Redwood Bend (Virgin River #18)(57)

Do it just like a Band-Aid, Katie thought. Rip it off, get it over with. “I’m pregnant.”

They both just looked at her in stunned disbelief.

“Talk about a conversation stopper,” she said. “Total accident. Obviously my protection failed. But it is what it is. So, my timeline for finding a job, a house in a regular neighborhood with neighbors, near whatever school we decide on just got a lot shorter. Of course, I’d like it to be close to you guys, but I understand there just might not be anything available in your neighborhood. Who do you think is the best person to talk to about that? About available housing?”

They both just stared at her for a moment. Finally it was Conner who said, “Pregnant.”

“Yep. Of course not very—it’s early. I don’t have an official due date because I’m so bad about keeping track of things, but there’s only been one…” She cleared her throat. “It’s early. That explains not feeling very well for the past couple of weeks…” That, and a battered heart. “But there was no point in waiting to tell you. Hopefully by the time I start feeling better you’ll stop reeling from the news and maybe the boys and I can find a more suitable place to live before the start of school. Before I get, you know, enormous. Because I’m going to have to hunker down and nest. I think I’ll be due around March first next year. But that’s just a guess. And if there’s a God, it’s only one.”

Conner leaned toward her, elbows on his knees. “Katie…”

“There’s not a whole lot more to say, Conner. As you know, it was one-hundred-percent consensual, even though it wasn’t planned. And yes, I’m on my own. I know it’s asking a lot, that I’ve already asked too much of you, but I hope you’ll be supportive. I’ll take care of myself, I promise. I just want your emotional support, that’s all.”

Leslie put her hand on Conner’s forearm. “Of course we’ll do everything we can, Katie. Anything you need.”

“He doesn’t know?” Conner asked.

“There’s no point, Conner. This was just a stop for Dylan and he’s moved on. Dylan was not cut out to be a family man.”

“Fine,” Conner said with his teeth locked together in the back of his mouth. “That’s fine. But you have to tell him. He can write a check. You shouldn’t have to carry the whole load.”

“Let’s not go there yet,” she said. “It might not seem so practical when he demands joint custody or something. I’d like some time to think about all the possible repercussions. And if it’s not too much to ask, can we keep this between us for now?”

“Are you all right, Katie?” Leslie asked.

“Oh, besides that tired-all-the-time thing and getting a little green around the gills sometimes, I’m the picture of health. I’ll admit I’m a little upside down emotionally, but that’ll pass. And jeez, Conner, at least he didn’t die. Huh?”

Conner’s fierce expression didn’t ease for a long time, but just the same Katie forced the conversation to houses, taking delivery of stored household goods from her old house in Sacramento, possible jobs Katie might be able to handle while pregnant. Conner was still kicking around the idea of a hardware store, smaller than the one they owned in Sacramento, but if he did open one nearby, that would solve a lot of problems.

As Conner and Leslie were leaving, Conner pulled Katie into his arms and held her close. “You never have to ask me to stand by you. No matter what happens in our lives, we always stand by each other.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I love you.”

When they left, Katie pulled the boys inside and fixed them grilled cheese sandwiches, which they wolfed down in what seemed like seconds. Then she asked them to go to the loft and either watch movies or play quietly. “Mommy needs a nice soak in the tub.”

The boys exchanged concerned glances.

“Just a soak,” she assured them with a little smile. “And do not go outside!”

Thirteen

On the way back to town, Leslie spent a great deal of time trying to talk Conner down. “I know you feel very protective of Katie, but she’s a grown woman who made adult choices and is now living up to them very admirably. She obviously wants to have this baby. Try to be happy for her.”

“She look happy to you?” he nearly growled. “He needs to be accountable!”

“I think she’d be happier if things had gone a little differently—like if she’d had more time to develop a lasting relationship with Dylan. But, Conner, things don’t always go the way we want.”

“Humph,” he grunted. “What kind of a man walks out on a pregnant woman?”

“Maybe the kind who has no idea she’s pregnant,” Leslie said. “I want you to do a little memory check—we made love before we established our future together. It could’ve happened to us.”

“I wouldn’t have walked away like he did.”

She laughed softly. “Actually, you admitted later that had been your original plan. You had trust issues where women were concerned, you were a secret witness whose life had been threatened. You were going to bolt, but that didn’t stop you from crawling into bed with me.”

“But I stayed!” he argued.