The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge (Gold Valley #14)(28)

“I’m McKenna Dodge,” the woman said. “This is Grant. He’s freaking out.”

“That’s very common,” Mallory said, trying to be reassuring.

McKenna looked at her husband. “See? You’re common. I told you.”

“Maybe I’m common because it’s normal to worry about your wife deciding not to have a baby in a hospital.”

“He’s fine,” McKenna said, waving a hand.

Mallory was used to this. All of it.

She saw a mix of people, but this was definitely a scenario she saw a lot. It didn’t bother her, and it didn’t offend her. Giving birth was natural, but it was also a major medical event. And things could go wrong. She knew better than to ever promise anyone that everything would be okay. Because things did happen. She had been part of births that had resulted in medical emergencies and required transport to hospitals on more than one occasion. It was always scary, but she was always ready to make the call if it came up.

“Let’s sit down and we’ll just talk about a few things. You know, you’re not marrying me,” she said. “You can change your mind at any time. You can change your mind just before the birth if you’re deciding this isn’t working for you.”

“Thank you,” McKenna said. “I keep trying to tell him...”

“I’m not levelheaded,” Grant said. “You’re well aware of that.”

She laughed. “Neither am I. But just not about the same things.” She shook her head. “So what do you need to know?”

“Is this your first pregnancy?”

“Yes,” she said, glowing.

The conversation went from there. When she was finished, she felt great. Everything had gone smoothly. She really liked the young couple and was genuinely excited for them. Grant had loosened up as the conversation had progressed, and it had come up over the course of conversation that McKenna was his second wife.

That he had been widowed some years back, and his reticence made perfect sense. He was afraid of losing someone. Everyone was, but someone like him, someone with an existing loss in his background, was bound to be a lot more concerned.

There. It was easy.

Easy for her to understand that, but so difficult for her to reach inside herself and make sense of her own emotions. She frowned. She sighed. If only she had read herself as easily as she could read Grant Dodge. For some reason, that put her in mind of Colt Daniels, and she banished all thoughts of him, and quickly. She stepped out of the clinic and onto the sunny street, careful to lock the doors behind her. She made her way over to the Cookie Jar, Iris’s bakery, which was just a stone’s throw away from the clinic.

She walked in and took a deep breath of the sugar-laden air. “Iris,” she said. “This place really is a miracle.”

Her sister-in-law poked her head up from behind one of the display cases. “Mallory,” she said. “Good to see you. It’s going to take me a while to get used to the fact that you’re just here. I know Griffin is so happy about it.”

“Well. I’m glad that he’s happy. I know I’m really happy to be here.” She chose not to think about Colt, and whether or not he was happy she was here.

He doesn’t care, remember?

No. Of course he didn’t care. She was just another one-night stand to him.

He said it was different...

Well, he implied it, anyway.

But there was no use dwelling on that.

“I need some cake.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place.”

Mallory sat down at one of the small tables right next to the counter. “What kind of cake do you have?”

“All kinds.”

“Well, what kind do you recommend?”

Iris regarded her closely. “You look like you’re in a hummingbird cake space.”

“That sounds like it could only be delicious, and I will not argue.”

“Two slices of hummingbird cake coming right up.”

A moment later, Iris joined her at the small table, a thick slice of cake on each plate that she set down in front of them. “I have to confess that it might be me in the mood for hummingbird cake,” Iris said. “This pregnancy has me obsessed with sweets. Then, I’m always obsessed with sweets.”

Mallory examined her sister-in-law. Iris was very pretty, but in an understated way. She kept her dark brown hair in a series of neat, elegant updos, and she favored sweet, feminine outfits. Usually, the only adornment on her face was a smudge of flour.

She was very different to Griffin’s first wife, who had been sophisticated and polished, very outgoing. It was funny that her brother had fallen in love with two such different women, but Iris was the perfect woman for who Griffin had become. And Mallory was supremely grateful for her. She was also looking forward to getting to know her better.

There. You thought about your future for a whole ten seconds without inserting Colt.

Well, now she just lost the game, because she thought about it again. Just by thinking about how she had thought about it.

Iris took a delicate bite of the hummingbird cake, then gave Mallory an impish grin. “It’s so good. If I do say so myself.”

Mallory took a bite of the cake too and closed her eyes in absolute delight. It was all coconut and sweet, filled with tropical flavors, and she loved it. “You’re right, this is great.”