The Lawman's Little Surprise (9 page)

He took the only empty chair in the room and waited until she was ready. He'd decided early on that it was better to meet with each grade than to try to structure a program for all ages in the school. He enjoyed visiting the kids and made excuses to stop by just to say hi.

“Here it is,” Lorene announced. “You'll have to write it all down. The copier isn't working. It's like it
knows
classes start tomorrow.” With a sigh of resignation, she gave him a blank piece of paper, then read the dates and times that worked best for the school and the teachers, while he jotted down the information.

Folding the paper when they finished, he put it in his back pocket. “As always, it's been a pleasure, Lorene, and tell Bill howdy for me. Jenny, too.”

“If you think that'll keep her in line, you're dreaming,” she said with a laugh. “But I'll tell them both. See you again in a few weeks.”

He told Sadie goodbye as he passed through the office. Back in the hallway again, his cell phone rang, and he checked the caller. “What's up, Ernie?” he asked his uncle.

“Where are you?”

“At the grade school.”

“Perfect. I was thinking, with Aggie gone, maybe
Trish would like some company. Why don't you stop in and ask her to come for dinner this evening.”

Morgan glanced down the hallway in the direction of Trish's classroom. “Uh, I don't think that's a good idea.”

“No reason she should be cooking for one,” Ernie continued.

“Knowing Aggie and Kate, they froze meals for her.”

“You don't have to join us, you know.”

“It isn't that, Ernie. It's just…not a good idea.”

“You're denying me and the others a pleasant evening with a young lady we all adore? You're a better man that that, Morgan.”

Grunting, Morgan looked around to make sure no one was within hearing distance, but lowered his voice anyway. “Maybe another night.”

There was a moment of silence. “What's going on?” Ernie asked.

Dread shot through Morgan. He wasn't ready to tell his uncle the news yet. Ernie would have questions he couldn't answer. Not until he and Trish could work out how they'd raise the baby apart. As far as he was concerned, it would be better if he wasn't involved. That way, there would be no emotional attachment. It was something else he needed to talk with Trish about.

“Nothing. But I talked to Trish earlier and…” He thought quickly. “She said she was calling it an early night. Getting everything ready for school to convene again tomorrow was taking it out of her.”

“Oh.” Ernie's disappointment was clear in his voice. “Okay. Another time, then. I don't want to keep her up late.”

“Yeah,” Morgan agreed with relief. “I'll be home later.”

When the call ended, he felt like a condemned man who'd been pardoned at the last minute. Ernie didn't have any clue Trish was pregnant, and there was no telling what he'd have to say about it when he did.

 

“I
F EVERYONE WILL
take their seats, we'll get started on today's math lesson.” Trish turned to one of the little girls in her class, who was waving her hand. “What is it, Alyssa?”

Focusing on what Alyssa was saying, Trish suddenly felt queasy.
Not again!
She took a deep breath, hoping the feeling would go away as it usually did. This was the third day she'd been sick. Until now, she hadn't had any trouble with morning sickness, and she was almost through the first trimester of her pregnancy, when morning sickness was supposed to be the worst. The past two mornings, she'd spent her free period lying down in the health room. Maybe this time it would go away, too.

But deep breathing didn't help, and she took a step back, reaching behind her for her desk to steady herself.

“Are you okay, Miss Clayborne?” Alyssa asked.

Trish braced herself against her desk and tried to nod, but her stomach decided at that moment to roll. Frantically shaking her head, she covered her mouth and ran for the door.

“She's gonna hurl,” one of the boys said as she reached the door and stepped into the hallway, turning in the direction of the closest bathroom.

When she'd finally finished what she couldn't fight happening, she rinsed her mouth at the sink, hoping this
would be it. She was wrong and headed immediately for the stall again. She didn't realize someone else had entered the bathroom until she opened the door of the stall and stepped out.

“Are you okay, Trish?” Chelle Trainor, the other second-grade teacher, asked. “I saw you run past my classroom door, your face as white as it is now.”

“Must be a bug,” Trish fibbed, wetting a paper towel to press to her face.

“It's going around,” Chelle said, stepping closer. “You don't look at all good. Let's go down to the office. You need to go home, and we'll find someone to fill in for you.”

Trish hated leaving school. She'd never taken a sick day, and she didn't intend to for something as paltry as morning sickness that had probably run its course for that particular morning. “I'm okay, Chelle, but thank you.”

“No, you're not,” Chelle said, putting an arm around her waist. “You're as white as a sheet, and you don't need to be here.”

Realizing it wouldn't do any good to argue, Trish let Chelle take her down to the office. Still not feeling as well as she thought she should, she wondered if maybe she should go ahead and sign out for the day. Just this once. She couldn't let this happen again. She'd looked forward to starting the new semester after being gone since late October on her book tour. The school had been so accommodating for her, and now she might miss even more time if she didn't get this under control.

This is only the beginning.
She swallowed the groan that followed the thought and wondered how long feeling this way would continue. She loved her students, and
she had a job to do—a job she loved. And she meant to do it. She wouldn't let this silly morning sickness get the best of her.

By the time they stepped into the office, she'd convinced herself that she was feeling better and could finish the day. A glance at the clock told her it was an hour until lunchtime. But the thought of lunch had her stomach protesting again, and she decided she'd be skipping that.

“Oh, Trish,” the school secretary cried, “you look awful.” Sadie hurried around the long counter and helped Chelle get Trish into a chair. “Let me get you some water.”

“No, I'm all right,” Trish assured them. “I must have some kind of bug…the flu, but I'm feeling much better.”

Sadie frowned as she sat in the chair next to Trish and took her hand. “Let's have the nurse take a look at you. She's over at the middle school, but I'll call and have her come here.”

“There's no need, Sadie, but thank you,” Trish said, wishing they would all go away and leave her alone.

Lorene came out of the office and took one look at Trish. “Go home.”

“I'm feeling much better,” Trish insisted, in spite of her stomach still being queasy.

“I don't care,” Lorene said, shaking her head. “If it's a bug, you don't need to be passing it among the staff and students. If it isn't, you'll be back tomorrow morning, as good as new.”

“I'll take her students into my room for now,” Chelle said, getting ready to step out the door. “We can get a sub for this afternoon.”

“But I—” Trish started to protest, but she knew she was outnumbered. She also knew her students were in good hands with Chelle already on her way to handle it. “All right. I'll go home. But I'm not happy about it.”

“Good girl,” Sadie said, patting her hand. She stood, but turned back. “Can you make it out to the parking lot okay?”

Trish nodded, certain she could. She had no choice in the matter. She was going home. But as she started to stand, a wave of dizziness overcame her, and she was forced to stop for a second until it vanished.

Sadie put her hands on Trish's shoulders. “You'd better sit down.”

Trish tried for a laugh as she lowered herself to the chair and hoped no one would guess the real problem. “I stood up too quickly. It happens all the time.”

“You can't drive home,” Lorene said from the doorway of her office.

“I'll be fine,” Trish insisted.

Lorene shook her head. “No. Sadie can call someone to take you home.” She turned to the secretary. “Call Aggie.”

Trish's heart sank. “Aggie isn't home. Neither is Kate.”

“We'll find someone,” Lorene assured her. “Sadie can help you down to the health room.”

It was Sadie's turn to shake her head. “That's not a good idea. Jamie Braden is down there, and three others.”

“She can wait in my office then,” Lorene said. “There's a short sofa. Go ahead and lie down,” she told Trish as Sadie helped her across the room.

After settling her on the small sofa and obviously
satisfied she was going to be all right, they left her. Leaning her head back, Trish closed her eyes. This couldn't go on.

Minutes later, Lorene returned. “We've found someone.”

Trish opened her eyes. “Really? Who?”

“I called the sheriff. Stu's out sick today, but Morgan will be here in a few minutes.”

Trish squeezed her eyes shut. Morgan was the last person she wanted to see.

“Is that a problem?” Lorene asked. “I mean, I know the wedding was called off, but…”

“No, it's not a problem.” At least not in the way Lorene meant.

Ten minutes later, Morgan arrived. Once Trish was on her feet again, she was feeling more normal. She thanked all her colleagues and started for the door, only to have Morgan take her arm. “I'm fine, Morgan,” she told him, loud enough so everyone could hear. “But we'll need to stop by my classroom so I can pick up my things,” she finished as they walked out of the office.

“What's really wrong?” Morgan asked when they were only a few feet down the hall.

After making sure there was no one around to overhear, she told him, keeping her voice low, just in case. “I suspect it's morning sickness, although it's a bit late and the first time I've had a problem with it.”

“Do you need to see the doctor?”

Amazed he would ask such a silly question, she looked up at him and tried not to laugh. “No, it's normal. Some women have to deal with it, others don't.” That seemed to calm his fears.

When they reached her classroom, it was empty, and
she quickly grabbed her things. The two of them left the building together, headed for the parking lot. “My car's over there,” she said, pointing.

“I'm taking you. No arguments.”

She was halfway to her car when she felt another wave of nausea hit her, this one worse than before. At the same time, the dizziness hit again, and she stumbled.

“Okay, that's it,” he announced in his I'm-taking-over voice. “I'm taking you to see Doc Priller right now.”

“It's only morning sickness,” she attempted to explain after dragging in a deep breath. Looking up at him, she saw true concern in his eyes. There was no reason for it. She'd be fine—just as soon as she could find out what to do to stop it.

“Right in here, Trish.” Fran Simpson, the doctor's other nurse, showed Trish and Morgan into the room. “Kick your shoes off, Trish, and lie back. If you'll push your sleeve up, I'll check your blood pressure to make sure everything's okay with it.”

“She was as white as a bleached sheet in the school office,” Morgan said as Fran wrapped the cuff around Trish's upper arm. He didn't think he'd been so scared since John had pulled the gun on him. His nightmare rated only second to that.

“Have you been having any morning sickness?” Fran asked Trish.

Trish nodded as the cuff tightened on her arm. “I've had a couple of episodes of feeling a little squeamish, but nothing quite this bad until this morning.”

With the stethoscope at her ears, Fran merely nodded. She finished, moved it to hang around her neck and pulled the cuff from Trish's arm. “Your blood pressure is perfect,” she said with a smile. “That's always good news. Just make yourself comfortable, and the doctor will be with you in a few minutes.”

“I don't know how anybody could be comfortable on these exam tables,” Trish grumbled when the nurse
was gone. “And now there's one more person to worry about letting something slip.”

“Fran wouldn't do that,” Morgan assured her, more worried about her and the baby than town gossip.

“I hope not.”

The door opened and the doctor stepped in, followed by an attractive dark-haired woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. “Back so soon, Trish?” Doc asked as he skimmed a file.

“Afraid so,” she answered, glancing at the woman.

“Trish is one of our second-grade teachers,” he told the woman. “And I guess I should introduce you all.” He placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. “This is Dr. Paige Miles. Paige, this is Trish Clayborne. I'm sure you'll be meeting her aunt Aggie when she returns from her cruise. And Kate, her sister, when she's back from her honeymoon.”

Dr. Miles smiled at Trish and offered her hand. “It's very nice to meet you.”

“Miles?” Morgan asked. “Any relation to our city attorney?”

“Garrett is my brother,” she explained, turning to Morgan. “He kept telling me how great Desperation is, and I decided to see for myself.”

“Morgan Rule is our sheriff,” Doc said in introduction. “Paige will be taking over for me in the next few weeks.”

“Oh, Doc, you're not leaving us!” Trish cried.

He patted her arm. “It's time to pass the care of this town on to someone younger. I've been doctoring here for almost fifty years. And Barbara has been nagging me to take it easy and do some traveling.”

Trish glanced at Morgan, and it was all he could do
to keep from gloating. He'd been right. Doc was getting too old.

“We're all going to miss you,” Trish told the doctor. “Aunt Aggie isn't going to be happy, either.”

Doc laughed. “Aggie Clayborne is as stubborn as they come, but she's a good woman.” He turned to Dr. Miles. “You keep that in mind. She'll argue with you until you're blue in the face, but she'll do what she's told to do. Most of the time.”

Paige's brown eyes twinkled. “She sounds like fun.”

Morgan snorted. “That's one way of putting it.”

“Morgan!” Trish shook her head, warning him to be quiet.

“I'm kidding,” he said. “Aggie's a peach.”

“Let's get back to you, Trish,” Doc Priller said. “I want you to know that Paige will be the one delivering this baby of yours. I can keep treating you up until my official retirement in March, but after that, she'll be taking care of you.”

“Whatever works best,” Trish said, smiling at the new doctor.

“Best would be that I take over now,” Dr. Miles explained.

“I'm fine with that.”

“It's all settled, then,” Doc Priller announced. “I'll have the files changed. What seems to be the problem today?”

Trish shot a warning look at Morgan, and he remained silent, more than willing to let her do the telling. “I've been feeling great,” she answered. “No morning sickness until a couple of days ago, but it wasn't bad. Then
this morning I nearly lost my breakfast in front of my students and was feeling dizzy.”

“Probably nothing at all to worry about,” Dr. Miles said to both Morgan and Trish. “Blood pressure is good, and considering she's still in the first trimester, there's nothing unusual with a little dizziness accompanying the nausea, especially on an empty stomach.”

“So what you're saying is—” Morgan began.

“I don't see anything to worry about,” Dr. Miles finished, turning to Trish. “One trick is to keep a little something on your stomach to keep the queasies away. Crackers, cookies, whatever works. Midmorning can be the worst, so keep a package of something in your desk drawer. A small snack might be all it will take. If not, try a little milk or even some herbal tea with the snack.”

Trish looked past the doctor and flashed Morgan an I-told-you-so smile. “I'll be sure to do that.”

“But if it should get to be too much to handle, come back in. We can run a few tests, just to make sure, and there are meds I can prescribe if needed.”

Morgan didn't understand any of this. “If that's the case, why not do the tests now?”

“She's the doctor,” Trish reminded him. “If she says later is better, then it is.”

Feeling he was outnumbered, Morgan held up his hands. “Okay.” But he would still worry, especially with Trish staying alone at the farm.

“As for the dizziness,” the doctor was telling Trish, “I'm convinced it's only because of the empty stomach and probably low blood sugar. The snack should take care of that, too, but just in case, try to keep from standing in one place for long periods. I'm sure that
sounds impossible when you're teaching, but you can use your desk for support. Also, take it easy when you stand from a sitting position. Slow and easy, when at all possible.” Trish nodded.

“Do we need to make another appointment for you?”

“I was in last week,” Trish answered, “and set it up then.”

Dr. Miles nodded. “Good. And we'll do a full exam then, unless there's a reason we need to do one sooner.” She glanced at Morgan as she said, “But that's highly unlikely. I expect the morning sickness will be short-lived. You're a healthy young woman, so I don't foresee any problems.”

“Thank you, Dr. Miles.”

“Oh, please. Call me Paige.”

As the doctor and patient chatted, Morgan could see a friendship blossoming between the two of them. It wouldn't hurt if Trish found a new friend. Kate would be busy with a new husband and might not have the time to spend with her. And having her doctor as a friend would ease his mind, as far as her health and the health of their baby were concerned. If Paige Miles was as good at doctoring as her brother was at the law, Desperation was lucky to get her.

“I'll see you in about three weeks, then,” Paige was saying, “but if you have any more concerns, call or come in.”

“We will,” Morgan answered and meant it. Feeling a little better about the situation, he started for the door. “I'll meet you out in the waiting room, Trish.”

She nodded, but her attention was on the doctor. “I
hope my sister, Kate, will come to see you when she gets back from her honeymoon cruise. She's expecting, too.”

Morgan stopped in his tracks. “Kate's pregnant, too?”

“Really?” Paige asked at the same time. “What a great thing for the babies to be so close in age.”

Trish turned to Morgan. “Keep quiet about it, okay?”

Nodding, he eased out of the room, wondering why Trish hadn't mentioned Kate's condition before. But Aggie hadn't said a word, so he was fairly certain she didn't know, either.

In the hallway, he met Doc Priller, who stopped him. “Don't worry about her, Sheriff. She comes from strong stock. Oh, she may look delicate, but she's as strong as her aunt and her sister.”

“Sometimes I forget that,” Morgan admitted. “And I worry.” He wouldn't tell Doc how much. The images in his dream hadn't left him.

“I know she's worried about people talking,” the doctor continued. “They will. In Desperation, that's something you can count on. But it'll pass. It always does.”

“That's what I'm thinking,” Morgan agreed. “We'll all be sorry to see you go,” he added sincerely.

“What do you think of Paige Miles?”

“She'll do okay. I guess you could say she has a good bedside manner.”

“That she does. I hope she stays on here for a long time.” The doctor moved away. “I have patients waiting, but you keep in mind what I said about Trish. Give her some space, and she'll do the right thing.”

As the doctor moved on to another patient, Morgan knew that's what he planned to do in the future. He would give her all the space she needed. And more. But was he willing—

He shook his head. He couldn't even consider what was going through his mind.

 

T
RISH STEPPED INTO
the reception area and spied Morgan talking to one of the councilmen. When he saw her, he ended the conversation and waited at the door for her. “Ready to go?” he asked.

She nodded as she joined him. “Can we pick up my car at the school first?”

Pushing open the door, he waited for her to step outside, and then followed. “You aren't thinking of going back to your classroom, are you?”

“No,” she answered and noticed his relief. “I only hope this is short-lived. I don't want to have to miss school another day.”

She climbed into the cruiser and he shut the door, then circled around to the driver's side and slid in. He was silent as he pulled the car away from the curb, causing Trish to wonder if something was bothering him. She knew better than to ask. There had been many times in the past when she had wished he would open up more, but he rarely did, and she had eventually adjusted to that. Now she wondered if maybe she should have insisted they talk more.

“I don't suppose you'd reconsider staying in Hettie's apartment,” he said. It was more a question than a statement.

She didn't even need to think about it. “No.”

“I'm going to worry if you stay out at the farm, what with the dizzy spells.”

He would, she knew, and she didn't want to give him anything more to worry about. But she wasn't willing to spend close to a week in the same building where he lived.

“I'm serious about this, Trish,” he went on. “There's always someone around at the Commune, in case you need help or aren't feeling well. You can always say you have some kind of bug that's going around, and no one will know about the baby.”

She doubted that. Some women seemed to have a sixth sense about those things. She'd wondered on Christmas Eve if Freda might be one of them. “I'll say it one more time. I'll be fine.”

“You're serious, aren't you?” he asked.

“Yes, I am.” When she saw his jaw harden, she knew an explanation was in order. “As you said that first night I came home from the tour, we can be friendly with each other, but avoidance would be best.”

“That's not what I said.”

“Close enough.” But she remembered that he had used the word
avoid.
He probably did, too, but he wasn't going to admit it. It was plain to see that he wasn't happy, but she was more concerned with her own happiness. Yes, it was selfish, but it wouldn't be long until the baby's needs would come first. She needed to grab some “me” time before that happened.

When she looked out the window, she realized they weren't headed for the school. “Where are we going?”

“I'm taking you to the farm.”

“You don't need to do that,” she protested. “I can drive myself.”

“I'll bring your car later and have Stu take me back to the office,” he continued.

“It's not necessary.”

“I won't stay.” He glanced at her, and then focused again on the road ahead as he drove out of town. “Look, I promised Hettie and Aggie that I'd look after you while they're gone. Breaking that promise would get me in a lot of hot water.” After another quick glance, he shook his head. “I should be taking you to the Commune.”

Crossing her arms, she said nothing.

“I don't want you lifting anything, or doing things you know you shouldn't. Let me know, and either Stu or I will help.”

She could tell by the hard set of his jaw that it wouldn't be wise to argue. Not this time. It might lead to a stay at the Commune, and she just didn't want that to happen. “All right,” she said, sighing. “And don't—”

“Morgan, for pity's sake,” she said, her exasperation nearly overwhelming her, “I'm not a teenager. I can take care of myself.”

“Right,” he said, but he didn't sound convinced.

She couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. She was experiencing some rather natural morning sickness. The idea of staying alone at the farm for a few days didn't bother her. After all, it hadn't been that long since she'd spent six weeks in hotels and had survived. A week at the farm would be a piece of cake.

When they arrived at the farm, she was feeling fine. But as she climbed out of the cruiser, her stomach began to feel a bit uneasy, and she decided it was time to give Paige's advice about a little snack a try.

“I can let myself in,” she told Morgan when he got
out of the cruiser and followed her. “You can go on back to work.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Very sure.”

He nodded, and then looked directly into her eyes. “You're sure you're going to be okay? I don't relish the idea of having Hettie and Aggie mad at me for not keeping my promise to them.”

“You don't need to worry.”

He didn't say anything for several seconds, just looked at her. “You'll let me know if you need anything or start feeling worse?”