His Convenient Virgin Bride

Okay. She breathed. She had to calm down. She was only scaring herself. How many crazy thoughts had popped into her head since Alec left? This was simply one more in the series.

She drew another deep breath. The nausea had subsided.

It had to be psychosomatic. Her period would start today, maybe tomorrow. Her hormones would get back on track. She’d stick to her training regime, and she’d kick butt in Brighton.

Anything else was unthinkable.

On morning four of the nausea and exhaustion, Stephanie dragged her feet to the bathroom, staring with dread at the home pregnancy test she’d picked up the afternoon before. Even before she followed the directions, she knew what the answer would show.

Sure enough, the two blue stripes were vivid in the center of the viewing window. She was pregnant.

She plunked the plastic stick in the trash bin and moved woodenly to the shower.

As the warm water cascaded over her body, she let a tear escape from her eye. Then another, and another. What oh what had she done? This was her year, first the nationals, then the European championships and finally tryouts for the Olympic team.

The moment she’d trained for, longed for, prayed for her entire life was upon her, and she was going to have a baby instead, without a father. Her brothers would be furious on both counts. They’d be so disappointed in her.

Her mind searched hopelessly for a way to keep it secret.

Maybe she could fake an injury and take herself out of competition. Then she would find an excuse to stay in Europe for six months. And, then…And, then…

She whacked the end of her fist against the shower wall in frustration.

What would she do? Come back to Montana with a baby in tow? Tell them she adopted some poor orphan in Romania?

It was a stupid plan.

Defeated, she slowly slid her way down the wall, water drizzling over her as she came to rest on the bottom of the tub. She wrapped her arms around her knees, staring blankly into space as the water turned from hot to tepid.

“Stephanie?” Amber’s voice surprised her. It was followed by a rap on the bathroom door.

“Just a sec,” Stephanie called out, rising to her feet, swiftly spinning off the now-cold water.

“You okay?” Amber asked.

“Fine.” Stephanie flipped back the curtain and grabbed a towel, scrubbing it over her puffy cheeks and burning eyes.

What was Amber doing in Montana?

“You’ve been in there forever,” Amber called.

“What are you doing here?”

“Royce got restless in Chicago. It was either this or fly to Dubai for the weekend. You want to come down to the main house for a while?”

Stephanie pressed her fingertips into her temples. The last thing in the world she needed was one of her brothers hanging around. She needed to be alone right now.

“I have to train,” she called through the door.

“You decent?” asked Amber.

“I’m-”

The door opened, and Stephanie quickly wrapped the big bath towel around her body.

“Morning.” Amber grinned.

“You never heard of privacy?”

“We’re practically sisters.” Then Amber’s grin faded. She cocked her head, staring into Stephanie’s eyes. “What on earth?”

Stephanie quickly turned away, coming face-to-face with her own reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her cheeks had high, bright pink spots, but the rest of her face was unnaturally pale.

“I had a rough night,” she tried, but her voice caught on her raw throat.

Amber’s arm was instantly around her shoulders. “What’s wrong? Did you get bad news? One of the horses?”

“No.” Stephanie shook her head.

Then Amber’s gaze caught on something. Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped open.

Stephanie looked down to see the home pregnancy test box on the counter.

“You can’t tell Royce,” she croaked.

“You’re pregnant.”

Stephanie couldn’t answer. She closed her eyes to block out the terrible truth.

“Is it Wesley?”

Stephanie quickly shook her head. “Who-”

“It doesn’t matter.”

There was a silent pause, then Amber touched her shoulder. “Alec.”

Stephanie’s eyes flew open. “You can’t tell Royce.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Amber pulled Stephanie into her arms. “It’s going to be okay. I promise you, it’s going to be okay.”

It wasn’t often that Alec spent time in his Chicago office. For one thing, his jobs rarely kept him in the city. He preferred to be on the ground, gathering information from real people in different places around the world.

Consequently his office was stark, almost sterile. In a central location between the river and the pier, it was a single room on the thirty-second floor. The view was spectacular. The desk was smoke glass and metal, with sleek curves and clean lines. Matching chairs were thinly padded with charcoal leather. He used his laptop everywhere he went, and his file cabinets were stainless steel, recessed into the wall.

There was no need for a receptionist, since his phone number wasn’t published. He wasn’t listed on the building’s lobby directory, and he rarely had more than one job on the go at a time.

So, it was a surprise when the office door swung open.

Alec glanced up to see Jared fill the doorway. He walked determinedly inside, followed closely by Royce, their faces grim.

They shut the door and positioned themselves on either side, folding their arms across their chests, as Alec came to his feet. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that they knew he’d taken Stephanie’s virginity.

“Stephanie told you,” he stated the obvious. He wouldn’t lie, and he wouldn’t deny it. If they fired him, they fired him.

Jared spoke. “Stephanie doesn’t know we’re here.”

Alec nodded and came out from behind the desk, ready to face them.

Royce stepped in. “Stephanie’s pregnant.”

The words stopped Alec cold.

Seconds dripped like icicles inside the room.

“I had no idea,” he finally said.

“You’re not denying you’re the father,” Jared stated.

“I’m not denying anything. Whatever Stephanie told you, you can take as true.”

“Stephanie didn’t tell us anything,” said Royce.

Then Alec wasn’t about to add to their body of knowledge. What happened between him and Stephanie was private.

She was pregnant, and he’d absolutely do the right thing. And her brothers had every right to call him on it. But they didn’t have a right to anything more than she was willing to voluntarily share.

Jared took a step forward, and Alec wondered if he was going to take a swing.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Jared said.

“I will marry her,” Alec offered up-front.

“Not good enough,” said Royce, squaring his shoulders to form an impenetrable wall next to his brother.