Page 53 of Complete Me

She stared at the strip, sitting in the locked bathroom. Despite his enthusiasm, David had understood why she wanted to tell her husband first. How long could these bloody things take anyway? But within a matter of moments, a second line began to appear. It was faint. Belle turned the test around, trying to make certain it wasn’t a trick of the light.

Two lines.

She could see it. She could say it. But she couldn’t seem to believe it. There was only one way to make this feel real to her. She needed Smith.

It took her longer than she would have liked to track down a pair of boots and some gloves. When Smith had decided to go out with the gameskeeper, she had thought it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak into the village without him. She couldn’t bear disappointing him if the test had come back negative, but it wasn’t negative. It was positive.

“I’m pregnant,” she said to the empty room as she tugged on the boots. The room didn’t respond. The room was not being helpful.

She had less than two hours until the wedding, and maybe it was stark raving mad, but she was going out into the Scottish tundra to track down her husband. She simply couldn’t wait any longer. Damn reason and common sense.

Norris gawked at her when she reached the door wearing the galoshes and one of Smith’s overcoats. Her own outerwear was more pretty than practical. That would have to change, she realized. Now, she was dressing for two. She couldn’t be without hats and socks and other important protection from the elements. Somewhere inside her a tiny voice reminded her that the baby was probably the size of the speck of dust, but it didn’t matter. If she read that wearing bubble wrap was good for the baby, she would. It was a very good thing she’d insisted on staying behind the scenes at Bless. She could only imagine what her clients would think of that.

“Mrs. Price, can I drive you somewhere?” Norris offered.

She shook her head. “I need to find Smith.”

“I’m sure he will return shortly.” Norris tried to steer her from the door. “I don’t think he would want you out in the cold.”

It hardly mattered what either man wanted. She was going to do this. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

Either she scared him or he decided it wasn’t worth it to upset a woman on a wedding day—even if it wasn’t her wedding day—because he backed down.

Outside it was significantly colder than Belle had realized. She prided herself on being an indoor girl. Although she’d spent parts of her youth in the country, she usually stayed out of the cold. Belle could cope with a dusting of snow, this was much more. Her feet sank as she stepped onto the grounds, the snow coming past her ankles. Finding the boots had been a very good idea even if they didn’t do much against the cold. She was fairly certain she had frostbite before she even got a hundred meters further.

She had just resolved to turn back when a Range Rover rumbled toward the house. It broke as soon as it saw her, and the door swung open. Smith jumped out and rushed to her.

“What on earth are you doing out here?” The more time he spent with the staff, the thicker the traces of his Scottish accent became.

Maybe this was where they should get a proper house for the baby, Belle thought. Smith seemed at home here. She had never imagined that she would want an estate of her own. Now it seemed necessary. Then again, there was the issue of snow.

“Belle!” Smith grabbed her by the shoulders. “Your lips are blue. Let’s get you inside.”

It wasn’t until he said it that she realized just how frozen her lips had become. She wasn’t even certain she could speak. Although she hadn’t made it very far from the house, he insisted she ride back in the Rover. As soon as they were through the front door, he swept her off her feet and carried her to their bedroom.

Smith knelt before her and took off her boots, rubbing her toes until blood started to flow again.

“What were you thinking?” he asked, not able to keep a bemused grin from his face.

Belle looked into his green eyes, losing herself for only a moment. Would the baby have those eyes? The thought stirred her back to life and the rest of the chill began to melt away. The trouble was that Smith wouldn’t stay still long enough to tell him.

First, he insisted on starting a fire. Then he found her socks. He called to the kitchen for hot tea.

“I am not an invalid,” she called after him when he inquired with the butler about a hot water bottle.

“What were you doing out there?” he asked, carrying the cup and saucer to the bedside table.

“I needed to find you,” she began.

“I was coming back, beautiful.” He tucked a few, loose strands of hair behind her ears.

“We should be together for our anniversary.” Why couldn’t she just bring herself to say it? Perhaps because the more she saw her outing through Smith’s eyes, the more she understood it. Would her whole pregnancy be filled with random acts of insanity?

The butler reappeared with the water bottle and Smith excused himself to the loo to fill it. He was through the door before it registered with Belle. She sat up in the bed. This was the second time in a month that she’d left something lying around that she shouldn’t. This time the look on Smith’s face when he wandered back into the room was very different than the first.

He was still staring at the test, a curious mixture of wonder and shock plastered on his face.

“Beautiful?” He looked up to her, his eyes full of questions.