The Baby Bargain by Dallas Schulze Read Free Book Online

changed...
    It had taken her nearly three weeks to scrape up the money to buy the box that was now spelling her doom. She'd concealed it in the toolshed, awaiting an opportunity to sneak out first thing in the morning. She hadn't dared to bring it into the trailer, sure that her father would somehow sense its presence.
    Kelly shivered again, her knuckles turning white where they gripped the edges of her coat. If her father found out... Just die thought made her dizzy with fear. She pressed her forehead against her updrawn knees.
    She was pregnant
    Even thinking the words made them seem too real. She wanted to push them away, deny them, make their reality a lie.
    Pregnant
    She drew a harsh, sobbing breath. It had to be a mistake. God couldn't be so cruel. He couldn't punish her like this. Not just for that one night Hadn't her father already punished her enough? She ground her forehead against her knees, clenching her teeth to keep the sobs back.
    If he found out she was pregnant, he'd kill her. There was no doubt in her mind about that. She had to get away before he found out, before it became impossible for her to conceal it from him any longer.
    A baby. She was expecting a stranger's baby. She knew almost nothing about him. He'd told her his name and where he worked. Not very much to know about the father of her child. She'd tried so hard to forget that night, blocking it from her mind as if just to think about it would make it real.
    But it had been real. No amount of pretending could change that. She carried the reality inside her. Along with a despairing fear.
    Rocking back and forth on the cold tile, she felt hot tears slide down her icy cheeks. There had to be a way out. If only she could think of it. There had to be some way out.
    "Hey, Dan." Dan turned as Lee called his name. "There's somebody here to see you."
    Dan lifted his hand in acknowledgment, feeling a stir of curiosity. He couldn't imagine who would be here to see him. He hadn't kept up many friendships. Unless it was Brittany. He'd half expected her to seek him out since their conversation two days ago. One thing about Brittany, she could never bear to leave anything unfinished. Especially when it came to someone she cared about.
    He wiped his greasy hands on an equally greasy rag that did more to redistribute the grease than remove it. If it was Brittany, he was going to lie to her and tell her that he was dating someone.
    But it wasn't Brittany. In fact, it wasn't anyone he knew. He studied his visitor as he walked across the garage. She was standing outside the office, her shoulders hunched inside her thin coat, though the sun had come out with springlike warmth this morning.
    She was small, not much more than five feet. The thin coat was worn and much too small even for her thin frame. Her feet were stuck into a pair of old men's work boots that were several sizes too large. Her dark hair was dragged back from her face with a rubber band that was pulled so tight it actually made his scalp hurt to see it.
    She was too thin, the bones of her face too sharp, too stark. Her eyes were large and dark and might have been pretty if the rest of her hadn't looked so worn and beaten. She was young, not more than eighteen or nineteen, and obviously very poor.
    She was also a complete stranger.
    She watched him approach, some expression flickering across her pale face that he couldn't quite catch. Fear?
    "I'm Dan Remington," he said as he stopped in front of her.
    "I know." Her voice was low, husky and vaguely familiar. Was she related to someone he knew? He waited for her to say something more but she only stood there, staring at him with those big eyes.
    "What can I do for you?" he asked at last when the silence threatened to stretch to unmanageable lengths. He tried a smile on her. It had no effect.
    "I'm pregnant."
    The words were flat, without inflection. She might just as easily have said that the sun was out. Dan stared at her, waiting for her to add