One Last Objection_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  That was true. Maggie hadn’t figured out how to cover her patients when she was home with the baby. After a couple of weeks, she could probably handle a few sessions, but before then, she’d definitely need someone. “Do you think she’d be interested?”

  “Let me talk to her and have her give you a call. Maggie, you just think about yourself right now. We’ll come up with a plan to get your patients covered… don’t you worry about that.”

  “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Always, Maggie. In the meantime, take care of yourself and I’ll have Dr. Bryson give you a call.”

  Maggie clicked off the phone and threw it on the desk. As much as she knew in her head that she was doing the best thing for her and the baby, she hadn’t expected so much of her life to change already. There was so much she wanted to accomplish with her practice, so many ideas she had for group sessions and community outreach. All of those would be delayed now.

  She sat through her next two sessions, but her mind wasn’t on her patients. It was back in that exam room as her daughter waved at her through the sonogram machine. And then later, when her head swam as the doctor explained how Maggie’s body was failing her baby. This was just another sign she wasn’t cut out to be a mother. Her body couldn’t even take care of her baby until her daughter was born.

  Michael had been right. She shouldn’t have come back to the office. She wasn’t doing her patients or herself any good. She couldn’t focus on their problems because of her own. As soon as her last patient left, she shut off the lights and headed for home.

  “MICHAEL, COME ON in.” Sarah motioned to Michael as he stepped into Lucas and Sarah’s house. The layout was very similar to his, but the resemblance ended there. His new cottage was a step above a bachelor pad while Sarah had made hers a home with pictures and knick-knacks.

  Michael stepped up to the fireplace and admired the photos of Sarah, Lucas, and Lily that lined the hearth. Would he ever have pictures like that of him, Maggie, and their daughter? The only picture he had of Maggie was one he’d snapped with his phone, her head thrown back and her hair falling over her shoulders as she laughed. When she was relaxed, like she had been in the photo, she was exquisite. Heck, she was always beautiful, but happiness shone through when she allowed herself to really relax.

  Sarah grabbed a few toys and stuffed animals and threw them into a basket next to the fireplace. Then she laid her hand on his shoulder. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  He shook his head and turned his back on the evidence of Lucas’s happy family. Michael flopped onto the couch while Sarah perched beside him. What was he doing here? When he’d left the doctor’s office, he hadn’t known where to go. Sarah was the only member of his family who had a baby… he hoped she could talk him down off the ledge he was hanging on to by his fingertips.

  She rested her hand on his knee. “What’s going on, Michael?”

  “I, uh, well, Maggie had a doctor’s appointment today. She had a sonogram. We’re having a girl.”

  Sarah clapped her hands, her delight evident in the smile on her face. “Oh, Michael, I’m so happy for you. Another daddy’s girl in the Bennett family. Just wait until Lily hears she’s going to have a little girl cousin. She can’t wait. She’s already decided that she wants to babysit the baby as soon as it’s born… with my help, of course.”

  Michael raked his hands through her hair. Why couldn’t he be pleased like Sarah was? Oh, yeah, because until the baby was born, her and Maggie’s life was at risk.

  Sarah’s smile fell. “That doesn’t seem like good news. Is there something wrong with the baby?”

  “I… I don’t know. The doctor said Maggie’s blood pressure was elevated and she might have something called PIH.”

  “What was the doctor’s recommendation?”

  How could Sarah be so calm when all he wanted to do was surround Maggie in bubble wrap and pamper her until it was time for their daughter to be born? “She said Maggie should take it easy and come back in two weeks.”

  “I’m guessing Maggie had a hard time with that recommendation?”

  You could say that again. “Well, a little. I know she wants this baby, probably even more than she can admit to herself, but she wasn’t willing to cancel her sessions and go straight home. I don’t know what to do. I feel so over my head here.”

  “I’m glad you came by, Michael. Listen, I’m sure it’s going to be okay. Just because her blood pressure is elevated right now doesn’t mean she’ll develop full-blown pre-eclampsia. I imagine she’s pretty scared, too. She probably feels like her body failed and she’s letting you down. Not many people know this, but the year after Lily was born, I had a miscarriage.”

  “Oh, Sarah.” How had she dealt with so much and still approached life with such a positive outlook?

  “The doctors didn’t know why. Sometimes it just happens. But for a long time, I questioned what I did wrong. After a while, I finally realized that it just wasn’t meant to be. I couldn’t have done anything differently and it wasn’t a personal failure.”

  Michael covered Sarah’s hand with his. She was a strong woman who’d survived great loss. Yet here she was, happy and getting ready to marry his brother.

  “Maggie’s smart. Give her a chance to get her head around this news. Talk to her. Ask her what she’s feeling and what you can do to help.”

  “That’s the thing. She’s so stubborn and she won’t let me help her. She thinks she can do it all by herself.”

  Sarah laughed.

  What in the heck was so funny? He didn’t find this situation funny at all.

  “If you’re anything like your brothers, I’m guessing you steamrolled her and demanded that she give up everything she’s worked for and change her entire life just because she’s having a baby.”

  When she put it that way, it didn’t sound so good. He hadn’t done that, had he?

  Okay, maybe a little.

  “Talk to Maggie. Ask her how you can ease her burden. Also, and I’m not telling you to go behind her back, necessarily, but sometimes it’s better to just do something rather than wait for her to admit she needs help. The best thing about Lucas is that he sees something that needs attention and he does it before I have to ask. I always love it when I come home and find the laundry done or the carpet vacuumed.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Lucas strode in from the kitchen with Lily thrown over his shoulder. “I thought I saw your car. Did I forget you were coming over?”

  “Uncle Michael.” As soon as Lily’s feet hit the floor, she threw herself at Michael. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, drawing in the sweet scent of her baby shampoo. Before long, he’d have his own little girl to hug. He looked over Lily’s head to see Lucas sweep Sarah up and kiss her.

  She laughed and smacked him across the chest. “Michael just stopped by to talk about some things.”

  Lucas raised his eyebrows. After a moment, he leaned down to Lily. “How about you go play in your room?”

  Michael’s gaze followed Lily as she skipped down the hall. As she stepped out of sight, he turned to his brother, who had a goofy look on his face as he, too, watched her.

  Lucas flung himself on the couch. “So what’s up, man?”

  Michael opened his mouth but shut it again as Sarah jumped in. She clearly understood that Michael wasn’t ready to divulge everything to Lucas just yet. “Michael was getting some tips on how to pamper Maggie through the end of her pregnancy.”

  Lucas pulled Sarah down to the couch and wrapped his arm around her waist. They shared a private smile. Finally, he broke her gaze. “Yeah, little brother, how’s it going with Maggie? You get her to forgive you for Christmas dinner yet?”

  How long would Michael have to relive that moment? Knowing his brothers, they wouldn’t stop ragging him anytime soon. “We’re working on it. I’d been trying to convince her to marry me since she told me about the baby. I thought if I nudged her, she’d have to say yes.” />
  Lucas threw his head back and laughed. “Have I taught you nothing? The way you get her to agree is to make her think it was her idea in the first place.”

  Sarah crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Maybe Michael wasn’t the only one about to be sleeping alone. “Is that what you did with me?”

  “No, honey, of course not. I asked you to marry me because I love you and couldn’t live another day without you.” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head, but over her head, he winked at Michael. “A woman wants to be courted and wooed. She doesn’t want to get married out of a misplaced sense of obligation. From what I know of Dr. James, she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’ll want to marry for love. You have to convince her you love her.”

  Michael chuckled. If only he hadn’t screwed up with Maggie, they could be comforting each other right now. Instead she’d left him on the sidewalk stewing over the unsettling news of her condition while she walked away like nothing was wrong. But he knew Maggie. The thought of the baby being at risk had to have affected her.

  Damn, he’d screwed up again.

  Maggie might have pushed him away after their appointment, but he’d failed that test miserably. He’d missed out on a perfect opportunity to show her his love.

  He leapt up. “Thanks, guys. This was really helpful.”

  Sarah’s voice followed Michael to the door. “Good luck.”

  Lucas’s mumbled words were the last things he heard before he closed the door. “He’s going to need it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “MICHAEL, WHAT A surprise.” Could her sarcasm get any thicker? It wasn’t Michael’s fault she was tired and upset and felt guilty for being frustrated about her pregnancy. It wasn’t her daughter’s fault that Maggie was overworked and overwrought. She sighed and hung her head, still holding the door open.

  Michael rushed through the door and closed it gently behind him and then his arms were around her. He rested his head on top of hers, murmuring quiet words into her hair as his fingers stroked her back. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just… I’m tired and frustrated.”

  He relaxed his arms but didn’t let go of her. Instead, he led her to the couch and nudged her to sit. But he didn’t sit beside her. What was he doing? Before she knew what was happening, he’d seated himself at the other end and lifted her feet into his lap. A minute later, he dropped her shoes on the floor and pressed his thumb into the ball of her foot.

  She flopped her head back and closed her eyes. “Oh, God, that feels so good.”

  He kept up the massage, moving his fingers nimbly across her feet, finding every sore spot and pressure point, each stroke of his fingers soothing not only her tired feet but her prickled nerves as well.

  Her last phone call of the day had been the counselor Barry had referred. Their comfortable conversation had persuaded Maggie that Dr. Bryson would fit in well in Oak Grove. Maggie was already compiling a list of patients she would recommend, starting with Rachel. The one session they’d had since Christmas had been strained, with Rachel trying to talk about Maggie and Michael during the uncomfortable fifty minutes. Maggie took comfort that Rachel hadn’t been backsliding; it was just that neither of them knew how to handle the awkward announcement at Christmas. Once Rachel got set up with Dr. Bryson, Maggie could restore their relationship—with Rachel as the baby’s aunt.

  “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”

  Maggie’s eyes popped open and she stared at Michael, a gentle smile on his face. “Stop it. I’m tired, my hair is a mess, and I’m getting huge.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You can say whatever you want, but I’m entitled to my opinion. As far as I’m concerned, you’re beautiful. That’s all that matters.”

  She studied him for a minute. Was he for real?

  He worked his hands up to her calf and found a spot in the back that relaxed every muscle in her body the minute he squeezed it. “So, what were you thinking?”

  She sank back into the couch and relaxed her neck. Her stomach pinched and grumbled, but that could wait a couple more minutes. “I talked to another counselor today. We came up with a plan for her to come to Oak Grove for two days a week and see some of my patients.”

  “What did you think of her? Do you think she’ll fit in here in Oak Grove?”

  “Yeah, I do. My mentor, Barry, said she’s fresh out of school and looking to get out of the city. She’s going to hold office hours Fridays and Mondays here and stay over the weekends. If she’s a good fit for a part-time fill in, then maybe she’ll be a good temporary replacement when I’m on maternity leave.” Maggie hated to think Dr. Bryson would spend all this time investing in a town and patients that wouldn’t be permanent, but as soon as Maggie was back on her feet, she was going back to work. She hadn’t busted her ass for all those years just to get pregnant and give it all up. She loved her job. Loved helping people have better lives. She wasn’t about to give that up. She wouldn’t be the first woman who had a career and a family.

  “Good, I’m glad you liked her.”

  What, no retort about maternity leave? No questions about why she wasn’t cutting her hours even more? Where was the Michael who challenged her at every turn? This entire situation was feeling a bit too cozy for her comfort. After he tried to sneak that ass-backward proposal in by announcing their engagement at Christmas, what did he have up his sleeve to get her to do what he wanted?

  “What?” He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  Was he serious? Michael Bennett never did anything without a detailed plan and a specific objective. So what was his goal now? “What do you mean what?”

  “You had this look on your face, like you didn’t understand.”

  Yeah, he had that right. Not understanding… and extremely suspicious. When she’d left Michael at the hospital, he was biting his tongue rather than going off about the fact that she wanted to finish her appointments for the day. Now he was patronizing her. “I was wondering why you weren’t arguing with me about how much time I was taking off or about my maternity leave.”

  He smiled at her but just kept rubbing and stroking her legs and feet. How could she figure out what he was thinking if he didn’t speak up, argue with her, fight for what he wanted? She didn’t know how to deal with Agreeable Michael.

  “You don’t have anything to say?” He always had something to add. He was a freakin’ lawyer, for crying out loud. Lawyers argue for a living. And here he was, not disagreeing with her.

  She’d figured her life out to this point without his help. Maybe not the way he would have done it, but good enough. But there was no way he had no opinions about her plan. He was probably biding his time until he could drop the hammer on her, like at Christmas. She was well aware of his tactics now, and she wasn’t going to fall for them. She refused to leave herself open to that kind of hurt again.

  “It sounds like a sensible plan to me.” He lifted her feet and rose. After he settled her legs back on the couch, he stepped in front of her. “I’m not going to argue with you. You are a bright, intelligent woman who knows how to get things done. You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I brought dinner.”

  She started to stand but he pushed her back.

  “You sit. Relax. I’ve got this.”

  He snatched two bags off the floor she hadn’t even seen him carrying and hustled into the kitchen. Other than relaxing, he hadn’t ordered her around. He hadn’t reminded her to rest and stay off her feet. What was wrong with him? Or what was he cooking up, other than dinner? She hated that she was suspicious of his motives, but he’d already blindsided her once.

  She yelled into the kitchen. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, sure, why? Did you need something?”

  “No, nothing. You just… don’t seem like yourself.” She’d love to think that the real Michael wa
s finally showing through. Maybe she’d been so busy holding tight to her concept of control that she failed to really see him.

  “Nope. Everything’s fine.”

  She mumbled so he wouldn’t hear. “It doesn’t seem fine to me.”

  Then she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

  Michael’s lips brushed across hers, the sweet taste of peppermint on his tongue. She raised her heavy eyelids. Two heaping bowls of greens with fruit and grilled chicken sat on the coffee table. “How did you do that so quickly?”

  He chuckled. “You’ve been asleep for about thirty minutes. I didn’t want to wake you but I thought maybe you should eat.”

  He pulled her to a sitting position and situated a bowl on her lap. The warm scent of chicken and Italian dressing made her stomach grumble. “I guess I am hungry.” She forked a huge bite into her mouth and tasted a combination of oil and vinegar and Mandarin oranges. “Wow, this is really good.”

  She patted the couch beside her and he sat, his thigh pressed up against hers. Much better than when he was way down at the other end, although she wouldn’t turn down another foot rub after dinner if he were offering. He smiled at her and swallowed a big bite of his own salad.

  As she ate, she looked around her apartment. A pile of folded clothes sat on the side chair… and where were the dirty plates and glasses that had been stacked on the coffee table? Sure, she’d agreed to bring in some help but she just hadn’t had the energy to make the calls yet. “Did you clean my condo?”

  He shook his head and spoke around the food in his mouth. “I just grabbed the dishes because I was loading the dishwasher. And I figured if I got all the clothes together, it would be easier for you to put them away. I know you like things a certain way and I didn’t want to mess with that.”