Angel's Rest

chapter ELEVEN





Gabe wore a gray suit, white shirt, and red tie. Seeing her, he straightened away from the wall. He looked somber and serious, and her stomach sank.

“Whoa,” Sage murmured behind Nic. “Be still my heart. He’s even sexier than Coach Romano.”

“Mm-hmm,” Sarah hummed. “He is a handsome polecat. I’ll give him that.”

“I’ll bet you the keys to my Honda Gold Wing that he’s here to propose,” Celeste declared. “You’ll excuse me if I say I told you so.”

Nic’s stomach took a nervous roll. “Don’t be silly. He’s probably bringing me contact information before he leaves town for good.”

“He’s carrying a rose,” Sage said. “I don’t think a man brings a woman a red rose to kiss her off.”

Sarah shook her head. “The roses are a freshman class fund-raiser. They probably tackled him coming inside. Still, he could have tossed it.”

Nic stood frozen in place, only marginally aware that her friends dropped back as Gabe approached. He carried a long-stemmed red rose tied with a red satin ribbon in his right hand, and when he stopped in front of her, he held it out to her. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She accepted the flower. “Thanks.”

When silence descended awkwardly between them, she twirled the rose between her fingers and thought, School gym. Red rose with a tacky ribbon. Awkward conversation while my best-friends-forever are watching. Junior high déjà vu. “I … um … didn’t expect to see you here tonight, Gabe.”

“Well, yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Can we talk? I want to—”

He broke off abruptly and scowled at something behind Nic. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that said best friends had moved within listening distance. Celeste smiled, her eyes twinkling. Sage gave a little finger wave. Sarah winked at Nic, then shot Gabe her best dirty look.

Nic tried to shoo them away by making a sweeping motion with the back of her hand, but of course they didn’t budge.

Gabe sighed and asked, “Why don’t you give me a tour of the school?”

“Okay.” After requesting the key ring from Sarah, she led him toward the door she’d entered moments ago. He walked at her side, his hands in his pockets, a troubled expression on his face. Nic twirled the rose stem nervously with her fingers. “This is the high school wing.”

“Okay.” He didn’t bother glancing around.

In the dim light of the hallway outside of the biology lab, shadows accentuated the hard angles of his face. He had a fallen-angel look about him, and his declaration on Christmas Eve flitted through her mind. I’m feeling like the damned devil himself.

Nic drew in a lungful of formaldehyde-scented air and felt a little nauseated, so she continued to lead him up the hall and into another wing of the school until he paused in front of a bulletin board decorated with colored chalk drawings of Hummingbird Lake. He studied the students’ drawings for a few moments before saying, “I took a snowmobile out yesterday. Went up into the back country and eventually ended up at a spot that overlooked Eternity Springs.”

He fell silent then, and after a long moment, Nic felt compelled to speak just to fill the void. “You had perfect weather. Bet it was gorgeous.”

He nodded. “Six months ago I wouldn’t have seen it. Shoot, six months ago I might have juked the gas and driven the snowmobile right off the edge of the cliff. Yesterday it was different. I was different. I could see the beauty in the blue sky and the sunshine and the pristine snow. Eternity Springs looked like one of those Victorian villages that department stores sell at Christmastime.”

He turned his head and his solemn, brown-eyed gaze held hers. “This town has been good for me.”

She wanted to ask, Even considering the consequences? Instead, she kept it neutral by saying, “I think Celeste is on to something about the healing energy in our valley.”

Gabe shook his head. “See, that’s the thing. Being better and being healed are two different animals. That’s basically where I’m at.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and resumed walking. “For you to understand my position, I’m going to have to talk about myself. I really hate to do that.”

“I noticed,” she commented dryly.

His mouth quirked. “I have told you a little. You do know I have baggage. What you don’t know is that it’s enough to fill a container ship.”

Nic had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him to just get over it. A whole cruise ship full of baggage didn’t change the fact that they were having a child together. Their child’s needs had to come first—baggage be hanged.

Choosing her words judiciously, she replied, “Everyone has baggage. Personally, I have a matched set. With pink pompoms tied around the handles.”

They reached the end of the high school wing, and she turned toward the small lounge area in front of the cafeteria and school offices. Nerves were making her knees a bit shaky; she might need to sit down.

He paused in front of another bulletin board, this one decorated with third-graders’ Valentine-themed artwork. “The cold air cleared my senses, and I was able to think clearly. I was able to figure out what I can offer you, Nic. And what I can’t. You’ll have to decide if it’s enough for you. Is there somewhere we could sit down?”

Just say it already, she wanted to scream. The tension was driving her nuts.

When his gaze focused on her hands and his mouth twisted, she glanced down to see that she’d mangled the flower. Lovely. “Follow me.”

She led them to the lounge, where she took a seat in an armchair. She watched him pace the lounge and waited for him to speak. It seemed to take forever, but he finally took a seat in the chair opposite her and said, “So here’s the deal. I think we should get married.”

Nic narrowed her eyes. “Have you been talking with Celeste?”

“Um, no,” he warily replied. “Not since you dropped your bombshell. Why?”

“It doesn’t matter. Never mind.” Now Nic was the one who stood up and paced.

“Explain something to me. If you’re not willing to be a father, what good does it do for you to become a husband?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do. I’m the baby’s father whether or not I ever become his daddy. I have a responsibility to him. He’s an innocent in all of this—the only innocent, really. We have some time, Nic. Seven and a half months of pregnancy, then another chunk of months before I could cause him any real damage by bowing out.”

But what about me? she wanted to ask. Big girls had tender hearts, too.

“Look, I’m a bad bet,” he continued. “Don’t have any doubt about it. My head is pretty messed up. However, it’s not nearly as messed up as it was when I came to Colorado. Right now the idea of a baby makes me break out in a cold sweat, but maybe it won’t always be that way. I’d like time to try to figure that out.”

“We don’t have to be married for that. If you’re worried about my reputation, well, don’t. We’re not going to fool anyone. Eternity Springs’ residents might not be the most sophisticated people around, but they do know how to count to nine.”

Gabe leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ve done a lot of lousy things in my life, but I’ve always taken responsibility for my actions. Marrying is the right thing to do, the responsible thing to do.”

Responsibility. Great. He made marriage sound as pleasurable as a toothache.

Doubt assailed her. Marrying him could be a huge mistake, not because of the baby—he had a point about having time—but because she was susceptible to him. She could love this man. Shoot, she was halfway in love with him already.

Celeste’s words echoed through her mind. He has a good and loving heart, but it’s been damaged. It’s still healing. And you know what the best medicine for a wounded heart is, don’t you?

Love.

Nic returned to her chair and sank into the seat. “If we did this, what sort of arrangement are you proposing with this proposal?”

“What do you mean?”

“Would this be a marriage in name only or the real deal? Would we live together? Share our meals?” She paused, licked her lips, then added, “Share a bed?”

He went very still for a moment, then shook his head. “I won’t use you, Nic. I did that at Christmas and it was wrong. Honestly, my head is kinda screwed up where sex is concerned. I was a faithful husband and … well, I guess you could say I haven’t adjusted to my change in circumstance. If you have a spare bedroom, that would probably be best. At least for now.”

Nic shut her eyes. How humiliating was this? He wouldn’t be her husband. He’d be her roommate. If I wanted a roommate, I’d have taken out an ad.

“If I were to agree to this,” she said slowly, “there is something I refuse to compromise on. If you decide you’re, um, adjusted again, don’t let me walk in on you and another woman. Like they say, been there, done that. Totally no fun.”

“Hey.” He put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up, then stared deeply into her eyes. “That’s one promise I can make you, Nic. I will not be unfaithful. Put that worry out of your mind. You have my word.”

She believed him. After all, he was still struggling over faithfulness to his first wife a year after her death.

“Say yes, Nicole,” he urged. “Let me do this much for you, for the baby. Let me give him, give both of you, my name.”

“Why do you care, Gabe? I don’t understand.”

“I’m not sure I understand either, to be honest. What I do know is that as I stood on that mountaintop yesterday, I understood that this is the way it’s supposed to be. Maybe it’s because it’s the way I was raised. Maybe it’s because this is one thing I know I can do for this baby. If, in the end, I have to walk away, at least he’ll know I respected his life and his mother enough to do this.”

Nic thought about it for a long time. If she agreed to marry him, she would be taking an awful risk. What if she fell all the way in love with him and he never healed enough to love her back? Or, even worse, his heart healed and he decided he wanted someone else?

But, like Sage said, the potential reward was great. They could have a happy marriage. Her baby could have both her parents.

Gabe Callahan could fall in love with them.

“If I were to agree to this,” she slowly repeated, “I’d want a kill switch.”

“Excuse me?”

“We can’t have an open-ended agreement. That doesn’t work for me. I need to know that if you can’t commit to us by the time the baby is, say, six months old, you’ll leave. That you’ll go away and stay away so that I … we … can get on with our lives.”

He considered it, then nodded. “Okay. We can do that. I don’t have a problem with that.”

Nic looked at Gabe for a long minute. He really was a good man. Troubled. Damaged beyond repair, perhaps. But when he loved, he loved with a capital L. He could be her brass ring, but marrying him would require a leap of faith on her part. Could she do it? Dare she do it?

Again, Celeste’s voice echoed through her thoughts. Allow yourself to love him, Nicole. That’s one of the greatest gifts a mother can give to her child, you know. To love her child’s father. I firmly believe that once Gabe’s heart heals, he’ll discover that you and your child already have a place there.

“Okay,” she said, expelling a heavy breath. “I’ll do it. For the baby’s sake, I’ll marry you.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He wiped his palms on his pants legs, then stood.

If he tries to shake my hand, I’ll kick him.

He took her hand, but didn’t shake it. Instead, he tugged her to her feet, leaned down, and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Thanks, Nic. I’m honored.”

He’s honored, and I’m a goner.

“So, how do you want to do this?” he continued. “You go to St. Stephen’s, don’t you?”

“No. Not at the church. Let’s just go to the courthouse. In Gunnison. I don’t want to do this in Eternity Springs.”

He shrugged. “That’s your call.”

She considered her appointment schedule for the coming week and frowned. “This week is bad for me. How about next week? Maybe Wednesday?”

“Sure. That’s fine. Whatever you want.” He gestured toward the hallway. “Ready to go back to the dance?”

“Guess I’d better. I’m supposed to be guarding the punch bowl.”

They didn’t speak as they returned to the gym. Sage was standing at the refreshment table, and when Nic gestured that she would take her friend’s place, Sage shook her head and waved her away. That left Nic standing awkwardly with Gabe. She expected him to say good night and escape, but instead he surprised her—shocked her—by asking, “Would you like to dance?”

She smiled at him. “Look at the gym floor, Gabe. This is a father-daughter dance.”

“Yeah. Well, so what? Consider this my first dance with my daughter.”

At that, Nic went all gooey and some of her lingering doubts eased. Gabe Callahan was a good man. She tilted her head at him and asked, “What if she’s a he?”

“Well, I grew up going to dance halls in Texas, and believe me, it’s never too early for a guy to learn to two-step.”


Gabe was up on the ladder cutting in paint in a guest room at Angel’s Rest the next morning when his cell phone rang. His sister-in-law was returning his call. He set down the paintbrush, blew out a breath, then answered the phone.

The connection was lousy and he could barely hear Pam’s voice. “Let me call you back from a landline,” he told her. “Give me ten minutes.”

He descended the ladder and tended to his painting supplies, then exited the bedroom. He’d use the phone in the hallway. Celeste had left half an hour ago to get her hair done. He’d have privacy for another half hour at least. He didn’t expect the call to take nearly that long.

He’d be surprised if Pam didn’t hang up on him within two minutes.

Jen’s sister would see this as a betrayal. She might well cut off all contact with him. He could very well lose the only family he had left.

Except you’ll be gaining a new family, won’t you?

“Maybe yes, but maybe no,” he muttered.

Gabe wiped his hands on the rag hanging from his pocket. This phone call would be the most difficult one he’d ever made. At some point during his mostly sleepless night he’d tried to write dialogue for this conversation. It hadn’t gotten much beyond, I’m an idiot. He couldn’t believe he’d been so careless as to put himself into this spot. Pam would rightly give him hell—if she didn’t hang up on him upon hearing that Gabe “had to get married.”

Marriage. He swallowed hard.

He believed he and Nic were doing the right thing. Despite trends in America, illegitimacy could still be a confidence killer for a small-town kid who lived in a flyover state. Gabe had grown up in a small town, a small town even more conservative than Eternity Springs. There had been a couple of kids of divorced parents who’d gone to school with him. He couldn’t think of any whose parents had never married.

He did recall his mother’s reaction when the older sister of one of his friends turned up pregnant in high school and a wedding wasn’t immediately in the offing. A good Catholic girl, his mom had been scandalized. He’d never forget her comment at the dinner table one night when the topic came up for discussion. She’d sniffed with disdain, then said, “First babies can come anytime. The rest of them take nine months.”

That one had him confused for days before one of his brothers explained it to him.

That memory of his mother had helped him make up his mind about what to do. He’d gotten a girl pregnant, so he needed to marry her. Like it or not, he was a responsible party here, and he didn’t shirk his responsibilities. His mom would rise from her grave and pull his ears off his head if he tried. She’d be right to do so.

Downstairs, Gabe eyed the phone on the table as if it were a snake. He absolutely, positively did not want to make this call.

Nevertheless, it had to be done. He had to tell his sister-in-law that he’d slept with someone other than Jennifer. That he’d made a baby with someone other than Jennifer.

That he was marrying someone who wasn’t Jennifer.

Gabe was tempted to lean over and beat his head against the banister. A baby. Against his will, Gabe remembered holding Jennifer’s back as the labor nurse ordered, Push, Jenny, push. Bringing Matt home, setting him in the nursery’s bay window to let the sunshine do its magic on his jaundice. Jen in the rocking chair, a madonna with a babe at her breast.

He had a mental flash of Nic’s bare breasts, then he closed his eyes and groaned. He needed a shrink. Of course, he was out of luck in that regard here in Eternity Springs. Closest thing they had to a psychologist was a vet. The same vet who’d created his need for a doctor in the first place.

Gabe picked up the phone, dialed the number, then stretched the long phone cord to take a seat on the stairs four steps from the bottom. Pam answered on the third ring. They spoke about Nathan and the rehab on his leg for a few moments, then, when Gabe was trying to find the words to get started, Pam said, “Okay, Callahan. You obviously have something on your mind. What is it? Spill.”

Holding the phone to his left ear, his elbows propped on his knees, Gabe held his head with his right hand and closed his eyes. He should have snagged a water bottle before making this call. His mouth was as dry as the West Texas desert.

“Gabe?”

“Okay. Yeah. Well, here’s the deal. Don’t hang up on me, Pam. Okay? Promise me you’ll hear me out?”

“You’re scaring me, Callahan.”

“Sorry. It’s just that this is hard. See, I’m ashamed.” Shame doesn’t even cover it.

“Is it another wreck? Did you hurt somebody else?”

He winced, taking it as a barb despite knowing she didn’t mean it the way it sounded. Yeah, I hurt someone else, but not in the way you think.

“No, no wreck. Listen, Pam, I’m not going to try to excuse what I did, but I do want to explain it. It happened Christmas Eve. I wasn’t thinking straight.” He told her about trimming the tree and the effects of seeing all the family decorations. “After you called to tell me you guys weren’t coming to Colorado, I went a little crazy. I started drinking. You know what it was like, how hard it was.”

Warily his sister-in-law said, “Yes.”

“I did something I should not have done, and now I have to face the consequences.”

After a beat, Pam asked, “Are you going to jail, Gabe?”

“Jail?” Gabe repeated, barking out an unamused laugh. “Not exactly, but then, there are all sorts of prisons, aren’t there?” He blew out a breath and ripped off the bandage. “I got a woman here in Eternity Springs pregnant on Christmas Eve. I’m getting married, Pam.”


Nic carried two lightweight but bulky shopping bags in her hands as she approached the back porch of Angel’s Rest, where Sarah and Sage waited for her the morning after the dance. She waved and saw both women do a double take. When she drew close, Sarah said, “Nicole, my friend, green is not your color. Not for your complexion, anyway. Are you okay?”

“I’m an idiot. I felt really good this morning and I decided to walk over. Remind me to tell Gabe and Celeste they need to consider building a footbridge for expectant mothers that crosses Angel Creek a little farther down from the hot springs.”

“Smell got to you?” Sage asked.

“Something got to me. I ordinarily have morning sickness in the afternoon, but I got one whiff of sulfur and my stomach started spinning like Bear’s mirror ball in the gym last night.”

Sarah shook her head. “I remember morning sickness. It’s too bad God didn’t give it to us as a precursor to sex instead of the result of it. There would be a lot fewer unplanned pregnancies that way.”

Sage and Sarah shared a look, then Sage asked, “So, are you ready to talk about it this morning?”

“Being nauseated?”

“Wedding plans.”

“Not really. No.” Gabe had taken his leave after their dance last night, and the moment he left the gym her friends had swooped down like hawks on a field mouse for details. Pleading exhaustion, Nic had shared only the fact that they had agreed to marry. “We’re here to decorate Celeste’s office for her birthday, and besides, I have no wedding plans to discuss.”

“You are no fun, Nic Sullivan,” Sarah groused.

“Deal with it. Now, we’d best get to work if we’re going to have everything ready before Celeste comes home from the beauty shop.” She opened the door, stepped into the kitchen, and set her bags down on the kitchen table. “I have streamers and balloons, fishing line, and some other sundry stuff. Could have done better if Celeste hadn’t been so stingy with information.”

Last night Celeste had mentioned in passing to Sage that today was her birthday, though she neglected to reveal just which birthday it was. Once Sarah learned the news, she’d decided the time had arrived to welcome Celeste into a tradition she and Nic had shared for years, one they’d introduced Sage to after she’d moved to Eternity Springs.

“I brought the bananas,” Sarah said.

“I have markers and paints—and a list of things I want to write. We don’t have time to be, uh, as creative as we were for your birthday, Sarah.”

“Besides, I can’t drink alcohol,” Nic added.

Sarah smirked. “I knew my bananagram had been done in an alcohol daze. Some of those messages were X-rated.”

The silly yet enjoyable tradition between the adult girlfriends had grown out of slumber-party activity for Lori and her friends when they were seven years old. “Bananagrams” back then were messages like “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations” written in black marker on whole bananas. The bananas were then hung from trees in the honoree’s yard with fishing line—usually in the middle of the night.

In the past ten years, Nic and Sarah had added their own special touch to the tradition. When Sage moved to town, she’d been happy to join in the festivities.

“I’m going to write something about her motorcycle,” Nic said. “Break out the pens, Sage.” To Sarah, she added, “Did you bring any rotten fruit?”

“Absolutely. What’s a bananagram without at least one ‘It’s rotten to be so old’ message?”

“Celeste is gonna love this.” Nic met her friends’ gazes and added, “It’s just what I needed. Thank you.”

They spread their supplies on the table and went to work. They had a lot to do. Not knowing Celeste’s age, Sarah had decided on an even hundred for their bananagram. They’d be hard pressed to have everything ready by the time Celeste returned home.

So intent was Nic on the task at hand that it wasn’t until she heard a man—Gabe—spit out a particularly foul curse that she realized they were no longer alone. He was in the hallway beyond the kitchen. Talking to someone, probably on the hall phone. Noting the worry in Sage’s and Sarah’s expressions, Nic set a banana marked with “Happy B’day Motorcycle Mama” aside and tuned into what Gabe was saying.

“No, I don’t want to marry her. A baby is certainly the last thing I wanted.”

Nic sucked in an audible breath.

“You matter to me, Pam. You and Will and Nathan. You made in-law jokes a joke. You became not just Jen’s sister but my sister, too.”

Sister. He was talking to his sister-in-law. Telling her about the wedding. The baby. She rose to her feet, then closed her eyes and an emptiness yawned inside her.

“Yeah, well, you’re right. I was stupid. I wasn’t thinking. It was sex. Just sex.”

Nic’s nausea came roaring back. Sarah put her hand on Nic’s shoulder.

“I know, dammit. I know! I was an idiot, all right? But what other choice do I have now? I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. I have to marry her. It’s the responsible thing to do.”

Nic felt the color drain from her face. She was beginning to hate the word responsible.

She moved to the doorway, where she could see him. Gabe sat on the stairs, his shoulders slumped, his expression stark. Anguish and anger vibrated in his voice as he stared down at the wedding ring he still wore on his left hand. “No, Pam, of course not. I don’t love her. I love your sister. I’ll always love your sister. She was my soul mate. Nicole and I … we just … we had sex and now we have to deal with the consequences.”

A little mewl of pain escaped Nic’s throat as he added, “Oh, Pam. Don’t say that. Not after all we’ve been through. Please, I can’t lose you. I’ll have nothing. Let me—”

He let the receiver fall away from his ear and she could hear the dial tone. He muttered a vicious curse and banged his fist against the wall.

Nausea churned, threatened to erupt. She clapped a hand over her mouth and he looked up. Their gazes met and he repeated the curse. She dashed for the powder room beneath the stairs and lost her breakfast.

By the time she emerged, he was gone.

Nic insisted they complete their birthday surprise for Celeste. Wonderful friends that they were, Sage and Sarah added a few succinct bananagram messages for Gabe, which they left with his painting supplies upstairs.


Nine days later at the courthouse in Gunnison, with Sage Anderson, Sarah Reese, and Celeste Blessing in attendance, John Gabriel Callahan married Dr. Nicole Sullivan. He dressed in a suit. She wore jeans and a baggy brown sweater and accepted the rings he offered with a silent nod.

She hadn’t brought a wedding band for him. Nor had she appeared to notice that he’d finally removed Jennifer’s ring from his left hand. It had taken him half a bottle of scotch to work up the nerve to do so, and now he felt naked without it.

Until the moment Nic said “I do,” he’d expected her to call it off. She’d thrown up on the way into the building. He’d stumbled over her name when introducing her to the judge. Following lunch at the women’s favorite Mexican restaurant, where Sarah continued to give him the evil eye and privately threatened to take a rusty knife to his nuts if he didn’t treat his new wife right, Nic had hugged her friends and thanked them for coming as they climbed into Sage’s car and waved good-bye. He’d pretended not to see the tear that slipped from her eye to trail down her face as she joined Gabe for the two-hour drive home.

Gabe swallowed a sigh, then glanced at Nic. “If you need to stop, just let me know.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Whoa, three whole words. Almost a record.

After she’d overheard his phone call to Pam, all sense of ease between them had disappeared. Their relationship headed downhill. On skis. On lightning-fast skis on fresh powder. Now she avoided him, seldom met his gaze, and spoke to him primarily in monosyllables. Her smiles never reached her eyes. It made him feel like a heel.

He’d attempted to talk to her, to explain about his relationship with Pam and her family, but that had been a big fat fail. Really, what could he say? What excuses could he give? She’d heard what she’d heard—and it had been the truth.

Frustration nipped at him. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t warned her. He’d been totally straight with her. Now he was the villain her girlfriends wanted to castrate, and he felt like he’d kicked a puppy.

The woman had lost her spirit, and he knew it was his fault. She wasn’t the same Nic who had stood up to him in her kitchen or danced with him at the school gym. He’d bet that if he listened hard enough, he could hear her heart breaking.

He stole a glance at his new wife and noted her stoic expression. His hand tightened on the steering wheel. He’d given her a set of wedding rings at the courthouse earlier. He’d spent a pretty penny on the stones. She’d accepted the rings with a tepid smile, thanked him politely, but never looked at them once he’d slipped them onto her finger. Nic was suffering some real buyer’s remorse about this marriage while he enjoyed one more round of guilt. Guilt over Jen and Matt and the accident. Guilt about causing his sister-in-law additional pain. Now guilt over Nic and the baby she carried. He was never free of it. He was a guiltaholic. Wonder if there’s a twelve-step treatment program for this. If so, sign me up for the meetings.

He was tired of this. Bone weary of feeling guilty every second of every day.

He glanced at the odometer. Two-thirds of the way there. Should be just enough time for him to clue her in on the arrangements he’d made. He lifted his water bottle from the cup holder, took a long swig, then said, “Open the glove box, Nic. Take the envelope and put it in a safe place. I’ve executed a new will, added you and the child as beneficiaries. Same thing with my insurance policies—the information is in there. So is my attorney’s name. I opened a bank account in your name and there’s a couple of credit cards.”

Her mouth formed a silent O. “Credit cards? Gabe, I admit my finances have been tight, but I don’t need all that.”

“Look, it’s no big deal to me. My profession pays well, and one of my technology investments paid off big-time last summer. Money is not a concern of mine.”

She removed the papers from the glove compartment, looked at the numbers on the bank statement, and her eyes went wide and round. They rode another five minutes in silence before she said, “Thank you, Gabe. I appreciate your making changes to your will and insurance in order to protect our baby’s financial future.”

For crying out loud, she sounded like a commercial. It annoyed him. The whole day annoyed him. He didn’t want to live like this.

Gabe waited until he’d negotiated Sinner’s Prayer Pass to say, “You need to give me a clue here, Nic. Please tell me what I can do to make this right. Look, I know the phone call hurt you and—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Let me say this,” he snapped. “You’ve dodged talking about this with me for more than a week. It’s surprised me, Nic. I didn’t take you for a coward.”

Her jaw went tight and she stared straight ahead, but she remained silent, so he pressed on. “I’m sorry you overheard my conversation with Jennifer’s sister. I’m sorry I embarrassed you in front of your friends. But this is no way to start a marriage. Where do we go from here, Nicole? I need a little help here. I don’t know what you want.”

She was quiet for a long time before she replied. “That’s part of the problem. I’m not sure what I want. I’ll be honest with you, Gabe. I feel like my world has been turned upside down and I don’t know which way is up. Sarah says it’s hormones, but that seems like an excuse. I’m … sad. I think I need a little time to adjust to everything.”

He spied a herd of bighorn sheep in the road ahead, braked, and honked his horn. He didn’t know what to say to her. “Nic, I’ll say it again. I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t.” She shook her head. “I understand, Gabe. Truly, I do. And I’m the one who is sorry. I know I’m being a pain. You’re not responsible for my feelings or emotions or neurosis. I think I simply need a little time to … well … let go of my dreams.”

Great. Guilt, guilt, and more guilt.

He negotiated the curve of a switchback, and then the rooftops of Eternity Springs came into view. Time to fish or cut bait. “Okay, then. That brings us back to the original question. Where do we go from here? Friends? Awkward acquaintances like we’ve been this past week? Do you want me to leave town and you’ll call me when the baby is born?”

“No,” she said softly. “I don’t want you to leave town. We need to be friends. That’s what is best for the baby.”

“Then this tension between us needs to end. That can’t be good for the baby, either.”

Tears flooded her eyes yet again. “I’m not trying to be awkward and tense. I am trying not to cry. I want to cry all the time, and it’s making me crazy. It’s not like me. I’ve never been a needy, clingy, whiny female, but that’s what I’m becoming. I can’t stand it. I can’t help it. I don’t know how to fix it.”

Gabe did. He set his mouth in a grim line and considered the situation. What they needed to do was spend time together among other people, but away from the prying eyes of Eternity Springs. They needed to do what all brides and grooms do—to a point. They should go on a honeymoon.

A honeymoon without sex. Oh, joy.

He shied from the thought but knew it was a good idea. Where would he take her? Somewhere fun but not romantic. It couldn’t be isolated. They needed to be around people. Somewhere warm. He could use a shot of sunshine about now, and he bet she could, too.

He could think of only one place that would fit the bill. As they approached her house, he asked, “What is your schedule like the rest of the week?”

“Light. Why?”

“Any animals in your clinic that need special care?”

“Not special care. Lori is a great vet tech, and she handles most everything. Why?”

“I want you to clear your calendar. We’re going to deal with this, put the awkwardness to bed once and for all.”

Her eyes rounded with wariness and surprise, then she whipped her head around to frown at him.

“The awkwardness,” he explained. “Not you and me. We’ll have separate rooms.”

“Separate rooms? What are you talking about?”

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Listen, Nic. For better or for worse, we got married today. We’re husband and wife, and now we need to find our way back to being friends. Do you agree with that assessment?”

She pursed her lips and thought a moment. “Yes.”

“Then let’s make an effort to do just that, and let’s do it away from everyday pressure and prying eyes.”

“How? We live in Eternity Springs. It’s the definition of prying eyes.”

“Then we get away from Eternity Springs. Look, Nic, just because we’re not having sex doesn’t mean we can’t have a honeymoon, does it?”

“A honeymoon?” she repeated, her eyes round with shock and maybe a glimmer—just a tiny little spark—of anticipation.

He stopped the car in her driveway and pulled out his phone. “Go pack a bag, Nic. I’ll stay here and make the arrangements. We’ll leave from Eagle’s Way.”

“Leave for where?”

“Pack your sneakers, Nic. We’re going to Disney World.”