Because she couldnt recall him claiming to miss her before hed heard she was pregnant. Tears pricked her eyes. Was this how shed thoughtlessly made him feel all those months theyd been trying, as if his primary value to her was as someone who could give her a baby?
He ran his thumb across the top of her cheek, the stroke sending shivers of sensation through her. Dont cry.
Dont send me flowers. She straightened. You might as well have taken out a billboard on Main Street telling everyone Im pregnant.
Youre overreacting. It was just a basic floral arrangement. Its not like I sent one that came in a ceramic bassinet.
No, but May and Mindy Nelson have both figured it out.
Oh. He grimaced. I like both of them, but if they know, the news will have spread all the way to Atlanta by morning. We should go ahead and tell my fam-
No! No, Im not ready for that. She remembered the pitying glances and unsolicited platitudes from before. If, God forbid, anything should go wrong with this pregnancy, the fewer people who knew, the better.
We shouldnt tell anyone. Not yet. Can we just get through this wedding first? Then well figure out the appropriate way to handle it.
He blinked. Thats uncannily like what I said to you when
When shed told him she thought she should leave. Hed looked startled, then relieved, then almost coolly calculating as hed explained why they shouldnt tell anyone yet. She hadnt thought that far ahead, merely trying to survive the moment.
She squared her shoulders, redirecting the conversation. I know they have reputations as friendly gossips, but I dont think May or Mindy will say anything yet. At least, not anything they can back up with fact. May promised to drop the subject. Im sure something will happen in the next day or so thats more interesting than seeing me in the pregnancy-test aisle. Without anything further to fan the flames, Mindy will probably let it go.
You mean without incidents like me sending you ill-advised flowers? His smile was rueful.
She softened. They were beautiful.
So are you.
You cant say things like that!
Were alone. Theres no May or Mindy or-
Rachel, are you still back here? A blond head poked inside the doorway.
David growled. Arianne!
His sister hesitated. I saw Rachel come in, but was helping a customer. I just thought Id see if she was still around and wanted to grab an early lunch with me.
Were kind of in the middle of something, David said.
Not really, Rachel countered, seeing the perfect opportunity to escape. I mean, we were, but weve finished our conversation. Ari, Id love something to eat-Im starving.
Great. Ill get my purse.
Rachel made the mistake of glancing back toward David, who mouthed, Coward. But then his reproving expression was replaced with a mischievous gleam that made her palms clammy and her mouth go dry.
Hey, Ari, how about I join you? he called. Lunch with two of my favorite gals. Ill treat. You dont mind, do you?
His sister grinned. Like Im gonna turn down free food? My mama didnt raise any fools.
David turned to Rachel and winked. No, she sure didnt.
YOURE BACK, May drawled, glancing up from the inventory-order forms on the counter. She smiled. That must have been one of the longest thank-yous on record.
Sorry. I stopped for lunch on the return trip. I can stay late to make up the time.
May waved a hand. Not necessary. You see how swamped we are in here. Last month, theyd been busy with clients who wanted personalized Christmas cards and other holiday items, but most people who were going to purchase those had done so already.
All right. Ill just go check the store e-mail. As Rachel sat at the computer, she could hardly concentrate enough to type in the password. Her thoughts kept drifting back to David.
Hed been utterly charming at lunch, darn him. Hed made Arianne laugh, and Rachel had reluctantly done the same. She could hardly sit through the meal glaring without letting her sister-in-law know there was a problem.
Their recent troubles had overshadowed the memories of their whirlwind courtship, how much shed enjoyed merely being around him, how shed smiled all the time. Lately shed felt isolated, first by the medical side effects but most excruciatingly by losing her baby, and had been too caught up in her own suffering to notice how rare Davids smiles were growing. He put on a better public face than she did, but his family hadnt been fooled. Arianne had actually commented today while they waited for the check that it had been a while since shed seen her big brother in such a good mood.
Guilt tugged at Rachel, knowing how confused Ari would be by the forthcoming news of their separation. Of course, before she could worry about how Davids family took the news, she had to make sure David himself acknowledged their separation. The flowers and his presence at lunch today made it clear that he wanted her to give it another try for their childs sake. Too much responsibility for an unborn baby. When the problems between them sharpened enough to cause discord further down the road, would one of them resent their kid for being the reason they were still together? She liked to believe that neither she nor David would ever be that petty, but she was routinely shocked by the way parents going through divorces could inadvertently hurt their children.
Hey, I think Im gonna go grab some lunch myself, May said. When Rachel looked up and nodded in acknowledgment, the older woman winked. But I promise not to bring back any fish.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Belle Fulton, the executive secretary on the chamber of commerce board, bustled inside with a smile. Belle favored seriously bright shades of lipstick, so her grins were generally visible from a distance. Happy holidays!
Rachel grinned back. Happy holidays to you. What can we do for you today?
Brochures. Were trying to attract holiday shoppers to town, increase revenue for our members.
But- Rachel bit her lip, realizing that her unsolicited comment was not entirely diplomatic.
Belle, however, cocked her head to the side, waiting. Yes?
Nothing. I justAre you intending to use these brochures this year? It seems like they could have done even more to attract tourist dollars if wed printed them sooner. Not that its any of my business, she added hastily.
Belle sighed. No, youre right. It just takes us a while to come to any decisions and then act on them. Volunteers make up half the chambers board, so this is on top of their normal jobs, plus we have a few very opinionated people. Then there was deciding how much it was worth to spend when were trying to make money. The first photographer-I shouldnt even be telling you this-did such a lousy job that we had Gina Oster go back and do them over. Sweet of her, but shes hardly a pro herself. We dont have the budget for one.
Later, as Rachel put together the files to print the brochures, she couldnt help studying the pictures with a critical eye. The slogan wasnt half-bad-Nothing Says Christmas Like Mistletoe-but the pictures were far too commercial. Potential tourists and holiday shoppers didnt need to see images of the First Bank on Main Street, even if the bank had donated money for the project. No, what the brochure needed were homey photos of Kerrigan Farms and their rows of evergreen trees for sale. The mistletoe hanging in the white gazebo in the town square. Those were the scenes that would draw people; then once they were here, spending money would be a natural progression.
Rachel thought back to last week, when shed half hoped for a computer error just so she had something to distract her from her personal life. No one at the chamber had asked for her input. Was she merely butting in out of self-preservation?
Maybe, she admitted, as she began typing some notes for Belle and the other directors. But needing the distraction didnt preclude also having some darn good ideas. Busy brainstorming, she barely noticed how much time had passed until May walked back in the door. With a start, Rachel sat back in her chair. When was the last time shed been so engrossed in something, so confident in her abilities to help a client?
Okay, not a client, exactly. She glanced at some of what shed written, considered the pictures she could take to bring the ideas to life. At least, not yet.
Chapter Eight
All right. Rachel felt surprisingly unself-conscious about talking to her belly through the thin cotton of her pink T-shirt. Youve made your point.
Today, she and David were supposed to meet at the OBs office and find out for sure if she was pregnant. But the baby had chosen now to make its presence known beyond a shadow of a doubt. While Rachel had experienced increasing twinges of nausea in the past few weeks, this was the first time shed truly succumbed to full-on morning sickness. The back door to the house was still open-shed been letting the dogs out in the yard when shed had to make a sudden run for it.
Hadnt she read somewhere that an expectant mother tossing her cookies was a sign of a healthy, growing baby?
She got to her feet slowly in case the room had any plans of spinning again, then she went into the kitchen, planning to call the dogs inside and consider breakfast options. The pregnancy books shed bought the first time were buried in a closet back at her and Davids house, but she remembered reading that, while it seemed counterintuitive, food would help ease the nausea. As she reached the back door, she heard the barking. She peeked her head out and saw the dogs with their noses pressed to the wooden planks of the fence. On the sidewalk beyond, Davids posture was sheepish. The hounds raised enough of a ruckus to wake the entire neighborhood.
When he saw her, he called, I was just out jogging.
Of course. She whistled, causing the dogs to glance her way. None of them actually came toward her, however. The two older ones were at least quiet now, but Hildie kept yipping her excitement. Rachel took another step outside, wincing at the cold of the ground through her fuzzy socks. I dont think theyre going to leave their post until you pass by.
David didnt seem in any hurry. Well, I guess Ill see you at Dr. McDermotts officeunless you want to ride together?
It was a seemingly innocuous suggestion, yet she was left with the distinct impression he hadnt heard anything shed tried to tell him in his office yesterday. David-