CHAPTER 24
Axel stood there, not caring that he was buck naked. Even he was smart enough to see it was positive, but he wanted to hear her to say it. Say she was pregnant with his child. Hope swelled in his chest.
And fear.
What if it wasn’t his? They hadn’t been together so long that he could guarantee it wasn’t somebody else’s. A hot flash of possessiveness coursed through him down to his toes. It damn well better be his child. What would he do if she told him this baby wasn’t his?
Coop stood staring at him, her fine features pinched with worry. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how this happened. I’m religious about taking my pills on time. I haven’t missed one in years.”
“Is it mine?” He braced himself for the worst answer. He wouldn’t let her see how crushed he’d be if he wasn’t the father.
She rolled her eyes, nodding. “I haven’t been with… it’s been a very long…” she rolled her shoulders back and tilted her chin in challenge. “It’s ours, Axe. No one else’s.”
Relief rushed through him and he let out a whoop of joy as he crossed the room and swung her around. “You’re having a baby. We’re having a baby.” Something solid and deep slid into place for him as he held Coop. In the back of his head, he’d always imagined raising kids here at the ranch. This was his home. And yes, he wanted his independence and freedom to be his own man, but he’d never considered raising his children anywhere else. Of course, they’d be raised here. Alongside Henry and any other little cousins who came along.
His mind raced, seeing a future with Coop stretch out in front of him. They’d marry, but it didn’t have to be right away. He’d wait until she was ready. “I’ll build us a house. There’s a rise beyond the bend in the creek that would be perfect. We’ll have to grade a road up that way, but it won’t take too long. We could have it framed in before Thanksgiving. And we’d have plenty of privacy out there.”
She stopped him with a hand to his chest, shaking her head. “Axe. Stop.” She raised her eyes to meet his, but instead of finding excitement and possibility, he only saw sadness in their dark depths.
How could she be sad? They were having a baby. As far as he was concerned, this was a game changer. And just the kick in the pants he needed to make a change. And his dad… Eddie wouldn’t be able to find fault with him any more. Not with a grandchild on the way. The Hansen legacy would stay in tact, and maybe he and his father would finally see eye to eye.
“Don’t look at me that way, Axe,” she begged, a panicked edge in her voice. “You’re getting ahead of things.”
“I don’t understand. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m excited. Aren’t you?” Dread niggled at him. What if she wasn’t excited? His stomach churned at the thought. She had to be excited. They’d made a baby.
“There’s no need to build a house.”
“You want to stay here?”
She shook her head. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. There’s no long term work for me in Prairie. I can’t stay.”
It didn’t matter she’d misunderstood him. Her meaning was clear. And in response, his body went numb like someone had tied a stone around his middle and plunged him into cold water. Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. “What do you mean you can’t stay?” he choked out. His stomach roiled violently.
“If I get this director position, I’d be set financially… the baby and I,” she added hastily. “Look. I know this is where your home is, Axe. And I’d never dream of asking you to follow me back to Norman. But I’ll share custody. We can work out whatever makes sense.”
Everything in him went stock still. Custody? What the everloving fuck?
“I don’t want to work out custody,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “I want a family. I’m not an asshole or a deadbeat dad.” A fire grew within him as he spoke, and reached an inferno. How dare she presume that he’d settle for being a weekend dad? Not when the one thing he’d always wanted was within reach. “I take care of my responsibilities. And I take my obligations seriously.”
“Yes, you do. Too seriously.” Haley’s eyes flashed. “I won’t have you resent me the way you do your family. I see it,” her voice grew thick with passion. “I see the way you die a little when Eddie gets on you.” She stepped out of his embrace. “I won’t force you to come with me for the sake of family, only to have you resent me.” She shook her head vehemently, her eyes dark and determined. “I won’t be that person.”
Her phone rattled on the tiny table. At the same time, her laptop went off. She turned and hurried to her laptop, concern etched on her face as her phone rattled again. “Storms are popping. We’ve got likely supercell development west of here and another to the north.”
“You can’t go.”
Her head popped up, face incredulous. “I beg your pardon?” her voice grew sharp.
Hell no. She was going to stay here, where she’d be out of harm’s way. He folded his arms. “You heard me. You can’t go.”
She gave him a scathing glare, voice rising as she stalked back around the table. “What do you mean, I can’t go? I have a job to do, Axe.”
She might be stubborn, but he’d been born stubborn. There was no way she was winning this argument. He shook his head, temper rising to match hers. “You’re not going. It’s too dangerous.”
“You don’t get to decide,” she snapped.
“Like hell I don’t. You’re carrying my child.”
She narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers at him. Axel didn’t think he’d ever seen her this angry. “Oh, no,” she shook her head angrily. “You’re not putting me in cotton on the shelf. You don’t get to do that to me.” She spun and began gathering her equipment, placing it on the table next to her laptop. “Kindly save us both, and put your macho away. You know I’m perfectly safe and trained in evasion tactics.”
Ha. He had her now. “Like last time?” he pointed out triumphantly.
A muscle above her jaw ticked and her eyes glittered as she took a measured breath. “I was fine. You were the one who panicked and cost me bazillions of dollars in equipment.”
He’d overlook that small point. She was still willingly going into a dangerous situation. Her computer beeped again and she slammed it shut, jamming it into her messenger bag along with the extra equipment she’d set out.
Shit.
She was ready to walk out.
He couldn’t let her go like this. What if she got hurt? What if something happened to her? And the baby? His pulse pounded in his ears. “Wait.” He crossed the space in two steps, catching her arm at the elbow. “Please, Haley. Don’t go.”
She shut her eyes. When she opened them, his heart broke a little. “I’m sorry Axe. This isn’t about you or me. I’m going.” She tugged on her arm and he released his grip, panic rising.
“I’m going with you.”
She shook her head. “Not this time.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and paused, hand on the door knob. “I promise I’ll be safe.”
Before he could call after her, let alone find a pair of pants to chase her down, she’d shut the door behind her.
“Like hell she’s going by herself,” he muttered to the empty space.
By the time Axel had dressed and hauled ass up the hill to his truck, Haley and her T-REX had already made it to the main road. No matter. He’d dare Travis to give him a ticket as he chased down Coop.
On the other side of town, he caught up to her as the clouds loomed in the distance. From their vantage point, the tops of the clouds stood in brilliant white contrast to the cornflower blue of the May sky. They were tall and growing by the minute. Soon, they’d cover the afternoon sun. Haley turned the T-REX south and he followed her for three or four miles, until she pulled over at the top of a small hill.
Axel pulled his truck up behind her and hopped out. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
Haley gave him an annoyed look and began to drag out a piece of equipment. “Not now, Axe. Look over my shoulder. What do you see?”
A wall cloud slowly circulating. He’d learned enough in the previous weeks with her that he knew what to look for. A little pool of fear gathered in the pit of his stomach.
She nodded as she glanced up at him. “Warnings have already gone out. Help me set this in the road. I don’t have time to send up the drone.” She set a large contraption that looked like a rocket booster in the middle of the road. “Quickly. Chasers are going to be out. I don’t want us to get hit.”
She placed a sensor on the little platform, grabbed a control box and in seconds had launched it. He tracked it as it hurtled toward the coming blackness until he lost it against the black of the cloud.
“Okay. Help me get the intercept probe set on the side of the road.”
He helped her haul the big turtle-like disc to the shoulder. As he stood, alarms started beeping from within the T-REX. Lightning flashed from within the cloud base, and it grew progressively darker. Haley ducked into the vehicle.
“Haley,” he barked. “Look.”
Before them, the clouds had descended to earth. But it was so big, Axel couldn’t tell if the wall cloud had fully descended or if there was a separate funnel.
Haley popped out of the vehicle, took one look at the dark mass swirling in front of them, and turned to him, eyes wide with fear. “Axe… this tornado is big. And radar has it going right over Prairie and toward your place. You need to warn your family. They won’t hear the sirens.”
“They’ll have storm radios.”
Her voice was full of fear. “You need to warn them. And get your students out of the trees.”
“Not unless you’re coming.”
She shook her head. “You know I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
The wind began to whip around them, moving toward the storm, feeding it. “I’m not leaving. Warn your family. Take cover.”
Sweat poured off him as the sky turned black and green. He couldn’t leave her here. Not if he cared about her. What was she thinking? “What about you?” he croaked. “You’re not safe here.”
“I’ll be fine.” She laughed half-hysterically, a wild light in her eyes. “I’m always fine.”
Alarms sounded again from the car. “Axe, please. This is a dangerous storm. Lives are at stake. That funnel cloud appears to be a half-mile wide. National Weather Service is going crazy.” She gave him a push. “You’ve got to get your livestock out of the stables.”
Her push acted like a jolt of lightning. She was right. The livestock and interns needed to get to safety. And how many times in the past had they stepped out to look at the sky only to ignore the warnings? Sure, they’d had a few close calls over the years, but they’d never sustained a direct hit and so didn’t worry too much. Contrary to popular belief, it was actually hard to get hit by a tornado. Even in Tornado Alley.
Another realization hit him like a ton of bricks. There were birdwatchers in the tree houses with his interns. He had to let Ben and Hope know too. Ben had insisted every tree house be equipped with a weather radio, but had anyone practiced a tornado drill? Did they know how to work the small door of the storm shelter? What if a tree came down?
Axel pulled Haley close, dipping his head to give her a rough kiss. “Be safe. We’ll talk after this. So help me God, if anything happens to you…”
She nodded, then gave him another push. But just as he turned, she grabbed his arm. “I love you.”
Fear churned in his belly. He leaned in again, giving her a hard kiss. “I love you too. Be safe.”
“Go. And hurry,” her voice rose, competing with the increasing wind. The funnel was at least a mile away, but he could already hear it roaring. “And watch out for the chasers.”
Axel jogged to the truck, fired it up and spun around, kicking up gravel. As he dropped down over the sight line of the hill, he glanced in the rearview. What he saw made his blood turn to ice. Green-black clouds filled his vision, Coop standing small and vulnerable against them.