Page 56 of Love and Memories

Asking would only upset her. He’d just make a point to keep an eye out for trouble. His instincts said her problems were far from over, but he didn’t have any evidence to back it up.

Bella rested her head back and turned to face him. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me. You’re the opposite of him. He didn’t always have a reason for what he did, but you don’t have any obligation to help me, and you’re doing it anyway. I know enough to recognize how rare that is. You lift me up, but all he did was tear me down.”

Man, she knew just how to step on his heartstrings. Travis took his attention off the road to look at her. “Listen to me, and I’ll make you forget everything he ever said to you.”

Bella sucked in a shuddering breath before covering her face with her hands. The first sob came quickly, followed by her wailing cries.

“Bella, what’s wrong?” Travis pulled into the drive leading to Silver Falls Ranch and parked. What was he supposed to do?

Helplessness itched under his skin. Unable to sit still, he jogged around the front of the truck and pulled her door open. She turned to him and let her hands fall from her face. With wet cheeks and a trembling jaw, she reached for him.

Wrapping his arms around her as she wound hers around his neck, he lifted her out of the truck and set her feet on solidground but didn’t let go. Her entire body shook as she cried in his arms. He tightened his grip on her, but it wasn’t enough. This was a heart-wrenching cry that he couldn’t fix.

“Bella, did you get a bad report from the doctor? What’s wrong? Let me help.”

“You can’t,” she wailed. “I’m pregnant.”

The words hit him like a kick in the gut from a grown man, not a woman who couldn’t be upward of a hundred and ten pounds.

“You’re what?” he asked softly.

She lifted her head from his chest and wiped at her face. “The doctor said my recovery is going just fine, but surprise, I’m pregnant.” She inhaled a shaky breath. “And I had no idea. He–he said I must have been really early on when I was in the hospital, and that’s why they didn’t catch it.”

Travis’s grip on her arms tensed without his permission, and he quickly released her, flexing and fisting his hands at his sides.

She sniffed and wiped her face again. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding your calls. I didn’t know how to tell you. I don’t want to lose you, but I also don’t even know whose baby this is. It’s all so ridiculous that I can’t bring you into this mess.”

Her words broke through the haze of his paralysis. “Let’s get one thing straight. You’ve been through a lot lately, but that doesn’t make you a mess.”

“Yes it does! I can’t win for losing.” Bella threw her hands in the air before they fell to her sides. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Travis pulled off his hat and slid a hand through his hair before putting the cap back on. “You’ve overcome so much, and you’re going to make it through this too. I know it’s a lot to process, but you’re not alone.”

His words only made her cry harder. “You’re right. I’ll never be alone again. I have a baby who will be counting on me, but I can’t even take care of myself!”

That was it. He couldn’t keep his distance any longer. He grabbed her hands and wrapped them in his. Holding them to his chest, he took a deep breath. “Bella, you can do this. I bet Camille Harding knows someone you can talk to at Blackwater Hope House. I’m sure they have plenty of resources for… for new mothers. Just don’t make any decisions you’ll regret.”

Bella pressed her eyes closed and shook her head. “I’m not getting rid of it. That’s not an option.”

Travis released the breath that had been screaming in the cage of his chest. “Good. I’m glad. Listen, I know this is a lot. I’m still trying to process it myself, but you’ve got this. You’re so strong.”

Her tears started again, but her short breaths had lengthened, and her chest didn’t hiccup anymore. “I don’t know.”

“How is the baby?” Travis asked, trying to calm her down with facts and information she already knew.

“The doctor said it looks okay. The heartbeat is strong. It’s so fast. I had no idea their hearts did that. It was…” She took a few breaths before looking up at him. “It was amazing.”

Travis’s relief was quickly replaced by the next gnawing question. “You said you don’t know who the father is?”

Bella pulled her hands out of his grip and wiped her cheeks and eyes. “I don’t. Not a clue. We’ve kind of ruled out marriage, but what if I have a boyfriend somewhere out there? What if this guy needs to know he has a kid? What if–” She slapped a hand over her mouth.

What if she’d been sexually abused? What if some evil person had taken what he wanted and left her with a baby to carryand raise alone? Maybe her mind was protecting her by keeping those memories hidden.

Using all of his willpower, Travis spoke soft and low. “I don’t think you’re in any state to work today. Would you like for me to take you to see Camille?”

“No. I need this job.” She pointed toward the ranch in the distance.

“I know that, but the Bensons aren’t going to fire you because you’re pregnant. Would you rather go talk to Tammy?”

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