She pulled away, bewilderment in her startled green gaze. “But, Chase…”
“Just hear me out, Jess.” He had to give her that chance at freedom, didn’t he? The last thing he wanted was for her to feel trapped. “You can still set up an office in Old Man Taylor’s house.”
“No, no, I can’t. Somebody else already bought it.”
“Someone did.” He hesitated. “Me.”
A frown creased her brow. “But why?”
“I couldn’t let anyone else buy it out from under you while you were coming to my rescue with the twins. It didn’t seem fair. If you want it, I think it will make a nice law office for you. Milo’s been working on it, fixing up some things. If you don’t want it, I’ll sell it.”
Jessie’s heart turned over in dread. Chase was making it so easy for her to go. Is that what he wants? A way out?
“But, that’s…” She searched for the right words. “That’s not what I want. Not anymore.”
She’d thought, hoped, they’d have forever in their future. Jessie hugged her arms to her middle. Had she been wrong about this man? Could it be she’d misjudged his feelings? But when she met his gaze again, she saw the same love shining there she felt in her own heart. “Chase?”
His expression stilled. Reaching out, he gently traced the edge of her jawline with a warm thumb. “Or stay with me? We could set up the Taylor property for your law practice in town when the babies are older. But I think being my wife and mother to three children will keep you busy enough for a while. Don’t you?”
“Oh, yes!” She couldn’t help the cry of sheer joy that burst from her. “Yes!”
He pulled her close, drawing her into the circle of his arms and enveloping her with a sweet sense of belonging like she’d never known.
“You moved back to Montana to come home, to find meaning in your life.” His mouth curved with tenderness. “Come home to me, Jessie. Find meaning here in the family we build together.”
A bottomless sense of peace and contentment washed over her. A lifetime with this man was exactly what she wanted. Now and forever. “I love you, Chase.”
“I love you, too.” A smile ruffled his mouth. “Marry me?”
“Absolutely,” she whispered, meeting him halfway in a kiss warm with the promise of all their tomorrows. “I love you so, so much.”
An easy smile played at the corners of his lips as he winked. “Wait here. I have something perfect for this occasion.” He stood, took the steps, two at a time, and disappeared down the upstairs hallway.
Please don’t wake up, sweet babies. I’d love a bit more time alone with your uncle, if you don’t mind. She shifted excitedly and drummed her fingers against one knee. What was he up to? Was his proposal tonight planned, or had it surprised him as much as it had her?
Then Chase reappeared at the top of the stairs. He quickly and quietly rejoined her on the step as his familiar half-smile sent Jessie’s heart skittering. He possessed a renewed air of confidence or approval, as though he was quite proud of himself about something. But what?
He opened his hand, and there in his palm was a delicate antique ring—a diamond nestled between two smaller emeralds. “For you.”
“Chase?” She gasped in wonder as he slipped the sparkling engagement ring onto her finger. “It’s…it’s beautiful. Exquisitely so.”
“It belonged to my mother,” he said quietly. “She told me it would be the perfect ring for the woman I love.” His gaze met hers. “How did she know it would match your eyes?”
How I love this man. She drew his face to hers and, in an instant of boldness, kissed him, savoring every moment of their lingering exchange. His mouth, warm and moist, grazed her temple with a final touch as she caught her breath. “I love this ring,” she whispered. Then Jessie pulled away enough to extend her hand and admire the treasured heirloom. “And I think I love your mother.”
Chase chuckled. “She would have loved you, too. And the babies. All of them.” He tugged her close, his lips moving gently against her hair. “We need to find a good name pretty soon. Got anything in mind?”
“If it’s a girl, definitely something from the floral department to go with Daisy and Poppy. I was thinking… Maybe…” She hesitated, not at all sure of his response. “Violet?”
For a long moment, he looked at her, amazement in his eyes. “Perfect.”
Good. She nodded, happy that he agreed. “I think so, too.”
He took her hand in his and grazed her fingers with a kiss. “Birdie will be so pleased.”
“I hope so. But what if we have a boy? What did you say your uncle’s name was? The one who ran the lumber yard?”
“Dalton. I’ve always liked that name.”
“Me, too. Very much.” She patted her waistline. “Of course, we have a little time before we need to decide.”
“I want this baby to be ours, Jess,” he said emphatically. “I want to adopt, if we can arrange it.”
“Oh…” She took a breath of utter astonishment as her hand covered her heart. “Thank you,” she whispered and pressed her lips to his stubbly cheek. “Thank you for wanting that. How can we be blessed with all this love? So much it scares me sometimes.”
“Scares you, eh?” One corner of his mouth tugged into an irresistible smile that sent a delightful shiver through her. “Too much to risk it?”
“Not a chance, cowboy. I’m here to stay.” She grinned. “How about a Valentine’s Day wedding?”
“A birthday for the girls and a wedding? We don’t have to share everything with them, you know. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Completely. Totally. Sure.” Jessie slid her arm through his and brushed a kiss against his shoulder. She’d found the dream she’d been searching for, right back here where she started. The heart of Montana. A life filled with purpose, with meaning, with Chase, and the children.
“It will be the most perfect Valentine’s Day. Ever.”
Epilogue
“Time for the school bus!”
“Thanks, Birdie.” Jessie reached down to pet Barlow’s warm head as his tail thumped against the ground. “We need to pick up the kids, old boy. C’mon.” The collie followed as she walked away from the garden, crossed the side yard slowly, and headed toward the lovely sound of silly giggles emanating from her little girl. “Whew! It’s hot today.”
“You okay?” Birdie raised a hand against the afternoon glare from her chair on the front porch. “I’ll keep an eye on Violet, if you’re still able to drive down the lane to get the girls.”
“I’ll give it a try.” She grinned at four-year-old Violet, who was on the wooden porch swing flipping through a picture book. A breeze ruffled her daughter’s beautiful ginger curls. Our little Peanut. The sudden smile from the child made Jessie’s heart swell with love. “Be right back, sweetie.”
“Mommy, can I go?”
“I’ll just be a few minutes. Stay with Grandma, hon.”
Jessie picked up the keys from the lawn chair and hummed softly to herself as she made her way to the sedan parked near the flower beds. She paused and inhaled deeply, enjoying the fragrant scents of early fall.
Barlow barked as she opened the car door. The dog moved past her and jumped into the front seat, and then she climbed in carefully, shifting her weight as her pregnant belly brushed gently against the steering wheel. Next time, I think I’ll let Birdie do the driving. She patted her swollen tummy. “Okay, babies, let’s go get your sisters.”
Jessie guided the car slowly down the end of the lane and put the vehicle in park just as the familiar lumbering school bus eased to a stop. The doors jerked open, and a bright-eyed Daisy flew down the steps. Poppy appeared right behind her sister with both hands full of coloring papers as Jessie waved. Their sunny cheerfulness brought a smile to her lips. Thank you, Charlotte, for letting go and allowing the girls to live this happy life with us at the ranch.
“Mommy! Barlow!” The kids pulled open the back doors, one on each side,
and piled into the car. “No babies yet?” Daisy hung over the front seat.
“Not yet, sweetie.” She wiped sweat from her brow with a tissue. “But very soon. I promise.”
“I’m tired of waiting,” Poppy chimed in.
Me, too. Jessie exhaled a quiet sigh as she pressed a hand to her stomach.
Then Poppy leaned over the seat next to Daisy and ran her fingers down Barlow’s back. “I want to see Dalton and Wyatt for real. Not just those goofy photos you got on the fridge.”
She chuckled, a bit startled by her daughter’s outspoken opinion. “You don’t like the pictures from the doctor’s office?”
“Nah, they’re yucky. Hey, Mama, my teacher said I did good in art. Real good!” Poppy enthused. “I brought my drawings home. See? I did one of my new brothers. Twins! Like me and Daisy.”
“That’s great, honey. We’ll put them up next to the others.” She took the pages from Poppy, carefully considering each of them. “Beautiful work, babe. Lots of pretty colors.” Then she winked at her beaming little girl. “Much better than the photos on the fridge.”
Jessie reached over and tugged gently on Daisy’s long blonde braid. “How did recess go, sweetie? Better today? No hitting? Right?”
“No hitting. But I wish.” The child offered a sly grin that roused a smile from Jessie, even though she regretted succumbing to the humor of the moment.
She cleared her throat, wanting to sound serious. “Daisy, I’m proud of you. You’re doing a good job trying to get along with all the kids.”
“Just stay away from Bobby,” Poppy insisted with a roll of her eyes. “Kindergarten shouldn’t be so hard.”
Jessie couldn’t resist a light laugh. “Can’t argue with that, honey. Now, sit back and buckle up.” Carefully turning the vehicle around, she headed slowly back up the long lane. “Let’s go see Violet and Grandma Birdie.”
“Is Gramps here, too?” Daisy squinted as she stared out the window toward the front porch.
“Not yet.” Jessie steered the old sedan into its usual parking spot. “Grandpa Milo will be here later for pizza.”
“Yay!”
Daisy shoved open her door, and Poppy quickly followed. Jessie expected Barlow to bail out with the girls, but the collie didn’t budge. He remained faithfully by her side, his big brown eyes focused on her.
“Worried about the fat pregnant lady? You’re the best dog. Ever.” She struggled to slide from behind the steering wheel, but she managed to climb out with Barlow trailing along behind her. Then she looked up, smiling at the beautiful sight of the twins entangled in their daily ritual—a reunion huddle with little Violet. All three excitedly jumped up and down as Jessie blinked back tears of sheer joy. Her tired, achy body longed to sink into a comfortable chair, but she had never been happier. Of that, she was certain. And she could hardly wait to hold her little boys in her arms.
“Hey, what about me?” Birdie called out loudly to the children as she stood, both hands on her hips, with her mouth turned into a fake frown. But not for long. Her smile returned when the trio giggled and scooted her way for a hearty embrace.
Jessie slowly climbed the front steps, reveling in the cheerful chatter. Thankfully, her jumble of emotions was finally settling a bit. She didn’t want to burst into tears in front of the kids.
“Take a load off.” Birdie pushed a lawn chair in her direction. “You should be resting.”
“If I sit down, will you help me up?” she asked with a light laugh.
“You bet. Relax while you can. When those baby boys arrive, you’ll need all the energy you can rally. Especially if they’re anything like their father was when he was a kid. Chase was as ornery as dirt.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Jessie pulled her long curls, damp from sweat, into a loose ponytail and fastened it with the band from her wrist. “Ah…it feels good to sit down.”
A big gray rig pulled onto the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust, and a comforting relief settled over her.
Good. He’s home.
With the delivery date closing in, she grew more and more reluctant to see him leave the house each morning. But hadn’t he always been there when she needed him? Jessie’s lips tugged into a smile. Maybe that’s the sweet truth I should hold onto.
“Speaking of Chase…” Birdie nodded toward the road. “Hey, girls! There’s your dad. Take a seat. Remember, safety first.”
All three hurried to their places. They sat down obediently—the tiny redhead nestled between her fair-haired siblings—on the front step and waited for the truck to stop. Once Chase swung open the door, Daisy looked up in wide-eyed excitement.
“Now? Okay? Now, Grandma?”
“Go ahead.”
“Yay!” Free at last, the kids jumped up and raced down the front steps. “Daddy! Daddy!”
Jessie laughed softly at the lovely spectacle.
“Hey, hey! Where are my girls? Oh, there they are.” Chase’s voice, hearty and chuckling, brought the sting of tears back to Jessie’s eyes. How much I love this man.
A lump rose in her throat as her husband knelt down to embrace all three of their girls in a big bear hug. She bit her lower lip, hoping to suppress the river of emotion that threatened to overflow.
Birdie’s jovial laughter broke the tension of the moment.
Jessie swallowed hard and managed a quiet response, “He’s such an amazing dad.”
“Yep,” Birdie agreed. “And he’ll soon have more kids than he can hug in one bunch.”
Chase and the children made their way noisily onto the porch.
“Hi, ladies.” He leaned in close, his gaze as tender as a caress, and Jessie inhaled the familiar scents of leather, horses, and hay. She smiled. “You smell like the stables.”
“That can’t be good,” he remarked as he placed a large, warm hand gently on her very round middle.
“On the contrary…” She arched an eyebrow. “I like it.”
Chase grinned mischievously. “Then I guess you married the right guy.”
“Absolutely.” She touched his cheek, enjoying the rasp of beard against her skin.
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.
“Happy.” Although blissfully peaceful works well, too. She nodded toward their growing brood as the girls scrambled boisterously off the porch after Barlow. “Birdie and I were just talking about our expanding family. Think how blessed we are the adoptions worked out so well,” she added. No challenges from anyone. Charlotte is off again with some new guy; Jonas is settled with a job in Texas; and Brian is relieved to be out of the picture.
“We are blessed,” he agreed. “And I love big families.”
“Me, too.” She leaned forward to brush his smiling lips with a kiss. “Especially this one.”
A word about the author…
K. T. Byington has been scribbling stories for as long as she can remember. When she isn’t working on her next manuscript, she loves to read, visit favorite restaurants and spend quiet evenings at home.
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