I finally saw her, crouched by the back fence. As I walked toward her, I couldn’t help but frown seeing the thin jacket she was wearing despite the cold wind. That couldn’t be good for her and the baby.
What do you care, Hugo? You don’t want that child, do you?
"I never would have pegged you for a coward, but I guess it’s one of the many flaws I need to add to your list.”
She swirled around too fast and fell flat on her ass, glaring up at me and holding a few dirt-covered carrots in her hand.
The woman left London to do some… harvesting?
I extended my hand, but she looked around before helping herself up, ignoring my offer.
I couldn’t help but smile at her dismissal. She was so stubborn.
“Are you hiding?”
She shook her head. “Thinking. What are you doing here?” she asked coldly. “Did you get lost on your way to some fancy country estate?”
“One could hope…” I muttered, looking up the path to her house. “I had to inconvenience myself and come here because you ran away like a little girl.”
“Inconv—” She pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath.
I had to stop myself from laughing when she let go and her nose was covered with soil.
“Please don’t inconvenience yourself anymore. Turn around and leave.” She looked behind me again and I could not help but turn around, looking at the back of the house with curiosity.
“What are you hiding in there?”
“It’s not them I’m trying to hide.”
I rested my hand on my chest in mock hurt but truth be told, it did sting and annoy me a little. I was Hugo St-John! I should be the one ashamed to stand in this minuscule garden on a Yorkshire popular estate.
“Oh, you wound me so!” I taunted her. “So, this is where you intend to raise your child?”
“Keep your voice down,” she urged before crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s wrong with here anyway?”
“Nothing.” I tipped my mouth down in contempt. “Well, if you have nothing better, which you do.”
She shook her head. “I was raised here and I turned out just fine.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Undoubtedly. You got pregnant by a stranger in a bar, clearly stellar education.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes, Mr. Eton, Cambridge… You’re the one who got me pregnant—you’re so much better than me.”
“Cambridge?” Please!” I snorted. “I’m an Oxford Alumni, and I’m not the one stuck with the package.” I meant it as a joke but I realized how it must have been perceived when she stood straighter, her neutral face twisted in a scowl.
“That’s true,” she admitted. “You also made your intentions very clear and I’m more than fine with that.” She looked at me and her mesmerizing green eyes widened with understanding. “Oh, do you have papers for me to sign so you can relinquish parental rights or something?” She removed her glove and jerked her hand toward me. “Come on, give it to me now. I’ll sign it and you can leave.”
That added a new layer of irritation. I didn’t want that child, but her determination to remove me from her life and from the life growing inside her made me want to be part of it, if only to show her I could.
“You didn’t conceive that child alone, Ms. Byrnes. I would suggest you watch your tone or—”
“Or what? You’re going to spank me?”
“I don’t remember you complaining about it that night. If I remember correctly, it got you soaking wet.”
She blushed furiously, stirring a lot of unfamiliar feelings inside me. “That never happened and—”
I sighed, not really in the mood for verbal jousting, no matter how much I enjoyed angering her. “We need to talk.”