“Lydia swore up and down when she saw you yesterday that you needed to come up to stay at the ranch, that it was time to have you closer to Divine in case we have to rush you to the hospital. I bet her that first babies always take their time and you’d be out here another couple of weeks but I can see she was right. I’d rather have you closer to town.” Then she turned her eyes on Lydia. “Besides, I still have a chance to win that ten back.”
“We bet on the baby’s gender, too,” Lydia said as she got up from the divan.
“What do you say I’m having, Lydia?” Jessica asked. She’d been content to be surprised when her doctor in Houston had offered to tell her. Her heart leapt a little at the prospect of finally being closer to Divine.
“Oh, it’s a girl for sure. I can tell by how you’re carrying and the way you walk. And you’re having lustful thoughts. That’s a sure sign too.”
“Lustful thoughts? I am not—”
Lydia giggled and said, “I think you’re in denial, but that’s okay. I still think it’s a girl.” Lydia was right about the lustful thoughts, not that Jessica would ever admit to it, but she was wrong about the men Jessica was fantasizing about lately.
“Nope, it’s a boy,” Emma said with a wink to Jessica. They laughed as they bantered back and forth until the baby gave her a good thump in the bladder.
Lydia opened the front door, put two fingers to her lips and gave a shrill whistle. “Hey, Tank and Troy! It’s moving day!” She giggled softly as she looked out toward where the helicopter was sitting. “Would you look at that? I’d say someone else was positively assumptive about you moving back to the ranch, or rather two someones.”
Emma chuckled as she looked out the door and quickly said, “Jessica, it looks like those two were anxious to have you up at the ranch full time, pregnant or not. Look.” She pointed out the door and Jessica saw them heading up the walkway, carrying empty cardboard boxes. “When I told them earlier that there was a chance we’d need to move you, I didn’t ask them to go searching for boxes. They did that on their own.”
“Wow,” she whispered as she heard their boots on the porch. Her heart tugged a little at the thoughtful gesture. Tank poked his head in the door and then got shoved in by Troy.
“Hey, Jessica,” Tank said as he grinned at her. She couldn’t help but smile at him as his cheeks went a little ruddy. “We figured it would be good to be prepared when Lydia told us there was a chance you’d be moving back to the ranch.”
They placed the stacked boxes on the floor, and Jessica said, “Thank you. I promise it won’t take but a few minutes to get ready to go. I don’t have that much out here. Just a few hobby projects and my clothing.” She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. What is wrong with me?
“You changed your hair, didn’t you?” Troy asked, his eyes scanning her hair as she reached up to finger the shorter length. She’d always kept it long in the past and they’d decided to cut it to shoulder-length the week before, as well as give her quite a few brown lowlights to tone down the red. The natural wave to it when it was cut short also helped to camouflage her appearance. Add to that her pregnancy weight gain and she could easily pass for someone else.
“Yes, Lydia cut it and colored it for me. We thought it might be a good idea to change my appearance—umm, give me a new look, you know? New life, new look. Yeah, it was too long anyway…” They don’t need details! Stop talking, will you. He’s being nice. He’s not that interested.
“Well I think it looks nice,” he said in reply.
“Yeah,” Tank said in agreement. “Now that it’s shorter it’s kinda curly, too.”
Emma’s phone rang and she stepped into the hallway that led to the bedrooms to take the call. Jessica stood there wondering what else to say, while Lydia looked amused.
“Well, I guess I’d better get packing,” Jessica finally said, backing toward her bedroom.
“Don’t lift anything, okay? That’s what you have us for,” Troy said with mischief in his emerald green eyes. She could’ve sworn he flexed his biceps just a little and barely kept from giggling when, standing behind them, Lydia put the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon. Dressed in their snug olive green T-shirts that showcased broad, muscular chests that tapered to trim hips encased in blue denim, they were certainly swoon-worthy. She blinked and the baby kicked her as if to get her attention. Tank winked at her when she looked up into his face, realizing he’d caught her taking inventory.