Page 56 of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers 1)

When Ryan said nothing and moved aside, I sent up a quick prayer and hurried off to find his father. The sooner I got this over with, the better.

I made my way around the back, and Ryan was right—there was no way to miss the mammoth “shed.” I twisted my hands in front of myself. Okay, it was now or never. I needed to get this over and done with so I could move on. I had too much on my plate these days to have a cloud of guilt this big following me around.

That final pep talk had my spine straightening and my feet moving. But when I got to the open door of the shed and spotted a man’s boots sticking out from under a tractor, I thought about making a run for it.

I didn’t, though. I cleared my throat, and the dirt-covered boots dug into the ground and crawled the man out on a flatbed creeper. He had a wrench in one hand and a spanner in the other, and the frown on the tanned, leathery face said he was clearly unimpressed by my interruption.

Great. This was off to a fantastic start.

I was about to introduce myself when the man sat up and tossed his tools into the toolbox with a loud clang. Then he reached for the rag stuffed in his pocket and began wiping the grease off his hands.

“Did you take a wrong turn, miss? There’s no tours this afternoon.”

It didn’t surprise me that he had no clue who I was. We’d never met before, and I certainly didn’t run in his family’s circles. The only communication I’d ever had with him was over a phone, and it had been brief to say the least.

“Are you Harry Chamberlin?” I knew he was, but it was important that I had the right person before I did what I’d come here to do.

“I am.”

Harry got to his feet, and I suddenly wished he’d stay seated. If I’d been intimidated before, his height—at least six three—was not helping my confidence any now. But I wasn’t about to run. I’d come too far for that.

“If you’re Harry, then I’m not lost. I’m Laurel. Laurel Anderson.”

The minute I said my name, a flash of recognition lit his eyes.

“I see. And what is it that’s brought you to my place of business today, Miss Anderson?”

If it’d been up to me, I never would’ve set foot in his place of business. But that wasn’t an option anymore. “I want to know where Noah is.”

A cruel smile curled Harry’s lips as he tossed the dirty rag on top of the toolbox. “And why would I tell you that?”

I angled my chin up and reminded myself that Ryan had seen me come in here. I had nothing to fear. It wasn’t like Harry was going to off me and no one would ever see me again.

“Because I have to talk to him.”

“About?”

“That’s between us.”

Harry chuckled, sending a shiver up my spine. “The last time I checked, there was no us when it came to the two of you, and that’s how it’s going to stay.”

I ignored his dig, having prepared myself for the kind of man he was. But he was just getting started.

“You see, Laurel, Noah is fifth-generation Chamberlin. This town—the place you live in—is his namesake. He’s my oldest boy and I want great things for him, the best he can possibly get, and you, my dear, are just not it.”

The pain of hearing those words out loud cut deeper than I’d anticipated. They were like a physical blow. I was so stunned by their callous nature that I couldn’t seem to send a message from my brain to my feet to move.

“Noah is destined to be with someone of his own stature. Someone who will fit in around here and help run a world-class winery and wow the industry with the Chamberlin name. So any romantic notions you’re still clinging to? I suggest you let them go. He’s not coming back for you, and I’m not telling you where he went.”

The bitter taste of bile rose in my throat, and I shuddered. I was well aware of the class differences between Noah and myself. I had been from the minute we’d started dating. But Noah had never once looked down on me for what I didn’t have, so the only person projecting that opinion was Harry.

I clenched my fists and reminded myself why I was there. I didn’t owe this man anything. I was here for me. I was here to do the right thing, and I was done listening to him talk me down.

Taking my silence as acceptance of his disgusting diatribe, Harry dismissed me by turning his back and rifling through his toolbox. But I wasn’t done just yet.

“I’m pregnant.”

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