Lara Lacombe - Pregnant By The Colton Cowboy

“Your fallopian tubes are almost completely blocked,” Dr. Owens had said, her voice calm and kind as she broke the news. She pointed to two thin lines on the diagram she held, the tip of her pen leaving little blue dots against the pink of the illustration. “It’s a delicate area to begin with, and because of the chronic inflammation, I’m afraid it’s been damaged beyond repair. I’m so sorry.”

It had taken a while for the news to sink in. Maggie had been nineteen at the time, still at a stage in her life where the idea of children was more scary than appealing. But as the years had ticked by, a sadness tinged with anger had filled her. It was one thing to not want children; it was quite another to have that choice taken away before she’d even had a chance to decide for herself.

For a while, she’d stopped dating. Most men wanted a family, and since she wasn’t capable of having a baby, she didn’t want to fall in love with someone who would eventually leave her or grow to resent her for the things she couldn’t provide. Better to be alone than experience the pain of unmet expectations.

Except...she’d grown tired of being single. There had to be a few men out there who didn’t want kids, or who would be happy to adopt. She just had to find them.

Her girlfriends Sonia and Amber had celebrated her return to the dating scene. They’d been after her for a while to take a chance. And while Maggie had never been one to act rashly, their words had clearly influenced her because she hadn’t hesitated to hop into bed with Thorne as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Now she had one hell of a souvenir to remember him by.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what the baby might look like. Thorne’s light brown eyes and her blond hair? Or her blue eyes and his brown hair? How would her pale skin blend with his darker shade? Whatever the result, she knew their child was going to be beautiful.

“I’ll take care of you,” she promised softly, a sense of determination settling over her like a second skin. And she would. Better to be a single mother than to deal with a man who might not be interested in being a father. This baby was a new life, a blank slate. Maggie was determined to do right by her child, even if that meant her own life would be more difficult than she’d wanted.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called. Anticipation made her stomach flutter—was the obstetrician here to tell her more about the pregnancy?

The door opened, and Thorne poked his head around the edge. “Hello,” he said, sounding a little shy. “Do you mind if we come in?”

We? Who was he talking about? Curiosity had her nodding her head.

Thorne pushed into the room, followed by his older brother, Knox. Maggie didn’t know Knox all that well, but Mac often spoke well of him, so that was enough for her.

Thorne resumed his seat next to her bed while Knox stood at her side. He offered her a kind smile. “I heard you had quite a scare today. How are you?”

Maggie cut a glance over to Thorne. Had he told his brother about the baby? He met her eyes, his expression unreadable. “I’m okay,” she said carefully. “A little shaken up.”

Knox nodded. “That’s to be expected.”

“Are you here as part of an investigation?” She knew he’d retired from the Texas Rangers, but perhaps Knox was consulting with the police because the explosion had taken place on Mac’s ranch.

He shook his head. “Not exactly. Mac called me and told me what had happened. I was in the area, so I figured I’d stop by and see how you and Thorne were holding up.”

Maggie leaned back against the too-small pillow with a sigh. She hadn’t really given the explosion much thought after learning about her pregnancy—funny how her priorities had already shifted. Now the memory of her new car going up in flames invaded her thoughts, and the heavy weight of worry dropped onto her shoulders.

“I’ll be doing much better when the police figure out why my car blew up.”

Knox shifted, cocking one hip and hooking his thumb through a belt loop. “See, that’s the thing,” he said, his tone friendly. “In my experience, cars just don’t explode for no reason. This was the result of a deliberate act.”

A chill skittered down Maggie’s spine, and goose bumps broke out on her arms. “There’s no chance this was some kind of mechanical flaw? A frayed wire, maybe?”

Knox gave her a pitying look. “I don’t think so.”

Maggie suddenly felt very small and vulnerable. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, then practically jumped out of her skin when a hand fell on her shoulder. She looked over to find Thorne standing next to her, his expression apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” she said, surprised to find that she meant it. She hadn’t expected Thorne to touch her, but she hadn’t minded it, either. It seemed her body was willing to draw comfort from any source, no matter what her heart had to say about it.

Dismissing the moment, she returned her focus to Knox and the issue at hand. “Why would someone want to blow up my car? I’m nobody important. What could possibly be the motive here?”

Knox opened his mouth to respond, but a voice from the door beat him to it.

“Excellent questions, Ms. Lowell. Fortunately, I think I have the answers.”

Chapter 5

Sheriff Bud Jeffries strolled into Maggie’s hospital room, acting like he owned the place. He stopped at the end of her bed and eyed her like a cat sizing up a trapped mouse. Then his gaze shifted to Knox and Thorne, and his brown eyes hardened.

Thorne felt an answering disgust rise in his chest. There was no love lost between the sheriff and his family. The man’s incompetence had been on full display after Cody’s abduction—if Knox hadn’t gotten involved, they’d probably still be looking for the boy.

Bud returned his focus to Maggie. “I have a few questions for you, Ms. Lowell. Gentlemen,” he said, not bothering to look at Thorne or Knox again, “I’m going to need you to leave.”

Maggie cast a quick glance at Thorne, her eyes wide. Her distress ignited his protective instincts, and he placed a hand on her shoulder in a show of solidarity. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, quietly but firmly. He didn’t want to pick a fight with the sheriff, but he wasn’t going to let the man run roughshod over Maggie just because of her connection to the Coltons.

Bud didn’t bother to hide his disdain as he glared at Thorne. “That wasn’t a request.”

Thorne’s blood began to boil, but he clenched his jaw and held his tongue. Jeffries smirked, knowing the barb had hit home.

“I want them to stay,” Maggie said.

Bud glanced at her dismissively. “I’m afraid you don’t have much to say about it.”

Finally, Knox stepped forward. “Sheriff Jeffries, are you here to make an arrest?”

The man’s expression turned sour, as if he’d just bit into a lemon. “No,” he said grudgingly.

“Then, as I’m sure you know, Ms. Lowell’s visitors are not required to leave the room for this conversation.”

“I’ll take her down to the station if I have to.” Bud’s chest puffed out in belligerence, the buttons of his shirt straining to contain his indignation over Knox’s challenge to his authority. Thorne eyed the one right above his belly button and smothered a smile as he imagined the button popping off. The sheriff was already a joke; losing a few buttons would only enhance his resemblance to a clown.

Knox nodded. “That’s one option,” he said agreeably. “But she hasn’t been cleared medically yet, so you’ll probably be waiting awhile. Why don’t you just ask your questions now?”