Indian Summer

by Amy Elizabeth

  “I have no idea what those are.”

  “It’s an orange, a cherry, a sugar cube, and a dash of bitters, all muddled together,” she said, nodding towards the rocks glasses. “Start with that.”

  He glanced at her sideways as he reached for the fruit tray. “I’m impressed.”

  “Well, I worked at a bar in Chicago, remember? My junior year at Northwestern.”

  “That’s right. Didn’t you have a little fling with one of the managers there?” He snapped his fingers as he fumbled for the name. “Jerry, right?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe you remember that!”

  “Well, I should. He’s all I heard about that entire semester.”

  Shania groaned and shook her head. “It’s official. We’ve known each other way too long.”

  Alec chuckled. “Did you just now figure that out?”

  She mirrored his grin before she turned her attention to a new group of guests. He was still laughing to himself when he looked up and noticed Liz at the entrance of the lounge. He lifted his hand in a friendly wave, and she smiled when she spotted him.

  “What are you doing back there?” she asked as she approached the bar.

  “Filling in,” he replied, setting a cocktail napkin in front of her. “What would you like?”

  “I don’t know. Any specials tonight?”

  Alec raised his brows. “You’re joking, right? You think you’re going to pay for a drink here?”

  Liz laughed and turned her gaze to the selection of bottles in the wine cooler. “A glass of Chardonnay would be great.”

  He pulled a wine glass from the overhead rack and turned for the cooler, smashing into Shania in the process. “Oops, sorry,” she said, ducking beneath his arms. “Hi, Liz!” she added over her shoulder as she scurried to the opposite end of the bar.

  “Wow,” Liz said when he placed her drink in front of her. “This place is kinda crazy.”

  “Some nights more than others,” he replied, leaning his elbows against the bar. “How’s your summer been?”

  “So far, so good.” She took a sip of her wine and glanced out at the dance floor, where Tommy and Rebecca were conducting a lesson. “Didn’t he and Alli used to do that?”

  “Yeah. I’m guessing they had to improvise.”

  “So on a Saturday night, she’s teaching dance class and you’re working the bar.” Liz turned back to Alec. “You two never get a break, do you?”

  He shook his head. “You have no idea.”

  *

  Rebecca had barely danced since she’d been married–it wasn’t one of Alec’s favorite pastimes–but she was surprised by how much she remembered. They led the guests through a simple demonstration of the Texas Two-Step before Tommy pulled her around to his side to explain promenade-style dancing. Some of the couples picked it up immediately; others laughed their way through a series of blunders before they got the hang of it.

  “Alright,” Tommy called. “Are we ready to try it for real?”

  When everyone nodded, the band fired up the chords of an upbeat country song. Rebecca barely had time to catch her breath before Tommy had her whirling around the floor again. She wasn’t a terrific dancer, but she could at least keep up with him as he passed her behind his back and spun her around in time with the music.

  The part she liked the most, though, was seeing how much the guests were enjoying themselves. It was times like this that she was reminded of just how lucky she was. Tomorrow these people would leave for the airport to return to their homes, and all of this would become nothing more than memories in a scrapbook. Rebecca got to stay right here and live this life every day.

  As demanding as it was, there was nowhere she’d rather be.

  “What’s that look?” Tommy asked when the song ended.

  Rebecca shook her head as everyone applauded around them. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

  The band began playing another song, this one slower than the last. She turned to head back to the bar, but Tommy tightened his grip on her hand.

  “Not so fast. I wasn’t through talking to you earlier.”

  “About Liz?”

  “No. About you.”

  She frowned. “What about me?”

  “I’m worried about you. You’ve seemed kinda off lately. Is everything alright?”

  “Of course. We’ve just had so much going on with the bear and everything.”

  Tommy studied her eyes. “You know, Bec, you’re not nearly as good of a liar as you used to be.”

  At that, Rebecca gave a little laugh. Tommy had always been able to see right through her. “Is it Shania?” he asked.

  “Actually, no. Believe it or not, I really like her.”

  “That’s a relief. I about had a heart attack when Alec told me he’d hired her.”

  “I’m sure you did.” She paused. “I didn’t know that you were here when Walter had his accident. You never told me that.”

  It was Tommy’s turn to frown. “Well, it’s a summer I’m sure we’d all just as soon forget.”

  “Yeah, he finally told me the whole story.” Her eyes drifted to the bar, where Shania was conversing with a group of guests. “What were they like? Alec and Shania, I mean?”

  “I can’t say. I never really saw them together. The only chunk of time I spent with Shania was when I drove her to the airport.”

  Her stomach lurched. “You took her?”

  “The day after Walter’s accident. She came to me asking for a ride, so I said yes. She didn’t say much, but I could tell she was hurting.” He followed Rebecca’s gaze to the bar before he pulled her closer. “Not that I don’t appreciate your attempt to change the subject, but you never answered my question. You’re sure you’re alright?”

  It was at least the hundredth time this week that someone had asked her that, and she’d managed to play it off every time.

  Now, though, the truth came spilling out.

  “I don’t know, Tommy,” she said quietly. “I think I’m pregnant.”

  Chapter 27

  As soon as she said the words, Rebecca clamped her hand over her mouth. What was the matter with her? How had she just blurted it out like that…to Tommy, of all people?

  Tommy wasn’t one to take a misstep on the dance floor, but he definitely missed a couple beats as he pulled back to look at her.

  “I can’t believe I just told you that,” she whispered.

  He looked as startled as she felt. “Does Alec know?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been trying to tell him. I just…”

  The song seemed to end abruptly, jolting her back to her surroundings. She waited for the applause to die down and the next song to begin before she spoke again.

  “Tommy, please. I haven’t told anyone–”

  He silenced her with a squeeze of her hand. “I won’t say a word.”

  Beyond mortified, Rebecca turned and strode off the dance floor. She wanted to race right out the door and home to the safety of her bedroom, where she’d never have to emerge and face the truth. As long as no one else knew, she could keep pretending like it wasn’t happening.

  Somehow, saying it aloud made it seem a thousand times more real.

  It had been such a busy couple of weeks that at first she didn’t even notice she was late. It wasn’t until after the rodeo that she finally started to put the pieces together. Sure, she hadn’t been feeling well and she’d been unusually edgy, but it was easy to brush it off as adjusting to Shania’s presence on the ranch.

  Then, on Monday morning, as she thought back to Alec’s recent bout of insomnia, it suddenly dawned on her that they’d been intimate more often in the past month than in the past year.

  All week now she’d waited…and waited…and she was still waiting. With each passing day, she realized that she was waiting for something that wasn’t going to happen.

  The queasiness came right back when she saw Alec standing behind the bar. She knew she needed to tell him–she s
hould have told him days ago–but she still couldn’t muster the courage to do it.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want a family; she knew that he did. They both did. But now? They already didn’t have two free seconds for themselves or each other.

  How in the world were they going to make time for a baby?

  Rebecca was so lost in thought that she almost walked right past Liz, who was seated on the end barstool. “Hi, Rebecca.”

  She plastered a smile on her face and hoped it looked sincere. “Hi, Liz,” she said, pausing to give her a sideways hug. “How are you?”

  “I’m good.” She motioned to the dance floor. “You looked great out there.”

  “Oh, thanks. I felt like I had two left feet.”

  “Well, I couldn’t tell,” Liz replied. “I know you and Alec are really busy this time of year, but Tommy and I were saying how nice it would be for the four of us to go out sometime.”

  Under any other circumstances, Rebecca would have laughed. She’d been waiting almost a year for Liz to get friendly with her, and she picked tonight of all nights to do it.

  “We would love that,” she said, trying her best to sound natural. “Sunday nights we can usually sneak away. Maybe we could invite Jeff and Alli, too.”

  Before Liz could respond, a quiet voice sounded behind them. “Miss Parsons?”

  Rebecca turned to see Holly standing there, staring at Liz in confusion. “You’re not my student anymore, Holly,” Liz responded, setting her wine glass on the bar. “You can call me Liz.”

  Holly gave a little laugh. “What are you doing out here?”

  With precision timing, Tommy appeared beside Liz. “Visiting him,” she replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “Oh!” Holly’s eyes widened as she glanced between her and Tommy. “I didn’t realize…I mean, I didn’t know–”

  “It’s okay,” Liz said, sparing her any further awkwardness. “How’s your summer going?”

  “It’s good. Great, actually.” She looked up at Jake as he stepped up beside her. “Are you ready to go?”

  Jake nodded and slid his arm around her waist. “Ready when you are.”

  He must have sensed Rebecca’s gaze, because he glanced over at her and gave an innocent little shrug. What? he mouthed. Rebecca did nothing but shake her head in amusement as she slipped beneath the pass-through.

  Liz watched Holly and Jake exit the lounge before she turned to Rebecca with arched brows. “I guess you and Alec don’t have any rules against that?”

  “Against what? Our staff seeing each other?”

  She nodded.

  “No, not really. As long as it doesn’t interfere with their work, whatever they do in their off time is their business.”

  “We wouldn’t be able to keep any staff if that was the case,” Tommy added as he settled onto the stool beside Liz. “This ranch is notorious for summer romances.”

  Rebecca silently thanked him for his ability to pretend like she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on him two minutes earlier. He looked unruffled as ever as he leaned in to greet his soon-to-be fiancée with a kiss.

  “How was your day?” Liz asked.

  “It was good,” he said, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Did you just get here?”

  Stop staring at them and do something useful, Rebecca ordered herself.

  She couldn’t focus on anything if her life depended on it, but she did manage to turn and open the door to the beer cooler. She popped open a Blue Moon–Tommy’s drink of choice–before she poured it into a cold glass and garnished it with an orange slice. Wordlessly she set it in front of him and pointed to Liz’s half-empty glass.

  “Pinot Grigio?”

  “Chardonnay,” Liz replied, sending her a sideways grin. “Thanks, Rebecca.”

  Rebecca’s hands were trembling as she selected the bottle of Chardonnay and topped up Liz’s glass. Then she jammed the cork into the bottle and replaced it in the fridge, leaning closer to feel the cold air against her cheeks. It was so exhausting to keep up the pretense that nothing was bothering her. She’d managed well enough all week, but now she was about thirty seconds away from a total meltdown.

  Tommy met her gaze when she turned back towards them. She could see his concern in his eyes, which only made her feel shakier. She was seriously considering telling Alec that she needed to go home when he gestured for her to join him at the opposite end of the bar.

  “Hey,” he greeted, motioning to the couple that he and Shania were conversing with. “Did you meet the Turners this week? They’re from Boston, too.”

  The last thing Rebecca felt like doing was talking about her hometown. As always, though, she had no choice but to play her part.

  “What part of Boston?” she asked, trying to sound enthusiastic

  She managed to make small talk for a few minutes before Mrs. Turner nudged her empty wine glass in Rebecca’s direction. “Could I get another glass of rosé, dear?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Gratefully Rebecca picked up the glass and carried it over to the cooler. She pulled the wine from the fridge and started to pour it, but her mind wasn’t focused on the task. She gasped when the lip of the bottle knocked against the rim and the glass shattered right in her hand. Rebecca cursed under her breath as she dropped the broken pieces onto the cooler and pulled a long shard of glass from her palm. Blood immediately gushed out, dripping down her forearm to her elbow.

  Before she could blink, Alec was at her side. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head and reached for a napkin, pressing it against her palm. Within seconds, it was saturated. Alec grabbed a nearby bar rag and wrapped it around her hand before he touched the small of her back.

  “Come on,” he said. “There’s a first aid kit in the kitchen.”

  *

  Ryan and his crew were finishing the last of the dinner service for the dining room when Alec and Rebecca entered the kitchen. “Whoa!” he cried when he saw the bloody bar rag. “What happened?”

  “I broke a glass,” Rebecca replied.

  Alec led her into Ryan’s office and shut the door behind them. He guided her to the chair before he opened the door to the first aid kit and sorted through half a dozen different items. Then he knelt in front of her and removed the rag from her hand, holding it closer to examine the injury.

  “This looks bad, Bec. You might need stitches.”

  “No, it’ll be fine. The liquid bandage should do the trick.”

  Alec selected the tiny blue bottle and unscrewed the lid. He took her hand again and carefully applied the medication to her skin, blowing several breaths onto her palm to encourage the liquid to dry. Then he met her gaze, and his eyes widened when he saw the tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “Does it hurt that bad?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s not my hand.”

  “Then what is it?”

  He frowned in confusion when Rebecca’s chin started to quiver. Two more tears spilled out of her eyes as she leaned forward and hid her face against his shoulder. He sat frozen for a moment, bewildered by her reaction, before he slowly pulled back to look at her.

  “You’re starting to scare me,” he said softly. “What’s the matter?”

  Rebecca sniffed and drew in a shaky breath. “Alec…I’m late.”

  Chapter 28

  Alec stared back at his wife unblinking. At first he thought he’d misunderstood her, or at least the meaning of her response. As he studied her eyes, though, he realized that he understood her perfectly.

  “How late?”

  “Almost two weeks.”

  His stomach dropped to the floor. “Two weeks? Rebecca, why on earth didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’ve been trying to. Honestly, Alec, I have. But every time, something would come up–”

  “That was more important than this?”

  His response came out more forcefully than he intended. She cringed at his tone and squeezed he
r eyes shut, covering her mouth with her hand. Alec silently cursed himself for his outburst as he enveloped her in his embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I didn’t mean to yell. I just…I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner.”

  She didn’t respond. He could feel her heart hammering through her shirt, letting him know that she was just as frightened as he was.

  Pull it together, he ordered himself. She didn’t need a lecture right now. She needed his strength, regardless of how helpless he felt.

  Alec sucked in a deep breath. “Have you taken a test yet?”

  “No.” She sniffed as she lifted her face. “I’ll get one tomorrow. I’ve just been waiting every day, thinking it’s a false alarm, but after this long…”

  When her voice trailed off, he gave a gentle nod. “Let’s not get too carried away until we know for sure, alright?” he said, dropping his gaze to her palm. “It looks like the bleeding stopped.”

  Rebecca glanced at her injured hand. “Yeah. It did.”

  Alec kissed the back of her hand and rose to his feet. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’ll finish up down here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded and slowly pulled her up from the chair. He thought he felt her tremble as he wrapped his arms around her, but then again, he was probably trembling himself. He didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but it certainly wasn’t this.

  Was it just this morning that they were talking about the next phase of their lives? Fate could have offered him a hundred different guesses, and he never would have imagined that this would be the answer.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered in her ear. “And you know I’m going to take care of you no matter what.”

  “I know, Alec. I don’t doubt that for a second.”

  Alec remained in the office long after she’d headed up to the farmhouse. Gradually he sank into the chair, trying to comprehend the incredible shift that their lives were about to take. He’d experienced many such shifts before–his parents’ divorce, his father’s accident, even taking over and expanding the business. Yet somehow none of those things seemed as daunting as the possibility of his wife being pregnant.