Heartland Read Online Free PDF Page A

mother picked up her mug and asked, “How far along are you?”
    Emily choked as she swallowed her tea. After sputtering for a few seconds, she smiled. “I should’ve known I couldn’t keep it a secret for too long with you.”
    Dad drew his brows together and looked between her and Momma. “Well, I’m as much in the dark as a burned-out light bulb. Would y’all like to enlighten me?”
    Momma grinned and patted his arm. “Emily?”
    She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Exhaustion from driving all night weighed her down now that some of the tension of the reunion was over. “I’m pregnant.”
    She smiled at the way her father’s eyes widened. Then a grin spread over his face. “Damn…” She couldn’t help the chuckle at the utter awe in Dad’s voice. “I’m going to be a granddaddy?”
    Momma laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then she met Emily’s gaze again. “Now answer my original question.”
    “I’m twenty-six weeks.” She suspected her mother was concerned about what the drugs she’d taken might have done to the baby. “I found out when I was admitted to Fernwood.” She told them about the conversation she’d had with Dr. Barton. When her mother asked about the baby’s health, she assured her that Dr. Summers did several tests to determine that she was carrying a healthy baby girl.
    “A girl, eh?” Dad sat back in his seat, a grin tugging at his lips.
    “I thought about keeping the sex a secret, but figured somewhere I’d let it slip anyway.” She rested her hands over her belly. “I think of her as my baby girl.”
    “You never were any good at keeping secrets.” Her mother let a cautious smile slip into her otherwise pensive expression.
    Shaking her head, Emily lifted her cooled tea to take a sip. “I know you’re both wondering what Fabian thinks about the baby.”
    Her father shrugged and leaned over his arms. “I figured you’d get around to it. How long do you think you’ll be staying?”
    She set her cup onto the table and stared into it. “I’d like to make my home here. There’s nothing for me in Nashville.”
    “You’re leaving music?” Her mother’s surprise had Emily looking up.
    “I haven’t decided yet… But if I do go back, I need to remember why I wanted to be a singer in the first place. I need to find my roots. Where better to do that than here in the heartland.” She glanced around the massive custom kitchen her father had built onto the house after buying it when her grandfather died. The whitewashed cabinets with their sand-colored granite countertops, the large windows overlooking the backyard pool, and the acres of pastures dotted with cattle beyond filled the spaces where homesickness swamped her. However, it wasn’t missing her family and her home that caused the restlessness. She missed the music she grew up listening to.
    She met her parents’ expectant gazes. “Right now, my main goal is to raise my baby.”
    “I hate to ask, but…is Fabian the father? I thought you were separated.” Momma’s brows beetled.
    “Unfortunately, yes, he’s her father.” Emily snorted and finished her tea. “We were separated when I got pregnant.” She looked into her cup and considered her words, and decided to be brutally honest. “But we liked getting high together and we liked…” God, how do you tell your parents you like sex? Honesty was greatly overrated at that moment.
    “Sex?” Momma provided.
    Her father let out a breath that may have been a gasp of pain. “Abby… Geez, I got the picture without you narrating it.”
    Nodding, heat rushed to her face, but she trudged on by answering her mother’s question. No way could she look at her father. “He wants nothing to do with the baby. He never wanted kids. Knowing how he felt, I wanted to be free of him as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Not only because he helped me destroy my life--my career--but for the baby. Reese Goodwin expedited my divorce. Fabian agreed to