Heartland. Sara Walter Ellwood

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СКАЧАТЬ Sure, the pregnancy hadn’t been planned, and wasn’t at the ideal time in their renewed relationship, but he thought she wanted a family. Until she got pregnant. Had she suffered from postpartum depression, or was she depressed because now she had a baby she’d despise taking care of? Or was she angry because she married him because she was pregnant? After all, they had sex the first night they were together after a long breakup. Maybe she’d never intended to have a future with him.

      He kept those thoughts to himself. “But instead of seeking help, she refused and started using drugs.”

      He stopped before he went any further. Before he admitted he’d dealt with depression, too, but couldn’t understand why Raquel killed herself. No one knew the bottle of Zoloft she’d emptied belonged to him. He’d never taken more than three of the antidepressant pills the VA doctor prescribed for him to help with the PTSD he developed after a mission he’d commanded had gone terribly wrong. As he sat in his leather chair, he buried the memory of the five soldiers, who lost their lives under his leadership, and the dead American ambassador and her advisor he’d been sent to save in the back of his mind.

      He reached for the speeding ticket he’d written that morning lying on the corner of his desk. “Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do.”

      Trevor glanced at the ticket and wrinkled his brow. “Emily Kendall? Is she back in town?”

      Not liking his brother-in-law’s tone, he leaned back in the chair and studied him, leaving the ticket on the desk. “Yeah. Guess after her last stay at Betty Ford or whatever posh spa rehab and her divorce, she came home.” A memory wiggled to the surface and a surge of irritation not unlike jealousy, which made no sense, scalded his blood stream. “You dated her in high school.”

      Trevor stared at the ticket. “No, we never dated. We were nothing but friends. Mama hated her. Said Emily would ruin me. Then she got the record deal and we drifted apart.” He met EJ’s gaze. “How’d she look?”

      Like sex in designer sunglasses.

      Where the hell did that come from?

      EJ distracted himself by shrugging and picking up the ticket. “I guess okay. At least she didn’t look stoned like she did last fall on the CMA Awards.”

      “Hopefully she’ll clean herself up now that she’s gotten rid of the rock star.” Trevor shifted his feet and looked down at his shiny manicured fingernails--did he polish the things?--with a pinched expression.

      Had his suspicions about his brother-in-law’s sexual orientation been wrong? Trevor was a decent-looking guy, but as far as EJ knew, he’d never had a girlfriend. Was the reason not because he was gay, but because he was pining after Emily Kendall?

      Trevor seemed to shake himself and looked up at EJ. “I guess I can’t convince you to come to dinner tonight.”

      “No. Now get out of here. I have a job to do.”

      Trevor nodded and left, but EJ stared at the ticket in his hand. Why did he find Emily Kendall damned intriguing?

      He crumbled the ticket and tossed it into the trash. Guess now, he’d have to make sure he bumped into her to let her know he’d lost the ticket before he had a chance to report it to the DMV.

      * * * *

      Emily struggled to not cry and concentrated on the death grip with which she hugged the cup of tea her mother had brewed for her after their tearful reunion. As she had done when she’d met her father outside, Emily fought the deluge she was holding behind a flimsy thread of self-control, but a few drops slipped by. She sipped the tea sweetened with pasteurized organic honey and savored the flavor. She’d drunk diet crap for such a long time she forgot how much she loved the slight tangy sweetness of honey in her favorite hot beverage.

      Her mother sat across the table and wiped at her eyes with a paper napkin. Her long, black braid rested over her right shoulder. Momma’s hair had never been that dark. Had she started dyeing it? The thought that her mother might be going gray made her throat constrict. The tan complexion Momma had inherited from her Native American mother was darker than Emily had recalled it being. She must be working outside more now that she’d taken on raising horses in addition to overseeing the management of the ranch. She may have turned forty years old in January, but she was still as beautiful as Emily remembered.

      Her father sat two cups of coffee on the table, then claimed the chair beside Momma. Without his hat, Emily noticed the traces of gray in his strawberry hair at his temples. He’d shaved off the goatee he’d sported for most of his twenty-two-year music career to hide the long jagged scar on his chin. Without the facial hair, he looked even more handsome than he had as a younger man; especially with the crinkles at the corners of his jade eyes, making him look distinguished as well.

      His forty-first birthday was coming up on the twenty-fifth--a week away. She wanted to ask if her parents had anything planned, but before she had a chance her mother picked up her mug and asked, “How far along are you?”

      Emily choked as she swallowed her tea. After sputtering for a few seconds, she smiled. “I should’ve known I couldn’t keep it a secret for too long with you.”

      Dad drew his brows together and looked between her and Momma. “Well, I’m as much in the dark as a burned-out light bulb. Would y’all like to enlighten me?”

      Momma grinned and patted his arm. “Emily?”

      She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Exhaustion from driving all night weighed her down now that some of the tension of the reunion was over. “I’m pregnant.”

      She smiled at the way her father’s eyes widened. Then a grin spread over his face. “Damn…” She couldn’t help the chuckle at the utter awe in Dad’s voice. “I’m going to be a granddaddy?”

      Momma laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then she met Emily’s gaze again. “Now answer my original question.”

      “I’m twenty-six weeks.” She suspected her mother was concerned about what the drugs she’d taken might have done to the baby. “I found out when I was admitted to Fernwood.” She told them about the conversation she’d had with Dr. Barton. When her mother asked about the baby’s health, she assured her that Dr. Summers did several tests to determine that she was carrying a healthy baby girl.

      “A girl, eh?” Dad sat back in his seat, a grin tugging at his lips.

      “I thought about keeping the sex a secret, but figured somewhere I’d let it slip anyway.” She rested her hands over her belly. “I think of her as my baby girl.”

      “You never were any good at keeping secrets.” Her mother let a cautious smile slip into her otherwise pensive expression.

      Shaking her head, Emily lifted her cooled tea to take a sip. “I know you’re both wondering what Fabian thinks about the baby.”

      Her father shrugged and leaned over his arms. “I figured you’d get around to it. How long do you think you’ll be staying?”

      She set her cup onto the table and stared into it. “I’d like to make my home here. There’s nothing for me in Nashville.”

      “You’re leaving music?” Her mother’s surprise had Emily looking up.

      “I haven’t decided yet… СКАЧАТЬ