Wilder Hearts: Once Upon a Pregnancy. RaeAnne Thayne

they wondering if she and Mike were dating? Did they know she was pregnant?

      Before they’d come inside the house, Mike had insisted that he hadn’t told them about the baby. Hopefully, he’d been truthful. It made her feel…uneasy to think Sam and Rhonda might be privy to the news, that they might sit in judgment over her decision to give up their grandchild.

      But wouldn’t it be worse to be a lousy mother?

      Simone passed on the coffee, asking for water instead. And as they ate, Sam mentioned that Mike’s sister Kathy had just been hired as a reporter for the Walnut River Courier, and that his younger brother Dave, was going to propose to the young woman he’d been dating since high school.

      “Sammy has a Little League game on Saturday,” Rhonda said. “He’s going to play shortstop.” She turned to Simone and explained, “Sammy is Aaron’s son and our oldest grandchild.”

      “Are you going to the game?” Mike asked.

      Sam beamed. “We wouldn’t miss it.”

      “I’m even going to wear my lucky Baseball-Mama shirt.” Rhonda turned to Simone. “I used to practically live down at the ball field when Mike and his brothers were young. And it’s great to have a reason to go back and watch the kids play.”

      “I know it’s only T-ball,” Sam added, “but that boy is a natural-born athlete. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my namesake.”

      “You ought to stop by on Saturday,” Rhonda told Mike. “Sammy’s game starts at noon.”

      “I’ve got to work,” Mike said, “but I’ll try to make the next one.”

      “And bring Simone with you,” Sam said, a twinkle in his eye.

      Simone didn’t comment. She was both touched to have been included yet discomfited at the same time.

      Before long, they’d finished their bowls of cobbler. What was with all the conflicting emotions?

      Simone found herself wanting to find an excuse to stay longer, but she wasn’t any good at dealing with warm, fuzzy feelings. She always seemed to stiffen at the wrong time or say something that came across as awkward.

      She did much better at the hospital, where she could just do the job she’d been trained to do. Where her efforts to provide comfort or understanding actually worked.

      Fortunately, Mike stepped in and made it easy for her. “Simone and I have to go. I promised her we’d only stay a few minutes. Besides, I have a lot of work to do on that house.”

      “I can come over and help you rewire those electrical outlets,” Sam said.