Page 104 of Stone

“Yes,” I said flatly. “Please mail it.”

He patted my hand gently and nodded his assent, before turning and placing the letter in a post bag behind the counter. “Leave it with me, sweetheart.”

Murmuring my thanks, I turned and walked out onto Main Street, pulling the lapels of my coat together to shield me from the wind.

Mr. Allen probably thought I’d gone nuts, writing to a dead man. It wasn’t like I didn’t know that continuing to write to John was stupid—it wasn’t like he’d read my letters—but I didn’t care.

Sometimes, I fantasized he was lost somewhere and would one day turn up at his base. What if he’d hurt his head and his memory had been affected? He’d need my letters to work out who he was and piece everything together.

My ol’ man would need them to find his way home to me.

But it was wishful thinking, and the practical side of me knew it wouldn’t happen. Perhaps not being able to say goodbye was a consequence of not having a funeral, or maybe I was just going crazy.

Almost trancelike, I wandered down Main Street and onto Monument Street toward the mayor’s office. My employer had been great with me, giving me time to get my head around the fact that John was gone. I had to work, though; I needed money, especially with a baby on the way.

I pushed the door open and walked inside, shivering as a wall of warmth hit me.

The office hadn’t changed, except it wasn’t as neat as usual. Papers were strewn across my desk, and coffee cups littered the surfaces. Mayor Henderson would be glad to get me back to work. The place needed some order, and at least I could keep myself busy.

A door opened, and I looked up. “Hey, Mayor Hender—” I stopped when I saw Robert walk out of his dad’s office.

He smiled, waving a sheath of papers. “Dad asked me to come in on my way home and grab some papers for him.” His blue eyes trailed down my body. “Are you okay?”

I nodded toward my desk. “I came in to tell the mayor I’ll be back at work Monday. By the looks of it, nobody’s been filing while I’ve been sick.”

Robert smiled. “My dad’s useless at paperwork. It’s why he hired you.”

My eyes slid around the room, taking in the mess, and with a rueful sigh, I started to unbutton my coat. “I’ll tidy now so I can get on with catching with filing up on Monday.” I slid my coat off and twisted around to lay it over my desk.

“Elise,” Robert whispered, his tone shocked.

“Huh?” I turned back to him and stilled when I saw Robert staring down at my stomach, his face ashen. Glancing down, my heart sank when I saw my sweater had ridden up to expose my very pregnant belly.

A hand flew to my throat, and I cursed under my breath.

“I didn’t know,” Robert said huskily, his gaze still lowered, taking me in. “I had no clue. Is it John’s?”

“Of course it’s John’s,” I retorted. “Who else’s would it be?”

Robert seemed to come out of his trance and raised his hands defensively. “I’m sorry. It was just a shock. I didn’t know you were pregnant, which is nearly impossible in this town. God knows how the news hasn’t gotten back to me.”

I dug the heel of my palm in my eye, and I sighed. “The town gossips haven’t lost their touch, Robert. Nobody knows, not even my mom.”

His eyes widened. “Jesus, Elise,” he exclaimed. “How have you managed to hide it?”

“My bump’s quite small, I guess.” I shrugged.

His face twisted in confusion. “How far along are you?”

I counted back. “I think about six months.”

His eyes widened again. “You think? What does your OB-GYN or midwife think? You look small for six months. Is everything okay?”

I stilled because Robert’s words hit me like a sledgehammer.

Food wasn’t my priority, nor was my health. I walked around in a daze most of the time, some days not eating at all. What if my thoughtlessness had hurt my baby?

“I don’t have an OB-GYN or a midwife,” I whispered. “The only doctor I’ve seen was the one in the ER, when you and Stevie took me in the day I found out about John…” Tears filled my eyes.

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