Page 31 of Sweet Home

“I’m always glad to hear from you,” he told her honestly. “How did Catherine’s appointment go?”

“Well, they’re worried about her blood pressure,” Mrs. Webster said, her voice breaking. “She had a urine test, and now she has to take medication and rest. They might even have to deliver thebaby early.”

Preeclampsia,West thought to himself sadly. It was a dangerous condition and one that would impact the rest of the pregnancy.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” he told her. “It’s good that she has an OB team to keep an eye on her and advise. And I’ll be happy to stop by and check her blood pressure myself every day, if it eases your mind.”

“Oh, West, thank you,” Mrs. Webster said.

There was a slightly awkward pause.

West put things together immediately. Catherine already had a very active little boy, and she’d be in no shape to keep up with him for a while.

“I’m sure she’s supposed to take it easy until the baby comes,” he said quickly. “You should be there to watch your grandson, so she doesn’t push herself.”

“I don’t want to let you down, West,” Mrs. Webster said worriedly. “But Rick is traveling so much for work. I’m worried that she’ll just keep cooking and cleaning and chasing the little guy around.”

“You absolutely can’t let her do that,” West said sternly. “And you’re not letting me down.”

“But what about Elizabeth?” she asked.

“My parents will be thrilled to help out,” he told her honestly. “They always offer. I just know how much she loves spending time with you.”

Honestly, he could count on his parents, but he didn’t like taking advantage of them. They had always helped out as needed with all the grandkids. But between that, the house, the farm, and the family gatherings, he figured they had enough on their plates.

“Thank you for understanding, West,” Mrs. Webster said.

“Of course,” he told her. “I’ll give Catherine a call to see about checking in on her.”

“You’re an angel, West,” Mrs. Webster told him.

After a few more pleasantries, they signed off and he slid the phone back into his pocket, then walked over to the window and sighed.

The view over the snow-covered farm brought him a measure of peace, as it always did, but tonight it seemed colder and starker out there than usual, with the moonlit trees casting dark shadows over the fields.

Mrs. Webster’s daughter would be okay. Her mom would see to that. If her doctors had allowed her to go home, then her case wasn’t severe, at least not yet. West would make a point to check on her daily himself to keep an eye on the situation.

And he knew he could rely on his parents if he had to. They would absolutely understand the situation and be more than happy to take Elizabeth. He could even try and enroll her in an activity program at the library later in the month if there were any open spots.

He really wasn’t sure why he was feeling like this.

I’m lonely…

But that was silly. He had literally just walked away from a dinner table with fifteen other people. He was living in the same town where he’d grown up. He had Elizabeth, his family, his friends, and even his patients. The idea of West Lawrence being lonely was ridiculous.

But all the common sense in the worldwouldn’t fill the aching hole that seemed to have opened up in his chest all of a sudden.

The unmistakable sound of Elizabeth’s unhappy voice caught his ear, and he shook off his weird moment to go get her.

This is my fault for not making time for her nap today.

He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, and headed back toward the kitchen. He was almost there when he realized he didn’t hear Elizabeth’s whiny tone anymore. And when he stepped back in, he didn’t see her at first. Her chair was empty, and so was Dulcie’s.

He glanced around and immediately put together what must have happened.

Dulcie was curled up in the easy chair with Elizabeth practically melted into her, her back to Dulcie’s chest, one little hand clutching a golden lock of Dulcie’s hair, her eyes already at half-mast as Dulcie quietly read to her from the picture book Tag’s kids had abandoned.

They were perfectly framed by the window, and the snowy farmland that had looked so desolate a moment ago now looked like the backdrop of a Christmas card to West.

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