Jed watched the way Andy firmed his lips, looking away as if he was holding on to a few choice words. “Maybe you want to let me in on what happened,” he said. “Andy, is this your mother still trying to get rid of Laura; or are we talking about the forged document, terminating parental rights, that Laura signed after Jules said it was a medical form? Did something more happen there? I’ve got to tell you; Diana will be furious, but she’s in no condition now to handle anything—”
“My mother’s responsible for killing Aida,” Andy said, cutting him off.
Jed wasn’t sure he had heard his cousin right; but the darkness he saw in his father’s face, and the way he shook his head, was enough to give Jed pause. “Whoa, hang on. I thought Aida’s death was ruled a suicide?”
Andy shook his head and put his hands on his hips. The lines around his eyes more pronounced, as if something else had happened to shake up his and Laura’s happy family. They didn’t deserve this. Jed had been happy to see Andy step out on his own, out from under his parents’ shadows.
“Jed, you’ve got enough on your plate,” Andy said. “There’s nothing you can do. I just need to protect my family. When your dad came, I needed him to know just in case something happened.”
“Okay, now you need to tell me what’s going on. Yes, I’ve got a lot going on with my wife; but that doesn’t mean I can’t know what’s happening with you. There’s a problem, and we’re family. Spill it,” Jed said. He waited; watching his father raise his eyebrows at Andy, as if questioning whether or not it would be okay to speak.
“It was the same day we found Aida, after she died,” Andy began. “She had left an envelope holding a tape—a recorded conversation with my mother. My mother had threatened her and told her to make sure Laura left; that she wasn’t beyond having my wife brought up on some, trumped-up, criminal charge. If Aida didn’t agree to her terms, she was going to see that she was locked back up in prison.”
Well, that had Jed’s attention. “Excuse me?” he snapped.
“Apparently, dear old Mom found out that Aida had a record—but it was bogus. I don’t want to go into it, but she spent years in prison after having an affair with some man from a wealthy family. She got pregnant; they took her baby and, somehow, had her charged with kidnapping. I checked into it. Thirty-five years ago, in Arizona, Aida was arrested by the Feds for extortion and kidnapping. She didn’t stand a chance; with not a dime to her name, and a wet-behind-the-ears public defender. She spent ten years in prison, and when she was paroled, she disappeared; so she was a parole violator. There was still a warrant out for her arrest. She’d been using an assumed last name. She couldn’t go through with keeping Laura away from me and our babies; so she swallowed a bottle of pills because, she knew, she’d never survive life behind bars,” Andy said, choking back tears as he finished.
Jed was doing his best to absorb what his cousin was saying. He didn’t know Aida personally; though he’d heard of her, and perhaps met her a time or two, when she had taken Laura and Gabriel in. She had seemed kind, and Jed couldn’t understand the lengths that Caroline had seemed willing to go to in persecuting her. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “I hope you’re going to the cops, or the Feds. Your mother deserves to be locked up. She shouldn’t be walking around free. What the hell is the matter with that woman?” He snapped at his father. “How can you be related to Todd, with him marrying a woman like that?”
“Look, in all fairness, Dad may not know…” Andy began.
“Your father was standing toe to toe with your mother when you married Laura and squashed their plans, walking away from the senator’s daughter they wanted you to marry. So why are you defending him?” Jed said. A surge of anger had swept away his sound reasoning, and he even stepped into Andy’s space before shaking his head and throwing his hands in the air. He was tired and needed to get some sleep, but he also wanted to knock some sense into his cousin.
“Jed, it’s not that simple, and I agree with Andy,” Rodney said. “My brother’s done a lot of things I don’t agree with, and marrying Caroline was one of them, but he’s still Andy’s father and my brother. If I find out he knew what Caroline was doing, I will take him down myself.” Rodney spoke with fire blazing in his eyes, his cheek twitching, leaving Jed with no doubt that blood could be spilled.
“Jed, this has to be handled carefully,” Andy said. “My mother is a viper, and she can’t know any of this. I put the tape in a safety deposit box after I made a copy.”
“A copy I now have. A copy my lawyers will have,” Rodney said as he reached out and grasped Andy’s shoulder, squeezing in the supportive way that fathers do with sons.
Maybe Jed was overreacting, but the exchange between his father and Andy was one he’d never seen before. They had obviously worked through some plan—some decision, coming to an agreement; so maybe there was more he wasn’t picking up on.
The front door opened, and his mom leaned out. “Jed,” she called.
He sighed because he was irritated, first with Andy’s mother and then with his own baby for deciding it was safer to stay in Diana’s womb. The baby was sharp, he thought to himself. “Yeah, Mom, be right there,” he said, but his mother waited.
Rodney finally said, “Jed, go look after your wife. I’m helping Andy. Don’t be too hard on him, either.”
Jed started toward the door and then stopped beside Andy, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bite your head off. If you need anything, let me know.”
Andy just nodded and said, “Go look after your wife, Jed. I won’t let my mother get away with anything. Laura and our kids are my first priority.”
When their sharp gazes met, Jed knew his cousin had obviously turned it over in his mind a hundred times, if not more, trying to figure out the best way to handle something so volatile. He walked toward his mother, who stepped out of the house to where Danny was playing with his trucks in the dirt.
“Jed, go get some sleep with your wife,” Becky ordered in a voice she used every now and then when she meant business. “Rodney, Andy, you leave Jed alone. He’s got his hands plenty full and needs to be with his wife.”
Jed shut the door of the house, smiling as his mother continued laying down the law, the rules, how things were going to be with Andy and his father. At times, his mother could be a mighty force that no one could get past, but she had wisdom and knew when to step up and when not to interfere. He loved her—both of his parents. He started down the hall to his wife, their unborn child, and, hopefully, a few hours of sleep.
Chapter 3
Diana couldn’t wake Jed. The tiny lines around his closed eyes and mouth appeared to have deepened. His long, dark lashes, which any woman would have killed for, rested against his lightly tanned skin. His brown whiskers were darker, and she couldn’t remember when he’d last shaved. He’d been running this ranch and looking after Danny and cooking and…God, she loved him.
Rodney and Becky always flew in on a moment’s notice to help and stay as long as needed. Diana loved Becky like a mother, and she struggled each and every day to get past her mother issues, or, rather, her lack of a real mother—and just allow Becky to love her.
She glanced at the bedside clock. It was a little past three in the afternoon, and there wasn’t a sound in the house. As she lay there, for what felt like hours, she realized she hadn’t felt the baby kick or move; and something resembling panic had her insides sparking as if a breaker had blown and short-circuited every nerve in her body. She fumbled clumsily, the bed shaking; bumping Jed as she struggled to sit up.
“What’s wrong?” He sounded worried as he reached for her arm and then sat up beside her, tired but awake. He wiped his hand roughly over his face.
“Jed…” She gasped for breath, and he was instantly alert. His eyes widened as if he could read the panic that had taken over all her senses.
“Diana, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t feel the baby,” she
choked out. “The baby hasn’t moved or kicked—nothing.”
Jed let out a sigh as if she was overreacting. She hated that.
“Jed, the baby’s not moving!” she cried.
“Okay, I’ll call the doctor.” He reached for the phone as Diana perched on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs over the side.
“I need to speak with the doctor. It’s Jed Friessen. Sure, I’ll hold.”
Diana eased herself off the bed and walked around it on shaky legs; praying for the baby to kick. She glimpsed herself in the bedroom mirror; her long red hair mussed up, pink nightgown tight against her belly, dark circles under her eyes. She never would have believed she could get so big. She rubbed her belly…willing the baby to kick. She shut her eyes as the stress became almost too much and a tear slipped out. She’d come so far.
“Diana?” Jed stood beside her, sliding his arm around her shoulder, the phone still pressed to his ear; but she got no comfort from him. “Doctor Caldwell… No, she’s not in labor. She said the baby’s not moving.” Jed watched her as he talked and then slid the receiver from his mouth. “How long has it been since you felt the baby move?”
She struggled to sift through her muddled thoughts of the past twenty-four hours. Last night, for sure, she had felt the baby move; and then maybe at the hospital. Although after that, she couldn’t be sure. Her head ached, her body ached, every part of her ached. “I don’t know for certain. It’s been a while,” she said, her eyes burning as she glanced up at her husband. There was concern staring back at her, and exhaustion. She wondered for a moment whether he’d had enough.
“She doesn’t know for sure. It’s been a while. Look, can we just come in…?”
She could hear the doctor talking through the phone Jed had pressed to his ear, but she couldn’t make out anything clearly.
“Thanks, Doc.” Jed hung up the phone and rubbed his head, leaving his hair sticking up here and there. He ran his hand over his bare chest, so strong. Diana loved leaning into it. He had the shoulders and chest to hold her worries, to take them on, as he often did; but they were both tired. He pulled away, walking in a circle; then bent down and picked his shirt up from the floor. He was barefoot in his jeans as he shrugged on the red plaid shirt and started working each button. Diana just watched him as he focused on pulling on his socks; stuck his wallet into his back pocket, and watched her—frowning.
“What are you doing, Diana? Get dressed,” he said. It came out sounding sharp, and she just stood there, watching him; then lowered her eyes toward the floor and her hidden toes.
He let out a sigh…sounding more like a man who could walk out the door than one who’d been by her side night and day for the past little while. She was pushing too hard, too clingy, too needy. That was it. She wasn’t one of those women, except when she needed Jed to just put his arms around her and hold her…like now.
His hand slid over her cheek and then lifted her hair back over her shoulder as he moved closer. “Diana, get dressed, honey.” His other hand skimmed her other cheek until he held her face between his palms and stepped closer, leaning in until he rested his forehead against hers. His warm breath ghosted over her cheek, and she shut her eyes and just leaned into him.
“Jed, I’m sorry I’m leaning on you so much. Don’t be mad, please. I couldn’t take it right now if you were mad.”
He let out another heavy sigh and slid his hand around the back of her head. “Diana, I’m not mad. We’re both tired, but I’m here for you. You’re my wife.” He held her face as he gazed into her eyes; the brown gold sparking with fire as if he was bordering on irritation.
“Maybe you want to get some sleep,” she said. “Maybe I can drive in, take myself…”
He cut her off with a look that had her shutting up, as she could see the muscle bunching in his jaw. “You think I would let a wife of mine, as pregnant as you are, in the shape you’re in, drive anywhere? Are you insane?” This time he did snap, and then walked away in a circle, rubbing the top of his head again; then shaking it as he looked around the room.
“What are you looking for?” Diana said.
“Your clothes. Or do you want to go to the hospital dressed in your nightgown? I don’t care. I’ll carry you out of here just like that. Your choice,” he snapped again. This time he was mad as he snatched her maternity jeans from the chair where she’d tossed them, and held them out as if he meant to dress her. “Step in,” he said.
She held his shoulders as she did what he said; then he ripped off her nightgown and tossed it onto the bed. He grabbed the t-shirt she had worn earlier and pulled it over her head. “Jed, I need my bra,” she said.
He just shook his head as he pulled her arms through, as if she were Danny, as if she were his child.
“Jed…”
He pulled her shirt down and turned away, as if he wasn’t listening to one more word she had to say. He pulled the door open as Diana searched for her bra. “You don’t need it,” he said, while sliding a sweater over her shoulders, and guiding her out and down the hall.
He was tired, pissed, and irritated at her. Then he kissed her temple, as he slid his arm around her; the tension lingering in his arms as he kept her moving.
Chapter 4
“I’m so sorry,” she said again. Her eyes were red rimmed from the crying jag she’d been on since Dr. Caldwell had shown them, on the ultrasound, how well the baby was doing.
Jed rested his arm over the steering wheel and leaned against the door as he drove them back home. She wondered if he was pulling away from her, or maybe she was reading too much into it. She didn’t know. Jed had groaned and shook his head when the doctor told Diana, in a no-nonsense voice, to go home, relax, and get some sleep. She pulled her gloves off, with a little more force than necessary, snapping them sharply—or so it had seemed to Diana. She’d burst into tears and cried all the way out to the truck.
Jed glanced her way, and there was a sharpness in his glance that she didn’t mistake this time. He was furious. “Diana, you’re getting too worked up. Your mind is playing tricks on you, and now you’re starting to look for things to go wrong. Don’t start reading me the wrong way, either,” he said.
“I know you’re angry with me, and I’m…”
He cut her off before she could say “I’m sorry” one more time. “Don’t even finish that sentence. It is, what it is, Diana. The baby’s fine, just like Doctor Caldwell said; and she’s not going to induce until you get to week forty-one. You heard her. There’s no need for it, unless something warrants moving things along sooner. You panicking every five minutes, because you think something is wrong, isn’t going to make her. The baby isn’t ready to come.” He glanced from her to the road; talking with less irritation but driving his point home. “No, as soon as we get home, you’re in bed. You’re going to stay there until you get enough sleep. You’re not going to wake up, panicking, because the baby’s not moving; or because you’re worried that I’m not sleeping. When you keep doing that, neither of us gets any rest.”
Diana rested both of her hands over her large belly. She took in a breath and stared straight out the window as Jed parked the truck. The front door flew open, and Becky and Rodney stepped out of the house. She glanced over at Jed, but he was already out of the truck. She just sat there, not wanting to explain how she had screwed up again. She winced when she heard Becky ask, “What happened?”
“Diana panicked, thought the baby wasn’t moving, but the doctor said the baby’s just fine,” Jed answered.
Diana shut her eyes, mortified. She didn’t want to see the looks of disappointment on their faces. No, she was going to sit here until they all went away. Then she’d slink into the house and hide.
“Jed, look at her. You can’t leave her there.” Becky put her hand on her plump hip and gazed first at Jed then over to the truck, where Diana was looking away from them, straight ahead, as if she had no intention of setting one foot outside of the vehicle.
The fact was, tha
t Jed was so tired his head was starting to ache; and his pregnant, overtired, overemotional wife was beginning to sorely test his patience. It all had him wanting to leave her there for a few minutes, just so he could get his head together. But as he watched her and heard his mother sigh, he started to feel bad.
“Son, she’s your wife. You can’t leave her there,” Rodney said as he watched Diana with an expression of concern.
“Dad, I’m not planning on leaving her there. She’s just worrying about everything to the point that she’s starting to believe there’s a problem. I don’t know how she’s going to get any rest before the baby comes. Me either, for that matter,” Jed muttered as he watched his wife. By the way she held her head up, he saw, in that second, how hard she was struggling to hold it together. He had taken a step toward the truck when his mother touched his arm and stopped him.
“Jed, let me talk to Diana. I understand how she’s feeling. Your brother Neil put me through the same thing. Just ask your father what an emotional wreck I was; and I had Brad running around, a rambunctious three-year-old, getting into everything.”
Jed glanced at his father, who had the good grace to wince but not say a word.
“Come on, son,” he said. “Sometimes a woman just needs another woman to talk to. Let’s go and try to make ourselves useful.” Rodney put his hand on Jed’s shoulder as Becky approached Diana’s door and knocked on the window.
Diana couldn’t look when someone knocked on the window as an overwhelming mortification had her face heating. She shut her eyes for a second. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw her mother in law, who wore a determined look as she opened Diana’s door. Diana squeezed the lap belt as Becky leaned in. She was a short, plump-in-the-middle, woman who exuded such love and strength as she put her hand on Diana’s leg.
“Diana, you listen to me. You have nothing to feel bad about.”
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