She rose from the overstuffed library chair and looked at her mother, Tucker, Harold, and Brian in turn, but not at Ty. “Don’t let him do this. Don’t let him destroy everything JM built. There must be some other way.”
Her voice cracked. Her body visibly trembled with anger. Ty wished he could have spared her this. But that would have entailed breaking his promise to the old man—a man who had trusted him to make the hard decisions.
When she finally turned her face toward him, it was blotched with red like someone had punched her. “All this time you made it seem like you were building Prescott into something with me. But you were just getting it fattened up so you could sell it. The AFBR…” She waved her arm. “The contract sweeteners, they were just to make it more attractive to a buyer. And you found him. The one you’ve been courting since day one—Stan Lassiter.” She practically growled out the name like a caged dog sighting the warden.
“You’re a cold, calculating coward,” she seethed. “Afraid to give life a chance. I can hardly believe I wanted to have a child with you.”
Tucker choked, Harold blew out a breath, and Sheila gasped, her expression torn between delight and sorrow at the realization it wouldn’t happen now.
“How could you? After everything.” A sob escaped from Mandy and the chain her words had been wrapping around his heart tightened.
She stalked across the oriental carpet toward the double French doors of the library. Reaching them, she yanked open the door. They weren’t done, but apparently Mandy was.
She stopped, turned around. “You get your stuff and move out. Now,” she said, directing her comments at Ty.
“If he does that, Mandy, the six-month deal is void,” Brian said.
Though Ty knew this outcome was a possibility, he’d had a modicum of hope that Mandy would see reason once she heard the deal. But instead, this was it. The end.
“It doesn’t matter now. He’s selling the damn place. Stan has the financing. I only agreed to this ludicrous arrangement to keep Prescott from being sold. If you tell me I can delay this deal a couple of weeks so I can turn it down, I’ll reconsider.”
“Anything can happen.” Brian said. “But it’s unlikely.”
“I hate you, Ty Martin,” she hissed. The doors slammed shut behind her.
She had reached into the cavity holding his heart and pulled on that chain, ripping it from his body, leaving nothing but blood and guts.
Chapter 22
Mandy stared at the white plastic stick through watery eyes. Three other plastic sticks sat on the bathroom counter. They all said the same thing. She was pregnant. It should be the happiest moment of her life. It was certainly what she wanted. But the knowledge only deepened the pain of Ty’s betrayal.
The man she’d now have to see for the rest of her life. At holidays. During summer vacations. On weekends. And at birthdays. The last thought lifted the corners of her mouth into a weak smile. Her child’s birthdays.
Mandy sat on the lid of the toilet, trying to make sense of everything. Of the changes about to occur in her life. She would be a single mother. Raising the child on the ranch, in JM’s house. There would be no rodeos to gear up for. She wouldn’t have to be away from home on weekends, working from dawn to past midnight to set up and break down an event.
Maybe things happened for a reason.
She could take care of the baby. Take care of herself. And when the baby was a little older, she could start another rodeo company.
But she could have raised the baby and still run Prescott. Especially if Ty had been by her side. If he had stayed. Been a husband to her.
Only he’d had no intention of doing so even though he’d asked to extend their marriage. She’d been a fool to think there was any hope to do otherwise. To think he enjoyed running Prescott with her. Wanted to be married to her. Raise a family. A fool to think he had any real feelings for her. Like love.
She had forgotten this was Ty Martin—businessman extraordinaire. All business. No pleasure. Well, that wasn’t totally true. There had been pleasure. At night, in his arms.
How could a man make such intense love to her and not feel anything?
And here she’d allowed hope to blossom when he’d said he wanted to stay with her longer. Wanted to stay at Prescott.
And all the while he’d been scheming behind her back. Charging after the almighty dollar like it was his salvation.
Grandfather, is this truly who you wanted me to marry?
It was so unlike JM to be such a poor judge of character.
I wish you had been right.
She rose from the seat. Happy as she was with the result of the pregnancy test, her heart felt like it had been dropped into a rock tumbler.
Squaring her shoulders, Mandy walked out into the bedroom. Its emptiness struck her. No cowboy boots by the bed. No comb on the dresser. Half the closet bare.
He was gone.
From her bed, but not from her life.
*