Page 100 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Her gaze caught on Gavin, lounging in the recliner, a sleeping Emma stretched across his chest. Her head was nestled in the cradle of his neck, and his hand rested on her back.

Laurel’s heart squeezed tight. And in that moment a sinking realization hit her, filling her stomach with lead.

She was not over her ex-husband.

She wanted to deny the thought. But revisiting the past couple of weeks...

With a trembling hand she shut the door, then gave Sunny some affection so she’d settle down. And also to stall for time. These feelings were unwelcome. She and Gavin had already agreed that getting married wasn’t a good idea. Especially since he didn’t seem to return her feelings.

What was she doing? What was she getting herself into?

When she’d stalled as long as she could, she joined Gavin in the living room, noting that the space was clear of toys for once. Also the wood floor had been swept—there were even vacuum lines on the area rug.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

Laurel sank onto the couch, feeling the weight of this morning’s task—if not her new revelation—slide off her shoulders. “It went well. Diane was very gracious. She even extended my leave for two weeks.”

“That’s great. Did she mention the promotion?”

“She didn’t say so outright, but she did insinuate that it’s in the works.”

“Aw, Laurel. I’d hate for you to give that up.”

“All that matters now is that the hearing goes our way.” She dropped her gaze to Emma’s sweet little face. “Did she have any accidents while I was gone?”

“She actually went to the potty twice.”

Laurel hiked her eyebrows. “Progress.”

“I was so proud of her. I will admit—I bribed her with movie time.”

“Of course you did.”

“She’s on aMonsters, Inc.kick. She loves that part at the beginning where the monster falls down.”

Laurel smiled. “What else did you do?”

“We played all morning, had lunch, and she conked out during the movie. She’s really good at those magnet blocks. Maybe she’ll be an architect.”

“I was thinking librarian. Have you noticed how she puts her books back on her shelf just so?”

“That’s true.” He dropped a kiss to the top of Emma’s head. “She’s very careful with her books. I made you a sandwich, and the soup’s still simmering on the stove—it’s Mom’s chili.”

They’d saved the funeral dish for fall weather. Laurel was surprised he’d gone to so much trouble for lunch. “Sounds great. I’m hungry. Thank you. Want me to take her up to bed?”

He glanced down at the child’s sleeping form, his face softening. “Nah. I think I’ll just hold her awhile.”

***

Later that afternoon, Gavin traipsed through the orchard behind Laurel. It was a beautiful fall day, with temperatures in the midseventies.

Up the aisle Sunny ran around a tree with her blue ball, Emma on her heels laughing hysterically.

Laurel stopped beside a tree loaded with reddish apples. “Know what kind this is?”

“Red Delicious?”

“Not a bad guess. It’s a Cameo.”

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