my son? It’s not the kind of example I want set before Timmy. Besides, he deserves a father who loves him unconditionally, not one who simply views him as a monthly support check.”
Morgan was silent for several long moments before he nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. But when a man gets a woman pregnant, whether he ever sees the child or not, he has an obligation to help her.”
Reaching the outskirts of Laramie, he set the cruise control, then stretched his right arm out along the back of the seat. His fingers brushed her hair and she felt warmed all the way to her toes.
Startled by her reaction, Samantha scooted over to lean against the door. “I have a question,” she said, determined to regain her equilibrium.
He glanced her way and smiled. “And that would be?”
His easy expression caused her pulse to skip a beat. She took a deep breath to chase away her accompanying breathlessness. “When you walked into my room back at the hospital, you said everything had been taken care of at the business office. What did you mean?”
“Just that,” he said, staring at the road ahead. “The bill is paid.”
Samantha felt her stomach start to churn. “Would you like to tell me who paid it?”
“I did.”
Anger swept through her. “Why?”
“Call it a baby gift,” he said, his smile so darned charming that she had to fight the warmth filling her chest.
She shook her head as she tried desperately to hang on to her anger. “A baby gift is a high chair, a blanket, a set of bibs. It’s not paying a hospital bill.”
His smiled faded and a muscle began to work along his lean jaw. “Look, Samantha. I’ve got the money, and I don’t mind helping out.”
“I don’t need your help,” she said stubbornly. “I’m not a charity case.”
He shook his head. “I never said you were.”
“How much was the bill?” Reaching into her purse, she removed a pad of paper and a pen. “I’ll reimburse you as soon as I find a job.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Dammit, woman.” He looked exasperated. “I said no.”
“You’re used to people doing what you tell them to do, aren’t you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
He shrugged, but remained silent.
“Well, let me treat you to a reality check, cowboy.” She stuffed the paper and pen back into her handbag. “I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. I make my own decisions and I pay my own way.”
As she glared at Morgan, the baby suddenly opened his eyes, waved his little fists in protest and wailed at the top of his lungs. Their raised voices had startled him.
“Why don’t we put this argument on hold until we get home?” Morgan asked, steering the truck off the main road.
Samantha quieted the baby, then looking around at the scenery, she frowned. Nothing looked familiar and she knew for certain they hadn’t traveled this road when Morgan had taken her and Timmy to the hospital the day before.
“Where are we going?” she asked, noticing the neatly fenced pastures on either side of the road.
“I’m taking you to the Lonetree,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“Do you need to pick up something before you take me to my place?” she asked cautiously.
“No.”
A knot of suspicion began to form in the pit of her stomach. “Then why are we—”
“I thought you and the baby should stay at my ranch for a few days,” he said, turning onto another road.
She shook her head vehemently. “I most certainly will not be staying at your ranch.”
“Don’t be stubborn about this, Samantha. Your grandfather’s house isn’t in any shape for you and the baby to stay there.” He made it sound so darned reasonable, she wanted to scream.
But as she thought about what he’d just said, some of her anger drained away. She hated to admit it, but Morgan was right. The house only had a fireplace in the living room for heat, there was no running water and no electricity. Besides all that, the roof leaked.
Frustrated beyond words, Samantha had to fight the sudden urge to cry. It just brought home how low her circumstances had become. For all intents and purposes, she was as homeless as the foster child she’d been after her mother passed away.
Slowing the truck to a stop, Morgan turned to face her. “I understand how much you value your independence, sweetheart. And I swear I’m not trying to take that away from you. But you have to be realistic about this.” He reached over the car seat between them to cup her chin in his big palm, sending a wave of goose bumps shimmering over her skin. “Right now, you need help. Please, let me do the neighborly thing and lend a hand.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth to keep it from trembling. Where else was she going to go? She had a newborn to take care of, no place to live and she’d exhausted her bank account to make the move from Sacramento to Wyoming. If it was just her, she’d politely refuse Morgan’s offer. But she had to think of what was best for Timmy now.
“I don’t have any other choice,” she finally said, blinking back tears. “And I really hate not having options.”
“I know, sweetheart. I feel the same way.” His understanding smile warmed her to the depths of her soul. “But you’ll be on your feet and back in charge of things before you know it.”
As she stared into his incredibly blue eyes, Samantha wondered if he’d ever been in a situation that he couldn’t control. She doubted it. A man like Morgan was always in complete command of everything going on around him.
Resigned, she took a deep breath. “I’ll need to get some things from my car.”
He released her chin and turned his attention to the road ahead of them. Shifting the truck into drive, he nodded. “After I got back from taking you and the baby to the hospital yesterday, I had a couple of my ranch hands take one of the tractors and tow your car over here. One of them is a pretty fair mechanic and he’s got it down at the machine shed, trying to get it running again.”
Before Samantha could tell him to keep track of how much the repairs cost, they topped a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. A sprawling log ranch house, along with several neat-looking barns and out-buildings stood majestically at one end, while a large herd of black cattle grazed at the other.
“Is that your ranch?”
He nodded. “That’s the main house. My brother, Brant, and his wife, Annie, have their home about three miles east of here.”
“How big is this place?” Samantha asked incredulously.
“We’ve
