Page 132 of Mountain Men Heroes
Ivy’s mouth fell open. What the heck did the grapevine know that she didn’t? And she mentally tried to recall who could have seen them in the bakery this morning.
“Mave!”
That little weasel.
“Called me the second he left you two leaned over the cupcakes and Christmas cookies.”
“Sounds like you two had a different kind of treat in mind.”
Ivy groaned and the flush up the back of her neck seeped into her cheeks with a fury. “Is it time for the doctors yet? Please say yes!”
Zahara’s eyes glittered with amusement and a little bit of I-told-you-so just like any big sister. “So now we know what Damon likes for breakfast. Just like his brother, might I add. ”
When she got her hands on Mave for ratting her out, that boy would see stars and four knuckles coming right at him. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Hmm-hmm, when a man offers you a place to stay...” Remy gave her a sidelong look. “But when he offers you breakfast, now that’s another thing entirely.”
Ivy blushed from head to toe. And fumbled with the pages of her guidebook, running her hand over the soft edges and then back again. “He was just being nice, guys,” Ivy countered and left it at that.
Lucky for her they dropped the subject too because just then the talk died down on the other side of the bar.
“By the way, Zahara didn’t say how long you were staying. Any luck we’ll have your company through New Year’s?” Ethan asked, walking over.
“Nope. Sadly she’s on her way back tomorrow isn’t it?” Her sister cut in before she could offer and answer. “Our Ivy here has to run back to her school books and patients. Only a few more months and we’ll have a full-fledged doctor on our hands.”
Ivy nibbled at her lower lip, mulling over her predicament. Pride beamed from Zahara the size of Texas, and the lump of coal in Ivy’s gut grew three sizes until her nerves jittered like live wires in her limbs.
Should she tell her now? That would be unfair. In front of everyone she’d probably be embarrassed and after all her sister had done for her? No, she deserved a better explanation than a sudden oh, by the way, I’m dropping out of school off the shoulder kind of explanation. Ivy swallowed and worked the lie choking her out. “She’s right. I’m actually leaving the day after tomorrow.”
She mentally counted the hours left to drop the bomb and hightail it out of Dodge.
She dared a look in Damon’s direction and the scow pulling his brows together made her swallow. Hard.
Remy’s brow furrowed with disbelief. “But you just got here.” A full-on pout with the lower lip rounded out the sad panda effect. “I thought we could do cool sister-in-law stuff and check out neat nursery things for Zahara while you’re here.”
Family stuff, in other words.
Her nose scrunched up. Ugh.
Ivy didn’t do family. Just the thought gave her the hives. Family reunions, family talks and she sure didn’t do girl’s day out. She liked girl’s night out, though. But here in Savage Ridge that wasn’t about to happen when the only bar was Damon’s. What you did on girl’s night out stayed that way. In a town this size if she even glanced at Damon sideways with as much lust as she had in her veins for that man, the gossip mills would be running full force with the news she’d already slept with him. That would get back to her sister and she didn’t want to hurt any relationships she’d worked hard to form. Zahara liked it here, so Ivy needed to make sure she behaved as a good little sister. As much as she hated to admit it, maybe having this morning’s make-out session interrupted was a good thing.
Not that she did one-night stands, except no one knew that about her. Especially Damon after what happened that morning.
Her eyes slid closed on a groan. Every time the man came near her she turned into a salivating teenager. He probably looked at her and saw the easiest piece of meat in the upper forty-eight. In her defense who could resist his sex appeal when it rolled off him thicker than cupcake icing and richer than any aphrodisiac, she’d ever tasted?
Which brought her back to why she’d come here in the first place. To tell the truth. One thing she shared with her sister was the truth. Always. Solid resolve took root. She’d tell her today while they were at the doctor. Ever since the lies their parents told them left them homeless and in an orphanage from the ages of ten and twelve, they had vowed to always tell the truth and she owed her sister that much, and more, honestly.
“You ready to go, sis?”
Zahara walked up behind Remy. “Yup.”
Although a secret part of her wished the whole big happy family thing could be hers with someone someday, Ivy didn’t like to live outside of reality. The chances of that striking her and her sister were close to zilch.
“Lemme grab my coat real quick and we’ll be on our way.”
Five minutes later they untangled from the gaggle of hugs and goodbyes long enough to squeeze out the door into the bitter cold.
Seated in the Doctor’s room Zahara tugged on her stretchy pants that encompassed her overly round belly and shimmied into her top as they both waited for the doctor to come in with the results of the ultrasound.