“Why the hell is there a sheriff’s vehicle pulling up to the ranch?” Daniel and Dolly rushed through the house.
Jess sat up, her fingers twisting in her lap. “Someone was inside the house… in my room and?—”
“Jess, you sure you don’t want an ambulance to come check you and the baby out?” Colt’s voice traveled down the stairs and Hawk watched the color drain from her face as Dolly and Daniel registered what their oldest son had said.
Everyone in her family sat silently around the dinner table. Her mom had fussed about no one saying a thing until the deputy left and all the food was on the table, but even with the hot meal plated in front of her, Jessie hadn’t managed to take a single bite.
Maybe it was the way her father sat, with his jaw clenched and his hands formed into fists resting on the table that made it impossible to eat. Or the way her mother looked so gently ather, with tears of disappointment and hurt in her eyes. Colt and Lachlan looked worried, while Beau and Hayes kept muttering things under their breath and looking between her and Hawk.
Jessie felt like she might burst into tears at any second. She’d been strong when the deputies took her statement. When her brothers left to search the ranch with their dad. When her mom made her sit on the couch instead of helping in the kitchen. But the silence was eating her alive.
Hawk squeezed her hand, his thumb rubbing soothing strokes over her skin.
“You told me I didn’t need my shotgun, Jess,” Dan scowled as his voice rang out over the room.
“Daniel,” her mom scolded. “This is a blessing. Our baby’s having a baby.”
“It’s not supposed to happen this way, Doll. Not for Jess. You—” He pointed his finger at Hawk. “There better be a ring in your pocket and you better be ready to get down on one knee tonight, son.”
“Dad!”
“Trust me, Daniel.” Hawk cleared his throat. “There’s nothing I’d rather do than marry your daughter. Besides making sure she and the baby are always cared for and loved, it’s the thing I think most about. But that’s not what Jessie wants or needs right now.”
Daniel’s hand slammed down on the table. “The hell it’s not! It’s not just about what Jess wants. This family, our name, means something in this town. I didn’t raise her to think she didn’t need to take responsibility for her actions. If she didn’t want to have to do uncomfortable things, maybe she should have thought about that before she climbed into your bed and spread her legs.”
Jessie’s chest constricted as she shut her eyes.
“Dad.”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me and think it’s going to change my mind. Bad enough you did it once, Jess. The consequences of the first night sleeping with him weren’t enough to scare you away? It’s nice of Hawk to talk about caring for your safety, but when it came down to it, the first moment for him to prove that he could take care of you, he didn’t. You were kidnapped, Jessica! We thought you were going to come back to us in a body bag! But by all means, whore yourself out again.”
Hawk’s fork hit the table with a clang so forceful Jessie flinched. But the hand holding hers never wavered in pressure. He was still there. A calm presence anchoring her in the face of the horrible things her father was saying.
“You’re going to want to stop there, Dan. I have an incredible amount of respect for you and Dolly. For your whole family. But Jessie is my family now. And if she won’t demand that you speak to her in a respectful manner during this discussion, I will. She may be your daughter, but she’s my whole world.”
“This is my house, Hawk. I’ll tell you flat out that I don’t think this is going to work in the long run. You’re what? The same age as Colt? Almost forty? Christ. Jess is twenty-six! She’s got responsibilities… a duty to this family. She knew better. And I’m disappointed that she let some meaningless one-night-stand change her life forever.”
“It wasn’t meaningless,” her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, it fucking was, Jessica. Because you don’t have a ring on your finger. Hell, you two weren’t even dating at the time, were you? Are you even dating now? Working towards doing what’s right? Or is my first grandkid going to be born a fucking bastard?”
Jessie looked around the table. Her four older brothers. Colt and Lachlan sat with their eyes locked on her as their jawsgrew tighter with each word their father said. But Hayes and Beau looked at Hawk like they were going to tear his head from his body.
Jessie squeezed Hawk’s hand. “We should go. Back to your place. I can’t stay here tonight.”
“Damn right you can’t. You’re not welcome in my house until you figure out how you’re going to make this right. How you’re going to honor what it means to be a Ford in this town.”
“Daniel Ford. Get your ass up from my table and take a walk.” Dolly stood, pointing her finger at the kitchen. “Don’t come back until you are ready to apologize to your daughter for every last despicable thing you’ve said tonight. You would not be having this same conversation if one of your sons came to us and said they were having a child without marrying first. Don’t you dare put that on Jessie.”
“This is my grandmother’s table, Dolores. I’m not going to be the one to walk away from it.”
Hawk nodded, turning to Jess. “Feel like getting some fresh air, beautiful?”
She smiled, but it didn’t stop the tears from running down her face. “Yeah.”
He stood, holding out his hand for her to take. As they turned and walked out the door, Jessie’s family was silent behind them.
The porch swing swayed gently in the evening breeze, and Hawk guided Jessie across the creaking boards towards the cushioned seats. She knew she was shaking. Her legs felt like they might give out before she made it to the swing, but she was so shocked by what had just happened with her dad and her brothers that she barely noticed how much she was leaning on Hawk.
