Sheriff’s Pregnant Ex by Leslie North

12

Brian was up early the next morning. He left Caitlin sleeping while he showered and dressed quickly. He made a quick stop at the sheriff’s office to find that it had been a quiet night before heading out to grab coffee and pastries at Carly’s place. By the time he arrived home again, Caitlin was just coming downstairs, dressed in one of his t-shirts.

“I thought we had a day off together,” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wanted to spend more of it in bed.” She kissed him in a way that had him thinking that taking her back to bed was a very good idea. But then he remembered his plan.

Hearing about the baby had rocked his world in a good way. He wanted a child with Caitlin. He hadn’t known how much until she’d told him that she was pregnant. With that, the pieces of his life started to fall into place. The biggest piece was that he wanted to convince her to raise their baby right there in Darby Crossing. He’d built a whole plan around working her up to the idea.

“I thought we’d do some shopping for baby stuff and maternity clothes for you,” he said as he led the way into the kitchen and put their breakfast on the table.

She looked down at her flat stomach and raised an eyebrow at him. “I think you may be jumping the gun. I don’t need maternity clothes yet.”

“I like to be prepared.” He pulled out a chair for her. “We should make a list of what we need. Between the various stores in town, I think we can get most of it.”

“You want to shop for baby items? In town?” she asked and reached for a coffee.

“This one’s yours,” he said, handing her one. “Decaf.”

She huffed. “I can drink caffeinated coffee. I looked it up on the internet. I just need to practice moderation.”

“Doesn’t hurt to play it safe. And you should ask a doctor about your diet at your first appointment.”

“Have you set that up?” she asked, and he couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not.

“No, I thought you’d like to choose your OB, but the decision should happen soon, right?” Their encounter at the hotel had been a little more than six weeks ago. According to his online search that meant she would be considered more than eight weeks pregnant. He didn’t try to figure out the math of that, but he’d checked it on multiple sites. Only thirty-two weeks to go, which seemed a short time to convince her that they could have a good life with the baby in Darby Crossing.

“I’ll get a recommendation from Aurora and make the appointment. Do you want to come?” She glanced at him tentatively.

“Hell, yeah.” He wouldn’t miss it. “Let’s eat and then we’ll go take a look through the shops.”

They enjoyed the pastries and coffee before heading out to the businesses along Main Street. Their first stop was a furniture store, specializing in handmade oak pieces. They stopped to look at a rocking chair and then a crib that converted into a bed for when the baby got older.

“I like the look of that,” Brian said as he ran his hand over the wood. “It seems substantial.”

“Can I help you, sheriff?” A smiling saleswoman approached them, her gaze shifting between him and Caitlin. She was drawing conclusions, and Brian didn’t mind a bit.

“Just getting some ideas today, but thank you. We’ll be back,” he said and guided Caitlin from the store. “I think we should shop for clothes next.”

Caitlin didn’t dig her heels in, but she dragged her feet as they entered a general store and made their way to the baby section. “Everyone’s looking at us,” she murmured.

They’d drawn several glances, but who cared? “So?”

“Two plus two is four, Brian,” she said in a whisper. “Everyone is putting it together and realizing I’m pregnant. That’s why shopping in a small town is a bad idea. We can’t be anonymous here. In Austin, no one would notice us.”

“You don’t want people to know you’re having my baby?” He kept his tone light, but she put her hands on her hips.

“It’s not that.” She was cute in her exasperation. “It just doesn’t make sense to put ourselves on display like this. And for what? We can’t buy anything anyway. Not when we don’t even know where we’ll live. What if we need two of everything? One set for your house and one for my apartment? Shouldn’t we figure that out before we do any shopping?”

Brian shook his head at that and drew her to him. “One set because we’ll be living together.” He kept his eyes on her, noting the uncertainty but hoping he could smooth it away. To him, there was only one option. He wasn’t going to be separated from her or their child.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“Because I am, darlin’.” He kissed her lightly on the lips before she could raise more questions or objections. He reminded himself that he still had time to show her that living in Darby Crossing with him was the life for them. The sublet on her apartment hadn’t run out yet, so she wouldn’t be rushing back anytime soon. “We better look at some outfits. We don’t want the baby to be naked. People’ll talk.” He directed their attention to a rack of baby outfits and selected two. “Boy or girl?” He held the tiny articles of clothing in front of him like he’d seen women do in stores. “What do you think? I’m concerned about color because girls can wear blue, but boys can’t wear pink. That’s a rule.”

“It is? I think you’d look great in pink.” She tapped him in the middle of his black t-shirt. “It would suit your coloring and make your green eyes pop.”

“Not happening,” he said with a fake scowl, glad she was joking with him. “Maybe we should buy a couple of each color.”

She took the outfits from him and put them back on the rack. “I think we should wait until we know what gender the baby is.”

“Really?” He tipped his head to the side and gave her his best smile. “Those are pretty cute. We don’t want to miss out.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “If you insist on getting something, I like this.” She pulled out a white one-piece outfit with a yellow duck on the front. “It’s gender neutral.”

“Works for me,” he said, taking the item and going to the counter to pay. When they were headed out of the store, they bumped into a man on the sidewalk who was tapping buttons on his phone.

“I’m sorry…” Caitlin began apologizing before freezing in her tracks. “Dad?”

“Caitlin, your mother said you were in town. Good to see you.” Dave Baker glanced up before returning his attention to his phone, making Brian wonder about the truth of his statement. What kind of father didn’t even give his daughter a hug? He wanted to spin Caitlin’s dad around and tell him to actually see his own daughter.

“I meant to come over to the house,” Caitlin’s voice was tentative, “but I’ve been working a lot.”

“Working’s good. And you might as well do it here as in Austin. I don’t know whatever made you think you could be successful there.” Her father was looking at her now, but it wasn’t a welcoming expression. “Coming home was the right choice. Now you can stop wasting time and money chasing that foolish tattoo shop dream.”

Brian watched as Caitlin controlled her face and took a deep breath. “Dad, Brian and I have some news to share. We’re going to have a baby, and—”

Dave’s phone rang. “Not now, sweetie. Work call. I need to take this.” He walked off as he answered his phone.

What the hell kind of father was that man? Had he not heard her say she was having a baby? Brian was ready to chase him down and pitch his phone into the street. Before he could move a step toward Caitlin’s dad, he saw her shoulders slump in defeat. Instantly, Brian was drawn back to her and put his arm around her. He’d known her relationship with her parents was rocky, but he was still shocked by how unfeeling her father had been. And from what she’d let slip, her mother was even worse.

“It’s okay,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Lots of people will be happy for us.”

“But he’s my dad.” She gave herself a shake and broke from him. “I’m done shopping. Let’s go home now.” She began walking quickly down the sidewalk, forcing him to catch up to her.

“Okay. How about we spend the day together doing something else?” Brian said. “Maybe we can binge that series on Netflix you were telling me about.”

“Sure. Sounds good,” she said, but there was no enthusiasm left in her voice. Brian mentally cursed Dave Baker for taking that from her.

They’d just entered his house when his phone rang. He checked the screen and saw it was Sofia. It would be work-related, probably something that would take him away from Caitlin when she seemed to need him. It couldn’t be helped though, he thought, as he answered the call.

“Hey, Brian, we’ve got a situation here,” his chief deputy explained. “You need to come.”

“What is it?” He saw Caitlin glance over her shoulder at him as she went into the living room and sat on the couch.

“Two city council members had a fender bender in the lot outside the mayor’s office.”

“Which two?”

“McCall and Jackson. You know how they are,” Sofia said, and Brian did know. He’d had to escort Jackson from a town meeting one night after an argument with McCall got too heated. The two had an old feud that kept rearing its head. Sofia filled him in on the rest of what she knew before hanging up.

“I need to go deal with this,” he said as he stepped into the living room and dropped his hand on Caitlin’s shoulder. Sofia said that McCall was threatening legal action against Jackson and the town. Brian had no idea what the grounds for that lawsuit would be, but he knew he had to be there to sort it out.

He couldn’t walk out on Caitlin, though, not after what just happened with her father.

“Of course.” She gave him a smile that wasn’t quite real. “It sounded serious. You’d better go.”

“I’m sorry about cutting short our day,” he said, feeling torn between her and his responsibilities. “I don’t know how long this will take.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I get it. Go.”

He gave her a quick kiss and strode out the door, too aware that he was repeating what he’d just seen her father do. He was prioritizing his work over her, something she’d obviously had more than enough of in her childhood. But he’d find a way to make it up to her. Somehow.

While he was dealing with the council members’ feud and the aftermath, which turned into a lengthy meeting with the mayor, Brian’s mind was churning with ways to make Caitlin feel more settled and welcome in town. He’d come up with one idea that he liked, but he’d need his mom’s help.

He’d exchanged a few texts with Caitlin throughout the day to check in. Her last one had said that she was tired and going to take a nap for a few hours. So when he wrapped up at the station, he drove to his family’s ranch instead of heading back to his house. He’d enlist his mom’s help and be home before Caitlin woke up.

He hadn’t lived at the Thorne ranch for the past three years, though he was a frequent visitor to see his family. The ranch was Jake’s responsibility now. Brian knew Jake felt some pressure about being the one to carry on the legacy that both of them still associated with their dad and older brother, but Jake also loved the land and the animals the family owned. It was the right place for him, just as being sheriff was the right place for Brian.

“Mom?” he called as he opened the door to the sprawling ranch house.

“Brian, is that you?” she responded. “I’m in the kitchen.”

He could have guessed that by the smell of something spicy cooking, so he made his way to the large kitchen that had always been the heart of the home.

“I wasn’t expecting you. Do you want join us for dinner?” She poured a glass of sweet tea and put it on the counter for him.

“Thanks, but I can’t stay long,” he said and reached for the tea. “I needed to talk to you, and then I want to get back to town.”

“That place keeps you busy.” Laura put cookies on a plate and placed them next to his drink.

“I don’t mind.” Nothing had come between him and Darby Crossing until Caitlin came back into his life. Now, he felt curiously divided. He owed allegiance to both the town and to the family he and Caitlin were building. He didn’t doubt his ability to handle both—he just needed to figure out the balance. “I drove out to tell you that you’re going to be a grandma again. Caitlin’s pregnant.”

Six-year-old Henry was her only grandchild so far, and she loved the boy, but Brian could tell by the instant excitement on his mother’s face that his own child would be just as loved.

“That’s wonderful.” Laura stepped toward him to give him a hug. “I’m so pleased for you both,” she said, swiping tears from her eyes. “Oh, look at me. I don’t mean to cry, but they’re happy tears. It’s just that our family shrunk after the accident, and now that Cal and Amy are getting married and you and Caitlin and a baby…well…I’m just joyful. I hope you are, too.”

“I’m thrilled about the baby,” Brian said honestly. He was counting down the days until he could hold his and Caitlin’s child. “Caitlin’s happy, too.” He’d been worried about that at first, but he wasn’t any longer.

“Is she doing all right?” Laura asked. “The beginning can be rough. It sure was for me, especially with you and Jake.”

“So far,” he said. He’d read up on the first trimester, so he was well versed in what symptoms to look out for. Luckily, Caitlin hadn’t had most of the typical problems—not yet, anyway. “And we’re working it out. I could use your help, though. I’d like you to throw Caitlin a baby shower. Darby Crossing hasn’t always been the happiest place for her, and I want to make her feel included and welcome here.”

“I’d love to. I’ll get Amy to help me. She’s so good at organizing things. And I saw the cutest party favors on Pinterest. I can make those, and the food is no problem.” She gestured around her kitchen. “We’ll host it here on the ranch, but I’ll need a list of people to invite from Caitlin. I can guess some. Aurora and Carly and—”

“Just not Caitlin’s mother,” he interrupted Laura.

“Are you sure about that?” she questioned after a few seconds of silence. “Not inviting the baby’s other grandmother will look odd.”

“I don’t care how it looks.” Brian wanted to be clear on this. “Hailey makes Caitlin uncomfortable, causes her stress. Caitlin doesn’t need that right now, and I want this to be a good experience for her.”

“If you think that’s best,” Laura said, but he caught the doubt in her voice and knew he had to be completely honest.

“I don’t want anything to happen that’ll make Caitlin decide she doesn’t want to stay here.”

“By ‘here’ you mean Darby Crossing.” His mother had always been perceptive. “You’re worried she’ll go back to Austin with the baby, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” he admitted.

“And what will you do if that’s the choice she makes?” Damn, did his mom have to be such a straight shooter?

“I’m not sure,” he had to admit.

“If she has problems with her family being here, then that’s a powerful deterrent to her staying,” Laura said. “I don’t have to remind you that her brother lived with us that year because it was so bad at home for him, and then joined the army to guarantee he got away. From what I observed, Caitlin’s experience might have been even worse. Hailey and Dave were always proud of Ethan being a sports star, but I can’t recall them ever saying a word of praise about Caitlin, no matter how many wonderful things she did.”

“She’s told me some, but not enough to get a real picture of it.”

Laura leaned against the counter, studying him. “I don’t know all the details either, but I remember so well that day she stood in the rain waiting for her parents to pick her up after the art competition, and they never did. Her beautiful painting was ruined, and she was soaked to the skin. She didn’t cry, though, when I gave her a ride home. Any other girl would have, but she’s strong.”

Brian got what his mother was saying. Caitlin was strong enough to leave and raise a baby on her own if she felt that she needed to. He wanted to make sure it didn’t come to that.

“I’ll convince her to stay,” Brian said after a minute. “Darby Crossing is a great place to live.”

“Of course it is, for you and me,” Laura said. “We’ve found nothing but support and love here. For Caitlin there might be too many unhappy memories to overcome.”

His mother’s argument made sense, but he had to believe that the good memories they would make together would outweigh the negative ones.