by Cora Seton
Ethan’s eyebrows shot for his hairline. “Are you really that traditional?”
She flushed. “No. Obviously not.”
“Then what’s really eating you?”
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
A coil of unease tightened in Ethan’s stomach. She was hiding something – something she knew he wouldn’t want to know. Well, he wouldn’t abide that kind of behavior. He took her hand and tugged it gently until she looked up at him.
“No secrets. That’s my one rule for this marriage – everything else we can negotiate. Whatever it is you need to tell me you tell me right now. I won’t bite. I may be angry, I may not; depends on what you’re hiding. But I won’t hurt you – we’ll figure it out.”
She shook her head again. “I can’t.”
“Autumn. Spill it.”
* * * * *
Autumn sucked in a breath. There was no denying the authority in that tone of voice. He’d guessed right away she was keeping a secret – now he wouldn’t give in until she told him everything.
No. Not everything.
Just enough to distract him from her real secret.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
Ethan’s mouth opened, closed, then opened again. “You came here to marry me pregnant with someone else’s baby?”
“What? No! Of course not. I haven’t been with a man in three years!” Hysterical laughter bubbled up in her throat at this particular misunderstanding, but she clamped it back, knowing full well it wouldn’t help her any. “I mean I’m…not on birth control. And we didn’t use any protection that first time and…I feel different. I know it’s too soon to tell. I know it’s crazy, but I just…know. I’m sorry. I should have said something last night before we made love. It just happened so fast and I was drunk…”
He stood, knocking his chair to the floor. “You’re not on birth control. And you didn’t tell me? How many times have you done this?”
She sat back like she’d been slapped. “Done what?”
“Had unprotected sex with a stranger and then extorted money from him. Is that how you make your living? Is that what this is all about? You sleep around, get knocked up, gather diamond rings, then take off, get rid of the baby, and cash in?”
“No!” She stood, too. “How can you say that? I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never met anyone who made me lose my head, or...I just told you. I haven’t been with another man in three years. I was waiting – waiting until I could take care of myself, so I wouldn’t ever get stuck in a relationship with a man like you!”
“What do you mean, a man like me?”
“A selfish, arrogant, misogynistic control freak who’ll steal the best years of my life, lure me into depending on him and then dump me the minute he finds someone younger and prettier.”
She stormed out of the room and back to the spare bedroom, locking the door behind her. That was fantastic, Autumn – way to keep the story going. After this he’d kick her out for sure and then where would she be?
“Autumn.” His voice was muffled through the solid bedroom door, but she could tell he was calmer now. “Open up. We have to talk this through. I’m sorry I yelled, but you can’t blame me for being surprised.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“Well, sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. Open the door.”
There was that quiet authority again. It galled her, but she had to respect it and the impetus behind it to do the right thing. The adult thing.
Reluctantly, she crossed the room and turned the lock. When he entered the room, she retreated to the bed, tucking one leg under her and sitting as far from him as she could.
“I just want to know if I have this right. You aren’t on the Pill.”
She shook her head.
“And I didn’t use protection last night. This is my fault as much as yours. At least you brought a condom with you at lunch today. I thought you were just worried about diseases.”
She let out a breath. “I’m worried about everything. I don’t know how to do this – I’m totally out of practice. I was afraid when I pulled out the condom you’d get mad.”
Ethan’s brows furrowed. “No – of course not. Like I said, I should have thought of it sooner. I’m kind of out of practice, too, I guess. Hell, we’re lucky you even found me. This is a big ranch, you know. I could have been anywhere.”
“It wasn’t luck. Rob told me. He said…” She trailed off, not wanting to go there, but she was learning that Ethan was like a dog going after a bone when it came to finding out the truth.
“What did Rob tell you?”
There it was again, that implacable tone that made her feel about five years old. “He said the way to your heart was through your stomach and…you know.” She waited for the storm of his anger, but it didn’t come. When she glanced up, Ethan was shaking his head, a strange expression on his face.
“Figures. Sweetheart, the way to my heart is through being yourself and telling me the truth. The whole truth. I’m looking for a partner, not some sex-crazed chef, although…now that I say that aloud, it doesn’t sound half bad.”
She threw the pillow at him.
He caught it easily and grinned. “So, let me get this straight. You were so worried about losing me, you baked all morning and then seduced me in the open air?”
Could she hide under the blankets? When he said it like that it sounded ridiculous. She pushed back against the headboard as he made his way across the room and sat down next to her on the bed. “And now you think you’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know. It’s stupid, right? I couldn’t possibly know.” She ducked her head, unable to look him in the eye, but he took her chin in his hand and tilted it up. Before she could speak, his kiss cut off her words and despite everything, she found herself leaning into it. He gathered her up into his lap and in the safety of the circle of his arms, she let all her worries slip away as his mouth ravaged hers. She responded hungrily, unable to get enough of his attentions.
But when his hands skimmed up her waist to her breasts, she blocked his way and broke off the kiss. “No. Ethan, we can’t keep doing this.”
“Why not? If you’re pregnant, it won’t hurt the baby, and if you aren’t, don’t you think we should remedy that as soon as possible?”
Something melted within her. It was so hard to resist the touch of his hands, or his logic, but she fought her way to mental clarity. She was not marrying this man, could not marry anyone until she was financially stable on her own two feet. Her only hope was that she was mistaken and there was no baby. If they kept on the way they’d started she’d never be able to leave when it was time to go. She was already half-addicted to him and he was still a stranger.
“We have to wait.”
“Why?” he growled into her neck from where he was placing kisses behind her ear, down her clavicle, under her chin.
“Because. We aren’t married.” She pushed him away. “There may be a ring on my finger but until we’re married, I can’t be absolutely sure about your intentions. Maybe it’s too late, maybe there’s already a baby growing inside me, but if there isn’t it’s time for me to be responsible.” She wasn’t sure her excuses would work – wasn’t entirely sure she wanted them to.
He tapped his fingers on the comforter, clearly not happy with this turn of events. “We can be careful. I’ve got more condoms around here somewhere.”
“Ethan, no.” She held her breath.
With a sigh he lifted her off of his lap and stood up. “If you want to break off the engagement, just say so.”
She should break it off right now. Keeping up this pretense was only going to hurt them both. But her job…where would she find a new one in this economy?
“I don’t want to break it off. I just want to learn more about my future husband first. Is that so bad?”
“I guess not. Come on.” He held out his hand.
She took it uncertainly. “W
here are we going?”
He didn’t answer. Instead he led her to the back porch, snagging a can of soda and another beer on his way through the kitchen. He popped open the soda, handed it to her, and indicated the swing. She sat down on one side and he sat down next to her, taking a swig of his own drink.
“We’ll keep you off the booze until you know one way or the other about being pregnant. Meanwhile, what do you want to know?”
“Um…” Where was that list of questions when she needed it? “How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
Four years older than her. That sounded about right. “Did you go to college?”
“College?” He laughed. “You’re looking at my university right here, Sweetheart. My parents died last summer, left the ranch to me. I’d worked it my whole life, but working it and running it turned out to be two different things.”
“That’s a huge responsibility. Don’t you have any other family?”
“A sister. Claire. She wasn’t interested in coming home to help.”
“Oh.” They swung in silence for a minute. “I always wanted one of those big extended families. You know, where everyone comes for the holidays and it’s so noisy you can’t even hear yourself think?”
He nodded. “Don’t you have family?”
“Yep. My mom. A sister.”
“Sounds like the makings of a big family.”
“Neither are married, and my sister has no kids.”
“Ah. Good thing we’re starting early, then.” He squeezed her hand. “We’ll just have to have a dozen to make up for everyone else.”
She stilled. “Would you really want a dozen kids?”
“If I could have them, I’d welcome every one.”
If he could have them. Evidently he could have them, if Autumn was to be believed. Of course, it was silly to think she could know one way or the other. Women couldn’t tell if they were pregnant within 24 hours of making love.
Could they?
He somehow trusted her when she said there hadn’t been another man for years. He didn’t know why – it was stupid, really. Just like a woman to lie about something like that if it got her what she wanted, but when he’d accused her of doing that, the hurt and outrage in her eyes was real. He never wanted to have her look at him that way again.
Which was why he was an idiot for talking about a dozen children. Hell, they couldn’t even afford one – not with the bank crawling down his neck. How was he supposed to break that to her? When was he supposed to tell her? Before the wedding or after?
The wedding that was due to take place in less than four weeks.
He’d better make a plan, and soon, for how to turn around this place and make it earn its keep. Otherwise he and his new bride would be shopping for both a new home and occupation on their honeymoon.
Autumn was right. They had to stop making love until they’d sorted out their problems and tied the knot. It wasn’t fair to bring a new life into the world willy nilly without the kind of forethought that would keep a roof over its head. He’d go to his accountant in the morning and go over all the debts and income projections again. He’d figure out ways to cut costs and maximize his debt repayments.
He’d do whatever it took to start off his new life on a secure footing. His child deserved nothing less. His fiancée deserved far more.
CHAPTER SIX
“Who the hell are you?”
Autumn nearly dropped her hoe before she whirled to face the unfamiliar woman marching up the garden path. She was taller than Autumn, with a strong jaw and no-nonsense, chin-length, dark bobbed hair. She clutched a folder in one hand and a purse in the other.
“Where’s Ethan? What are you doing to my mother’s garden?”
That explained it. Ethan’s sister. What was her name? Claire – that was it.
“I’m waiting,” Claire said.
Autumn moved to meet her, and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Autumn.”
Claire raised her eyebrows. “And?”
Autumn echoed her confused expression. “And?”
“So you’re Autumn. Autumn who? What gives you the right to pulverize my mother’s garlic bed?”
She glanced at the tidy rows she’d begun to take great pride in. She may have lied to Ethan about her green thumb, but she had found over the last few days that with a little common sense and a lot of help from the internet, she was able to sort the weeds from the useful plants and coax the garden back to life.
“Didn’t Ethan tell you about me?”
Claire tapped a foot. “No, evidently he didn’t. I take it you’re Lacey’s replacement?”
Lacey? A few things slid into place. She remembered Lacey from DelMonaco’s her first night in town. How the brassy girl had stopped by the table with her obviously wealthy wanna-be cowboy husband-to-be. That’s when Ethan announced their engagement. No – come to think of it, he hadn’t – Rob had. Did Ethan want to keep it a secret? He sure had started drinking pretty heavily after that.
So had she, which led to their night of unbridled, unprotected passion, and the current predicament she found herself in. Five days had passed, and the thought of a baby growing inside her had hardly left her mind.
“I don’t think I’m replacing anyone,” she made herself say calmly. “I’m Ethan’s fiancée.”
“His what?” Claire straightened up. “Where is he?”
“Not here,” Autumn managed to say before Claire pulled out a cell phone and punched in a bunch of numbers.
“Ethan? Dammit, don’t you dare ignore me. You can’t keep this ranch, not the way the debts are piling up. I want to sell and I want to sell now. You have something to say about that, you better come over here and tell me to my face.” She ended the call and shoved the phone back in her purse. “Probably isn’t even carrying the phone I gave him. He’s totally hopeless. I hope you like city life, girl, because that’s where my brother’s going to end up just as soon as I pry him off this ranch. He’s going to earn peanuts from the sale and he’ll need a new job, quick. Not many of those around these parts, I can tell you that.”
Autumn couldn’t find her voice. The ranch was in debt? He was selling? Ethan hadn’t mentioned a thing, and he thought they were getting married. When had he planned to tell his new bride about his financial troubles? After the wedding? When her money would be his?
Not that she had much, but what she had was hers – not his to use to solve his own problems.
“Just as I thought, he hasn’t told you,” Claire said, her expression hard. “Probably hasn’t had time. You’re not from around here, so who are you? Some fortune hunter? You saw the spread and thought you could cash in? You’re a little too late for that. My momma already spent this fortune.” She turned on her heel and paced away. “You might as well pack your bags and leave. My brother doesn’t need any more heartache. He’s had plenty already.”
“Yeah, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Claire?”
Autumn turned to find Ethan descending the steps from the back porch. He must have pulled in at the front of the house where they couldn’t see him. “Where have you been? I could use some help around the place, you know.” He faced his sister.
“In Billings, making a living. We can’t all throw good money after bad. Someone’s got to be smarter than that.”
“I can make a living right here; I just need a little help. There’s nothing wrong with the ranch – the only problem is Momma’s debts.” He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Autumn. “Hell, Claire. You had to do it this way?”
Claire put her hands on her hips and leaned closer to him. “She said she’s your fiancée. Your fiancée! When were you going to tell me, Ethan? After the wedding? And you obviously didn’t tell her about your money problems. That’s not right! None of this is – where did you even meet her?”
Autumn felt her face burning and even Ethan looked flushed. “That’s none of your business. What are you here for, anyway?” He crossed his arms.<
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“This ranch is half mine. Did you forget that?” Claire shook her head at him and the severe edges of her bob brushed her chin. “It’s time to sell. Let’s get what we can from it and move on. I’ve mocked up a listing. Look it over and see if I got it all right.” She shoved the folder into his hands.
“And what about me, huh, Claire? It’s all right for me to be an employee all my life?” He kicked a watering can across the garden. “I’ve worked this ranch since I could walk.”
“You can do something else.”
“I don’t want to do something else.”
Claire clenched her fists. “Then buy me out. This dream is over, Ethan. The ranch is done.”
“Claire!”
But she’d already stormed off across the yard. In a moment she was out of sight around the corner of the bunkhouse and they heard an engine start up.
Ethan turned slowly around. “I’m sorry. Claire’s right; I should have told you. I just didn’t expect…”
“How bad is it?” She didn’t know why she was asking. She’d be gone in a week or two, back to her old life and old job. She hoped, anyway. This man was nothing to her. So what if he lied? The cold burn of fire in her gut told her it mattered a lot, but she forced that thought away. All men were liars. She’d known that since she was nine and watched her mother – her fun-loving, wonderful, warm mother turn overnight into an icy automaton, too busy and too hurt to open her heart to anyone – even her own daughters. She remembered the pain of that first year after he’d left. Her attempts to make her mother happy again.
Her failures.
“Bad. My mother,” he waved the folder in dismissal. “I loved her, but she didn’t belong on a ranch. She wanted to travel, live the high life. My Dad let her spend all he had, and then let her spend a whole lot more he didn’t have.”
A familiar tension twisted in her stomach as she remembered taking on the task of managing her family’s budget. Always good with numbers, and a better cook than Lily, first she took over the grocery shopping and meal preparation, then the rest of the bills as Teresa finished med school and began work. Adding up numbers that didn’t add up over and over again. Trying to make too little money stretch too far. Finding fifty ways to prepare beans and rice. “And just exactly when did you plan to say something – on our wedding night?”