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Country Casanova nonchalantly threw peanuts into his mouth, not caring that he was hurting her in the least.
He was a liar and a fool anyway. “They’re just doing business,” Cadence said. She marched past this tall man to get into the room and seized the envelope that Lacy had sent her after. It had all the realtor information in it in regards to that land Lacy was attempting to sell to their investors. She held the heavy manila packet like a lifeline. Her eyes shot to the door where Lacy would be conducting business with Darla.
It was a completely innocent meeting.
The door called to her like a siren. She felt Country Casanova’s laughing eyes on her. Oh, she’d prove that there was nothing going on there. Cadence stormed to the door and wrenched it open.
Lacy’s arms were sliding down Darla’s red dress. He scrambled back at the sudden invasion of privacy. He yelled out, and when he turned, Cadence saw Darla’s red lipstick all over his face.
Cadence gasped, unable to speak or think, only feel, and it was a strange drowning feeling like she was dropping to the bottom of the ocean strapped to a heavy anchor.
“Close the door,” Lacy snarled.
A snort of laughter sounded somewhere beside her ear. “Told you.” Country Casanova winked at Cadence. “You never should’ve opened that door.” He pushed it shut with a casual elbow, like her world hadn’t just come crashing down on her.
She was going to be sick. Whipping away from everything that had meant anything in her life, she put her hand to her mouth. No, no, not now. She’d first suspected that she was pregnant when she hadn’t been able to keep anything down. This time was no exception. She was going to vomit.
Country Casanova sobered immediately. He straightened. “You okay?”
Of course she wasn’t! His stricken face was now stripped of all arrogance. His discomfort was good enough revenge as any… if her pride wasn’t on the line. She’d laugh back at him, but she felt too much shock. Horrible shock! She shook her head and stumbled over to the nearest place where she wouldn’t make a huge mess. That happened to be one of Lacy’s prized plants. She fell to her knees in front of it and felt her stomach muscles clench painfully as she vomited.
She became aware of the man’s hand against her back. “Hey, are you okay?”
Cadence dropped the envelope. Her arms went around her aching stomach. No, she wasn’t going to be okay. This was more than she could handle. She was pregnant. Pregnant by a man who was already cheating on her!
Shewasher mother. She didn’t want to be. She felt sick again.
“Let me help you,” the man said.
Sure,nowhe was willing to help, anything to avoid a scene! Well, she’d make one, whether Cadence wanted to or not. She was human, not some trash to be thrown away when she grew tedious. When had Lacy tired of her? He’d never even hinted that he was bored with what they had. She’d been such a fool. Cadence felt the man touch her back again, and she recoiled.
Never! Never again would she mistake warmth for love. The last thing she needed was Country Casanova gloating over her, bragging about how right his jaded viewpoint about this awful world was. But mostly she didn’t want him to see her cry.
She needed to be alone. This moment of mourning belonged to no one but herself. She’d been such an idiot. Why had Cadence thought that she was so special? She wasn’t so different from that little girl that she once was, rejected again and again!
And still this unfeeling man thought that she’d accept his touches like it was a comfort. His fingers were like hornets stinging her back.
“Don’t touch me,” she cried out helplessly. Tears ran down her cheeks. She gagged again. She couldn’t get to her hair to hold it back. Her hands wouldn’t work.
The man’s fingers wrapped through her hair. He pulled back her curls for her while she vomited again. He rubbed her back. There was nothing that she could do to fight him off because she was so busy making a complete fool of herself. She noticed the gleam of regret in his eyes. That made two of them who felt awkward about this, and yet, for the briefest instant she was grateful for his help, if only that he was treating her like she was a fellow human being on this earth.
Her shoulders heaved as her stomach began to calm down. For an instant she felt desperate to explain that she wasn’t just overcome by hysterics. “I–I’m pregnant,” she breathed out.
“Cadence?” Lacy’s voice sounded somewhere above her.
Her heart dropped. Had he overheard?
Please, no! Don’t let him know that I’m pregnant with his child.
She didn’t want anything to do with Lacy. He had crept out from the back room. Darla must’ve left because she was nowhere in sight. Cadence avoided Lacy’s eyes—they were dark like coals, and she knew they’d smolder on her. They’d burn her like a scorching fire.
“You’re pregnant?” Lacy asked.
He heard! There was no running from this.
Lacy’s hand went to her shoulder. If anything, his touch felt worse than Country Casanova’s, who’d almost turned into an ally in her worst of moments. Lacy glanced over at the other man. “Excuse us a moment.”
Country Casanova let her go like her skin burned him.
