The Durango Affair. Brenda Jackson
a huge built-in bookcase adorned one single wall. The bookcase was completely lined with books. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking that she certainly couldn’t imagine Durango spending his free time reading.
In the center of the room were a comfy-looking sofa and love seat that were separated by a coffee table. There were also a couple of rocking chairs sitting in front of huge windows that provided a beautiful view of the mountains. Wooden stairs led up to what appeared to be a loft with additional bedrooms. All the furnishings looked comfortable yet personable at the same time.
“Here we go.”
She turned when Durango reentered the room carrying a tray with two cups of steaming hot chocolate. Even doing something so domesticated, he oozed a masculine sensuality that was playing havoc on her body. Her hormone level was definitely at an all-time high today. Even her breasts felt more sensitive than usual.
“Thanks,” she said, crossing the room to where he stood.
Durango set the tray down on the table. Savannah was standing next to him, so close he could smell her perfume. It was the same scent she had worn that night. He had liked it then and he liked it even more now. He handed her a cup, deciding that he had played the role of Mr. Nice Guy long enough. He needed to know what the hell she was doing here and why she needed to talk to him.
He glanced at her; their gazes met. The eyes staring back at him were anything but calm. “What’s this about, Savannah?” he asked smoothly, deciding to cut to the chase. She had no reason to show up on his doorstep in the dead of winter to talk to him, two months after they had last seen each other, slept together, made love…unless…
His eyebrows furrowed at the same moment as he felt a jolt in the pit of his stomach. For a moment he couldn’t breathe. He hoped to hell he was all wrong, but he had a feeling that he wasn’t. He wasn’t born yesterday and was experienced enough to know that one-night stands only showed up again if they were interested in a repeat performance—or if they had unwanted news to drop into your lap.
His heart began to pound when he saw the determined expression on her face. All of a sudden, the thought that she had tracked him to his mountain refuge to bear her unwanted news made him furious. “Let’s have it, Savannah. What’s the reason for your visit?”
Savannah slowly placed her cup back down on the tray, tilted her head and met Durango’s accusing stare. There was razor-sharp intelligence in the dark depths of his gaze and she knew he had figured things out. So there was no reason to beat around the bush.
She momentarily looked away, inhaled deeply and then met his gaze once more. He had no reason to be angry. She was the one enduring bouts of morning sickness, and she definitely wasn’t there to make any demands on him.
Lifting her chin, she met his glare with one of her own and said, “I’m pregnant.”
Two
Durango inhaled sharply when he experienced what felt like a swift, hard kick in the gut. She didn’t say the baby was his but he knew damn well that was what she was insinuating. He made love. He didn’t make babies. However, with the memories of that night constantly on his mind, anything was possible. But still, he remembered what she had told him that morning before he’d left. And with that thought, he summoned up a tight smile. “That’s not possible.”
Savannah lifted an eyebrow. “If you want me to believe that you’re sterile, forget it,” she said through gritted teeth.
He leaned back against the table, casually crossing his arms over his chest. “No, I’m not sterile. But if I remember correctly, the morning after you told me not to worry about anything because you were on birth control.”
Unconsciously mirroring his stance, Savannah also crossed her arms over her chest. “I was. However, I forgot to take the Pill. Usually missing one pill wouldn’t hurt, but in this case…I seem to be the exception and not the norm.”
“You forgot to take the Pill?” Durango’s heart continued to pound and he shook his head in disbelief. The one time she should have taken the Pill she had forgotten? How much sense did that make? Unless…
“Were you trying to get pregnant?” he asked in a quiet voice.
He watched her jaw drop in shock, and saw the stunned look in her eyes before anger thinned her lips. It was anger he felt, even with the distance that separated them. “How dare you ask me that!”
“Dammit, were you?” he asked angrily, ignoring her reaction to his question. He’d heard of women who slept with men just for that purpose, either to become a solo parent or to snare a husband. And the thought that she had used him, set him up, raised his anger to the boiling point.
“No, I was not trying to get pregnant, but the fact of the matter is that I did. You fathered my child whether you want to believe it or not. Trust me, if I had been trying to get pregnant, you would not have been a choice for my baby’s daddy,” she said, snarling the words.
Durango’s jaw tightened. What the hell did she mean by that? And why wouldn’t he have been a choice for her baby’s daddy? He shook his head, not believing he was asking himself that question. It wasn’t like he wanted to be a father to any woman’s baby.
“I think it’s best that I leave.”
Her words snapped him out of his reverie. His glare deepened. “Do you honestly think you can show up here and drop a bomb like that and then leave?”
She glared right back. “I don’t see why not. The only reason I came here to tell you in person was because I thought you deserved to know and now you do. I’ve accomplished my goal. I didn’t come here to ask you for anything. I’m capable of caring for my child without any help from you.”
“So you plan to keep it?”
Fury raced through Savannah. “Yes, I plan to keep it, and if you’re suggesting that I don’t then you can—”
“No, dammit, that’s not what I’m suggesting. I would never propose such a thing to any woman carrying my child. If the baby is mine, I take full responsibility.”
Her stomach twisted, seeing the doubt in his eyes. “And that’s the problem, isn’t it, Durango?” she asked, shaking her head sadly. “You don’t believe that the child I’m carrying is yours, do you?”
Durango studied her silently for a moment, remembering everything about the night of passion that they’d shared. He knew there was a very strong possibility, a high likelihood, that she had gotten pregnant if she hadn’t been using birth control, but he was still too stunned to admit anything. “I believe there might be a chance,” he told her.
That wasn’t good enough for Savannah. Whether he knew it or not he was questioning her character. Did he think she would get pregnant from one guy and try pinning it on another?
Without saying another word she walked back over to where she had placed her coat, hat and gloves and began putting them on. “There is more than a chance. It doesn’t matter whether you want to believe it or not, there is something wonderful growing inside me that you put there. Not knowing your child will be your loss. Have a nice life.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked in a growl of both anger and frustration.
“Back to the airport to catch the next flight out of here,” she said, moving toward the door. “I’ve done what I came here to do.”
“One moment, Savannah,” he grated through clenched teeth when she reached the door and opened it.
She turned around and lifted her chin. “What?”
“If your claim is true then we need to talk.”
“My claim is true, Durango, and considering your attitude, we have nothing more to say.”
Before he could draw in his next breath she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Durango