“You won’t believe this,” Cole said, slipping his phone back into his pants pocket. “Ethan Cruz is married.”
“To Lacey?” Sunshine had never actually spoken to the woman, but she remembered all the talk that swirled around Ethan’s spoiled-rotten fiancée.
“No. Apparently Lacey broke off their engagement, got engaged to someone else, broke that off too and now she’s gone back to college to get her degree.”
“Wow. Busy girl.”
“Anyway, Ethan met someone new. Her name’s Autumn. She helped him turn his parents’ house into a Bed and Breakfast, so they actually have a guest room for us.”
Sunshine brightened a little. That sounded promising. “Does it have a private bath?”
“It does.”
“Thank God. I need a hot soak more than anything.”
“I’ll get you there in a jiffy.”
Sunshine softened. Cole always looked out for her. Surely together they’d find a way so she could balance motherhood with her career. It was time to put Fran out of her mind, too. She knew Cole; he was polite to a fault with most women. He probably just didn’t know how to get her to stop when she’d rambled on and on back at the airport. Standing up, she swayed for a moment. Cole put out a hand to steady her. His touch was gentle, and Sunshine relaxed into it. “Lead the way.”
Cole did so. They drove in silence the short distance to the Cruz ranch and Sunshine was more relieved than she could say to arrive. Autumn Cruz, a petite woman with light brown hair and blue eyes, threw open the front door and invited them in. Ethan appeared behind her as they entered and pulled Cole into a rough hug.
“I thought you’d never come home!”
“I thought I might never get the chance.” Cole shot Sunshine a look and backtracked. “I mean, we were having a good time…”
Sunshine frowned. She’d known Cole was anxious to get home these last few months, but he’d never complained about seeing the trip through. To her way of thinking it had made no sense to cut it short; they’d had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to travel and they might as well make the best of it.
Still, perhaps three years was excessive.
“Let me show you your room. You have to be exhausted,” Autumn said, leading the way into a great room with floor-to-ceiling windows that made the most of the view. Upstairs were a number of bedrooms, including one whose door was propped open. They entered to find a queen-sized bed, dresser and desk, an en suite bathroom with an enormous soaker tub, and more views out of the windows.
“Normally I’d say I’m fine,” Sunshine told her, “but today I can’t summon the strength. I need a soak and sleep.”
“Of course. I’ll bring up a tray of snacks in a minute to tide you over until morning. I wish I didn’t have to kick you out so soon.” Sunshine looked at her blankly and Autumn’s face fell. “I assumed Cole had told you; I’ve got more guests coming tomorrow afternoon. I’ll need the room back by lunch time.”
“Oh, of course,” Sunshine said, her spirits dipping again. “We’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
“Don’t worry,” Autumn assured her. “Claire and Jamie have room for you tomorrow night. Do you remember Jamie?”
“Jamie Lassiter? Of course! He’s married, too?” She remembered the easygoing cowboy who used to work for Ethan’s family. He used to hang out at the rifle range with the others.
“That he is. To Ethan’s sister, Claire.”
“I never met her.”
“You’ll like her. She’s an interior decorator. They have a baby named Lynn. Anyway, Jamie would love to catch up with Cole, so it’s all settled.”
Soon after she left, Cole brought up their bags and Sunshine sat on the bed, exhausted and thoroughly disheartened from the news they’d have to leave in the morning.
“Guess there’s no use unpacking,” Cole said.
“No, not if we’re leaving tomorrow. Mind if I hog the tub?”
“Can I join you?”
Sunshine shook her head. “Not tonight.” When his face fell, she went on. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel very well. Any other time.” They had bathed that way so many times in the past; she hoped he didn’t mind that she was refusing, but after all Fran’s stories about their many encounters, she just didn’t think she could be with him that way right now.
Cole’s expression tightened as if he could hear her thoughts, but he didn’t protest. “Anything I can get you?”
“No. I just need peace and quiet. And sleep. I’ll keep my bath short.”
“Take as long as you want.” He came to drop a kiss on her head. “I’ll go catch up with Ethan.”
“I’ll see you later.” She bent down to open a suitcase and look for her robe, breathing a sigh of relief when the door shut behind Cole. The memory of Fran’s stupid stories was only one reason she didn’t want to bathe with Cole. She was afraid he would recognize the early signs of pregnancy she’d begun to see in her body. Her breasts were just a little bigger, for one thing. The twinges she felt deep in her abdomen weren’t visible, of course, but Cole knew her so well—wouldn’t he sense something was going on?
She scooped her robe out of the suitcase, hurried into the en suite and locked the door. Turning on the taps, she let the water run into the tub and began to strip off her clothes.
Before she traveled, she hadn’t thought much about children, but unexpectedly, children had figured into her trip right from the start. She’d wanted to learn about cooking methods all over the world and she’d found it easy to meet people in the various countries she traveled to who were eager to invite her into their homes and demonstrate their techniques. She’d expected to spend time with women as they cooked over their fires, hearths, grills and stoves, but she’d never realized that meant she’d spend time with their kids, too. Looking back, it should have been obvious, but as a single woman with no nieces or nephews, children hadn’t crossed her mind. She’d hardly spent any time with them since she was one herself, but all over the world babies, toddlers, preschoolers and even school-aged kids had surrounded Sunshine as she watched their mothers prepare meals.
At first she’d been somewhat awkward around the little ones, but as time went by she began to enjoy their company. She worked hard to make them laugh—which actually hadn’t been that hard. As she warmed up to the children, their mothers warmed up to her, until Sunshine realized she’d been missing something in her life at home.
During the first year, as they traveled through many remote regions, she engaged with one large family after another, surrounded by women and children of all ages. Even when she moved on to the larger centers in Europe, she still encountered children in many of the kitchens she visited.
It must have worked some magic on her birth control. Sunshine had never missed a day of taking the Pill—she was sure of it.
Mostly.
There was that time she’d gotten ill in Cambodia. And the time they’d been delayed in the hills of India and hadn’t made it back to the city to a drug store before her old set ran out. But they’d been careful then. And once they returned to Europe they’d always been in reach of a prescription.