Page 88 of Hero's Heart

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Joy’s gasp mingled with the shattering of Sloane’s heart. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as the reality of her situation crashed over her once again.

But then Joy was pulling her into a tight hug, the comforting scent of vanilla enveloping Sloane.

“Oh, sweetie. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together.”

Sloane clung to her friend, Joy’s unwavering support a lifeline in the tumultuous sea of her emotions. When they parted, Joy’s eyes shone with excitement.

“The baby… It’s Callum’s, isn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

Joy smiled softly. “Um, the fact that he’s shown up at the Eagle’s Nest for almost every shift you have? And I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve never seen him look at anyone else like that.”

A hollow laugh escaped Sloane’s throat. “You’re mistaken. Callum doesn’t want anything to do with me. Or this baby.”

Joy frowned. “Did he tell you that?”

The memory of Callum’s accusation sliced through Sloane like a knife. “When I told him I was pregnant, he got angry. He asked if it was even his. Like I would ever…”

“He saidwhat?”

“He said the condoms should have worked. I think he felt like I was trying to trap him.”

Just as she’d feared he would.

Joy’s expression hardened with determination. Without a word, she strode to the coat closet and yanked the door open. Sloane watched, perplexed, as her friend reached inside and pulled out a baseball bat.

Joy turned back to Sloane, the bat gripped tightly in her hand. She swung it against her palm with a resounding smack. “I think it’s time we had a little chat with Sheriff Webb.”

Sloane’s eyes widened in alarm. Was Joy seriously planning to attack Callum with a bat? The mental image would have been comical if the situation weren’t so dire. Joy, all five foot one of her, looked positively ridiculous wielding a bat nearly as big as she was.

“Joy, what exactly is your plan here? Toassaultthe sheriff?”

The other woman lifted her chin defiantly. “Assault’s a hard word. I’m just going to…show him the error of his ways.”

Despite the gravity of the moment, Sloane couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection for her fiercely loyal friend. She crossed the room and gently pried the bat from Joy’s hands.

“I appreciate the sentiment, slugger, but violence isn’t the answer,” Sloane said, setting the bat aside. She pulled Joy into a tight embrace, her heart swelling with gratitude. “Thank you, though. For being willing to go to bat for me, literally.”

Joy hugged her back firmly. “Of course, Sloane. You’re my friend. I’ll always have your back.”

Tears pricked at Sloane’s eyes. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had a friend and definitely hadn’t had one in recent memory.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Sloane whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

“I have an important question. Doyouwant this baby?”

Sloane put a hand on her stomach. “Yes.”

That was the honest truth.

“Then stay in Oak Creek, Sloane. Don’t leave. You don’t have to go through this alone. If Callum doesn’t want the baby—and you won’t let me use my handy-dandy bat to convince him otherwise—then we can raise it together! My house is plenty big for the both of us, and it’s been too quiet since my parents passed.”

Sloane hesitated, her mind whirling with uncertainty. Could she really impose on Joy like that? But the thought of striking out on her own, pregnant and alone, sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Sloane said, biting her lip. “And you haven’t had a chance to really think about this.”

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