Page 98 of Brooke's Bliss
“Baby?”Henry stood beside Noah, holding a small goat in hisarms.
Noah was carefully inspecting another goat’s hooves.Theywere set up with Noah’s veterinary kit, and it looked like someone had beentaking notes on the care of hooves, specifically in horses, goats, and cattle.
“It’s Braxton-Hicks.”Nell wore a long skirt and a matchingshirt, her brown hair up in a ponytail that was only slightly messy.Her handswere on the small of her back as she turned to her husband.“It’s nothing toworry about.I still have a couple of weeks.”
“I’m not sure.Caleb says the baby is getting big.”Lucyoccupied one of the camp chairs they’d set up around the barn.She glanced downat her watch.Nell and Henry weren’t the only ones learning new talents.“Ithink we should start timing them.”
Oh, she was walking in on some serious drama.“Everythingokay?Can I get you anything, Nell?”
She’d been around her sister-in-law enough to know this wasa delicate stage of pregnancy.Nell was huge and having trouble moving, andeverything could feel like a train was coming to hit her.At least that was howRachel described it.There was a lot of worry and anxiety surrounding the lastcouple of weeks.
Nell glanced over and gave her a smile.“I’m fine.Henry’sbeing a worrywart.”
Lucy held up a hand.“I am, too.Not the fine part.Theworrywart part.”
Brooke gave her friend a smile.“I thought you were movinginto management at the inn.Why are you suddenly studying midwifery?”
Lucy stood and moved closer to her.“You know everyone inBliss has a couple of jobs.Like Gemma’s a lawyer but she works most of thetime running the sheriff’s office.Which could be a serious conflict ofinterest anywhere else.Callie works at Trio, but she also teaches part timewith the nursery school kids.The Farley brothers have like ten jobs.”
“You do not need another job.You literally have threeincomes,” Brooke pointed out.Her guys had good jobs.Ty was an EMT, andMichael worked for the US Marshals.
“I think it’s wonderful that Lucy wants to help out.”Nell’ssmile was bright but slightly strained.
“I want to get to know a little of what Ty does,” Lucyadmitted.“Let’s face facts.If I’m going to help one of my guys out at hisjob, it’s going to be Ty.I’m done fighting criminals.Also, everyone’s worriedthat Naomi isn’t coming back from Dallas.That Dawson guy kind of stole her.Idon’t know if she’ll fall for him or just take the big wad of cash he offeredand enjoy the rest of her life when the job is done.That means a new nurse,and finding one who’s willing to work with Doc might be harder than we think.With all the pregnancies around the town, I want to be able to pitch in.We hada woman give birth out at the lodge, and I helped Ty.It made an impression onme, and I want to know more.”
Lucy had her dream job.
Lucy worked hard to get where she was.And she wasn’tstopping there.The job wasn’t the destination.It was part of the road, andthe road kept going.She kept trying to find a place to stop, but life didn’tstop.What if she was looking at it all wrong?What if the job wasn’t the mostimportant thing?What if the road was?The journey itself.What if some powerposition wasn’t the destination at all, and the place she was looking for allher life was right here in front of her?
“Hey, are you okay?”Lucy put a hand on her arm.“I tried tocall you when I figured out who our annoying guest was.I’m sorry he surprisedyou.He’s an ass, by the way.”
Brooke felt something wet on her cheek and wiped away atear.Damn men were making her feel too much.“He doesn’t matter but I do wantto talk to you.Would you leave the lodge if you decided you wanted to be anurse?”
The men were talking in the background and the baby goat wasbraying, but Brooke found herself completely focused on Lucy.
“I love what I do.”Lucy seemed to understand this wasserious for Brooke.Her tone gentled, and she gave her friend a squeeze.“Butyes, I would if I decided I wanted something else.”
“But you worked so hard.People helped you along the way.”
“And I’ll pay that forward.”Lucy sighed.“Sweetie, you getto change your mind.No matter what the world has given you, you can changecourse.I know what you’re thinking because we’ve been friends for a long time.You think your brothers will be disappointed.”
“Rye said he was.”She could still see him staring at her.
A gasp came from Nell’s mouth.“He said that?Henry, we’reprotesting Rye.”
Henry gave his wife a thumbs-up even as he scrambled withthe baby goat.“Sure thing, babe.Are we protesting his business practices?”
“No, his human ones,” Nell replied primly.
Henry nodded.“I’ve got signs for that, too.”
“Don’t protest my brother.”She appreciated the gesturesince protesting was definitely Nell’s love language.“He’s trying to catch up.I can see where he might be upset about me abruptly changing what I want frommy career.After all, he spent years doing a job he didn’t love so I could havethis chance.”
Nell rubbed her lower back as she spoke.“Sweetie, yourbrother loves you, and whatever he actually said, he is not ashamed of you.Noone is.You’re our girl.We watched you grow up.I remember you graduating fromhigh school.The whole town came out.”
Lucy got a little teary.“They did.”
“They always do.For everyone.”Brooke didn’t want Lucy tofeel left out.
