A Convenient Proposal(51)

But instead she got to her feet and managed to splash her face with cool water. Back in the bedroom, she dragged her nightgown off and pulled on the gray leggings and silver sweater, because they were easiest. Then, exhausted, she sat on the bed and picked up the phone.

As if he’d been waiting, Griff answered on the first ring. “Arden? How are you this morning?”

At the sound of his voice, she burst into tears. Whether or not he understood what she tried to say between sobs, he waited until she paused.

“Hold on,” he said. “I’ll be right there.”

She’d barely hung up when the front door opened. In the next minute, he was beside her on the bed, picking her up and setting her on his lap.

All Arden could do was cry.

He pressed his mouth against her forehead and cheeks. “Still sick? You feel hot.”

She nodded.

“You need to be in bed.” But when he started to put her there, she shook her head.

“Igor,” she managed to say, trying not to cry. “He’s in the woods. After—” she hiccupped and sniffed “—a deer. I dropped the—the leash.”

Griff nodded and folded her tight against his body. “It’s okay, honey. Igor knows where you are, and he’ll get himself back just fine.”

“He’s n-never been in these woods.” Her teeth were starting to chatter. “There might be bears.”

“Bears are hibernating this time of year. And they mostly eat plants. Plus, Igor’s faster than any old bear.” Griff rocked back and forth. Despite herself, Arden felt soothed.

When she had calmed down, he pulled back the bed-covers and placed her on the sheets, then tucked the blankets over her. “You stay right here. I’m going to get my mom to come down with a thermometer to take your temperature. We’ll scare up some medicine to make you feel better. Then I’ll go out and find Igor the man-eater. But you don’t move, understand?”

Exhausted, Arden nodded. Her eyes wanted to close, and she let them, now that Griff was here. She could trust him to take care of everything.

The day passed like a soft-focus dream. Mrs. Campbell floated in and out, offering pills and water. At some point, Arden came awake to find a woman she didn’t know pressing a stethoscope against her chest.

“Hello there,” she said, her voice deep and mellow. “I’m Dr. Loft. I practice general medicine here in Sheridan.” She moved the stethoscope to a different place. “How are you feeling?”

Arden took stock. “Cold,” she whispered, with a shiver. “Dizzy. Sick.”

“You have a fever.” Dr. Loft put the stethoscope in the pocket of her white coat. Her fingers, warm and firm, pressed on the sides of Arden’s throat and under her jaw. “We’ve got a nasty virus going around and I suspect you’re playing host this weekend.”

She pushed up the sweater to poke at Arden’s belly in various places. “Does this hurt? This? Breathe in and hold it. Again. Okay, I’m done.”

As Arden straightened her sweater and pulled the covers back up to her shoulders, the doctor dragged a chair over to sit by the bed. With her dark skin and long, elegant neck, she looked like an Egyptian queen.

“I don’t have a medicine that will chase this virus away,” she said, making notes on a clipboard in her lap. “You can take regular pain pills for the fever and muscle aches. I can give you a prescription for the dizziness and for nausea. You’ll just have to ride this out, but in three or four days you should be pretty much back to normal.

“Eat what you can, and drink—we don’t want you dehydrated. If you’re not feeling absolutely well in a week, I want to see you in my office.” She set a business card on the bedside table. “Any questions?”

“Do you…” Arden pulled in a deep breath. “Do you deliver babies?”

“For uncomplicated pregnancies, yes. I refer high-risk patients to a specialist.” Her eyebrows drew together over dark brown eyes. “Are you pregnant?”

“N-no. I don’t think so.”

“Are you trying to become pregnant?”

Despite the chills shaking her, Arden thought she could feel herself blush. “Um…yes.”

Dr. Loft got to her feet. “In that case, I definitely want to see you in a week, even if you’re feeling terrific. You should be taking vitamins and eating a balanced diet. Let’s make sure you’re in the best possible health for this adventure.”