She smiled at him.  She knew it was hormone overload.  After all, this was her fourth pregnancy and while the last one had been almost 18 years ago, she could still remember the crying jags that could be triggered by anything or by nothing at all.

He smoothed a lock of hair away from her face and kissed her again.  God, sometimes he couldn’t believe how much he loved her.  “Everything’s going to be fine.” He’d do everything humanly possible to make sure of it.  “What time does Jess get in today?”  He asked, knowing full well when Jess’s flight would land.  He just wanted to get Lane to focus on something else.

“Her flight gets in at one.  I’ll leave here around noon to pick her up.”

Ben glanced at the clock.  It was almost nine o’clock.  He needed to talk to Tanner and see what he’d found out overnight.  He had seen Jamie in their home gym earlier and knew he was probably in the kitchen.  During football season, it seemed like they couldn’t keep enough food in the house for Jamie.

“I need to check in with Tanner this morning, but maybe I can go with you to get Jess.”  He wondered if he should say anything about helping her find something to wear.  He rubbed her abdomen and even though she was lying on her back, there was a definite bump.

She saw his thoughtful smile as he rubbed her baby bump.  It seemed to have expanded overnight.  She smiled.  She could almost hear the Italian macho voice in his head. “This is my baby.”  She tugged his arm so he lay next to her and she nestled against him.  “I have some leggings and a long sweater I can throw on for now.  Maybe Jess and I can shop this afternoon for a couple of things.  There’s no way I’m going near the mall after today for at least a week, maybe longer.”

He knew what she meant.  He had always thought that a person would have to be crazy to go near the mall anytime during Thanksgiving weekend.  Yet, they were going to be in St. Louis Friday night and Saturday, and he hated to waste a trip to St. Louis.  He could always stand to order another Brioni suit from Neiman’s.

Ben loved his wife beyond anything he ever thought was possible and he would like nothing better than to stay in bed and hold her in his arms for the rest of the day, yet he had things that needed to be done today.  He kissed her gently.    “Let me check-in with Tanner while you dress and then maybe we can go out and grab some breakfast.”

“Remember to invite him for Thanksgiving dinner.”   Lane called as Ben closed the bedroom door.

Ben went into his home office, picked up the phone, and dialed Tanner’s cell phone.

“Tanner.”

“Any news?”

“Nothing new from the police.  I have feelers out to some people on the odds angle; did Tony point you to his bookie?”

“He didn’t need to give me the name, I know who it is.  I’ll make that phone call today.”

“I still want to do some checking on the assistant coach.  Jamie asked me last night if he could hang with me today.  If it’s all right with you and his Mother, I thought I’d let him ride shotgun today.  Maybe I can find out more about the team, see if there are any rifts between the coach and any of the players or the coach and parents.”

“Yeah, that would keep him out of danger and give Lane and Jess some girl time this afternoon.  Let me check with him and Lane.  I’ll call you back.”

Ben ended the call and walked to the kitchen where he found both Lane and Jamie. “Hey, Bambino.  I’m planning on taking your mother out for breakfast.”  He said as he patted Jamie’s shoulder.  “Would you like to join us or would you rather hang out with your protection detail for the day?”

Almost nothing kept Jamie from eating and Lane was surprised when she heard him say, “I’ll hang with Mr. Tanner.  I can call him.  He gave me his cell number last night.”

Jamie stepped away from the kitchen table and used his cell to call Tanner.

“Tanner.”

“Mr. Tanner? It’s Jamie Parker.  My folks say I can hang with you for the day.”

Tanner laughed.  “Okay, Kid. I’m on my way there now.  I should be there in about ten minutes.”

Jamie ended the call and turned to face Ben and Lane.  “He’ll be here in about ten minutes.  You guys could go to breakfast now if you want.  I’ll be fine until he gets here.”

“Bambino, there’s no doubt about that, but I need to talk to Tanner, and if he’s that close we’ll just wait until he’s here.”

Jamie eyed Ben suspiciously, thinking the truth was that they didn’t want to leave Jamie alone.  God, he’d be glad when this mess was sorted out and he could get back to a normal life.  He’d been the baby of the family for a long time and was used to the way the family sometimes still treated him as though he was six, and he’d be glad to relinquish his “title” to the new baby of the family when he or she arrived.

Lane went into the bedroom and pulled on a pair of riding boots that would look good with the leggings and sweater she’d put on earlier.  She had just grabbed her purse and tucked her new American Express card into her wallet when her cell phone rang.  She checked the caller ID as she picked it up and pushed the talk button.

“Jess?  What’s up?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m bringing someone home with me for Thanksgiving.”

“Jess, you know that’s fine.  The more the merrier.  I’ll pick you up at 1:00.”

“No, Mom, Gabe wants to rent a car.”

Lane caught her breath.  Her daughter was bringing Gabe Greer, Grammy Award winning singer, star of TV and film, home for Thanksgiving.  She smiled, thinking she’d probably better get used to it.  Now that her daughter was about to be a big film star herself, her circle of friends was expanding.

“Okay.  Then we’ll see you when you get here.  Have a safe flight.  Love you, bye.”

“Love you too, Mom.  See you soon.”

Lane walked into the kitchen to find Roy Tanner enjoying a cup of coffee at the table.  He stood when Lane walked in, and she waved him back to his chair.

“Good morning, Roy. What are you guys going to do today?”

“I have some leads I need to follow up on.  Jamie can hang with me while I check a couple of things out.”

Ben looked at Tanner.  “Can I talk to you in the office for a couple of minutes?”

Tanner stood and followed Ben into the office and closed the door.

Lane sat at the table with Jamie.  “Jess just called me.  She’s bringing Gabe Greer home with her today.”

Jamie looked at his mother.  “The Gabe Greer? He’s coming here for Thanksgiving?”

Lane smiled.  It seemed the whole family was going to have to get used to Jess’s new found star status and her widening circle of famous friends.  “That’s what she said when she called a couple of minutes ago.”

“WOW.  She really is famous now, isn’t she?”

“So it seems.  Guess it’s something we’ll need to get used to.”

“Do you think he’ll help us at Sunset House tomorrow?”

Lane tilted her head and smiled.  “That’s a good question.  I’d better call Kay and see if it would be a problem.”

Ben and Tanner came back into the kitchen.  Ben had stopped at the coat closet and carried Lane’s barn coat over his arm.  It had turned a little chilly, and while he didn’t think he needed a coat, he was sure his wife and baby needed one to keep them warm.

Lane smiled.  Ben had no idea that the baby was like her own personal little Dutch oven.  She stood and kissed him on the cheek before following him to the SUV.  She’d been married twice before and sometimes she felt like she’d hit the jackpot this time.

Her first husband had been in a rock band and he’d been unfaithful with every groupie who made eyes at him.  After eight years of marriage, her second husband had confessed that he was gay and was leaving her for the love of his life, Ralphie, the man he’d met a year before.  Ben was twelve years younger than she was, had movie star good looks, and Kennedy charisma, and he’d still chosen her.  He was the most considerate man she’d ever known and he loved her.  Tears welled up in her eyes and started to spill over.