Forever Santa (7 page)

This time her little white lie was different, although someone else might have called it a great big whopper. She was doing more than meeting Emily in town. She’d made an appointment to see Doc Johnson at the hospital.

For the last three weeks she’d felt tired. The kind of bone deep tiredness that comes with the flu or a good dose of something else that she hadn’t considered until this week. She couldn’t drink coffee, had trouble eating anything that had four legs and went moo, and had thrown up by mid-morning most days this week.

She didn’t need to think too hard about what might be causing all of her problems. And that was why she was here, outside Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, shivering in the cold.

Someone tooted their horn and she started walking toward the entrance. She didn’t know what she thought about being a mom, and she didn’t want to think about it in case she wasn’t pregnant.

Trent had told her he wanted children. It was the main reason he wanted to marry someone in the first place. But there was a big difference between wanting children and knowing one was on the way.

They hadn’t planned this baby. She hadn’t taken any of the pre-natal vitamins that all of the Internet sites said were crucial. She hadn’t prepared her body as ‘the vessel of new life’ that one website talked about. She’d eaten all of the sweet, sugary food she normally did, rode Daisy when it wasn’t snowing, and had surrounded herself in toxic paint fumes for two months. A brilliant start to any baby’s life.

She walked into the main reception area and headed toward the elevators. Doc Johnson had a private practice in town, but on Monday and Wednesday mornings he worked from the hospital.

Unlike his private practice, she’d be able to come and go from this appointment almost undetected. Unless she met someone she knew, which was always a possibility in a small town.

“Gracie,
you-hoo
.”

Just when she’d been counting her lucky stars that she’d made it inside unnoticed, Jessie popped her purple rinsed curls around a planter box and smiled.

Gracie moved away from the elevators, but only enough to let Jessie know she didn’t have a lot of time. “Hi, Jessie. I’ve only got a few minutes.”

“I suppose you’ve come to see one of the nice doctors. It must have come as quite a shock. Nothing can prepare you for that kind of news.”

Gracie stared at her.

“Alex. Your brother. I read all about his accident on the Internet. Such a shame. He was doing so well in the competition, too. I suppose you want to find out all there is to know about his surgery and what’s in store for him?”

“Oh. Alex.” Gracie’s little white lie quota was being chewed up pretty fast. Instead of adding another tick to her not-strictly-true list, she dived for the open elevator doors and smiled over her shoulder. “I’ve got to go, Jessie. Have a great day.”

When the elevator doors closed, she leaned against the back panel. The rest of the day couldn’t get much worse. Unless Jessie posted a message about seeing Gracie in the hospital on her Facebook page. Then she might have some questions to answer.

Hopefully the answer would be good news.

CHAPTER SIX

Gracie sat at a table in the mall, sipping her hot chocolate. Emily would be here soon. They’d shop for Christmas tree decorations, buy last minute gifts. But the best part was that it would give her time to get used to what Doc Johnson had just told her.

Of all the friends Gracie had made in Bozeman, Emily was the most creative. She designed beautiful clothes from her spare bedroom and had the beginnings of a successful business at her fingertips.

Emily would be the distraction she needed. Gracie loved clothes, loved the mood that well designed clothes could create. Emily used beautiful fabrics, found the perfect style for each client. Her designs were timeless and elegant, with the right amount of quirky to make them unique.

Gracie smiled as she remembered her pink sheepskin coat. It was warm, practical, and a little different. Just like Gracie.

After seeing Doc Johnson, she realized that even the smallest difference could change your life forever. She looked exactly the same as she had yesterday, last week, and the week before that. She didn’t feel any different. And if you discounted the breakfast she’d vomited over Doc Johnson’s shoes, life was just dandy.

Except she was pregnant. Possibly four months pregnant, but that would be confirmed by the scan they’d booked for next week. Gracie didn’t know how she’d managed to be pregnant for four months and not know it. She’d thought a mysterious maternal light bulb would have blinked to life and told her she was going to have a baby. But that hadn’t happened. It had taken a week of vomiting to do that.

“Sorry I’m late. I’ve ordered a drink.” Emily sat down in the seat opposite Gracie, her short red hair standing on end.

“Nice hairdo.”

“Thanks. Loretta let one of her apprentices loose on my head. I didn’t think there was much they could do with short hair, but I was wrong.” She leaned forward and whispered, “I look like I’ve been zapped by ten thousand volts of electricity.”

Gracie grinned. “Maybe it was the style they were going for?”

“Try steam punk mixed with Doctor Who.”

Gracie titled her head to the side and tried to see the elfin haircut any other way except what it looked like. “I’m not an expert on steam punk and I haven’t watched an episode of Doctor Who in years. But you look cute.”

“I’ll take the compliment. So what have you been up to?”

Gracie nearly choked on her hot chocolate. “Nothing much. I found some tree decorations when I was walking into the mall.” To hide the heat in her face she lifted a plastic shopping bag off the floor. “Do you like these?”

She pulled four round balls from the bag. They were different shades of gold and sprinkled with glitter. “I wanted to keep the decorations simple, so I thought I’d stick with one color.”

Emily nodded at the decorations. “Tone on tone. I like it.” She glanced at the bag and frowned. “How many did you buy?”

“Forty. You don’t think that’s too many do you?”

“Not with the tree you’ve got. It’s going to look beautiful.” Emily smiled at the waitress who brought her coffee across to their table.

Gracie carefully wrapped the decorations in tissue paper and sat back in her seat. The smell of Emily’s coffee made her stomach churn.

“What’s wrong?” Tess leaned forward and touched Gracie’s hand. “You’ve gone as white as a sheet.”

Gracie tried to focus on something else. She held her hot chocolate close to her nose and breathed deeply. It didn’t work. She could still smell Emily’s coffee. “I need to move away.”

“What do you mean?”

Gracie pushed her chair back and moved to another table. “It’s coffee. It makes me feel sick.”

Emily looked between her coffee and Gracie. “You’re pregnant?” Her mouth dropped open. “
You’re pregnant
,” she squealed.

“Sshh,”
Gracie looked around to make sure no one else had heard them.

Emily left her coffee where it was and leaped around the table to hug Gracie. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you. When did you find out?”

“About an hour ago.” Gracie couldn’t help the grin that made its way onto her face. “No one else knows. I don’t even know how I feel about it.”

“Are you excited?”

“Not exactly. Try scared, worried, and confused.” And that was just for starters. “I’m going to have a baby. A real, live, baby.”

Emily held her hands. “It’s going to be okay. You’ve got a wonderful family and lots of friends. We’ll help you. Does Trent know?”

Gracie shook her head. “He doesn’t have a clue. I didn’t tell him about my doctor’s appointment. He thinks I came into Bozeman to go shopping with you.”

“You did, but we need to do something so you don’t feel sick. Have you tried ginger tea?”

Gracie shook her head, which wasn’t a great idea. Spots danced in front of her eyes and left her feeling even more dizzy.

“Put your head between your knees. My sister had morning sickness for four months and nothing worked better than ginger tea. Wait here.”

And before Gracie could blink, Emily had disappeared. She rested her head between her knees and tried not to panic. She didn’t know anything about babies. Diapers were about as foreign to her as chopsticks and the thought of cracked nipples, stretch marks, and diaper rash made her feel worse.

It wasn’t as if they didn’t want a baby. They did. More than anything. But after eighteen months of marriage and lots of opportunities to get pregnant, Gracie had decided that maybe it wasn’t going to happen.

Trent had talked about visiting a fertility clinic. Gracie thought it was a good idea, but they’d never gotten any further than talking about it. And now they didn’t need to worry. She was pregnant, they’d have a baby next summer. It would be fine. She knew it would.

“Here. Drink this.”

Emily pushed a cup of tea under Gracie’s nose. The smell was enough to make her feel sick all over again. “Is it really supposed to help?”

“Worked for Nicky. Drink it slowly.”

Gracie sat up and took a deep breath. She sipped the tea, wincing at the bitter brew in her hands. “I don’t like the taste of ginger all that much.”

“Just give it a few minutes, then let me know how you feel.”

Gracie slowly sipped the tea. She listened to Emily tell her about a building she’d seen that might have made a great boutique. Except for the rent the owner wanted, it would have been perfect. They listened to a choir singing Christmas carols and watched people walking past with shopping bags clutched in their hands.

Gracie pushed the empty cup across the table.

“Well done,” Emily said. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t feel sick anymore, but I need to pee.” Gracie picked up her decorations. “I don’t know the first thing about being pregnant and I’ve got no idea how to look after a baby. What am I going to do?”

“Pee.” Emily stood up and hugged Gracie. “You’ve got lots of time ahead of you to work out all the other things. The rest will happen, one step at a time.”

Gracie hugged Emily tight, then stepped back. “You’re right.” She lifted her tote bag onto her shoulder and looked around the mall. “But if I don’t find a bathroom soon, I’m going to be in trouble.”

Emily pointed behind Gracie and grinned. “Follow me.”

So Gracie did, one step at a time.

***

“How did your shopping go?” Trent looked up from his desk. Paper was scattered all around him and he looked as though he’d been adding numbers to a spreadsheet.

Gracie showed him the two bags in her hands. “I left most of the decorations in the mall.”

“That was very restrained of you, Mrs. McKenzie.”

“I tried my hardest, Mr. McKenzie.”

Jordan lifted his head from the plans in front of him. “If this conversation is about to turn x-rated, I want to remind you that I’ve just broken up with my girlfriend. You’re supposed to feel sorry for me, not rub salt in my wounds.”

Gracie smiled at her brother-in-law. “There’s no x-rated stuff happening.”

Trent gave a dramatic sigh. “I thought I was about to get lucky.”

Jordan muttered something under his breath and went back to studying the plans.

Gracie thought about how lucky Trent would feel when he found out she was pregnant. She could have blurted it out, told him straight away, but she had a plan. A plan she’d worked on as she’d walked around the aisles of Baby World with Emily.

“Have you heard from Jacob?” she asked.

Trent stood up and took the shopping bags out of her hands. “He called as soon as he got back to your parents’ ranch. Alex had something to eat for lunch.”

Food was good, she supposed. But it didn’t mean he was completely out of danger. “Did Jacob say anything else?”

“Your mom and dad are doing okay. They’re staying in the same hotel they booked into for the competition. I’ve left their phone number on the notepad beside the fridge. Do you want a drink?”

Gracie kissed Trent’s cheek before he wandered through to the kitchen. “A hot chocolate would be great.”

She looked across at Jordan. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to work out if I can finish a small part of the barn for photos. If people are going to start booking their vacation with us I need images for the website.”

“The outside of the barn’s finished. Why don’t you focus on that?”

Jordan ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “It’s the middle of winter, Gracie. All you can see is snow.”

“I took some photos after the windows were installed and Trent took some amazing photos of the ranch last Fall. Why don’t you use those for now. Once we’ve finished the interior you could get some professional photos taken.”

Jordan looked a little less stressed. “Do you know where the photos are?”

“I downloaded them onto my laptop. Stay here, I’ll be back soon.” Gracie had left her laptop recharging in the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee brewing nearly made her run for the bathroom.