His Convenient Virgin Bride

Alec didn’t understand. There were limited options at this point.

“We don’t want to see Stephanie get hurt,” said Jared.

Alec’s mental reflex was to make a joke about that being the understatement of the century. But he held his tongue.

“No woman wants a marriage of convenience,” said Royce.

Alec still wasn’t following.

“She wants a love match.”

Alec peered at Royce. “Are you saying you want her to marry someone else?” His thoughts went to Wesley, and he found his anger flaring. Wesley wasn’t the father of her child. Alec was the father of her child.

His mind wanted to delve into that unfathomable concept, but he forced himself to focus on Jared and Royce.

“We mean a love match with you.”

Alec gave his head a little shake.

He’d step up. He’d provide financial and any other support needed, but he and Stephanie barely knew each other. They weren’t going to settle down and live happily ever after just because her brothers decreed it.

He would never put any woman in that position. He knew from the catastrophe of his own parents’ marriage, exactly what happened when you tried to fake it.

“I hope that was a joke,” he intoned.

Jared took yet another step forward. “There is nothing remotely funny about any of this.”

Alec looked into the man’s eyes. “No, there’s not. But you can’t control people’s emotions. She’s no more in love with me than I am with her.”

“You can change that,” said Royce. “Tell her you love her, and make her fall in love with you.”

Alec slid his glance sideways. “No.”

Not a chance in hell. There was not a freaking chance in hell he would set Stephanie up for that kind of heartache.

Royce squared his shoulders. “It wasn’t a question.”

Alec could well imagine that few people said no to the Ryder brothers. They were intellectually and physically powerful men. Add to that their economic wherewithal, and they were pretty much going to get their own way in life.

But Alec didn’t intimidate easily, and he had a set of personal principles that stopped well short of duping a woman into falling in love with him.

“I’ll marry Stephanie,” he told them both. “I’ll respect her. I will provide for our child. And I’ll lie to the world about it if she wants me to. But I won’t lie to her.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “You two might think you’re protecting her by-”

“We are protecting her,” said Royce, and Jared’s expression backed him up.

“Nevertheless,” Alec articulated carefully. “I’m going to be honest with her.”

Since Alec spent most of his life on the road, a marriage of convenience would be fairly easy to pull off. And after the baby was born, she could decide what she wanted. If it was a quiet divorce, no problem.

Jared and Royce glanced uncertainly at each other. It was obvious the meeting wasn’t going the way they’d planned.

“May I assume I’m fired?” Alec put in.

The two men exchanged another glance.

Royce cleared his throat.

“I think we’ll leave that up to Stephanie,” said Jared.

This time Alec did laugh. “Then you might as well take your files with you when you go. She’s pretty ticked off about my valuation of her publicity.”

The two men hesitated again.

“It is right?” asked Jared.

“It’s right,” Alec confirmed.

“Let’s maybe leave the business arrangement as is for now,” said Royce.

Alec glanced from one man to the other. “You sure?”

They both nodded.

“No point in disrupting everything at once,” said Jared. Then he clapped a hand down on Alec’s shoulder. “You can come back to the ranch with us.”

“You afraid I’m going to try to run off?”

“We don’t want Stephanie to be upset any longer than necessary.”

“She’ll still be upset after I get there.” Alec tried to picture their conversation. Then he wondered how Stephanie felt about the baby. Then, finally, he let his mind explore how he felt about the baby.

He’d never planned to have children. The genetics in his family did not lend themselves to quality parenting. His father was incapable of love, and his mother had been unable to put her child’s welfare ahead of her own misery.

At least Alec’s child would have Stephanie.

For some reason, the thought warmed him. Stephanie might be indulged and impulsive, but she was also sweet and loving. He’d seen her work with both animals and children, and he knew instinctively she’d be a great mother.

And he was going to be a father.

As he exited the office with Jared and Royce, he tried hard to keep the prospect from terrifying him.

At the front of the stall, Stephanie rested her forehead against Rosie-Jo’s soft nose. She placed her hand on the horse’s neck, feeling it twitch and pulse with strength beneath her fingertips.

“I went to see the doctor today,” she told Rosie-Jo, wrapping her hands around the mare’s bridle.

Rosie-Jo nickered softly in response, bobbing her head up and down.

Stephanie slowly drew back, gazing into the horse’s liquid, brown eyes. Her throat closed over. “I’m definitely pregnant, girl.”

Rosie-Jo blinked her lashes.

“And that affects you,” Stephanie forced herself to continue. “Because he’s afraid I might fall off. He’s afraid I’ll hurt the baby.” Stephanie closed her eyes and drew a bracing breath. “I’m so sorry, Rosie. I know how you love the crowds. And you’ve worked so hard. And I’ve worked so hard. For so long.”

Rosie snuffled Stephanie’s shoulder.

Stephanie opened her eyes to the blur of gray horse hair, her voice catching. “So, he doesn’t want me to jump anymore.”

“That sounds like good advice to me,” someone rumbled behind her.

Rosie snorted, while Stephanie startled. She turned and came face-to-face with the man who’d haunted her dreams.

“Alec?” She struggled to make sense of his presence in the barn. “What are you doing here?”

“Your brothers picked me up in Chicago.” His gaze scanned her thin cotton shirt, blue jeans and worn boots.

The implication of his arrival, and the meaning of his opening words penetrated Stephanie’s brain.

He knew she was pregnant.

And her brothers must know, too.

She felt the walls close in. She hadn’t prepared for this moment, hadn’t had any time to even think about it. She’d assumed it would be weeks, even months before her pregnancy was general knowledge.

“I believe Amber gave you up,” Alec offered.

Stephanie didn’t respond, her mind still grappling with the fact that he knew, that he was here, that the secret was out.

“When were you planning to tell me?” he asked, face impassive, tone guarding his mood. The word never sprang to mind. Though she knew she wouldn’t have kept it from him.

“I don’t know,” she managed, answering him honestly. “I hadn’t thought about it.” It was enough of a challenge