Free A Rancher's Love by Capri Montgomery Page B

looked as angry as he felt. She might not have thought the man had used her, but he had. He wanted to go pound his fist against the bastard’s face himself. How had she made it to thirty-two and still knew absolutely none of the important things about sex? Why didn’t somebody educate this woman?
    “You do not,” he nearly growled. “Take care of anything,” he could feel himself clenching his teeth.
    54

    A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery
    “Dean, that hurts,” Zoe tried to pull away from his grasp and he realized he was also clenching her arms. He released her. With his anger he didn’t trust himself to hold on to her because he would risk squeezing too hard again.
    “Do you know what it means when a guy says he’ll have a doctor take care of it? Do you?”
    “I didn’t,” she uttered those words sheepishly, “back then. But I think I have an idea now.”
    “And that’s okay with you? Getting rid of your baby; our baby; that’s okay with you?”
    “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I can’t raise a child on my own and if you don’t want it then what am I supposed to do?! I could put it up for adoption or something, but I don’t know.”
    He exhaled sharply, trying to bring his temper under control. “I never said I wouldn’t want a child with you, Zoe. But hell…damn,” he slammed the palm of his hand against the side of the refrigerator and she jumped. “If you end up with my baby in there,” he pointed to her stomach. “You are not getting rid of it in any way shape or form. I know it’s your body and your choice, but hell…you just can’t do this to me!”
    Her mouth fell open. He was angry and he was sure that anger was coming off of him in waves. It wasn’t even that he was angry with her. He was angry for her. She was thirty-two years old and in some ways she was still that sixteen year old girl learning things for the first time. “Your damn mother should have taught you something about sex,” he growled.
    “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’ve made you angry and now you won’t want me either.”
    “What?”
    “That’s why everybody leaves, because of something I did. That’s what my mom told me when my dad left. It’s basically what Danny told me. He said it was my fault. And Darin, he preferred my mother over me. I guess there is something wrong with me. I guess they were right.”
    “No they weren’t.” He moved with a slow, deliberate gait until he was standing right in front of her.
    “Look at me.” He waited until she looked into his eyes. He could see the puddles of tears just waiting to fall.
    “There is nothing wrong with you. They didn’t leave because of you. They were adults who should have behaved so much better than they did, but that is not your fault. And I do want you, Zoe. Even if I get angry I still want you.”
    55

    A Rancher’s Love ~ Capri Montgomery The tears poured down her cheeks and he pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, honey. I just got angry.” He smoothed his hand up and down her back. “If you’re pregnant you don’t have to worry because we’ll face it together.”
    “I can’t be pregnant,” her voice was nearly a high pitched scream. “I can’t be a mother. I don’t know how to be a mother.”
    “We’ll learn how to be great parents, Zoe. Just think about the things your mother did and do the exact opposite.”
    She laughed and he laughed with her. “Okay. But I’m not pregnant. I’m sure I won’t be.”
    He wasn’t so sure, but if she wanted to believe that he could let her—for now. He would carry the burden of wondering if she was or wasn’t so that she didn’t have to carry it. He didn’t need to educate her on how to please a man, but he did need to educate her on how to protect herself.
    “Do you know anything about your cycle?”
    “It comes; it goes. It’s not regular, but sometimes it comes closer in date range than other times.”
    He nodded. “So you don’t know how to tell when