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B.J. threw her hands in the air. “We’re not getting married.”
“You. . .you mean it’s true?” Leroy sputtered. Spinning to aim an incredulous look at B.J., he said, “How in the sam hell did you get Grady Rawlings to—”
“Will you shut the hell up,” she snapped, mainly because Grady was taking a threatening step toward him, which her idiotic brother didn’t even notice.
“I want to know why there’s not going to be a wedding,” Jeb growled.
“Pop, that’s really none of your concern.”
“No, I want to hear this reason too,” Grady said, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking her an arch look.
B.J. growled. Damn. She knew she probably hadn’t heard the last of his marriage-talk nonsense, but she never would’ve guessed he’d so sneakily enlist the help of her own father.
“Don’t you start with me again,” she groused. “We already went over this. There’s no reason we should marry. I told you, you can have as much Daddy time as you want. You can—”
“That’s not the same, and you know it.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” She raised her voice. “We are not getting hitched after one measly night in a hotel room.”
“B.J.,” he said under his breath, risking a quick glance toward her dad, clearly not receptive to the fact Pop was listening to their every word. “Will you just listen to me? I—”
“Hell, no. I’m not going to stand here and listen to you rant and rave like a psycho. We’re not getting married, and that’s that.”
“Guess you two are still working out the date,” Pop cut in. He eyed Grady thoughtfully before sighing. “I suppose there’s worse out there that could’ve knocked up my little girl.”
For the first time since entering the hangar, Grady looked contrite.
B.J. decided she didn’t like the hold Grady Rawlings had on her, because she felt the urge to say she’d marry him just to wipe that miserable look of shame off his face. No, she’d never liked seeing anything suffer, but that trait seemed magnified ten-fold with this man.
“Can we leave now?” she asked abruptly, more uncomfortable with the situation than she ever would’ve admitted. In fact, she’d probably just turn tail and stalk out of there if the obstinate man who’d knocked her up hadn’t insisted on them riding together.
He nodded once and then focused his attention on her dad. “There will be a wedding,” he assured him.
“Woo-wee, little sister,” Leroy hooted. “You sure hog-tied him around your little finger, didn’t ya? Who’d a thunk it? You must got a golden—”
“That’s enough,” Grady growled, effectively making her annoying brother swallow his tongue.
When he glanced at her with an impatient, restrained anger, she knew it was way past time to skedaddle. She nodded, feeling a hard plop in the base of her stomach. Felt kind of strange watching someone defend her.
Together, they turned toward the exit.
****
B.J. had never been inside the main Rawlings homestead before. The thousands of times she’d passed the mansion, she’d always wondered what it was like. Today, she finally found out.
As Grady knocked on the front door, a lump of pure fear settled in the base of her stomach. Telling Pop she was knocked up was one thing. Informing the fancy Rawlings was completely different. Shoving her clammy hands into her back pockets, she waited behind Grady and forced herself to stand still. The urge to turn and flee was pretty strong though.
As the door started to open, she held her breath. She actually expected a maid or butler or something to answer, but when Tara Rose Rawlings herself peeked her head out the door, B.J. almost groaned. Damn. The Rawlings were home.
“Grady,” his mother exclaimed, her eyes brightening instantly.
“Mom,” he murmured respectfully as she reached out to hug him.
“What a delightful surprise.” She hooked her arm with his to draw him forward. “Come in, come in.”
As he moved, she finally noticed B.J. lurking behind him. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.” When Grady stepped inside and to the left to let B.J. in, the two women fell to a stop and studied each other cautiously.
Tara Rose’s smile froze. After blinking back a blank look, she asked, “It’s D.J., right? D.J. Gilmore?”
