Read Online The Baby Truth by Stella Bagwell - Free Book Online

“Maybe the whole bunch of you ought to remember that.”
    Standing near the fireplace hearth, Orin leveled a pointed look at Jett. “I don’t think you’ll have to remind Bart of that fact.”
    From the corner of her eye, Sassy watched one of Jett’s brows arch with speculation and though he said nothing in response to Orin’s remark, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. From what Jett had told her, he’d worked exclusively as the Calhoun family lawyer ever since he’d passed the bar. If her coming here had jeopardized his position, she’d feel worse than terrible.
    Sassy glanced around the group of men until her gaze stopped on Orin. “I honestly think it would be best if I leave.” She cast an apologetic look at Orin. “Your father clearly doesn’t want me here and I don’t want to spoil your evening any more than I already have.”
    “Forget about Granddad.” Finn spoke as he elbowed his way closer to Sassy’s side. “He’s been acting like an angry old bull lately.”
    “That’s right,” Rafe added as he took Sassy’s elbow and gently but firmly eased her down into the armchair. “Besides, he doesn’t speak for the rest of us Calhouns. If he did, our friends would be few and far between,” he said jokingly.
    Sassy tossed a questioning glance at Jett, but he merely smiled as though to say they might as well stay and make the most of the situation. It wasn’t exactly the encouraging sign she needed from him, but she had to remember that these men were his friends. He probably wasn’t feeling any of the angst that was gripping her.
    Drawing in a deep, bracing breath, she forced herself to settle back in the chair, and for the next few minutes, the brothers were intent on making her comfortable by supplying her with a footstool, a huge hunk of German chocolate cake and a cup of decaffeinated coffee, delivered especially for her from the kitchen.
    Eventually everyone took a seat, and knowing the personal questions were about to start, she was greatly relieved when Jett drew a chair close to hers.
    “Finn tells us that you were Barry Landers’ girlfriend,” Orin stated. “I didn’t know the lad personally, but I was sorry to hear about his death. Finn said it was a freak incident. That a horse tossed him into a fencepost and he hit his head.”
    Strange, Sassy thought. For a long time, Barry’s death had monopolized her thoughts. But since she’d arrived in Carson City, Barry’s accident was steadily being pushed behind her. Now she was seeing the future without imagining him in it. The realization told her she was healing and moving forward, which was a good thing. Looking backward with regret never helped anyone. Now she had a child to plan for, and that was definitely lifting her spirits.
    “By the time I heard the news of his death, he was already buried,” she explained. “It was a shock.”
    No one close to Barry had even known to contact her about his death. But it hadn’t been as though everyone on the rodeo circuit he traveled had been aware he had a girlfriend. And from what he’d told her, the only relative he stayed in contact with was his father, who lived in Colorado.
    Across the way, Finn cleared his throat. “Well, I just want you to know that Barry was a great friend, Sassy. The best.”
    She smiled at the man with the auburn hair, blue eyes and features that eerily resembled hers. “Thank you for saying that.”
    An awkward moment of silence passed, and as it did she could feel Jett’s arm slipping across the back of her chair as though to remind her that he was close and ready to protect her. She was more than grateful for his support.
    “Well, I’ll say one thing,” Rafe, the darker-haired one of the brothers spoke as his gaze slipped back and forth between Finn and Sassy. “If Finn and Sassy were the same age, I’d say they were identical twins.”
    “Identical twins are the same sex,” Evan corrected Rafe.
    From the short rundown Jett had