Chapter 109 Part 109
Emerson
It was a few days later, and Emerson had to laugh at the Fitzgerald men. One of them was always close by, and they wouldn’t even let Eden do anything physical. One of them walked her to her office to make sure she didn’t slip and fall, and Colt had replaced her coffee with tea.
No matter how much Eden threatened him, he didn’t budge. “I sat up the whole night reading article after article. You need to take it easy, and I know you’re not sick, but you’re carrying precious cargo, little sister. No coffee!”
Eden sighed, but Emerson saw the quick smile. “It’s only going to get worse the farther along you get.”
“Don’t even remind me. I love my brothers, and they’re very sweet, but I can still do things for myself. Yesterday, Dylan walked me to the bathroom, and asked me if I needed help.”
Emerson laughed loudly as Eden bristled. “You will always have free babysitters.”
“That’s a bonus,” Eden said.
They walked out of the barn, and Eden stopped short. Winchester stood on the porch of the main house, talking to Thomas. Both women stared at them, and Eden bit her lip.
Winchester shook Thomas’ hand, and put his hat back on his head when he spotted Eden. He clenched his jaw, and started walking toward them.
“Oh, boy,” Eden muttered.
“Emma, nice to see you again,” Winchester said.
“Uh…yeah,” she said, not quite sure what to say to the man.
“Eden, can we talk?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, the slight bulge of her stomach sticking out as she did so. “I think you’ve said enough. I’m sorry for whatever Asher did, but I’m fine. I don’t want or need anything from you.”
Eden started walking away, and Winchester grabbed her arm. A gun cocked behind them, and Emerson almost screamed. “If you want to keep your hand, McRoy, I suggest you remove it from my sister’s arm.” Colt looked nothing like the smiling and always joking brother she’d gotten to know. Now he looked deadly and serious.
“I just want to talk to her, Colt. Things have to be resolved before this baby’s born,” he said.
Colt stepped closer to him, the rifle still aimed straight. “You put that baby in her, and then get engaged?”
“Colt!” Asher’s voice was loud, and sounded more menacing than Colt’s voice had sounded.
“Let me shoot him, Asher. We can dump him in the ravine. They won’t ever find his body,” Colt said.
“Dammit, Colt, I’m not here to fight. I’m here to get Eden to agree to marry me,” Winchester said.
“Oh, well, go ahead,” Colt said, and lowered the rifle. The smile was back on his face, and Emerson shook her head.
“Marry you? Are you crazy? I’m not marrying you just because I got pregnant!”
“McRoy, I told you to stay away,” Asher said, once they had reached them.
“That’s my baby as much as it’s hers. I have a say, too, and I want to have a say. I’m already unemployed and homeless,” he said.
“What?” Eden’s voice held surprise.
“I broke off the engagement the night Asher hit me. I told my mom the next morning. I’ve been busy settling my affairs and signing my shares back to my mother.”
“Why would you do that?” Eden yelled.
“Because I love you, and you didn’t want to settle for me. Well, here I am, and I ain’t going anywhere! I’m that baby’s father, and this is me doing the whole grand gesture thing. You don’t have to marry me, Eden, but don’t shut me out. We work, you know we do.”
Asher started to laugh, and he shook his head. “You gave up everything?”
“I did. You were right, Asher. Money means nothing if you’re unhappy all the time, and the only time I’ve really been happy this past year was when I was with Eden.”
Thomas came down the porch steps and started walking toward them. He looked furious and Colt grinned at Winchester. “I guess a whipping will work, too.”
“Eden! You will marry this boy! Do you hear me? He loves you, and I know you love him. That’s final!”
“Seriously, Dad? Just like that? I’ll marry him?” Eden glared at her father.
“I know your hormones are going all crazy, and it’s making you say and do things you wouldn’t normally do, but you know you want to marry him. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but you’ll want to marry him eventually.”
Eden lowered her head, and Winchester moved closer to her. “Besides, your father already agreed to let me build our house on the ranch once the winter’s over.”
“Fine! But I’m not getting married pregnant,” Eden said, and stomped off toward the main house.
Colt clicked his tongue, and looked disgusted. “He knocks Eden up, and doesn’t get whipped or shot? What is the world coming to?”
Asher and Winchester stood face to face, staring at each other with hard eyes. Emerson bit her tongue, wondering who was going to explode first. Asher stuck his hand out, and Winchester gripped it.
“If you hurt her, I’ll let Colt shoot you, and help him hide your body.”
“Asher, if she’d given me any indication of wanting to be with me, I never would’ve let my mother do this. She’s spitting mad at me right now, but for the first time, I don’t care.”
Asher nodded his head, and Colt gave Winchester an eerie grin before he followed Asher back to the barn. Emerson stood there, and Winchester sighed, and wiped his hand over his face.
“Never a dull day on the ranch,” she said, and Winchester laughed.
“You mean, never a dull day in the Fitzgerald family.”
“Welcome to the family, Winchester, you’re going to need all the luck you can find.”
He nodded his head and walked toward his truck. From the back of it, he removed two large duffel bags and a briefcase. Emerson smiled as she watched him walk to the main house. That poor man had no idea what was in store for him.
When she turned around, Asher was leaning against the doorframe, watching her. She smiled, and started walking toward him slowly. “I kind of like how you watch me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, it makes me feel dirty,” she said, and Asher laughed.
“You’re terrible, and I still have a lot of work to do.”