Pregnant By The Colton Cowboy

Thorne nodded. It was easier than explaining everything, and it was close to the truth.

“I can relate,” his brother said, offering a sympathetic smile.

Several months ago, Knox had reunited with his old high school love, Allison, and learned that her son, Cody, was his. At the time, Thorne hadn’t wanted to pry into his brother’s personal life, especially after the boy was kidnapped. But now, faced with his own paternity surprise, Thorne needed some advice.

“How did it work for you?” he asked bluntly. “I mean, how did you come to terms with learning about Cody?”

Knox scratched the side of his jaw, his expression turning thoughtful. “It was different for me,” he said. “I already knew about Cody, I just didn’t know I was his father. I realized it as soon as I saw him, though. Everything just kind of clicked into place.”

“Yeah, but didn’t you worry about how your life was going to change? How different things would be now that you have a child?”

“Of course I did. And let me tell you, everything does change once you have a kid. There’s really no way to prepare for that—it’s just something you have to accept. It’s kind of like trying to swim against the current. You can struggle and fight to stay where you are and burn up all your energy for nothing. Or you can relax and let yourself be carried into your new life.” He shook his head with a rueful laugh. “I’m terrible at metaphors, but hopefully you get the idea.”

“I don’t know if I can be that Zen about it,” Thorne said. He was a planner by nature and he liked routine. Some might call his life boring, but it served him well with the horses—his methodical, careful actions engendered their trust, which was a gift he never took for granted.

Knox tilted his head to the side, his gaze bright with understanding. “It’ll come,” he said quietly. “Besides, you have months to adjust to the idea of being a father.”

“That’s true,” Thorne allowed. Hopefully it was enough time to figure things out.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to make a great dad.”

Thorne closed his eyes, absorbing Knox’s words. It meant a lot to know that the brother he looked up to thought he could do this job. Maybe he could borrow his confidence until he found his own.

“I hope you’re right,” he whispered.

“I am. Now, let’s go check on your girl.”

Thorne opened his mouth to correct Knox, but thought better of it. Maggie wasn’t his girl, not anymore. His actions had seen to that. But now that she and his unborn child were in danger, would she let him back into her life?

* * *

One of the overhead lights was about to burn out.

It flickered randomly, alternately dimming and flaring bright, humming faintly in the otherwise quiet room. Maggie hadn’t noticed it before, but now that Dr. Jenkins had left and she was alone—

No, she thought. I’m not alone. Not really.

She placed her palm flat on her abdomen, right between her hip bones. Over her baby.

Baby. She marveled at the word, hardly daring to believe it. Was it really true?

Of course it was, she thought. Dr. Jenkins wouldn’t lie. Not about something like that. She closed her eyes, picturing the older man’s face as he’d told her the news. You’re pregnant. He’d said the words so casually, as if he spoke them every day. Perhaps he did. But to Maggie, those two little words did more than just explain her recent fatigue and nausea. They signified a miracle had taken place, marking a transformation she’d never thought she would experience.

She hadn’t really given the idea of children much thought, until her doctor had told her that due to her endometriosis she likely wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. The painful condition that had plagued her since the onset of puberty had damaged her body, leaving swaths of scar tissue in its wake.

“Your fallopian tubes are almost completely blocked,” Dr. Owens had said, her voice calm and kind as she broke the news. She pointed to two thin lines on the diagram she held, the tip of her pen leaving little blue dots against the pink of the illustration. “It’s a delicate area to begin with, and because of the chronic inflammation, I’m afraid it’s been damaged beyond repair. I’m so sorry.”

It had taken a while for the news to sink in. Maggie had been nineteen at the time, still at a stage in her life where the idea of children was more scary than appealing. But as the years had ticked by, a sadness tinged with anger had filled her. It was one thing to not want children; it was quite another to have that choice taken away before she’d even had a chance to decide for herself.

For a while, she’d stopped dating. Most men wanted a family, and since she wasn’t capable of having a baby, she didn’t want to fall in love with someone who would eventually leave her or grow to resent her for the things she couldn’t provide. Better to be alone than experience the pain of unmet expectations.

Except...she’d grown tired of being single. There had to be a few men out there who didn’t want kids, or who would be happy to adopt. She just had to find them.

Her girlfriends Sonia and Amber had celebrated her return to the dating scene. They’d been after her for a while to take a chance. And while Maggie had never been one to act rashly, their words had clearly influenced her because she hadn’t hesitated to hop into bed with Thorne as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Now she had one hell of a souvenir to remember him by.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what the baby might look like. Thorne’s light brown eyes and her blond hair? Or her blue eyes and his brown hair? How would her pale skin blend with his darker shade? Whatever the result, she knew their child was going to be beautiful.

“I’ll take care of you,” she promised softly, a sense of determination settling over her like a second skin. And she would. Better to be a single mother than to deal with a man who might not be interested in being a father. This baby was a new life, a blank slate. Maggie was determined to do right by her child, even if that meant her own life would be more difficult than she’d wanted.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called. Anticipation made her stomach flutter—was the obstetrician here to tell her more about the pregnancy?

The door opened, and Thorne poked his head around the edge. “Hello,” he said, sounding a little shy. “Do you mind if we come in?”

We? Who was he talking about? Curiosity had her nodding her head.

Thorne pushed into the room, followed by his older brother, Knox. Maggie didn’t know Knox all that well, but Mac often spoke well of him, so that was enough for her.

Thorne resumed his seat next to her bed while Knox stood at her side. He offered her a kind smile. “I heard you had quite a scare today. How are you?”

Maggie cut a glance over to Thorne. Had he told his brother about the baby? He met her eyes, his expression unreadable. “I’m okay,” she said carefully. “A little shaken up.”

Knox nodded. “That’s to be expected.”

“Are you here as part of an investigation?” She knew he’d retired from the Texas Rangers, but perhaps Knox was consulting with the police because the explosion had taken place on Mac’s ranch.

He shook his head. “Not exactly. Mac called me and told me what had happened. I was in the area, so I figured I’d stop by and see how you and Thorne were holding up.”

Maggie leaned back against the too-small pillow with a sigh. She hadn’t really given the explosion much thought after learning about her pregnancy—funny how her priorities had already shifted. Now the memory of her new car going up in flames invaded her thoughts, and the heavy weight of worry dropped onto her shoulders.

“I’ll be doing much better when the police figure out why my car blew up.”

Knox shifted, cocking one hip and hooking his thumb through a belt loop. “See, that’s the thing,” he said, his tone friendly. “In my experience, cars just don’t explode for no reason. This was the result of a deliberate act.”

A chill skittered down Maggie’s spine, and goose bumps broke out on her arms. “There’s no chance this was some kind of mechanical flaw? A frayed wire, maybe?”

Knox gave her a pitying look. “I don’t think so.”

Maggie suddenly felt very small and vulnerable. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, then practically jumped out of her skin when a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked over to find Thorne standing next to her, his expression apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” she said, surprised to find that she meant it. She hadn’t expected Thorne to touch her, but she hadn’t minded it, either. It seemed her body was willing to draw comfort from any source, no matter what her heart had to say about it.

Dismissing the moment, she returned her focus to Knox and the issue at hand. “Why would someone want to blow up my car? I’m nobody important. What could possibly be the motive here?”

Knox opened his mouth to respond, but a voice from the door beat him to it.

“Excellent questions, Ms. Lowell. Fortunately, I think I have the answers.”

Chapter 5

Sheriff Bud Jeffries strolled into Maggie’s hospital room, acting like he owned the place. He stopped at the end of her bed and eyed her like a cat sizing up a trapped mouse. Then his gaze shifted to Knox and Thorne, and his brown eyes hardened.

Thorne felt an answering disgust rise in his chest. There was no love lost between the sheriff and his family. The man’s incompetence had been on full display after Cody’s abduction—if Knox hadn’t gotten involved, they’d probably still be looking for the boy.

Bud returned his focus to Maggie. “I have a few questions for you, Ms. Lowell. Gentlemen,” he said, not bothering to look at Thorne or Knox again, “I’m going to need you to leave.”

Maggie cast a quick glance at Thorne, her eyes wide. Her distress ignited his protective instincts, and he placed a hand on her shoulder in a show of solidarity. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, quietly but firmly. He didn’t want to pick a fight with the sheriff, but he wasn’t going to let the man run roughshod over Maggie just because of her connection to the Coltons.

Bud didn’t bother to hide his disdain as he glared at Thorne. “That wasn’t a request.”

Thorne’s blood began to boil, but he clenched his jaw and held his tongue. Jeffries smirked, knowing the barb had hit home.

“I want them to stay,” Maggie said.

Bud glanced at her dismissively. “I’m afraid you don’t have much to say about it.”

Finally, Knox stepped forward. “Sheriff Jeffries, are you here to make an arrest?”

The man’s expression turned sour, as if he’d just bit into a lemon. “No,” he said grudgingly.

“Then, as I’m sure you know, Ms. Lowell’s visitors are not required to leave the room for this conversation.”

“I’ll take her down to the station if I have to.” Bud’s chest puffed out in belligerence, the buttons of his shirt straining to contain his indignation over Knox’s challenge to his authority. Thorne eyed the one right above his belly button and smothered a smile as he imagined the button popping off. The sheriff was already a joke; losing a few buttons would only enhance his resemblance to a clown.

Knox nodded. “That’s one option,” he said agreeably. “But she hasn’t been cleared medically yet, so you’ll probably be waiting awhile. Why don’t you just ask your questions now?”

Bud narrowed his eyes and his voice dripped venom as he spoke. “You’re not a Texas Ranger anymore, Colton. Keep this up, and I’ll arrest you for interfering in an active investigation.”

Knox didn’t respond, but his level stare made it clear he wasn’t impressed by the threat.

Maggie found her voice again. “You said you have some answers.” It was an obvious attempt to change the subject and get things back on track. Thorne gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze in appreciation. Bud Jeffries had felt threatened by Knox ever since Cody’s kidnapping, and the man couldn’t resist baiting Knox into a pissing contest every time the two of them crossed paths. His brother generally refused to engage, but Bud took any response as a challenge.

Better him than me, Thorne thought. Knox’s tolerance for the sheriff was several orders of magnitude greater than Thorne’s. If the shoe was on the other foot and Bud Jeffries was going after him, Thorne didn’t think he would handle it nearly as well as Knox.

After a moment’s silence, Jeffries turned back to Maggie. “Do you have any enemies, Ms. Lowell?”

She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think so, no.”

“No professional rivals, anyone who views you as competition and wants to see you fail?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What about personally? Anyone angry with you, or want to see you come to harm?”

“No.”

Bud flicked a glance at Thorne. “You sure about that? Because if this is the company you keep...” he trailed off, the implication clear.

Thorne narrowed his eyes at the man, but didn’t speak. He refused to give Jeffries the satisfaction of a response.

“No.” Maggie’s voice was sharp and cold, and Thorne blinked, touched by her unspoken defense of him. It was far more than he deserved, given his recent actions toward her. Further proof that Maggie was far too good for the likes of him.

The sheriff ignored her tone. “All right then,” he said. “That’s all I needed to hear.” He turned and headed for the door.

“Wait,” Maggie called out. “Do you have any suspects?”

Bud paused by the door and nodded. “I sure do.”

“Can you tell me who it is?” Maggie pressed. Thorne’s exasperation grew with every passing second—it was clear Jeffries was dragging out the process, enjoying the drama of the moment. He was a disgrace to the office of sheriff, and not for the first time, Thorne wished Knox would run for the position.

Bud tilted his head to the side, his brown eyes glittering with satisfaction.

“You, Ms. Lowell.”

* * *

The man hunkered down at the edge of the tree line bordering Mac’s farm, careful not to make any sudden moves that might give away his presence. The barn and main buildings were about fifty yards away, so realistically there was little chance anyone would see him, especially with everyone focused on the smoldering remains of the car in the dooryard. Still, best to be careful.

He lifted binoculars to his eyes and peered through the lenses, surveying the aftermath of the explosion. The car was nothing more than a steaming pile of twisted metal, a broken skeleton lying naked in the dirt. Firemen still moved around it, searching for any residual flames among the smoke, but he didn’t linger on the sight.

He was interested in other things.

He turned his gaze to the surrounding buildings, searching for signs of damage amid the breaks in the thick gray smoke polluting the area. The stables were directly in front of the car, but from this angle he couldn’t tell if the explosion had had the desired effect. The supply building to the right of the stables showed gaping black holes where the glass of the windows had shattered. The structure to the left hadn’t fared much better—the wood paneling was scorched and several patches of shingles had blown right off the roof. He felt a small measure of satisfaction as he surveyed the area. It wasn’t quite the Armageddon he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t bad for a first effort.

Unfortunately, his enjoyment was short-lived.

As he watched, Mac emerged from the barn. His clothes were streaked with soot and his face gleamed with sweat, but otherwise he looked fine. Damn him.

He thought he’d timed things perfectly; he’d been watching Mac for weeks, learning the man’s daily routine. Mac was a creature of habit, and he should have been crossing the dooryard from the stables to the supply shed at the exact moment the car detonated.

Instead, he’d still been inside the stables, safe from the brunt of the explosion.

It hadn’t been a total loss, though. A woman had been hurt. He hadn’t recognized her, and she didn’t look like an employee—her blue skirt and wedge sandals were far too impractical for ranch work. For a brief second, he’d thought she might be Mac’s lover. Why else would she have noticed the fire in Mac’s trunk? But then he’d seen the way Thorne had come flying out of the stable after her and realized he was the one who cared about her.

He’d filed that tidbit of information away, knowing it might come in handy later.

As he watched, Mac gave the car a wide berth and walked over to one of the men standing next to the gleaming red fire truck. He pulled a green bandana out of his back pocket and mopped his brow, his lips moving as he spoke to the fireman. The pair of them stood in place for a moment, talking and gesturing to the remains of the car and the buildings. Finally, Mac held out his hand and the two men shook, both of them blissfully unaware of his surveillance.

He couldn’t read lips, especially not at this distance, but it was easy enough to guess that Mac was thanking the men for saving his property. Their timely arrival had spared the nearby buildings further damage and probably saved lives. Mac and that son of his likely thought they had dodged a bullet today, and in truth, they had.

Too bad they didn’t realize what was coming next.

The man smiled as he slipped the binoculars back into their black leather case. He pushed himself off the hard dirt and headed down the gentle slope of the hill, back toward the car he’d parked on the side of one of La Bonne Vie’s abandoned service roads. Today had been a practice run of sorts. He’d discovered the explosives weren’t as reliable as he’d hoped; the initial fire in Mac’s trunk had tipped that woman off and in the future, he didn’t want there to be any warning before he struck. Time to try a different tack for his next move.

He unlocked his car and climbed inside, tossing the binoculars into the passenger seat next to the birding book. The thick tome was his excuse if anyone stopped him and wanted to know why he’d been roaming around the area in the wake of the explosion. He hadn’t seen a large police presence at the ranch, but that didn’t mean they weren’t in the area. Better to be prepared for any eventuality, no matter how unlikely it may be. He had to stay out of trouble, at least until he’d taken care of Mac.

He pointed the car north and headed back into town. Thanks to today’s events, Mac would be on edge for a while. And as much as it pained him, he was going to have to wait to strike again. He needed Mac to let his guard down so he could catch him unawares—it was the best way to ensure he was successful.

“Enjoy your time,” he muttered, glancing in the rearview mirror at the smoky haze rising from the ranch. “You don’t have much more of it.”

Chapter 6

Bud Jeffries did his best to slam the door as he left, no doubt hoping to make a dramatic exit. Under any other circumstances, Thorne would have laughed at the man’s pathetically obvious attempt to seem important. But one glance at Maggie’s pale, worried face and his animosity toward the incompetent sheriff melted away.

“I don’t understand,” she said softly, her voice small and scared. “How could he think I would blow up my own car?”

Thorne sat on the edge of her bed and reached for her hand. Even though he had no right to touch her and he knew she might well pull away from him, he wanted—no, needed—to connect with her.

“Bud Jeffries is just being an ass,” he said. She glanced over at him, her expression uncertain. But she left her hand in his, a gesture he didn’t take for granted.

“He’s trying to scare you,” Knox added. “He’s a man on a power trip, that’s all.”

“I’m not so sure,” she said, her tone doubtful. “He seemed pretty serious to me. But why am I his chief suspect? It was my car that was destroyed!”

Knox lifted one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “It’s not unheard of for people to ruin their own property in the hopes of filing a fraudulent insurance claim. When people need money, they can get pretty desperate.”

Maggie frowned and shook her head. “But surely if he did any actual investigating he’d know I’m not in financial trouble. There’s no reason for me to try something like that.”

Thorne snorted. “You’re assuming the man is capable of doing his job properly.” Jeffries had displayed nothing but incompetence during the search for Cody, and Thorne wasn’t about to give him the benefit of the doubt now. A small kernel of fear formed in his belly. If the sheriff was so shortsighted as to really believe Maggie was responsible for the explosion, he would probably dismiss any evidence to the contrary. That meant the true culprit was free to strike again.

And next time Maggie and the baby might not be so fortunate.

“I don’t want you to worry about this,” Knox said. “I still have some friends on the Shadow Creek police force. I’ll put out a few feelers, see where the investigation stands. It’s going to be okay.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “I’ll go make some calls and check in when I know anything.”

“Thank you,” she said. Thorne saw her body relax into the mattress and felt a flash of gratitude toward Knox for his offer. If anyone could point the police in the right direction, it was his brother. All the more reason for him to run for the sheriff’s office...

“It’s my pleasure,” Knox replied. “I’m happy to help.” He turned to go and Thorne stood up. “Let me walk you out,” he offered. He gave Maggie’s hand a gentle squeeze and let it go. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”

She nodded, and for a brief second he wondered if she would miss him while he was gone. Probably not. He shook off the thought and walked to the door to join his brother.

Knox turned to him once they were in the hall, the door safely closed behind them. “What’s on your mind?”

“The investigation,” Thorne said shortly. “I’m worried the sheriff is going to let his hatred for our family blind him to the evidence. You and I both know Maggie didn’t do this.”

Knox nodded thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” he said. “The guys on the force are pretty sharp. It won’t take long to clear her from the suspect list.”

“That’s not all I’m worried about.” Thorne briefly described his concerns regarding Livia and her goons, and his fears for Maggie’s and the baby’s safety.

His brother stilled, no doubt reliving the horror of his own son’s kidnapping. “Do you think I’m overreacting?” Thorne asked, feeling a little paranoid. After all, Livia hadn’t been seen or heard from in weeks. She was a smart woman; she likely had no desire to get arrested again, so she’d probably gone to ground after sticking her neck out to kill Cody’s kidnapper and Leonor's assailant.

“No,” Knox said flatly. “I don’t think we should discount the possibility that Livia is somehow involved. It would be a mistake to underestimate her.”

“What can we do?” He’d feel better if there was some concrete action he could take to protect Maggie and his unborn baby. But short of wrapping Maggie in Kevlar and locking her in a windowless room, there was no surefire way to keep her safe.

“Stay close,” Knox said. He glanced back at the closed door. “As close as she’ll let you, anyway. I got the impression things aren’t totally smooth between you two?”

Thorne shook his head, reluctant to go into the details. He felt bad enough as it was; he didn’t want his brother knowing just how much of a fool he’d been. “I’m working on it,” he said.

“You want my advice?” Knox continued before Thorne had a chance to respond. “Grovel. A lot. Flowers, chocolates, you name it. But get back into her good graces, and the sooner the better. Both of you are going to experience a life-changing event soon. It’ll be a lot easier if you can face it as a team.”

Thorne nodded, knowing his brother was right. He didn’t think a bouquet of roses would earn Maggie’s forgiveness, but it might help soften the ground. “Thanks.”