“That’s too bad.”
The conversation switched to babies while they readied the table. A while later, Alex accidentally hit Taylor with the croquet mallet, sending Taylor into a fit of tears.
Finally, the food was ready, and a line formed for everyone to fill their plates. It was then that Hanna pulled Natalie over by the pine trees.
“Well, Sis, I have a little news of my own today.” Her eyes sparkled, and Natalie’s breath caught.
“Are you pregnant?”
The smile said it all. “I am.”
Natalie squealed and hugged her sister. “Shhhh!” Hanna said, laughing. “We haven’t told anyone yet.”
“When’s the baby due? Do you know yet?”
“I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I think around the end of February.”
Natalie couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Hanna and Micah were so in love, and they would be great parents.
“When are you going to tell the family?”
Hanna wrinkled up her nose. “Well, that’s the thing. We were kinda going to tell them today, but with your big news, I was thinking maybe we should wait. I don’t want to—”
“No, Hanna, no. Tell them today. Really, I want you to.” It was sweet of Hanna not wanting to steal her thunder, but Natalie thought this just capped the day off.
“Hey,” Natalie said. “Won’t it be cool to have babies at the same time?”
“I’ve already been thinking about that. Our baby and your baby will only be a few months apart.”
Natalies heart stopped at the words. My baby. She hadn’t started thinking of this amazing child as hers yet. Not really. It was hard when this child was in someone else’s body. But in a few short months, someone would place this infant in her arms, and she would be a new mommy. Again.
Hanna and Natalie joined the rest of the family. After filling their plates, they seated themselves at the two picnic tables that had been pulled together and covered with blue-checked plastic tablecloths. Next year, this time, there would be twelve at the table instead of ten.
Word of the adoption had spread to her dad and Micah, but David seemed surprised when the topic came up. Natalie wondered why Paula hadn’t told him.
Her dad asked about Linn and her situation, and Natalie filled them in on the details, still being careful to leave Linns name out of the conversation. She wondered at what point she could dispense with that rule. She at least wanted to get Linns permission.
Alex wolfed down his hot dog and chips before dashing out toward the croquet game. Taylor picked at his food, and she finally got him to eat a hot dog sans the bun and a spoonful of baked beans. Realizing that was the best she’d get, she set him free, and he joined his brother in the yard.
Across from her, Paula sat stiffly, moving food around on her plate. Next to her, David ate quietly. Although he talked to Gram and her father, she hadn’t noticed him speak once to Paula. Natalie wondered what was going on between them.
Before the adults left the table, Hanna gathered everyone’s attention. Micah took her hand, and they shared an intimate look before Hanna spoke.
“Micah and I have some news we wanted to share today, and it goes hand-in-hand with Nat’s good news.” She exchanged a smile with Natalie.
“Micah and I are expecting.” She looked from face to face expectantly.
“Oh, Hanna!” Her mom reached over and gave her a sideways hug. “I’m so happy for both of you.” She leaned across Hanna and hugged Micah.
“My, my,” Gram said. “What a day this has been. Congratulations, you two. I didn’t have any idea. You’ve been buzzing around the lodge like superwoman.”
“I’ve been feeling pretty good so far,” Hanna said.
Natalie noticed Paula had yet to say anything. Her face looked strained.
“Congratulations,” David said.
“Yes, it’s been quite a day.” Paula’s tight smile spoke volumes, though no one else seemed to notice.
There was an air of celebration the rest of the evening. Natalie was thrilled for Hanna and Micah, and equally excited that their babies would be so close in age. But for the first time, Natalie wondered if it would bother her to see Hanna growing big with her pregnancy while someone else carried her baby.
Oh, well at least I wont get the fatigue and swelling and backaches.
Shortly after they cleaned up, Keith came by to pick up the boys. She’d arranged to meet him in the front yard, since it was still awkward for her family. Her parents may have forgiven Keith for his desertion and what he had done to Gram, but she doubted they’d ever forget. Sometimes she didn’t think she would either.
When darkness began to fall, they loaded up her parents’ SUV with lawn chairs and set off toward the heart of Jackson for the annual fireworks display. In the back of the SUV, Natalie gazed out the window. The huge buttes were shadowed against the darkening sky, and the majestic houses snuggled up against the base looked like Monopoly homes in comparison.
The town would be teeming with tourists tonight, and Natalie hoped they’d be able to find a spot to watch the display. Each year the town put on a grand show at the base of Snow King, and people came from all around to see the fireworks.
Tonight Natalie couldn’t help feeling a bit lonely without the boys. But Keith had asked weeks ago if he could take them, and she knew the boys were starved for time with their dad. At least she had her family. Though, with the exception of Gram, they were all couples. She wondered if she’d ever get over feeling incomplete without a husband. The thought of being married again brought only fear, though. She was in no hurry to put her heart on the line again. How could she ever trust another man after what Keith had done to her?
“I think we should have left earlier,” her dad said.
The traffic was bad along Broadway. They’d be fortunate to find a place to park.
When they neared the town square, a huge crowd had already gathered. Tourists snapped pictures in front of the arch of elk antlers, the towns most popular landmark. Pedestrians flooded the sidewalks, meandering in and out of the rustic shops like busy ants.
“It may take me awhile to find a spot,” her dad said. “Why don’t I let everyone out, and you can go try to find us a place.”
They agreed that her mom would call her dad on her cell phone and let him know where they’d settled.
They each grabbed a lawn chair from the trunk at the stoplight and made their way down Cache Street on the boarded sidewalks.
Hanna took Gram’s arm and led the way with Micah and her mom behind. Paula and David strode behind them, and Natalie brought up the tail. People were everywhere. If they weren’t walking, they were lined up on the edge of the sidewalks, their chairs pointing toward Snow King’s steep slope. They’d arrived much too late, and she was beginning to wish she’d brought a tall ladder to climb to the roof of the center. They would have had a perfect view from up there. Already it was dark, and only the streetlamps and storefronts illuminated the street.
A pedestrian bumped her arm, and she dropped the folding chair.
“Excuse me,” the woman said as she passed.
Natalie stooped over to grab the chair, and as she did, her purse slid from her shoulder, spilling out its contents.
“Wait up, guys,” she called to her family as she scooped her checkbook, keys, and various coins back into her purse. She glanced in the direction she’d been walking but saw no sign of her family among all the people. Shoot.
“Is this yours, ma’am?” An older man she didn’t recognize handed her a tube of lipstick.
“Thanks.” She stuffed it in her purse and slid it on her shoulder before grabbing the chair off the boarded sidewalk. All the while, people stepped around her. Finally, she stood and rushed as quickly as she could toward her family. She looked above heads as best she could, given her short stature. Where did they go? She couldn’t see a thing. Surely they’d realize they’d lost her and stop.
She kept going, past Simson and Han
sen Avenues, but they were nowhere. She realized they could have turned off on either of those streets and made their way up toward King Street. At the corner, she stopped in her tracks in front of Fighting Bear Antiques. People on chairs and lawn blankets covered the yard and large rustic porch.
She’d never find her family now, not among all these tourists. Someone jostled her, and she moved toward the edge of the sidewalk and propped the closed chair against her leg.
Her cell phone. She pulled it from her purse and turned it on, waiting for it to light up. Nothing. She sighed. The battery was dead. She put the phone back in her purse. Great. Now she was out here all by herself with no car to get back to her parents’ house. Just what she needed. Her parents would worry about her.
A glance at her watch told her that the display was about to begin. She looked around at the families and couples sitting in groups. At the people passing her, all talking and laughing. The warm summer air seemed almost stuffy as she stood, suddenly feeling very alone in the midst of a crowd.
She just wanted to go home. Maybe that’s what she would do. It wasn’t that far, and she could call her mom and let her know she’d made it home fine. She wasn’t interested in the display anymore. It was no fun watching it alone. She looked at the darkness around her. It would be very dark in her neighborhood without all the store lights. Her heart beat quickly at the thought. Did she really want to be walking alone at night? Memories of the attack surfaced.
Don’t be silly, she told herself. Nothings going to happen. She picked up her chair and hiked her purse higher on her shoulder.
“Natalie?”
She turned toward the Fighting Bear’s lawn and scanned the crowd. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out anyone she recognized. She tried to place the voice she’d heard and couldn’t. Maybe he’d been calling a different Natalie.
“Over here.” Someone stood up on the edge of the property and waved. From his silhouette, she recognized him. Kyle.
She waved.
He maneuvered around the people and blankets until he was by her side. “Are you meeting your family?”
“Not exactly. We were together, but I kind of lost them.”
She warmed at the smile on his face.
“You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. I think there’s room to squeeze in another chair.”
It was tempting, but she was still feeling a little sorry for herself. Her boys should be with her, and they weren’t. She was supposed to be enjoying the evening with her family, and she wasn’t.
“I was thinking I’d just walk home. I’m not really in the mood for fireworks tonight.”
A boom sounded that she felt deep in her stomach. A bright starburst exploded in the sky.
“Too late,” Kyle said. “Come on. You might as well stay.”
Three more colorful displays burst in the sky. She looked at Kyle. He turned from the brightened sky, his skin glowing pink from the fireworks.
“All right.” She followed him back to his spot and set up the chair. It was a squeeze between his chair and the blanket beside her, where a Hispanic family of six crowded together. Finally, Natalie settled into the chair and relaxed. As the fireworks exploded above her and the deep booms rumbled in her throat, she thought of the freedom she enjoyed and wondered what her life would be like next Fourth of July.
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Kyle had looked over and seen Natalie on the sidewalk, his first thought was to hide. He was alone, but that suited him just fine. He’d come to the fireworks for something to do, and he wasn’t one to need a bunch of friends around to make him feel secure.
But then Natalie had stopped on the sidewalk. Her arms hugged her torso as the chair leaned against her leg, and he thought she looked like a lost little girl. Then, suddenly she looked as if she were about to bolt. All thoughts of hiding fled as her name formed on his tongue.
He called himself all kinds of fool even while he extended his invitation. Why was he asking her to watch the fireworks with him? Was it pity? She’d looked so alone and had become separated from her family. Or did he secretly want to spend time with her?
As they walked to his spot on the lawn, he shoved the thought away. It was compassion that made him do it and nothing else.
They sat down, their chairs arm-to-arm in the tight space. Above them, the colorful display erupted rhythmically.
“Do you have a cell phone on you?” Natalie asked.
“Sure.” He dug his from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Mine’s dead, wouldn’t you know it? I don’t want my family to worry.” She punched in a number.
Kyle turned toward the dark sky and watched the display. He heard her talking to someone with the reassurance that she was fine. She had to talk loud to be heard over the booms and the oooing and aaahing all around them. Not to mention the toddler who squealed on the blanket beside her. When Kyle heard Natalie telling her family she’d walk home, he spoke up.
“I can give you a lift if you want.” Now, where had that come from? The last thing he needed was to spend more time with Natalie. Already, he’d admitted to himself he was drawn to her. And the last thing he wanted was a woman in his life. But it wasn’t safe, even in Jackson, for a woman to be out walking alone after dark. He was surprised she was even willing, after being assaulted.
“Are you sure?” Natalie covered the mouthpiece. “It’s not far.”
“No problem.” Except to his peace of mind.
Natalie said good-bye and handed him the phone. “Thanks.”
They watched the rest of the fireworks in silence. The grand finale came, and the crowd applauded all the way through it. As the last of the fireworks sounded, the departure scramble began all around them.
“If you don’t mind,” he said, “I’d just as soon wait until the traffic clears.”
“Don’t like sitting in traffic, do you?”
“It’s the one bad thing about summers here.”
Natalie leaned back and rested her head against the chair back. “It’s not so bad, really. It just seems bad, compared to the off-season.”
“It’s a unique place to live,” he said. “Soon as warm weather hits, the tourists come and flood the town with their camping and climbing gear. Then it gets cold, and everyone seems to disappear almost overnight.”
“And my favorite restaurants close for a few weeks.”
“Then after Christmas, the skiers come flooding in and enjoy the slopes until spring.”
“And then it starts all over again,” she said.
He nodded. “I guess it’s not surprising that there are so many transients. Not many locals left.”
“Nope,” she said. “I guess I’m a rare breed.”
They watched the family beside her packing up their things and let the quiet fall between them. The night sky was perfectly clear, and even with the lamplights along the sidewalk, he could see hundreds of stars dotting the sky. He thought of Jillian on nights like this and wondered what heaven was like. Could she see him here on earth, or was she tucked away at the foot of God’s throne?
He shook the thought away. Thinking of Jillian only left him depressed. Their relationship hadn’t been very good, and his last moments with her were ones he wished he could forget. If only she’d never told him about the affair. It would have been better not to have known.
“I’m glad I ran into you tonight,” Natalie said, jerking his thoughts back to the present. “I wanted to thank you for all the information you’ve given me on adoption.”
“Have you decided what to do?”
“Actually, I have. I told my family today. I am going to adopt the baby.”
He tried to keep the surprise from his face. “Well. Congratulations.” He nodded thoughtfully. Inside, he was astounded at Natalie’s resolve to do what she felt was right. Astounded by her bravery. How many single mothers with two young children would adopt a newborn?
“I’m not sure how I’ll be able to work it all out. The finance
s and everything. It’s not like I have money to burn or anything.”
The least he could do was offer her a discount. If she was willing to put her future on the line for this baby, the least he could do was lower his fee. “I’d be glad to cut my fees to make it a little easier.”
She blinked, and he saw something like fear in her eyes before she looked away
It struck him as odd, and he wondered what caused it.
“Oh. I’m not sure how we’ll be doing this,” Natalie said.
How they’d be doing it? She must mean through an agency or attorney. Maybe she didn’t know he was the only one in town who handled adoptions. “Sure. Well, if you choose to go the attorney route—and that’s what’s usually done in cases like this—I can save you a lot of money.”
He stopped himself. It sounded almost as if he were begging for her business. What was wrong with him? She clearly didn’t like the idea of using his services. He could almost feel her close up on him when he’d suggested it.
“Thanks for the offer. Everything is really up in the air right now. I don’t even know if my client has health insurance.”
She shifted in her chair, and he sensed her discomfort. “The boys with their dad tonight?”
She nodded. “He’s keeping them overnight.”
“How long were you married?”
“Eight years.” She cradled her purse in her lap and played with the leather straps. “You were married before.”
The comment caught him off-guard. She was remembering what Linn had said at the center, of course. He should have known it would come around to this eventually. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
She’d given him a way out, but suddenly he didn’t want to take it. Was it the way she looked at him, with eyes as soft as a rose petal?
“It’s true, what Linn said.” It pained him to say it. Real pain that radiated out from his heart.
“I find that hard to believe.” She hardly knew him, yet she believed him innocent of Linn’s accusation.
Saving Grace Page 15
