Page 71 of Mountain Man Officer

Jason and Dillon went out to the porch, leaving Nicky and the baby with us in the living room. Nicky drifted closer to the love seat, touching my knees with childhood concern.

“Is she okay, Mommy?” the little boy asked.

“She’s gonna be fine,” Macy promised. “She just needs us to cheer her up.”

“I can draw a horse,” Nicky said.

I laughed, wiping away my tears. “I think I have some paper in the office.”

“I’ll get it,” Macy said, rising to her feet. “Nicky, tell Auntie Lindsey about our trip to the farm.”

I turned my focus to the eager little boy as he climbed up onto the spot his mother had vacated. He treated me to a rambling dissertation about farm animals while Macy collected what art supplies she could. Dillon returned to the living room without Jason, studying me for signs of stress. I gave him a watery smile.

A moment later, Ava burst through the door, and my circle of friends was complete. I collapsed into sobs.

“Jason—I told him…” I tried to get out.

“Sweetheart, can you take Nicky into the bedroom and see if there are any cartoons on?” Macy asked Dillon.

“Sure.” Dillon picked up Nicky.

“Hey!” the boy shouted indignantly.

“Come on, let’s give the girls some room to talk,” Dillon said, putting his son on his shoulders.

As soon as they were gone, Macy and Ava turned on me. I was still sitting on the love seat; I hadn’t moved since the incident. Macy sat next to me, holding my hand. Ava was crouched in front of me, staring up with supportive eyes.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. “When she was in here waving the gun around, it sort of came out. I told them both I was pregnant.”

“How did he respond?” Ava asked, coming up out of her crouch to sit opposite us on the couch.

I shook my head. “Badly.”

“You can’t know what men are thinking,” Ava said.

“He’s probably hurt that you didn’t tell him before,” Macy surmised. “Let the shock wear off, and you’ll get your true reaction.”

I sniffled. Before I met Jason, I had been eager to have the cabin to myself. Now, all I could think about was that he wouldn’t be with me every morning to share the sunrise. I had messed up, and my baby would pay the ultimate price.

“Don’t think about it,” Macy saw the way my thoughts were going. “Do you have any ice cream in the freezer?”

I nodded.

“Well, let’s get it out.” She surged to her feet, mothering me like a pro. We got out a deck of cards and played gin rummy for hours until Macy had to take her real kids home. Dillon and Ava stayed, ignoring my assertions that I would be fine. Dillon set up his computer in our office and did his thing. Ava and I fell into our normal routine of gossip about the hair salon and its owners. Everything seemed comfortable for a time, but throughout it all there was a nagging doubt that I would never experience my happily ever after with the one man I had come to love more than anything else in the world.

27

JASON

Ifound Dillon on the porch waiting for me. I killed the truck engine and stepped out of the cab. The night was gentle, and the forest was quiet. My boots crunched on the dirt and gravel driveway as I walked toward the stairs.

“Glad to see you,” Dillon said, rising to his feet.

“Thanks for staying,” I said.

He nodded. “Tough day.”

“Yeah,” I said. “You got a minute? Or do you need to get home?”

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