doin’. And April, she never bothered anybody a day in her life. They couldn’t’ve asked for a quieter renter. But they went and ran her out just the same.”

  “I appreciated you keeping an eye out for me, anyway.”

  “I do, as well. Thank you for looking out for my girl,” Samson said.

  “You went and caught you a good one, didn’t you?” Rene laughed and put his sunglasses back on. “He’s a big one! Hope he takes care of you.”

  “He tries. I make it hard for him. We’re here to talk to the property manager.”

  “Ugh. Good luck with that.” Rene shook his head. He put his hands on his hips. “Whew. Gotta go, kiddo. I’ll see you around, maybe. Hopefully not, though!”

  “Thanks!”

  As he departed, Samson pulled April closer.

  “Rene is harmless,” she said.

  “It’s not him I’m worried about. I hate that you lived here alone.”

  “It’s really not the worst place I’ve lived.”

  Samson sighed and headed back for the front office. “I wish you wouldn’t minimize your experiences like that. Just because there are worse options, does not mean that what’s in front of you isn’t still objectively terrible.”

  “A lot of people don’t have a choice but to live in a place like this. Or on the street.”

  “I’d imagine you would have to be facing that choice if you ended up here.”

  “Yes.”

  Samson felt another sense of disconnect when he stepped into the office. The air conditioning was ice-cold, and the rich brown wood furniture spoke to funding that this complex clearly did not allot for the tenants.

  It wasn’t that April had been stupid to trust the people here. It was that this office was a trap. He recognized it for what it was: The front to a scam, getting people to choose this location over other low-rent locations, and then bilking them out of what little money they had once they signed a contract.

  Samson sucked in his cheeks, swallowed hard, and then put on a bright smile as he approached the young man at the desk. “Hello. My name is Samson Bennett, CEO of Bennett Industries United. I have a meeting with your property manager.”

  “Oh! Good afternoon, sir. I’ll go see if she’s in.”

  Samson flattened his lips and looked down at the young man. “She had better be in. As I said, we have a meeting, and I expect that my time will not be wasted.”

  “I-I’ll just go see if she’s in.” The young man disappeared down the hallway.

  “He knows,” April said quietly. “They’re just instructed to never let people back to her. Tenants tend to come in kind of pissed.”

  “I bet they do.”

  The property manager came out of her office dressed with the precision and care of a high-powered executive. That told him that she was probably paid eithe
r too much, or too little. Either way, she was probably already looking around for employment elsewhere.

  Samson took her hand firmly. “You would be Erin Morris, yes?”

  “Absolutely, Mr. Bennett. We cleared time just for you.”

  “That seems strange to me, since your secretary seemed not to have any idea you had a meeting. It seems strange to me that you have two desks out here for secretaries, but your desk is out of sight.” Samson started moving toward her office, and she was compelled to motion for him to come in.

  “Well, it’s really a matter of making sure that I can get the property business done without interruption.”

  “I see.”

  Erin looked to April. “And this would be?”

  “I’m April Lucas. I used to live here.”

  Erin’s demeanor changed on dime. Gone was the friendly, inviting business woman, and out came the stern property manager. So that was her reaction to a tenant.

  Samson pulled the chairs in front of her desk closer and motioned for April to sit down. “April was sent an erroneously high bill charging her for fees that she should not have to pay. I would like to talk to you about that, as well as other matters that should be addressed around the complex.”

  “With all due respect, Mr. Bennett, this is none of your business,” Erin said sharply.

  “I think you’ll find that I am perfectly capable—”

  “Who are you? Her boyfriend? She’s going to have to deal with this bill herself.”

  “These charges—”

  “No, no, no.” Erin shook her head repeatedly.

  Samson stood and loomed over her as he put the bill on her desk.

  “Sir, you’re going to have to sit down.”

  “You are charging her for repairs that were the result of your poor security, in addition to fees you have no call to charge once her apartment was re-rented.”

  “I cannot talk to you about this, Mr. Bennett.”

  “It would be in your best interests for you to talk about this with me, Ms. Morris. These fees are not legal.”

  “I cannot talk with you about—” she paused. “How do I know you weren’t staying in the apartment with her? How do we know you didn’t break down that door in a fight with her?”

  April let out a burst of laughter.

  Samson ignored her. “For starters, I wasn’t in the state when it happened. Are you this belligerent with everyone who comes into your office, or am I just special? Are you familiar with renters’ rights in your state? Because I have been involved in real estate since I turned twenty-three, and trust me, Texas may have one of the more unforgiving standard contracts, but you cannot simply do whatever you want.”

  “Miss Lucas skipped out on her contract and is legally obligated to pay rent for the rest of the time on her lease!”

  Samson pointed at her sternly. “You evicted her illegally and then re-rented the apartment, and she is not obligated for the amount of rent after you have someone else in that apartment. Her lease is very clear on this matter.”

  Samson’s voice was beginning to rise in spite of himself. This woman was tremendously stubborn. The owner must have taught her to reject any claim from a tenant out of hand.

  “But she is still obligated for the door, for the deposit—”

  “You already kept the deposit, which should be deducted from the cost of the door.”

  “Cleaning fees—”

  “And part of the damage to the door frame came from your handymen and should not be given to her.”

  “—Re-renting fees and rent until that apartment was filled!” Erin shouted. “She has been negligent in payment and owes the complex money, starting with a water bill that she never paid. So unless you are here to pay her bills, Mr. Bennett, you should leave!”

  Samson looked at his watch, sat down, crossed his legs, and glanced over to April.

  “I told you so,” she said.

  “Do you ever tire of being right?”

  “Nope. I am tired of arguing with this bitch, though. She’s even worse over the phone.”

  “You two need to leave my office before I have to have you removed,” Erin said.

  The phone rang.

  “You need to get that.” Samson folded his hands. “We’ll wait.”

  Erin waited for another two rings staring them down before picking it up. “Imperial Apartments, this is Erin Morris speaking… Oh, hello, sir.”

  Samson smirked at April and waggled his brows.

  “What did you do?” she whispered.

  “Yes. Yes, sir, he’s here.” Erin’s eyes bulged as she looked up at Samson again. “You sold him the complex? Um, okay.” She took the phone away from her ear. “Mr. Scott would like to speak with you.”

  “Excellent.” Samson took the phone and grinned from ear to ear. “Bob! Good to talk to you again.”

  Samson had not paid much for the complex as far as his investments went. However, the expression on Erin’s face was absolutely priceless. After chatting with Bob for a moment, since he had asked the man earlier to give him a call shortly into his meeting with Erin, he put down the phone and watched Erin silently, waiting for her to respond.

  Finally, he sighed and looked at his watch. “Well, I don’t have all day. As the new owner of the complex, you should know that I’ve resolved April’s debt. You should also know that every member of the management here, especially you thanks to that delightful conversation we just had, is fired for gross incompetence. Effective immediately. You should clear out your desk before I have you removed.”

  Chapter Eleven

  April hadn’t asked Samson to intervene. She wanted to handle it herself. But after watching him breeze in and take on the Wicked Witch of Imperial Valley Drive, she couldn’t help but be both proud and impressed. This definitely wasn’t the kind of property most businesses would take on unless they were looking for some good PR.

  After they got back in the car and Samson assured her that he had the new management coming up that afternoon, she talked his ear off about what they could do to make the complex both better and more profitable. He listened, but he was also smiling this odd little smile. Not quite smug, and not quite happy, but quietly both. He snuck glances at her whenever he could.

  When she asked him to pull over to a Sonic, he laughed outright.

  “I’m hungry,” she whined.

  “I can take you someplace nice.”

  “I don’t want something nice. I want a burger and fries, and a cherry limeade.”

  “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”

  Bowing to her command, he pulled into the Sonic and rolled down his window. “Is this really food?”

  “Yes! Don’t be a snob.”

  “Fine.” He reached over for the button. “We would like a cheeseburger—”

  “Double cheeseburger, no onions, extra pickle,” she clarified. “And fries. No! Tots.”

  “Right. That, plus a cherry limeade,” He looked to her for confirmation. “And then I’ll have… a grilled chicken wrap, and I guess I’ll try a frozen cherry limeade.”

  When the food came, April sighed contentedly and leaned on his shoulder as she sunk her teeth into her burger. “Mm, God. I love how you humor me and my trash tastes.”

  “You aren’t usually this bad.”

  “Just wait. When we get back to your place, I’m going to make you watch garbage reality TV on Bravo.”

  Samson kissed the top of her head and tried his drink. “This isn’t bad. It’s probably diabetes in a paper cup, but it’s not bad.”

  “It’s fine. Ohhhh,” she groaned.

  “You should’ve told me that I could make you come from a burger. I’ve never even seen you eat a burger. It’s always salads and spring rolls and the occasional bit of fish.”

  “I don’t usually eat red meat. I just crave it sometimes when I’m about to… Um.” April stuffed a tot in her mouth.

  “About to what?” Samson looked down at her in confusion and then chuckled.
“Oh. Right.”

  “What do you think you’re right about?”

  “I have a sister and have dated a million women. Shouldn’t you have been craving a burger by now? We’ve been dating longer than a month.”

  “If you’ve dated a million women, you know that some of us are sort of hit and miss with the timing of our burger cravings. But when I do get burger cravings, they are intense. I once had a clinic doctor tell me I should go on birth control to even things out, but I never had real insurance until now.” April wiped her mouth.

  “I’m always safe, so you don’t have to unless it helps your overall health.” He stroked his hand down her shoulder.

  “I have been looking through our network for a doctor. I’m overdue.” April picked off a pickle and ate it, enjoying the crunch. She didn’t usually worry about being a little bit late with her period, but now that she thought about it… She was very late. It couldn’t be possible, though. She watched him put a condom on every time. He was a fanatic about it.

  The thought nibbled away at the edge of her consciousness for the rest of the day. It caused her to second guess every twinge in her body. It should all add up to hormones, but what kind? If it added up to a baby, what would Samson do? Was he still against having children? Would he leave her? Could she force herself to get rid of it, just for him?

  That night, she lie awake staring at the ceiling and wondering what she should do. Of course, the obvious answer was that she should find out for certain and have a talk with Samson about it. That was the most rational answer. Part of her wanted to ignore it and hope that it was just her body being out of sync due to stress again.

  Part of her knew. She moved her hand down her stomach to her lower abdomen. It was warm and firm and, in spite of her odd eating habits over the past week, mostly flat. But chances were, it wouldn’t be for long.

  April slipped away Sunday afternoon, claiming she needed to take care of some things back at the apartment. It frustrated her a bit because she was excited to get started on revamping Imperial Apartments, but she couldn’t wait to find out if her life had changed.

  She picked up the test in a convenience store on the corner a block from Lana’s apartment and pulled into a space next to their building with a squeal of tires. She ran upstairs and, finding an empty apartment, and locked herself in the bathroom. Roughly three minutes later, she sat on the edge of the tub, numb and dumbfounded.