She needed to go shopping. Everything was too small for her now. Her belly felt round. Prominent. It made her wonder how huge she’d feel once she got to forty weeks.
She’d be exploding by then.
Pulling on an oversized cardigan, she slipped her feet into her boots and walked out to the chicken coop. Hester was the first to greet her, squawking loudly as Courtney opened the door. The hen walked out, her head proud, her eyes beady, shooting Courtney a disdainful look.
Shaking her head at Hester’s antics, Courtney lifted her basket and walked inside, placing it in the center as she slowly filled it with eggs.
As she lifted the basket back up, there was a little kick to her stomach. Not from the hens, but from the inside, as the baby reminded her he or she was here. “Hey,” Courtney murmured. “You finally woken up?” Another kick, followed by a rumble in her stomach. “I guess we’re both hungry for breakfast, huh?”
Since she’d felt the first kick on Saturday, the movements had become more regular. Every time she felt a tiny nudge against her, it made her smile.
She’d finally be able to tell Logan about the kicking the following afternoon, at her twenty-week appointment.
It had been a long few days without him. In her heart she knew they needed this time. To think. To breathe, even. Everything between them had been a whirlwind, from the moment they met in the middle of the road as she ran after the hens, to their first kiss, their first touch, then the pregnancy test that changed everything.
She felt a little tap. This time not from inside her belly, but on her leg. She looked down to see Harriet standing there.
“I’m okay,” she told the hen. “I really am.”
She was in love with Logan Hartson. She’d known it for some time. It had dripped inside her, like rain seeping through a gap in the roof. Slow, at first, but then the weight of it had pushed down, caved the roof in, and filled her until she couldn’t ignore it any longer.
But it needed more than love for them to make this work. And much more than the intense attraction that drew them together whenever their eyes met. It needed communication and compromise. That was something they’d need to work on no matter what happened to the two of them. For their child’s sake they’d need to listen, to talk, to work things through. To be aware that they both weren’t going to get their own way every time.
“How are the birds?” Ellis called out, as he walked down the lane toward her. She hadn’t even heard his car. Courtney took the last of the eggs and walked out of the coop, her lips lifting into a smile.
“Same as always. Hester’s feeling aggrieved, Harriet’s looking for attention. The rest of them are falling in line behind them.”
Ellis lifted his eyebrows. “Good thing they have you to keep them under control. How are the new ones settling in?”
“They’ve started to lay,” Courtney told him, lifting up the basket. “There’s plenty for the restaurant, and then some. I’m thinking an omelet tonight sounds good.”
“Talking of food, I have something for you.” Ellis lifted his arms. She hadn’t noticed he was carrying a white cardboard box. The kind you got at a bakery. “Mary asked me to bring them over. There are too many for her. She thought you might like them.”
“What are they?”
“Cookies and cakes,” Ellis said, shaking his head as though it was a stupid question. “Your man Logan sent them over to us. He sent some to Carl, too, by the sounds of it. Though Carl didn’t sound too happy.”
Carl had been released from the hospital the day after the shooting, heading straight home to recuperate. Mary had slept in his apartment the first night, but after that he’d refused any help. Courtney had called him to check on how he was feeling, but they’d both been cold with each other.
She was okay with that. He’d always be family in one way or another, but nothing more. Either he accepted things or he didn’t.
“Logan sent you pastries?” She pulled her lip between her teeth, her eyes meeting Ellis’s.
“Yeah. The good ones, too. You want some?”
The last time they talked he hadn’t even met Ellis and Mary. And now they were on pastry terms? What had he been doing all week?
Courtney’s stomach grumbled again. “Yeah, I could eat one. Let me put these eggs in their trays and wash my hands. You want a drink and have one with me?”
“Just had one. I’m heading to the upper field to repair the fence up there.” He inclined his head. “That Logan, I think he’ll be okay.”
“You do?” Courtney blinked, trying to hide her surprise. “You’ve spoken to him?” She felt a desperate need to know more.
“Yeah. He called Mary last night to introduce himself and make sure she was okay. Apparently your friend Lainey gave him our number. Anyway, he is a good man. Told her to take care, that your baby needs all its grandparents safe and sound.” He nodded, looking away. “That made her smile, you know?”
Unexpected tears stung at Courtney’s eyes. “I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well, if he makes Mary smile, then he’s okay with me.” He followed Courtney to the house, carrying the box into the kitchen. “I know it hasn’t been easy for you. None of this. But I appreciate all you do for us. Mary does, too. Since we lost Shaun it’s been tough on the farm.” He cleared his throat. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”
“I love the farm.” Courtney met his gaze. “You know that.”
“I do. But eventually we’ll need to think about selling. Me and Mary aren’t getting any younger, and farming isn’t an old man’s job.”
“You don’t need to sell. I can help.”
He gave her the softest of smiles. “I know
