A Merciful Silence (Mercy Kilpatrick #4)(23)

“Ah.” Mercy believed that. Many men assumed Rose was a helpless flower, but she could do almost anything. Except drive a car. Rose was tough as nails under her rose-petal exterior. “He needs to spend more time with you. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so.”

“Stand up for yourself now. The two of you need to learn if you can work together. Don’t back off because you’re afraid of offending him.”

“You make it sound like we’re coworkers.”

Mercy shrugged. “Dating and marriage is a balance. He has a lot to learn about you and vice versa.”

“He always wants to know how I feel and how each prenatal visit went. I finally said I’ll let him know if there is something unusual to share. It’s a small thing to be annoyed about . . . I should be happy he’s interested.”

“He did lose his wife to breast cancer,” Mercy pointed out. “I can see him having anxiety about your health, but is your relationship at the point where you’re sharing everything about the baby with him?”

“It’s pretty serious,” Rose whispered with a small smile. “He told me he’s in love with me last week.”

“Oh, Rose. That’s wonderful!” Mercy’s heart warmed at the happiness on her sister’s face.

“We’ve talked a lot about the baby”—she sucked in a big breath—“and how it was conceived. He’s such a good man, Mercy. He swears it makes no difference to him.”

“Have you accepted that yet?”

Her sister was quiet for a second. “I’m getting there. We haven’t been together that long.”

Rose hadn’t said that she’d told Nick she loved him too. “You need to feel absolutely certain of his commitment to the baby before you tell him you love him, right?” Mercy asked softly. She’d seen the dedication on Nick’s face, but Rose had to make her own decision.

“Is that horrible of me?” Rose tipped her head to the side a little, reminding Mercy of Kaylie.

“I don’t think so. Your baby is your priority now, right? Your actions and decisions are based on what’s best for your baby . . . even if it might break your heart.”

Rose held perfectly still. “That’s exactly how I feel,” she whispered. “I can’t go any further with Nick until I know.”

“You’ll know soon,” Mercy said, remembering when she’d realized she loved Truman. “One day you’ll simply realize that he’s the right one.”

“I hope so.”

“How long do you have left?” Mercy asked.

“Three months.” A dreamy smile filled her sister’s face.

Mercy was glad to see her sister’s happiness about the baby. The thought of the challenge of her being blind and raising a baby gave Mercy anxiety but not Rose.

“I hope . . .” Rose trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face.

“You hope what?”

“I hope as an adult, my child will look back and be grateful to have a mom who was different. I’ll learn as much from her as she does from me.”

“Her?” Mercy jumped on the pronoun.

Her sister laughed. “No, I’m not hiding the sex. I’ll be as surprised as everyone else. But in my mind, I think of it as her.”

Mercy did too. “She’ll be lucky to have you as a mom. What will you do about your preschool when the baby comes?”

“I’m going to close up for the summer. I usually do anyway, but I don’t know what I’ll do in the fall. Mom has offered to watch the baby while I teach, but if possible I would like to bring the baby with me. I’ll know better what I’m capable of once she’s born.” Rose leaned toward Mercy. “Just promise you’ll be in town the week I’m due. Seriously . . . I don’t want to have this baby at the farm. Even if Mom is a skilled midwife.”

“I promise. You’ve also got Mom and Dad as backup drivers. Nick too. You could even call Kaylie or Truman or an ambulance, if it comes to that. There are a lot of options.”

Rose sat back, her face clearing as she nodded. “True. I’ve had dreams that I can’t get there and it’s just me and the baby alone at the farm. Something is wrong, and I can’t take care of her.”

Mercy reached across the table and took Rose’s hand. “That won’t happen. No apocalypse is scheduled before the baby is to be born.”

Her sister laughed, and Mercy sighed in relief, but part of her brain immediately started to make plans in case a national crisis happened before Rose’s baby was born.

I’ll bring Rose to my cabin. Shit! The cabin won’t be done by then.

Her heart sped up and her lungs tightened.

I’m unprepared. Rose’s baby could suffer because of it. I need to check my medical supplies—

Stop it.

Mercy took deep breaths and searched for a different topic. “Are you familiar with the Hartlage family?”

Rose finished her grilled cheese sandwich as she considered the question. “First names?”

“Corrine and Richard.”

Her sister shook her head. “I don’t recognize them. Do they have something to do with you getting a cat?”

“They own the home I was at this morning. That’s where I found the cat.”