The Durango Affair - Brenda Jackson [5]
“Dammit, were you?” he asked angrily, ignoring her reaction to his question. He’d heard of women who slept with men just for that purpose, either to become a solo parent or to snare a husband. And the thought that she had used him, set him up, raised his anger to the boiling point.
“No, I was not trying to get pregnant, but the fact of the matter is that I did. You fathered my child whether you want to believe it or not. Trust me, if I had been trying to get pregnant, you would not have been a choice for my baby’s daddy,” she said, snarling the words.
Durango’s jaw tightened. What the hell did she mean by that? And why wouldn’t he have been a choice for her baby’s daddy? He shook his head, not believing he was asking himself that question. It wasn’t like he wanted to be a father to any woman’s baby.
“I think it’s best that I leave.”
Her words snapped him out of his reverie. His glare deepened. “Do you honestly think you can show up here and drop a bomb like that and then leave?”
She glared right back. “I don’t see why not. The only reason I came here to tell you in person was because I thought you deserved to know and now you do. I’ve accomplished my goal. I didn’t come here to ask you for anything. I’m capable of caring for my child without any help from you.”
“So you plan to keep it?”
Fury raced through Savannah. “Yes, I plan to keep it, and if you’re suggesting that I don’t then you can—”
“No, dammit, that’s not what I’m suggesting. I would never propose such a thing to any woman carrying my child. If the baby is mine, I take full responsibility.”
Her stomach twisted, seeing the doubt in his eyes. “And that’s the problem, isn’t it, Durango?” she asked, shaking her head sadly. “You don’t believe that the child I’m carrying is yours, do you?”
Durango studied her silently for a moment, remembering everything about the night of passion that they’d shared. He knew there was a very strong possibility, a high likelihood, that she had gotten pregnant if she hadn’t been using birth control, but he was still too stunned to admit anything. “I believe there might be a chance,” he told her.
That wasn’t good enough for Savannah. Whether he knew it or not he was questioning her character. Did he think she would get pregnant from one guy and try pinning it on another?
Without saying another word she walked back over to where she had placed her coat, hat and gloves and began putting them on. “There is more than a chance. It doesn’t matter whether you want to believe it or not, there is something wonderful growing inside me that you put there. Not knowing your child will be your loss. Have a nice life.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked in a growl of both anger and frustration.
“Back to the airport to catch the next flight out of here,” she said, moving toward the door. “I’ve done what I came here to do.”
“One moment, Savannah,” he grated through clenched teeth when she reached the door and opened it.
She turned around and lifted her chin. “What?”
“If your claim is true then we need to talk.”
“My claim is true, Durango, and considering your attitude, we have nothing more to say.”
Before he could draw in his next breath she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Durango stood at the window and watched Savannah get in a rental car and pull away. He was still reeling from the shock of her announcement and waited a tense moment to make sure she was out of sight before moving away from the window.
He glanced across the room to the clock on the wall and saw it was just past noon. He wished he could turn back time to erase what had just happened in this very living room. Savannah Claiborne had come all the way from Philadelphia to tell him that he was going to be a father, and he had all but told her to go to hell.
No doubt Chase would have his ass when he heard how shabbily he had treated his sister-in-law. Crossing the room, he dropped down into a leather recliner. It was so hard to believe. He was going to be a father. No way. The mere