The Durango Affair

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 thought sent him into a state of panic. It seemed that babies were sprouting up everywhere in the Westmoreland family. Storm and Jayla had had twins a few months back; Dare and Shelly had announced over the holidays that they were expecting a baby sometime this summer; and when he had talked to Thorn last week, he had mentioned that Delaney and Jamal were also having another child.

Durango was happy for everyone. But babies were things other people had—not him. It wasn’t that he’d never wanted a child; he’d just never given thought to having one anytime soon. He enjoyed the carefree life of a bachelor too much. He was a man who loved his solitude, a man who took pride in being a loner.

However, the one thing a Westmoreland did was take responsibility for his actions, no matter what they were. His parents had taught him, relentlessly drilled it into him and his five brothers, that you could distinguish the men from the boys by how well they faced whatever challenges were put before them.

Another thing he had been taught was that a Westmoreland knew when to admit he was wrong. If Savannah Claiborne was pregnant—and he had no reason to believe that she wasn’t—then the baby was his.

Admitting that he was going to be a daddy was the first step.

He inwardly cringed at what he knew should be his second step—take whatever action was needed to take care of his responsibility. He checked his watch as he stood up. He wasn’t sure what time her plane would depart, but if he left now there was a chance he might be able to stop her.

The woman was having his baby and if she thought she could pop up and drop the news on him without any further discussion then she needed to think again. She was going to have to deal with him even if the very thought of getting involved with a city girl made his skin crawl.

It didn’t take much for him to remember Tricia Carrington, the woman he had fallen in love with four years earlier. She had come to Yellowstone on a two-week vacation from New York with some of her high-society girlfriends. During those two weeks they had an affair, and he had fallen head over heels in love with her. His uncle Corey had seen through Tricia, had picked up on the manipulator and insincere person that she was and had warned him. But at the time, he had fallen too much in love with her to heed his uncle’s warnings.

Durango hadn’t known that he’d been the subject of a wager between Tricia and her friends. She had bet her friends that she could come to Yellowstone and do a park ranger before marrying the wealthy man her parents had picked out for her. After telling her of his undying love, she had laughed in his face and told him she had no intentions of marrying him, because he was merely a poor country bum who got dirt under his fingernails for a living. She was too refined for such a dead-end union and fully intended to return to New York to marry a wealthy man with connections. Her words had cut him to the core, and he had sworn that he would never give his heart to a woman again, especially to a stuck-up city girl.

And Savannah was definitely a city girl.

He had known it the moment he’d seen her. She had looked high-class, polished and refined. It had been noticeable in the way she’d been dressed, the way she had moved gracefully around the room. She was confident and looked as if she could be married to a member of the president’s cabinet. She was exactly the type of woman that he had tried to avoid during the last four years.

However, he refused to let her being a city girl deter from what he needed to do. Now that the initial shock had worn off and he had accepted that he had unintentionally aided in increasing the Westmoreland line, he would take full responsibility and take charge of the situation.

Savannah had not been surprised by the way Durango had handled the news of her pregnancy. However, the one thing she had not expected and could not accept was his questioning if he was her baby’s father.

“Do you want to return your rental car?”

The question from the woman standing behind the counter snatched Savannah’s attention back to the present, making her focus on the business at hand. “Yes, please.” She glanced at her watch, hoping that it wouldn’t be difficult to get a return flight to Philadelphia. And once there, in the peaceful quiet of her condo, she would make decisions that would definitely change her life.

One thing was for certain—she would have to cut back her schedule at work. As a freelance photographer she could be called to go any place at any time. She realized she would miss the adventure of traveling both in this country and abroad.

But now she would need to settle down. After all, she had prenatal care and visits to the doctor to consider. She would talk to her boss about assigning her special projects. She appreciated the fact that over the years she had built a pretty hefty savings account and could afford to take time off both before and after her baby was born. She planned to take six months of family leave time when the baby came.

The one thing she didn’t want to do was depend on anyone. Her mom would be overjoyed at the news of becoming a grandmother, but since Jennifer Claiborne had finally found real happiness with a man by the name of Brad Richman, and their relationship seemed to be turning serious—if their planned trip to Paris this week was any indication—the last thing Savannah wanted was for her mother to devote her time to her. Her sister, Jessica, was still enjoying the bliss of being a newlywed, and her brother, Rico, would be busy now that he had started as a private investigator.

As Savannah stepped aside to let the next customer be served, she placed her hand on her stomach, knowing whatever changes she made in her life would be worth it. She was having a baby and no matter how Durango Westmoreland felt, she was very happy about it.

Durango stood next to the water fountain and took in the woman standing across the semicrowded airport. Damn, she was beautiful…and she was carrying a baby in her shapely body.

His baby.

He shook his head. What the hell was he supposed to do with a baby? It was too late to ask the question now, since the deed was already done. He sighed when he saw her head over toward the ticket counter, knowing what he had to do. He quickly crossed the room to block her path.

“We need to talk, Savannah.”

Durango’s words startled Savannah to the point that she almost dropped her carry-on bag. She narrowed her gaze at him. “What are you doing here? We don’t have anything to talk about. I think we said everything, so if you will excuse me—”

“Look, I’m sorry.”

She blinked as she stared at him. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m sorry for acting like an ass earlier. My only excuse is that your news came as a shock.”

Savannah’s eye’s shot fire at him. “And…?”

“And I believe that your baby is mine.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, refusing to let go of her emotions and start crying. Since becoming pregnant she had turned into a weeping willow. “And what has made you a believer all of a sudden?”

“Because of everything that happened between us that night and the fact that you said it is. I have no reason not to believe you.” A slow smile played on his lips. “So that settles it.”

If he believed that settled anything then he had another thought coming. “Nothing is settled, Durango. Fine, you’ve acknowledged that I’m having your baby. That means you’ll be one of the first people on my list to get an announcement card with pictures when it’s born.”

She turned to walk away and he blocked her path again. “Like I said, Savannah, we need to talk. I won’t let you deny me the right to be a part of my child’s life.”

Savannah raised her eyes to the ceiling. An hour ago he had been humming a different tune. “If I had planned to do that, I wouldn’t be here.” After a deep, calming breath, she added, “I came because I felt you should know and to give you a choice. I didn’t come to ask you for anything.”

She suddenly felt her face flush from the way he was looking at her. Was her hair standing on end? Were her clothes wrinkled? The flight hadn’t been kind to her and she’d almost gotten sick from all the turbulence they had encountered while flying over the mountains. Her hair was a tangled mess and her makeup had worn off hours ago. By the time the plane had landed and she had gotten a rental car to drive out to his ranch, she had been so shaken up she hadn’t cared enough about her appearance to even put on lipstick.

“Whether you ask for anything or not, I have certain responsibilities toward my child and I want to talk about them,” Durango said. “You’ve done what you came here to do and now that my head is back on straight, we need to sit down and discuss things like two mature adults.”

Savannah lifted an eyebrow and gave him a speculative look. What did they have to talk about? She’d already told him she wouldn’t be making any demands on him. She swallowed thickly when a thought suddenly popped into her head. What if he planned to make demands on her regarding their child? Just last week there was an article in the Philadelphia newspaper about a man who had sued his girlfriend for joint custody of their newborn child.

Maybe talking wasn’t such a bad idea. It would be better if they got a few things straight in the beginning so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding later. “Okay, let’s talk.”

When they reached an empty table in the airport coffee shop, Durango pulled out a chair for Savannah to sit down on and she did so, on shaky legs. Her gaze drifted over his handsome face and latched on to his full lips. She couldn’t help remembering those lips and some of the wicked—as well as satisfying—things they had once done to her.

She glanced away when his eyes met hers, finding it strange that the two of them were sitting down to talk. This was the first time they had shared a table. They had once shared a bed, yes, but never a table. Even the night of the rehearsal dinner he had sat at a different table with his brothers and cousins. But that hadn’t stopped her from scrutinizing and appreciating every inch of him.

“Would you like something to drink, Savannah?”

“No, I don’t want anything.”

“So how have you been?” Durango asked after he had finished ordering.

She raised her eyebrows, wondering why he hadn’t asked her that when he’d first seen her earlier that day. He had picked a hell of a time to try to be nice, but she would go along with him to see what he had to say.

She managed to be polite and responded, “I’ve been fine, and what about you?”

“Things are going okay, but this is usually the hardest time of year for rangers.”

“And why is that?”

“Besides the icy cold weather conditions, we have to supervise hunters who won’t abide by the rules and who want to hunt during the off season. And even worse are those who can’t accept the restrictions that no hunting is allowed in Yellowstone’s backcountry.”

Savannah nodded. She could imagine that would certainly make his job difficult. Jessica had said he was a backcountry ranger. They were the ones who patrolled and maintained trails in the park, monitored wildlife and enforced rules and safety regulations within the areas of Yellowstone. She shuddered at the thought of him coming face-to-face with a real live bear, or some other wild animal.

“You okay, Savannah?”

He had leaned in after seeing her tremble. Surprise held her still at just how close he was to her. “Yes, I’m fine. I just had a thought of you coming into contact with a bear.”

He pulled back, smiled and chuckled. “Hey, that has happened plenty of times. But I’ve been fortunate to never tangle with one.”

She nodded and glanced around, wondering when he would forgo the small talk and get down to what was really on his mind.

“What do you need, Savannah?” he finally asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

She met his gaze as emotions swirled within her. “I told you, Durango, that I don’t want or need anything from you. The only reason I’m here is because I felt you should know. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories of kids growing up not knowing who fathered them or men not knowing they fathered a child. I felt it would not have been fair to you or my child for that to happen.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your child? You do mean our child, don’t you?”

Savannah bit her lip. No, she meant her child. She had begun thinking of this baby as hers ever since she’d taken the at-home pregnancy test. She’d begun thinking of herself as a single mom even before her doctor had confirmed her condition. She had accepted Durango’s role in the creation of her child, but that was as far as it went.

“Understand this, Savannah. I want to be a part in our child’s life.”

She felt a thickness in her throat and felt slightly alarmed. “What kind of a part?”

“Whatever part that belongs to me as its father.”

“But you live here in Montana and I live in Philadelphia. We’re miles apart.”

He nodded and studied her for a moment then said, “Then I guess it will be up to us to close the distance.”

Savannah sighed. “I don’t see how that is possible.”

Durango leaned back in his chair. “I do. There’s only one thing that we can do in this situation.”

Savannah raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Durango met her gaze, smiled confidently and said, “Get married.”

Three

Savannah blinked, thinking she had heard Durango wrong. After she was certain she hadn’t, she couldn’t help but chuckle. When she glanced over at him she saw that his expression wasn’t one of amusement. “You are joking, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Well, that’s too bad, because marriage is definitely not an option.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “And why not? Don’t you think I’m good enough for you?”

Savannah glared at him, wondering where that had come from. “It’s not a matter of whether or not you’re good enough for me, and I have no idea why you would believe I’d think otherwise. The main reason I won’t marry you is that we don’t know each other.”

He leaned in closer, clearly agitated. “Maybe not. But that didn’t stop us from sleeping together that night, did it?”

Savannah’s eyes narrowed. “Only because we’d had too much to drink. I don’t make a habit out of indulging in one-night stands.”

“But you did.”

“Yes, everyone is entitled to at least one mistake. Besides, we just can’t get married. People don’t get married these days because of a baby.”

His lips twitched in annoyance. “If you’re a Westmoreland you do. I don’t relish the idea of getting married any more than you, but the men in my family take our responsibilities seriously.” In Durango’s mind, it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the marrying kind; the situation dictated such action. Westmorelands didn’t have children out of wedlock and he was a Westmoreland.

He thought about his cousin Dare, who’d found out about his son A.J. only after Shelly had returned to their hometown when the boy was ten years old. Dare had married Shelly. His uncle Corey, who hadn’t known he’d fathered triplets over thirty years ago, was an exception to the rule. Corey Westmoreland could not have married the mother of his children because he hadn’t known they existed. Durango’s situation was different. He knew about Savannah’s pregnancy. Knowing about it and not doing something about it was completely unacceptable.

He had knocked her up and had to do what he knew was the right thing. Given the implications of their situation, getting married—even for only a short period of time—was the best course of action. He and Savannah were adults. Surely they could handle the intimacies of a brief marriage without wanting more. It wouldn’t be as if he was giving up being a bachelor forever.

“Well, consider yourself off the hook,” Savannah said, reclaiming his attention. “The only person who knows you’re my baby’s father is Jessica, although I’m sure she’s shared the news with Chase by now. If we ask them not to say anything to anyone I’m sure they won’t.”

“But I’ll know, Savannah, and there’s no way I’m going to walk away and not claim my child.”

For a quick second she felt a softening around her heart and couldn’t help appreciating him for declaring her child as his. But she would not marry him just because she was pregnant.

She gave him a brittle smile as she rose to her feet, clinging on to her carry-on bag and placing her camera pack on her shoulders. The sooner she left Montana and returned to Philadelphia, the better. “Thanks for the offer of marriage, Durango. It was sweet and I truly appreciate it, but I’m not marrying you or anyone just because I’m pregnant.”

Durango stood, too. “Now, look, Savannah—”

“No, you look,” she said, eyes narrowing, her back straight and stiff. “That’s what happened with my parents. My mother got pregnant with my brother. Although my father did what some considered the decent thing and married her, he was never happy and ended up being unfaithful to her. It was a marriage based on duty rather than love. He met another woman and lived a double life with her and the child they had together.”

She inhaled deeply before continuing. “Dad was a traveling salesman and my mother didn’t know that he had another family, which included Jessica, on the West Coast. His actions were unforgivable and the people who suffered most, besides his children, were the two women who loved him and believed in him. In the end one of them, Jessica’s mother, committed suicide. And I watched the hurt and pain my mother went through when she found out the truth about him. So no matter what you say, I would never let a man use pregnancy as a reason to marry. I’m glad we had this little chat and I’ll keep in touch.”

Chin tilted, she turned and quickly walked away.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, due to the snowstorm headed our way, all flights out have been canceled until further notice.”

Savannah stared at the man behind the counter. “All of them?”

“All of them. We have our hands full trying to find a place for everyone to stay so they won’t have to bunk here for the night. It seems that all the hotels in the area are full.”

The last thing she wanted to do was sleep sitting up in a hard chair.

“You’re coming with me, Savannah.”

She turned around upon hearing the firm voice behind her. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Durango took a step forward. “Yes, you are. You heard what the man said. All flights out have been canceled.”

“Is this man bothering you, miss? Do you want me to call security?”

Savannah smoothed the hair back from her face. This was just great. All she had to do was look at Durango’s angry expression to see he did not appreciate the man’s question. To avoid an unpleasant situation, she glanced over her shoulder at the ticket agent and smiled. “No, he isn’t bothering me, but thanks for asking. Excuse me for a moment.”

She then took Durango’s arm and walked away from the counter. She was feeling frustrated and exhausted. “I think we need to get something straight.”

Durango rubbed his neck, trying to work away the tension he felt building there. “What?”

She leaned over and got all into his face. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, bosses me around, Durango Westmoreland.”

Durango stared at her for a long moment then forced back the thought that she was a cute spitfire. Okay, he would be the first to admit that for a moment he had been rather bossy, which was unlike him. He’d never bothered bossing a female around before. He then thought about his cousin Delaney, and remembered how overprotective the Westmoreland males had been before she’d gotten married, and figured she didn’t count. But this particular woman was carrying his baby and he’d be damned if she would spend the night at the airport when he had a guest room back at his ranch that she could use. He decided to use another approach. It was well-known within his family that he could switch from being an ass to an angel in the blink of an eye.

He reached out and took her hand. “I do apologize if I came off rather bossy just now, Savannah. I was merely thinking of your and the baby’s welfare. I’m sure sleeping here in one of those chairs wouldn’t be comfortable. I have a perfectly good guest room at the ranch and you’re welcome to use it. I’m sure you’re tired. Will you come to the ranch with me?”

His words, spoken in a soft plea, as well as his ensuing smile, only made Savannah’s blood boil even more. She recognized the words for what they were—smooth-talking crap. Her father had been a master at using such bull whenever he needed to unruffle her mother’s feathers. And she was close to telling Durango in an unladylike way to go to hell.

And yet, spending the night here at the airport wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. She would love to go someplace, soak in a tub then crawl into a bed. Alone.

She met his gaze, studied his features to see if perhaps there was some ulterior motive for getting her back to the ranch. She knew from her sister’s wedding that Durango Westmoreland was full of suave sophistication and he was an expert at seduction. And although the damage had been done, the last thing she wanted was to lose her head and sleep with him again.

She pulled her hand from his. “You really have an extra guest room?”

He grinned and her breath caught at his sexy dimples. Those dimples had been another one of her downfalls that night. “Yes, and like I said, you’re welcome to use it.”

Savannah toyed with the strap on her camera pack as she considered his invitation. She then met his gaze again. “Okay, I’ll go with you if you promise not to bring up the subject of marriage again. That subject is closed.”

She saw a flash of defiance in his eyes and then just as quickly it was gone. After a brief span of tense silence he finally said, “Okay, Savannah, I’ll adhere to your wishes.”

Satisfied, Savannah nodded. “All right, then. I’ll go with you.”

“Good.” He took the carry-on bag from her hand. “Come on, I’m parked right out front.”

As Durango led her out of the terminal, he decided that what Savannah didn’t know was that before she left to return home to Philadelphia, he and she would be man and wife.

“Here we are,” Durango said, leading Savannah into a guest room a half hour later. “I have a couple of other rooms but I think you’ll like this one the best.”

Savannah nodded as she glanced around. The room was beautifully decorated with a king-size cherry-oak sleigh bed, with matching armoire, nightstands, mirror and dresser. Numerous paintings adorned the walls and several silk flower arrangements added a beautiful touch. It was basically a minisuite with a sitting area and large connecting bath.

“My mom fixed things up in here. She says the other guest rooms looked too manly for her.”

Savannah turned and looked into Durango’s eyes. Their gazes locked for the space of ten, maybe twelve heartbeats. “I like it and thank you. It’s beautiful,” she said, moments later breaking eye contact and glancing around the beautifully appointed room once again, attempting to get her control back intact.