Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (novels to improve english txt) 📗

Family. Did he mean the word to encompass his cousin again? Or just her, his pseudo sister? She wondered if perhaps Jude and Beckett would be able to bridge the chasm of their distrust and become proper cousins again. Jude left and Beckett retreated into silence as the nurse came in to check her vitals.

She wanted to spiral back to their earlier conversation.

Everything good in my life is right here in this bed. All I can do is to make sure you and the baby are going to be okay.

She had the sensation of urgency, that the fragile thread that now connected them would snap as soon as they left the surreal environment of the hospital. “Beckett…” she started.

A brisk knock robbed her of the chance. The doctor arrived. Beckett stepped away, shoving his big hands in his pockets.

“Good morning,” the doctor said to Laney. “Glad to see you’re awake. I’ve already spoken to your husband.”

Husband. The word had filled her with pride once upon a time. Now it echoed with uncertainty. How much longer would they be married? As soon as Kenny was caught, Beckett would leave as promised. It was the best choice for everyone. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat.

The doctor washed his hands and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. “Long story short, the baby is fine and so are you. If everything continues to look good, we’ll get you out of here in the late afternoon.”

She’d known he would say that, but still the breath whooshed out of her. “Music to my ears.”

“Oh, I think we can do better than that,” he said, applying warm gel to an ultrasound wand. “I’m going to do a fetal Doppler test.” He cocked an amused eye at Beckett.

“Ready, Mr. Duke?”

Beckett looked startled. “Ready for what?”

The doctor laughed and placed the wand against her belly. She closed her eyes and listened to the soft rhythmic whoosh and purr. It was indeed sweeter than music, more delicate than one of the fragile cactus blossoms that would unfurl only for the briefest of moments. Whatever she’d had to endure, the fright she’d felt at her harrowing confrontation, it was all worth it to be able to hear that tiny heartbeat.

Thank You, Lord.

When she opened her eyes, Beckett was standing electrified at the foot of her bed. “Is that…?”

The doctor nodded. “Your baby’s heartbeat, Mr. Duke, strong and steady as it should be at four months gestation.”

All the color drained from Beckett’s cheeks, and then flooded back in again until he was positively pink. He stood there, mouth open and gasping like a fish. “I…uh…”

He stepped backward so quickly he bumped into the table and sent a plastic pitcher of water toppling to the floor. Water splashed all over Beckett’s shoes and the doctor’s pant leg. He looked at his wet boots and then at the doctor and then at her, before his eyes once again locked on the machine still emitting the sounds of the fetal heartbeat.

“Sorry, Doctor. I’ll…go get some paper towels to clean this up.” And before the doctor could say a word, he’d bolted out the door, ignoring the paper-towel dispenser on the wall not two feet away.

She gaped. “Did he just run out?”

The doctor smiled. “Like a startled rabbit. You can never predict how the reality of parenthood will affect a fellow. Believe me, I’ve seen reactions I can’t even describe, but he won’t go far, I can promise you that.”

“How do you know?”

The doctor stripped off his gloves. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but your husband has been a pain in my side since we admitted you.”

She stared. “Uh-oh. What has he done?”

“It’s more what he wouldn’t do. He refused to budge from the examining room. He was what my mama would call het up. I had to call Security before he would consent to banish himself to the hallway outside while we finished our examination. There’s no chair right outside the door and the waiting room was just too far away for his taste, so he stood there, like some sort of stone monument, only not as quiet. Every time someone would enter or exit he would politely harangue them about your condition until the nurses were ready to personally pitch him out the front door. I relented and let him enter the room if he would promise not to say a word. Figured it would be more productive than having him hauled off by the cops.”

“Thank you for that, Doctor.”

“Yes, ma’am. He kept his promise and stopped badgering the nurses and let them do their jobs, so he was allowed to stay. He’s a big guy, but he mashed himself into the corner so as not to get in their way.”

She sank back on the pillow. “I can’t believe it.” But actually, she could. When they’d been married only a few weeks, she’d gotten such a bad case of the flu that she wanted him to sleep in an empty tent so as not to catch it. He’d refused, bringing her ice chips and sips of water and finally jaggedly cut squares of half-burnt dry toast he’d insisted on making himself instead of asking Herm. She’d secretly fed a few to Admiral on the sly.

But why had he run out of the room when he’d heard their baby’s heartbeat?

The doctor seemed to read her mind. “New life is powerful, isn’t it? It gives us a fresh way to see the world.” He smiled once more. “I’ll get your discharge papers ready, Mrs. Duke. Take good care of yourself.”

A fresh way to see the world. An idea ignited in her heart. Could this baby be a way for Beckett to see the world, and himself, the way God meant? The spark warmed her imagination. If he could make that monumental shift…might it be possible that they could start life anew? Together?

No, she told herself. He was here only long enough to deal with Kenny Sanderson. He’d asked