Midnight Sons Volume 2 (27 page)

“Lanni should be there to greet us,” Matt told her. When he’d called his sister to tell her that Karen was returning with him, Lanni had shrieked with delight. She’d advised him to go slow with Karen, but he didn’t need anyone to tell him that.

The Baron came down gently on the runway and coasted to a stop.

Sawyer O’Halloran opened the side door and lowered the steps. He offered Karen his hand as she climbed out of the aircraft, then greeted her with a warm hug.

“It’s
great
to see you again.”

“Thanks, Sawyer,” she said a bit shyly.

It gave Matt a small degree of pleasure that she didn’t just blurt out that she wasn’t staying once the baby was born.

Sawyer loaded the luggage into his trunk, and ten minutes later they were at the lodge. Matt was eager to see the place after his two-week absence—and eager to learn how many new
reservations Lanni had taken. Thanking Sawyer, he lugged in their suitcases and set them in the lobby, then called, “Lanni!”

“She’s not here,” Karen informed him with perfect logic after he’d called for his sister two more times. Then he saw a note propped up on the registration desk.

“So I see,” Matt said, not entirely concealing his frustration. “Well, make yourself comfortable while I put our suitcases in the bedroom.” He lifted the heavy bags and headed toward the master bedroom in his private quarters—a small apartment on the main floor.

“Matt.”

He set the cases back down. “Yes?”

“Where are you taking my things?”

He’d just explained that, but he was a patient man. “To the bedroom.”

“You appear to be carrying them into
your
bedroom.”

“Mine? It’s ours now, darlin’.”

Her mouth thinned in a way that told him she wasn’t pleased. “I believe
my
room is upstairs—
darlin’
.”

Matt’s gaze followed the staircase that led to the second level and the rooms beyond. “But I thought—”

“I know exactly what you thought, Matthew Caldwell, and it’s not going to happen.”

July 1996

Abbey hummed softly to herself as she arranged the new books on the front display table. The town council had allotted her a small budget, and she’d quickly purchased the latest hardcover releases. She didn’t expect them to remain on display for very long. Now that the Hard Luck Library was in full operation, almost everyone in town took advantage of it. Abbey had been hired to organize the library, but it was thanks to the generosity of Sawyer’s mother, Ellen O’Halloran—now Ellen Greenleaf—who had donated a vast majority of the books, that the place even existed. It had been Ellen’s dream. And now the people of Hard Luck had access to fiction of all kinds and for all ages, as well as a variety of resource materials.

Abbey bent down to replace one of the children’s books and experienced a dizzy sensation. The room started to spin. She lost her balance and flopped onto the floor.

“Honey, I’ve been thinking…” Sawyer walked into the
library, halting abruptly when he found his wife sitting, dazed, on the floor. “Abbey? Are you okay?”

She gave him a wan smile. “My goodness, that was a shock.”

“What happened?” Sawyer asked, helping her to her feet. He framed her face between his large hands and studied her intently. His frown deepened. “You’re pale.”

“I’m a little light-headed, that’s all,” she said, dismissing his anxiety.

“Light-headed?” His voice turned gravelly with concern. “I think you’d better talk to Doc Gleason the next time he flies in.”

“Sawyer,” she said, smiling softly, “I already know why this happened.”

“You do?”

“I’m about ninety-nine percent sure I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Her husband’s mouth fell open. “You think we’re going to have a baby?” He pulled out a chair, one she thought was meant for her, then promptly sat in it himself.

Abbey laughed out loud when Sawyer placed his hand over his heart and croaked, “You might have prepared me.”

“Sawyer, we’ve talked about having a baby.”

“I know, but this is different…You’re pregnant!”

Abbey poured him a glass of water, which he swallowed in giant gulps. “We’re going to have a baby.” His eyes were loving as he gazed up at her. “Oh, Abbey, I can’t begin to tell you how—”

“Stunned,” she said.

“No, pleased. Happy.
Thrilled.
” His lips curved in a slow smile.

She smiled back. “I know.” She’d never seen her husband react quite this way before.

“Have you told anyone else?”

“No. Sawyer, I’d tell you first. Anyway, it’s still early….” But despite that, she was sure. The joy and excitement that welled up inside her were as unmistakable as the physical symptoms of pregnancy.

“Can I tell someone? This is too good to keep to myself. We should let Charles and Lanni know, don’t you think? My mother!” he cried. “Mom will go nuts. She’s dying for a granddaughter. Just look at the way she’s taken to Scott and Susan, and after three sons who can blame her for wanting a girl? We should tell Christian.” He was talking so fast the words nearly ran together. “I remember the morning he started talking about bringing women to Hard Luck. I kept thinking this was the craziest idea I’d ever heard. Then I met you, and now I’m so grateful for my brother’s loony ideas. Charles is grateful too—he’d never have met Lanni if we hadn’t needed more housing for the—”

“Sawyer,” she said, interrupting gently. She touched his arm. “Don’t you think we should let Scott and Susan know before we tell anyone else?”

“Scott and Susan…of course. You mean they don’t already know?”

“No, sweetheart. Of course not.” He made such a comical sight it was all Abbey could do to keep from laughing.

Sawyer stood up, then immediately sat back down. “Scott can help me build a cradle. But I don’t want to ignore Susan, so maybe we should—”

She placed her arms around his neck and did the only thing she could think of to silence him. She kissed him.

Slowly Sawyer eased his mouth from hers. “Abbey, we’ve got to—”

Determinedly she brought his mouth back to hers and kissed him again, revealing without words how much she loved him and how joyful she was to be carrying his child. This time she met with far less resistance.

Sawyer groaned and his arms circled her waist as he pulled her onto his lap. “Abbey…”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“I’ve never doubted that. We can tell the kids about the baby this evening, and then we’ll phone your mother and let the rest of the family know.”

Her kisses had mellowed him considerably. “All right, but I think you should come home and rest first.”

Abbey sighed and pressed her forehead against his. “Someone needs to be at the library. Besides, we both know that if I went home neither one of us would rest.”

“This is the trouble with having a wife,” Sawyer muttered, grinning broadly. “You know me too well. You’re right—resting
wasn’t
what I had in mind.”

As soon as she heard that Abbey O’Halloran was pregnant, Karen stopped by the library. She knew the building had originally been the home of Adam O’Halloran, Hard Luck’s founder, and she gazed around with interest.

“Karen, it’s good to see you.” Abbey was sitting at the large desk in the main room, working on the card catalog. “You look great.”

“Thanks. You, too.” To Karen’s mixed relief and chagrin, her bouts of morning sickness had all but disappeared in the two weeks since her arrival in Hard Luck. Matt gloated, certain that her return to health could be attributed to him. Karen preferred to believe it was the fresh Alaska air.

“I understand congratulations are in order,” she said to Abbey, pleased that another woman in town was pregnant, too.

“So you heard about the baby,” Abbey responded with a smile. “But then, I can’t see how you
wouldn’t
know. I swear, Sawyer’s personally announced our news to everyone in Alaska. You’d think I was the only woman in the world who ever got pregnant.”

“And I thought Matt was the one who believed that.”

The two women chuckled. “I’m happy for you,” Karen said, “and on a purely selfish note, I’m glad there’s someone I can talk to about all this.”

“The morning sickness is better?”

“Oh, yes.” Karen sighed gratefully. “I can’t understand it. When I was in California I considered it an accomplishment if I managed to get out of bed and dress. I arrive here, and it’s like a miracle cure. Oh, I still have an occasional bout of nausea, but it’s nothing like before.” She didn’t mention how much Matt wanted to take credit for that.

“It happens that way sometimes,” Abbey told her with the wisdom of two pregnancies behind her. “Can I help you find something?” she asked. “I can recommend a couple of good books on pregnancy and infant care.”

Karen grinned. “Matt bought about a dozen books in California,” she said. “Actually I came to volunteer my services.”

“At the library?”

“If I could.” She was eager to find something to occupy her time. Matt was busy with the lodge, and she rarely saw him more than twenty minutes a day. Although she was living with her ex-husband, Karen was lonelier than before. The first set of guests had arrived, and Matt had left for a two-day fishing expedition; he wouldn’t return until later that afternoon. But before leaving he’d hired Diane Hestead, a local high school girl, as a part-time maid. Matt’s sister, Lanni, was still handling reservations, but Karen hesitated to interrupt her. She knew Lanni was working on some travel pieces, articles she hoped to sell as a freelance writer.

“I’d like to volunteer my services for the wedding reception for Mitch and Bethany Harris, too.” Lanni had told Karen that the couple had been married ten days earlier in San Francisco. A huge welcome party was planned for when they returned from their honeymoon.

“We’d love to have you if you’re sure you feel up to it,” Abbey said excitedly.

Karen was tired of sitting around the lodge with nothing to
do—no defined tasks. No responsibilities. Twiddling her thumbs. She’d even organized Matt’s office, although she wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it. He might have studied accounting, but the man didn’t know the meaning of the words
filing system.
Earlier that morning, Karen had gone into his office to set the mail on his desk and couldn’t find a space.

How he could manage anything in such clutter was beyond her. She’d left the mail, determined to remind her ex-husband that this was no way to run a business. Ten minutes later she’d gone back into the office and tackled the mess herself. Before she realized it, the morning was gone and she’d set up a filing system for him.

Although she told herself she’d done it out of her own need for organization, she knew that wasn’t entirely true. She wanted to help Matt. Contribute.

He hadn’t asked one thing of her. He treated her like a guest, and that wasn’t what she wanted. If she was going to make the lodge her home for the next five or six months, it was important to do something in return. She wanted to be part of the community, too, and helping with this reception was a good start.

Abbey beamed. “Ben insisted on doing all the cooking. Mariah Douglas—she’s the Midnight Sons secretary, in case you haven’t met her—is working on the decorations. Dotty Livengood’s helping, too.”

Karen was eager to make friends with the other women in Hard Luck. She hadn’t ventured far from the lodge and was still finding her way around the small community. Everyone seemed to know her, though, thanks to Matt.

“The reception’s on Saturday,” Abbey continued, “and Mariah and Dotty are hoping to get everyone together Friday evening around seven to decorate. We’d love it if you’d come.”

“I’ll be there,” Karen promised.

The July sun shone brightly as she wandered slowly back to the lodge, enjoying the day’s warmth and the friendly greetings. Matt hadn’t given her a specific time to expect him home, but she hoped it would be soon.

The first thing Karen noticed when she stepped into the lodge was the inviting smells coming from the kitchen. Savory spices mingled with the scent of simmering beef and vegetables.

“Matt?” She found her husband in the kitchen, wearing a starched white apron. He stood in front of the stove and grinned wryly when he saw her.

“Hi, honey, I’m home.”

Karen begrudged the way her heart leapt with excitement at seeing him again. She was lonely, she told herself, that was all. What did she expect when her family and friends were in Anchorage, hundreds of miles away?

“How’d everything go?” she asked in an effort to take her mind off her pleasure at having him home.

“Great. The guys are showering now. We had a fabulous time.”

“Did you catch any fish?” Matt wasn’t likely to get much repeat business unless he supplied the fishing experience of a lifetime. Karen had read in one of those glossy travel publications that it was cheaper to go on a safari in Africa than an expedition in Alaska.

“Both guys said this was the best fishing of their lives. They’ve already given me a deposit for next year.”

Karen couldn’t help sharing in his pride. “That’s wonderful!”

Matt added chopped potato to the stew. “Did you miss me?”

She had, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “You were only gone two days.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

She knew what he was hoping to hear, but she didn’t think it was a good idea to reveal how lonely she’d been. “It was…quiet around here,” she said unwillingly.

He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. “You know, you’re looking more beautiful every day. Pregnancy obviously agrees with you.”

Compliments made Karen uncomfortable. “I can’t button my jeans. And I’m only three months along,” she complained. “At this rate, I’ll end up resembling a battleship.”

He stepped away from the stove and made a show of studying her. He twisted his head one way and then the other. When he’d finished, he said in a thoughtful tone, “Maybe, but you’ll be the prettiest battleship around.”

Matt always knew how to cheer her up. But she didn’t
want
to laugh and joke with him; that kind of camaraderie was dangerous. She had to remind herself repeatedly that after the baby was born, she was returning to California. It was becoming more and more difficult to think about her life away from Matt.

“Let me help you with dinner,” she insisted.

“No way.” He was prepared to chase her out of the kitchen, but she stood her ground.

“Matt, I
want
to help. If you don’t let me, I’ll go crazy with nothing to do.”

He gave in. “Fine. You can set the table for our guests.”

Then, because she was pleased to see him, and because she forgot for a moment that they were divorced and sleeping in separate rooms, she stood on tiptoe and briefly brushed his mouth with hers.

Matt stared at her as though she’d suddenly sprouted wings. Or antennae. His expression said he didn’t understand why she’d done this. She wasn’t sure herself. But it felt right. It felt more than right—it felt
good.