The Sheriff's Nine-Month Surprise

by Brenda Harlen

  She shook her head.

  “So when are you having this ultrasound?”

  “Two o’clock Tuesday at the Battle Mountain Medical Clinic.”

  “Can I go with you?”

  “You can meet me there,” she suggested.

  “Are you honestly worried that someone might see us together in Battle Mountain?”

  “No,” she said. “I was actually more concerned that if there was a law enforcement emergency, you might have to take off and leave me stranded.”

  “I can make it work,” he told her.

  “Okay, then,” she relented. “You can pick me up at one.”

  * * *

  Reid was impressed by the modern facility and efficient staff at the Battle Mountain clinic, where they were taken to an exam room only a few minutes after checking in. Katelyn hopped up on the table as instructed, while he was directed to stand on the other side of the table, out of the way but able to see everything that was happening.

  A few minutes later, the technician came in and introduced herself to the expectant parents, then briefly outlined the procedure for a transabdominal ultrasound and explained how the measurements she obtained would help accurately pinpoint the baby’s estimated date of delivery.

  Following her instructions, Katelyn folded back the hem of her top and pushed her yoga pants down to her hips to expose her abdomen. The technician keyed some information into the computer, then squirted warm gel onto the expectant mother’s belly. She used what she’d told them was a transducer—a small plastic device that sent out and received sound waves (and, in Reid’s opinion, looked a little bit like the upholstery attachment of his vacuum cleaner)—to spread the gel around.

  He reached for Katelyn’s hand, a silent gesture of support, and she offered a small smile in return.

  Then his attention shifted to the monitor as the tech clicked the mouse and keyed in the data she was gathering. But Reid was focused on the grainy black-and-white image on the screen, searching for something that looked like a baby. And then he saw it—although it looked more like a blob than a tiny person. Though on closer inspection, he could see a head distinct from the body with stubby legs and little T-Rex arms. But what really struck him when the technician enlarged the image was that something in the center of the body blob seemed to be pulsing.

  Katelyn was watching, too, her grip on his hand tightening. “What...is that...the baby’s heart beating?”

  “That’s what it is,” the technician confirmed.

  Then she clicked some more keys, and suddenly the baby’s heartbeat was displayed across the bottom of the screen, the woop-woop-woop surprisingly fast and loud in the small room.

  Reid looked at Katelyn, who was trying to focus on the screen through eyes blurred with tears. He had a pretty good idea how she felt, because in the first moment he’d recognized that big-headed alien-looking blob as their child, he’d been filled with emotion. And watching and listening to that little heart beating, he was overwhelmed by the knowledge that he’d played even a minor part in the creation of this tiny person.

  Later, as he walked out of the medical center beside Katelyn, she reached for his hand. “Thank you for being here with me today.”

  “Thank you for letting me be here,” he said, truly and deeply touched by what he’d experienced—and grateful that she’d included him.

  She smiled. “It was pretty amazing, wasn’t it? Actually seeing our baby.”

  He nodded. “For the past few weeks, I’ve hardly been able to think about anything else. But still, the baby was something vague and distant. Until today. Looking at the image on the screen, hearing the beat of the heart, it suddenly all became real.”

  “Morning sickness made it real for me,” she said lightly. “But I know what you mean. Even though I’ve experienced changes in my body, they were just abstract symptoms of pregnancy.”

  He fished his key fob out of his pocket and unlocked the doors of his truck, but he paused before walking Katelyn around to the passenger side. “I know you have all kinds of reasons for believing that marriage isn’t necessary or even desirable, but I want our baby to have a real family. I don’t want to miss out on the first tooth or first steps because it’s not my turn or my day or my weekend. I want both of us to be there for all the milestones.”

  “I don’t want to miss out on anything, either,” she admitted. “And if the best way to be sure that doesn’t happen is to get married, then let’s do it.”

  “Really?” he asked, equal parts stunned and hopeful. “You mean it?”

  She nodded. “I really mean it.”

  He opened the maps app on his phone. “If we leave now, we can be in Las Vegas in six hours and twenty-two minutes.”

  But Katelyn shook her head. “We’re not getting married today and we’re definitely not getting married in Vegas.”

  “I’m afraid that if we don’t do it right now, you might change your mind,” he admitted.

  “I’m not going to change my mind,” she promised.

  “Let’s make it official, anyway,” he said, and pulled a familiar square box out of his pocket. At her questioning look, he shrugged. “What can I say? I’m an eternal optimist.”

  Then he dropped to his knee again, right there in the parking lot, and said, “Katelyn Gilmore, will you marry me?”

  This time, she didn’t back away or cut him off. Instead, she held out her hand. “Yes, Reid Davidson, I will marry you.”

  He rose to his feet and slid the ring on her finger. Then he kissed her, and Kate closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by the romance of the moment.

  He kept his arm around her, holding her close for another minute. “Thank you for giving us a chance,” he said.

  “You might not feel so grateful in another six months, when you haven’t had more than three consecutive hours of sleep because our baby’s colicky and screaming,” she warned.

  “Whatever challenges we face, I know we’ll get through them together,” he assured her.

  “The first challenge will be telling my dad.”

  He opened the passenger door and helped her climb in. “Do you want to do that today?”

  “The sooner the better, so we can pick a date and start planning the wedding.”

  “This weekend works for me,” he told her.

  “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, if we’re going to get married, we’re going to do this right, and not even my family could pull everything together in four days.”

  “Okay, how much time do you need?”

  “More like four weeks,” she decided, crossing her fingers that she’d be able to find a wedding dress off-the-rack and the minister would be free and Marcella could squeeze in making a wedding cake and Naomi could do her flowers and—

  “So what changed your mind?”

  His question was a welcome reprieve from the details spinning through her head—until she realized that he expected an answer.

  Because she definitely wasn’t ready to tell him the truth—that the reason she’d changed her mind was that she’d fallen in love with him. Not only because she knew he didn’t feel the same way but because she suspected it was a truth he wasn’t ready to hear.

  Since she’d told him about her pregnancy, he’d been focused on doing what was best for their baby. He certainly hadn’t said or done anything to hint that he wanted any kind of emotional entanglements. In fact, he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in falling in love.

  But she’d seen the look on his face when he saw their baby on the ultrasound monitor—and she recognized the surprise and wonder and love, because they were the same emotions that filled her heart. And if he could fall in love with their unborn child, she had to hope and believe that maybe, someday, he might fall in love with her, too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Reid and Katel
yn drove straight to the Circle G to share their news with her family. David Gilmore understandably had reservations about the quickness of their engagement—especially when he learned of their plan to marry before the end of the summer.

  “Is there any particular reason for the rush?” Katelyn’s father asked them.

  “I thought you’d want to be a father-in-law before a grandfather,” she responded to his question.

  “Grandfather?” he echoed, clearly stunned. “You’re...pregnant?”

  She nodded. “The baby’s due in February.”

  Her father’s brow furrowed as he did the math. He looked at Reid, his scowl deepening. “You didn’t waste any time making your move, did you?”

  “I made the move,” Katelyn interjected, attempting to take the heat.

  Reid appreciated the effort, but he wasn’t going to hide behind his fiancée. “I’d say we moved together,” he countered.

  She smiled at that. “Maybe we did.”

  “Well, I guess what matters now is that you’re doing the right thing,” David said. “Getting married and giving your baby a family.”

  Reid nodded. “Yes, sir. And it would mean a lot to both of us to have your blessing.”

  “Well, of course, you’ve got my blessing,” his future father-in-law said. “And my checkbook for the wedding.”

  “That’s a generous offer, sir, but—”

  “No buts,” David interjected. “I want Katelyn to have the wedding of her dreams—or as close as possible within your time constraints.”

  She hugged her father. “Thank you.”

  David smiled at his daughter, his eyes shiny. “Now you better give your grandmother a call—she’ll want to know what’s going on and help you with the planning.”

  So Katelyn did, and a short while later her grandparents and siblings showed up to join in the celebration.

  It didn’t take long after that for the news to make its way through town, and everywhere they went, they were offered congratulations and best wishes. If people were surprised by the August 30 date they’d set for the wedding, they didn’t show it to the happy couple.

  And they were happy.

  Reid’s only cause for complaint was that he barely saw his bride-to-be in the weeks leading up to the big day. He knew she was busy taking care of all the details that went into a wedding: drafting the guest list and sending out evites, finding a dress, then fittings for the dress, meetings with the baker and the florist, then tracking replies to the invitations and working on a seating plan for the reception—which was being held at the Circle G under the cover of huge tents rented for the occasion.

  Reid’s responsibilities were limited. He gave his notice to Bev and Norm, since he’d be moving in with Katelyn after the wedding, packed up his meager belongings and went into Elko with Caleb and Liam to be fitted for their tuxes.

  Which meant he had a lot of time to focus on his job, which he generally enjoyed. His least favorite part of being sheriff was playing politics. But if he wanted to remain in the position, and of course he did, then he’d need to run for reelection when Jed Traynor’s current term expired. And that meant gritting his teeth and making nice with the voters, even when those voters drove him crazy with incessant nuisance calls.

  Two days before his wedding, the call was from Ruth Fielding.

  “I’ll send Deputy Neal to talk to Mr. Petrovsky about his cat digging up your flowers,” Reid promised.

  “Talking isn’t going to grow me new flowers,” Ruth protested.

  He made a note on the pad on his desk. “Perhaps some form of restitution can be arranged.”

  “We need a leash law for cats,” she said. “I have to put my Harvey on a leash when I take him out. It’s not fair that obnoxious feline—”

  A movement at the door caught his eye and he looked up, a ready smile on his face for his fiancée, who was meeting him for lunch.

  The smile froze on his lips when he saw that it wasn’t his soon-to-be wife standing in his doorway, but his ex.

  “—gets to run free around the neighborhood and create havoc—”

  “You’re right, Mrs. Fielding,” he interrupted. “And I’ll send Deputy Neal over right after lunch.”

  Then he disconnected the call to focus on his unexpected visitor.

  “Trish—what are you doing here?”

  She shook her head, a gesture of undisguised exasperation. “Reid, you’re getting married in two days—where else would I be?”

  “Home in Echo Ridge with your husband and child?” he suggested.

  “They came with me,” she said. “Because Jonah understands why I needed to be here.”

  “I’m glad someone does,” he said, but he pushed away from the desk and embraced her. “You look good.”

  “It’s the boobs.” She smiled proudly as she glanced down at her chest. “Breastfeeding has added a full cup size.”

  He winced. “Please spare me the details.”

  “This town needs a decent hotel,” Trish said. “We’re staying in Battle Mountain because Dusty Boots Motel sounds like a place that rents rooms by the hour and I wasn’t sure that you’d have space for us to squeeze in at your place.”

  His head was spinning. He was grateful that she hadn’t made any assumptions about staying with him—which would have been more than a squeeze—but he had to ask, “But why are you here?”

  “Did you really think you could send me a text message telling me that you were getting married and not expect some follow-up conversation?”

  “I thought you might call,” he acknowledged.

  “I wanted to read the expression on your face when you explained to me how this happened.”

  “I met a girl, I asked her to marry me, she said yes.”

  Trish shook her head. “That’s a very concise summary—too concise.”

  And then he heard a familiar voice in the outer office as Katelyn and Judy exchanged pleasantries.

  Reid had no idea how the next few minutes would play out, but he didn’t have a good feeling.

  “I really wish you’d called before you got on a plane,” he muttered.

  “If I’d called, you would’ve told me not to come,” Trish acknowledged.

  “You’re right,” he confirmed.

  “Which is why I didn’t call,” she said logically.

  “Did it ever occur to you that showing up—unannounced and uninvited—might not go over well with your ex-husband’s bride-to-be?”

  “No,” she admitted. “Why would she care? She’s the woman you’re head over heels for and I’m already married to someone else.”

  “I don’t know that she will care, but—” he gave up trying to explain as his fiancée walked into his office.

  “Sorry, I’m late, I got caught—oh,” Katelyn’s explanation cut off abruptly when she realized Reid wasn’t alone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “You’re not interrupting,” he assured her.

  She looked from him to the other woman in his office and back again.

  “Katelyn, this is my ex-wife, Trish.”

  Whatever she was thinking or feeling, Katelyn kept it hidden behind a neutral expression. But she took a step toward Trish and held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “And you,” Trish said, shaking the proffered hand. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you.”

  “That’s going to have to wait.” Katelyn offered a polite if cool smile. “I’ve got to run to a meeting with a client.”

  “But we’re supposed to have lunch,” Reid reminded her.

  “I got the call just as I was heading over here—that’s why I was late,” she said.

  And though it was a plausible explanation, he didn’t believe it was a complete one.

  “We can go after your mee
ting then,” he offered.

  Katelyn shook her head. “I really don’t know how long I’ll be. It’s probably better if you two go ahead.”

  “I could go for lunch,” Trish said as Katelyn disappeared out the door. “You pick the place, and I’ll pick up the tab.”

  Reid decided to let her, because he instinctively knew that he’d be paying for this later.

  * * *

  When Kate checked her phone, there were half a dozen missed calls and an equal number of text messages from Reid. She replied to the last one, letting him know that her meeting had gone late but confirming that she was home now.

  He immediately responded: I’ll bring dinner.

  Which dashed any hope of putting him off until the next day.

  Ten minutes later, he knocked at the door. Though she’d given him a key because he’d be moving in after the wedding, he wasn’t yet in the habit of letting himself in.

  She put a smile on her face and opened the door.

  Reid walked in carrying a large takeout bag from Diggers’, and the scent of spicy buffalo sauce and fried grease teased her nostrils and made her stomach growl.

  “I’m guessing you never got around to having lunch today,” he said, proof that he’d heard the rumble.

  “I guess I didn’t,” she admitted, only realizing it now herself.

  He carried the bag of food to the table.

  “Why’d you run out of my office today?”

  “I didn’t run,” she denied, opening the cutlery drawer. “I had a meeting.”

  He reached in the cupboard beside the sink for plates. “Since when is Emerson a client?”

  “Since today,” she told him.

  Because she was a terrible liar, and because she hated the idea of lying to Reid, she’d made her friend give her a dollar as a retainer so she could legitimately claim solicitor-client privilege and not have to admit that seeing her soon-to-be husband cozied up in his office with his ex-wife had sent her to her best friend’s house in tears.

  “How’d you know I was with Emerson?”

  “Because after I had lunch with Trish—and thanks for setting that up, by the way—”