1105 Yakima Street - Debbie Macomber [56]
“Genuinely?” Miranda snickered.
Shirley studied her friend. “I had no idea you disliked him so much.” In reality she knew the opposite was true; Miranda was falling for Will, and fighting it every step of the way.
“I don’t dislike him,” Miranda said. “In fact…” She closed her eyes.
“What?” Shirley pressed, although she was well aware of what Miranda was about to divulge.
“If you laugh, I swear to you I will get up and walk out of this house and never return.”
“I won’t laugh,” Shirley promised, her expression sober. “Cross my heart.”
Miranda frowned at her, as if to gauge the truth of her words. “All right, I’ll tell you. I’m afraid…actually, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him.”
“You think I didn’t already know that?” Shirley broke into a big grin. Miranda’s confession pleased her. Maybe something would finally happen between Will and her friend.
“You knew?”
“Oh, sweetie, we’ve been friends far too long for me not to see how you feel about Will.”
Miranda looked stricken. “Do you think Will knows?” she asked anxiously.
“Will Jefferson?” Shirley asked. “The poor man doesn’t have a clue.” Although she secretly thought he did…and that he felt exactly the same way.
Seventeen
When Gloria had first discovered she was pregnant with Chad Timmons’s baby, it had felt like the end of the world. In the months since, she’d come to think differently. She loved her unborn child with a fierce protectiveness and the kind of intensity she’d never experienced before.
Her obstetrician had ordered a routine ultrasound for Tuesday morning. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Gloria closed her eyes, silently debating what to do. She hadn’t seen or heard from Chad since they’d talked in the hospital parking lot, the day he’d been with that other woman.
The blonde had looked beautiful, petite, delicate. Unlike Gloria, who considered herself moderately attractive and took pride in her strength and toughness. As a cop, she had to be strong, mentally and physically.
Chad knew about the baby. For reasons of his own, Roy McAfee had told him. She’d been upset that Roy had gone against her express wishes, but she’d forgiven him in time and even found a measure of relief in knowing that this uncomfortable task had been taken from her. After he’d learned the news, though, Chad hadn’t made any effort to contact her. That shouldn’t surprise her, though. Oh, he’d had Mack deliver those books, which showed he was concerned. But he hadn’t reached out to her—nor, for that matter, had she approached him.
It occurred to her that he might want to know about the ultrasound. The nurse who’d scheduled it had told Gloria that she could bring someone with her.
She’d considered asking her birth mother, but Corrie was in North Dakota with Linnette and her new grandson. Otherwise, Corrie would certainly have accompanied her.
But she had to acknowledge that the one person who should be there was Chad. Fingers shaking, she picked up her cell phone and punched the button that would connect her to Chad. A dozen times she’d been tempted to delete his number. She never had. Perhaps she’d secretly wanted to maintain this link.
He answered immediately. “Dr. Timmons.”
“It’s Gloria.” Her throat was so dry, she could barely get her name out.
Silence.
“I understand Roy told you…”
“That you’re pregnant,” he finished.
“Yes…almost five months.”
Silence again, a tense silence that gnawed at her stomach. “I tried to tell you,” she blurted out. “That day I showed up at the hospital. But you were with this woman and—”
“I remember,” he said, cutting her off.
“How is your…friend?” That was a less than subtle way of asking if he was involved with the other woman.
“That’s none of your business.”
Gloria clenched her fist. “Right.”
“Is everything okay with the baby?” His