Page 89 of Wilde Flame

She moved the pan of bacon grease off the stove and onto the island, right near me. The wave of sickness hit me so fast, I hardly had time to get to the bathroom.

Ten minutes of dry heaves later and I was exhausted. When I walked back into the kitchen, Mrs. Harper handed me a glass of water.

“I put some peppermint in it. Peppermint water was the only thing that kept morning sickness at bay for me.”

Taking the glass, I rasped, “Thank you.” After taking a few sips, I set it down on the counter.

“Was it the bacon?” Mrs. Harper asked, as she moved the pan to the sink. It was only then that her words registered.

“Did you say you drank peppermint water to help with morning sickness?”

She glanced back and winked. “I knew the moment I saw you.”

I blinked a few times. “Did Caden tell you?”

Turning fully, she leaned against the sink and dried her hands on a kitchen towel. “Ahhh…is Caden the father? No, he didn’t tell me. My grandmother used to tell me that I had the gift of knowing when a woman is carrying a baby. There’s a certain…look about an expectant mother.”

“That’s a pretty neat gift.”

She chuckled. “I’m going to guess that’s why Caden seemed distracted this morning?”

“Probably. I found out less than a week ago, and told him two days ago. We went to the first OB appointment yesterday.” I smiled. “We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”

Clapping her hands, she said, “A wee little one! I’ll have to get to knitting a blanket. Will you find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“I’d like to find out. I think it would be easier that way. Then I don’t have to have all yellow and green things.”

“Let me heat up this bread. Preserves?”

I shook my head. “If you have crackers, I think I’d rather have that.”

She pointed to the pantry. “Help yourself, and let me get this pan cleaned. Then we can have some tea if you have time.”

Glancing at the clock, I nodded. “I’ve got time.”

Soon we were sitting in Mrs. Harper’s enclosed sunroom, looking out the clear glass at the light snow falling.

“Snowing again. That’s good. We need it for this summer. We haven’t gotten very much, just a storm here and there.”

Sipping the peppermint tea, I nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Glancing at her, I smiled. “How can you tell something’s bothering me?”

“You’re very much like Caden in the sense that you wear your heart on your sleeve. You’re normally so upbeat and happy. This morning, your mind is somewhere else.”

I set the mug down and sighed. “I’m eight weeks along, so we decided not to tell anyone until I made it to the twelve-week mark. Besides our parents, that is. Caden wants me to move in with him. At first, I said no, but then he made some really good points. He’d be able to be there and experience things with the pregnancy. There’s more room at his house, and the baby will have their own room.”

“I hear a but coming.”

“It’s complicated, because when we started this…thing that we started…Caden was very upfront with me. He told me he wasn’t looking for anything serious. It was a fling.”

“A fling?” she asked, her brows raised.

“I’m sure you think less of me now.”

Waving her hand and laughing, she said, “I had my fair share of flings before I got married. There’s no judgment coming from me.”