Adele (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #18) - Cynthia Woolf Page 0,37
lately, much to her dismay. She was hopeful he didn’t come into the room as she retched into the empty chamber pot.
Today, she felt fine—other than being too full. She’d skipped breakfast, knowing she’d overeat at dinner. Maybe that choice was the cure. Don’t eat breakfast. She’d test it tomorrow.
*****
The next morning Adele awoke feeling unwell, but she had chores to do. She got out of bed, immediately ran to the bureau and threw up in the basin.
Edward jumped out of bed. “Adele! What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
Holding her hair back with one hand, she placed the other on the bureau for support.
She kept her face over the basin. “Do I look all right?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. What can I do to help?” He stood next to her. “Let me hold your hair.”
She let out a breath and nodded once. “Thank you.”
He gathered her hair below her hand and held it out of her way.
Adele thought she was through, but as soon as she started to straighten, another wave hit her. Could this be from her expecting? Somehow she didn’t think so. From bad food? Edward wasn’t sick and he ate the same things she did. She had to tell Edward about the baby and let him take her to the doctor…once she was through being sick.
Finally, she was able to take a breath without vomiting. She put on her dressing gown and sat on the bed. “Edward. I need to tell you something.”
He put on his pants and then sat beside her, his hand on her knee. “If you’re telling me you’re expecting, I already know. I’ve seen you get sick in the chamber pot. I’ve seen you take a nap in the afternoon, and I’ve seen the changes in your body. I was simply waiting for you to decide to tell me.”
Adele stared, open-mouthed. “You knew? I only guessed after I had missed two cycles and was getting sick in the mornings after breakfast.”
He grinned. “You forget, I was married before, and Lissa’s mother went through the same things when she was expecting.” He moved his hand from her knee and placed an arm around her shoulders.
She sighed and leaned her head on his chest. “I am tired, but I don’t think this bout of nausea is from the baby. That always happened after I ate.”
“That’s true. Catherine’s was the same way. I think you should see Doc Walker.”
“That’s why I’m telling you about the baby.” She lifted her head from his shoulder and gazed up at him. “I wasn’t going to tell you until Christmas.”
He lifted a brow and squeezed her shoulders a little. “When Doc couldn’t check you over?”
Her head jerked back. “I didn’t even think about that issue. You can’t really think that’s my reason for waiting until Christmas, can you?”
Edward grinned and then kissed her forehead. “No, I don’t. I’m thinking you wanted it to be a Christmas present. Am I right?”
She sniffled. “Yes. Gosh darn it, I wish I’d stop crying at the drop of a hat. Seems like everything brings me to tears lately.”
“You’ll probably stop that behavior soon, too. Lissa’s mother stopped being so emotional at about five or six months along and then became teary-eyed again as her due date approached.”
She blinked and the tears she’d been holding in rolled down her cheeks. “How do you know all these details? I don’t remember what my mother went through and was old enough to remember if she cried a lot. Didn’t Catherine keep anything from you?”
“Not about this she didn’t and you shouldn’t either. I think her reasons were different than yours. I think she wanted me to be miserable along with her. I think you want to share the experience and the miracle that having a baby is.” He arched an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”
Adele shook her head and gazed down. She pulled away from Edward and sat straight. “You’re right. But I worry about Richard. We haven’t seen or heard from him for a week. I know he’s planning something, I just don’t know what.”
“Don’t worry about him. I’ve got all the cowboys keeping an eye out for strangers, and Ruama and Cookie are watching the house when I can’t.”
“Cookie?”
He stood, put on his shirt and got his boots from the other side of the nightstand. Sitting on the bed again, he pulled on his boots and buttoned his shirt. “Yes, I moved him back here to help Ruama with the cooking when you were shot. He’ll help