One Hundred Goodbyes (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 9)

by Kelly Collins

  As she wound through I70 and headed north she’d finished off her last box of Good & Plenty. Things went from bad to worse. She’d stopped at two stores to get a fresh supply, but no one carried them. She had to settle for a bag of Mike and Ike’s, which didn’t quite quell the craving but would have to do.

  As she moved through the mountain pass, she laughed and cried at her predicament. She was twenty-eight, single, pregnant with a mystery child, nearly broke except for the check her sister had given her, which would barely pay for the baby’s delivery. She hadn’t had time to contact any adoption agencies given that she’d basically had to move right away. She had less than a thousand dollars to make it to Alaska and all she wanted was a box of candy. How hard could that be? Add to that the constant pain in her lower back and she was miserable. Having the steering wheel dig into her stomach made her certain her child was miserable too.

  It struck her as funny to think about the baby as hers. She never had. She’d always known that the day he or she was born she would be an aunt, not a mother, but now it was different. This baby was just as much hers as it was anyone else’s.

  “Hey, peanut. How are you doing in there?” Guilt washed over her as she thought about the buckets of tears she’d cried over the last few days. Did he or she feel her sadness? There was no doubt this baby had a front row seat to her grief.

  The pain in her lower back was almost unbearable. She was certain the cramped quarters were putting pressure on a nerve, so when the turnoff to Aspen Cove came about, she took a detour and hoped against hope that they would have a gas station and a box of pink and white black licorice candies.

  She pulled into the station and took a deep breath. She gave Porkchop a between the ears scratch and told her to stay put.

  That brought a smile to her face because Porkchop moved for no one and nothing but food. Eden opened the door and stepped outside. The briskness of the mountains was refreshing. The scent of pine hung in the air.

  She rubbed at the pain in her lower spine and stretched, hoping to work out the kink that made her want to drop to her knees.

  “When are you due?” A woman with a baby boy perched on her hip walked forward.

  Eden looked around as if another pregnant woman were present. She pointed to her chest. “Me?”

  The woman laughed. “You’re the only one I see, although pregnancy seems to be a contagious illness here in Aspen Cove. I’ve caught it eight times. This is little Paul. He’s the last of the Williamses to be born from me. I’m Louise.” She stepped forward and pointed down Main Street. “The veterinarian just had twin boys. The sheriff’s wife is due to have a baby in several weeks. She owns Cove Cuts.”

  “Oh, wow.” Eden removed her gas cap and reached for the nozzle.

  “Don’t you touch that.” Louise looked over her shoulder to the open bay garage. “Bobby, I need your help.”

  Eden heard a “Be right there, sweetheart” before a handsome man wearing blue overalls appeared.

  “What do you need?” He walked by Louise and Paul and gave each a kiss. It was obvious to Eden this was a couple in love and a thread of envy wound through her.

  “She needs her gas pumped. No need exposing her or that baby to fumes.”

  “Got it.” He walked toward Eden. “You need anything else?”

  Just then her stomach growled. “I could use a snack.”

  “You come with me.” Louise tucked her free arm through Eden’s and led her into the garage, where a counter with a small selection of chips and jerky was on display. “What are you craving?”

  Eden set her hands on her stomach. “It’s always the same, Good & Plenty, but they’re hard to find.” She scanned the rack for candy but found none.

  “I stopped ordering candy when Bobby gained the same amount of weight as I did when I was pregnant with this little guy. I think he was determined to go through all the aches and pains with me.”

  A laugh bubbled up from deep inside Eden. She’d had no one but herself. “That’s okay.” She looked over her shoulder. “Do you think the corner store would have them?”

  “They might.” She pulled a box from under the counter. “Shh. Don’t rat me out, but Katie, our resident baker, made brownies today and put extra chips and nuts in them for me. I’ll share with you, but if Bobby found out, they’d be gone in two bites. These were my go-to when I was pregnant. I couldn’t eat enough chocolate.”

  Eden pulled out the smallest brownie and took a bite. It was a piece of gooey heaven. It would satisfy the sweet craving for a few moments at least.

  Bobby walked in just as Louise tucked the box under the counter.

  “I checked your oil, filled the tank, and checked the air pressure in your tires. You should be good to go.” He looked at Louise and smiled. “It’s $21.60.” He reached over and wiped a speck of brownie from his wife’s lip then sucked it off his thumb. “Hope she shared with you.” He walked outside.

  Eden and Louise looked at each other and broke into laughter.

  “Damn man’s too smart.”

  “You guys are great.” Eden longed to be in a place that was carefree and kind.

  “When are you due?”

  Eden put the exact change on the counter. “I’ve got several weeks left.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “Alaska.” Eden’s voice cracked. “I’m visiting my aunt.”

  Louise shook her head. “That’s going to be a long road trip. You could have planned a little better.”

  With a nod, Eden turned to leave. “You’re right, but it’s what it is for now. It was a pleasure meeting you, Louise.” She turned around and came back to cup the baby’s cheek. “You take care of your mom, she’s a rare find.”

  Eden climbed back into her car and found a parking spot half a block down the road. Small shops lined the street. It was a town most likely built during the early to mid-eighteen hundreds. A time when all a town needed was a bar, a place to eat, and a whore house. She saw the bar immediately. Bishop’s Brewhouse looked like the perfect place to go after a day of panning for gold or hunting bear. She scanned the other businesses. There was Bishop’s Bait and Tackle, B’s Bakery where Katie the brownie wizard must work, Maisey’s Diner, a sheriff’s office, Cove Cuts, a veterinary clinic, a medical clinic and pharmacy, and the Corner Store. Everything seemed to be open and running except a place called The Dry Goods Store.

  Eden walked toward the corner and peeked in the windows on her way. It appeared that the Dry Goods place had been used as something recently, but maybe it was seasonal. With fall then winter approaching, she couldn’t imagine a town as small as Aspen Cove would get much winter traffic.

  Pushing through the glass door of the little convenience store, she was greeted with a warm hello.

  “Welcome,” a sweet older woman with salt and pepper hair said. She pushed against the older, overweight man snoozing behind the counter. “Phillip, wake up and say hello to our guest.”

  The balding man opened his eyes one at a time. “Dammit, Marge, she don’t care if I say hello or not.” He looked at Eden and smiled. “Afternoon. Can I help you find something?”

  Eden wanted to laugh. If Phillip had been a cat, she would have called him Porkchop. He had the same rotund figure and laid-back personality.

  “Where’s the candy aisle?”

  The man chuckled. “I wouldn’t so much call it an aisle as much as a section.” He pointed to his left. “Go down three rows and you’ll see what we’ve got. If we don’t have what you’re looking for, you can check out Doc’s because his candy selection is vast since Sage started working in the clinic. That girl loves her peanut cups and chocolate, and those little fruit drops.”

  “Phillip, they’re called Skittles, and we have them too.”

  “Thank you.” Eden moved down the rows and caught sight of a man to her right. He was hard to miss. Tall with dark hair. Shoulders wide enough to bear the worries of the universe, and an ass that no doubt if she was able to touch
it would be hard enough to crack walnuts.

  He hadn’t noticed her, which gave her more time to gawk. Since she’d become pregnant, she hadn’t had any men in her life. The most action she’d gotten was that day Dave had tried to examine her in public and that wasn’t pleasant.

  She really missed men. Missed the way their arms felt around her. Missed the hardness of muscles under her fingertips. Missed the smell of cologne and sweat. Yes, she even missed the smell of sweat.

  Moving on down the row, she found the aisle of sweets. It wasn’t a candy aisle but an everything aisle that included cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and candy. Eden perused the offerings looking for the white, pink, and black box that always brought a smile to her face. Funny how she hated black licorice before the baby, and now couldn’t get enough of the stuff. It wasn’t just the black licorice that she wanted. She loved to peel the candy coating away with her teeth and suck on the soft center until it disappeared. Her entire mouth would turn black, but she didn’t care. It was her one guilty pleasure.

  After skimming the aisle several times, she came to the conclusion that Phillip and Marge had poor taste in candy. She picked up a bag of Skittles and reached for a box of chocolate covered donuts. Since Skittles contained real fruit juice, she justified her purchase of the donuts. It was crazy because she never felt like she needed to justify the other things she ate.

  Being petite, she couldn’t reach the top shelf, so she stepped onto the lower one and hoisted herself up. She’d almost reached the object of her desire when a hand stretched over hers and grabbed the box.

  Chapter Six

  Thomas

  Thomas had run out of just about everything. He moved down each aisle at rapid speed tossing items in his handbasket like a contestant on a shopping show. When he turned down the sweet’s aisle, he saw a petite blonde and stopped to look. Though he could only see her from behind, what he saw was nice—real nice. Rounded hips and jeans that hugged her thighs like a glove. He followed the dips and swells of her curves. Nice bottom and thick thighs that narrowed to slim knees and muscled calves. She wasn’t from around here, but he hoped she was staying for a day or two.

  It was when she turned around and he caught sight of her swollen stomach that his gut twisted. A thousand thoughts went through his head. The first was where was her man?

  He looked around the store and found no one but her, Marge, and Phillip. A woman in her condition shouldn’t be traveling alone on the mountain roads where wildlife abound, and the weather was unpredictable. It was mid-September, but that didn’t mean a few feet of snow couldn’t fall overnight.

  When she reached for the donuts and couldn’t grab them, he started forward to offer help. When she stepped onto the bottom shelf he nearly ran in her direction.

  His hand touched hers as he picked up the chocolate covered mini donuts. “You shouldn’t be climbing on shelves in your condition.”

  “I’m height challenged.” She looked down. “Kind of look like a Weeble these days. I figured I may wobble, but I won’t fall down.”

  She smiled and his heart nearly melted, but one look at her stomach pulled him back to reality. Actually, took him back years before when he was preparing to be a father. When he and Sarah spent every Saturday shopping for the week’s groceries. He was big on protein and vegetables and she had a thing for raspberry Zingers, but he always talked her down from three boxes to one. He wasn’t worried about her weight. He never cared too much about those things. You loved a woman for her heart, her integrity, and her spirit. A beautiful body was a bonus but not a necessity. In Thomas’s mind, there was nothing more beautiful than a woman pregnant with his child.

  He remembered how proud he’d been to show Sarah off. He could have stood in the middle of the store and pounded his chest and told everyone to look at what he made. What a damn fool.

  “Thank you for your help.” Her hand went behind her back to rub and she winced.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded and turned toward the aisle that led to the register. He moved through the rest of the rows tossing in things he’d need during the week. Staples like milk and eggs and bread and butter. He moved back to the sweets aisle and swiped the last box of chocolate donuts from the top shelf. Why not?

  She was on her way out the door when he arrived at the register.

  “Cute little thing, that one,” Marge commented.

  While Phillip rang up the groceries, she bagged. Her attention was split between Wheel of Fortune playing on the television behind the counter and whatever was happening outside.

  Marge gasped and dropped the carton of eggs to the floor.

  Thomas turned to see the young woman grip her stomach and fall to her knees. Being a fireman, it was second nature for him to respond.

  Out of the door in seconds, he moved toward her like a bullet train.

  “I’m here.” He laid her out on the concrete and took her pulse. The poor thing had the heartbeat of a hummingbird. “Tell me what happened.” He checked her for injury but could see nothing obvious other than the fact she was very pregnant.

  Her face twisted and her body tensed. “Dammit.” She pushed short puffs of air from her mouth. “I think I’m going to have the baby.”

  Thomas looked around. A few tourists had gathered around them.

  Katie had come out of the bakery to see what the commotion was.

  “Oh my. Should we get her to Doc Parker’s?” She wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron and asked the few people blocking the sidewalk to step aside. “Can you walk, or should I have Doc bring the gurney?”

  “No gurney,” she said breathlessly. “I’ll wa—”

  Thomas watched as her mouth pinched in pain. “I got you.” He swept her into his arms, holding her closely to his chest and moved with her down the street toward the clinic.

  The bell above the door rang and Agatha looked up. “I’ll get Paul,” she said and scurried up the stairs to their apartment above.

  Thomas had been in the clinic plenty of times, so he knew his way to the exam room.

  Katie was hot on his heels with her phone in her hand. “I texted Sage and Lydia. They’ll both be here in a moment.”

  “Thank you.” With a kick of his boot the exam room door opened, and he carried the woman inside. “What’s your name, darlin’?” He gently placed her on the table and stood beside her. His fingers naturally brushed the strands of hair stuck to her cheek aside.

  “Eden. I’m Eden.”

  “Well, Eden. We’re in a bit of a pickle here. Looks like you might be having a baby. Should I call someone?”

  “I can call,” Katie called from the door holding up her phone.

  A tear slipped from Eden’s eye.

  “No, there’s no one to call.”

  Thomas couldn’t believe that. She hadn’t gotten pregnant by herself. There was certainly someone to call.

  Bitter bile rose to his throat. He’d never forget delivering his daughter and seeing her ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes. How he’d cried when they handed him the scissors and he severed the physical tie she had to Sarah. Little did he know that five minutes later, his ties would be severed as well.

  “There’s got to be someone. Surely you have family.”

  She shook her head. “No, there’s no one.”

  “What have we got here?” For an old man, Doc Parker moved with swift efficiency.

  Thomas went into first responder mode. “I have a thirty-something female showing signs of labor. Her pulse is 120 and erratic. Her name is Eden.”

  “I’m twenty-eight,” Eden responded.

  “Her hearing is fine.” Doc picked up his blood pressure cuff and stethoscope from the table and went straight to getting a reading. “148/100.” Doc shook his head. “Not good. Do you have a history of high blood pressure?”

  Eden’s hands cradled her belly. She looked at Thomas and back to Doc.

  “No, I’ve been healthy so far.” She lifted to her elbows. “T
he pain has stopped. I should be fine.”

  Thomas pressed on her shoulder until she lay prone on the table again. “Let Doc Parker examine you. What I saw outside needs to be explored.”

  He desperately wanted to touch her pregnant belly. Wanted to see if it contracted until it was tight as a drum or if she was experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions that seemed like the real deal but weren’t.

  Sage raced into the room with Lydia right behind. Both women were tying their hair back into ponytails.

  Doc Parker gave Lydia a look that Thomas recognized. It was one that said he was concerned but wouldn’t scare his patient.

  “Why don’t we get you changed into a gown?” Lydia said and placed a blue and white cotton gown on the edge of the exam table. “My sister Sage is an RN with years of experience in labor and delivery. She can help you.” She held out her hand to Eden. “I’m Doctor Lydia Covington. I’d like to examine you and see how far along we are.”

  Eden made an attempt to sit and scrunched her eyes closed again. “Oh, my God, not fun.”

  “Not as fun as the getting there, I bet,” Doc said. He turned to Thomas. “Shall we leave them to get changed?”

  “No, I’m staying.” He moved behind Eden.

  Doc Parker lifted his bushy brows skyward. “Son, unless you’ve got a major secret and that baby over there is yours, I’m pretty sure you’ll be waiting in the hallway like all the other strangers.”

  Thomas wasn’t sure what was up with him, but on one hand he had this crazy urge to protect Eden, and on the other, he wanted to run as fast and far away as he could.

  “Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Thomas?” Eden reached for his hand. “Thank you so much for your help.”

  He cupped her cheek and smiled. “You’re welcome, Eden. Good luck to you and your baby.”