Page 45 of Hitched

“Told me what?”

He pats me on the leg as I drive. “Oh, Caleb. The lasses. They don’t like to say anything until it’s the right time.”

“Until what’s the right time, da?”

He chuckles. “Your mama, she didn’t tell me until your grandma blurted it out at a family function. Of course, I’d already known for a while, I was just being respectful.”

I’m confused. “Da, what are you talking about?”

He smiles at me again. It’s a new smile. A smile I’ve never seen on him before. It’s warm and kind, not that satisfied smile when I got a job done as I was told. “Caleb, Laney’s with child.”

My brows crinkle. “What? I don’t think so, da.” I look at him like he just told me that he’s secretly married to a goat. “Laney doesn’t even want bairns, da. She’s told me herself.”

“She adores Peg, Caleb. You’d have to be blind not to see that.”

I shrug. “Well, how can you not adore Peg? She’s…perfect.”

Da frowns. “Laney will feel the same with your bairn, Caleb. You’ll see.”

“But she’s not with child, da. Laney’s not old-fashioned. She would be freaking out and telling me so, or acting strange, or pushing me away, or something. But she’s acting perfectly normal. She’s not with child.” I look at him. “Besides, how do you know?”

There’s that smile again. “Oh, Caleb. I knew every time your mama was with child, son. I knew right away. The lasses, they have a different smell when there’s a bairn growing inside them. They smell like they just came back from the bakery. I could walk through a mall and be able to tell you each and every lass that’s with child.”

My neck cranes. “Seriously?”

His nods are wide. “Yes, son. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on it. It’s a very distinct smell. I love being in the company of the lasses when they’re with child. It’s like the most comforting scent in the world. I wish there was a way to bottle it.”

“That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He chuckles again. Okay, who is this man and what did he do with the old Dougall Harris? “Lots of people can sense when a woman is expecting, Caleb. It’s not odd. Some people say that their skin looks different, or that they have a different laugh. There are lots of ways to tell.”

“Well, I really don’t think she is, da. And I’m not sure if me mentioning it is such a grand idea. It might freak her out. And she may think that you’re crazy.”

He smiles and laughs again. “Oh, Caleb. Trust me. I’ve never been wrong. There have been a lot of bairns come into this family, and I knew every time.”

“And did you always act so…Gidget…when you found out? Seriously, da, I don’t even know who you are right now.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a man being proud of his family, Caleb. And nothing makes me prouder than my family growing, son. I’ve waited a long time to have grandbabies, and now I get to have two.”

“I think you’re counting your chickens before they’re hatched, da, if you want my honest opinion.”

He looks at me like he wants to level with me. “Caleb, I knew you were growing in your mama’s belly from the moment you were conceived. I knew when your mama was going to go into labor, too. The very hour. I also knew each of your siblings and cousins’ genders and when they would come. It’s not unheard of. Some people have certain gifts.”

I guffaw. “I thought your gift was how to turn a dollar into a million dollars.”

“I get that from my da, son. But I get other gifts from your grandma. God rest her soul.”

We pull up to the house. “Da, do me a favor, and let’s keep this a secret for now, okay? At least the part about you thinking that Laney is with child?”

He purses his lips into a smile. “You got it, son. Your secret is safe with me.”

I can’t help the guilty feeling I get as I drop da off at my childhood home and head back to my own. He really thinks that Laney is pregnant. But Laney has said nothing to me. She’s mentioned before that she doesn’t want bairns; what if she found out about it and already took care of it? What if she knows and she’s keeping it from me, because she wants to get rid of it? My stomach lurches at the thought.

…and in the next few hours I’ll find out the truth…but not in the way that I would expect.

Chapter 14

Caleb