The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(117)

“What’s going on, Larry,” started Mike.

“We lost almost half,” he replied.

Mike’s mood seemed to switch almost instantly.

“Are you kidding me?!” he shouted. A strew of expletives flew from his mouth for what seemed like a minute before he calmed down.

“Okay, let’s have a look,” was all he added.

The four of us hiked out to the field in the back. They weren’t lying at all. It looked like a good amount of the crops were uprooted and destroyed.

I could feel Mikes rage building as he crouched down to inspect the ruined field. He looked defeated; there wasn’t any way to get out of this. I was sure that Mr. Grant’s words were weighing heavily on his mind.

“What can we salvage?”

“That’s just it. Buck and I have been working on that all morning. It’s slow going, but we might be able to get about a quarter of that back in the ground. A good sum of it is just too far gone to be of any use.”

“Alright, guys get your hands in the dirt, let’s get this done.”

I slopped around in wet fields, with fairly uncomfortable jeans for the rest of the day. I didn’t have any time to sneak off to change, even when I had a quick bathroom break. This field meant a lot to Mike, and I figured it meant a little more than my own comfort.

I wanted to console Mike as only a woman could. But, I wanted to respect the distance he kept between us. I didn’t want to force anything.

As night fell across the ranch, the hum of the lights inside sprung to life. Without any light, it was almost impossible to do much else. We all headed back inside for some food and shut-eye.

I ate more than usual; I hadn’t worked that hard since my first day on the ranch, and it showed. My bruises had bruises, and I was still a bit weak in the knees from earlier. I waited for Buck and Larry to head off to sleep before I confronted Mike.

“What are you goin’ to do, Mike,” I asked plainly.

“I’m fixin’ to do what I always do, Jennie,” he replied.

“Yeah, and what’s that?”

“Pray to God for a miracle, and another month,” he let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

I walked over to his side, and now that nobody was looking, I gave him a long embrace. I knew he needed it. He just leaned into my breast and held me in turn.

After a few minutes, I let him go.

“I’m headin’ off to bed. Lot of work waitin’ for us tomorrow.”

He just nodded and leaned back in his chair.

With the comfort of my bed and the weariness in my bones, I nodded off to sleep almost instantly.

The next day was the same. We would wake up and eat as much as we could for breakfast before returning to the grueling work of repairing the field.

For the next week, my muscles ached and begged me to rest, but I never gave in. I could see the rest of the group feeling the same way, and I didn’t want to be the only person to give in.

Once we finished with the field, I could see a bit of hope return to Mike’s sullen face. I was glad that he was starting to get back to the way he was.

The month flew by, and I could tell that he was still incredibly nervous. I started to get nervous as well when I was late for my period. When we went into town at the beginning of the next month, I ducked into the pharmacy store and bought a pregnancy test.

I rode silently all the way back to the ranch house. I think Mike could sense my nerves.

“You doin’ alright, Jennie,” he asked.

“Oh, I’m just fine; I think it was the eggs Larry made for breakfast.”

Mike laughed and understood. But, when we arrived, I rushed upstairs to the bathroom. I didn’t know what I was hoping for, positive or negative.

Mike was an amazing guy, so having his baby would be an experience like none other. But, the idea of giving birth was scary. I wouldn’t be much help around the ranch, aside from being the cook and cleaning lady. Then to top it off, we’d have to tell Buck and Larry that we had been sleeping together for quite a while, which might rile them up a bit.

I let out a sigh; I would accept whichever the outcome with a happy face and figure it out from there. I shook as I plucked the test off the countertop and looked.

I was pregnant.

I can’t say that I was sad in any way, just nervous. I couldn’t figure out what I would say to Mike when I told him I was having his baby. I wondered how he would react to me telling him. I wanted so bad just to slink away again, maybe be a waitress in a highway diner somewhere so I wouldn’t have to deal with this.

In the end, I had to tell him, but I couldn’t decide when would be the best time. I figured it would be a while before I’d even start showing, anyway. I could wait a while before telling him.

I also wondered a bit how things went with Mike and Mr. Grant this month. We had plans to harvest next week, so there was a good chance that he managed to eek away with another month cleared.

I thought it best not to bother him about another serious matter.

The week passed like a blur as my chores became routine. I spent a morning being quite sick, but I don’t think anyone thought much of it. I just used Larry’s eggs as an excuse and they all understood.

I couldn’t help but laugh when Larry heard us talking about his world famous cooking in such a way. He was quite down and kicked back a few shots of bourbon before we talked him back into the house.