Substitute Daddy (2 page)

“I’m…I’m not. He’s gone and I have to clean the place out. The landlord wants to rent the apartment again as soon as possible,” Matthew explained.

The energy to fight deflated from her body like a balloon hearing his words. He knew nothing about her. In fact, it seemed no one did. Lance kept her a secret, and now she was going to be homeless as well.
This just keeps getting better and better.
Tears threatened and spilled down her cheeks before she could fight them back. She grabbed a pillow and started sobbing into it, unable to formulate how she could’ve believed Lance in the first place and how sucky her life was turning about to be.

“Um, don’t cry?” Matthew Ryder sounded confused, and Grace sobbed all the harder.

“Freeze and put your hands up!”

She heard the order from one of the policemen, but continued to bawl. Chaos ensued as Matthew tried to explain who he was and why he was there. She was crying and completely unintelligible and, finally, after everything was cleared up through no help from her, the police left, and she was alone once again with Matthew Ryder.

“So you’re pregnant with Lance’s baby?” Matthew pulled a chair from the small dinner table and sat in front of her.

“My name is Grace Reid.” Grace sniffed and gave a humorless laugh. “Let me guess, you had no clue I was even here.”

Matthew shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, but he never mentioned you or the baby.”

“Seems he had secrets from all of us.” Grace sniffed. “Now I’m homeless as well.”

Matthew sighed. “Okay, before we decide anything, let’s go through this. How did you meet Lance, and why haven’t I met you?”

Grace wiped her face on her sleeve. “Eighteen months ago I met Lance in Georgia. I was working in one of the local tourist shops on the riverfront and we kind of walked into each other. He was leaving a seafood place and I was heading home. He was charming and sweet, and I let him walk me home. The next six weeks we saw each other every day and, in my usual way, I let my heart deceive me. I thought it was fate and that he was perfect.”

“That was when he was meeting with a horse breeder for me. I was in Europe at the time and couldn’t get back,” Matthew said.

“Well, yay you,” Grace said sarcastically. “Anyway, when he came home, I came out here a few times and each time he begged me to stay until I did. Then the excuses started. He was busy at work, he had other business to attend to, he wouldn’t be home that night, don’t wait up for him, et cetera. And then more excuses as to why I never met his friends, his family, or his boss.”

She rubbed her belly absently. “Then some chick showed up here and told me how much of a slut he was. By then I was six months pregnant, stuck here, and he hadn’t touched me since I showed him the positive pregnancy test. He didn’t need to when he had a bevy of women at his disposal, apparently. But what could I do? I didn’t have my job to go back to, and my mom is a…well, she’s something. So I tried to stick it out, but it got worse, and he stopped coming home altogether. He didn’t want me to get a job, but didn’t bring much home. He said you paid him next to nothing, so I made do with what he gave me and what was in my account. I decided to leave, but my doctor here said I can’t travel home because I’m too far along.”

“If I knew… Son of a bitch, Lance.” Matthew’s voice held anger. “I’m sorry. If I knew any of this, he’d have taken care of you right or I’d have beaten the shit out of him. I paid him well. Well enough to afford to put you in a furnished penthouse in the local hotel and not in a fucking fleabag apartment. He spent his money as fast as he got it, and then his cocky ass had to go and die…” She watched as he took a stabilizing breath. “He may have had very little here, but I found the rental receipts in his records after the landlord called me.”

“Can I ask… I really don’t want to impose, but I need a week or so to figure out where to go,” Grace said. “Is there a women’s shelter or something in the area?”

“No, you’re going to pack your things and come with me,” Matthew said briskly. “I will not let you spend another night in this place or in a shelter. You’re coming home with me.”

Grace held up her hand. “I’m done with alpha male bullshit. That got me in trouble in the first place. I don’t want anything from anyone and certainly not from you. Lance taught me that cowboy charm is just a façade. All I need is a few days to figure things out. As soon as I have the baby and can travel, I’m leaving Nevada and I never want to see it again, not even in a dream or a postcard.”

“We’re not all bad, Grace. Let me help you,” Matthew said.

She gave him a thin smile. “No, thank you…Mr. Ryder. Not all Southern girls depend on the kindness of strangers. I made my bed; I’m going to lie in it.”

“I won’t let you be alone in this. Lance was my responsibility. I should’ve yanked his chain sooner,” Matthew said as he stood. “I’m sorry he did this to you.”

“It isn’t your fault. He was a grown man, and I’m a big girl,” Grace answered. “Neither one of us should be your responsibility.”

“He was a man who acted like a child, a stubborn fool who got himself killed…” Matthew shook his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Grace Reid.”

“I told you I’ll be fine.” Grace tried to stand quickly but with an eight-month pregnant belly that proved difficult.

Matthew took her by the elbow and helped her gently to her feet. He was tall, and she had to look up at him.

A small smile crossed his lips before he spoke. “Unfortunately, we all don’t get what we want. See you tomorrow.”

He let her go and strode to the door, and she watched him leave without a word. Almost a year of Lance treating her like a doormat and now this one wouldn’t take no for an answer. He seemed honest, but they all did in the beginning. His dark hair was tousled when he took off his hat, and his blue eyes showed genuine surprise and concern. He was handsome, not model handsome, but like a real man.

The stubble on his face and tiredness in his eyes showed his grief over losing Lance and then anger at what he had just found out. She didn’t dare trust him though. He wasn’t a lost kitten at the door. He was a man, and her instinct on that species had been off for years. She had a baby to worry about and that was her only concern. Matthew Ryder would have to take his help and shove it. Grace was tired of letting her life fall into the hands of other people. She grabbed her old laptop and began to search for lodgings for her and her baby when she was born. She’d do what she had to until she could get home to Georgia and back to her mother’s. Grace shuddered. She hoped a baby would sooth the savage beast in the woman. If not, living there would be unbearable.

Chapter Two

Matthew wanted to hit something, and right now his anger was pointed at his dead best friend. He loved Lance, indiscretions and all, and he knew his friend’s penchant for various ladies, but how could he stand there and joke around when he knew full well he had Grace pregnant and stashed in a broken down apartment? When he drove into the neighborhood of the address the landlord had given him, the first thing he thought was that it wasn’t Lance’s style. He liked luxury and this wasn’t it. Then he thought maybe it was a place he took his escorts so they didn’t know how much money he had. It was a sleazy thought, but Lance made no bones about his life. Still, what he did to Grace sickened Matthew. He never knew Lance would sink so low as to do something like this. Lance knew how Matthew felt about family and children, and he laughed about it more than once. At any time he could’ve asked for help and Matthew would have been there. Unfortunately, he knew that it wasn’t because of Lance being too proud to ask for help. He just didn’t care.

Grace Reid was something.
Matthew strode over to the marble inlay bar to pour himself a Jameson and ginger. He smiled, recalling her words about not depending on the kindness of strangers.
Gone with the Wind
was his mother’s favorite movie so he knew it well. Some of the women Lance kept around would have gladly taken him up on his offer and moved right into his house. They’d have expected everything to be taken care of and here was this actual good woman in the midst of all those gold diggers and Lance treated her like crap. If he only knew what he had in his hands maybe he wouldn’t have tossed her callously aside. Matthew shook his head. Nope, Lance would have never had a clue. The child would have barely known him as a father and Grace would’ve been a single mom regardless.
Jesus, Lance, how could you be such a dick?

There was nothing more to be done until the next day. Matthew had been putting off the business end of the ranch dealing with Lance’s funeral and the likes. He took his drink to his office, and as he passed the kitchen his stomach growled, reminding him that he had eaten very little in the last few days. Bobbie Lee, his cook, was gone for the holidays and, normally, he’d have been in New York by now too. This year he decided the holiday nightlife in the city wasn’t what he wanted. While the cold winds and the snow gave the feeling of Christmas, the crowds and the people weren’t worth the trouble. He’d be spending it quietly at the house with his spreadsheets and a roaring fire.

Unless Grace could do the numbers…
An idea bloomed in his head. He needed to hire someone to do the books and payroll. How hard was it to go from managing a tourist shop to the payroll of a ranch? He grinned. It was apples and oranges, he knew, but a perfectly good excuse to get her at the house. Lance may not have wanted to take responsibility for his child, but Matthew made the decision before the door of that grimy apartment even closed that he would be everything to that child. No matter his faults, he would make sure Lance’s daughter would never lack for anything. Grace would protest, Matthew was sure of it, but he was as stubborn as the bulls he owned. Eventually, he’d wear her down. She didn’t need to do this alone.

He sat down, booted up his computer, and opened the ranch finances but he found that he couldn’t concentrate because Grace’s face swam in front of his eyes. She was gorgeous, and that was another bone that stuck in his throat about Lance. Her dark hair was silky and black. She’d had it up in a ponytail, and he wondered how it looked down against her shoulders. Even in the midst of all the worry and hurt Lance had put her through, her eyes held a spark of fire in the dark chocolate pools of her irises. Her bottom lip was full, and how it trembled when she started to cry broke his heart into pieces. Grace had it tough for the eighteen months she lived with Lance and probably before that with the way she had mentioned her mother. When he helped her stand, he had noticed the light floral scent of her perfume and how lovely and lush her body was filled with life.

“Come on, Matthew, focus,” he muttered to himself.

But instead of working, he spent the night devising a plan on how to convince Grace to stay in Nevada and work for him. By the time he headed upstairs to bed, little work had gotten done but he had his speech down pat. He’d built a multimillion dollar empire. He was sure he could cajole her to see his way.

The next morning when he showed up at the apartment and knocked a few times without an answer, Matthew frowned. Could she have gone that quickly? He tried knocking again and a neighbor with a cigarette hanging from her mouth opened her door.

“Keep it up and I’m calling the cops!” she yelled and took a drag of her lit cigarette. “They’ve been here twice already yesterday.”

Matthew knew once was for him, but didn’t know what the other one was for, and his heart lurched. “What do you mean twice?”

She looked him up and down. “That suit’s expensive. How important is the information to ya?”

He made a sound of frustration and pulled a fifty from his wallet. The old lady went to grab it but he held it out of reach. “Talk.”

“The pregnant girl got taken to the hospital late last night,” the old woman said. “She looked like she was hurting pretty badly, and I heard the EMT say she was in early labor.”

“Which hospital?” Matthew asked urgently.

“There’s only one people who live around here can afford. Mercy takes the charity cases. Now give me the money.” She reached out her wrinkled hand for the money.

Matthew dropped it into her hand and walked away. There was no way she’d be considered a charity case. He was on his cell while sliding behind the wheel of his car to make arrangements for her and the baby. While he drove he was calling in favors. By the time he was striding through the sliding doors of the older hospital, he knew which room she was in and had spoken to Southern Hills Hospital about having her transferred there. They had the best suite in the labor and delivery ward waiting for her, and their ambulance was on its way. All he had to do was convince Grace to go. The ER was packed and the nurses looked frazzled. After one directed him to the third floor without even looking up, he shook his head. Just because people had less money didn’t mean they should be given less medical care. Matthew made a mental note to contact the medical board of Mercy Hospital later in the week and offer a big donation for revamping the small overworked facility.

He stopped at the front desk and put on his best smile. “Hi, I’m here to see Grace Reid.”

The nurse looked up and smiled slowly. “Are you family?”

Matthew played the part. “I’m the baby’s father, and I was away on business so they brought her here. An ambulance is on its way from Southern Hills, and I’d like to fill out transfer papers please.”

“We’re small but we care for our patients,” the nurse said defensively. He could see that she was one who truly cared about the people who came in.

“I have no doubt of that, ma’am, and as soon as I make sure my best girls are okay, I plan to speak to your board about a generous donation to remodel and revamp your facility.”

This time the nurse beamed. “That would be a wonderful blessing. Ms. Reid is in room four. Both she and the baby are stable.”

“What was wrong?” Matthew asked.

“The doctor thinks it’s stress related. Her blood pressure was high, and she started having contractions.” The nurse made a sound of disapproval before speaking again. “Ms. Reid has not been eating properly, and her weight is too low for a woman this far along. The doctor wanted her on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy, and she has been given a low dose of magnesium to stop her contractions. The baby could come right now and be fine, but we like for them to stay in utero as long as possible.”