Jamie said, “She’s super sleepy and throws up every morning.”
Nolan unzipped his bag, took out a stethoscope, and put the earpieces in. “That’s not unusual.”
“Be careful,” Jamie warned. “She doesn’t like men.”
Poppy stayed calm while he held the metal part against her chest. “She let me examine her at the ranch.”
Was it possible she only liked Langley men?
Nolan said, “Everything sounds good, but we’ll have to give her an ultrasound if you want to know how many puppies she’s having. I don’t like using X-rays because of the radiation.”
“Do I have to?” Jamie asked, as the number of puppies didn’t concern her. She hoped that Poppy would only have two: one for her assistant and one for the girls.
“I’d love to know,” Ruth piped up. “I’m taking one of the puppies and naming her Reba.”
“It’s not necessary at all.” Nolan placed Poppy back on the blanket and then looked at Ruth. “After Reba McEntire?”
Ruth smiled with all her teeth. “The only and only.”
“Howdy, folks!” Clayton said, opening the door to the studio. He carried four large cups in a cardboard drink carrier and walked in, bringing the smell of coffee with him.
Jamie whipped her head around. “What are you doing here? Besides, people don’t say howdy in Tennessee.”
“Checking on Poppy.” He held up the drinks. “Momma’s from Texas—we were brought up with it.”
Nolan lifted two cups of coffee and offered them to the ladies, but Jamie waved her hand and said, “No, thanks.”
“Thank you!” Ruth said happily, taking a cup.
“Poppy’s fine,” Jamie said coldly. “Well, she’s not fine. She’s pregnant. Besides, you don’t need to check on her—your brother’s a doctor.”
“She’s doing great,” Nolan added.
Clayton set down the drink carrier. “They’re half Duke’s puppies, don’t forget,” he said.
Jamie narrowed her eyes. “You have no legal claim to them,” she snapped, her voice taut with barely contained fury. Her mind raced—was she now at risk of having to split the puppies with Clayton? Or worse, share custody of them?
“I’m not trying to claim them,” Clayton muttered, his tone defensive. “Poppy’s health is all I care about.”
Jamie tightened her jaw, her sigh heavy and exasperated. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” Her tone dripped with irritation and the cool detachment she usually maintained was nowhere to be found.
“Suppose it is, but I got Duke fixed the very next morning,” he continued, trying to inject a note of justification into the conversation.
She shot a glare at Nolan, who offered a hesitant nod.
“It’s true, Jamie,” the doctor said, his voice subdued.
“It made him less nuts,” Clayton added, laughing, “It’s Nolan’s joke.”
The laughter only stoked Jamie’s anger further. She forced a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and the room’s silence became a suffocating weight. The tension built like a jury about to deliver a damning verdict. Even Ruth’s nervous gum-cracking punctured the quiet, but it was clear: Jamie was far too upset to tolerate any more levity.
“I should get going,” Nolan finally said.
“How much do I owe you?” Jamie asked.
Nolan smiled. His teeth were perfectly straight like his brother’s, and she wondered if they’d had braces when they were children. “It’s on the house.”
“I’m paying you,” Clayton offered, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans.
