put the brakes on. Going home was not an option. No sense in getting melancholy about it. She had to move forward, think about where she would stay, how she would support herself, get medical insurance…
The two older women had said good-night and were leaving the kitchen before Beth realized how lost in thought she’d been. Quickly she called out a good-night, and then silence descended. She’d already finished her soup and a third slice of bread. If she didn’t think she’d burst at the seams, she would’ve had another just for an excuse not to talk.
But there was a downside to the silence. More worries germinated and grew inside her exhausted brain. The small amount of money she had left in the bank would take her through one day. Hopefully she’d get a temp job tomorrow, but what if she couldn’t?
“I should have warned you about those two,” David finally said, his voice serious, but when she looked at him one side of his mouth was lifted. “I hope they weren’t too nosy.”
“Oh, no, they were incredibly kind.” She swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat. “They made me feel so welcome. I—I—”
Oh, God, not now.
The tears came in buckets.
Chapter Three
Great. This was terrific. David set aside the apple and then wiped his hands on a napkin, trying not to notice how fragile she looked in that oversized coat she’d oddly refused to take off. Had he said something inflammatory? What was he supposed to do now? He could call his mother…
Nah, he wasn’t that big a coward. Hell, he headed a multimillion-dollar law firm. He could handle this small problem. He cleared his throat, got her a box of tissues and then gave her several awkward pats on her back while he searched his helpless brain for something to say.
She dabbed at her eyes, blew her reddened nose. “I’m sorry,” she said, reluctantly raising her watery blue eyes to him. “I have no idea where that came from.”
He withdrew his hand. “You’re probably just tired.”
She sniffed and snuggled deeper into her coat as if for protection. “That’s no excuse.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Her gaze came up, her eyes bright, and he thought she might start crying again.
“This is a tough time for you,” he added quickly. “Uncertainty is difficult to face under the best circumstances and now you have a baby to consider.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, “for being so understanding. I’m really not such a wimp.”
The sincere gratitude in her eyes got to him and he touched the tip of her nose. “I don’t doubt that for a moment.”
The rest of her face got as red as her nose. “You’re treating me like a child again.”
“What?”
“Don’t deny it.” A teasing smile started at the corners of her mouth. “But that’s okay. I’m used to it. I look young for my age, plus my brother and his friends were so much older that they’ve always treated me like a kid.”
“Is that why you won’t go back to Idaho?”
Any trace of a smile vanished and she hunched her shoulders. “Not exactly.”
“I’m prying. I apologize.” He knew little about pregnancy but enough to understand that a woman’s body and mood changed. And boy, did he just get a sample of it. If she started crying again it would be his fault.
“You have a right to know. After all, you’ve taken me in.”
“Just for the night.”
Embarrassment rose in her cheeks. “I understand. I’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I didn’t mean that. What I was trying to say in a very bad way was that you don’t owe me any explanations. My offer wasn’t conditional.”
“I know.” She sighed. “My brother has a notoriously bad temper. If he finds out about Tommy taking my college money—” She pressed her lips together, panic flickering in her eyes, as if she’d said too much. “Anyway, Junior and his wife work the farm now. They have three children. There’s really no room for me there.”
“And your parents?”
“They died when I was fifteen. Junior took over my guardianship.”
“He’s your only sibling, I take it.”
She nodded. “Even though he’s twelve years older than me we’re very close, but he wouldn’t understand me getting pregnant. He never liked Tommy.” She stared down at her hands. “I guess Junior was right about him.”
“Nevertheless, surely your brother wouldn’t turn you away.”
She looked up, her eyes troubled. “Oh, no, of course not.” She blinked, looked away. “It’s complicated.”
“And none of my business.”
She gave him a tiny apologetic smile. The discussion was closed. He respected that, and to reassure her, he laid a hand on her clasped ones. They were cold and fidgety, and she was so small his one hand covered them both.
Her eyes widened, slightly, just enough to spark an awareness in him that made his mouth go dry, his chest tighten. Trust…gratitude…were both there in her unguarded expression. He pulled away and raked a hand through his hair.
“I’m sure you’re tired.” He stood and disposed of his half-eaten apple. “Let me show you to your room.”
She got to her feet, her gaze following him with a wariness that unsettled him. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not. I just figured you wanted to rest.”
She pushed back the sleeves of her coat. “I’m going to do the dishes first. Is the soap under the sink?”
David grunted. “You are not going to wash the dishes.”
“I’m certainly not going to leave them.” She brushed past him with her bread plate and bowl.
“We have a dishwasher.” His gaze scanned the room. He knew they had one somewhere…. Ah, he spotted it to the right of the sink.
“I’m sure Ida has already run it for the night. It won’t take me long to wash these up.” She placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the water. Her coat sleeves slid back down and she pushed them up again.
David shut the water off, and when she turned to him he placed his hands on her shoulders. “You are not going to wash dishes. You are going to bed.”
He’d expected her to comply but she surprised him by tilting her head back and narrowing her gaze. “Says who?”
The
