Hummingbird Lake Page 0,8
Laughing at something Sarah Reese was saying, she looked so gorgeous that she stole his breath away.
On second thought, some of his wood carvings really were pretty good. “Maybe after lunch, you could introduce us? I want to show her my … etchings.”
Gabe snorted a laugh. “Only if I can hang around and see her reaction when you say that to her. Shoot, Celeste didn’t need to pop for a band. Something tells me you and Sage can provide all the entertainment this town needs.”
THREE
Sage sensed the wood-carver’s gaze upon her and stifled the urge to turn her head and stick out her tongue at him. She’d never said so much as hello to him, and he still managed to push her buttons. “Fool,” she murmured.
“What?” Sarah asked.
“I was thinking about the hot springs pools,” she improvised. “Gabe’s design has made them so inviting.”
“I totally agree,” Sarah said. “I think that—oh, Anna is waving at me. She’s watching Mom today for me, so I’d better go see what she wants. Save a place for me in the barbecue line, would you?”
“Sure,” Ali told her. As Sarah hurried off, Ali brought the conversation back to Gabe’s landscape design. “I especially like the rock work around the pool that’s off by itself.”
“I haven’t seen it yet,” Nic said. “I learned early on that the smell of sulfur and pregnancy don’t mix for me.”
A note in Nic’s voice had Sage giving her a close look. She spied lines of tension on her friend’s brow and around her mouth. Something was up. Softly she asked, “Nic?”
Nic pasted on a bright but not quite genuine smile. “In fact, even though the prevailing breeze shoots the sulfur fumes away from the estate, I’m catching a few whiffs now, so I think I’ll change my venue for a bit.” Nic linked her arm through Ali’s. “I haven’t seen the wedding gown quilt our Patchwork Angels bee completed. Ali, could I talk you into showing it to me?”
Sage thought Ali might have picked up on something in Nic’s demeanor, too, because she looked hard at Nic for a moment before brightly saying, “I’d love to show you. It’s in the Aspenglow suite, and it’s one of my very favorite rooms at Angel’s Rest.”
Nic glanced at Sage. “You’ll come with us?”
“Absolutely.”
Nic called out to Gabe, “Honey? I’m going up to the house with Ali and Sage to see our completed wedding gown quilt.”
“Okay.”
The three friends made their way toward the old Victorian mansion, others slowing their progress with greetings, comments, and questions. Once, Nic stopped beside a cottonwood tree and rested her weight against it, her eyes closed, breathing deeply.
Sage checked her watch, and Ali mouthed the words, “Oh no.” By the time they reached the house and entered through the kitchen door, Nic’s expression had tightened. The moment they were alone, Sage stated, “You’re in labor, aren’t you?”
Nic chewed her lower lip and grabbed the handle of the refrigerator for support. “Yes, I think I am. Will you check me?”
Ali’s eyes widened with concern. “Um, don’t you think we should call the doctor?”
Nic and Sage shared a look, then Sage said, “Actually, I am a doctor. I trained as a pediatric surgeon, but I’ve delivered my fair share of babies. I’ll ask you to keep that to yourself, Ali. Now, let’s get you upstairs, Nic.”
Ali held back any comment until they’d entered the Aspenglow suite and she shut the door behind them. Then as Sage ducked into the attached bathroom to wash her hands, she said, “I admit I’m surprised, Sage. Reassured for Nic, but surprised.”
Her voice tight with pain, Nic said, “It’s her deep, dark secret.”
Ali stripped the beautiful wedding gown quilt off the bed and helped Nic onto it, asking, “Why is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t talk about it,” Sage told them when she reentered the bedroom. “Especially not now. We have bigger fish to fry.”
Ali started to leave the room, but Nic said, “No, Ali. Stay. Sage might have delivered babies, but you’ve had them. I’d appreciate your input on this.”
Moments later, Sage scowled. “For crying out loud, Nicole. You must have been having contractions at the church this morning. You’re in active labor. We need to call for the helicopter.”
“It’s that close?” Nic asked as Sage offered her a hand to pull herself up to a seated position.
“Only if you don’t want your babies’ birthplace to be the top of Sinner’s Prayer Pass. You are too far along to risk going in the car.”
“Oh,