Fortune's Texas Surprise, page 18
His brows arched upward. “Your brothers? I’m the guy who’s been Linus’s stand-in dad. Doesn’t that count for something?”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Of course it does. But my brothers—”
“Yes, I see. You feel it’s important that you be with them now,” he interrupted, his voice stiff. “So go.”
“You don’t have to be so cold about it,” she retorted.
“I’m not being cold. I’m being realistic. It’s obvious you believe your brothers can help you with baby Linus much more than I can. And you’re probably right. They have the clout and the means. All I have is my heart. And—well, none of that matters. I can see that now.”
She glared at him. “That’s not what I’m thinking! And I don’t deserve this from you, Acton! Especially now!”
“You’re right, Stephanie. You don’t deserve it.” His jaw tight, he opened the door and climbed out of the car.
“Where are you going?” she asked, stunned that he was leaving like this.
“You can handle this situation far better without me,” he said flatly. “In fact, I figure your whole life will be better without me in it.”
With that he slammed the door and went straight to his truck.
Numb with pain, Stephanie waited until he’d driven away before she started the car and left the parking lot.
As she drove to the pediatric center, she couldn’t decide which was worse—the reality that everything she’d ever had with Acton had just ended, or that this might be the last time she’d be collecting her baby from day care.
Chapter Thirteen
Four days later, Stephanie stood in the bathroom and stared in shock at the result of the home-pregnancy test.
Positive.
It shouldn’t be surprising. Her period was several days late and the mere thought of breakfast was enough to make her stomach feel like she was on a bobbing sailboat. Still, she was amazed that she’d gotten pregnant. She’d been taking her pills regularly and had never missed a one.
The only birth control that’s foolproof is abstinence. The advice of her ob-gyn back in Fort Lauderdale had mostly drifted through one ear and out the other. Even when the doctor had been writing Stephanie’s prescription, she’d warned her that having sex while on the Pill could produce a pregnancy. At that time, Stephanie’s last boyfriend had ended their relationship because she’d refused to give him an interest-free loan to buy a fishing boat. Sex had been the last thing on her mind. All she’d wanted was something strong enough to keep her periods from popping up way too early. She’d had no way of knowing then that she’d eventually be falling into bed with a virile cowboy.
Now she was going to have Acton’s baby. Oh, Lord, how ironic!
Overwhelmed, she placed a protective hand over the region of her womb and leaned heavily against the vanity. She’d not spoken to Acton since that evening they’d argued in the Paws and Claws parking lot. What was he going to think about this development? Being a daddy to Linus for a few hours at a time wasn’t the same as being a full-time parent. Was he prepared for that much commitment?
Deep down, she believed Acton was a good man with good intentions. But he was only twenty-five and anyone who knew him said he was far from ready to settle down with a wife and children.
So why did you fall into bed with him, Stephanie? Why did you leap into his arms and let yourself dream about a future with him?
Because she loved him. Truly loved him, she answered the chastising voice in her head. But what good was love going to do her now? Acton thought she didn’t need him. That she didn’t want to include him in the important aspects of her life. How was she going to make him see that he was wrong?
A wave of nausea washed over her and she leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her face in an effort to ease her heaving stomach.
It didn’t matter how Acton reacted to the news that he was going to be a father, she firmly told herself. For years she’d wanted a baby and dreamed about being a mother. Now that she was actually pregnant, even under such dismal circumstances, she was happy that they’d created a child together.
* * *
Acton removed the saddle from the bay horse tied at the hitching post and carried it into the tack room. Right behind him, Shawn carried an armload of saddle blankets and bridles.
The two brothers had spent most of the morning riding the back pastures, checking on late calving cows. It was a job that Acton normally loved. Anytime he could spend a few hours on a horse, he was in heaven. But today he’d simply gone through the motions. But then, ever since he and Stephanie had parted ways, he’d been living on automatic pilot.
“I’m glad Dad is driving over to San Antonio this afternoon to see about buying that hay baler he’s had his eye on,” Shawn said. “If we work like hell while he’s gone, we can finish the fence and surprise him.”
With a mocking grunt, Acton lifted the saddle onto a wooden stand and jerked the fenders into place. “He’d be surprised, all right. He thinks we can’t do anything right without him watching over our shoulders.”
Frowning, Shawn hung the wet blankets on a hook to allow them to dry. “That’s not true and you know it. What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You haven’t said more than a dozen words this morning and most of them have been sarcastic.”
Closing his eyes, Acton lifted his hat from his head and combed fingers through is hair. “Sorry, Shawn,” he said ruefully. “I hadn’t realized I was being so surly. I’ve been—”
“A real jerk,” Shawn interrupted as he walked over to where Acton stood. “What’s up?”
Acton’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a weary breath. “Nothing. I’m just not feeling well, that’s all.”
Unconvinced, Shawn shook his head. “Try again. You’re not sick. You’re miserable about something. And I have a feeling it’s that Fortune woman. Acton, I tried to tell you—”
“Damn it, Shawn, I don’t need to be preached at by you! Things are bad enough as it is and—”
Shawn interrupted. “What things? What’s happened?”
Shaking his head with defeat, Acton sat down on an upended feed bucket and quickly explained about Linus and how a man claiming to be his father has requested a DNA test.
“You think this man is legitimate?” Shawn asked.
Acton shrugged. “He must have good reason to believe he’s the father. But I can’t say for sure. Stephanie and I haven’t spoken since the day she got the news. She’d rather be with her brothers. They’re more capable of helping her deal with a crisis than me, apparently,” he said sarcastically. “And you’re right, Shawn, I should’ve listened to you and Mom. Stephanie will never see me as an equal. Or as a man who can take care of her.”
“Aren’t you being a little hard on yourself, Acton? And on her?”
“I’m just trying to be real, Shawn. And right now reality hurts like hell.” He wiped a hand over his face, then stared blindly at the toes of his boots. “I’ll admit that when we got the news about Linus I didn’t handle things too well. But to be honest, Shawn, I was just as cut up as she was over the whole idea that someone might be going to be taking our baby away.”
“Our baby?”
He didn’t try to hide the pain in his eyes as he looked up at his brother. “I guess that sounds foolish to you. But Linus was beginning to feel like my son, too. Now he’s—” Acton swallowed. “Well, it looks like there’s a strong possibility he’ll be going to go live with his real dad. And there’s not a damned thing I can do to stop it.”
“So the both of you were scared and hurting and you lashed out at each other. That’s understandable. Have you thought about reaching out to her, trying to apologize? I’m not saying she’s right and you’re wrong, Acton, I’m just saying one of you has to extend an olive branch.”
“I don’t think she’ll accept an olive branch or anything else from me,” Acton said dully.
Shawn opened his mouth to reply at the same time Acton’s phone dinged with an incoming text message.
“I’d better check this. It might be Dad.” He pulled the phone from his pocket and was immediately shocked to see a message from Dillon Fortune. “What the hell?”
“What is it? Has Dad blown a tire or something?”
Acton gripped the phone as he tapped the screen to open the message. “No. It’s from Stephanie’s brother, Dillon.” After rapidly scanning the short text, he said in a stunned voice, “He and his brothers are worried about her. They’d like for me to come speak with them.”
“Seriously?”
Dazed, Acton rose from his seat on the bucket. “Yes. He says if I can get away, they’ll be at their office in the work yard across from the Shoppes.”
“Are you going?”
Groaning, Acton lifted his gaze to the dusty cobwebs hanging from the rafters of the tack room. “Yes. But I don’t get any of this. They don’t approve of me. At least, that’s the feeling I get from them. So what could they want?”
“To hell with them!” Shawn boomed. “They need to know you don’t approve of them!”
Shaking his head, Acton began unbuckling his chaps. “No, Shawn. This is not about me and them. Not now. It’s about Stephanie and what’s best for her. No matter what, I want her to be happy. Even if that means I have to step out of her life—permanently.”
Shawn’s eyes narrowed shrewdly and then his mouth fell open. “You really love this woman, don’t you?”
Acton had been asking himself that very question for the past several days. Funny how it had taken a simple text from her brother to allow him to see the answer plain and clear.
“Yes. I do love her. Somehow I have to make her understand that.”
Shawn gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “You go show the Fortunes they’re not dealing with a hayseed.”
* * *
Even though horse manure was probably dried around the edges of his boots and dust had turned his black hat to brown, Acton didn’t waste time changing into clean clothes. He drove straight to The Shoppes, where several pickup trucks and other work vehicles were parked around the modular building that served as the makeshift office of Fortune Brothers Construction.
Off to one side, three workers were loading scaffolds onto the back of a long, flatbed trailer, while a few feet away, a heating-and-cooling van braked to a halt. Dust billowed from the wheels as the driver jumped out and hurried into the office.
Acton followed at a slower pace, and after placing a brief knock on the door, he stepped inside a long room furnished with a desk at each end and a grouping of comfortable furniture in between.
All three of Stephanie’s brothers were present, along with the man who’d jumped out of the van. All turned to look at Acton and then the man behind one of the desks the one he remembered as Steven, rose and walked over to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. Donovan. We’re glad you could come.”
He reached out to shake hands and Acton politely complied. “Hello, Mr. Fortune.”
He inclined his head toward the two men walking over to join them. “I imagine you remember Dillon and Callum.”
Dillon was dressed in jeans, boots and a plaid Western shirt. He looked much like the natives of Rambling Rose, while Callum and Steven were both in khakis and ties and appeared as though they’d be more comfortable in a high-rise office in downtown Houston.
Acton shook hands with the other two men and Steven gestured toward the couch and armchairs. “Let’s sit.”
While the four men took their seats, the van guy grabbed a handful of papers from one of the desks and discreetly let himself out of the office.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what this is about,” Callum said.
Acton tried not to grimace. “You three haven’t exactly invited me to be friends. So, yeah, I’m wondering.”
To Acton’s surprise, Dillon appeared regretful. “I can’t speak for my brothers, but I’m sorry about that, Acton. It’s not that we had anything against you personally. It’s more like we, uh, we worry about Stephanie. She’s been hurt too many times.”
“So why worry now? Stephanie has ended things with me. She’s apparently seen things your way.”
Steven was stunned. “We didn’t tell her to end things with you! In fact, she hasn’t mentioned anything about the two of you. When did this happen?”
So, Acton thought sickly, he wasn’t important enough to Stephanie for her to mention him, even as an afterthought.
Acton said, “The day the doctor ordered her to take Linus in for a DNA swab.”
Callum nodded with sudden dawning. “I’m beginning to see. She was very distraught that night. We thought it was all about Linus.”
“She was heartbroken,” Acton said in a clipped tone. “Over Linus, not me. So now you don’t need to worry about Stephanie any longer. She’s free to date anyone she wants.”
The brothers exchanged troubled glances before Steven leveled a pointed look at Acton. “Is that what you want? To step out of Stephanie’s life?”
“Hell no!” he retorted, then cleared his throat and said, “I mean, I want Stephanie to be happy. That’s what’s important to me. I, uh, well... I wish that she still cared about me. Because my feelings for her are very serious. Maybe she didn’t understand that. Or maybe she did understand and it didn’t matter to her. I was seeing me and her and Linus as a family. But now that Linus might be going away, I guess everything is over.”
The brothers kept looking at each other as if they were totally confused.
It was Steven who finally said, “We’ve made a mistake about you, Acton. We thought you were probably just playing Stephanie along. She’s beautiful and rich and unfortunately a bit gullible.”
“So you three think,” Acton said, his voice brittle. “I happen to think she’s very smart and special. And her heart is bigger than her head.”
“Look,” Callum said, “we don’t know what was said between you two, but we do know that Stephanie is in a bad way. And we believe you might be able to help.”
“How? Before I left to come over here, I tried texting her. So far she’s ignored my message. I figure she’ll keep on ignoring me.”
Dillon said, “Eric Johnson, Linus’s father, and a social worker will be coming to the ranch this evening to collect Linus. We don’t have to tell you that once the baby is gone, Stephanie is going to be crushed.”
Acton felt as if he’d been punched. “You mean the test results are back? The man actually is Linus’s father?”
Callum nodded. “The test has determined that Eric is the father.”
Acton mulled over the jarring news. Stephanie’s heart must be tearing right down the middle, he thought sickly.
Steven cast him a hopeful glance. “We thought you might try to see Steph tomorrow. After she’s had tonight to pull herself together.”
Acton scooted to the edge of the chair. “What makes you think she’d want to see me tomorrow? Or even agree to see me?”
Callum was the one to answer. “Before this matter with Linus’s father came up, Stephanie was happier than we’d ever seen her. We all agree that part of that happiness had to do with you. If you say you’re serious about our sister, then we ask that you don’t give up on her. She needs you now...more than ever.”
This was the last thing Acton had expected to hear from Stephanie’s brothers, and though it made him feel somewhat better, he still had a multitude of doubts.
“I’m not sure how forgiving Stephanie might be,” Acton said. “But I promise you, I’m not giving up.”
* * *
At Paws and Claws, Stephanie was in the recovery room, checking on recuperating patients, when Dayna stuck her head in the door.
“Do you have time for one more patient?” she asked.
“Dr. Neil left the building about five minutes ago,” Stephanie answered.
“I know. He stopped by the front desk on his way out. But you’re still here. And a woman has come in with her cat. She says he’s limping on his front paw.”
Stephanie glanced at her watch as she walked over to where Dayna stood. “It’s still a half hour before we close the doors. I suppose I could have a look.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say.” Dayna shot her a coy grin, then turned to leave. “I’ll put them in Exam Room 3.”
Sensing Dayna was holding something back, Stephanie called out. “Wait, Dayna! Just who is this woman?”
Her smile even wider, Dayna glanced over her shoulder at Stephanie. “Faye Donovan.”
Acton’s mother? Wait—could he have sent her on his behalf? No! That was a ridiculous thought. Acton would never let anyone do his talking for him. Even so, how was she going to face Faye Donovan? This child she was carrying was going to be the woman’s grandchild. What would she think if she knew?
Dayna suddenly stepped closer. “You look pale, Stephanie. Are you okay? I can tell Mrs. Donovan to come back tomorrow.”
Putting the meeting off wouldn’t help Stephanie. It would only cause the cat to suffer longer than need be.
Squaring her shoulders, she said, “Don’t do that. I’m okay—just a bit tired. We’ve had a very busy day.”
Dayna blew out a weary breath as she turned to leave. “You telling me. I’m going to be seeing cats and dogs in my sleep.”
With Dayna gone, Stephanie smoothed a hand over her hair, then straightened the white lab coat she was wearing over her moss green blouse. This wasn’t the way she’d envisioned meeting Acton’s mother, but now that he’d apparently walked out of Stephanie’s life, she supposed it hardly mattered where she met the woman.
Down the long hallway, Stephanie rapped her knuckles on the door of Exam Room 3, then stepped inside. Standing next to the examination table was a tall, slim woman with short blond hair. Somewhere in her fifties, she had soft, pretty features that faintly resembled Acton’s sister, Gina. She was dressed casually in jeans, cowboy boots and a denim jacket. But it was the gentle smile on her face that caught Stephanie’s attention.
