Bree frowned. She understood Kate was feeling miserable about the pregnancy but she wasn’t sure how much of this sickness and lying around half the day was real and how much was put on. She gave a brief thought to the beer she’d been looking forward to and sighed.

“I’ll take a look.”

“Thanks.” Laura threw her a grateful smile and went back inside.

It was another hour before Bree could join her. The sun had all but disappeared from the sky and the outside temperature had dropped dramatically by the time she let herself inside.

The water spat and chugged in the laundry pipes and then started to flow again as she washed her hands.

Laura appeared in the doorway behind her. “You’ve fixed it.”

“I had to replace a part. It should be okay now.”

“Thanks. I don’t know if Kate will have a shower after all. I’ve got her settled in the den in front of the TV with a hot water bottle. She’s really not looking good.”

Bree went to check for herself. There was a quiz show playing on the TV but Kate’s eyes were shut, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. Her hair fell in lank locks around her pale face and there were dark shadows under her eyes.

Bree backed away and followed Laura into the kitchen. She closed the door softly but it popped straight open again so she used more force. Her dad had done several jobs around the house before he left but he’d had no luck fixing that door.

“What do you think?” Laura looked worried.

“She looks tired.”

“She said she didn’t sleep much last night.”

“We probably should leave her then.”

“Okay.” Laura chewed her lip.

“She’ll be fine once she’s had some sleep.” Bree started for the fridge then stopped and looked around. An enticing aroma was coming from the crockpot on the bench and there was something cooking in the oven, yet the benches were clear and there wasn’t a dirty dish or a spoon in sight. “Dinner smells good.” She continued on to the fridge and the beer she’d been hanging out for.

“It’s vegetable hotpot.” Laura followed her and took a beer for herself.

“By that you mean no meat?”

“And chocolate pudding.”

Bree took a swallow, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at Laura, who was watching her closely.

“I like the sound of pudding,” Bree said. “Not so sure about the idea of no meat but—”

“Kate said the smell of red meat cooking makes her feel sick.”