by Cindy Kirk
Baby Dreams in Good Hope
Cindy Kirk
Copyright © Cynthia Rutledge 2020
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 9798622478611
Prologue
One month earlier
Marigold Rallis pushed aside the sadness, determined to enjoy Sunday dinner with her family. Though she considered herself an optimist, she’d learned over the past two years that infertility pressure could bring down even the staunchest glass-half-full gal.
Everyone around the elegant table was in high spirits, filled with anticipation of the upcoming wedding of Marigold’s stepsister.
The solid presence of her husband, Cade, beside her was a steadying force. Her mood lifted when he clasped her hand and brought it to his lips. Cade was the one bright light in the battle they waged together.
“You look especially lovely this evening,” he murmured.
She smiled, knowing the recently added copper highlights gave dimension to her natural honey-blond color.
Across the table, two of Marigold’s sisters spoke in hushed tones.
“Word is… You have to…” was all she heard.
Then Fin spoke tersely, her voice taut with a steely edge. “I have to tell Marigold and Prim first.”
Marigold took a bite of dessert and wondered what Fin needed to tell her and Prim. She tried to tune her ears to hear more, but the tinkling sound of a spoon against crystal interrupted the conversation.
“May I please have everyone’s attention?” Lynn’s blue eyes seemed to project extra warmth when her gaze briefly landed on Marigold.
Seeing the love in her dad’s eyes when he shifted toward his new wife had Marigold’s heart swelling. She rested her head against the side of her husband’s shoulder.
Lynn cleared her throat. “I’ve heard rumors we’re going to have another baby in the family by the end of the year. Anyone care to share their news now so I don’t have to learn about it in the Open Door?”
Laughter rippled around the table.
Marigold sat upright as all eyes shifted toward her and Cade. Everyone knew they’d been trying for years to have a baby. Now they all thought that happy dream had been realized.
Cade’s hand gripped hers under the table.
Marigold saw Ami glance at Fin. Something about the look, along with the snippet of conversation she’d overheard between the two, had the pressure in her chest turning painful.
“I don’t know why you’re all looking at me.” Marigold cursed the tremble in her voice. “If Cade and I had that kind of news to share, we’d be shouting it from the top of Eagle Tower. Heck, we’d probably spring for a full-page ad in the Open Door.”
Cade slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“When that happens, and it will happen,” Cade’s steady gaze met Marigold’s before he shifted his focus to Lynn, “you won’t have to ask.”
Two bright splotches of pink cut a swath across Lynn’s ivory cheeks. “I’m sorry. I must have—”
“It’s not Marigold who’s pregnant. It’s me.” Fin shot her youngest sister an apologetic glance.
Everything in Marigold went cold.
Not fair. The words circled in her head so fiercely that for a second Marigold feared she might blurt them out.
Fin’s gaze was gentle on Marigold’s face. “Jeremy and I were waiting until—”
“You?” Marigold choked out the word. “You just had a baby. Eddie is barely three months old. How can you be pregnant again?”
“I wanted to tell you and the rest of the family privately before news got out. I should have acted sooner.” Fin glanced at Ami. “Ami heard the same rumor as Lynn. The Good Hope gossip mill must have somehow gotten wind that one of the Bloom sisters purchased a pregnancy test last week at the General Store.”
“Last week?” Marigold’s voice rose as she shook off Cade’s staying hand. “You’ve known since last week?”
“Cut her some slack, Marigold.” Jeremy’s tone held a warning.
“The idea of having two babies so close together came as quite a shock. But we’re very excited.” Fin’s gaze swept to the bassinette where Eddie slept. Her lips curved in a soft, maternal smile.
“We’re thrilled.” Jeremy spoke firmly once again when Marigold opened her mouth. “We hope you share our joy.”
Marigold wanted to share their joy. Fin was her sister and she loved her. But Fin already had a baby, while she had none.
Though she tried desperately to paste on a smile, Marigold couldn’t make her lips cooperate. Worse, she felt a tear slide down her cheek.
Compassion filled Fin’s eyes, and she opened her mouth.
Marigold shook her head vigorously. One word of sympathy, and she would dissolve in a puddle of tears.
“Congratulations, Fin and Jeremy.” Her father broke the uncomfortable silence by lifting his wineglass. “A toast. To new beginnings.”
Everyone lifted their glasses, and well-wishes soon flowed as generously as the wine. After a moment, Marigold managed to pull it together enough to add her congratulations.
Once the dinner ended, Cade stayed close, a hand resting on her shoulder or an arm around her waist, a supportive presence at her side. Then a call from one of his deputies had him stepping away for a few minutes.
When talk in the living room turned from last-minute wedding details to babies, Marigold excused herself and opened the door to the terrace.
She realized immediately she wasn’t alone. Her breath came out in a relieved whoosh when she realized it was her dad. Steve Bloom sat in a white lacquered rocking chair, his gaze focused on the brilliance of the setting sun.
He turned, smiled and motioned her over. “Join me.”
Marigold’s heart stuttered. Her father had always been her rock. She knew without a doubt she could lean on him. She dropped down to sit beside him.
Concern filled his hazel eyes. “How are you holding up?”
“The news…well, it took me by surprise.” Marigold swallowed hard. “But I’m happy for Jeremy and Fin.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “We’re all happy for them.”
Maybe she was reading too much into his steady gaze, maybe she was seeing what she wanted to see, but Marigold thought he wished she were the pregnant one, too.
“Lynn feels horrible,” he began. “She—”
“I can see why she thought it was me.” Her bottom lip began to tremble as longing rose inside her. “When is it going to be my turn, Daddy? I’m starting to think it’ll never happen.”
He rose and pulled her to standing with him. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, stroking her hair the way he used to when she’d been a child wanting her mother.
Just as she had all those years ago, in her father’s arms, she found solace.
Chapter One
“Cade is not cheating on you.” Amaryllis Cross looked up from the mixer, a splotch of powdered sugar on her cheek.
“Ami’s right.” Marigold’s other sister, Primrose, echoed the sentiment from her position at the table. Even as she spoke, Prim took the cooled “puppy chow” from the baking sheet and put it into a r
esealable plastic bag. “Your husband adores you. He would never cheat.”
The four Bloom sisters had gathered in the huge kitchen at Rakes Farm on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for tomorrow’s Wacky Wednesday celebration. Except this one would be extra special. The Bloom sisters planned to surprise their stepmother, Lynn Chapin, with a party.
Lynn had celebrated her sixtieth birthday last week at the home she shared with her husband, Steve. It had been an elegant affair, much like the woman herself, beginning with champagne and appetizers and ending with her favorite dessert, bananas Foster.
This celebration, complete with cake, Neapolitan ice cream squares and fruit punch, would be a chance for the grandkids to show their love for their grandmother. With everyone busy with activities, holding the party on an already-scheduled Wacky Wednesday made sense.
The weekly Wednesday get-togethers of the blended Bloom and Chapin families had begun as a way to allow the cousins to have fun together and so the adults could hang out, too.
The wonderful woman her father married would never see this coming. Marigold was doing her best to embrace the party spirit. Normally, she looked forward to events like these, especially when the party involved surprising someone she loved.
Instead of the joy she’d have felt even six months ago, a rise of mixed emotions swamped the youngest Bloom sister.
Love and marriage—her own—had been in her thoughts often these past few weeks. She loved her husband, Sheriff Cade Rallis, with her entire heart. Cade was everything to her. She’d once thought her marriage invincible, but lately she’d begun to worry about cracks.
“Earth to Marigold.” Delphinium’s voice broke through her reverie.
Marigold’s head jerked up, and she found herself gazing into Fin’s piercing emerald-green eyes.
“I won’t tell you Cade wouldn’t cheat, because Prim is right. The guy adores you.” Fin waved a hand in the air. “You need to tell us why you fear he might.”
That was Fin, Marigold thought, going straight to the heart of the matter.
After placing another sugared lemon slice atop the pink lemonade cake she’d baked, Marigold expelled a shaky breath. She’d tried not to think about the phone call, but it was always in her thoughts. She didn’t even have to close her eyes to recall his hushed tone. The urgency in his voice and the emotion.
Lost in that horrible memory, Marigold didn’t even slap Ami’s hand away when her sister dipped a finger in the bowl of leftover lemon-butter frosting.
“I heard him speaking with his ex-fiancée on the phone.” Marigold’s heart squeezed, and tears flooded her eyes. It felt as if she’d done more crying over the past few weeks than she’d done in all her years on this earth. “Low and quiet. He thought I was upstairs.”
“How did he get her number?” Ami asked. “Or, rather, how did she get his?”
“I don’t know.” Marigold shook her head, misery heavy around her shoulders.
“You ran into her a couple of months ago.” Prim’s brows pulled together. Unlike Marigold’s honey-blond hair, Prim’s hair and brows had a distinct hint of red.
“I remember now. In Milwaukee.” Ami rested her back against the counter. “You and Cade went to a Brewers game at Miller Park.”
“I thought Alice was still in Detroit. I’d never met her before.” Marigold paused to get her rioting emotions under control. “She was—is incredibly lovely. She was very friendly. To both of us.”
“Not married?” Prim added.
“No. Not married. She was there with a girlfriend. Alice told us she’d recently relocated to Milwaukee for her job.” Marigold shrugged. “That was the extent of the conversation.”
She hadn’t thought much about Alice since that day. Cade certainly hadn’t mentioned her. Yet, the woman had his private cell number. There was no way she could have gotten it…without him giving it to her.
It was a realization Marigold hadn’t wanted to face. Cade was her soul mate, and the thought of his possible duplicity cut to the core.
“What did Cade say when you asked him why he was talking with her on the phone?” With great skill, Fin circled the conversation back to her original question. Though her voice remained easy, the baby strapped to her chest stirred as if sensing the tension in the air.
When Marigold hesitated, Fin’s gaze bore into her, like a heat-seeking missile finding its target. “You did ask him to explain.”
A low tolerance for bullshit was something she and Fin shared.
Marigold lifted her chin. “Yes. I asked him.”
“Good. I’m proud of you.” Fin picked up a piece of wrapped chocolate from the large work counter and tossed it to her youngest sister. “What did he say?”
“He was evasive.” Tears once again filled Marigold’s eyes as she looked down at the candy in her hand. She hated, hated, hated the tears that came so easily now. Even as a small child, Marigold had never been the poor-me sort.
In the early years of their infertility struggles, she and Cade had been so hopeful. They were young and healthy and willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve a pregnancy.
The determination was still there, but that once-bright light of hope had been reduced to smoldering embers. Marigold knew Cade desperately wanted to be a father, and she felt as if she’d failed him.
The knowledge that the fertility issues were on her end—not his—added its own stress. Despite the hope and prayers, it was beginning to look as if their struggles would never bear fruit.
“Examples.” Fin’s brusque tone belied the sympathy in her eyes. “Tell us exactly who said what, little sister. We need all the information in order to help you sort this out.”
This time, when tears slipped down Marigold’s cheeks, she was powerless to stop them. Ami switched off the mixer and moved to sit beside her sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while casting a pointed glance at Fin.
“Hey. I’m not the bad guy here.” Fin lifted her shoulders, causing the baby to fuss. A couple of gentle strokes on the back of her son’s silky blond curls had him settling. “Just trying to dig up the facts.”
“I know you mean well.” Marigold cast Fin a watery smile. “I’m sorry I’m so scattered. I’ve just been so tired lately.”
Concern blanketed Ami’s face. “You’re not sleeping?”
“I sleep all the time.” Marigold offered a chuckle. “I feel like all I do is sleep. I think all the stress of the past year has finally caught up with me.”
“After Rory died,” Prim said, referring to her first husband, “all I wanted to do was sleep.”
“No one died, and I’m still a mess.” Marigold lifted her hands, let them drop. “It’s no wonder Cade wants Alice.”
“Hey, you’re not a mess. You’re a strong, independent woman who handles whatever is tossed your way.” Fin’s expression turned fierce. “You’ll confront this latest challenge in the same way.”
“Fin is right.” Prim handed Marigold a napkin, her voice as soft as melted butter. “To help, we need the facts.”
“Take a couple of deep breaths,” Ami told her.
After doing as her sister instructed, Marigold felt herself steady. She took one more breath for good measure, then focused on the cake. It was hard enough to share without seeing the sympathy in her sisters’ eyes. “Like I said, he thought I’d gone upstairs, but I was still in the kitchen. I heard him say her name and—”
“How did he say her name? With feeling? Or did he just say it more matter-of-factly?” Ami asked.
Marigold thought back to the call that had solidified all her fears. “There was warmth in his voice and a lot of emotion.”
Ami expelled a breath and glanced at her other sisters, who’d taken seats at the table.
It reminded Marigold of their younger selves, before her sisters had married and had children. Back when they’d sit around a table drinking wine and eating chocolate and talking out their problems.
Now she and Cade were the only ones withou
t kids. From the start, they’d both wanted children more than anything. Had they been so focused on the idea of becoming parents that somewhere along the way they’d forgotten to also be a couple?
Marigold realized that as much as she wanted a baby, she wanted her husband more. She could live without children. She couldn’t imagine life without Cade.
More tears fell.
“Marigold.” Fin’s tone held a warning and a gentle nudge.
“He was talking really low, and I could only catch a couple of words. ‘Milwaukee’ and ‘yes, I definitely want to explore.’”
“Explore what?” Prim’s brows drew together.
“I don’t know.” Marigold sniffled, wiped her nose with the napkin in her hand. “Maybe a relationship.”
“Did he say that?” Fin demanded.
“No.”
“Then don’t go there,” Fin ordered.
Ami squeezed her hand. “Remember, innocent until proven guilty.”
Marigold drew a shuddering breath and nodded.
Fin made a circular motion with one hand. “Tell us what you heard.”
“Just the facts, ma’am.” Prim spoke in a voice designed to lighten the mood.
Marigold shot her sister a smile. A smile that quickly faded.
“Like I said, all I heard him say was ‘Milwaukee’ and ‘I definitely want to explore.’ I walked into the room while he was still on the phone with her.” Marigold straightened in the chair. “He got off quickly. I asked him who he was speaking with.”
It seemed as if her sisters held their collective breaths, much as she had that afternoon.
“He said it was Alice, his former friend from Detroit.”
Fin shook her head. “He didn’t lie, no, but Alice isn’t just a ‘former friend.’ She’s his former fiancée.”
Prim gave Fin a stern look as she unwrapped a piece of chocolate. “Come on. They were engaged briefly, and it was ages ago. Long before he even met Marigold.”
Prim passed the chocolate to Marigold, who promptly popped it into her mouth. She took a deep breath and continued. “He reminded me that she recently moved to Milwaukee for her job. She wanted to discuss some Wisconsin laws. He answered her questions.”
