Her mother perched on the edge of the cushions, her back ramrod straight. “Now then, what is this nonsense about Clayton? He’s been nothing but helpful these past months, searching for you, comforting your father and me. The man was beside himself with worry.”
The words churned a new round of fury inside her. Clayton, comforting her parents? Playing the concerned suitor while she fled across the country to escape him? The calculated cruelty of it stole her breath.
“He forced himself on me.” The words burst out like a dam breaking, raw and terrible in the quiet afternoon air.
Her mother’s face went ashen, one hand flying to her throat. “Mandie, surely you’re mistaken. Clayton would never?—”
“I’m not mistaken.” The words came out harder than she intended, but she couldn’t soften them. Not when her mother’s first instinct was to doubt her. “And I’m…” She couldn’t get these words out. But she had to. “I’m…with child.”
Her mother stared at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. The color had drained completely from her cheeks.
“But…but he’s been so kind. So helpful in the search for you.” Her mother’s voice was barely a whisper. “He even funded the journey here.”
A bitter laugh escaped Mandie’s throat. “Of course he did. He wasn’t helpingyoufind me.Hewants me. My…” She slashed her hand through the air. “Nicholas’s money. Everything. He tried to make me marry him, but when I turned him away, he…”
Her mother straightened, and she exhaled a long breath. “I…I can’t believe it. Surely there’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Mandie’s voice cracked, and she pressed her hands to her stomach protectively. “There’s no misunderstanding. He forced himself on me, and now I’m with child.” Even faced with the truth, her mother still wanted to find an excuse for Clayton’s behavior.
Her mother’s face crumpled, and for the first time since Mandie could remember, she looked fragile. Old. “Oh, my dear girl. Why didn’t you come to us? Why didn’t you tell your father?”
“Would Papa have believed me? Against Clayton’s word?” Mandie’s laugh held no humor. “You’re already taking his side against me.”
The truth of those words hung heavy between them. Her mother’s hands twisted in her lap, and Mandie saw the moment understanding truly dawned—not just of what Clayton had done, but of why her daughter had felt she had no choice but to flee.
“The baby…” her mother whispered.
“Is Clayton’s, yes.” Mandie lifted her chin, daring her mother to pass judgment. “And he will never, ever get his hands on either of us.”
Outside, raised voices filtered through the windows—her father’s gruff tones, Clayton’s smooth replies, then the steel-edged warning in Enoch’s voice. Her heart lurched.
She needed to get back out there before the men came to blows.
CHAPTER 26
Every muscle in Enoch’s body coiled like a spring, ready to snap at this skunk who’d dared step foot on their property. Who’d dared force his presence on Mandie again.
The only thing keeping him from launching himself at Clayton and beating the smug expression off his face was the fact that Mandie needed to handle this her way—at least until her parents understood what kind of blackguard they’d brought to his doorstep.
The front door opened behind him, and Enoch swung around as Mandie’s mother charged outside. Mandie followed close on her heels, her voice a desperate murmur that her mother appeared to be ignoring.
“Mama, please.”
But her mother had already positioned herself on the porch like a queen addressing her subjects, arms folded across her chest. Her sharp gaze swept over the assembled men before settling on her husband.
“Theodore.” Her voice cut through the afternoon air like a blade. “Amanda has just informed me that Clayton forced himself on her, and she is now carrying his child.”
The words hit the yard like a thunderclap, and for a heartbeat, no one moved. Even the mountain breeze stilled. He’d forgotten his brothers didn’t know about Mandie’s condition.
He wanted to see Mandie’s reaction, but Clayton felt like the bigger threat just now.
The cad’s expression shifted seamlessly into one of pained surprise, his hand moving to his heart as if wounded by the very suggestion. “Mrs. Sinclair, I’m devastated that Amanda would make such an accusation. I can only imagine how the grief and isolation have affected her judgment. Her injuries too.”
His voice carried the perfect note of hurt confusion. “I fear her grief over Nicholas has affected her mind more than we realized. I know she’s been...fragile. She spoke often of her regret that she never gave Nicholas a son to carry on the Beaumont name.”
He paused, allowing his voice to catch with what seemed like genuine emotion. “I tried to comfort her, as any family member would. Perhaps…perhaps in her fragile state, she misunderstood my intentions. And now, faced with the reality of carrying a child out of wedlock, she needs someone to blame.”
His eyes glistened with what appeared to be tears. “I can’t say I begrudge her. The shame must be overwhelming.” He cleared his throat and turned to Mandie’s father. “I would be willing to marry her. To give the babe a father and cover any hint of scandal.”
