“You called me, remember?”
He nodded.
“You offered to help me for the sake of Brant. Because of the connection you two had had.”
“Yeah, but I don’t remember offering you a child.”
She flushed and even through the grime and soot on her face, Jericho could see the pink stain color her skin. “No, you didn’t. That was my idea. Don’t you see?
The Marine Corps stole my family. Brant died for his country, but with him gone, I was so alone. I hated it.
It tore at my heart until I thought I would die from the pain.”
Something inside him softened toward her. He knew what it was to experience loss. Hell, he’d seen grief destroy people. The fact that Daisy had not only risen above it but found the strength to go on was admirable.
But that didn’t explain the rest of it. Then she was talking again and Jericho told himself to listen.
“When I decided to have a child, I knew I wanted you to be the father,” she admitted. “You and Brant were friends. He admired you so much. And frankly, I thought, Jericho King is part of what took Brant from me—so what could be better than having you be the father of my new family?”
“I don’t believe this,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck hard enough to tear off a layer of skin. When his gaze snapped to hers it was hard and brutal. “So all of this was a scheme? You’ve been playing me from the start?”
Before she could say anything, he answered his own question on a short laugh. “Of course you have. Damn me, I was sucked in, too. I actually believed you were exactly who you said you were. Hell,” he added, throwing his hands high and wide, “I even felt bad for ‘taking advantage of you.’ There’s a joke.”
“Jericho, let me explain—”
“No,” he said sharply. “Answer one question. Did your plan work? Are you pregnant?”
She took a deep breath and folded her hands across her middle as if already protecting something precious. “Yes. I took the test when I came in to make the first batch of coffee.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “We used protection.”
“Not the first night.”
Jericho’s world rocked precariously around him. His mind raced back to that first night when he’d come home to her and had been blinded by everything but the staggering hunger rampaging through him. No, he hadn’t used a condom. Hell, he’d been doing good to find the damn bed. He’d been blind for her. Conscious only of the need pounding in his veins.
So he couldn’t blame her entirely. He wanted to, God knew, because she’d tricked him. She’d made him believe. Made him trust and now she had shown herself as a liar.
“That’s perfect,” he muttered, turning from her to stare out the window at the men still working in the compound. From upstairs came Nikki’s frantic barks and yips as she demanded to be freed from captivity. And behind him stood a woman who was carrying his child. “Jericho—”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” he asked and didn’t really expect an answer.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” she said softly, “but I’m not sorry I came here. I was looking to find a family and instead I found love.” She took another breath and added, “Jericho, everything changed for me after I’d been here just a few days. I knew then that it wasn’t just a child I wanted. I wanted you. I love you.”
He snorted. “Handy. How you confess your love for me right after you find out you’re pregnant.”
“I told you before I knew.”
He laughed again. “And of course I believe you.”
“Why are you so angry?” she asked, taking a step toward him. “Because I lied to you or because I’m pregnant?”
Jericho didn’t have the answer to that. He could hardly believe that he was going to be a father, for God’s sake. That was a hard piece of truth to hand a man. Wasn’t he allowed a few minutes to take it in? To try to decide what he was feeling?
“I’m not talking about this now,” he muttered and snatched up the thermos she’d prepared. He turned and headed for the back door, but her voice stopped him before he could leave.
“Jericho, I’m not the only one with secrets. And nothing’s changed. I still love you. And you love me.”
He looked into her eyes and saw worry glittering in those whiskey-colored depths. But he couldn't assuage it. Couldn’t give her what she needed. Not right now. “I don’t even know you,” he said and walked out to rejoin the men.
The next morning, he was gone.
She’d spent the night alone in her room, with only Nikki for company. She felt cold and lost and when she caught herself blindly reaching for him across an empty bed, the tears came.
How had this all become so confused? So twisted inside and out? In the long, sleepless hours of the night, Daisy had had time to think. To realize that she’d never really considered how her plan would affect Jericho.
Stupid, she knew, but in her quest to have a family, to become pregnant, she’d never stopped to think how her decision would affect him.
Three days later, Jericho was still gone and Daisy was no closer to figuring out exactly what it was she should do next. Walking into the kitchen, Nikki right alongside her, she put one hand to her abdomen and thought about the child already growing inside her.
Soon, she would have a baby. A family. But would that family ever be complete without her child’s father?
Nikki walked to the door, sat down and stared at it. Just as she had since Jericho left, as if she could make him appear with the power of her mind. Funny, Daisy thought, she and her dog were in the same boat. Both of them missing the only man either of them wanted.
The back door opened suddenly and she started, gaze shifting quickly, heartbeat accelerating, stomach pitching with an infusion of hope. Nikki yipped in excitement, then drooped to the floor. Daisy knew just how she felt. The expectation she’d felt so briefly drained away as Sam stepped into the room. He must have seen the disappointment she felt written on her face because he gave her a wry smile.
“Sorry,” he said as he closed the door behind him. His eyes were kind and an understanding smile curved his mouth. “You don’t have to worry about him, you know. He does this occasionally.”
“Does what?” she asked. “Disappear?”
He shrugged and answered, “Yeah. You know that. He’ll go up into the high country whenever he feels things closing in on him. Sometimes he’s gone for days, sometimes longer.”