Her Secret, His Baby

He fiddled with the radio dials again, trading his MP3 playlist for a radio station. A twangy singer with a guitar droned on about his misfortunes. You think you have problems, pal?

Garrett faced not only bitter disillusionment about the woman who raised him and unwilling participation in her long-term deception, but also a monumental medical decision.

Despite Caroline’s emphatic vows that her fling with Will was an isolated event, that they didn’t harbor any romantic feelings for each other, the man had never fallen in love with anyone else. He’d remained a bachelor with no children. Garrett was his best hope for a close match and voluntary organ donation, which would drastically shorten the wait.

“I know you need to think about this,” his mother had told him. “No one wants you to rush a decision.” But they both knew Will didn’t have forever.

If Garrett agreed, would he feel as if he were betraying his father? If he said no, was it the same as sentencing a man to die?

He was mired in anger and pain and confusion. Little wonder, then, that his mind kept turning to that night he’d shared with Arden, the perfect satisfaction he’d experienced. Right now, it was difficult to imagine he’d ever feel that purely happy again.

Chapter Three

Arden sighed wistfully at the seafood counter. “I miss shrimp.”

“Throw some in.” Justin indicated the grocery cart he was pushing for her. “How about this? I’ll pay if you’ll cook.” Even with the holiday sales price, it was a generous offer. Since ski season hadn’t started, he was scraping by on a reduced off-season salary working for a local ambulance service.

After a moment of letting herself be tempted, she shook her head. “Nah, I’ve read warnings that pregnant women should avoid shellfish. Skipping them completely might be overreacting, but I really want to do this right, you know?”

She rarely missed her mom, having been so young when Rebecca Cade died, but she sure could use a woman who’d experienced the wonder and worry of impending motherhood. Her only living aunt who’d had children was well over sixty, her memories of pregnancy and childbirth hazy and outdated. Arden hesitated to take advice from a woman who’d chain-smoked and enjoyed cocktail hour through all three trimesters. Cousin Rick never had seemed quite right in the head.

Arden changed the subject, eyeing her brother curiously. “You know, you’ve been hanging around an awful lot lately. Does this sudden fascination with helping me have anything to do with missing Elisabeth?” Though Justin’s relationships never lasted long, Arden thought she’d sensed genuine regret after his most recent breakup—and not only because he missed the job as hiking guide and first-aid administrator at the lodge Elisabeth’s family owned.

“What? No. I barely think about her. You’re the one who keeps bringing her up!”

I am? Arden wracked her brain, trying to recall the last time she’d mentioned Elisabeth Donnelly.

“I’m giving up my Sunday afternoon because you shouldn’t be lifting things,” he added virtuously. “What would you have done if I hadn’t been here to grab the pallet of bottled water?”

“Um, asked any one of the numerous stock boys for assistance?”

He shoved a hand through his dark brown hair. “Humor me, okay? I have two siblings I care the world about, and one of them, I don’t have a clue how to help.”

So he was overcompensating by lending a hand with her menial errands? That she could believe.

“Besides,” Justin drawled, “being such a good brother makes me look all sensitive and whatever to any single ladies we encounter. Major attraction points.”

On behalf of women everywhere, she socked him in the shoulder. “You go to the freezer section and get us an enormous tub of vanilla ice cream. I’ll grab caramel and chocolate syrup.”

“And some straw—”

“Of course strawberry syrup for you,” she added. There was no accounting for taste. “Then we’ll need bananas. Meet me in produce, okay? I’ll make chef salads for dinner and sundaes for dessert.”

He turned to go, then hesitated. “Should we invite Colin to join us? Granted, he’s not exactly Mr. Fun these days, but...”

“I’ll call him,” Arden promised. “But you know he’ll probably decline. Again.”

“If the situation were reversed, he wouldn’t give up on either of us. Maybe it would help if you pick up some of those minimarshmallows for the sundaes. He’s a sucker for those.”

“Minimarshmallows?” she echoed skeptically. “That’s our plan?”

Justin shrugged. “Hey, we all have our weaknesses.”

* * *

GARRETT WHEELED THE shopping cart into the produce section, absently navigating as he consulted Darcy’s grocery list. He’d asked her to let him do the supermarket run as a way to pay the Connors back for room and board. It was more diplomatic than saying he needed a break from the doting couple.

Conversation between Garrett and Hugh had been uncharacteristically stilted. Garrett wanted to confide in his friend but hadn’t quite worked up the courage. It felt disloyal to tell anyone what Caroline had done, and it rocked Garrett’s sense of identity to admit Brandon wasn’t his father. He’d never said the words aloud, and they were harder than he’d expected.

The other potential topic of discussion Garrett wrestled with was Arden Cade. He’d started to ask about her half a dozen times, but stopped himself. After their intimate night together, she’d left without saying goodbye. That seemed like a strong indicator that she wasn’t expecting to see him again.

Blinking, Garrett whipped his head around in a double take. A dark-haired woman in his peripheral vision had triggered his notice. You’re pitiful. Just because he’d been thinking of Arden, now random shoppers looked like her?

Or, maybe... Could it actually be Arden? The long fall of shiny brown hair was familiar. He could recall its silky texture between his fingers. Given the crappy week he was having, had fate decided it owed him a favor? He hadn’t figured out a casual way to look her up, but he couldn’t be blamed for a chance encounter.

Steering toward her, he asked hopefully, “Arden?”

“Yes?” She smiled over her shoulder but froze in recognition, his name on her lips so soft he saw it rather than heard it. “Garrett.”

He couldn’t believe she was here—and even more beautiful than he remembered. Her cheeks were rosy, her aquamarine eyes bright and lively. He couldn’t recall noticing a woman’s skin before, but Arden’s creamy complexion beckoned him to touch her.

Garrett realized two things at once: he was staring, and she didn’t look happy to see him. Then he came up alongside her, getting his first real look at her profile, and had a startling third revelation. Arden Cade was pregnant.

It wasn’t immediately obvious until one saw her stomach. She seemed to be carrying the baby completely in front. From behind, other than the curve of her hips, there hadn’t been— Good Lord. He was ogling a pregnant woman.

He swallowed. “So. How’ve you been?” He punctuated his question with a wry glance at her abdomen. He knew nothing about pregnancy. His understanding was that women didn’t show for a few weeks, although Arden was slim enough that perhaps it was more obvious on her than it would have been on someone else. He had no real sense of whether she was four months along or eight.

That was a sobering thought. Was there a chance she’d already been carrying when they’d made love? The possibility upset him beyond any rational justification.

“I, uh...” Her eyes cut to the side, as if she were seeking help. Or scoping exit routes. “It’s good to see you.”

Wow, are you a bad liar, sweetheart. “You’re obviously busy.” He gestured to the bananas she’d been perusing. “I won’t keep you. I’m staying in town with the Connors for a few days, and when I saw you there, I thought I’d say hi.”

The tension in her shoulders eased fractionally. “Hi.” She managed a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Arden? Is there a problem here?” A broad-shouldered man approached, his tone possessive as he practically rammed his cart between Arden and Garrett. He was a tall son of a gun, even had an inch or two of height on Garrett.

“No problem, Justin. Except that I’m...feeling sick.” Her progressively ashen color backed up her claim. She dropped the produce bag she’d been holding into the cart. “Get me home. I can come back later for anything we missed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll come back.” When he glanced at her, Justin’s features softened. But the glare he aimed at Garrett was flinty with suspicion.

Garrett’s stomach dropped. He’d known there was a good chance Arden would be involved with someone. So why was his disappointment at being right so keenly bitter?

Wait a minute. His eyes narrowed, and he met Justin’s unblinking stare. Those blue-green eyes were a lot like Arden’s. And the thick brown hair they both shared? Arden’s was streaked with honey and gold, while the man’s was more like coffee grounds, but the resemblance was unmistakable.

A broad grin stretched across Garrett’s face. “Is this your brother?”

“Damn right.” The man took a step forward. “And you are...?”

“Justin, please.” Arden’s voice trembled. “I have to get out of here.”

“Right. Sorry. Let’s go.”

With a hasty, departing wave from Arden, they were gone. Garrett stood there, bemused.

Had she truly been unhappy to see him, or did her not feeling well explain her behavior and the grimace she’d tried to cover? At first, he’d thought her skittish demeanor was due to the awkwardness of running into a fling while her significant other was nearby, but that wasn’t the case. Maybe he’d misread the situation entirely.

But as he began piling groceries into the buggy, he conjured her face again. He could have sworn the emotion he’d seen in her eyes was...fear. Why on earth would Arden be scared of him?

* * *

“GREAT DINNER,” GARRETT complimented his hostess. Personally, he’d been too preoccupied to taste a bite of the meal, but Hugh had wolfed down his roast beef with gusto, so Garrett felt reasonably sure of his statement.

Darcy Connor, Hugh’s pretty blonde wife, beamed from across the kitchen table. Her gregarious nature seemed at odds with the cliché image of a part-time librarian. “Lavish praise, doing the shopping for me—when word gets out about you, my single girlfriends are going to be lining up at the front door.”

“Since you cooked, we can do the dishes,” Hugh volunteered.

“Another time.” She shooed them out of the kitchen. “Garrett just got here yesterday. You still have lots of catching up to do.”

“Isn’t she terrific?” Hugh asked adoringly as they relocated to the living room. He grabbed a television remote from the side pocket in his recliner, flipping through channels until he found a college football game. “If you’d told me when I was a freckled, fifteen-year-old comic book collector that I could get a woman like that to marry me...”

Garrett snorted. “You were also six feet tall and the team quarterback.” His auburn-haired friend might well have freckles and an interest in superheroes, but he hadn’t spent his teenage years lonely. “As I recall, you went to senior proms at three separate high schools.”

Hugh grinned. “Did I? Before Darcy, it’s all a blur. What about you, man? You had a pretty active social life, too. I was surprised you didn’t bring anyone to the wedding.”

Boy, would that night have ended differently. A month prior to the wedding, he’d been dating a woman he’d planned to take to the ceremony, but they’d ended things when she got a job offer that took her to the east coast.

“Speaking of your wedding,” Garrett said with studied nonchalance, “I never got to see how the photos turned out. Isn’t there an album or something?”

“Darcy,” he called to his wife, “you have a willing victim here. Garrett asked to see wedding pictures.” Turning back to Garrett, he added, “Narrating our photos is one of her favorite hobbies, up there with bird-watching and snowboarding. I warn you, the collection is massive. There’s the professional album our photographer put together, then the one Darcy crammed full of everything from wedding shower pics to the honeymoon.”

“I remember the photographer,” Garrett said. Understatement of the year—she was seared into his memory like a brand. “Arden, right?”

Hugh smirked. “Why, you looking for a photographer? Maybe planning to have some of those glamorized portraits done? You’d look pretty spiffy in a sequined cowboy hat.”

“I think I ran into her at the grocery store earlier. The woman I saw was pregnant?”

“That’s her, Arden Cade.” Hugh clucked his tongue. “Poor kid. Being a single mom can’t be easy under the best of circumstances, much less with gossips buzzing about the dad.”

Garrett leaned forward on the couch. “Why? Who’s the dad?”

“It’s a big mystery. Far as anyone knew, she wasn’t seeing anyone. Maybe it was a long-distance relationship with an out-of-town guy. People were shocked when she turned up pregnant and even more shocked those two brothers of hers didn’t march the dude responsible into a shotgun wedding.”

The fear he’d seen on Arden’s face today flashed through his mind, and a completely insane thought struck him. He was an out-of-town guy. They’d used condoms, but those weren’t effective one hundred percent of the time, were they? He’d heard stories.

“Out of...” His throat was so dry he had to try again. “Out of curiosity, do you know how far along she is?”

Hugh regarded him suspiciously but didn’t challenge the bizarre question. “Hey, Darce? You have any idea how far along Arden is in her pregnancy?”

Darcy appeared in the doorway between rooms, drying her hands on a green-and-yellow-checkered towel. “Around six months, maybe? She said she’s due the week of Thanksgiving.”

Garrett’s blood froze. Six months.

No, he was crazy to contemplate it. It was unfathomable that the woman who had been so open and expressive beneath him would keep a secret of this magnitude, cruelly excluding him. She knew he was friends with the Connors and could have found him easily. She could have called, emailed, sent a telegram—something! This was just his imagination running wild.

The unpleasant combination of newfound cynicism and sleepless nights had colored his judgment. The odds that Arden was pregnant by him... They’d used condoms, and they’d only been together one night.

Then again, Garrett himself was living proof that once was all it took.

* * *

“LAYLA, I AM IN trouble.” Arden leaned back in the leather office chair, resenting the way it creaked. She hadn’t gained that much weight. “Deep, deep trouble.”

“Don’t panic,” her friend counseled over the phone. The words of wisdom were somewhat muffled around a bite of sandwich. In response to Arden’s frantic text that morning, Layla was taking her lunch break in her car, away from the curious ears of students or fellow teachers.

“But he’s here! Why is he here?”

“Um, didn’t you say you met him because he was in town for a good friend’s wedding? Makes sense that he’d occasionally visit said friend. The part I can’t believe is that you saw him Sunday, yet waited until Tuesday to let me know.”

“Because I spent yesterday in denial,” Arden mumbled. She’d never been comfortable discussing her night with Garrett. It had felt so private, something meant only to be between them. Maybe if she’d known Layla back then, or if Natalie had still been alive... “Am I being punished for having a one-night stand? Am I a bad person?”

“Don’t start pinning those scarlet A’s on your maternity clothes just yet. The fact that you’d only been with two men up until then is pretty solid evidence you’re not a tramp.”

“No, the fact that there had only been two previous lovers in my life is evidence that I have very large, very overprotective brothers,” Arden said without rancor. Her brothers’ local influence had probably helped prevent some impulsive mistakes in her teens. She nervously twisted the cord on the phone. “I think Justin suspects Garrett is the father. What if Garrett suspects as much?” So many emotions had rampaged through her when she’d seen him. She hadn’t exactly maintained a poker face.

“Did he give you any reason to think that?”

“Not really. He was making small talk. I was busy freaking out.”

“Then let’s not borrow trouble,” Layla advised. “Are you going to—”

“Oops, work beckons,” Arden interrupted as the door to her studio swung open. “Maybe we can meet for dinner?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got a stack of practice tests I have to grade so I can figure out how much my students forgot over the summer and plan accordingly. But give me a few hours to talk myself into it, and I’ll text you later.”

Arden disconnected, calling out, “Be with you in a second.”

Over the summer, Layla had acted briefly as receptionist, but for the most part, Arden had always run a one-woman shop. She didn’t get many random drop-ins. Customers usually called or emailed to schedule an appointment or, in the case of big events, to ask preliminary questions and do price comparisons.

Coming around the edge of her desk, she steadied herself with her hand. She was constantly readjusting to her ever-changing center of gravity.

“Hope I’m not interrupting your work.” That smooth deep voice was exactly the same as it had been the first time he’d spoken to her, sending tremors through her body. Garrett Frost stood in the center of her reception area, cowboy hat in hand, an unreadable expression on his face.

Adrenaline surged, making her head swim. “Garrett.” Her hands moved reflexively to cover the baby bump. That happened a lot lately when she was apprehensive.

He misinterpreted the protective gesture. “If you’re trying to hide that you’re expecting, it’s a little late.”

“I...I...” Say something. Preferably something intelligent. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

It wasn’t until he shook his head that she realized she hadn’t brewed any. She’d given it up during the pregnancy and hadn’t been expecting clients for another few hours. Thank goodness he hadn’t taken her up on the offer—her pride balked at the idea of making herself seem more ridiculous. She hadn’t exactly been articulate at the grocery store.

“I’m sorry I was rude the other day,” she said. “You took me by surprise. It was a shock, running in to you there.”

“You weren’t the only one stunned,” he said pointedly. His gaze dropped before returning to her face.

“So, uh, how’d you find my office? Did your friend Hugh mention I was in this shopping center? I hope he and his wife are doing well.” Her pulse was racing, and she heard her babbled words as though from a distance.

“Actually, I looked you up myself. Knowing your name and that you owned a photography studio was enough. It’s not difficult to find someone, if you bother to look.” His gray eyes were like thunderclouds. “If, for instance, a woman needed to locate a man, even one in a different town. I don’t think there are many Garrett Frosts who are part owners of Colorado cattle ranches, but maybe I’m wrong. What do you think, Arden?”

She swallowed, knowing that his real question had nothing to do with addresses or phone books. He was asking if his suspicions were accurate, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer. There was a huge difference between not tracking down a man to deliver life-altering news he probably didn’t want to hear and actually lying to his face.

He took a step closer. “You seemed so startled to see me the other day. Terrified, as a matter of fact.”

Feeling cornered, she took deep breaths, trying to lower her elevated blood pressure.

“Maybe I’m completely off base,” he continued, “but extenuating circumstances have made me more distrustful than I used to be. If I’m wrong, you can laugh at me or indignantly cuss me out. But tell me the truth, Arden. Are you carrying my child?”

Chapter Four

Garrett had mentally rehearsed different ways this confrontation could play out—from her scoffing at his ludicrous accusation to her tearfully confessing all and begging his forgiveness. But he hadn’t imagined her collapsing.

Her eyes rolled upward and she crumpled in on herself.

“Arden!”

He bolted toward her with just enough time to get his arms around her before she fell. What was he thinking, intimidating a pregnant woman? What if he’d caused harm to her or the baby? He lowered himself to the floor awkwardly, supporting her weight as he cradled her against his chest.

She blinked up at him, and it was such a relief to see those blue-green eyes open. At least she was conscious, although her chest rose and fell with alarmingly rapid exhalations. “G-Gar—”

“Shhh. Catch your breath first.” He stroked her hair back from her pale face, feeling like an ogre. If he was right about the baby, then Arden owed him a major apology, but no matter how angry he was, he never would have deliberately hurt her.

She raised one shaky hand to press against her heart, her expression pained. “Water?”

He shrugged out of the lightweight denim jacket he’d been wearing, rolling it up as a makeshift pillow beneath her head. There was a water dispenser in the corner of the room, and he half filled a paper cup. “You have a history of fainting?” he asked. Maybe if this was something that happened routinely, he wouldn’t feel like such a bastard.

“Only twice.” She sipped her water, her words halting. “Overheated camping. Blacked out another time. When...I got bad news.”

He wasn’t sure whether this technically counted as fainting—had she lost consciousness completely? Was there a chance it would happen again when she was alone? “Should we get you to a doctor?”

She bit her lip, still struggling to breathe normally. “Probab— Probably overkill, but... The baby.” Her eyes filled with tears, the palpable fear in her gaze knifing through him.

“Better safe than sorry.” He helped her to her feet, noting her rocky balance.

“We have to lock up,” she said. “Keys in my purse. Second desk drawer.”

He got everything she asked for, then helped her out to the truck. She leaned against the seat, eyes closed. There was a lot they needed to say to each other, but it was challenge enough for her to give him rudimentary directions to the hospital.

The emergency room was fairly empty on a Tuesday afternoon. A mother sat in the far corner trying to coax a little girl to stop crying, and a burly man watched a daytime talk show with one eye while holding some kind of compress over the other. The blonde nurse working the admissions counter gasped softly when she spotted Garrett and Arden.

“Arden! You okay, hon?”

“Probably. I feel silly being here, but I think I fainted. Heart beating too fast, got dizzy...”

“Then you did the right thing by coming in.” The blonde eyed Garrett with blatant curiosity but didn’t ask who he was. “You two have a seat and fill out the forms on this clipboard. Oh, and this one for Obstetrics.” She passed over a pale green sheet of paper.

Garrett caught sight of a long list of questions. None seemed as crucial as the one looming in his mind. Who the hell is the father?

“Need any help with those?” he offered.

“No!” Arden clutched the paperwork to her chest, not meeting his eyes. “I got it.”

They sat down and she fumbled through her purse, retrieving her license and insurance card. Her hands were shaky as she muttered, “Damn, I hate hospitals.”

He’d never thought much about them one way or the other. It occurred to him that Will Harlow could be in a hospital bed at this very moment, praying that his biological son agreed to give up a kidney.

Fury filled him, resentment at the secrets that had been kept. He struggled to keep his voice soft, nonthreatening. “Arden, you owe me an answer.” At least here, if she became overwrought by his questioning, there were medical professionals twenty feet away.