Page 7 of Born Wild
“We didn’t plan for this.” She squeezes her hands together.
“So?” Anger bubbles beneath my skin.What kind of man wants nothing to do with their child?What kind of man would toss Cassie to the side in her condition? Hell, in any situation. Did heknow how fucking lucky he was? “Half the children in this town weren’t planned. Probably more.”
She chuckles as a tear drops from her cheek into her lap. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”
Always. I want to fix this for her. I want to help her any way I can. I also want to find the man who did this to her and put my fist through his face.
But as angry as I am on her behalf, I can’t entertain those thoughts. Not now anyway. Cassie trusts me. Cassie needs me. Those are two things I’ve dreamed of, and I will be the rock she needs. I will do whatever it takes.
“Tim, I don’t know what to do.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Go back in time and stay here instead of going to Montana.”
“Besides that.”
“I can’t bring a baby into this world on my own.” Her frown deepens. “But my other options aren’t so great.” A growl of frustration builds in her chest and releases as a scream. “Fuck!” She turns her angry eyes on me. “What am going to do? I can’t have this baby. I can’t tell anyone. I can’t . . . fuck! I just can’t.”
“Come here.” I open my arms and she doesn’t need more invitation than that. This time when she cries, her tears come softly, but they break my heart all the same. I rub her back, offering her the only comfort I can. When her breathing calms and her tears dry up, I say what needs to be said. “Cassie, maybe you should see a doctor.”
“What?” Her eyes widen. “No. I can’t do that.”
“Cassie.” I don’t want to shame her, or manipulate her in this emotional state, but after working on a ranch, I’m all too familiar with the ways a pregnancy can go wrong and endanger the life of the mother. I can’t chance something like that happening to Cassie. “You and the baby need this.”
“Everyone in this town talks. I can’t.”
“Then let me take you somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Down in the Valley.” I nod as the idea comes to fruition. “We can make a day of it. Tell your parents we’re visiting friends from high school or something.”
She meets my stare. “Eduardo and Jessica are going to ASU.”
“Perfect.”
“So, what? We just drive to Tempe and find a clinic.”
“Yeah.” I nod.
“You would do that?”
I would do anything for this woman. “Of course.”
3
CASSIE
The next two days pass in a haze. On the outside, I play my roles—the good-natured daughter, the hard-working student—but on the inside I am freaking out. I don’t think anyone notices my smile is forced, or if they do, they’re too polite to point it out. I avoid my friends outside of school, though. I might be able to keep my secret from my parents and co-workers, but the news is too raw and I’m too vulnerable. If I hung out with friends any more than between class periods, they’d pick up on the change in my demeanor and I’m not sure I could keep the truth inside.
Thank goodness for Tim. I’d be going crazy without him. He’s my confidant and the only person in the world who knows what I’m facing. Yet never once has he made me feel bad. His letters this summer kept me connected to the community I love most. Now his steady presence anchors me from the storm.
As promised, he arranges for a day away from the ranch to drive me down to the Valley. We find a free clinic in Tempe near the university and I pray we don’t actually run into someone from Wilder Valley. I couldn’t do this without the anonymity. As it is,I’m terrified. The second I walk inside the building, everything becomes real.
I’m pregnant.
There’s a baby growing inside me.
