Page 44 of Healing Hazel
I looked up to see Nigel and leaned back against him. “I was just thinking about how very much I have to be thankful for this year.”
“Wehave so much,” Nigel corrected softly, bending down to kiss that spot right behind my ear that never failed to have goosebumps appear. Though, those weren’t theonlybumps to pop out, and he knew it! “You’re blushing, Zellie.”
“Because you’re so bad,” I said, giving him a little jab with my elbow.
He chuckled. “You say that like you think I don’t know you love thebadboys.”
I turned to face him, reaching up to cup his face in my hands, pulling him down to me, but didn’t quite meet his lips. Instead, I whispered against them, “I don’t lovethebad boys, Master. I loveavery good man who is great at beingbad.” I considered it only fair that as I brought him that fraction of an inch closer and used the tip of my tongue to trace along the seam of his lips that I felt a very distinct bump of his own growing against my belly.
“Do I need to remind you where all that kissing can lead?”
We broke apart and Nigel quipped, “Perhaps if you’d get here on time, I’d be nibbling on the main course rather than my appetizer.” Before anyone could respond, Nigel chuckled. “Nix that, I could nibble on Zellie for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and still want more as a midnight snack.”
“Good save,” Wes said. “We’d have been here earlier but Mira suddenly decided the kitchen floor had to be scrubbed ‘right this minute’.”
“Nesting? Already?” Nigel shot a glance at where Wes was running his palm over Mira’s extremely distended belly.
“With all that cleaning, I’d rather think you’d best lead your wife over to the food,” I teased.
Wes smiled. “Actually, Mira hasn’t been eating like a farm hand for the last couple of days. I think our little guy is taking up so much room, there’s hardly any space for food.”
Mira shook her head. “I beg to differ. I’ve never eaten like a farm hand.” She dropped her hand to lay atop her husband’s. “As a resident of the greatest place on earth, our little gal and I consider it our duty to eat like a properranchhand.”
At that, Derek’s cousin, Rhett Hawkins, stepped forward to run a rod around an actual metal triangle and declared it was time to stop yappin’ and start snackin’.
Derek grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “He means, get something to eat and find your seat.”
I smiled and again thought of all the different roles we played. A Stetson was but one hat Derek wore. If it weren’t for his and Rhett’s ancestors, this Ranch wouldn’t exist and all these people would never have met, much less become a family. That was indeed the gift every person in this room was truly thankful for.
In no hurry, Nigel and I hung back as people began to fill their plates from the smorgasbord of dishes that everyone had brought to share before choosing seats around the table. When I realized that Nigel was being awfully quiet, I looked up to see his thoughtful expression. “Are you thinking of Thanksgiving at home?”
My question had his attention returning to me and he grinned. “Take a moment and think about that.”
I was about to roll my eyes when lessons from elementary school popped into my head. “I didn’t mean anAmericanThanksgiving, I meant more like… um”—I caught a glimpse of a cornucopia filled with gourds and leaves and pinecones in the center of the table—“a harvest feast.”
Nigel chuckled. “Sure you did, but no, I was running some numbers in my head.”
“Numbers? Like in how many pieces of chocolate you think you can eat while still leaving room for a few slices of pie?” I suggested as that very thought had indeed popped into my head.
He smiled. “Babygirl, believe it or not, not everyone is as focused on food as you.”
“Don’t let Mira hear you say that,” I teased and then saw a shift in his expression. “Nigel? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, not really. It’s just a feeling.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said as he slid his hand to the small of my back. “Come on, it looks like the crowd is thinning.”
I allowed him to lead me toward the buffet line, but this time when I felt goosebumps popping up, I knew they had nothing to do with arousal.
Chapter Nineteen
Nigel
Thanksgiving might be an American celebration, but it was one that many countries had adapted, at least in some extent, for their own holiday. It was a time to reflect on the bounty the earth provided, and the blessings around us. As people ate and chatted, I looked around what had to be the largest dining table I’d ever seen. I’d have guessed it could seat three dozen people but had been informed it could be extended even further. It just went to show that this group of friends wasn’t some small, exclusive clique, it was constantly expanding.
Which had my attention returning to what I’d been thinking about earlier. It was Wes’ statement that had alerted my radar, but it was seeing his and Mira’s hand rubbing across her belly that had made that radar ping. It wasn’t the fact of what they’d been doing, but rather the location. The last time Mira had been examined, her belly had been higher. Today, it had dropped significantly. Though she wasn’t due for another three weeks, if you had bet on one of those later dates, I was pretty sure you wouldn’t be winning the baby birthday’s pool.
