Always Dakota - Debbie Macomber [92]
“You didn’t hear?” Hassie asked, adding soda to chocolate ice cream.
“They’re getting Axel back?” It seemed a shame that the boy had been taken away from them, and she sincerely hoped the court had seen fit to return him.
“Bob and Merrily are going through the adoption process, the same as anyone else. The state of California sent someone out to interview them and see the home.” Hassie set the soda on the counter. “The social worker’s there now. Been with them an hour or so.”
“Why’s the crowd milling around outside?” That seemed odd to Margaret.
“Moral support. People in Buffalo Valley have taken a real liking to Bob and Merrily. I remember the first time I met him. He called Buffalo Valley a dead-end kind of town. It made me mad, but you know, at the time he was right.”
“It wasn’t dead-end enough to stop him from taking over the bar and grill, though, was it?”
“That’s what’s so humorous. He was thrilled, claimed he’d do whatever he could to help save the town, and by golly, he stuck to his word.”
“Are they going to be able to adopt Axel?”
Hassie thought that over for a moment. “If there’s such a thing as fairness in this world, then Axel will come back here, where he belongs.”
For the sake of the couple, Margaret hoped Hassie was right. Unfortunately her current mood was anything but optimistic. Tears blurred her vision, and she brushed them aside. She didn’t know if her mixed-up emotions were due to her pregnancy or to her good-for-nothing husband. These days, she didn’t need an excuse to cry; her tears were so near the surface. A sentimental television commercial could reduce her to a puddle of emotion in seconds.
“I wish them well,” Margaret whispered as she sipped.
Hassie stared at her, eyes narrowing. “Margaret Clemens Eilers, are you crying?”
Margaret’s bottom lip started to tremble. She opened her mouth, ready to deny it, but decided that was useless. “I’m pregnant.”
Hassie’s face lit up with delight. “Margaret, that’s wonderful!”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” she muttered.
Hassie frowned in surprise. “You don’t want this baby?”
Somehow the question had never entered her mind. When she’d first suspected she was pregnant, she’d hidden the news from Matt, wanting the pregnancy confirmed before she told him. Every time she thought about the baby, she felt a happiness she’d never experienced before. And yet there was something missing, something crucial. She couldn’t share this pregnancy with her husband. Matt and his girlfriend had robbed her of that joy.
“I want my baby,” Margaret whispered, her voice faltering. Embarrassed by the tears, she used the back of her hand to dash them from her face. Eager to leave, she reached inside her pocket for cash.
“It’s on the house,” Hassie told her.
Any other time, Margaret would have insisted on paying. She regretted the stop in town now and knew she was only postponing the inevitable. Matt would be waiting for her when she returned to the ranch. Despite Margaret’s instructions, Sadie was giving him information; she was convinced of it. He seemed to know she was going to the doctor’s when she left and had asked her to give him an update on the pregnancy when she got home.
Sure enough, he met her when she climbed out of the truck.
“What did the doctor have to say?” he wanted to know.
She noticed the shadows beneath his eyes. So he wasn’t sleeping well. Good. She wasn’t, either.
“I’m fine. The baby’s fine. Kindly leave me alone.” She pushed past him and made her way toward the house.
“I’m wondering if you remember what you said the day we were married?” he called out after her.
“What I said?”
“Our wedding vows,” he reminded her in clipped tones. “You promised to love me for better or for worse. Okay, so the worse part is here. Are you going to stand with me, Margaret?” His eyes pleaded for understanding and forgiveness.
The irony of his quoting their wedding vows was almost more than she could take. “I can’t believe you’d have the audacity to mention our vows.”
“I never broke them,” he said, “not once.”
Unable to stop herself, she snorted.