happy for you, sweetie pie.”
“I’m happy, too. And a little nervous.”
“Kids are a big step.” He kissed the top of her head. “But you’ll do fine. And you’ll be a wonderful mother.” He grew suddenly serious. “You are keeping the baby.”
“Of course I am!”
“That’s good.” He patted her reassuringly. “Is Ace the dad?”
Now it was Flynn’s turn to stare at her father in confusion. “H-how did you—”
“Because, there really hasn’t been any other man for you.”
If her father knew, then chances were Sarah Hart did, too. All those months trying to hide her and Ace’s relationship from their parents had apparently been for nothing.
Flynn grimaced. What would Ace’s mother, his whole family, think of her when they found out about the baby?
“Do you love him?” her father asked.
Flynn involuntarily stiffened. Dinah Hart had been the only one to ask her that before. She’d noticed Flynn’s crush on her older brother, a crush that had developed into much more when she and Ace dated.
Except Flynn had kept those feelings hidden and always would, not even telling Dinah.
“I— I’m… It’s complicated.”
Thankfully her father didn’t pressure her for more. They returned to their chairs, and he clasped her hand across the table. “I take it you haven’t told Ace yet.”
“No.”
“Are you going to?”
Flynn pushed her half-empty juice glass away. It suddenly didn’t appeal to her anymore. “I wouldn’t hide the baby from him. But I’m going to wait until I visit the obstetrician. Make sure everything’s okay.”
“Well, you could have picked a worse guy.”
“Dad!”
“I meant that as a compliment. I’ve always liked Ace. It was John Hart I had a problem with. The man drank like a fish and practically ran his ranch into the ground before he died.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Well, he did. But I have nothing other than respect for Sarah and Ace. He’s ten times the man his father was. All them kids are, in their own way. But Ace most of all. He stepped up. Took over as head of the family. Runs the ranch with his mother. Hell of a vet, too. He’ll make a good dad.”
“I don’t think Ace would agree with you about his father. He and John may have butted heads, but Ace loved him. After John died, Ace took over because he thought it was what his father would have wanted.”
In her mind, Flynn could hear Ace telling her those exact words ten years ago when he ended their brief dating relationship.
“Like I said, he’s a better man than his father. He’s trying to make something of that ranch, and not just for himself. Nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for his family. Nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for you and your baby, too.”
“You’re probably right.”
“He’ll insist on doing the right thing.”
“I’m not getting married, if that’s what you’re implying.” Flynn shocked herself with her vehemence.
“Why not?”
“Come on, Dad. I already have one disastrous marriage under my belt.”
“You didn’t love Paul.”
Just how much had her father observed? She’d evidently underestimated him for years.
“I did love him.” Not like she had—did—Ace. “In the beginning. We…” She hesitated, her voice thickening. These emotional highs and lows simply had to stop. “We drifted apart.”
“He ignored you.”
“Not always.”
“Almost always.” Her father snorted. “More interested in his job than you.”
Paul’s ambition was a quality Flynn had liked and admired when they first met. She hadn’t foreseen that his ambition would one day consume him. After a few years, it became obvious he knew his coworkers more intimately than he did Flynn and shared more with them. She grew to resent that same ambition she’d once admired and the endless hours he put in at the office.
“He wasn’t the only one at fault. I made my share of mistakes. I let him walk all over me instead of putting my foot down.”
Her father snorted again, his way of saying his girls were perfect.
Flynn smiled despite her weepiness. He may think she had nothing to do with her failed marriage, but Flynn knew better. She’d made mistakes, the first one being rushing to the altar.
She’d met Paul in one of her classes at community college; they hit it off and got engaged shortly after graduating. Flynn had assumed their similar career goals—to advance, to climb the corporate ladder—would bind them. She hadn’t anticipated their differences when it came to starting a family.
Flynn had asked him for a separation, hoping the shock would shake up Paul and force him to admit how much he loved her and wanted to stay married.
Only, what he’d said was, “Why bother with a separation? Let’s just get a divorce.” He’d packed up his belongings and left the next day.
“I’m not going to make any rash decisions,” Flynn announced resolutely. “This baby is too important to me.”
“Too bad about nursing school,” her father said. “You’d have made a good nurse.”
Flynn straightened. “I can still go to school. I’ll start the enrollment process now. Take online classes until after the baby’s born.”
She was going to be a mother. A single mother. Now more than ever she needed a decent job with security and benefits and potential for advancement.
“That’s an awful lot to have going on at once. Especially if you’re working, too.”
She would need to keep working. She couldn’t afford to pay for school otherwise.
Her temples began to throb. There was so much to think about.
“I’ll start slow. One or two classes.”
“Hmm,” her father mumbled in a tone that implied maybe Flynn should reconsider. “What about Ace? He’s going to want to be a dad to your child.”
“And he can be. Visit as much as he wants. Billings is only an hour away from here.”
Her father chuckled and
