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“Yes, damn it! I am afraid.” He grabbed for her again, his hands clamping over her forearms. “I’m afraid of what’s happening to me—to you—to us. What about the rest of our lives, Cassie? You have dreams, don’t you? Didn’t you tell me you want to become a veterinarian?”
“Yes, but—”
“And I want to finish school, get a job with the best goddamn paper in the country.”
“You can—”
“With a wife?” he mocked. “Because that’s what you’re after, Cassie. You as much as said it before.” He stared down into her eyes and groaned. “You’re beautiful, Cass, and loving and smart, and you’ve got your whole life stretched out in front of you. You can have anything you want.”
“Except you.”
Colton swallowed hard, and his eyes searched hers. For a split second she thought he might kiss her. “Give it time,” he pleaded, his voice rough.
“Maybe we haven’t got time,” she whispered.
“Of course we do. . . .” He stared down at her, as if noticing for the first time how pale she was, how pinched the corners of her mouth had become. “What do you mean?”
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered, her voice raw.
His arms dropped to his sides, and he leaned one shoulder against the house, sagging. “Pregnant?” Stunned, his face chalk-white, he asked, “You’re sure?”
“Of course I am.”
“You’ve been to the doctor?”
She shook her head, fighting against tears. “Not yet.”
“Then maybe—”
“I’m positive, Colton. It’s not something you guess at. I’ve been around a ranch for years. I know the facts of life.”
“But until you’ve seen the doctor, you really don’t know,” he protested.
Cassie was firm. “I’m nearly two weeks late, and I’ve already started throwing up before breakfast.”
“Oh, God,” he muttered. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed his eyes shut.
With a sinking heart Cassie understood just how little he wanted the baby, how little he cared for her. She hurt all over. “Look,” she finally said, her voice barely audible, “this isn’t your problem. I—I can handle it.” She started walking, faster and faster, away from him, before the tears burning behind her eyes began to fall.
“It’s as much my fault as yours.”
“It’s no one’s fault, Colton. It just happened.”
He let out a long breath. “I’ll marry you.”
She stopped short, barely believing her ears. “You don’t have to—”
He caught up with her, and every muscle in his face was hard and set. “I won’t run away from my responsibilities, Cassie. You’re pregnant, the child’s mine, and we’ll get married.”
“There’s no need to be noble.”
He snorted. “Oh, this is far from noble.”
If only she could believe him! “What about your career?”
His eyes searched the heavens, and a wistful smile curved his lips. “There’s time. It’ll wait. We’ll live here until we get on our feet, then we’ll find a place of our own. When we can afford it, we’ll both finish school.”
It sounded so clinical, so hollow. Where was the happiness? The joy? The love everlasting? The earth-shattering knowledge that this love—their love—would bind them together always? “I don’t want to get in the way, Colton,” she whispered, suddenly feeling as if she’d made a big mistake in telling him about the baby. “You have your plans—”
