Cori noticed the number of approving smiles sent their way.
“You know, it has taken me a long time with innocent comments and not-too-subtle statements to persuade these people that the baby isn’t yours,” she muttered. “And now you’re getting all cozy in public.”
“I told you before. I don’t mind if they think the baby is mine.” He smiled and nodded at those looking at them.
“You two just can’t keep your hands off each other, can you?” Andy shook his head in wonder as he walked past them.
Cori could feel her face burning a bright red. Since the fiasco at the movies, she couldn’t face the sheriff without embarrassment coloring her features. Ben had later learned Andy had been there with his son. The fact that the sheriff recognized his truck was pure coincidence. She was positive Andy was enjoying finding them at inopportune times, though. Ben tried to tell her she was imagining it, but she didn’t miss that amused glint in Andy’s eye every time he saw them together.
“Are you getting tired?” Ben asked, wincing as one little girl ran by screaming happily as another girl chased her. “Man, those kids are loud.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve been having so much fun this afternoon. People are even buying Mrs. Peabody’s cats,” she whispered, although the noise around them wouldn’t have allowed anyone to eavesdrop on them. “One woman said she read somewhere that cats are now eclectic art. Especially if they’re painted purple.”
Ben stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her middle, his hands splayed possessively on her tummy and his chin resting on top of her head. “Wait until the town Halloween party. We dress up and get pretty wild then.”
“I can’t wait,” she said softly, but he could still hear her.
He was afraid to ask. “You’ll be here then?”
She turned her head and looked up. “Do you want me to be?” The intensity in her gaze told him there was more to her question than what she said aloud.
He tightened his hold. “Yes, I do. Very much.”
She smiled. “Then I better start looking around for a pumpkin costume. I can’t think of anything more appropriate, can you?”
“I think you’ll make the cutest pumpkin in town.”
“Cori, my darling, Denise told me all you have done to help her set this up.” Lucia swooped down on them, giving each one a hug and kiss. She looked fondly at Cori. “Do you realize we have already brought in more money than we did last year? You will come out to dinner next week.” She turned to her son. “Bennie, do not let her get away.” She leaned over and said in a not-so-subtle whisper, “The best part is we already know she’s fertile.” She patted his cheek and walked on, calling out to someone.
“She can embarrass a son like no other,” Ben revealed with a deep groan.
“I’ve heard it’s a mother’s lot.”
He looked around, suddenly uneasy with everyone’s eyes on them. He was beginning to hate this lack of privacy. “How much longer do you have to hang around here?”
“At least another hour.” She eyed the snack bar. “I’d love one of those big soft pretzels Ralph has.”
“Did Ella weigh you today?”
“Yes, and she said I’m doing fine.” She looked smug. “Pretzel, please.” She arched an eyebrow. “You might get lucky later on.”
“You’re on.” He dug into his jeans pocket.
“Hi, Doc. Cori.” A glowing Thalia walked up to them. A small diamond sparkled on her left ring finger. The man standing behind her looked more like a bean pole than a human being and he continually pulled at his collar as if it was choking him. But the look he gave Thalia was filled with love and wonder.
Regina had artfully colored Thalia’s previously orange hair a pale golden blond that did more for her face than the previous ash-blond shade. She even wore brighter cosmetics now.
“You look great,” Cori said sincerely. “That dress does a lot for you.”
She blushed. “Vivian helped me pick it out.” She looked up at her fiancé who nodded. “We set the date. December tenth.”
“A Christmas wedding!” Cori smiled.
“We’re hoping you both will be there,” Rawley mumbled.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Ben assured them.
“We told Mrs. Raymond we want to buy her wedding ring quilt.” Thalia blushed again. “We better go over and pick it up.”
“That’s a romance helped along by you,” Ben said after they were left alone. He had gotten Cori her pretzel and they stayed in a corner while she nibbled on it and shared bites with Ben.
“And all because I accidentally turned her hair orange.” She shook her head in wonder. “It must be a gift.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure the others would call it that.”
“Cori, it’s time for you to spell Ella,” Denise called out.
“And, Ben, you promised to help me get away from my wife before she corrals me to do something else!” Stan called out, earning a warning look from Denise. “She’s killing me!”
“Set your watch. I’ll be back to rescue you in an hour.” Ben knew kissing Cori in public was going to feed the gossip mill for a week. So he did more than kiss her. He pulled her in his arms and kissed her twice. By the time he allowed her to come up for air they both looked dazed.
“Way to go, Doc!” someone shouted with a loud whoop and applause.
“Hey, Doc! You keep on doing stuff like that and our wives will expect the same!” another man called out.
“Only if it’s with the doc and not you,” one woman teased amid ribald laughter.
Cori burst out laughing. “I guess we did it again.”
*
“WHEN ARE YOU GOING to do something about Cori?” Ella demanded, slapping the top of Ben’s desk with the palm of her hand.
Ben smothered a jaw-cracking yawn. He’d been up half the night delivering a baby who wasn’t too eager to enter the world. The last thing he wanted was a battle with Ella, but he knew Ella always believed in striking when she thought her prey was most vulnerable. Right now, he was about as weak as that baby he delivered. Correction, the baby probably had a hell of a lot more energy.
“Last I checked, she was doing fine, even if she did get mad when I told her she had to lay off the Ding Dongs. She tried to tell me it was part of her dairy allotment, but I told her it wouldn’t work.” He poured himself another cup of coffee in hopes the caffeine would kick in soon. “Are you sure you didn’t make decaf this morning?”
“Positive.” She fixed him with a stern look. “I hope you realize the town consider the two of you a couple.”
“I’d say so.” He picked up a file folder and opened it, making the necessary notes. “You know, it was amazing. Marge was fully dilated, the contractions were coming hot and heavy, she was ready to push with all her might and that kid still refused to come out.”
“If you were the newest member of that clan, would you want to come out?”
Ben thought of a family where the smallest measured six feet, six inches. “A couple more kids and they’ll have their own basketball team. Just wish I’d had a chance to get back to bed before coming in here.”
Ella made a harrumphing sound. “As if you would have slept.”
He groaned. “What do you do? Talk to my mother?”
“Don’t have to. I have boys of my own. I know how you men think. So what are you going to do about Cori?” she demanded.
Ben ran his hand over his face. With the lack of sleep the night before, he wasn’t prepared to handle Ella when she was on the rampage.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked wearily.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Yes, I am. I’m talking marriage. The girl will have a baby soon and there’s no father.”
He leaned back in his chair and propped his booted feet on top of his desk. “And how do you know she’s not just staying here long enough for her father to calm down before heading back to L.A?” He k
new she’d at least be there until Halloween, but he didn’t dare tell Ella.
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. Considering how she feels about you, I don’t think she’s all that eager to go back to her old life. Before you know it, it will be November and she’ll have her baby. So why don’t you do the right thing and ask her to marry you?”
“Why don’t you let me work this out my way?” He knew the minute he said it he’d made a mistake. Just as with his mother, there was no winning with Ella.
Her glare could have turned him into a ten-year-old boy.
“You’re sleeping over there every night. If you think no one knows that, you’re even dumber than I thought you were. You should be married. She should be married. The two of you obviously must have strong feelings for each other. Give that baby a family.”
“Ella, let me handle this, okay?” He closed the file folder and put it to one side. “Cori and I are progressing at a rate we’re both comfortable with. Why don’t you leave it at that?”
The woman’s entire body seemed to rise and fall with her deep sigh. “You always were slow in some things, Ben. Just don’t keep things at your rate for so long that she decides there’s nothing here for her and she leaves.”
Ben’s body tightened at the idea of losing Cori. She had already become a large part of his life.
“Considering her car is still under a tarp at Cal’s, I don’t think that will happen all that soon.”
“All it would take is a call to her father and that car would probably be hauled out of here. And so would she.” She shook her head at his stubborn bent. “Just tell me one thing. Are you in love with Cori?”
He jumped to his feet, feeling the electric charge from her question hit him. “Dammit, Ella! I haven’t even told her yet!”
“Then I suggest you do just that.” She cocked her head to one side as she heard a bell from the front of the office. “The Petersons are here with their kids. Since they were on vacation they weren’t able to get in before for the school vaccinations. At least that’s something I know you can do without any trouble.” With one last look at him, she stalked out of the office.
Ben dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered.
Trouble was, he could. Because Ella only voiced concerns he had been having. Why the hell hadn’t he told Cori sooner? Because he was a coward and feared she didn’t have the same feelings he did. Except every time he recalled their time together, he knew that couldn’t be true.
Maybe it was time to start saying a few things out loud.
*
“IT WOULD WORK,“ Dan told Cori.
The young woman and four elderly men had started out for their walk, but this time they led Cori to a spot not far from the gas station and announced their idea.
Zeke explained he knew the owner of the land and could arrange for the lease.
Dan, who used to work for the county, could arrange for a truck to tow the restaurant to the spot. Alex checked the records and found out the town owned the restaurant, and spoke with Mayor Holloway at their last poker game. And Carl thought he could get Ralph to help outfit the interior, in return for not telling his wife about the weekly poker game.
Hope bubbled up inside Cori. She bounced up on her toes and bestowed a kiss on each grizzled cheek. “You are all wonderful! Talk about a great chance to bring it back to life.”
“Hell.” Dan looked sheepish at such a display. “Retirement has been a bitch, so this should keep the ole ticker goin’ for a while. But we’re still going to need money.”
Cori looked at the weed-covered lot and visualized a parking lot, the diner all shiny and filled with customers.
“I can take care of that,” she said finally.
For once, she had a plan that she knew she wasn’t going to allow to fail.
*
BEN BARELY HAD CLOSED UP the clinic and sent Ella home before Cori was at his side.
“You have to see this.” She pulled on his arm.
He looked at her, noting her shorts and tank top. “I already like what I see.”
“No, this.” Cori grabbed his hand and tried to pull him off the step. “Come on, it’s just a short walk.”
“To where?”
“You’ll see,” she said mysteriously.
Cori led Ben to an open piece of land not far from the gas station. They stood on the side of the road, staring at it. Cori, with satisfaction. Ben, with confusion.
“So?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “You are looking at the new location for the Diner,” she announced.
He shook his head as if to clear it. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, as I speak, arrangements are being made to move the Diner here,” she told him. “Thanks to Zeke and the boys.”
“But—” Ben was clearly flabbergasted.
“They said it was a landmark that didn’t deserve to be shuttled off and forgotten,” Cori continued. “You should see them! This is the best thing that’s happened to them since retirement. We can do it, Ben. I know we can.”
Ben ran his hand over his hair as he spun around in a tight circle. He didn’t want to ruin her joy, but she had to face the facts.
“You really think you can get use of the land?”
She explained that Zeke had already taken care of that.
“What about the Diner? Who’s talking to the owners?”
She told him about Alex’s work.
“How would you get it here?”
She mentioned Dan’s connection.
“Where do you plan to get the money?”
Cori didn’t falter. “I have connections.”
He didn’t have to think long on that one. “Your father.”
“He has the money and he knows people who are willing to invest without having a say in what’s going on. He’s done it before. And this time, I have a sound plan to give him.”
Suddenly upset at the mention of Sean Peyton, Ben took her arm and started walking back toward town. He had a niggling fear this might be the first step in Cori’s flight back west. He could only hope he was wrong. “You haven’t talked to your father in more than four months. What makes you think he’ll take your call now?”
“I’ll hit him in the only soft spot he has. I’ll tell him one of his fondest wishes is going to come true. That he’s going to be a grandfather. And once he’s recovered from that, I’ll invite him to Thanksgiving dinner. Lucia suggested having him out.”
Ben stopped so quickly Cori stumbled. He spun around and grasped her other arm, pulling her around to face him.
“And what if he wants you to come back to California instead?” he asked in a raw voice.
In his heart, he knew no other woman had the dazzling smile Cori had. The one she was giving him now. He made a silent wish that he’d be lucky enough to see that smile for the rest of his life.
She paused long enough to loop her arms around his neck, “Then I would just have to tell him I can’t do that because during my time in Farrington I happened to fall in love with the town’s doctor.”
“Dammit woman,” he growled, pulling her into his arms. “You picked the most incredible time to make up a statement like that.”
Cori didn’t stop smiling. “You’re not running for the hills—if you could find any here to begin with—so I gather what I said doesn’t scare you.”
Ben’s face changed from tense to elated. “Not when I love you so much that it almost hurts.”
The trucks and cars passing by all honked their approval as Ben kissed her with every ounce of his being.
Within ten minutes, everyone in town was speculating on the wedding date of Cori and Doc Cooper.
Chapter Fourteen
Regina’s Cut ‘n’ Curl
“Why do I have to go?” Cori tried digging in her heels, but Denise was having none of it.
“Because I want your input on this,” Denise explain
ed as she shepherded Cori toward the beauty shop. “I want a new hairstyle and I’m hoping you can help me find one that will look good.”
“Trust me, I’m not one to ask when it comes to hair! Regina is the expert,” Cori protested. “Besides, the shades are drawn at the shop. Maybe she’s out to lunch or something.”
“Oh, sometimes she has to do that to keep out the afternoon sun,” she said in a loud voice, rattling the door as she opened it. “Come on, Cori.”
“But the afternoon sun doesn’t shine in this direction,” she mused, then yelped in surprise as Denise literally pushed her inside.
Cori froze when lights came on and women jumped out yelling, “Surprise!”
Crepe garlands in pink and blue were hung from the ceiling and a cake sat on a card table set up by the shampoo sinks.
Cori looked around, stunned by the number of women present.
“I don’t know what to say,” she stammered.
“A speechless Cori!” Denise laughed. “Let’s record this moment for Ben, otherwise he won’t believe it!” She pushed her toward a chair. “This surprise shower wasn’t all that easy to plan, so you better enjoy it.”
“A shower?” she numbly repeated, still unable to believe what was before her eyes. “For me?”
“Of course, for you. Do you see anyone else around here who’s pregnant?” Regina chuckled, coming up to hug her and guiding her over to the cake table. “Darlin’, if anyone deserves a baby shower, it’s you. So come over here and sit down. We have plans this morning. And one of them is consuming this cake!”
Cori stared at the large sheet cake decorated with frosting baby buggies, booties and rattles in each corner.
“This is so nice of all of you,” she said in a barely audible voice. She sniffed.
“Hormones at work again,” Denise said with an understanding smile. “Honey, we all cried at our showers, so go ahead and let it out.” She handed her a handkerchief.
Cori buried her face in the soft cotton and soon blew her nose. “I just didn’t expect this.”
“Look at my girl!” Lucia shrieked, throwing her arms around Cori who still looked shell-shocked. “Is she not beautiful?” She looked at Cori as if she were her own daughter. “My darling, if anyone deserves this shower, it’s you. You have given so much of yourself during the months you’ve lived here that we wanted to do something special for you.” She enfolded her in her arms again.
Mommy Heiress (Accidental Dads #2) Page 19