His Marriage to Remember - By Kathie DeNosky Page 0,54

hoped her smile was encouraging. “But you didn’t stop by on your way down to Shady Grove to worry over me. Tell me about your new job and your move down there.”

Mariah brightened instantly and as she chattered on about her new job as the office manager of a medical clinic in the rural ranching community, Bria allowed her mind to wander. In the two weeks since leaving Sugar Creek Ranch all she seemed to be able to do was cry and sleep. She had chalked up her uncharacteristic behavior to the emotional upset she had suffered because of Sam’s duplicity, but the doctor she had seen just that morning had other ideas to explain her unusual fatigue and unstable emotions. She was pregnant.

How it was possible to already be experiencing some of the early symptoms of pregnancy was still a mystery to her, but the doctor had assured her that it wasn’t all that uncommon and the blood test he had run confirmed his diagnosis. Because of the night she had spent making love with Sam, she was going to have a baby—Sam’s baby.

But as happy as she was about having their child, she still had a hard time believing he would deceive her the way he had. It was true, he hadn’t lied to her. But by failing to tell her that he had regained his memory, he hadn’t exactly been truthful with her either.

“Bria, are you listening to me?” Mariah asked, frowning.

“I’m sorry,” Bria said, turning her attention back to her sister. “What were you saying?”

Mariah reached across the table to touch Bria’s hand. “I asked if you’ve heard from Sam.”

“No. We haven’t had any contact since I left the ranch.” She took a deep breath in an effort to ease the tightening in her chest. “Nate called to ask how I’m doing and to let me know that the neurologist had given Sam a clean bill of health and released him to go back to work, but that’s all I’ve heard.”

“I’m sure he’ll be in touch with you soon,” Mariah said, her tone sympathetic. “He’s never impressed me as being the kind of man who gives up so easily. Besides, I saw the way he looked at you at Jaron’s birthday dinner. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Sam is still head over heels in love with you.”

Tears began to well up in Bria’s eyes as she shook her head. “There was never any doubt about our love, Mariah. But a marriage is more than two people caring deeply for each other. It’s sharing your entire life with that person—the good and the bad.” She swiped at her tears with the back of her hand. “Sam has never really done that with me. Maybe if he had, I’d be able to understand why he’s so driven and why he puts working ahead of our marriage.”

“I’m so sorry, Bria,” Mariah said, rising to her feet to come around the table to hug her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She hugged her younger sister back. “This has been an extremely emotional time for me and it’s going to take a while to get my feet back under me again.”

Mariah nodded as she returned to her chair. “I understand completely. You’ve already been through breaking up with Sam once. Now you’re having to go through it all over again.” She wiped away a tear of her own. “That has to make it doubly hard to get through this now.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling through her tears. “It’s going to be tough for a while, but I’ll get over it. I have to.”

Bria didn’t tell her sister that she had no other choice but to survive for the baby’s sake. She hadn’t told anyone about the pregnancy and even though she was still so very hurt and angry with Sam, she felt he should be the first one to know about the baby.

It saddened her to think that their child would have to be shuttled back and forth between his or her parents, but that couldn’t be helped. Sam had made his choice and she had made hers. All there was left to do now was to move forward and make the best of the situation for their child.

“I suppose I should get back on the road,” Mariah said, standing up. “I’d really like to get down to Shady Grove and unload the car before it’s too dark to see what I’m doing.”

“How