AllFreeNovel
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“Yeah, baby. She’s going to be a mama.”
“Yay!” Dakota screeches.
Just then, Shane and Matt walk in. “What’s going on?” Matt inquires.
“We’re gonna have a baby!” Dakota screams.
Shane’s head snaps in my direction, anger and something else shining in his eyes. “You’re pregnant?” He asks.
“No.” Dakota giggles. “A horsie baby.”
“A horsie baby?” Matt gasps. “Which horse?”
“Maple,” Manuel answers. “We were just talking about when Samantha first got Maple and how she slept in the barn for two entire weeks.”
“Two weeks,” Shane says, looking at me. “You slept in the barn, on the ground, for two weeks?”
I flush scarlet, knowing that Shane is thinking about the same thing that crossed my mind just a few minutes ago. Dakota pulls on my pants leg so I divert all my attention away from Shane and onto her. “Mama, can we keep the baby horsie, please?”
Shane comes over and kneels. I see him wince when his knee bends the wrong way, but he says nothing and makes no noise. “Baby girl.” He says, grabbing her attention. “A horse is a lot of work, sweetheart.”
“I can do it, Daddy.”
“Are you sure?” He asks. “It entails feeding and grooming and a bunch of other stuff.”
“What’s grooming?” She asks him seriously.
“Brushing the horse and cleaning it.”
“Oh. I can do that.” She says enthusiastically.
Shane looks at me and I smile and give a slight nod. “Okay then. I think, young lady, that you got yourself a horse.” Shane says.
Dakota claps happily with a huge smile on her face. She dances around in place, hands above her head. Matt grabs her and throws her in the air. She screeches and then, when he catches her, he dances around with her.
I look at Manuel. The doctor had already slipped out. “Can we talk for a few minutes?” I ask him.
“Hey Matt. Watch baby girl for a few minutes?” Shane asks.
Matt gives him a thumbs up, still dancing with Dakota. I motion for Manuel to follow me. Shane keeps step with me as we go back to the house. Ellen is on the porch, so I ask her to follow. We go into the living room and take seats around the room. I hand the copy of my papers to Manuel while Shane pulls his copy from his back pocket and hands them to Ellen.
Manuel takes a few minutes to look over the papers thoroughly. “So, have you decided what you’ll do?”
Shane is the first to respond. “Nothing is changing as far as I’m concerned. If Wayne wants Dakota to have the ranch, then so be it.”
Manual looks at me. “We’re married.” I blurt. When I realize what I just let slip, I slap my hand over my mouth.
Manuel narrows his eyes. “What do you mean, you’re married?”
I sigh. Fuck. I did not mean for that to come out. “A little over six years ago.”
“So before you left? Did you know you were pregnant when you hauled ass?” He asks.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Seriously!” He yells. “Dammit Samantha. Had I known, I never would have helped you.”
“You helped her?” Shane hisses, standing and puffing his chest out.
