One Last Objection_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  He studied his baby sister. The dark circles beneath her eyes and the sunken cheekbones from this summer were nowhere to be seen. In their place, her eyes were bright and her cheeks were full. And the shadows that haunted her were all but gone.

  If only he’d warned her about Shane’s reputation when they’d first started dating. Michael would have to live with the fact that maybe if he’d insisted, she wouldn’t have suffered as she did. But limiting his time in Oak Grove to a few hours a month didn’t give him insight into how bad her relationship had gotten until it was too late. By then, Rachel didn’t want to hear anything bad about Shane. Not that he hadn’t still tried. Hell, he’d never forgive himself that he’d been stuck in Philly working on a huge case when Shane had finally been arrested and she’d landed in the Emergency Room.

  What did all those long hours and time away from his family get him? Nothing.

  It wouldn’t be long now before he’d be back home full time and could keep an eye on his baby sister like a big brother was expected to do.

  “I’m so proud of you. And I can’t wait to have you home for good.”

  He hooked her around the waist and pulled her close. “Me either, squirt.”

  “Are you staying the night?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t. Gotta meet the packers tomorrow early, and I’ve got a bunch of cases to document before I hand them over. I’ll be back next weekend to bring some stuff.”

  Carla bumped through the swinging door. She slid a plate across the bar. “Here it is, sweetie. Hot and ready to go, just like me.”

  “Thanks, Carla.” Michael snatched up the burger and took a huge bite.

  Rachel snuck a fry off his plate and shoved it into her mouth.

  “Hey, Rachel, am I paying you to eat or to work?” To someone who didn’t know better, Joey’s words would sound harsh, but Michael’s younger siblings were very close. They teased and tormented as much as they supported each other.

  Rachel grabbed the towel off Joey’s shoulder and flicked it at him before popping a kiss on Michael’s cheek. “I gotta dash. Need to finish up so I can meet Sawyer.”

  “See ya later, brat.” As she waltzed off, a knot unwound in Michael’s gut.

  All around him, his friends and family were pairing off. But he sat here alone. Now that the rest of his siblings were happy, Ma would probably start bugging him about a girlfriend. Being back in Oak Grove, maybe he could finally give Ma an answer she’d be happy with.

  He could introduce Maggie to his family. Was she his girlfriend? Not technically.

  Maggie was Lucas and Rachel’s counselor. Would they accept her as his girlfriend? And was he ready to call her that? Maybe not yet. His new practice would take a lot of time at first, more than the pressure-filled hours at the firm. He couldn’t start a serious relationship with Maggie just to leave her hanging while he worked late every night. That was why their arrangement had worked so well in the first place.

  He glanced at his cell. She hadn’t answered his earlier text, or the one he’d sent on the way into town this morning. That was unlike her. Even if she couldn’t meet, she usually had an inappropriately sexy response or funny quip in return. He probably should have called her or come into town to see her sooner. He hadn’t even had a chance to tell her he was moving back home. Although, in a town like Oak Grove, there were no secrets. The entire town had probably been buzzing from the minute he’d reached out to Jeff Taylor.

  “Hey, Michael. Lucas wants to know when you need help moving that furniture into your new office.” Joey slid his phone across the bar to Michael.

  “Saturday after Thanksgiving, if that works for you guys. Then I can get everything set up and ready to go before Christmas.”

  Joey gestured to the phone. “Tell him. I don’t need to know.”

  “Oh, yes, you do. You’re helping.”

  “Who says?”

  “I said.” Brittany, Michael’s future sister-in-law, stepped up behind Michael and stretched over the bar to kiss Joey. She grabbed a fry off Michael’s plate and slid onto the stool beside him. “Hey, Michael. So glad I caught you. I’ve got those renovation plans for your office in the car.”

  “Thanks, Brittany. Just in time, too. I signed the papers this afternoon.”

  “Great. My guys are ready to go and they’ll have the reno done in a couple of weeks.”

  “That’s great. I was just telling Joey that we’ll be set to move the furniture right after Thanksgiving.”

  Michael’s law office renovation was no challenge for Brittany, certainly not as difficult as the homes with accommodations she designed for the veteran’s organization Jayden’s Hope and definitely not like the high-end condos she’d designed at her previous job in New York City. But he’d gladly accepted her help.

  He checked his watch. “Geez. I gotta get on the road. I didn’t know it was so late.” Maggie still hadn’t responded to his texts. They’d never gone this long without being in touch. As she’d said the last time he was in town, she was his friend, and he cared about her. Something must be really wrong for her to not even answer.

  Tucking his phone in his pocket, he checked his watch again. Yeah, he was running late, but that wouldn’t stop him from dropping by Maggie’s condo to check on her. She’d never ignored his texts before.

  Something had to be up with her.

  Chapter Three

  MAGGIE SCRATCHED ON the notepad on her lap. Each time she tried to take notes during this client’s session, her mind wandered to the appointment she had later today.

  “Do you think that’s what I should do?”

  Shit. What had Steve said? She’d lost focus. Again. She glanced down at the scribbles on her pad where neatly-written sentences should fill the page. Today it was more like chicken scratch and squiggles, but at least she was able to return to the correct train of thought. “It’s more important that you’re happy with your decision than what I think about it. I can’t live your life for you. So what do you think?”

  That worked. She sounded like a competent professional.

  This couldn’t keep happening. She’d been fine for the last month since she’d taken those blasted tests. Yeah, she probably should have made an appointment as soon as she’d gotten the positive pregnancy test. She could rationalize a thousand reasons why she hadn’t scheduled anything before now, but all of them were crap. If she didn’t go to the doctor, her pregnancy wasn’t real, and she’d wanted that extra little bit of denial to hang onto.

  But as soon as she’d booked her first OB appointment, she’d started spacing out. Sure, she had a lot on her mind, but no one wanted an absent-minded shrink who couldn’t keep up with a simple conversation.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. Thanks, Dr. James. Talking to you really helps.”

  The buzzer sounded. Thank God. “Well, that’s all the time we have for today. See you next week?”

  “Definitely.”

  Maggie extended her hand to shake Steve’s. He hesitated a moment then clasped her hands. His shook but he squeezed her hand and threw her a gentle smile.

  Steve released her and hustled out. Maggie shut the door behind him, rounded her desk, and lowered herself into her chair. Her gut roiled and her mouth watered. Crackers, crackers, where had she hidden those crackers? She ripped opened drawer after drawer until she found the elusive box, snatched two out, and shoved them in her mouth. She didn’t move, her hands pressed onto her desk, until the churning stilled.

  She glanced at her watch. She had thirty minutes before she’d be propped up, feet in the stirrups, for her first appointment with the obstetrician.

  The constant vomiting and the fact that she’d fallen asleep at her desk three times in the past two weeks wasn’t easy to ignore. At least she hadn’t had to resort to wearing the maternity clothes Cheryl had sent. Maggie was still wearing her regular suits and her stiletto heels that made her feel powerful each time she stepped into them. She loved her high heels, that’s for sure.<
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  After making a few notes about Steve’s session in her journal, she collected her bag and headed down the stairs. She stepped into the brisk cold, the wind whipping through her hair, and pulled the sides of her coat closed. Just then, someone called her name.

  “Dr. James,” Michael’s sister yelled as she ran up to Maggie.

  Maggie brushed her hands down her front. Could Rachel tell Maggie was pregnant? No, despite the fact that the pregnancy was always on her mind, she wasn’t showing yet.

  “Hey, Rachel. How’re you doing today?” There, that sounded pleasant enough.

  “I’m doing good. Really good, actually.” Rachel had escaped an explosive relationship this past summer and had landed in Maggie’s office. Rachel didn’t know about Maggie’s relationship with Michael—if you could call it a relationship.

  Part of why Maggie had tucked all reminders of her pregnancy in the back of her mind was because the baby was bound to change things between her and Michael.

  Her stomach churned and she huffed, her breath swirling around in the cold air. She pressed her hand over her belly. Now was not the time to get sick. That would raise questions she wasn’t ready to answer, especially with someone in Michael’s family.

  “Listen, Rachel, I’d love to stay and chat, but I was just on my way to an appointment.”

  “That’s not a problem. I just wanted to say hi and let you know I’m going to call the office to reschedule my next appointment.”

  “Is everything all right? If you need something sooner, I can make arrangements.”

  If anything, the smile on Rachel’s face grew bigger. “Oh, no. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just going to be helping my brother Michael get settled in his new house. He bought the cutest little cottage right around the corner from Lucas and Sarah.”

  Maggie’s heart stopped. Could a person die of a heart attack at thirty-five? Because if that was possible, she was having one. Right now.

  Why hadn’t he told her he was moving home? Didn’t she even rate the courtesy of a message to say, “Hey, how ya doin’? Don’t be surprised to see me on the streets because I live in Oak Grove now”?

  She figuratively smacked herself upside the head. He had texted. A few weeks back. And she’d ignored all of them. She’d even hidden out when he’d knocked on her door later that evening. She couldn’t see him and keep this secret from him… and she just wasn’t ready to tell him. At least not until after her appointment.

  “Dr. James, are you all right?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine. I’m so sorry. I’m just preoccupied.”

  “No problem. I’ll talk to you next week.”

  Rachel bounced down the sidewalk, stopping in front of the sheriff’s department. The door swung open and Sawyer stepped out. Sheriff Truman now. He swept her into his arms and kissed her.

  Maggie’s heart sat up and paid attention.

  No way. Just because she was pregnant did not mean she needed a man in her life. Certainly not one who was as committed to being single as she was. Besides, her private practice and patients from the fire and sheriff’s department filled eighteen hours a day. She could barely take care of herself. She wasn’t about to add a relationship into the mix.

  MAGGIE STARED AT the flashing numbers on the panel as she rode the elevator to the third floor. Her stomach revolted and her mouth filled with saliva, but she took deep breaths and held back the nausea. When Maggie had been in Philly last month, she’d barely survived the thirty story elevator ride in Cheryl’s building. As soon as the doors had opened, Maggie rushed to the bathroom and lost her lunch. She’d made it that day—she could suffer through a measly three floors. If the OB had been on a higher floor, though, she likely would have lost her lunch as soon as she stepped into the office. Thankfully the elevator arrived on the doctor’s floor, and Maggie’s stomach subsided. A minute later, she was scratching her name on the sign-in sheet.

  Blue and yellow giraffes covered the bright pink scrub top the nurse behind the desk wore. Is that what Maggie had to look forward to, cartoon images? “Is this your first visit, uh, Ms. James?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “And how far along do you think you are?”

  “Maybe about twelve weeks?”

  The nurse raised a single eyebrow and muttered under her breath. Maggie didn’t break eye contact. This woman was not going to make her feel bad about not coming in before now. The nurse didn’t know enough about Maggie’s life to judge her.

  Nurse Judgey McJudgerson handed her a stack of papers on a clipboard. Maggie flipped through them. It wasn’t like she was buying a house. It was just one little baby. Why did they need so much paperwork?

  Fifteen minutes later, as she finished scribbling her name on the final paper in the stack, the door opened. “Margaret James?”

  She hopped up and her head swam. After fumbling for the arm of the chair for support, she steadied herself until the dizziness passed. She then strode by the same scowling cartoon-clad nurse who checked her in.

  The nurse stepped up beside her. “At every appointment we’ll get your weight and a urine sample. So if you can just slip off your shoes, we’ll get you on the scale.”

  Maggie smiled. She worked hard to maintain a perfect one-hundred-and-twenty pounds. Especially for being five-foot-seven. All through her childhood, her mother had chided her when she’d gained a few pounds. As hard as Maggie tried, she couldn’t shake her mother’s voice in her head, reminding her, A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, dear.

  The nurse made a note on her pad. “One hundred eighteen.”

  Maggie squared her shoulders. See, she hadn’t gained weight. But the expression on the nurse’s face didn’t match Maggie’s satisfaction. “What?”

  “I’m a little concerned with your weight, honey. For your height, especially. Have you been sick?”

  Sure, Maggie’d been throwing up some, but she was only a couple pounds down from normal. That was no big deal. But this wasn’t about her. What if she put the baby at risk because she had been sick? Oh crap, she should have come in before now. No wonder the nurse was judging her.

  That didn’t make the nurse’s raised eyebrows go down any easier.

  The nurse led Maggie to a generic door in a long line of exam rooms. “If you could leave a sample in the restroom, that would be great.” She gestured to the open door beside the restroom. “When you’re done, undress from the waist down, climb on the table, and lay the drape over your lap, the doctor will be in shortly.”

  Maggie left her sample, and then stepped into the exam room. Pictures of pregnant women and stages of labor were hung on the walls, taunting her. She was so not ready for this. She eyed the door. Maybe she could sneak out and no one would come looking for her. Shape up, Maggie. You’re a thirty-five year old woman who’s pregnant. You’ve got this.

  She slipped her skirt and panties down and folded it neatly onto the side chair. After sliding her bare ass onto the cold plastic cushion and sticking to the tissue cover, she grabbed the extremely thin paper drape.

  Twenty minutes later, Maggie was still swinging her feet back and forth. She’d counted the dots in the ceiling tiles, and she’d read every sign hanging on the wall. Still no doctor. Maybe there was an emergency. Fine by her. She could just come back another day.

  As she started to climb down, two knocks sounded at the door. “Margaret James?”

  She righted herself on the table and readjusted the drape. “Yep, that’s me.”

  A fair-haired woman in a white lab coat crossed the room and extended her hand. “I’m Dr. Alexander.”

  “Dr. Margaret James. Oh, I’m sorry. Maggie. Sometimes I slip into professional mode.” Slip? Yeah, right. Maggie had a doctor in front of her name, too. Her twenty minutes waiting for the doctor was equally valuable.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry for the delay. I understand you think you’re about twelve weeks along?”

  “As far as I know.”

  “Well, how about we
find out for sure?”

  Thank God she didn’t hear judgment in the doctor’s voice. Maggie lay back on the table and pulled her shirt up over her belly. She’d heard about the cold gel and ultrasound machines, although she’d never witnessed one being used herself. Cheryl had asked Maggie to attend one of her sonograms, but Maggie had begged off.

  But instead of squirting gel on her belly, like Maggie expected, the doctor pulled out another instrument. A long narrow wand that suspiciously resembled something Maggie had tucked in her nightstand drawer. “Trans-vaginal ultrasound. We can take measurements and find out exactly how old this little one is.”

  Maggie closed her eyes. This was it. She’d no longer be able to deny her pregnancy as she’d done masterfully for the past month.

  The doctor poked and prodded Maggie and then pushed a bunch of buttons on the machine. “Nice strong heartbeat.”

  Maggie didn’t hear anything. But finally, a rapid fluttering… whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh… filled the room.

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “Oh my gosh, that’s my baby’s heartbeat? It’s so fast.”

  “That’s perfectly normal. And everything looks good.” The doctor tucked the equipment away and offered Maggie a hand to sit up. “You were right. Your conception date was around September fifth, give or take a couple of days.”

  Yep, Labor Day weekend. The last time she’d seen Michael. The sex had been especially intense that day. He’d been agitated and she’d tried to get him to open up, but he’d distracted her with one of the most intense orgasms she’d ever had. She suspected his mood had to do with Rachel, but she couldn’t discuss it without betraying Rachel’s confidence.

  Damn, this was going to get messy.

  “As I said, everything looks great. Your baby is right where it’s supposed to be. I’m going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Make sure you take them every day. And here are some pamphlets detailing what you should and shouldn’t do while pregnant. The key is everything in moderation. If something doesn’t feel right, then stop.”