friendly option.”
Exasperating man. “Sic him, Hildie.”
“Honestly, Rach, what are you worried about? The few minutes alone in the car can’t possibly be as intimate as the visit itself. I mean, we’re going to find out for sure whether or not we’ve created a new life, hopefully get to see the first sonogr—”
“Shh! It’s bad enough that the dogs probably woke up everyone in the subdivision. We shouldn’t be out here discussing private matters.”
“You’re absolutely right,” he said smoothly. “I’ll come inside.”
He went from leaning against the fence to sprinting before she had time to protest. She’d say this for him—he could move.
But paying him compliments was the furthest thing from her mind when she opened the front door. “I don’t want to ride with you.”
Peering at her beneath the foyer chandelier, he frowned. “Up close, you don’t look … I mean … Rough morning?”
“I guess there’s really no debonair way to tell a girl she’s green and disheveled.”
“You’re sick to your stomach, aren’t you? I’m an ass. You shouldn’t have been standing out in the cold talking to me—you should be off your feet. Why don’t you go relax, and I’ll make some coffee? No, caffeine’s bad for the baby. I’ll pour juice and—”
“You’ll go away,” Rachel said firmly. “I appreciate the sentiment, sort of, but I don’t need help.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Why are you? David, I don’t want you to take care of me.”
He surprised her by putting a hand across her abdomen. “It’s my baby, too, Rach. Let me be part of this. Don’t shut me out again.”
She flinched at his soft words. “I would never try to push you away where the baby’s involved.”
“There was a time I wouldn’t have believed you would push me away, period.” He let his hand drop away.
He blames me. Worse, on some level, so did she. “It’s not—it’s not like I set out to create distance between us. But there were times when it was hard to be around you.” Like the day the doctor had called with the results from the routine test confirming that David was not the infertile one.
Of course he wasn’t. Robustly healthy, he didn’t even have the decency to come down with the occasional flu so that she could commiserate with other wives about what a lousy patient he was. Hell, if he ever did get sick, he’d probably be perfectly gracious about it. A tangle of long-suppressed emotion bubbled to the surface—resentment for her do-no-wrong husband and self-loathing that she hadn’t been able to love him more unconditionally, that she’d ever allowed resentment to take root.
“You know, it wasn’t exactly me pushing you, it was more pulling away. Retreating like a turtle. For my own defense.”
“Defense? I never would have hurt you!”
Not on purpose, but it was amazing the accidents that could take place in close quarters. “You don’t think it hurt when you pushed me to put my miscarriage behind us like it never even happened?” She cupped her hands over her belly, as if the protective gesture could somehow keep such a thing from happening again.
“I was encouraging you to look forward, to consider other possibilities. You were in such a dark place,” he reminded her, frustration thick in his voice.
“I was.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “And I felt very alone there.”
“I was trying my damnedest, Rach. What the hell more did you want from me?”
She struggled to find the right words, her own emotions and his growing impatience making an already difficult task nearly impossible. “Maybe what I needed was less from you.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Well, you know me. Overwrought, crazy Rachel.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
“Finally.” She choked on a sob, wanting him gone so she could fall apart without losing the remains of her dignity. “Something we agree on.”
“I DON’T GET men,” Arianne said, leaning against the doorjamb.
“Then we’re even.” David kept his gaze on the spreadsheet in front of him. He needed to go in a few minutes, and he hated leaving things unfinished. “Because I don’t get women.” His curt tone would have warned away most would-be conversationalists.
His little sister, however, was impervious.
She sauntered inside the office and dropped into a chair. “Seriously, I’m baffled. Yesterday you were in a great mood. Today you’re biting off heads left and right.”
“You should go while yours is still attached,” he said mildly.
“What’s going on, Dave?” In contrast to her earlier tone, she no longer sounded like an adolescent sibling needling him. She sounded like a bona fide grown-up who was concerned—and more astute than people might think.
He met her gaze, wanting to tell her everything was fine but unable to lie to her outright. “Nothing that we need to discuss right now. Shouldn’t you be working?”
She waved a hand. “I doubt the owner will fire me over a few minutes back here. That’s the beauty of nepotism.”
David snorted. “Dad has never shown his kids favoritism. If anything, he’s tougher on us than he’s been on some of the part-time help over the years. You work darn hard.”
“I know.” She dimpled at him. “But I like hearing you say it. Now, are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or do I have to pull Mom aside and tell her I’m dreadfully worried about you?”
“Brat.” They both knew that Susan could be obstinately determined when it came to prying information from one of her kids. She’d already expressed some concern for him, and if Arianne added that he was acting strangely, his mother might not be content to leave well enough alone. He made a show of checking his watch. “If you’re done with your attempted extortion, I’m supposed to meet Rachel somewhere.”
“‘Somewhere’?” Arianne echoed.
“It involves your Christmas present. I can’t say more. It would ruin the surprise.”
“You’re so full of it. But at least Rach never has to worry about her husband keeping something from her. You’re a lousy liar.”
“I wouldn’t lie to Rachel.”
“I was joking. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, sure.” It was just that he didn’t find much about his marriage funny these days. He stood. “If I don’t get out of here,
