Page 21 of The Bargain Bride

“Are you serious?” He blinked. “This again? You were sixteen. Would you really want to be with a guy that would kiss a teenager?”

“No. Of course not. But you could have been nicer about it. You have no idea how much you hurt me that night.”

Beyond hurt, he had scarred her so badly that she’d avoided the opposite sex for years. She had thought something was wrong with her.

He growled. “For the thousandth time, I am sorry. I never meant... the horse my mother gave me just died, and it brought back all the pain of her death. Then you kissed me, and for a moment I just wanted to lose myself in your sweetness. You weren't the only one that got hurt that night. I spent the next few years thinking I was some sick pervert.”

She hadn't thought anything could make her feel worse about that night. Wrong! For eight years, she had believed she was the only one damaged by the incident. Poor Jared. The whole thing had been entirely her fault. She shouldn't have forced a kiss on him.

“Guess it's my turn to apologize,” she said. “I never should have thrown myself at you. The only excuse I have to offer is my youth at the time and lack of experience.”

His eyes dropped to her flat stomach. “Well, I guess you have plenty of that now. Experience, I mean.”

The cutting remark caught her off guard. He was talking about the alleged pregnancy, of course. She deserved every ounce of anger he sent her way once he found out the truth. She opened her mouth to tell him, but once again he interrupted her.

He slashed the air with his hand. “Forget about it. You are the last woman I should be trying to kiss.”

“There you go again with the last woman crap! I wish you would stop singling me out as the most unattractive option. A girl can only take so much rejection before getting a complex.”

“Don't put words in my mouth.” He groaned. “I never said... and I certainly never thought of you as... you are a beautiful woman. You must know that.”

She gawked at him in hopeless wonder. How could she possibly know that? She lived on a 2000-acre ranch nearly two hours from the nearest small town and over four hours from the nearest city. The only men she knew worked for her. They were off limits when it came to romance. If she was so beautiful, why didn’t men flock around her the way they did with Trish?

He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted it, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Be glad you're carrying my brother's child,” he said. “Otherwise, I would take you to bed right now and show you how very attractive I find you. I would show you again and again all night long.”

She gulped, and words locked in her throat. She didn't know how to respond to that statement. Should she be glad he thought she was pregnant and didn't want to touch her because of it?

He added, “That wouldn't be a good idea for either of us. You and I would be a nightmare as a couple.”

He placed cool lips on her forehead before sending her off to bed. Alone. Confused by everything he'd said, she willingly obeyed. Maybe things would seem clear after a good night's sleep. At the very least, she would have fresh strength to deal with him.

Chapter Thirteen

The next day, Jared clomped down the staircase with a suitcase in his hand. The idea of leaving Beth in Montana weighed heavily on his conscience. If something bad happened to her or the baby, he would never forgive himself. He wished he could talk her into moving to Boston until she gave birth. That way, he could keep an eye on her and make sure she had the best available medical treatment. Unfortunately, he knew Beth wouldn't agree to leaving for a single day, let alone for months.

He wavered, wondering if maybe he should insist on staying with her. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work either. He had a job and a life back in Boston. Perhaps he should hire someone with medical training to stay with Beth until the baby was born. Of course, stubborn Beth wouldn't agree to that either. He could hear her now, yelling at him for being bossy and shouting that she could take care of herself.

Early that morning, he had spent over an hour riding Breaking Storm. Then he ate breakfast, talked to his lawyer on the phone, and got the papers ready for Beth to sign. Skylar faxed a few to him while they were talking. Finally, everything was in order. That was when he'd gone upstairs to get his belongings. He checked his watch now as he reached the bottom step. If he was going to make his flight, he needed to get Beth's signature on the papers and hit the road. It was a long drive to the airport.

“Beth!” he shouted on his way to the den. “I need you in here. Now!”

With a deep scowl in place, she marched into the den. She bowed to him in a mocking way. “Yes, your majesty? What can I do for you?”

He chose to ignore her crappy attitude in favor of hurrying the process along. “I need you to sign these so I can leave.”

“Is this about the ranch?”

He put the contract on the desk and pointed to the first signature line, page three. “Sign here.”

“Shouldn't I read it first?”

“No need. It says the ranch is yours, but you aren't allowed to sell it to anyone, especially not to Simon. If you decide you don't want it someday, I'll help you find a legitimate buyer.”

She picked up the contract and started to skim the first page.

“What are you doing?” he asked as his blood pressure soared. Why did the woman always have to push him to his limits? “Sign it.”

“Do you mind if I read it first?”

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