he had broken off—presumably because the gauchos had arrived to escort him to their wedding. And once she had started reading the screen she hadn’t been able to stop. She had even scrolled back to read the rest of Lizzie’s messages.
It had been about then that she had ended up on the floor. Her legs must have given way as her world had shattered.
It was all lies. Tiago had lied to her by omission.
The subject line on Lizzie’s email had been enough without the rest: Chico told me. That sounded so accusatory. What could Chico possibly have told Lizzie to make Danny’s best friend so angry?
Reading on, she’d found out.
I know you’ll stop at nothing to secure the ranch, because I know you, Tiago, but your plan smacks of desperation to me. And if you hurt her—if you force Danny to do anything she doesn’t want to do—you might be Chico’s friend, but I swear I’ll never forgive you.
Danny’s my friend, and I will protect her. You can’t marry someone simply because you need a wife and a baby fast. When I challenged Chico about it he said you would keep the child, but not the mother. How could you, Tiago? I refuse to believe my friend would agree to this unless you’ve lied to her—and when she finds out her heart will be broken again.
Please send her home. The work on the roof is nearly finished, so the house is safe to live in, and we’ll be back from honeymoon soon. Please tell Danny she always has a home here—
Tiago would keep her baby?
Danny shook her head in desperation. It wasn’t so much the fact that Lizzie obviously believed Danny’s marriage to Tiago was doomed but the thought of having her child taken from her that had stopped her in her tracks.
Tiago had never mentioned anything about a baby. Even when she had confronted him about the possibility of their having a child he had shrugged it off. No system of birth control was absolutely reliable, and they had used none today, but if Tiago thought he could take her child away from her—he didn’t know her at all. She would fight to defend her child to her dying breath.
What was wrong with him? The terms of his grandfather’s will had been unreasonable. Tiago had acknowledged that. His grandfather had wanted him to found a dynasty that carried his name, but they had both agreed how outdated that was.
Saving the ranch was something she could support—but tearing a child from its mother?
A chill of dread swept over her. Tiago believed he had to comply exactly with the terms of his grandfather’s will or risk losing everything: the community he’d built, the wonderful people... Everything he cared about would be destroyed. And she had entered into this arrangement with her eyes wide open. But did an unborn child deserve to be a pawn in their game?
It wasn’t going to happen. She wouldn’t let it happen. She couldn’t change him. She had to get that through her head. Tiago’s childhood experience had been with utterly selfish parents and he’d built a carapace of steel around his heart. Her past had made her determined to survive anything—and she would survive this.
‘DANNY?’
She could hear him coming down the stairs, and his purposeful stride heading towards the kitchen. She was on her feet, leaning over the kitchen counter with her arms braced and her fists planted. She didn’t move when he came into the room. She couldn’t bear to look at him. She didn’t respond in any way.
‘Are you okay? Danny—what’s wrong?’
Tiago was at her side in moments, still warm and damp from the shower. She could smell soap on him, she registered numbly as she pushed his hand away.
She stepped to one side, but he stood in front of her.
‘Speak to me, Danny.’ Dipping his head, Tiago searched her eyes.
She turned her face away. ‘I think it’s better if I don’t talk now.’
He straightened up. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m angry, Tiago, and I don’t want to say anything in the heat of the moment to make it worse.’
‘To make what worse?’ he demanded. Raking his hair, he shook his head impatiently. ‘I’m in the dark, here. Can you help me?’
Danny didn’t know if she could. ‘I owe you an apology.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Tiago flared.
‘I read your email. I know I shouldn’t have, but I came to get us both some water and I nudged your laptop by mistake. The screen flashed on and I read it. I read your exchanges with Lizzie.’
A shiver gripped her as Tiago swore softly under his breath.
‘Can you explain them?’ she asked quietly. ‘Can you tell me why you didn’t think to tell me that a baby was part of our deal?’
‘You must have known—’
‘That there was a possibility I could have a child? Of course I knew. I tried to discuss it with you, but you brushed it off.’
‘I didn’t brush it off,’ he defended.
‘Well, let me tell you this, so there can be no misunderstanding. If I’m lucky enough to have a child, no one on this earth is going to rip that child from my arms.’
‘Let me explain—’
‘You’re going to explain now?’ She shook her head. ‘It’s too late. Don’t you see that? I don’t think you were ever going to tell me, Tiago. I think you hoped nature would take its course and that it wouldn’t be necessary to tell me that a baby was part of the deal. And then—and I can’t imagine how you came to this conclusion—you must have thought I’d be content to leave with my money and without my baby at the end of our allotted year. How could you think that, Tiago? Why didn’t you say something? Didn’t you think I was strong enough to hear the truth?’
‘That rubbish in my grandfather’s will means nothing. It would never stand up in law.’
‘But it must have crossed your mind at some point that it might be a good idea, or why would Chico have mentioned it to Lizzie? Come on, Tiago—say something to make me believe I’ve misread this, that I’ve misunderstood your intentions. Please!’
‘It was a talking point and nothing more.’
‘A talking point?’
‘It was careless talk with Chico about a ridiculous demand by my grandfather that I had no intention of pursuing.’
‘Really? Careless talk?’ Firming her lips angrily, she shook her head. ‘Would that be “careless talk” back in the days when you were a playboy? Let me see—how many days ago would that be? And I’m supposed to believe you’ve changed?’ She made a contemptuous sound.
‘Danny, I have
