Sunday, December 21, 2014

CHAPTER THIRTY is Now Available To Read 

CHAPTER THIRTY
“Do you think its Nicky’s baby?” They’d been driving for about ten minutes
when Damon asked him. Byron was actually surprised that he had waited so
long. He wasn’t any closer on how to answer him than when they’d gotten in the
car.
“Morgan is my friend, Damon. I…she said things when we figured it out that
I don’t think...she probably regrets saying to me.”
“Like what? Did he rape her? I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”
That had been Byron’s first thought, too, when he’d figured it out, but he
knew it wasn’t true. He’d seen the way his brother had looked at her during
dinner at Mom’s. And the pain on his face at seeing her hurt at the apartment
before they left for Thanksgiving. The apartment she’d been living in.
That apartment bothered him the most. Every time he thought about her
living conditions while she’d lived there, he cringed. She had set up the
bathroom like a small cell, her books all lined up on the long counter. Toothpaste
and other toiletries were in a neat line on a hand towel that he knew he’d never
owned. First, because it was neon bright pink. Secondly, it was bright pink.
Morgan had only lived in the bathroom and used the kitchen as a sort of mess
hall. The single fork, spoon, and knife were on the counter along with her white
plate, bowl, and mug. There wasn’t a glass in the whole room. There was a whole
case of dried noodles sitting on the counter next to the stove in a variety of
flavors and nothing in the fridge. The only thing in the freezer had been Nicky’s
credit card. When Mick had come by to get her things on the Saturday after
Thanksgiving, the only thing he took was her cash and the sleeping bag, which
had been laid out in the tub like a cot. He also grabbed her clothes, all of which
had been neatly folded and put in a plastic grocery sack in the bottom of the
linen closet. The money had been taped to the bottom of the sink drawer in a
folded newspaper. She had two-hundred-thirty-three dollars.
Neither man had said a word about either the way she lived, nor why he was
picking up her things.
Both men were quiet for about thirty minutes when Damon startled Byron
out of his thoughts. “If it is his, which I’m betting it is, then do you think we
should say something to him?”
“No. She’d kill us both. I think we should just do this her way. If we
don’t...I’m afraid she’ll run. I don’t want to lose her.”
“Are you in love with her, Byron?” Byron had told Damon that he’d had
Morgan doing a web design for his work and that he’d seen her a lot over the
past few months. He never mentioned whose baby it was, or what he thought.
“Yes. No. Not the way you think. I love her, but like a baby sister. She’s a
great kid, so yeah, I guess I love her.”
Damon didn’t say anything for the rest of the ride to Columbus and the
Grant building. “I really like her, too. Byron, did you notice she didn’t ask about
an abortion?” He shut the door to the car and was gone before he could form an
answer. No, he hadn’t noticed. But he was glad she hadn’t.
~~~
“Are you gonna keep it?” Mrs. Sugar asked her. She wanted to answer her
unequivocally yes, but she wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t raise a baby on her own.
She had no job, no insurance, and no one to help her. As much as she wanted to,
it just wasn’t feasible.
She had told Mick and his wife that she was pregnant last week. If they were
going to kick her out of the apartment, she needed to start looking soon. She was
already three months gone and would need somewhere safe to stay until the kid
was born.
“I’m not sure I can raise a baby. I don’t know the first thing about them. I’m
sorta leaning toward adoption right now.” She couldn’t look at her. The Sugars
had been so kind to her, so supportive.
“Well, you have a few months yet. If you need help or have any questions,
I’m just around the corner. And I can be a great Lamaze coach. I’ve raise nine
children, so I got a little knowledge under my belt.” When Mrs. Sugar started to
leave, Morgan panicked.
“Wait! I need to know how long you’re gonna give me. I know you don’t
really owe me anything, but I would ... “
“What are you going on about, child? Give you time for what?”
Morgan flushed all the way to her toes. “Aren’t you gonna toss me out? I
know that I’m pregnant and I have no right, but I need just a little time. I’ve just
started working again, making some money. I don’t have any insurance and the
three doctors I called are really, really expensive. One guy wanted me to pay up
front for the whole delivery. I don’t have eleven thousand dollars just lying
around. The vitamins were fifty-three dollars a month and that was with a
coupon. I can be out by the end of the month, if that’s okay with you?” Morgan
wiped at the tears running down her cheeks. She’d like to blame it on hormones,
but she knew it was because she felt like a failure to them. And to herself.
Mrs. Sugar sat down again and stared at her. “Are you...yes, I can see that
you are. Morgan, love, why would I toss you out because you’re pregnant? I love
having you close. I plan to be this child’s honorary grandmother. If you keep it,
that is.”
Morgan looked around the room. It was all she had in the world. She had
bought the furniture from them last month. She knew they gave it to her at a
great discount. She’d been to garage sales and had seen what things were going
for. And next month, she was going to buy herself a new computer, maybe. She
looked down at the small mound that was a baby. She was four months pregnant
as of today.
“I can’t possibly keep it. The father, he... I’d have no help. I don’t want to
even be pregnant. I...I don’t know how to be. I don’t know how to love it.
Someone else will be able to. There are lots of people who would be happy for a
baby.”
Mrs. Sugar didn’t say anything for some time. “Morgan? Have you told the
father about the baby yet? He has a right to know, both legally and morally.
Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
“He...when we...he only had sex with me to prove something, a point I didn’t
get. Not then anyway. He told me that I wasn’t going to trap him into marriage
with a child. He even offered to pay me to have future sex with him. So, no, I
don’t think he’s gonna change his mind.”
“Bastard. Some men want to play but not pay. I’m a retired lawyer, but I still
practice now and again. I’ll write up the form letter for you. You have to let him
know regardless of his opinion of himself. I’ll give him ten days to respond to it.
If he doesn’t, then you’ve fulfilled your obligation to him. I’ll bring it by
tomorrow. What’s his name?”
His name. Did she want people to know his name? No, not really. She didn’t
care about him one whit, but she also didn’t want to have to explain to people
how she had ever considered herself in the same league as the Grants. She didn’t
think he’d respond, but she also didn’t want him to sue her for some sort of
slander either.
“Can I just mail it to him, or does his name need to be on it?” If she could just
send it, she could avoid as much contact as possible.
“When I write this for you, I will never be able to tell anyone anything you
tell me. Ever. I won’t even tell Mick. He’d probably kill him anyway and I don’t
have time to visit him in prison. Besides, who would cook for the bar? I need his
name, I’m sorry.”
“I see. Doctor Grant. Nickolas Grant.” She looked away from Mrs. Sugar. She
didn’t want to see what she thought of her being with a man like Nickolas Grant.
“I’ll have it for you in a few days. And, Morgan? It takes two people to make
a child, not one. He was just as much a part of your being pregnant as you were.



Tune in next week for THIRTY-ONE



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                                Now Available Thomas Book Two Of the Lanning's Leap 




Thomas Lanning likes things neat and orderly. He bought the house he grew up in and just about has everything remodeled the way he wants it. He’s happy with the house and wants a mate someday…that day isn’t today. 
Linyah pops in to meet the Lanning Leap, she is expected, just not today. The last thing she expects to find is a huge handsome male who takes one look at her and he gets pissed off. 
“This day just went from good to shit in a matter of heartbeats, didn’t it? I don’t suppose you have a mate, do you?” She shook her head. “Of course not. That would just make it too nice and easy. I wonder what else is in store for me. Plague? The bank go belly up?” 
Linyah took a step back when he took one toward her. “I need to touch you.” 
“Thomas?” He turned them both to his mom. “Thomas, is she your mate? Is this your mate?” 
Linyah isn’t any happier than Thomas is. She has been very successful in avoiding any entanglements with a male until now. She has even managed to avoid, Timmer, a forced arrangement brought on by her sister, their Queen. 
Even though Thomas isn’t happy about Linyah’s arrival, he’s even less happy about Timmer. Linyah’s his mate… 
Timmer’s been promised Linyah’s hand by the Queen and isn’t about to take “no” for an answer… 

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                                                 New New Release Is Rembrandt  Coming Jan 2015 

Happy Reading 

Kathi  S Barton 





Kathi  S Barton 







 




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