“Hard to tell,” Nathan equivocated out of habit. He took a sip. The sweet, crisp taste was accompanied by a scent of pine. Juniper berries. Gin—not your typical smoothie, he thought with a grin.
Red made a snorting sound that caused Casey’s pup to scoot under Nathan’s chair, which prompted one of the other dogs that had staked out a certain spot of ground to growl.
Nathan leaned down and picked up the pup one-handed. She settled on his lap with a grateful sigh. It felt surprisingly natural to pet her fine, soft fur while Red ranted. “Lawyer types never can give a straight answer. Not a one of you. I never thought Casey would be that way, but lately she won’t even look me in the eye.”
Me, either, Nathan thought, picturing the pregnancy kit in her drawer. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Hell, he didn’t even know if she’d bought it to have on hand for some future go at getting pregnant or…he pushed the thought aside and took another drink.
Better to talk business than think about things that might not be. “Do you know what fairy shrimp are?”
“I could say something but since you’re from San Francisco, I won’t,” Red quipped.
“Thank you. To be honest, I don’t know what they are, either, but if there’s any chance they exist in the vernal ponds on the property under development, you might be able to get the environmentalists on your side.”
Red gave him a skeptical look.
“My brother studies this kind of stuff. One of his teachers is an expert in the field. Even if the planning commission votes in favor of GroWell next week, Casey might be able to get a judge to issue an injunction if we can produce evidence that the habitat of certain endangered species would be threatened.”
Red’s bushy brows came together in a furrow. “We?”
Nathan felt himself flush under his father-in-law’s scrutiny. “This might turn out to be nothing. Casey is an experienced litigator. I’m sure she considered this possibility, but she wasn’t around to ask, so I thought, why not get Kirby’s take on it?”
“And if it turns out to be something, where’s that leave you? Something tells me your bosses ain’t gonna appreciate you helpin’ out the enemy.”
Nathan took a long draw on his drink and closed his eyes to savor the coolness sliding down his parched throat. “I’m not sure I’ll be working for them too much longer, anyway. Casey’s made it pretty clear that she’d like to live around here, and I want to live with her.”
There, he’d said it.
They drank in silence a few minutes with just the sound of swallows zipping past to their messy homes in the eaves of Red’s outbuilding, the steady breeze that rustled the leaves of the yucca plant growing a few feet away and the on-and-off scuffle of the dogs as they jockeyed for a place closer to their master.
Nathan expected questions…or triumph. He got neither. When his glass was empty, he looked at his father-in-law and said, “You know, I never got to look at those house plans you put in our picnic basket that day. If we manage to fight off the great turkey menace, I have a feeling Casey and I might be looking for a new place to live. Her little house is nice, but it’s kinda small.” Especially if there’s a baby on the way.
Red leaped to his feet, making the dogs scatter in every direction. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Nathan eased back in his chair and pulled his phone from his pocket. He tried Casey first, but there still was no answer. He left a message telling her where he was, then he dialed Gwyneth’s number.
She picked up on the first ring. “Gwyneth here.”
“Hi. Are you in the office?”
“Of course. Made it in record time, but I think our junior associate had to go home to change his skivvies. The wimp.”
Her chuckle sounded pure Gwyneth. In her element, triumphant after a positive performance at the hearing and cheating death on the highways. He actually felt sorry for Philip Kim. If Nathan were staying on at Silver, Reisbecht and Lane, he’d have made sure the bright young man saw some immediate advancement.
But he wasn’t. Staying on. And he owed Gwyneth the courtesy of hearing his decision from his own lips.
“Gwyn, you handled things very well today. Erudite. Professional. No matter what the final outcome, nobody can say that you didn’t give it your all.”
“No matter what…? What the hell does that mean? You don’t think we’ll win? How is that possible? You were there today, Nathan. Those commissioners—the male ones, at least—were putty in my hands. There’s no way they can’t vote in our favor.”
“Your client’s favor,” he reminded her. “We represent them. We work for the home office in Boston, which is three thousand miles away and has no real understanding of what California is facing in terms of land use issues and growth.”
“So what? My job is to make sure my client wins.”
“But what if they shouldn’t?”
She was silent for so long Nathan thought they’d become disconnected. Until she asked, “What’s going on, Nathan? Don’t tell me your wife came crying to you after the meeting and you let your sympathy for her influence you.”
Her tone made it easy to say, “Actually, Casey and I haven’t talked about the case. She’s the most ethical person I know. But listening to Red’s neighbors today made me realize that change isn’t always for the better.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I’m quitting SRL.”
“No,” she cried. “You can’t. I’m not ready to take over. I need more time.”
And since everything is about you… He let out a sigh. “Sorry, Gwyn, but life is too short to spend it all at work. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this to yourself until I can submit my formal resignation. I want to call Nolan Reisbecht myself, but it’s a little late today. I’ll be in the office tomorrow to get the ball rolling.”
“Nathan. This is insane. What will you do?”
He had no idea. Well, one idea. And it involved his wife.
Red opened the door and walked out, a rolled-up sheaf of papers in his hands and a wide smile on his face. Nathan couldn’t make everybody happy, but he’d obviously given his father-in-law a pleasant surprise—and possibly even a new lease on life.
“I’ve got to go, Gwyn. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
CASEY HAD RETURNED home to find Nathan missing. The puppy was gone, too. If they’d been in the city, she wouldn’t have worried, but this was the country. And he was on foot. His jacket and tie were on the bed, his shoes neatly to one side of the dresser. Barefoot?
Hurrying to the portable phone on the bedside table, she punched in her father’s number then walked to her dresser.
“Your husband is over here,” Red said without preamble. He had caller ID so he always knew when she was on the other end of the line.
“Is he coming back or are you holding him hostage?”
Red’s hoot almost made her smile. “Here. Ask him yourself.”
As she waited for Nathan to come on the line, she opened her top drawer. She’d put this off long enough. But as she reached for the home testing kit, her hand started to shake.
Same place, but upside down—label out. She’d left it label down, so it wouldn’t taunt her when she reached for her socks.
Nathan had been in her drawer.
“Hi, Case, your dad’s teaching me how to make carnitas. We gotta feed a bunch a people. Mom and Kirby are coming.”
Casey nearly dropped the phone. “Your mother is coming here? Today?”
“Uh-huh.” To someone in the distance, he shouted, “How many limes do you want me to slice?”
The slight slur in his voice made Casey drop the pregnancy kit. “Nathan, are you drunk?”
“I don’t think so, but your dad does make a mean fuzzy. I mean fizzy.”
In the background, her father’s laugh held a tone she hadn’t heard for years. He sounded happy. Nathan sounded happy. Tipsy, but relaxed and having fun. “Come on over, Case. This is good stuff. How come we never make carni
tas?”
“Um…because you don’t like spicy food.”
He blew out a raspberry of disapproval. “Well, that’s gonna change. Lots of things are gonna change once we find the fairy shrimp.”
Fairy shrimp? She knew what they were. She and Sarah had called a dozen leads hoping to find an expert who would testify that the endangered species existed on GroWell land, but none had been willing to stake their reputations on speculation alone. “Yes, the vernal ponds in your area do support a wide variety of fragile ecosystems that would be threatened if the kind of pollution you’ve described is introduced,” one authority in the field had told her. “But without physical samples from ponds on the property, we couldn’t say for sure.”
“What are you talking about, Nathan?”
“Kirby. I called him. He and his professor…um, thesis advisor or whatever he’s called, are going to find you a smoking gun.”
Tears filled her eyes and her nose started to run. “Nathan, no. Your bosses might be able to overlook my involvement because this is my dad’s property, but bringing in other members of your family? I don’t think so. That’s reckless, and that’s not you.”
He laughed and said to her father, who must have been standing nearby, “Red, your daughter doesn’t think I’m reckless enough for her.”
“That’s not what I said.”
Her father came on the line. “Maybe you don’t know this guy as well as you thought. I’d get my butt over here in a hurry if I were you, Casey T. Things are changing. You gotta keep up.”
Suddenly her knees couldn’t support her any longer. She slowly sank to the carpet. You gotta keep up, little girl. She’d been trying. All her life.
Tears, hot and bitter, were in her eyes. She let go of the phone and curled in a ball, willing her mind to go blank. She closed her eyes. Maybe she slept, because the sound of a door slamming on the first floor made her heart jump. She sat up, dizzy and disoriented.
“Casey?” a voice called out.
Nathan?
She heard him taking the stairs two at a time, and then he was in her room, on one knee beside her. “What happened? Did you faint? Are you okay? Red said he was talking to you one minute then the line went dead.”
He helped her get to her feet and sit on the bed. He left her long enough to get her a drink of water then returned. “You look wobbly. Maybe you should crawl into bed and call it a day.”
“No. I can’t. There’s still so much to do.”
He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. “Sure you can. I’m here. I’ll handle things.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. His warmth and strength were intoxicating, seductive, but this was her cause, not his, and she couldn’t let her father down. “I don’t know what you meant about Kirby, but—”
He cut her off by pulling her backward until they were lying on their backs looking at the ceiling. “I’ll tell you all about it later. The only thing that matters now is you and me.”
He was right. She’d left him here alone this afternoon with the excuse that she had to pick up Riley’s car seat. But after she’d dropped it off, she’d kept on driving, thinking. And she’d come to a decision. Baby or no baby, she loved her husband. Turkeys or no turkeys, she loved the country. Somehow, she would find a way to stay connected to the land, even if Nathan couldn’t bring himself to give up the city. If Red was forced to sell out, maybe they could invest in a small farm in Marin or Napa. Somewhere close enough that she and Nathan—and, she hoped, their children—could join him on weekends.
“I think I might be pregnant,” she said, her voice small and strained.
“I saw the test kit in your drawer. How sure are you?”
Ninety-nine-point-nine? Even though she’d never been pregnant before, she knew her body. The changes she’d been experiencing could be due to stress, but she didn’t think so.
She sat up. Once the spinning stopped, she scrambled off the bed, picked up the kit and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She knew the drill. It only took a minute, but the wait took a little longer. She left the indicator on the tile counter and returned to her bedroom.
Nathan was sitting on the edge of the mattress, his elbows on his knees. “Your face is red,” she told him. “Sunburn?”
“Probably. I went for a jog. Your dad rescued me.”
“And got you drunk.”
He looked up with a sheepish grin. “I don’t think so. Just relaxed.”
“Did you take my dog with you?”
“Uh-huh. She begged.”
“Her name is Belle, by the way. It came to me while I was driving around…er, driving home today.”
Casey changed into shorts and a T-shirt, then walked to where he was sitting. “Tell me what you’re thinking? Do you want it to be positive or negative?”
He turned to look at her. His eyes were clear and the look in them intense. “What do you think I went through all those tests for in Boston? That I was humoring you? Just being a good sport?” He gripped her shoulders and squeezed gently. “I love you, Casey. I want a baby. Nine months from now would be great.”
“Really?”
He kissed her. “Really. The house won’t be finished, but that’s okay. This place will do till then.”
“W…what house?”
He grinned with a wicked, teasing wink. “You’ll see. Has it been long enough?” He stood up and pulled her to her feet. They walked to the bathroom together, which was a good thing because Casey’s nerves were making her light-headed again.
Nathan picked up the indicator and held it between them so they both could read the very bold plus sign. Casey started to cry. Nathan swept her into his arms, lifting her off her feet.
“We’re pregnant, Casey T. We did it. We’re going to have a baby.”
He crushed her to his chest and tenderly kissed her lips, her nose, her tears. “I love you, my wife. And I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make our life—our child’s life—a happy one.”
“Oh, Nathan,” Casey cried. “I want that, too, but we—”
He kissed her again. “No buts. I mean it. We have a few logistics to work out, but we will. We have our families in our corner and our love to make sure we do the right thing.”
She wanted so desperately to believe him that she didn’t mention the obstacles—the turkeys, his job and Gwyneth, for starters. She let him hold her and kiss her and weave a wondrous spell of possibilities around her…until the phone rang.
It was Red.
“People are arriving. Get your butts over here,” he commanded loud enough for Casey to hear, even though Nathan had answered the call.
By the time they reached the ranch, there were four extra vehicles scattered about, including Jimmy’s truck, which she’d last seen at the hospital five hours earlier. Parked beside it was Doc’s mobile vet clinic, followed by a compact sedan she couldn’t place, and a bright-red Mustang a few feet away.
“My ’stang,” Nathan exclaimed. “Look at it shine.”
“You let Kirby drive your car?” she exclaimed.
“Why not?” Nathan answered with a shrug before taking her hand to lead her inside.
The festive atmosphere struck her the instant she stepped through the door. Her father was pouring frosty slush into two salt-rimmed margarita glasses for Doc and Joan, who shared the bench seat at the counter. Kirby and a man Casey had never seen before were attacking a roasted hunk of meat, each armed with long forks and carving knives.
In the corner, sitting in a rocking chair that had been pulled into the room, was Sarah, with Jimmy behind her, hovering like the proud, protective daddy he was.
Although she felt guilty about not greeting her mother-in-law first, Casey hurried to where Sarah was sitting. “What are you doing here? I knew you said the hospital was releasing you today, but I thought you’d go home.”
Sarah smiled. “We only stopped by for a minute. Jimmy is making me go home to bed, even though I feel great. But Red
said he had a present for Riley, and you know your dad.”
She did. Turning to locate her father, she called, “Dad? What were you thinking making Sarah and Jimmy stop here? She just gave birth. She needs to rest.”
Red set down the margarita pitcher and walked toward her. “But Sarah’s as much a part of this as you are, Casey T. She deserved to be here when the big guns arrived to save the day.”
“What big guns?”
The sound of a throat clearing made her turn. “Hmm, that would be me,” Kirby said, a blush claiming his youthful cheeks. “And Dr. Henderson.” He made a bowing gesture toward the balding man at his side. “Dr. H. rode down with Mom. They were afraid to ride with me in the Mustang. Can you believe that?”
“Survival instinct,” Casey’s mother-in-law said crisply. “You should know all about that, being an environmentalist. Hello, Casey, it’s good to see you.”
Casey gave Joan Kent a hug. “I’m so sorry I haven’t—”
Joan waved aside Casey’s apology, margarita in hand. “You’ve been busy. Doc has been filling me in on what’s been going on around here.”
“Um…what exactly is going on?”
Kirby grinned. “Your husband has come over from the dark side,” he said with a playful wink.
“Chow time,” Red’s booming voice called.
Riley, startled by the sound, let out a loud wail. Sarah comforted the baby then looked at Jimmy and said, “Bring me food. Now. I’m not going anywhere until you feed me.”
Nathan and Jimmy both bolted, leaving Casey and Sarah alone. Casey was tempted to share her good news, but it was too soon. Today was Sarah’s day. And Riley’s. Casey’s fingers itched to hold him.
“Are you sure it’s okay for you to be here?”
Sarah let her head fall back against the padded chair. “Never felt better in my life. A little tired and sore, but mostly I’m just starved.”
Jimmy returned with a plate piled high with steaming, shredded pork and toppings. He set the plate on Sarah’s lap then took Riley from her and transferred the tiny baby to Casey. “The hospital wanted to keep them overnight,” he said in a low voice. “But Sarah convinced her doctor she’d get more rest at home. And, believe me, I intend to see she gets it as soon as we leave here.”
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