Читать книгу Claimed By The Rancher - Jules Bennett - Страница 11

Three

Despite how insistently Pepper protested, Nolan joined her the following morning at Painted Pansies to assess the damage. He used the excuse that he had to drive her, but he wouldn’t have let her face this alone regardless.

The apartment wasn’t a total loss, but she would not be living there anytime soon. Thankfully, the store wasn’t harmed, but an electrician needed to come out to double-check things because the fire marshall was sure the spark that started the fire had come from the outlet her warmer was plugged into.

Nolan had already contacted someone and expected him shortly. Pepper wouldn’t like that he’d taken over, but someone had to because she looked dead on her feet.

And, okay, maybe some of that past guilt was spurring his actions, but he knew that top-notch contractors could get things done quicker than she could if she were left to her own devices. There was no reason she should wait on insurance to get their act together, because they were notorious for being slow, and Nolan was just offering his aid. Money meant nothing to him and he could see that Pepper could use a break.

Pepper walked around the shop and into the back room. Nolan took in the window display with large canvas paintings and the flamboyant bouquets in various heights. Everywhere he looked, there was vibrancy, color, life. He knew Pepper had always envisioned something like this, but she’d been such a free spirit, wanting to travel the world, he’d never really thought she’d set down roots anywhere.

Of course, once upon a time, they’d planned on settling down together. They’d designed a house when they were so young and tossing one dream after another out into the wind, hoping they would catch.

Regret tightened the corners of his mouth. Some things just weren’t meant to be, because when faced with reality, he hadn’t been able to take charge. The death of their unborn baby made him too wary to consider going down that path again.

When someone tapped on the glass of the front door, Nolan jerked around. A middle-aged couple stood on the other side and he shook his head and pointed to the closed sign.

Behind him, Pepper let out a gasp.

Nolan glanced over his shoulder. “You know them?”

Her eyes remained fixed on the door as she nodded and pressed a hand protectively over her stomach. She’d thrown on one of his T-shirts and still had on the same shorts from last night. Her hair had been washed but left down to dry in long, silky ringlets. Desire pulsed through him. He knew exactly what that hair felt like between his fingertips and draped over his body, but now was not the time to get turned on. Still, his fingers itched to touch those luscious locks again, to see if they were just as smooth as he remembered.

“Want me to get rid of them?” he asked.

The tapping grew louder, more persistent.

“They’ve already seen me.” Pepper raked a hand through her hair and finally looked his way. “I hate to ask this, but can you stay? I’m exhausted and this could get ugly. I know we’re not necessarily friends or anything, but—”

“I’ll stay.”

Whoever these people were, Pepper wasn’t happy about seeing them.

She crossed the store and placed one hand on the knob, the other on the lock. Throwing a look over her shoulder, she caught his eyes again. “Their son is the father of my baby. I’ve only met them once.”

A sense of unease roiled through him. Of course, he knew nothing about the father of her baby, other than the fact he was obviously not in the picture at the moment, but his parents showing up here from...wherever it was they were from was probably not good news for Pepper.

He bit back a curse. Why was he sticking around? Whatever Pepper had going on in her life was her concern, her business. He should be at Pebblebrook helping Colt with the ranch or coming up with things he could do at Hayes’s house. Hayes was one of his other brothers, and he would be home from his deployment overseas in two weeks.

With four Elliott boys, there was always someone in need of a helping hand. Nolan hadn’t seen Beau, Colt’s twin, in nearly a year. He’d been too busy shooting one film after the next. That must be the life he loved out there in LA, because he rarely came home.

The flick of the lock pulled Nolan’s attention back to the moment. Pepper moved back and opened the door.

The couple swept in like they owned the place. Nolan was instantly on alert. He didn’t like to stereotype, but he figured he had these people pegged. Expensive clothes, flashy car on the curb... He knew how much that car was because he’d had one, as well, and sold it for an upgrade. The way the woman looked condescendingly down at Pepper had Nolan taking a step closer, his protective instincts kicking into high gear.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wright. What are you doing here?” Pepper asked.

“We didn’t have a number to reach you, but Matt told us where you were moving to and we heard you opened a little shop in Stone River.” Mrs. Wright glanced around the shop, her nose snarled as she turned back to Pepper. “Is this typically how you come to work?”

“I’m actually not open today.” Pepper cast a worried look to Nolan. “We’re doing some minor renovations.”

The couple glanced to Nolan but immediately dismissed him. Most likely they figured him for the hired hand. That was fine. He wasn’t here to make friends or to give a good impression. He was here for...what? To support Pepper, although she didn’t want it and he had other things he really needed to be doing.

“Can we talk privately?” Mr. Wright asked quietly.

Pepper crossed her arms over her chest. “You can just tell me now.”

“We have some...devastating news.” Mrs. Wright swiped at her eyes, and Nolan knew that expression. He’d been a doctor long enough, had seen grief too many times to count. He took another step toward Pepper but resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. He wasn’t sure what the Wrights were going to do and he didn’t want to show his hand this soon and reveal that he and Pepper had a past. They didn’t need to know.

“Matt had a heart attack two nights ago,” the woman whispered as if speaking through the tears clogging her throat. “He didn’t make it.”

“Oh...no.” Pepper reached a hand out for support and Nolan grabbed it right away, the worry for her far outweighing the need to keep his distance. “But he was so young,” she murmured in disbelief.

Again, Nolan knew from experience that age meant nothing in the medical field.

“I know he told you he wanted nothing to do with this baby, but we do.” Mr. Wright wasn’t quite as emotional as his wife, and he seemed to be ready to get down to business. “We want full guardianship rights for the baby now that our son is...is gone.”

“What?” she whispered, her eyes widening in shock.

“We’re filing for sole custody. It just... It makes sense given how stable we are and the financial backing we can provide.”

Pepper’s hand tightened in Nolan’s. “No, you can’t do that. I don’t even know you. Matt paid me. He gave me money to leave him alone and to invest however I wanted for the future of the baby, provided I never contact him again. He signed his rights away right before I left...”

Pepper seemed to be rambling out of fear, and Nolan knew in that second he’d do anything to keep this baby in her life. Forget what happened between them years ago. Pepper needed someone in her corner and he damn well wasn’t going to leave her to face these vultures all alone. He owed her that much at least.

His chest constricted with guilt as realization struck. This Matt guy had treated Pepper like she was a burden...the same way Nolan had done years ago.

“Matt’s gone now,” the lady sniffed. “And we want to raise our grandchild. We’ve already contacted our team of attorneys.”

“What?” Pepper gasped.

“We aren’t questioning your parental skills, but we feel the child would be better off with us,” Mr. Wright reiterated. “We know our rights. We’re determined to have a DNA test done to prove we’re the grandparents. You have to be realistic here and see that we’re more financially stable.”

Nolan wrapped his arm around Pepper, which drew the attention of the other couple. “Pepper isn’t going to discuss this any further without talking to her attorney. If you’ll leave me your lawyers’ information, I’ll be sure to have someone contact them.”

Because he had his own team on retainer and he would be calling them before the Wrights pulled away from the curb.

Mrs. Wright’s eyes narrowed. “And who are you?”

There was no good way to answer that question and it was none of his concern anyway. “The contact information, please, and then you can go. Neither Pepper nor I will be discussing this any further without our attorneys present.”

Beneath his touch, Pepper trembled. If she could hold it together long enough for him to usher them out the door, she could break down all she wanted later. Nolan just needed to get her alone.

Mr. Wright gave the name of a high-powered attorney in Houston. Nolan knew his team was better, more ruthless, and there was no way this couple would take Pepper’s baby. Not as long as Nolan was in charge...and he had every intention of seeing this through.

Between the fire, the renovations and now this, Nolan didn’t see himself pulling away from Pepper anytime soon. Which was fine in the grand scheme of things. He owed her more than he could ever repay. So somehow he’d just have to find a way to resist temptation and keep his hands to himself.

Nolan released Pepper long enough to open the door and gesture for the Wrights to leave. “Don’t call or come back. Someone from my law firm will be in touch.”

“Pepper, don’t push us away,” Mrs. Wright said over her shoulder. “You’re carrying the only piece of our son that we have left.”

Nolan closed the door and slid the lock back into place. Pepper continued to stare at the spot where the older couple had just stood. He gently gripped her arm and guided her toward the back room, where he eased her down onto an old wooden chair at the desk as he propped his hip along the edge.

“What am I going to do?” she muttered aloud as she continued to stare at nothing in particular. “I don’t have an attorney and I can’t compete with them anyway. Their money, their power. I can’t let total strangers have custody of my baby.”

She never once looked up at him as she rattled off her concerns. But Nolan was taking all of this in. He leaned down over the desk, bracing his weight on his hands.

“Look at me,” he demanded. “I pay my lawyers a hefty fee. They’ll be on this case today and we’ll make sure they don’t take your child.”

Pepper blinked, sending a tear spilling down her cheek. “I used all the money Matt gave me to invest into this place. I wanted a secure future.”

A wave of fury surged through him. He hated this guy. Who the hell paid a woman to leave him alone?

Shame seized him once again. How had he been any different? He’d pushed her away with his actions, his harsh words. He’d been hurt from the loss of their baby—a baby he hadn’t realized he’d wanted until it was gone.

“My team will take care of this. I’ll put the call in now.”

Pepper shook her head. “No. I’ll handle this. I’m not leaning on you or anyone else.”

While Nolan admired her determination, he wasn’t about to argue with her idiotic logic. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“You have enough on your plate with this building and you said your funds were tied up here. How can you pay for an attorney? A good one you don’t have to second-guess about whether he’s doing what should be done to secure your child’s future with you? How are you going to do that?”

Pepper’s lips thinned as she shrugged one slender shoulder. “The same way I’ve gotten along these last ten years without you. I’ll find a way.”

He jerked in a breath. She was hurting, he understood that, but the jab she delivered had no doubt been bubbling below the surface just waiting to come out. He deserved that, but he wasn’t about to stick around for more verbal punches.

“My contractor is due here any minute to get an estimate ready for your insurance. I’ll have my attorney call you today, too. Don’t hold back with either guy and don’t worry about the money.”

“Says someone who’s never worried about money,” she muttered.

Nolan pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m trying to help and then I’ll stay out of your way. It’s clear you don’t want me around. I get that, Pepper, but I won’t let you deal with all of this on your own.”

Pepper tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “Fine. But I want an itemized list of all the charges so I can pay you back after the insurance kicks in. I may take a while, but I won’t be indebted to you.”

He wasn’t getting into that now. But Nolan had no intention of taking a dime from her. She needed to be stress-free, to concentrate on this pregnancy and a healthy baby, not worry about her new business and a looming custody suit.

To keep the peace, he merely nodded and then headed toward the back to talk to his contractor. He wanted everything done right, sparing no expense. And a few upgrades wouldn’t hurt in the apartment, either. Nolan wasn’t certain what it looked like before, but he planned on personally seeing to it that it was all up-to-date, with state-of-the-art appliances, whatever it took to ensure Pepper had everything she needed to live comfortably.

It was the least he could do. And, yes, guilt spurred his actions, but so what. He was a different man than he was ten years ago.

Except that part of him that still desired her. Damn it. After all this time of not seeing her, having her this close wasn’t something he’d prepared for. She was sexy as hell, her figure a bit fuller from the pregnancy, but she was breathtaking. The fact she wore one of his T-shirts was even more arousing because he recalled many other occasions when she’d wear his shirt...only his shirt.

Nolan headed back to the ranch, determined to work out his frustrations on the farm. But first he needed to call his attorney. There was no way in hell those people were going to take Pepper’s baby. Nolan would make certain of that.