Claimed By The Rancher. Jules Bennett

at the spot where the older couple had just stood. He gently gripped her arm and guided her toward the back room, where he eased her down onto an old wooden chair at the desk as he propped his hip along the edge.

      “What am I going to do?” she muttered aloud as she continued to stare at nothing in particular. “I don’t have an attorney and I can’t compete with them anyway. Their money, their power. I can’t let total strangers have custody of my baby.”

      She never once looked up at him as she rattled off her concerns. But Nolan was taking all of this in. He leaned down over the desk, bracing his weight on his hands.

      “Look at me,” he demanded. “I pay my lawyers a hefty fee. They’ll be on this case today and we’ll make sure they don’t take your child.”

      Pepper blinked, sending a tear spilling down her cheek. “I used all the money Matt gave me to invest into this place. I wanted a secure future.”

      A wave of fury surged through him. He hated this guy. Who the hell paid a woman to leave him alone?

      Shame seized him once again. How had he been any different? He’d pushed her away with his actions, his harsh words. He’d been hurt from the loss of their baby—a baby he hadn’t realized he’d wanted until it was gone.

      “My team will take care of this. I’ll put the call in now.”

      Pepper shook her head. “No. I’ll handle this. I’m not leaning on you or anyone else.”

      While Nolan admired her determination, he wasn’t about to argue with her idiotic logic. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

      “You have enough on your plate with this building and you said your funds were tied up here. How can you pay for an attorney? A good one you don’t have to second-guess about whether he’s doing what should be done to secure your child’s future with you? How are you going to do that?”

      Pepper’s lips thinned as she shrugged one slender shoulder. “The same way I’ve gotten along these last ten years without you. I’ll find a way.”

      He jerked in a breath. She was hurting, he understood that, but the jab she delivered had no doubt been bubbling below the surface just waiting to come out. He deserved that, but he wasn’t about to stick around for more verbal punches.

      “My contractor is due here any minute to get an estimate ready for your insurance. I’ll have my attorney call you today, too. Don’t hold back with either guy and don’t worry about the money.”

      “Says someone who’s never worried about money,” she muttered.

      Nolan pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m trying to help and then I’ll stay out of your way. It’s clear you don’t want me around. I get that, Pepper, but I won’t let you deal with all of this on your own.”

      Pepper tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “Fine. But I want an itemized list of all the charges so I can pay you back after the insurance kicks in. I may take a while, but I won’t be indebted to you.”

      He wasn’t getting into that now. But Nolan had no intention of taking a dime from her. She needed to be stress-free, to concentrate on this pregnancy and a healthy baby, not worry about her new business and a looming custody suit.

      To keep the peace, he merely nodded and then headed toward the back to talk to his contractor. He wanted everything done right, sparing no expense. And a few upgrades wouldn’t hurt in the apartment, either. Nolan wasn’t certain what it looked like before, but he planned on personally seeing to it that it was all up-to-date, with state-of-the-art appliances, whatever it took to ensure Pepper had everything she needed to live comfortably.

      It was the least he could do. And, yes, guilt spurred his actions, but so what. He was a different man than he was ten years ago.

      Except that part of him that still desired her. Damn it. After all this time of not seeing her, having her this close wasn’t something he’d prepared for. She was sexy as hell, her figure a bit fuller from the pregnancy, but she was breathtaking. The fact she wore one of his T-shirts was even more arousing because he recalled many other occasions when she’d wear his shirt...only his shirt.

      Nolan headed back to the ranch, determined to work out his frustrations on the farm. But first he needed to call his attorney. There was no way in hell those people were going to take Pepper’s baby. Nolan would make certain of that.