The Millionaire's Proposal (9 page)

Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Does anyone besides me know you’re back in town?”

He shrugged those broad shoulders of his. “I’ve run into a few people. I’m not hiding the fact that I’m back, considering I’m going to be a permanent part of the community.”

She dragged a hand through her disheveled hair, feeling weary to the bone. “Yeah, well, the residents here have a long memory, so if you’re expecting a parade in honor of your return, don’t hold your breath.”

A pained look passed over his features. “I know full well what most everyone thinks of me, and I’m hoping their opinions will change in time. I’m not the wild, rebellious kid I was when I left. What I’ve done, what I’ve become, has to count for something.”

She thought she detected the barest hint of hope in his voice, saw the briefest glimpse of the lonely boy he’d been—a scrappy kid who’d wanted nothing more but to be welcomed and accepted by the town he’d grown up in. Steeling herself against the urge to fall for such a convincing, heart-felt act, she thought of her father and what
his
reaction would be. “My father blames you for Aaron’s death. I doubt
his
opinion will change any time soon.”

Though he leaned negligently against the counter, his body screamed with tension. His gaze clung to hers, as if needing an anchor from the condemnation he was sure to face from Ellis Holbrook. “Do
you
blame me?”

She felt the silent pull of his question on her heart, her conscience. He wanted,
needed
, to hear that she didn’t hold him responsible for her brother’s tragic death. As much as she ached to say the words, she knew she’d be a fool to fall for his plea and give him that leverage over her emotions, not when she now had something much more emotional at stake—her baby.

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” she said in the most impassive tone of voice she could manage.

The vulnerable, lost little boy look in his eyes evaporated, hardening into resolve. Releasing a sigh filled with disgust, he pushed off the counter and brushed past her, leaving the kitchen. Grace moved to the window above the sink and closed her eyes, swallowing the huge lump that had gathered in her throat.

Relief, and an odd sense of disappointment coursed through her as she waited to hear Ford leave. But instead of the front door opening, she heard the bathroom door close—no doubt he was emptying his bladder after gulping two glasses of iced tea.

A minute later, she heard him exit the bathroom and sent a fervent prayer that he’d leave now. They certainly had nothing left to say to one another.

Her wish wasn’t to be.

“What is this?” Ford asked from behind her.

Turning around at the curious tone of his voice, her eyes widened in alarm when she saw what had prompted his question. “Give me that!” she demanded, attempting to grab the plastic stick from his fingers.

He effortlessly held it out of her reach. “Isn’t this one of those home pregnancy test things?”

Her stomach clenched, and anger burned through her like acid. “You had no right to go snooping through my personal things!”

“Snooping?” His brows rose indignantly at the insult. “It was sitting right next to the bathroom sink!”

Surely she wouldn’t have been so careless. “It was not!” she said through clenched teeth.

“Was so,” he argued mildly, though there was nothing calm about the stormy shade of his eyes. “Maybe you were in a big hurry when you heard someone knock on the door and you overlooked hiding it.”

That gave her a moment’s pause to think about her frantic actions when she’d stuffed everything into the box. Good, Lord, she honestly couldn’t remember putting the plastic strip in there as well. “Regardless, it’s none of your business.” She lunged for the incriminating evidence again, only for him to smoothly intercept her efforts.

Holding the plastic strip out of her proximity, he eyed it critically. “The way I see things, it’s very much my business if this blue strip means you’re pregnant.” His brows pulled into a perplexed frown as he looked at her. “Although that confuses the hell out of me since you told me you couldn’t get pregnant.”

Crossing her arms over her achy, tender breasts, she lifted her chin mutinously, refusing to answer or explain anything to him.

Ford waited for Grace to confirm or deny his statement, but came to the conclusion that nothing was going to slip past those tight lips, or that obstinate attitude of hers. His gaze slid down the length of her in a slow, deliberate search for clues, but the loose blouse and gauzy skirt she wore offered no help in determining her condition. He saw no real evidence to confirm the test he held in his hands—the one Grace was so anxious to steal back.

Frustrated with her stubbornness, he decided it was time she learned what a formidable opponent he could be when it came to a battle of wills. “All I have to do is take this to the drugstore and ask the clerk which test it came from and read the instructions on the box to find out whether or not this little blue strip means positive or negative. I’m sure that would set some tongues to wagging, not to mention gossip flying. And then it would only be a matter of a month or two before rumor
blossoms
into fact,” he added meaningfully.

Her gaze narrowed on him, loathing sparking the gold in her eyes. “You’re wretched, you know that?”

“Wretched?” He raised a brow at her unflattering description. “I have every right to know the truth.”

She huffed in exasperation, her full breasts rising and falling with the gesture. “I don’t know why you’d even care what that blue strip means!”

His brows snapped together in offense. “Of course I care.”

“Why?” Suspicious moisture shimmered in her eyes. “You made me no promises before we slept together.”

He didn’t think it possible, but his heart hurt. “Grace . . .” He stepped toward her, but when she backed away, he stopped. “You can’t believe I’d ever disregard something so important.”

“You lied and deceived me,” she pointed out, her voice wavering with emotion. “Of course I can believe you’re capable of just about anything.”

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand down his face, belatedly realizing his mistake in keeping Grace in the dark about his return. “I never meant to hurt you, Grace. That’s something you’re just going to have to believe.”

“I don’t know if I
can
trust you.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and her gaze dropped to the plastic stick that had caused so much contention. “Yes, it’s a pregnancy test,” she confessed quietly. “And the blue strip means it’s positive. The doctor confirmed it as well.”

Feeling as though someone had pulled the rug right out from under him, Ford lowered himself to one of the chairs at the small oak table in the kitchen. He stared at the blue strip in bewilderment. “What happened to you not being able to get pregnant?”

“Consider yourself exceptionally virile.” Her tone was droll.

He glanced up, his mouth quirking with a smile. “I suppose that’s good to know, but I have to admit this is quite a surprise.”

“No doubt,” she said bitterly. “Don’t worry, Ford, I don’t want or expect anything from you, except your silence that you’re the baby’s father.”

Seeing the determined look on her face, a cold, hard knot formed in his stomach. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

That chin of hers lifted. “I’m keeping
my
baby-”

He stood, approaching her. “Of course you’re keeping
my
baby-”

She stepped back, her hand resting protectively on her still flat tummy. “I’m raising
my
baby on
my
own-”

He closed the distance between them, until he had her cornered between him, and the counter. “I’ll be damned if I let you raise
my
baby on your own.”

She went on as if she hadn’t heard him, though the touch of nervousness in her gaze spoke volumes. “And it would make things much simpler if you just relinquished all rights as the baby’s father.”

Fury boiled within him. “I’ll just bet it would,” he said in a dangerously low voice. Did she think he was such a monster that he’d abandon his own child and willing give up his parental rights? Well, she was about to learn exactly what a villain he could be. For him, there was only one solution to their predicament. An
unnegotiable
one. One she’d surely oppose.

“We’re getting married,” he stated.

She gasped in outrage. “This is the modern world, McCabe, and I don’t have to do any such thing!” She followed that up with a jab to his chest with her index finger. “The last thing I want is to marry you.
My
baby and I are better off on our own.”

“
Our
baby,” he said through gritted teeth, though his attempt at a compromise made little difference in her eyes. Did she even remember that he’d been an integral part of creating that baby she carried?

She tried to inch around him, but he wasn’t about to let her escape on the last word. He had too much to lose. Bracing his hands on either side of her on the counter, he trapped her within his arms. She instantly looked peeved at his tactic, but he didn’t care.

“Dammit, Grace, quit being so unreasonable. You live in a small town, the people of which have narrow-minded views on illegitimate pregnancies. I believe that fits under the heading of one of those things that
hasn’t
changed around here.”

“I’m a big girl, Ford. Not only can I take care of myself, I’m prepared to handle the trials of being an unwed mother.”

“Well, I refuse to allow my child to grow up with the stigma of being illegitimate,” he said adamantly. “Did you think about the repercussions of
that
, Grace?”

He could see by her startled expression that she hadn’t.

Old, bitter memories reared their ugly head, making him more determined to legitimize the child Grace carried. “I’m sorry to ruin your plans, but I’m not keeping the parentage of
our
baby a secret. I want to be a part of this child’s life, and I’ll be damned if I’ll shirk my responsibility to my son or daughter.”

She looked unswayed, mulishly so. No, she didn’t trust him at all.

He shifted his stance, but his arms remained banded on either side of her. “If we don’t get married,
our
child will be ridiculed, an outcast, and suffer the consequences of
our
actions. I’ve been there, Grace. I’ve been illegitimate, and I
refuse
to allow that to happen to any child of mine.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but he pressed his fingers over her soft lips, not wanting her to interrupt, or argue. This was one debate she would not win.

“So, I’m not giving you a choice in the matter, not when it comes to
my
baby’s welfare.” Her expression turned stricken, tearing at his heart. Hating the strife between them, he gently strummed his fingers along her cheek, gratified when she didn’t flinch or jerk away. “The last thing I’d ever want to do is trap you in a marriage you don’t want. But no matter how you feel about me, think about that innocent baby and what kind of life it would have carrying the stigma of being illegitimate.”

“I wouldn’t allow that to happen.” Her voice was small, not nearly as confident as it should have been.

A sad smile touched his mouth. “Oh, you could try and shelter our child from taunts and whispers behind his or her back, but take it from someone who has lived that hell first hand—there’s always someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind, regardless of anyone else’s feelings.”

She swallowed and looked away, but not before he’d glimpsed the confusion filling her luminous brown eyes. She knew what he spoke of was the truth, because she’d heard and witnessed the personal taunts cast his way as a youth. There were people in Whitaker Falls who would respect Grace and the child she carried because of her relation to Dr. Ellis Holbrook, but there were others who would express their cruel opinions without any thought to who they hurt.

Ford moved away from Grace, giving her the breathing room she seemed to need, but still kept his gaze on her. “We’re getting married, Grace, and this baby will have my name and grow up with a mother and father who will love him or her.” His ultimatum was firm and indisputable. “I’ll expect nothing less, so you might as well get used to the idea of being Mrs. Grace McCabe.”

She kept her lips tightly compressed and said nothing—she obviously knew there was nothing she could say that would make him change his mind about them getting married. The baby she carried changed everything between them, and he wouldn’t accept no for an answer.

“And because I’m such a nice guy, I’ll give you a week to get used to the idea of being married to me,” he said, suspecting she’d need those seven days to get her affairs in order, and to break the news to her father.

“How gracious,” she muttered.

He remained ruthless. “I’ll set up a private appointment with Reverend Jones for next Saturday at one. Invite whomever you’d like.”

Her lips curled up at the corner in mockery. “I’ll be there with bells on.”

He ignored her sarcasm, but couldn’t overlook the devious glint in her eyes. She was playing the complacent female for him right now, but he wasn’t about to chance that she’d pull a stunt that would leave him standing at the altar without a bride. “If you decide not to show up, then I’ll be putting an ad in the Whitaker Falls Weekly announcing the impending arrival of
our
baby so there’s no mistaking whose child it is that you’re carrying.”

She glared, the slightest bit of hope he’d detected in her gaze dwindling to resolve. “You really are wretched.”