Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Emma
I sat in the chair by the register, staring at the clock on the wall. It was nearly noon, and Mason hadn’t shown up like usual. It was generally a slow day for some reason, but that wasn’t what was bothering me… It was just the fact that he never skipped his breakfast at the café if it was open—even if he wasn’t working.
Not to mention, the gala was tonight.
I had done all my studying over the ranch and its rich history, using the information that Mason had emailed over. I felt ready for the most part, but there was still something in the pit of my stomach that left me feeling like it might not go the way we wanted it to—and I hoped it wasn’t right. I wanted to see Mason take a win, and I didn’t want to see Lucas lose the ranch…
Even if he was acting a little strange—not that I knew him well enough to make that judgment.
The sound of the door chime brought me out of my stupor, and I whipped my head around to the door, my heart jumping at the thought of it being Mason. However, excitement was quickly replaced with dread as Brittany headed to the counter.
“So… Emma Fisher,” Brittany greeted me, a smile stretching across her face. “I have to say that I never thought I’d see your name on the proposal list.”
Oh shit.
I swallowed the discomfort. “Yeah, I suppose so. Can I get ya something?”
She furrowed her neatly manicured eyebrows at me. “No, thank you. I just came by to say that you might not have the chance for your proposal. Graham is out at the Lowe Creek Ranch making Lucas an offer he’s not going to be able to refuse. We hate to take advantage of ranchers who fall on hard times, but the community has so much room for growth, but it can’t grow if none of the farmers are willing to give up a little.”
My jaw tensed. “I don’t think Lucas wants to sell the ranch.”
“Mmm,” she shrugged. “I think if he gets enough money for it, he can just go buy a different ranch—maybe one that he won’t have to deal with bad debt on. It’s a fresh start for him, really. I don’t know why he’d turn it down.”
I nodded, unable to conjure up anything else to say. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to be kind—or if she was secretly taking a jab at Lucas. Brittany was one of the most difficult people to read… And I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.
But I wasn’t sure that was the best idea.
“Anyway, you have a lovely day,” Brittany said to me, flashing me a smile again. “I know that you probably won’t be giving that proposal with your new beau, but you’re still more than welcome to come to the gala, anyway. Not really your people, but you know, it might be fun for you. Bye bye for now,” she shot me a wink and then spun on her heels, heading out of the café.
What the hell?
I blinked a few times and then went straight for my purse, pulling out my cell phone. Surely, Mason knew about the offer being put in for the ranch this morning? I dialed his number, and put the phone to my ear, waiting for him to answer.
“This is Mason,” he said, his voice sounding strained.
“Hey, it’s Emma,” I replied, trying not to be bothered by the generic answer.
“Oh hey, sorry. I didn’t look at the screen to see who it was—just answered it. Everything okay?”
“Um, Brittany just came by and told me about an offer for the Lowe place…”
“Not surprising. I’m at the ranch right now. I’ve been here since early this morning dealing with this shit—can I call you later?”
“Sure, but he’s not taking the offer, right?”
“No, I gotta go,” Mason said quickly, just as I heard someone shouting in the background. Before I could say anything else, the phone clicked, and the line went dead.
Ugh.
I sat my phone down, a little worried by the muffled shouting… But then again, Mason was trained to deal with conflict, right? And more than likely, Lucas was just up in arms about the ranch… right? My phone started to vibrate again, and I scooped it up, hoping that he was calling me back.
“Damnit,” I muttered when I saw my mom’s name on the screen. I glanced around the café, noting that Sarah was sitting in the far corner about to finish her break. “ Hey, I’m going to step out and take a phone call,” I said to her.
She nodded, giving me a thumbs up. The lunch rush was nonexistent today, and I knew it wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but still. I didn’t want to leave a customer without.
Heart pounding, I accepted the call, putting the phone to my ear and slipping to the back room. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi,” she said, her voice brighter than I expected. “I’m sorry that I didn’t have a chance to call you back yesterday. I was just so dang busy with all this moving stuff. You know how big of a pain it can be.”
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted, suddenly not so sure that I wanted to tell her. I pulled the ultrasound out of my pocket, letting out a sigh as I stared at the little, tiny bean that was growing in my womb.
“Is everything okay? You don’t sound very happy. Is it the town? Is the café not going the way you want it to? You always seem to pull away when things get hard.” Mom’s tone was one of concern, rather than chiding and it was relief.
“Well… Actually, the café is doing better than expected,” I said, taking a seat on one of the stools. “But not everything is going as I expected it to. I have some news, and you have to promise not to freak out… please.”
“Okay…” Her voice trailed off. “You’re not going to jail or something, right?”
“No,” I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not going to jail—nothing like that. I haven’t turned into a criminal. I still pay my taxes.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” she chuckled. “So what is it? What’s the news? ”
“I met this guy…” my voice trailed off, my mind flashing to Mason. “And we’re, um, dating?—”
“Is he going to jail?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Mom, he’s not going to jail. No one is going to jail. In fact, he’s the sheriff here, so he puts people in jail. He’s known Lily and Drew their whole lives. They grew up together.”
“I would be congratulating you, but the tone of your voice has me thinking that I shouldn’t.”
“Yeah… Well… I mean, things were a little confusing at first, but I think they’re going well now. We’re just both busy people, and he has a sixteen-year-old daughter, so he wants to go slow—I don’t blame him for that. His daughter is great though. I think she’s rooting for us, actually.”
Mom was silent, but just for a beat. “At your age, it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t already had kids. I’m glad you get along with his daughter. Is her mother in her life?”
“No, not at all. She ran out on them when Jess was just a little girl.”
“Oh no,” Mom said, and I could hear the frown in her voice. “That’s just plain terrible.”
“Yeah, but they deal with everything well. Mason and Jess have a great relationship and she’s a really great kid. It’s actually really sweet.”
“That’s good…” Mom’s voice trailed off. “So what is the problem? I can just hear something off in your voice. Is it just you being stubborn in some way? I know that you don’t adjust well to being in a relationship.”
“No,” I snapped, shaking my head at her. “It’s got nothing to do with that. It’s the fact that I’m pregnant.” My heart pounded in my ears as I waited for her response, sitting on the edge of the stool. I felt like I might pass out as the beats of dead quiet passed. “Mom? ”
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I’m shocked—well, more like surprised, I suppose. Honestly though, I’m happy for you, honey.”
“Seriously?” I couldn’t hide the disbelief in my voice. “I thought you’d be lecturing me for it. You always said not to get pregnant outside of marriage and all that… And that’s exactly what I did.”
“Well, accidents happen,” she laughed on the other end of the phone. “And you are with the man who helped cause it. I can’t be mad at you for that. I can’t be mad at you regardless of the situation surrounding it. That never helps anything. I’m only sorry that I’m moving now.”
I smiled, relief flooding through my body as I relaxed on the stool. “I know, and I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner—I’ve just been avoiding it. I thought you’d be angry with me. Things have been complicated around here.”
“Ah, I see… How far along are you?”
“Almost sixteen weeks,” I answered her, bracing for her reaction—but she didn’t have one.
“A couple months from finding out the gender,” she beamed. “How exciting. Your sister and I will have to fly home to have a party for you. Oh, she will just be so excited to know. Have you told her?”
I cringed, guilt washing over me. “I haven’t really talked to her at all, to be honest. You know that we don’t really get along most of the time.”
“She’s your sister though,” Mom chided me. “I’m sure she’d be more than happy for you. Besides, it’s a relief to hear that you’re seeing someone who might be the right one. I know the pregnancy is a little bit of a stressor, but it can bring you together—what does he think about it?”
I hesitated. “He loves kids.”
But has no idea .
“Oh, that’s wonderful! And you already know that he’s a great father. I bet that’s such a relief for you. If only we could always see what kind of father a man will be before we’re with them. I tell you, that’s a gift you know. He’s been there for his daughter, caring for her on his own—that takes a real man.”
I smiled, my heart swelling with pride. “Yeah, yeah it does. He loves his family, his friends, and the community. He’s a good man.”
“And as long as he loves you and treats you just as well as he does all the rest of them, I’m more than supportive of it all.”
The warm, fuzzy feeling I had dissipated at the mention of love—something that had not been brought up between us. I wasn’t even sure if I loved Mason… But the more that time passed, the more I thought that I could.
“Listen, honey,” Mom continued when I didn’t immediately say anything. “I’m gonna have to go, since the kids I hired to box up things are here. But before I go, I’d love to stop by and see you. It might be a couple of weeks though. I have so much to wrap up at work before I can move work to just remotely. You know how demanding work can be.”
“Yes, I do,” I said with a sigh, hearing the laughter of customers. It was starting to pick up again, and I probably needed to get back to it. “I’ll call you later. Love you.”
“Love you and congrats,” she chirped, before hanging up.
I sat there for a few long minutes, surprised that she had taken it so well. Maybe I was worried about telling Mason for nothing… A message popped up on my screen from Lily.
Finished altering your dress for tonight.
I took a deep breath, glancing down at my stomach. We had found the perfect dress, but it had to be adjusted in order to hide my stomach… Which was becoming nearly impossible now… I needed to tell Mason before he could figure it out on his own.
After the gala.
I’ll tell him tonight after the gala.