The Cowboy's Accidental Baby

Author:Marin Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Gunner swallowed hard, positive he’d misheard his grandfather. Lydia couldn’t be pregnant. They’d used protection—he always used protection. His heart dropped to his stomach when she refused to make eye contact.

“I’ll brew a pot of coffee.” Amelia grabbed Emmett’s shirtsleeve and dragged him into the kitchen, then pushed Lydia onto the porch before shutting the door.

“Is it true?” he asked.

“Yes.”

The one-word answer punched him in the chest. He removed his hat and shoved his hand through his hair. Baby bounced around inside his head, but he couldn’t grasp the meaning of the four-letter word. “We used protection.”

“Every time,” she said.

Had one of his condoms torn and they hadn’t noticed? It’s your fault Lydia’s pregnant. Of course it was his fault—he had the part B that fit into her part A. “I’m sorry.” What else could he say? “What can I do?” This was the first time he’d ever been in this situation and he had no idea what was expected of him.

“I’m taking responsibility for this pregnancy, Gunner.” She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t expect anything from you.”

“What does that mean?”

She rubbed her brow and her rosy cheeks looked as if they’d been snowed on. Gunner lunged forward and caught her around the waist, then guided her to the wicker chair in the corner. Once she was seated, he leaned against the porch rail and tried his best to keep his panic from showing. Fatherhood had never been in his plans. Oh, heck. What was he talking about? He had no plans.

He closed his eyes and tried to envision a little boy who looked like him but couldn’t. He wasn’t cut out to be a father. He knew it. His brothers knew it. Gramps knew it.

“Neither of us meant for this to happen.” The fresh tears in her eyes ripped him apart. She’d joined a dating site because she’d wanted to settle down, marry and have kids with Mr. Perfect—not him.

“We don’t have to make a big deal about this,” she said.

“A baby is a big deal.” Pregnancy hormones must have kicked in already, because she wasn’t making sense. “You want us to just ignore the fact that you’re pregnant?”

“Not us...you.”

He should have been relieved that Lydia was letting him off the hook, but the churning in his gut felt like indigestion. He thought of his mother running out on their family. For months after she’d left, he’d gone to bed wondering what was wrong with him. What terrible offense he’d committed that made his mother not want to have anything to do with him. After what he’d gone through, how could he walk away from his own child? “What are you saying?”

“I don’t expect you to help raise the baby. You never planned to have kids and you shouldn’t be burdened with this lifelong responsibility.”

She was serious. It hurt that Lydia had no faith in him. He stared into space, his fingers squeezing the handrail until his knuckles glowed white. Everyone believed he was

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