Rebecca Zanetti - Against the Wall

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sophie’s breath scraped her throat as she eyed the gun.

His lip curled and he lowered his flushed face to hers. “I’ll do anything to save the environment, lady. Anything.”

Sophie saw red at his obvious intimidation tactic. Enough with people pushing her around. Her temper exploded. After grabbing a bottle on the table, she squeezed it in his face. Ketchup squirted out and spread over his forehead.

She gasped.

He growled and moved to grab her.

Juliet swung with her purse, smashing him in the face. He stumbled back toward the counter, where Fred caught him before he tripped.

Billy started to lunge forward when a sharp voice in the doorway snapped his name.

Everyone froze.

Quinn Lodge stalked up the aisle, his gaze taking everything in. “What’s going on, folks?”

Sophie gulped air and pointed to Billy. “He has a gun in his waistband.”

Billy snarled and stepped far enough away from her that Quinn’s shoulders relaxed. “I also have a permit, a fact the sheriff is well aware of.”

Quinn eyed Juliet and then Sophie. “Are you ladies all right?”

“Fine.” Juliet crossed her arms. “This was a little misunderstanding about ketchup. Right?”

Sophie swallowed several times. “Um, right.” Actually, she was the one who had committed battery, considering she’d doused the asshole. But he had tried to scare her, so it was probably all right. She glanced at Quinn. “Let’s not tell Jake.”

Quinn grinned. “Not a chance, Soph. Not a chance in hell.” He took in Juliet’s ketchup-covered purse with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say a word. Then he waited until the two men left before giving Juliet a hard glance and then sauntering out the door.

After lunch, Sophie drove into the city to make a purchase. There was no way she would buy a pregnancy test in town—the news would be all over within minutes.

The feeling of leaving home grew stronger as she pulled away from Mineral Lake and headed outside of Maverick County, the sharp peaks of mountains providing a shield from rushing winds.

After driving for an hour, she shivered as dark clouds gathered across the sky and figured she’d get back in time for a good storm. Lightning cracked across the sky, and a hard rain began to pelt the vehicle and she flipped on the wipers and lights. Her phone rang just as she pulled into Billings.

“Where are you?” Jake’s deep voice stirred something inside her she struggled to suppress.

“Running an errand. Are you back in town?” She was not miffed that he hadn’t called. Really. Though fury still rode her at his attempted interference in her life. With her job. With her baby that might or might not exist.

“Just got home.”

“Great.” She peered through the rain-soaked windshield for a drugstore.

“Do you want to meet for dinner?” The low timbre of his voice caused a fluttering in her lower belly that irritated her, pure and simple.

“No. I may be a while.” The lights of a store shone through the darkened night.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call, Sophie. We worked twenty-hour days to finish the case up in a week.” His frustration came clear and sure through the line.

“No problem, Jake.”

“Sounds like a problem.” Silence sprawled across the line. “Where are you?”

“None of your business.” If she could take on crazy Billy Rockefeller, she could handle Jake.

“Excuse me?” Heat colored his words, even through the static. The wind lashed against her windows.

“You heard me. Nice offer you made my uncle. You’re not running my life.”

“Not trying to.” His voice dropped an octave.

“Good. Well, since we fired the Charleton Group, I’m sure that Uncle Nathan will sell you the design.”

“I assumed as much.”

“But Preston will be here working on it, not me.”

Several seconds of silence filled the line as Sophie turned into the fully illuminated parking lot. “No.”

“What?” She switched off the ignition.

“I said, no. The deal is for you to redesign the course. Not Preston. You designed the original course, the one that fits in well here. We want you to work with your design. Plus, I understand your uncle stands to lose quite a bit of money if that design isn’t used.”

“That’s blackmail.” Sophie’s temper stirred.

“No, it isn’t. It just makes sense to have the original designer alter the same course. Now, where are you?”

“Bite me, Jake.” She shut the phone with a decisive click and powered it down. Not the most mature response, but he deserved it. She squared her shoulders for courage and jumped into the rain to dash for the drugstore.

The small bag sat like a stone in her purse during a quiet dinner at a small diner just outside of Maverick County. When she finished eating and paid the check, she figured she’d stalled enough. She needed to find out now, because there was a fairly good chance Jake would be waiting for her at Mrs. Shiller’s.

She marched slowly into the small bathroom and dug into the bag. She opened the box and read the instructions. Not too difficult. With a sigh, she peed on the stick. Then she placed it on the back of the sink, turned around, and thrummed her fingers against her arm. She waited a minute. Then another minute, her eyes sightless on the pale yellow walls.

Someone tried to open the door and the lock jiggled.

She’d have to come back.

Finally, three minutes were up. Sophie took a deep breath and turned around.

Through the control window, a plus sign glowed in bright pink.

She was pregnant.

Fifteen stunned minutes later, she found herself in the Jeep headed toward Mineral Lake. “I’ll have to schedule a doctor’s appointment.” She had been talking to herself for several moments but didn’t think it mattered much at that point. Rain slashed the car while thunder rumbled overhead, but neither pierced her calm. “A good doctor. One with experience. Lots of it.”

The windshield wipers made a comforting swishing sound against the glass. “I wonder if it’s a girl or a boy.”

The car crawled through the deluge as she crossed into Maverick County, and then finally the town of Mineral Lake, an odd sense of relief filling her.

“You’ll be a member of a tribe, baby, and,” she mused idly, “I think that means extra scholarships for college. Among other things.” She turned onto her street and parked by the B&B. “Look. There’s Daddy waiting on the porch. Wow. Daddy’s pissed.” She felt drunk. Why should she feel drunk? She only drank lemonade at dinner.

Jake opened her door before she could. One strong hand around her arm helped her to the protected porch. “Where in the hell have you been?”

Sophie stared up into his furious face, her eyes blinking as if in a dream. “The city.”

“You drove from town in that?” He gestured toward the driving rain.

“Yes.”

“Why?” He put both hands on her arms, obviously fighting the urge to shake her.

“I’m pregnant, Jake.” Then she pitched forward and darkness overtook her.

Jake dodged forward and caught Sophie before she hit the hard wood porch. Pregnant. The woman said she was pregnant.

He cradled her easily, fumbled for the doorknob, and shoved inside. She felt too small—too fragile in his arms. Damn it.

A baby. Another baby.

He shook his head. Warmth flushed through him along with unease. As he looked down at her pale face, something in his chest tightened. He wanted this baby. He wanted this woman.

Setting her down on the sofa, he reached for his phone to call the doctor. She shouldn’t have fainted like that, should she? His gut clenched hard. Everything had to be okay. Sophie was just surprised by the pregnancy. And tired. He needed to make sure she got more rest.

The nurse answered, and he made his request. Thank God for small towns and good friends. The doctor would arrive soon.

Jake dropped to his knees and smoothed Sophie’s hair off her forehead. They should get married.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His one marriage had begun the same way and ended in disaster. What mattered was Sophie, this baby, and Leila. He’d do what was best for all of them.

What was best?

“Sophie, wake up,” he murmured.

She didn’t move, and fear caught him by the throat. He took another deep breath. Sometimes faints took a while to awaken from. She was fine. She had to be fine.

They’d have the doctor examine her, and then they’d come up with a plan. He was born to strategize, and this was no different than a trial. Okay. Considering it was his entire life, it was a little different. But he could make it work.

They’d come up with a plan, and it’d be a good one. Deep down at his core, he knew he’d never let her go. Now all he had to do was convince her.

Sophie awoke some time later laid out on Mrs. Shiller’s flowered couch with a cold cloth pressed against her eyes. She flopped a hand on the cloth and tugged it across her face to drop on the floor. Her eyes met Jake’s as he knelt by the couch.

“Feeling better, Sunshine?” His voice was soft—his eyes hot.

“Yes.” She pushed to a seated position and dropped her head into her hands. Then she struggled to reach her feet.

“No, wait a minute.” One gentle hand pressed down on her shoulder. “Give it a minute. You were out for some time.”

“I’m fine.” She shrugged off his hand and the pleasure of seeing him again in the flesh. As much as she hated to admit it, she had missed his solid presence, his reassuring strength.