“He’ll come around,” Mary told her. “It’s just a shock. That’s all.” She picked up her fork and scooped up some potato, lifting it to her mouth.
Ellis leaned over to grab his own fork, then wiped it on his napkin before cutting up another piece of ham. “This is really good,” he said, spearing it into his mouth. “You’re a fine cook, Courtney,” he said once he’d swallowed it down, giving her a toothy smile.
They were good people, her in-laws. She’d always felt lucky to have Ellis and Mary on her side. And Carl? Well he could be hot headed, but he was still grieving Shaun’s loss the way they all were.
“You should eat,” Mary said softly. “For the baby.” She reached across to squeeze Courtney’s hand. “There are two of you to think about now. And if I’m going to be this little one’s grandma then I get to take care of you both.”
Courtney smiled at her. “Thank you for being so understanding.”
“A baby is always happy news,” Mary said firmly. “Always. And Carl will agree, when he calms down.”
Ellis lifted his wine glass to his lips, winking at Courtney. “I’ll drink to that.”
“I have this amazing new foot cream,” Lainey said as she and Courtney sat in the cottage the following evening. She’d been giving Courtney a pedicure, promising that it would relax her after yesterday’s encounter with her in-laws. “It’s supposed to make even rhino skin go smooth. Though I think it might have met its match with you.” She wrinkled her nose. “You need to take better care of your feet.”
Courtney wiggled her toes. “These are working feet. I stand on them almost twelve hours every day.” She swallowed a laugh as Lainey rubbed the cream into the soles. “Hey, that tickles.”
“I’m surprised you can feel anything through this thick skin.” Lainey shook her head. “I’m booking you for a weekly mani pedi starting next week. No arguments.”
“It’s pointless. I’ll just ruin it on the farm. And anyway, I’m busy.”
Lainey rested Courtney’s foot on her leg, her expression turning serious. “You need to start looking after yourself. For the baby’s sake. You can’t keep working long hours and expect everything to be okay. Have you even thought about when you take maternity leave? Who’s going to fill in for you? What will you do with the baby when you go back to work? You’ll be in the middle of your busiest season here on the farm.”
Courtney tipped her head to the side, her eyes on Lainey. “Have you been reading a pregnancy book?” she teased.
Lainey’s cheeks flushed. “No.” She pressed her lips together. “Okay, I’ve read a few websites. And they all say I’m right.”
It was impossible not to smile at her. “I only found out I was pregnant a week ago,” Courtney pointed out. “I haven’t got it all figured out yet. But I will. We can get some seasonal workers if we need to. And if all goes well, I should be able to get back out in the fields pretty soon, even if I have to baby wear or something.”
Courtney’s phone started buzzing on the coffee table in front of them. She picked it up, lifting an eyebrow when she saw who was calling.
“It’s Logan,” she told Lainey.
“Take it.” Lainey leaned in, intently. “Don’t worry about me.”
Courtney shook her head with a grin, then swiped her finger to accept the call. “Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me.” His voice was buttery smooth.
“How are you?” she asked, ignoring Lainey’s wide-eyed stare.
“I’m good. More importantly, how are you? Did it go okay with your in-laws yesterday?”
Courtney let out a sigh. “It went as well as I expected. They were kind, but shocked. And Shaun’s brother was pissed.”
“The brother who nearly caught us that night?”
Courtney swallowed, remembering his warm, hard body against hers, as well as the total panic she had when she realized Carl was knocking at the front door. “Yeah, that one.”
“Do you want me to talk to him? Smooth things over?”
“Good Lord, no.” Courtney shook her head even though he couldn’t see her. “That wouldn’t go well. He needs some time and space to get used to the news. He and Shaun were really close. It must be difficult for him.”
“I don’t want him giving you a hard time. Not when you have our baby to think about.”
Courtney blushed at his use of the word ‘our’. Was that the first time he’d used it? Maybe it meant he was getting used to the idea. “Did you talk to your family?” she asked him, still wondering.
“Just my brother. Gray.”
“The rock star.”
He chuckled. “That’s the one. I haven’t told everyone else though. I figured there’s plenty of time for that. Plus, I can’t guarantee they won’t blab all over town.” He cleared his throat. “It was good to talk to him. Helped me sort through all these damn thoughts rushing around my brain.”
“Everybody will know soon anyway. I’ve come to terms with that.” Courtney watched as Lainey pulled out her bag of nail polishes, selecting a shiny vermillion one. She shook it and unscrewed the top, arranging Courtney’s feet on the towel across her thighs so she could start to paint the nails.
“You know I’m gonna take care of you, right?” Logan’s voice was low. “I’m here for whatever you need.”
“That’s very sweet, but I can take care of myself,” Courtney told him. “But I’m glad you want to take care of the baby with me. I want him or her to know their father.”
“You’re the mother of my child, Court. I don’t know how else to deal with this other than to be there for you. I want to be involved. The pregnancy, the birth, the whole thing.”
Lainey stopped mid-brush, her lips curling up as she met Courtney’s gaze. “Oh. My. God,” she mouthed.
“Stop it,” Courtney mouthed back. Then aloud, she said, “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“I’m flying
