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Hope was right. They weren't ready to be parents, but the idea wasn't as daunting to him as it obviously was to her. Sure, in a perfect world, the circumstances of their impending parenthood would be much different. They would be in a committed relationship, most likely married. And they would have waited until they were ready to start a family before engaging in unprotected sex.
Only it wasn't a perfect world. Far from it, actually. If it were, Hope's father would have never been diagnosed with the cancer that eventually claimed his life. The mare would never have gone into premature labor. There would have been no pain Hope needed to numb with too many shots of tequila. And they never would have ended up in bed together.
Still, it was a night Drew would never forget. And until ten minutes ago, that had absolutely nothing to do with Hope being pregnant with his child.
No, what Drew remembered about that night—and despite his inebriated state, he did remember quite a bit—was that it had been the best night of his life. Not that he'd been intimate with scores of women in his thirty-four years, but there'd been enough for a fair comparison.
Quite frankly, no other woman had come close to the way Hope made him feel.
If anyone ever had, there was no way he'd still be dreaming about Hope three months later. Reliving their one night of unbridled passion. Waking up each morning with a raging hard-on. And wishing she were lying in his bed beside him so he could show her how desperately he wanted her.
But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
"So, what happens now?" Drew asked, not sure he was prepared to hear her answer but needing to know anyway.
With a slight shake of her head, Hope shrugged. "Guess I'll get fat, because I'll be eating for two, and we both know how much I like food. At some point, my feet will swell to the point where wearing shoes and boots will be damned near impossible. And from what I hear, I'll be riding quite the emotional rollercoaster, fueled by my very own jacked-up hormones."
Drew couldn't help but chuckle. At least Hope hadn't lost her sense of humor. "I was thinking more in terms of the baby. And us."
Hope exhaled slowly. "I don't know, Drew. I wish I did, but considering I had no idea there was a baby to consider until a few hours ago, I don't have the answers to give you right now."
"But it was enough time for you to consider giving the baby away?" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.
Sort of.
"Considering doesn't mean doing. Do you have any idea how many things have run through my mind since the doctor told me that I'm pregnant?"
"I have a pretty good idea," he countered. His mind hadn't stopped its own sprint yet.
"Then could we just have a minute to let everything sink in before we get balls deep in making decisions that will affect the rest of our lives?"
"As long as I'm a part of the decision-making process." He needed to make that point clear.
"I have no intention of excluding you. But right now, the only thing I can tell you for sure is that in about twenty-eight weeks, I'm going to give birth. Everything else, we can decide along the way."
"Together." He had to be sure.
"Yes. Together."
"That's all I ask." For now, anyway.
Chapter Two
Two Weeks Later
"I'm sorry, Hope. I wish I had better news." Lucas Danforth rounded his massive mahogany desk and sat down in the tufted oxblood leather chair beside her. "Your daddy was one hell of a horseman, but he was a piss-poor manager of his finances."
And the hits just kept on coming.
Unfortunately, the attorney's assessment of her father was a bull's eye hit. Sam Logan had forgotten more about horseflesh than most people would ever know, but when it came to taking care of his own financial matters, he'd been a freaking disaster.
As a successful horse trainer and farrier for most of his adult life, Sam’s services were often in high demand. The money he made—and sometimes he'd made a substantial amount—he spent freely, living in and for the moment, lending a helping hand to those in need, and letting the future take care of itself.
For the better part of his life, that strategy had worked well for them.
Sam had made a comfortable life for himself and Hope. She'd never gone hungry and always had a roof over her head. Fortunately, Sam's reputation in and around the Kentucky racing circles kept him steadily employed. Their immediate needs and day-to-day expenses were always met, but saving and budgeting had been foreign concepts to her father.
If Sam had the money for something they wanted, he bought it no matter the cost, practicality, or extravagance. If it was a slow time financially, they'd do without until the next windfall hit. After her mother had split when Hope was five, Sam made sure his daughter had whatever she needed and most of what she wanted, and never once made her feel like a burden left behind by a mother who obviously hadn’t wanted her.
