Page 48 of The Trouble With Tomboys (Tommy Creek 1)

B.J. felt a lump grow in her throat, wondering if Grady felt as guilty as she did about cheating on Amy like they had. God, of course he did. She lowered her head, ashamed.

“I’ve waited two and half years for him to open up to me, to say something, anything. And now finally. . .” Tucker shook his head. “I didn’t catch on to what had changed with him until Tara Rose told me about your visit yesterday. Suddenly, I realized it wasn’t what had changed him. It was who.”

“So, what’re you saying?” B.J. asked, her voice gone hoarse.

“I’m saying he wants to marry you, so that’s what you’re going to do. And you’ll stay with him for as long as he needs you around. Then, when he grows tired of you, that’s when I expect you to take your plane and get out of Tommy Creek.”

B.J. cocked an eyebrow. “What if he never grows tired of me?”

“Well, now, that’s where you can lay money on your bet. You keep him happy until the baby’s born, and I get some proof it’s his child, then you can have the deed to your plane, free and clear. Call it a wedding present. If not. . .” He shrugged. “Take your plane and leave town, shipping the baby back when it’s born.”

B.J. froze. “Excuse me? Did you just say, ‘ship the baby back’?”

Tucker Rawlings nailed her with an inflexible look. “It’s the baby he really wants.”

Feeling sick to her stomach, B.J. resisted the urge to cover her belly, instinctively wanting to protect the child inside.

Okay, yeah, she’d been avoiding the whole I’m-going-to-be-a-mommy issue. Just thinking about having a kid, utterly dependent on her, made her feel queasy and panicked. But to actually give the baby up? That thought had never even crossed her mind.

“What if I can’t prove the kid’s Grady’s?” she asked, suddenly so desperate she needed Tucker Rawlings to feel a bit of uncertainty as well.

He sent her a hard smile. “Oh, Grady’s not going to learn about the paternity test. That’s for my own peace of mind. He’s not ever going to learn about this little conversation we’re having either. . .” He paused, sending her a meaningful look. “Is he?”

Her insides flameed with anger because Tucker Rawlings had her right where he wanted her; she stared at him with a stubbornly stiff jaw. “Do I look like a tattletale to you?”

He nodded, reassured. “So. . .if you marry him, sign a prenuptial agreement of course, and keep him happy until the baby’s born, I’ll give you the plane, free and clear. You marry him, sign the same prenup, and he realizes what a mistake he’s made, you hand over the baby and take out for parts unknown. . .with your plane. Either way, the Cessna’s yours, B.J. I gotta say, that doesn’t sound like such a bad deal on your end.”

She gave a short nod. No, it didn’t sound like a bad deal. Except for that part about abandoning her own child. . .oh, and the being-held-under-Tucker-Rawlings-control thing. That sucked eggs.

The whole agreement made her want to throw something—preferably something sharp and deadly—right at Tucker Rawlings’ head.

Remaining as cool and collected as she could, she asked, “And if I say no deal? To hell with you and to hell with my plane; you can keep it. What’re you going to do then, Mr. Almighty?”

His eyes sparked with challenge, and B.J. had a very b

ad feeling she’d just asked the exact wrong question.

“Oh, I still have an ace up my sleeve.”

Though she kept her body still and didn’t shrink from the victorious gleam in his eyes, she wanted to cringe so bad, already dreading something more awful than she could comprehend. “An ace in what form?”

“From what I hear, you run a good bluff. You can act like you don’t care what happens to your plane all you like, B.J. And, hell.” He gave a shrug. “As old and worn out as it is, maybe you don’t care. But can you act so blasé about your family?”

An uneasy chill raced up the back of her spine. “What about my family?”

“Seems my family might owe your family’s plane service a lawsuit for nearly killing my boy on that trip home from Houston.”

All the air vacated B.J.’s lungs. “Just what the hell are you going to sue us for? Grady wasn’t hurt. None of his possessions were damaged or lost. And he was given a full refund for the scare.”

“Ah, but he was spooked, wasn’t he. You made him fear for his life. . .probably caused lasting emotional damage.”

“Oh, Jesus. Gimme a break.” B.J. rolled her eyes, even as her stomach rolled with unease. But dear God. If the Gilmore Plane Service got a bad rep from the Rawlings family, no one in Tommy Creek would ever do business with them again. . .hint of a lawsuit or not. No one displeased the Rawlings.

“So, what do you say, B.J.? Do we have a deal?”

She shook her head. “I gotta think about this.”

He gave a short nod. “You do that. And remember. . .breathe a word of any of this conversation to Grady, and all deals are off.”

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