Falling for the Mom-to-Be

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Prologue (#ulink_3039bcea-2d59-5f11-ad1f-131203c80630)

March

Annie Marshall stood in the middle of the produce section of a big chain grocery store the next town over from her own. People passed by her without a nod or glance. They didn’t know her. And that was good. Too many knew her in Maple Springs. If she’d have gone to the corner IGA, she’d have been showered with words of sympathy and pitiful looks.

Tonight, she wasn’t in the mood.

Annie had broken free from her house that was shrouded with whispers and mourning and did something normal people do. She went grocery shopping. She wanted freedom from her sister and their aunt and their careless coddling. Freedom from their compulsive comfort given to compensate for the geographic and emotional distance between them.

Tonight, she was mad.

Mad at God for taking her husband of fifteen years with a sudden heart attack, out of the blue. Mad at her aunt and sister for treating her like spun glass, ready to break. Mad at Jack for not taking better care of himself.

He’d never come home again.

Jack...

Her throat tightened, so she closed her eyes and counted.

Annie always counted when on the edge of losing it. It had started when she was a kid because her mom refused to let her throw tantrums. It came in handy when she’d received word of her parents’ death while in college. Her sister, barely high-school-aged, went to live with their aunt. Life went on.

And Annie had been counting since Jack’s funeral. A week ago? It seemed like years.

She felt a touch to her shoulder and spun.

“Hey.” Matthew Zelinsky searched her face. His blue eyes were dark with concern. “What are you doing over here?”

Annie’s throat went dry. “Shopping. What about you?”

“Same.” He shrugged as he glanced at her empty cart save for a bunch of bananas. Jack had loved bananas.

Matthew placed his empty basket on the floor and then lifted her bundle of fruit and put it back on the shelf. He took her by the hand. “Come on.”

Annie didn’t argue. She followed him outside into the cold, damp night. Snow banks still loomed high in the parking lot but had melted some from the day’s rain. Dirt and silt covered their tops. Thin layers of ice shone in the overhead lights where puddles had been. The end of March wasn’t pretty in northern Michigan.

Her breath blew cold smoke in front of her. “I saw you at the funeral, but you were gone before I could even talk to you.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

He opened the passenger side of his pickup truck for her and she climbed in. The truck was big and loaded. Jack had gone with him at the end of January to pick it out. Off-season.

Matthew got in, started the engine and cranked up the heat.

She leaned back against the plush seats and sighed. “Nice truck. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, it’s great.” He turned toward her. “How are you?”

She shrugged, knowing she couldn’t put on a grand performance with Matthew. He knew her too well. “How am I supposed to be?”

“I don’t know.” He gave her a slanted smile. “If you figure it out, let me know.”

They sat in silence a moment. The only noise was the whirl of the heater. Matthew reached for her hand and she held on. There wasn’t anything either of them could say to make it better or worse. They both loved Jack. And now he was gone.

“I’m heading out in the morning.”

Annie felt another stab of loss.

Matthew was Jack’s best friend and first mate on a Great Lakes freighter where they’d worked together for years. Matthew had been the one to find Jack dead in his cabin after they’d been on the lakes only a week into the shipping season. Their freighter had loaded up at the calcite plant in Roger’s City around the time of Jack’s funeral, allowing some to attend.

Matthew had remained home a while longer, but his job wouldn’t wait forever. He had to go, catching ship at their next port.

“Have you got a new captain?” Her voice cracked on the last word. Jack’s title.

“An older guy, well experienced, has hired on for this season at least before retiring. So, we’ll see.”

Annie nodded. Maybe Matthew would move into Jack’s role in time. Jack had said he was ready.

Matthew flipped back the console between them and scooted over, gathering Annie into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

She held him tight. “Me, too.”

He pulled back, his eyes watery and bright. “I let you down, Annie.”

“No, you didn’t.” She shook her head and cupped his dear face. Matthew was her friend, too. What could he have possibly done to change what had happened to Jack? “It’s only been a week, but I miss him.”

Matthew kneaded her shoulders. “I know.”

She welcomed the warmth of that rough massage. “Why did you leave right after the funeral?”

“I don’t know.” His voice softened. “I had to get away.”

Annie chuckled. She’d felt the same way. She would have bolted if she could have gotten away with it. But the whole town had been there. Many of Jack’s crew, too. And her mother-in-law would have tracked her down and dragged her back had she run.

“So, where’ve you been?” He hadn’t stopped by but once to drop off Jack’s things. She hadn’t been home at the time. Returning from a walk, she’d missed him.

He let his hands drop from her shoulders and shrugged, not looking at her. “I was in the UP for a few days.”

Annie nodded, wishing she could have escaped town for a while, too. A few times during the off-season, Jack had gone to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to snowmobile with Matthew and his brothers. Jack had loved it. She patted Matthew’s jeans-clad knee. “Well, be careful driving to catch ship.”

He glanced at her hand and then studied her face. “I will.”