Her shoulders relaxed under his fingers and she let out the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He dropped his hands, clenching his fingers slowly into fists. He wanted to grab the ultrasound photo, shove it in her face and demand she talk to him. Is this yours?
Are they mine?
Instead, he uncoiled his fingers one by one until he felt in control again. “You gave us a scare. Are you feeling okay?”
Well, that was a dumb question. Of course she wasn’t feeling okay. She’d just passed out in his front yard.
He was saved by a knock at the door. He jumped to his feet and nearly fell over as his stupid ankle gave out on him. Lacey didn’t say anything but he could feel her curiosity as he hobbled to the door.
Ash Sheehan entered the room with an old-fashioned black doctor’s satchel. He shook Devin’s hand and crossed immediately to the couch. “I’m Dr. Sheehan. Garrett called me.”
“I’m Lacey...Jenkins.” Her eyes cut to Devin but quickly flitted back to the doctor, who didn’t look anything like the octogenarian Devin had been expecting to see at the door. “Thank you for coming.”
“Most of the time I see patients under the age of eighteen, so you’ll have to be patient with me.” Ash pulled a blood pressure cuff out of his bag and smiled, his blue eyes warming on Lacey’s.
He looked like something out of a fashion ad. Devin wanted to punch him in the face.
Wrapping the cuff around her arm and tucking the stethoscope earpieces into his ears, Ash said, “So Garrett told me on the phone that you fainted a little while ago. Is this the first time something like this has happened?”
Lacey’s gaze drifted to Devin again. He sighed. “I’ll just be in the kitchen.”
He glanced at his cane, leaning on the coffee table. He wanted more than anything to ignore it and stride into the kitchen like a man who wasn’t hanging on to ninety-four days of sobriety minute by minute.
Lacey deserved better. But Devin owed it to her—and himself—not to hide anymore.
* * *
Lacey watched Devin limp into the kitchen, leaning heavily on a cane. She knew he’d shattered his ankle. Everyone knew that. It had happened on live TV. But he hadn’t been using a cane the last time she’d seen him. He’d only been slightly favoring one ankle, if at all.
He’d seemed so shocked when she said she wanted a divorce. And suddenly she’d felt cold and hot and her head was spinning and she’d wondered for the first time if he even remembered they got married.
She wondered the same thing now. He hadn’t seemed high that weekend in Vegas, but once she heard from mutual friends that he’d spent a month in rehab, she’d started to understand just how good he’d become at hiding it.
Well, whether he remembered their wedding or not, he’d left her without a word. That was the part she’d found unbearable. And now? It wasn’t just her own heart she had to protect.
Dr. Sheehan pulled the earpieces of his stethoscope out of his ears and unstrapped her arm from the blood pressure cuff. “So I assume from your reaction earlier that this isn’t the first time you’ve passed out?”
She sighed, her hand creeping to her stomach. “No. It’s happened a couple of other times but it’s been a few weeks. I thought it had passed.”
“Your blood pressure’s pretty low. Any history of that being an issue?”
She glanced at the kitchen and lowered her voice. “Only since I’ve been pregnant. I’m fourteen weeks pregnant with twins.”
“Congratulations.” The handsome doctor smiled. “I have a new baby myself. So, Garrett said you just drove in from Oklahoma? You were obviously sitting a lot on the trip. Did you sleep?”
She looked away. “A little, here and there.”
“Okay.” The doctor coiled his stethoscope around his palm and placed it back in his bag. “Are you having any pain?”
“Mild cramps. My OB in Oklahoma said it was normal, especially with twins.”
Dr. Sheehan nodded. “It can be. Anything else going on? Fever? Any other aches and pains?”
She shook her head.
“I think between the low blood pressure, the demands on your body of early pregnancy and your long trip, you’ve just hit your limit. I also think you should see an obstetrician as soon as possible.”
“When I get home, I promise I’ll see my regular doctor and then I’ll put my feet up for the next six months.”
“Yeah, about that...” He didn’t smile, which was her first inkling that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. “My medical advice would be not to plan to go anywhere for a while. You’re carrying twins, which makes this a higher-risk pregnancy. If you were my wife or sister, I’d suggest you plan to stay here for at least a month, for your sake and the health of the babies. I’ll refer you to an OB in Mobile and you can get a thorough workup before you try to make that trip cross-country again.”
His face was kind as he shattered her plans, so at least there was that. Her eyes filled with tears anyway. “Thanks, Dr. Sheehan.”
“Please call me Ash. This wasn’t an official visit, just a favor for a friend.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “If you decide to stick around for a few weeks, you should meet my wife, Jordan. She doesn’t ride at your level, but horses and kids are kind of her passion.”
“I’d love to.” She swung her feet around to the floor as Dr. Sheehan made his way to the front door, the quick movement making her head swim again. She rested her forehead on her hand.
“I’ll call tomorrow with the name of a doctor. In the meantime, take it easy.”
“I will.”
As the door closed behind the doctor, Devin appeared in the kitchen door with a glass of water. He crossed the room and handed it to her. “All good?”
“Yeah, he said I probably passed out because I was overwhelmed by the sight of the three fine-looking Cole brothers.”
“Ha-ha, you’re hilarious. What did he really say?”
Lacey took a deep breath. She’d wanted to gauge how things were with Devin before she had this conversation with him, but it looked like it wasn’t going to happen on her timetable. “Can we take a walk? I’ve been sitting for days.”
“Sure, if you feel up to it. I’d like to go out and see Reggie anyway.” He held his hand out to her and, after a moment’s hesitation, she slid her fingers into it, trying not to think about the way his skin warmed to hers and how right it seemed to link her hand with his.
He felt strong as he pulled her to her feet, and when she looked into his eyes, she realized how clear they were, how focused and steady. She hadn’t seen him like that in a long time. It made her hopeful, a feeling she didn’t have the luxury of allowing herself, not anymore. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Me, too.” He opened the door for her, and she walked through it, taking a deep breath of the fresh country air.
Devin put his free hand in the small of her back, and she shifted away from him. They walked in silence for a few seconds as she looked around the property. “It’s really beautiful here with the pastures and the fields. It’s not exactly what I expected, but I like it.”
“Yeah. The place looked pretty run-down when I got home a couple of months ago. Apparently, there have been some cash flow problems. Tanner’s