LITMIR.BIZ

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bachelorhood had come to a sticky end a few months ago when Max wed his old flame Diana. Zack imagined the sound of necks cracking as his friends and enemies did a double take at this second blow to confirmed bachelor status Down Under.

      “What does Sky think about that?”

      Zack had his own ideas about that. While tossing and turning in his hotel bed, he’d concluded that he’d walked into a setup the night of Case Fortune’s wedding four months ago. Skylar’s setup.

      “She’ll come around,” he said shortly. “Who told you, anyway?”

      “Nash called Dad. Gave us all a shock, that’s for real. Dad told him, ‘Don’t trust that Kiwi, he’s got sprogs all over the world and he’s only out for your money.’”

      Zack let out a bark of laughter and nearly missed his turnoff. “Tell the old reprobate thanks.” He knew of Teddy Fortune’s warm regard for him.

      But there were some things the Australian Fortunes didn’t know. Like the mistake eighteen years ago, when Zack had gotten his young sweetheart pregnant. Like the anger that had burned in his gut all these years, born of his helplessness as a penniless boy from the wrong side of the tracks who had been virtually run out of town. Helpless to stop Rhianne from giving in to her rich family’s wishes to abort his baby and not ruin her life.

      Never again…

      “You’ll, aah, you’ll be nice, won’t you, Zack? I like old Freckles, she’s a good sort. I wouldn’t have her hurt.”

      “I like her, too, Max,” Zack reassured his friend quickly. “Wish me luck or I won’t ask you to be best man.”

      He hung up, thinking with surprise that was true; he did like Skylar, more than he’d liked any woman in a long time. There was something about her right from the start, even though she did nothing to lead him on, until the night of that family wedding.

      Shocked nearly senseless at the news he was going to be a father, there was not a shadow of a doubt in his mind that he and Skylar would marry. Even now, about to confront her father and cause this family all sorts of upset, there was only one course of action.

      Love didn’t come into it.

      Just ahead, he saw the stone pillars that announced Fortune Estate land. Instead of turning off to Skylar’s cottage in the stand of trees by the stables, he drove toward the big house, as she called it, thinking it was better Nash was prewarned, had had time to think about it.

      Despite that, his stomach tightened as he approached the huge old mausoleum the Fortunes called home. A little too gothic for his taste; Zack preferred a more contemporary residence. The dark gray stone made it appear almost black and very forbidding. But inside, it was comfortable and homely, reflecting Patricia’s warm personality.

      He parked the car and took the steps leading up to the house two at a time. Peggy, the housekeeper, showed him into the dining room. Zack was surprised to find only Nash present. He’d expected one or two of the large family here at this time.

      The older man looked up from his breakfast, his glum expression lightening. “Zack! Sit down. I hate to eat alone.”

      The two shook hands and Zack helped himself to juice and toast from the ample buffet and tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent Nash calling to Peggy to fix some fresh eggs.

      “Where is everyone?” he asked, part of him disappointed he could not settle with the whole family in one sitting. They chatted for a couple of minutes about the whereabouts of the other residents of the house. Since Zack had left in early February, Nash’s older daughter, Eliza, had moved to Montana to be with her husband, Reese. The other two sons, Case and Creed, divided their time between apartments in town and the estate.

      Then Nash fixed him with a stern gaze. “So you’re about to become a daddy.”

      “That’s why I’m here.”

      “Congratulations.” Nash’s gaze narrowed as if trying to read his mind.

      “Not sure that’s appropriate, under the circumstances.”

      “New life is precious, whatever the circumstances.” Nash finished his pancakes just as Peggy slid a plate full of freshly scrambled eggs in front of Zack. His mouth watered. He’d eaten nothing but plastic airline food in the last twenty-four hours.

      “I like you, Zack,” the older man continued. “You’re a straight shooter. I believe your intentions are good.”

      “They are.” Zack sent up a silent thanks to Teddy Fortune in Australia. “I asked her to marry me.”

      “Asked?”

      Zack paused, a forkful of eggs on the way to his mouth. “More or less,” he affirmed with a quick nod. “She won’t have it.”

      Nash leaned back, his expression fond. “Skylar is a complicated girl,” he said slowly. “It’s hard to know what she’s thinking. Her mother—well, she wasn’t the mothering type.”

      Zack knew a little of the history. Skylar and Blake’s real mother, Trina, was run off the Fortune Estate, sans children, when Nash discovered her cheating on him. By all accounts, Patricia, Nash’s third wife, was more of a mother to them than their own.

      “I don’t know Skylar as well as I should.” Nash lifted his coffee cup. “She bottles things up. She’s close to her brother, and Patricia and Maya, but doesn’t seem to need the rest of us much.” He gave a sad little smile. “We all think the world of her, but it’s true, we’re a family that doesn’t talk easily about feelings.”

      “I’ll take good care of her, sir. I know it’ll be strange at first, a new country, being away from her family. But I’m in a position to give her anything she wants.”

      “What she wants? I think what she wants is her independence. And her horses. Girl always loved her darn horses.”

      “I have more than enough horses to keep her happy.” Zack pushed his plate away and leaned his arms on the table. “It’ll be a good life, Nash, and I’ll bring her and the baby back whenever she wants.”

      “It’s not me you have to convince.” The older man sighed heavily. “There’s too much goin’ around in my old brain at the moment. Thing is, I don’t think Skylar knows a lot about the ways of men. She’s an innocent.”

      Not that much of an innocent, Zack thought grimly.

      A flash of blue through the window caught his eye. Their subject mounted the steps outside. “Do I have your blessing, sir?” he asked quickly.

      “My blessing?” Nash stuck his thumb in his belt, his tired blue eyes peering out under thick graying brows. “If you can get the girl to agree then…” He nodded slowly, then raised his head.

      Skylar entered the room, looking mutinous. They both watched her approach and Nash inhaled sharply. “How the heck did we all miss it?” he murmured. “It’s as obvious as a poke in the eye she’s expecting.”

      Both men stared at her candidly, though doubtless Zack’s reaction was vastly different than her father’s. To an outsider, she was dressed as normal: jeans, a longish flannel shirt with a shapeless navy jacket over the top. Her light brown hair shone in braids, what he could see of it, with her signature baseball cap jammed on top.

      The moment she’d opened the door last night, the knowledge that she was pregnant hit him like a sledgehammer between the eyes. Wham! She’s pregnant. Wham! It’s mine.

      Wham! Not again…

      He’d always considered her pretty. Her wide mouth turned up at the corners with a sweetly pronounced bow in the middle. Arched brows dipped low in the middle of her forehead in that interesting way some women had that looked like they were on the verge of frowning. The old adage about pregnant women glowing was true, the proof of it standing in front of him now. A luster to her creamy skin, freckles seemed more pronounced, her eyes more

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