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“It is. He’s such a great guy. I hope the facility he’s in can help him.”
Piers let his fist swing to his side. “Think he’ll ever return to the ranch?”
Maggie shrugged. “I don’t know. And don’t share what I just told you. Hugh told me in confidence because I had to get the paperwork in order and switch the client to somebody else. Now—to the office, Piers. Before we both catch hell.”
Piers sent another long glance at Ash before walking out of the barn with Maggie. All the way to the office, his mind raced, searching for reasons why he’d be called in. If it had to do with Avril, he just might lose his shit. He wasn’t going to explain again how he hadn’t fucked the woman, let alone fathered her child.
However, there was a woman who might right this minute be carrying his baby. Or Ash’s.
As soon as he entered the office, Hugh was there to meet him. With a twitch of his head for him to follow, Hugh turned and vanished into the conference room.
“Shut the door.”
He did. Goddamn, he hated being in the hot seat. At least in high school, he could laugh about whatever it was that he’d done to earn a punishment. Now, there was nothing to laugh about.
Especially if this had something to do with Sylvee.
Hugh took a seat but not at the head of the table. Wordlessly, he motioned to the seat across the table from him.
They stared at each other, but neither spoke.
At last, Hugh pushed out a sigh. “You Alaskans are a tough bunch.”
Piers gave him a short nod. “Something we take pride in.”
“I’ve seen it firsthand. Look, I know I keep calling you in to talk to you about the situation here with Avril, but I’m trusting that you’ll give me straight answers.”
“I know you’ve spoken to a lot of the guys. What do you think you’re going to learn from me?”
Hugh had the grace to look a little guilty. “I admit, that was our first tactic. But as soon as Riggs and I spoke with you and Ash both, we knew that you were solid and straight-talkers.”
“So what do you need from me now?”
Hugh sat back in his seat and tapped a thick, blunt fingertip on the table. “There’s a new rumor.”
Piers’s heart sank, but he tried to keep the sensation from showing on his face. “Which is?”
“Two of the ladies were overheard talking about the flight in.”
Now he was confused. “And?”
“Your client stated that she wanted a baby.”
His gut coiled. His heart jammed to a stop.
“Excuse me?”
Hugh pushed out a sigh. “She was heard saying that she was coming to the ranch because she wants a child.”
Piers kept his face expressionless. “What’s that got to do with us? Lots of women want to have families.”
“She didn’t ask you to father her child? Or Ash?”
Not in those words, no. But he wasn’t about to share that with the bigwig from Texas who could fire him on the spot. When he walked off this ranch and hung up his hat as a Boot Knocker, it would be on his own terms, not by some force of hand.
“No, she did not.”
Hugh studied him for a moment. “If I were to give her to another Boot Knocker today, what would you say about it?”
