One Night with the Doctor (12 page)

“Why? Because this baby was unplanned? Because you and Ben aren’t married and are just starting a relationship?” Lexi gave Poppy’s hands a squeeze. “You want this baby. You’ll be a wonderful mother. That’s what matters.”

Heat rose up Poppy’s neck. “It just seems ironic that we counsel our clients on having safe, responsible sex and I turned up unmarried and pregnant.”

“Your personal life isn’t their business,” Lexi asserted. “And having an unplanned pregnancy, despite taking all the precautions, will make you more empathetic to those who find themselves in similar situations. I know raising a child as a single parent helps me to understand better what that’s like for our clients.”

“Single parent?” Poppy had met Lexi’s husband and their two daughters.

“Addie’s father and I never married.” Lexi gave a little laugh. “I got pregnant in graduate school. My boyfriend and I had been planning to get married so I thought we’d just reschedule the wedding day.”

“I take it that didn’t happen.”

“Drew wasn’t ready to be a father. He wanted us to travel, enjoy a child-free life before getting tied down. The timing just wasn’t right for him.”

A sick feeling filled the pit of Poppy’s stomach. “What happened?”

“He made it clear if I didn’t terminate the pregnancy we were done.” Lexi lifted one shoulder. “He didn’t even acknowledge Addie existed for the first ten years of her life. No child support. No visitation.”

“Jerk.”

Lexi just smiled. “Then I met Nick. When we married he became Addie’s dad. Drew eventually came around and now Addie has two fathers.”

“Why didn’t you tell him to take a flying leap when he came around after all that time?”

“The thought crossed my mind.” Lexi toyed with a pencil in need of a good sharpening. “But Nick reminded me it was about what was best for the child. Having Addie get to know Drew and forgive him was what was best for her.”

Poppy pondered Lexi’s words on her way home.
What was best for the child.

That was the reason she’d let Ben move in with her. She expelled a breath. All the second-guessing she’d done over her decision disappeared.

She needed to put more effort into developing a relationship with Ben, one that would allow them to effectively parent their child.

Ultimately that’s what was important.

Chapter Thirteen

B
en arrived home, or rather to the small five rooms he now called home, shortly before six. The moment he opened the door his senses were assailed by the scent of spiced meat. He found Poppy at the stove stirring what looked to be a pot of vegetables.

“Something smells good,” he said, collapsing into a chair in the living room.

“Beef stew.” Poppy turned to him. “Please tell me you’re not opposed to red meat.”

He grinned. “Eat it every chance I get.”

She looked so pretty standing at the stove with the red glasses perched on her nose, dressed in a pair of jeans and a bright blue long-sleeved cotton shirt. He had to resist the urge to sneak up and press a kiss on the back of her neck.

“I’ll set the table.” He glanced dubiously at the surface the size of a postage stamp.

“Thanks.” She gestured to a cabinet to her left. “There are soup bowls in there and plates. I’ve got biscuits in the oven.”

As he took the bowls from the cupboard, his stomach growled. “You didn’t have to expend all this effort. If you’d called, I could have picked up some takeout.”

Poppy’s smile remained pleasant. “I like to cook. After working all day, I enjoy puttering around the kitchen.”

“What else can I do?” he asked, dropping napkins next to the dishes.

“I cook. You clean.”

“Deal.”

Once the food was on the table and Ben had taken his first bite, he realized if he could eat like this every night, he’d never want to go out.

“This is amazing,” he said and was rewarded with a bright smile.

“I told Lexi I’m pregnant,” Poppy said in an offhand tone and nibbled on a biscuit.

He paused, the spoonful of stew paused in front of his mouth. “What did she say?”

“She...understood.” Poppy paused as if deciding how much to confide. “She told me she’d gotten pregnant during grad school and her longtime boyfriend wanted her to have an abortion. She refused.”

Ben chased the stew with milk. “Did she keep the baby?”

“It’s Addie,” Poppy told him. “You’ve seen her. She’s a young teen now and the spitting image of Lexi.”

When he lifted a biscuit and took a bite, Poppy took a breath and pressed ahead. “Be honest. When I told you I was pregnant, did you ever consider suggesting an abortion?”

“Not for one second.” Ben had been more concerned she might entertain the idea.

“Okay.” She expelled a breath and resumed eating. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“Thinking is usually good.”

She surprised him with a quick smile.

“I really want us to get to know each other,” she said. “Start over.”

Ben thought that was the reason he’d moved in. “Start over how?”

“By not only getting to know each other but focus on becoming friends.”

She looked so intense, so serious, he had to smile.

“I’d like that.” He extended his hand, and when she placed hers in his, he realized
now
they had a deal.

* * *

Becoming better friends was what Ben had in mind when he asked Poppy to attend a formal hospital function at the Spring Gulch Country Club the following weekend. The fact she’d immediately accepted his invitation had pleased him.

After a hectic week, the night arrived. Ben wandered into the living room, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt. His pants and jacket lay over the top of the sofa. He supposed he could have dressed in his bedroom, but the area was so small, it made him feel as if he was dressing in a closet. He dumped his shoes on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

He turned to find Poppy looking oddly flustered. “I didn’t know you were getting dressed in here.”

“Nothing here you haven’t seen before,” he reminded her, flashing a smile.

For tonight’s festivities, she wore a silky looking dress in an eye-popping red and shiny black heels that added three inches to her height. He liked her in red, he decided, recalling the suit she’d worn earlier in the week.

“Very pretty,” he said after giving her a thorough appraisal. “You’ll definitely be the most beautiful woman in the ballroom this evening.”

She blushed again.

“I have to do something with my hair.” Even as a hand rose to her dark, silky strands, her gaze lingered where his shirt tails ended and his boxers began.

Heat surged through his body but he forced himself to ignore it. He studied her hair, which hung loose to her shoulders in soft curls. “Why do anything with it?”

“It’s too plain.” She pulled her brows together then brightened. “I have a glittery red headband that might add some pizzazz.”

He could honestly argue she didn’t need any adornment, but in the past week he’d learned that Poppy didn’t go out of the house unless she looked, well, perfect.

“Get it.” He reached for his trousers. “I’ll give you my opinion.”

By the time she returned he was pulling on the jacket of his black tux.

Thin as a pencil width, the “headband” sparkled prettily against her dark hair.

He tilted his head back. “You’re right. I like the effect.”

She smiled, then sobered. “I’m excited about the party but in some ways I wish we could stay home, have pizza and watch a movie.”

Ben almost reminded her that’s what they’d done last night, when he caught the tension on her face. “You’re nervous. Why?”

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “You told Tripp about the baby.”

“You told Lexi.”

“I know.” She brushed at her hair with her hand and the brightly colored stones on her bracelet shimmered in the light. “I guess I’m still embarrassed.”

He straightened the sleeves of his jacket and waited.

“You know, like back in high school, when you got a hickey on your neck and you worried everyone would see it and know what you’d been doing.”

A hickey?
It took everything Ben had not to smile. “I have no doubt every one of our friends who’ll be at the party tonight had sex before they were married. And hopefully they enjoyed it as much as we did.”

A ghost of a smile flickered on her glossy red lips.

“In fact, many of them were on the road to having a family before they were married.” When his hand cupped her cheek, she didn’t pull away. “No one will judge us, Poppy. If they do, they aren’t friends.”

With the sultry scent of her perfume teasing his nostrils, Ben gave in to impulse and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. He leaned forward, resting his cheek against her hair. “Decide to have a good time tonight, and you will.”

“You asked what was on my mind. That’s the only reason I told you.” Her head jerked up. “I’m not a whiner. Or a killjoy.”

It was an odd response, he thought, filing it away for future dissection when there was more time.

“You’re not, no.” He stroked her hair, pleased she didn’t pull away. “I want you to always be honest with me.”

“I appreciate you taking the time to listen,” she murmured against his shirtfront.

“That’s what friendship is all about. And I have a feeling we’re going to become good friends, Poppy. Really good friends.”

* * *

Poppy rested her head against Ben’s chest while the band played a romantic dance number from the 1940s. As he whirled her across the dance floor Poppy did her best to ignore the desires his closeness ignited by focusing on the flowers.

The ballroom of the Spring Gulch Country Club had been turned into a wonderland of wildflowers. Large urns overflowed with spikes of red and smatterings of yellow, orange and purples, which filled the room not only with color, but with a sweet, enticing fragrance. Women in brightly colored dresses added their own touch to the ambience.

Poppy spotted Hailey in a short electric blue dress, laughing with Tripp and Anna. Since her brother was the hospital CEO and her father had served several terms on the board of trustees, it was only natural the pretty blonde would be in attendance.

Though Poppy had left a number of messages for Hailey and had even stopped at Wally’s Place one afternoon, they’d yet to connect. A crowded ballroom with people surrounding them hardly seemed the time or place to clear the air.

Besides, Poppy was determined to have a good time tonight. So far, so good. Ben had been an attentive “date,” getting her a glass of club soda, including her in conversations when various colleagues paused to chat. Yes, she was having fun.

There was still dinner to navigate. Because it was assigned seating, she had no idea who’d be at her table. Of course, it couldn’t be any worse than when Lyle Stockwood, one of her husband’s associates, had sat beside her and slid his hand up her thigh. When she’d told Bill, he’d had the audacity to laugh and tell her to loosen up.

Dread filled her stomach when Tripp announced it was time for everyone to take their seats. She and Ben located their name cards on a large round linen-clad table near the front.

Poppy immediately checked out the other names. Ryan and Betsy Harcourt. Cole and Meg Lassiter. Tripp and Anna Randall.

She’d attended Jackson Hole High with everyone except Betsy Harcourt. But when Ryan walked up with his wife, Poppy recognized the woman dressed in a flirty bronze-colored dress. Betsy had been a friend of her sister Aimee’s.

“It’s good to see you both,” Ryan said as he shook Ben’s hand then smiled at Poppy. “I don’t know if you’ve met my wife, Betsy.”

Before Ryan had a chance to complete the introductions, Betsy jumped in.

“You’re Aimee’s sister, right?” Betsy’s freckled face grew animated. “I’m sure you don’t remember me but she and I used to hang around together.”

“Of course I remember.” Poppy had always liked Aimee’s shy friend. “You two worked on that science project in middle school.”

Betsy grimaced. “Yes, well, just know that I hold myself personally responsible for the drop in her GPA that semester. Aimee was brilliant, but science was always a struggle for me. What’s she doing now?”

Poppy told her Aimee was a design engineer, who now lived in Sacramento with her husband and two children. She learned Ryan and Betsy had a little boy who would turn one in the fall.

Cole and Meg strolled up with Tripp and Anna. As the conversation swirled around her, Poppy realized she knew those at the table even better than Ben. Or at least their history. It was easy to forget Ben’s parents had sent him off to boarding school at twelve. He hadn’t been part of their high school crowd.

“It sounds as if it’s really going to happen,” Meg said to Betsy, her voice shaking with excitement. “I bet you’re so excited.”

With her auburn hair, freckles and lean frame, Meg was more striking than pretty. Yet there was something about her that drew people to her, that made them feel comfortable around her.

Though Betsy and Meg were talking quite openly across the table, Poppy wasn’t sure if this was a private or a public conversation. She took a bite of salad and chased it with a sip of water.

Ben was busy discussing investment strategies with Cole while Anna and Tripp chatted with Ryan.

“We believe he’ll be out of prison by Christmas,” Betsy said.

“Prison?” The word popped out before Poppy could stop it. “Who’s in prison?”

“My brother, Keenan.” Betsy swiveled in her seat toward Poppy. “He was unjustly convicted of murder. The person who set up the killing needed a scapegoat. My brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I remember Keenan.” Poppy slanted a sideways glance at Cole then at Ryan, his two best high school buddies. “I guess I knew he wasn’t in Jackson Hole, but I didn’t realize he was incarcerated.”

“We’re hoping he’ll be released by Christmas. Maybe even sooner.” Happiness laced through Betsy’s words like a pretty ribbon.

“I asked Keenan to a turnabout dance in middle school,” Poppy said, then heaved an exaggerated sigh. “He turned me down. He was nice about it, though.”

“He probably didn’t have anything to wear,” Betsy said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Until he was old enough to work, there was no money for extras.”

Poppy gave a shrug. “I assumed I wasn’t his type.”

“He’d be happy you didn’t suspect money was an issue,” Betsy said. “The last thing either of us wanted was anyone’s pity.”

Poppy placed her hand on Betsy’s arm. “Please let him know I’m pulling for him.”

“Who?” Ben asked. Apparently derivatives could only hold a man’s interest for so long.

“Keenan, Betsy’s brother, might be getting out of prison soon,” Poppy told Ben. “He got sent there for a crime he didn’t commit. I had a huge crush on him in middle school.”

“I had the biggest crush on Tripp in middle school. For that matter in high school, too.” Anna Randall spoke for the first time. “He didn’t know I existed.”

“I did, too,” Tripp said with a halfhearted protest.

“It’s okay.” Anna slipped her arm through his and brushed her lips against his cheek, then gently wiped off the lipstick with her fingertip.

Tripp captured her hand and brought it to his mouth.

Observing the sweet, intimate gesture, Poppy’s heart twisted. Tripp had dated her dearest friend, Gayle, all through high school. They’d married after college but their happiness had been short-lived. Gayle had died from pregnancy complications four years ago.

“Did you have a steady boyfriend in high school?”

Ben’s question pulled Poppy’s attention back to him. She shook her head. “I dated a lot but no one seriously. That was deliberate.”

“Really?” Curiosity blanketed Meg’s face.

“I wanted to go away to college then live in a big city. Getting serious so young would have put a chink in my plan.”

“You were married, right?” Betsy asked.

Poppy nodded. “My divorce was final a couple of years ago.”

“I heard a rumor.” Anna’s cheeks turned a dusky pink and she appeared to be deliberately avoiding her husband’s gaze. “Are you and Ben living together?”

There were times when it was possible to have a private discussion even when surrounded by people. This wasn’t one of those times.

Anna’s question had been delivered at the exact moment of a conversational lull. All eyes turned to Poppy.

Beneath the table Ben took her hand. She darted a glance sideways and the look in his eyes told her he was willing to answer the question and take the heat off her.