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“I’m so glad you weren’t busy today, Chels. You’re going to love this.”

Chelsea didn’t want to tell her new sister-in-law Jade that of course she wasn’t busy. Because the truth was, busy or not, she would have moved mountains to be there with her at that moment. It wasn’t every day that you got the chance to hear the heartbeat of your very first niece or nephew. Chelsea had never been a big baby person, but that was before Jade and her older brother, Mitch, had announced they were pregnant. They were married earlier in the summer in a surprise wedding. Well, surprise for the bride anyway. Everyone else was in on it.

They hadn’t had much time to get to know each other very well yet, but Jade was fun and easygoing, not to mention super trendy and the most fashionable person in Cedar Springs as far as Chelsea could tell. That alone made her interesting enough to get to know. As much as she liked living in Cedar Springs, Chelsea couldn’t help but miss some of the things about city living.

Like fashion.

No one in Cedar Springs cared about the latest trends unless they had something to do with jeans or maybe some flip-flops in the summer season. But Jade was different. Despite settling into small-town life, and sporting a growing tummy, she was always impeccably dressed.

Even lying on the doctor’s table the way she currently was, with a sheet covering most of her midsection, she looked as if she’d just stepped out of the fashion pages.

“Jade, there was no way I was going to miss this,” Chelsea answered honestly. “I don’t work until later tonight and this is going to be amazing. Thank you so much for choosing me to come.” She had wondered why she’d won the auntie lottery over everyone else, but she was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Of course.” Jade reached out and squeezed her hand. “I thought you’d really like it and when Mitch couldn’t make it, you were the first one I thought of.”

She smiled at her new sister-in-law, her love for her growing by the minute. “It’s too bad Mitch couldn’t be here though.”

Jade’s smile dipped, but only slightly. “He heard the heartbeat the first time, so that’s good. And there’ll be plenty of appointments in the future. I’m definitely discovering that.” She rolled her eyes. “I think it’s a conspiracy with doctors to keep you coming—”

“What’s a conspiracy?” Doctor Deanna Gordon knocked and pushed open the door as she walked into the room. “Surely you aren’t saying that the doctors like to keep you coming back for more appointments so we can keep billing you?”

“Never.” Jade laughed. “But I am wondering a little bit why you wanted to see me today. We just had an appointment. Is everything okay?”

Chelsea didn’t miss the flicker of worry in Jade’s eyes, despite her easy manner. She squeezed her hand a bit, hoping it would lead to a little reassurance.

“Please don’t worry, Jade.” Dr. Gordon flipped through her chart before she closed it and moved over to the ultrasound machine. “Baby was measuring a little bit on the small side at your first appointment, but that can be very normal at such an early gestation. I just wanted to get you back in here and get a better look now that more time has passed.”

“See?” Chelsea said, as if she had anything to do with it. “Nothing to worry about. It’s totally normal.” She tried to sound reassuring even though she had no idea at all what Jade must be feeling lying on the table, totally at the mercy of the doctor.

Jade smiled and nodded. “I know,” she said. “And I don’t want to be one of those obsessive first-time moms who worry about every little detail. I mean, I have enough on my plate right now. I don’t need to worry about things I can’t control, right?”

“Exactly.” Dr. Gordon flipped the machine on and squirted some gel on the end of the wand before she lifted Jade’s sheet up with her other hand to expose her belly that was just starting to swell.

“I’m so huge already.”

She couldn’t help it. Chelsea laughed. “I was literally just thinking how tiny you looked.”

“You look great, Jade. I’m sure the baby is very happy in there and he or she will create all the room they need soon enough.”

Jade dropped her head back, but Chelsea didn’t miss the smile. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to watch her body grow and change with new life inside. It must be incredible.

Maybe one day. The thought hit her like a brick, but as surprising as it was, it didn’t trouble her. She’d never really thought of being a mom or having kids of her own, and she certainly didn’t want them now. But things had changed a lot in the last few years. There was no reason they couldn’t change even more, and Scott was a—

Chelsea forced herself to stop the line of thought. After all, that was really putting the cart before the horse. They hadn’t even been on one date, let alone gotten anywhere near discussing a future or children. Without thinking about it, a giggle escaped her lips at the ridiculousness of what she was even thinking.

Both the other women stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

“Sorry.” She slapped a hand to her mouth. “I wasn’t laughing at you, Jade.” She rushed to explain. “I was just thinking of if I was pregnant…anyway…it’s stupid. Sorry.” She straightened up and tried to pretend like nothing had happened.

Jade gave her a strange look.

“Is there something you want to discuss with me later, Chelsea?” Dr. Gordon asked her seriously. “We can make an appointment after—”

“No,” Chelsea said quickly. “Honestly, it was just a…it’s nothing.” She laughed it off and looked at Jade, who was still eyeing her. “I mean, I’m not even dating anyone. It’s just maybe one day I’d like…” She waved her hand, forcing herself not to go back down that line of thought. After all, she was there for Jade, not her own twisted-up fantasies. Whatever they meant. “Sorry. Go on. I’m dying to see my little niece or nephew.”

Jade and the doctor exchanged glances, but to Chelsea’s relief, carried on with the examination.

She put the wand to Jade’s stomach and flipped on the monitor. Immediately the screen filled with…well, she wasn’t sure what it was. But when Dr. Gordon pointed to a black spot, Chelsea saw it.

“Oh my God. Is that…”

“That’s the baby there.” Dr. Gordon moved the wand around a little.

Chelsea squeezed Jade’s hand again as the doctor turned on the sound. A whooshing, thumping sound filled the small room.

“And that’s the—”

“Heartbeat!” Chelsea put her free hand to her mouth and took a minute to absorb the moment and everything she was experiencing. “It’s incredible,” she whispered. “I just…wow.” A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek. “Thank you so much for sharing this with me, Jade.”

Chelsea could have blubbered on forever with how amazing the whole experience was, but when she looked back to Jade, she was caught off guard by the look on her sister-in-law’s face. Where she expected there to be a smile and maybe a tear of excitement of her own, Jade’s face was a tense mask of concern because she was looking directly at the doctor who, beyond pointing out the baby and the heartbeat for Chelsea, had notably not said anything else.

Instead, Doctor Gordon was making a bunch of keystrokes on the machine and scribbling things down on her clipboard with an intense look of concentration on her face.

Chelsea looked between the two women, willing the doctor to say something exciting or point out some other highlight of what they were looking at. But another very quiet, very long moment passed and still there was nothing from the doctor.

Jade’s grip on Chelsea’s hand grew tighter, although she was pretty sure Jade didn’t know she was doing it.

Finally, Jade spoke up. “Deanna? What’s wrong?”

The doctor’s face immediately morphed into a mask of professionalism when she finally turned to look at them. “Jade, I don’t want you to be concerned about—”

“Stop. Please.”

Chelsea’s heart beat hard in her chest while she watched, waited and listened.

“Just tell me,” Jade implored the doctor. “Don’t feed me a bunch of bullshit about how everything is fine because I can tell from your face that everything is not fine.”

Chelsea didn’t dare breathe.

“Okay.” Doctor Gordon flicked the screen off and put the Doppler wand away after wiping the gel off the tip. She pulled the sheet back down over Jade’s belly and flipped the clipboard shut before she continued. “The baby is measuring a little bit smaller than I would like to see.”

“Small?”

“A little bit,” the doctor continued. “It doesn’t mean that anything is wrong. I just—”

“But something could be wrong?”

“Yes.”

Jade made a choking sound and her hand went protectively to her stomach. Chelsea moved around the bed and put her hands on Jade’s shoulders.

“It’ll be okay,” she murmured, but even as she spoke, terror ripped through her.

“I don’t want you to worry, Jade. There could be a lot of reasons for a small gestational size.” Doctor Gordon consulted her clipboard again. “Are you sure on your dates?”

“Absolutely.” Jade laughed a little bit. “Mitch and I…well…yes. I’m sure.”

“Okay. So you’re just over twenty weeks. The good news is the baby’s heartbeat is strong. I like to see that. And there really could be a variety of reasons for a smaller gestational size. Sometimes if the families are genetically small…” She trailed off and offered a smile because they all knew the McCormick boys were all over six feet with broad, strong physiques and not one of them could be described as small. Jade herself was tall, ruling out the doctor’s first theory. “Slow uterine growth can also be caused by a mom’s high blood pressure or poor nutrition, or smoking.”

“None of that is an issue.” Jade shook her head.

“No.”

“So what else? What’s the real risk, Deanna?” Jade sat up as much as she could on the tiny exam table and with the fierce determination she’d become known for, demanded to know what the doctor wasn’t saying.

To her credit, Doctor Gordon delivered head on. “There’s a chance your baby has Down syndrome.”

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Even as he walked up the steps into the Grizzly Paw the next day, Scott still wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing. He’d finally rationalized his decision by telling himself that it was just one meeting. Besides, the very worst thing that could come out of it was meeting some new people, and considering he planned to make Cedar Springs his long-time home, that seemed like a very good reason all on its own to check out a meeting of the Friends of the Lake Society.

After his chat with Rhys and learning about the group’s existence, he’d been intrigued. From what he could tell, the group had been meeting for years and seemed more interested in protecting the natural wetland areas around town than they did doing anything negative or harmful like the vandalism at the construction site. In fact, the more digging he did, Scott became convinced that there was no way the group had anything to do with what had happened. For all intents and purposes, the group appeared to be primarily a social club with an interest in the lake.

It seemed like a good fit for Scott, or at least, it might be, which was why he’d decided to check them out.

The fact that Chelsea McCormick worked at the Grizzly Paw—where the group met—only had a little bit to do with his decision to attend the meeting.

The pub was slow on a Sunday night, so he was able to easily identify the group, which had pushed some tables together and was occupying the far end of the pub. He walked straight over and introduced himself. He recognized a handful of faces, and most of the people already knew who he was from the café. One of the perks from being a business owner in a small town.

“Grab a chair,” Deanna Gordon said. “It’s good to have some new blood in the group. Some of us are getting a little long in the tooth.” She playfully nudged the elderly gentleman next to her, who gave her a grin in return.

“It’s okay, Dee,” the man said. “You may be getting up there in years, but we’re not kicking you out yet.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Charlie.” She squeezed the old man’s shoulders before she turned her attention to Scott. “Seriously, we’re glad to have you. Rhys Anderson told me you seemed interested in the club. Please don’t tell me it’s because of what happened over at the construction site.” Her pretty face dipped into a frown. “Because I need to make sure you understand that we had nothing to do with that. We’re a peaceful group and even if we don’t agree with the location of the condominium site, we would never resort to violence or breaking the law.” She paused and glanced around the group, who were all chatting among themselves. “Ever,” she said to Scott, putting a strong emphasis on the word.

“I believe you.” And he did. “And I assure you that’s not why I’m here. Really, I’m just interested in meeting some new people and if I can help out in any way with protecting this beautiful lake, I’m happy to do so.”

“Great.” Deanna’s face was once again lit up by her smile. “Mostly what we do is organize some litter pick-ups a few times a year to keep the shoreline looking good. In the spring, we host a bonfire to celebrate the thaw and that’s about it. Of course, when something like the Cedar View Heights project comes up, things get a little more interesting.”

“Are you guys involved with that project at all?”

“Only to protest the location.” Deanna shook her head. “I’m starting to think it’s too little, too late. We’re really not pleased with where they’ve decided to build the second phase of the project. It’s right on the ducks’ nesting grounds. So far the development company hasn’t listened to us at all, but I’m hoping that it’s not too late to have them shift their plans. Even ten feet back from the proposed location would save the birds. It’s not a big ask. At least, I don’t think it is.”

Scott had to agree, and the more he listened to Deanna and the rest of the group discuss the pros and cons of the location, the more interested he was in helping them in their cause to convince the construction company to modify their plans.

“Do you really think you can make a difference with this?” He hadn’t intended the question to sound as harsh as it did. A few people around the table shot him a look, but Deanna smiled warmly.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I think the fact that we’re approaching it reasonably makes all the difference.”

“Not all of us.” A young guy who’d introduced himself as Joe spoke up from the other end of the table. “There’s some jack-off out there who’s going to screw it up for everyone with their vigilante justice.” He slammed his fist down on the table, causing an empty bottle to topple.

“Easy there, tiger, or your temper is going to screw up your chance of getting another beer.” Chelsea appeared out of nowhere and smiled sweetly instead of getting angry. “And I know you don’t want that, now do you?”

Joe shook his head. “Sorry, Chelsea.” He had the decency to look embarrassed, and Scott didn’t doubt that it had more to do with Chelsea calling him out on it than the actual behavior.

“I’ll let it go, this time.” She chastised him with a flirty tone that made the young man blush. “Now, how about that beer?” Joe readily agreed. “What about you?” She turned her attention like a beam of sunlight on Scott. “Can I get you something?”

“A pint of draft?”

“Of course.” She winked at him before she turned to Deanna, whose bright smile faded.

He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help it, especially when Chelsea lowered her voice. Her tone shifted dramatically from the easygoing, friendly banter of only a moment before.

“Doctor Gordon, I just wanted to say—”

“Please,” Deanna’s voice was soft and full of concern, “call me Deanna. And you don’t need to say anything about earlier. In fact, I like to try to keep what happens in my office, in my office. Particularly things of this sensitivity.”

Chelsea nodded. “That makes sense. I’m sure it must be hard for you, too.”

“Of course. I care about all of my patients and it is…well, it can be a lot to take in sometimes. That’s one of the reasons why I need to have a bit of unwind time. To keep my sanity.”

Chelsea chuckled. “I can completely understand that. Now, what can I get you to drink?”

Scott watched Chelsea move away and make her rounds to the others seated around the long table. He watched the easy way she interacted with everyone, making them all smile and laugh before she excused herself to the fill the orders. Whatever she’d been talking about with Deanna was either forgotten or neatly compartmentalized so she could get her job done. He assumed it was the latter. He wanted to ask Deanna whether she was okay but not only was it completely over the line, but Deanna wouldn’t tell him anything anyway. Besides, it was none of his business. If Chelsea wanted to confide in him, she would.

Scott tried to focus on the discussion as the meeting got officially underway, but his eyes kept drifting to the bar where Chelsea was loading her tray with drinks. When she returned, she started at the opposite end so his was the last beer to be delivered. She placed it in front of him, her hand lingering just a little.

“Thanks, Chelsea.” He smiled up at her. “I’m actually really glad I ran into you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Always.” He didn’t even bother to hide his flirting. “But especially because we never got to set that date.”

The way she smiled, he could see she remembered exactly what he was talking about. “Well, I think we should remedy that, don’t you?”

“Absolutely. What’s your schedule look like this week? How does Sunday work for you?”

She didn’t answer right away, pretending to think about it, but finally she laughed. “This Sunday is perfect.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven?”

She put her hand on his and gave it a little squeeze that sent a thrill racing directly to his core. “Looking forward to it.”

Everything he already knew about her checked every box. He couldn’t wait to learn more, because he had a very good feeling that the more he found out about Chelsea McCormick, the more he was going to fall for her.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur, at least up until the point where he found himself not only signing up for a shoreline clean-up committee but also offering to provide sandwiches for all the volunteers who turned up to help.

It didn’t matter whether he was already swamped with work; this was different. Besides, giving back to the community was what Scott was all about. He left the meeting, his head spinning with the names of the new people he’d met and the new friendships he was forming in this town he hoped to call home for a long time. But it wasn’t only his head that was full. His heart was bursting with the possibilities of what Sunday night and his first real date with Chelsea would bring.

Things were definitely shaping up better than he could have hoped.