“Uh-huh.” Hannah rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips tilted up as she focused her full attention on Maddie. “I didn’t realize you were pregnant. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Maddie replied hurriedly. “I swear I’m not. Nick has gotten it in his head that I am, though.”
“You’re not pregnant?” Hannah’s forehead wrinkled. “Why is Nick telling people you’re pregnant if you’re not?”
“Because he’s crazy.” Maddie pinned her husband with a dark look. “He just started this nonsense this morning when I wasn’t feeling well. I tried telling him it was impossible, but would he listen? Nope.”
Hannah glanced between the conflicted couple. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Nick’s worry was real. If he thought Maddie was pregnant, perhaps there was a possibility it was true. “I’m not an expert or anything, but he must have a reason for thinking that.”
“I do.” Nick bobbed his head. “She’s been sick multiple times over the past few weeks. The bouts come really fast and then are gone just as fast. That indicates it’s not a bug and there’s no way she got food poisoning so many times over the course of several weeks.
“Then, last night, when we got back to the hotel room she was complaining that her back and feet hurt,” he continued. “When my sister was pregnant with my niece, her feet ballooned into these weird sausage-like things. That’s what she actually said, that it was like walking on sausages.”
“That seems like conclusive evidence to me,” Cooper noted. “Congratulations.”
Maddie scorched him with a dark look. “I’m not pregnant. Stop saying that.” Her voice was shriller than she intended, but she couldn’t stop herself from panicking. They weren’t ready. They’d only been married a few months. They planned on waiting to start their family. “I’m on the pill.”
“My wife was on the pill when my daughter was conceived,” Boone noted. “Lindsey was a surprise, but it all turned out in the end. I wouldn’t worry about it. I think you guys are going to be wonderful parents.”
“See.” Nick’s grin was broad as he turned his full attention to Maddie. “It’s a little sooner than we planned, but we’re going to be good at it. You need to keep up your strength so we can plan, though.”
“Nicky.” Maddie’s voice was low and full of warning.
Her husband barreled forward as if he hadn’t heard her, though. “I know you can’t really control it, but I think we should start out with a boy first. That way he can protect a little sister when perverts start sniffing around when she’s a teenager.”
Maddie’s mouth dropped open as her temper flared hot and fast. “I’m not pregnant!” She practically bellowed the words at the same time the swinging doors opened to allow Jackie, Danielle, and Maude entrance. The two witches had helped the older woman change into her bartending uniform and the trio looked to be having a great time as they laughed and cavorted. All that changed as Maddie’s words washed over the room.
“You’re pregnant?” Maude, whose outfit was just as low-cut as Hannah’s normal uniform, straightened. “You can’t be pregnant. I’m too young to be a grandmother.”
Maddie was incredulous. “You’re my grandmother.”
“Yes, but I mean a great-grandmother. What will people say?”
Maddie dropped her head into her hands. “This is so stupid.”
Nick patted her shoulder in a soothing manner. “You’ll feel better after you have some breakfast. We need to make plans for the day anyway. Just for the record, I’m not allowing you to leave this saloon until you eat your eggs and hash browns. It’s simply not going to happen.”
“This is unbelievable,” Maddie muttered.
“You’re telling me,” Maude complained. “I’m too young to be a great-grandmother, Maddie. You’re totally ruining my life.”
SINCE SHE THOUGHT MADDIE NEEDED IT, Hannah suggested a walk to cool down. Nick didn’t seem happy with the suggestion, but Cooper wisely waylaid him with a reminder that it was the last day of the event, which meant they had limited time to track down a killer. Since they were serving as a team, that meant they had to start working things out sooner rather than later. So, with a forlorn wave that actually made Maddie feel guilty, Nick sent them off.
Hannah waited until they were on the other side of the hill that led out of town to ask the obvious question. “Are you absolutely certain you’re not pregnant?”
If looks could kill, Hannah would’ve dropped dead where she stood. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” Hannah refused to be drawn into an unnecessary fight. “I’m just curious.”
“Well, I’m not pregnant.”
“Fair enough.” Hannah held up her hands to signify surrender and the two women walked a short distance in absolute silence. Because she was who she was, Hannah couldn’t stop herself from pressing further. “It’s just that you don’t strike me as the sort of person who would fly off the handle over a simple question unless, maybe, hormones are an issue.”
“I’m not pregnant,” Maddie practically screeched. “Nick is making a mountain out of a teeny-tiny anthill.”
“I think you mean molehill.”
“I said what I said.”
Despite the serious situation they found themselves mired in — apparently on more than one front — Hannah couldn’t contain her smile. “Nick seems okay with the possibility, so if you’re worried about that ... .”
“I’m not worried about that,” Maddie muttered, scuffing her shoe against the ground. “It’s just ... we had plans. We wanted to be married two years before we added kids to the mix. We thought it was best that we have that time alone. You know, to bond.”
Hannah’s eyebrows hopped in amusement. “I don’t want to tell you your business, but I’m pretty sure you guys are just about as bonded as two people can get. It’s not as if you don’t know one another. You grew up together, for crying out loud. You’ve known each other since kindergarten, right? How much more bonded do you expect to get?”
“We were apart for ten years,” Maddie
