Chapter Eleven
The back door slammed shut the next morning.
“Good morning,” Joe said.
“Good morning.”
“I’m heading into town. Is there anything you need me to get?”
The last thing she wanted to do was spend time alone with him, but she needed to take that test.
“Can I ride with you? I have to go to the drugstore.”
“Uh, sure.”
She heard the hesitation in his voice. “I can wait for one of the hands to go in.”
“No, come with me.”
If she didn’t need the test so badly, she’d wait, but she knew someone wouldn’t go in again for several days. “Let me get my purse.”
“Whatever it is, I can pay for it.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s personal.”
She didn’t wait but headed toward her room to grab her purse.
The ride there was silent and tense. By the time they got to town, her stomach was so twisted, she was becoming nauseous with the stress.
“Where do you need to go?” Joe asked.
“The drugstore, please.”
“I’ll drop you off and come back to get you. Will a half-hour be okay?”
She nodded.
He pulled up, and she was out before he could come around to help her. She saw his scowl but ignored it and walked into the store. She quickly went to the aisle she needed and read a few boxes.
There were more tests than she thought, so she just grabbed one. She found lotion she could use just in case he asked what she bought. The woman at the register studied her and then the test.
“You’re new around here.”
“Um, yes.”
“What’s your name, Honey?”
“It’s Naomi.”
“Where are you staying?”
She could see the interest in the woman’s eyes and knew if she told the truth, it would be all over town that she was pregnant.
“I’m staying with a friend right now. She’s going through a rough time. Her husband left her, and she thinks she’s pregnant.”
“Oh, my. That’s terrible. Who is it?”
“Oh, I don’t feel right telling you. She’s trying to keep it a secret as long as possible.”
“I understand. By the way, my name is Ginger.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She handed over the money. “Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you again if my friend wants to stay.”
“It would be nice to see you again.”
Naomi smiled, waved, and made her way down the sidewalk and away from Ginger’s prying eyes.
Joe pulled up into an empty spot and got out. “How about some pie before we head back?”
She wanted to yell no but knew she couldn’t. She plastered a smile on her face. “Yes. That’s sounds wonderful.”
He opened the diner door for her and led her back to an open booth.
She looked around as everyone seemed to know Joe and waved or stopped by to talk to him. They all seemed curious about her, and when Joe was asked who she was, he called her his housekeeper.
“Hey, Becky, we’d like some pie and coffee, please.”
Naomi swallowed a few times. “No coffee for me. Could I have a glass of milk?”
“Sure, Honey.” The waitress went through the different pies, and they picked one.
It only took a few minutes before their food was in front of them, and everyone had walked off, leaving them alone.
“This is really good.”
Joe smiled. “Yeah. They make the best around.”
She was sipping her milk when she caught Joe staring at her. “What?”
“This is like our first date.”
She set her fork down because her appetite died. “That’s cruel, Joe.”
He looked perplexed. “Why?”
“Because we both know the last thing you want to do is spend time with me.”
“Now, wait a minute,” he said. “That’s not true.”
“You have a funny way of showing it. You can’t stand to touch me, or vice versa, and it seems you leave a room if I’m in there.”
“Damn, woman, we really need to talk. I don’t think we’re communicating at all, and we are both on different pages.”
She shook her head. “We don’t have to keep going over it, Joe. It’s all right if you’re not attracted to me.”
“Not attracted to you? Are you fucking kidding me?”
She looked around at his outburst to see everyone staring at them. “Keep your voice down,” she hissed.
“You’re so far off base, it’s crazy.”
“Can we talk about this later?”
He sighed and picked up his fork.
The bell over the door rang, and Naomi automatically looked that way to see Ginger coming in with another woman. And dread filled her when the woman saw her, smiled, and headed over to her.
“Hello again, Naomi. I didn’t know you knew Joe here?” Ginger said.
“Did you just meet in the drugstore?” Joe asked them.
“Yes, dear.” Ginger turned toward her. “I hope that friend of yours gets everything worked out okay.”
Naomi started to nod.
“What friend?” Joe asked.
“The friend she’s helping,” Ginger said.
Naomi felt like her face was on fire. “Thank you, Ginger. We have to go.”
“Wait,” Joe said and reached for her arm.
“Please. I’m not feeling very well.”
He nodded, put down some bills to cover the snack, and then helped her out of the booth.
Naomi looked back once to see Ginger and her friend whispering to each other and pointing at her. God. Now she knew she had just a little time to figure everything out before Joe knew.
Joe opened the truck door. “What was that about?”
“Nothing, really. Can we get home … I mean back to the ranch, please.”
She had to stop thinking of the place as her home. It just made her feel worse about the situation.
He sighed and started the truck.
She made sure she held her sack from the drugstore close so nothing spilled out.
They pulled up next to the house, and she jumped out again.
“Dammit, Naomi,” Joe called. “We need to talk.”
“Later, please. I just want to lay down.”
He looked so frustrated, but she didn’t know what to say to him and hoped he’d give her some time to start making plans.