Tim’s hand continued to touch her and caress her belly lightly. The warmth that flared against his palm increased in intensity and made him gasp in surprise. “I think what we’re feeling is our baby,” he whispered almost reverently.
Spence caressed Lainey’s abdomen, loving the feeling of the warmth that was increasing against his hand. “I think you’re right, Tim. Lainey is carrying our baby.”
Tim closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks. “We’re going to be dads,” he said finally, opening his eyes and looking at Spence in complete astonishment.
Spence nodded. He leaned up and eased his body down across Lainey’s torso so that his mouth was even with her belly. He said the prayer that every man on McKade land had been taught to say over their mate when they became pregnant. The prayer asked for the blessings of the Great Spirit for the safety and health of their mate and their child. Kissing her belly one last time, he pulled back so Tim could take his place and offer his own prayer of blessing.
“Thank you for this beautiful gift, kitten,” Spence whispered as he kissed Lainey’s temple lightly.
Tim was so overwhelmed with the miracle that was granted them, he couldn’t say a word. He just caressed Lainey’s belly and kissed her cheek tenderly. The happiness that filled him was deep. Their dream of having a family with the woman that they loved was actually coming true.
“Do you think this is really real, Spence?” Tim asked finally.
“What?”
“Do you think we can actually feel our baby growing inside of Lainey? How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know, Tim, but I definitely feel the warmth of our baby’s life.”
“I do, too.” Tim touched Lainey once again, marveling at the warmth that pressed against his palm. “I have no doubt that our baby is in there.”
Spence couldn’t prevent the soft laughter that escaped him. “Yeah, our baby is definitely in there, Tim,” he told him, laughing at the words Tim used but thrilled by the fact that their baby was growing safely within their woman. He was quiet for a moment as he thought about this new gift. “I think we should talk to Deuce and John about it while we’re working the south pasture today.”
“About the pregnancy?” Tim asked. “I don’t know, Spence. I don’t want to share this with anyone else until Lainey knows.”
“You’re right,” Spence agreed. “I don’t think we should tell anyone that Lainey’s pregnant either. I just want to see if Deuce or John can help us figure out if what we’re feeling is really our baby. Maybe we can get Deuce and John to talk about Gracie and Jamie. They might tell us something about what it was like when they first found out their mates were pregnant.”
“Okay, but I don’t want to talk about this with anyone else until we can help Lainey accept this,” Tim told him. “It just feels wrong to talk about it until our mate knows about it and embraces it.”
“Do you think she won’t?”
“I think she’ll be afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of disappointing us.”
Spence nodded, knowing exactly what Tim meant. But there was no way Lainey could ever disappoint them. They just had to prove it to her.
* * * *
Tim reached down and cut the barbed wire fencing that was wrapped around the front leg of the trapped calf. Spence’s large hands held the small animal still while Tim made sure that the wire was completely free. He did his best to hold the frightened animal still, but he knew only Tim’s gentle hands would calm her.
“What do you think, Tim?” Deuce McKade asked from his seat atop his chestnut mare. He pushed his tan cowboy hat up with his index finger and stared down at Tim and Spence. “This seems pretty fishy to me.”
“I think so, too, Deuce,” John Blackstone agreed as he backed his white stallion away from the nervous calf. He adjusted his black cowboy hat and turned toward the far pasture, his shoulder length hair blowing in the soft breeze of the late afternoon wind. “This is the third time this month that one of our animals has been found so far from her mother. Someone is doing their best to annoy the hell out of us.”
“I have a feeling my father is up to his old tricks again,” Tim offered, his voice gruff with the frustration and the anger he was feeling. “Sorry, guys.”
“You don’t know that, Tim,” Spence told him gently as he helped guide the calf toward her waiting mother.
“Yeah, I do,” Tim muttered. “He’s been hounding me for money again.”
“What did you tell him?” Spence asked him, reaching out to touch his best friend’s shoulder in support.
“What do you think I told him?” Tim asked him, snorting with disgust. “The man never gave a damn about me when I was growing up. I’ve helped him enough over the years, and he still keeps coming back for more. It’s never going to end. Don’t know how he thinks doing shit like this is going to change my mind. How does he expect me to want to help him now?”
“Maybe it’s time we talk to the sheriff,” Deuce suggested.
“Already called him,” Tim said, straightening up and reaching for the loop of wire John offered him to fix the cut fencing. “He said he can come out to your place any time this week.”
“Good. We need to get this stopped before we lose any cattle,” Deuce said firmly. “I’m sorry this might have something to do with your father, Tim.”
“Deuce, I don’t think this might have something to do with him. I’m sure it has something to do with him,” Tim said calmly. “And there’s no need for you to apologize. The moment he hurt Lainey and Spence all those years ago, he’s been nothing to me. Your parents were my parents. They were the ones who cared about me and helped me get through school. They took me in when I had nothing. They helped me get over the beatings my old man gave me.”
Spence stepped toward Tim and looked him straight in the eyes. “You’ve been one of us since I met you, Tim,” he told him seriously. “Now that you and I are mated to Lainey, we’ve got our own family bond. There’s nothing that can ever break your connection to our family.”
Tim nodded, unable to speak as he thought about how happy he was that he was an accepted member of the McKade family. He was most especially happy that he and Spence were mated to their beautiful Lainey. He walked over to his horse and mounted up, waiting until Spence did the same before he clicked his tongue and urged his horse forward to begin the slow walk toward home.
“It’s great that you’ve both received the mating mark,” Deuce spoke up. “All of us knew that the three of you were meant to be together. We hoped that the Great Spirit would bless the three of you. We’re really glad that you have been.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty happy about it,” Spence spoke up.
“I know I was worried that my vision of finding Jamie had been wrong when we didn’t receive the mating mark right away,” John told them as Spence and Tim rode beside them as they started the journey back to the ranch.
“Why did it take a while for the mark to appear, John?” Tim asked, concerned.
“Jamie had to accept that we were mates,” John explained. “It wasn’t until she did and she committed herself to our mating that the mark appeared.”
“It was the same with Gracie,” Deuce offered. “Once I got her to accept that we were a permanent mating, the mark appeared.” Deuce smiled at the memory of how he had loved Gracie until she finally admitted that they were meant to be together. He may have had to set the boundaries and the rules, but Gracie had accepted them willingly. He still counted his blessings every day that she was his. “I think the time I realized Gracie was pregnant was the most amazing thing of all, though.”
Spence looked at Tim quickly before returning his attention to his older brother. “How did you realize she was pregnant, Deuce?”
“I felt a warmth under my arm when I was holding her,” Deuce explained. “When I covered her belly with my hand, the warmth intensified. I just knew it was our baby’s life force radiating out to touch me. It was t
he best moment.”
“The same thing happened with me and Jamie,” John added. “I kept it from her for a while because I didn’t want to upset her. She was adamant that she couldn’t get pregnant. The Great Spirit had other ideas.”
Tim nodded as he thought about the miraculous healing that had occurred. Jamie had been injured in an attack when she had been in college and had been told that she would never have children. After the Great Spirit had blessed Jamie and John with their mating marks, Gracie’s sister Melanie had seen a vision of Jamie being surrounded by a golden light. Jamie’s resulting pregnancy was the happy reward.
“I think the small golden link was the ultimate proof,” Deuce told them, smiling at his best friend John who nodded in agreement.
“What small golden link?” Spence asked, confused.
“We really need to share that with the rest of the family,” John told Deuce. He turned to face Spence and Tim and looked at them seriously. “Deuce and I just found out that everyone that’s mated and expecting a child receives a small golden link that is attached to the space where the mating links are joined on the original mating mark. Each small golden link represents the babies that our mates are carrying.”
“You’re shitting us,” Tim said in amazement. “I’ve never seen that mark on Luke or on your parents.”
“Neither did we,” Deuce admitted. “Checking with Luke, we found that only the mothers and fathers can see the link of their child. Luke can see the two links on Melanie’s neck that represent Robbie and Mary Grace. Melanie can see the small links on Luke’s neck, too. None of us can see them.”
“What about you and John?” Spence asked.
“I can see the small link on Jamie, and she can see the small link on me,” John told them, smiling.
“Gracie and I can see the link on our necks, too,” Deuce told them. “No one else can see them. Just the parents. I don’t know why Ma and Pa never told us about that. Maybe they didn’t realize that the rest of us never saw the links that represented all of us. John, Luke, and I think the Great Spirit keeps the small golden links private so that the parents can enjoy the secret of their babies in order for them to share their news when they chose to.”
“So only the parents of the baby can see the links?” Tim clarified.
“That’s what we’ve figured out,” Deuce answered. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Tim could feel the excitement growing inside of him. He suddenly had an overwhelming need to get to Lainey and check the nape of her neck. He had a moment of worry when he thought about not being able to see the small links if Spence was the father of their baby. It wasn’t that he cared if either Spence or he was the father of the baby Lainey was carrying. He and Spence had already had long discussions about that very thing. It was just that he wanted to be a part of the miracle of the pregnancy and the birth. He wanted the three of them to be able to share everything—including seeing the special links that would prove the result of their love.
Spence looked back at Tim and smiled slowly. He urged his mount forward, picking up speed as they headed home. He also had the need to see their mate and check out the small golden link that he knew had to be on the nape of Lainey’s neck. He and Tim had already felt the warmth of their baby’s life. There was no question in their minds that Lainey was carrying their child. It was going to be amazing to see the small golden link hanging from Lainey’s link on their mating mark.
If he were to be honest with himself, he hoped to see more links gracing the back of Lainey’s neck over their lifetime together.
Chapter 18
Lainey knocked on the front door of Deuce’s ranch home. She couldn’t help but smile contentedly as she thought about her men riding out to work for the day. Just thinking about her sexy cowboys atop their horses as they rode toward the south pasture made her heart flutter. They had always been her fantasy for male hunkyness.
Giggling softly, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. All she could think about was how wonderful it was every time she was with her men. They were generous, caring lovers, and she couldn’t wait to make love with them again. She had so many things she wanted to do to them and with them. And she was going to love every minute of it.
The large front door opened, revealing a smiling Gracie. It was so wonderful to see her so happy and content. It had been a long road for Gracie to accept Deuce’s love. She had been afraid to pass on her psychic gift to the baby she was carrying, but Deuce had helped her to understand that her ability was truly a gift that would help all of their children find their true mates. Gracie had not been lucky enough to understand that it was the Great Spirit’s way of guiding her to Deuce. When she touched any other man who was interested in dating her, she would feel pain and so would they. Now that she was a happily married woman with Deuce laying claim to her as his mate, she no longer felt the pain of any other man’s touch.
“Good morning, Lainey,” Gracie greeted her brightly, stepping back and opening the door wide so Lainey could step inside.
“Morning, Gracie. How’re you feeling?”
“Very good,” Gracie answered without hesitation. “I’m really enjoying my pregnancy so far.” She touched her baby bump and rubbed it soothingly, smiling as she felt her baby moving.
Lainey smiled as she watched her friend’s happiness, thinking about the children she might someday carry. A bit of worry rushed through her, and she had to make a conscious effort to push the worry aside and calm herself.
“Good thing, because you’re going to be experiencing a few more,” Melanie called to her from her place in the living room where she sat on the couch nursing Mary Grace while Robbie was playing on the floor at her feet.
“Melly!” Gracie whispered urgently. “Stop that.”
“Stop what?” Melanie asked innocently. “I think you should be aware that you’re going to be a mom a few times over.”
Gracie laughed as she took a seat on the couch to sit beside her sister. She reached up, touched her niece’s head and caressed it lightly as Mary Grace nursed.
“I can’t wait to be nursing my own baby,” Gracie whispered, leaning forward and kissing the soft down fuzz on Mary Grace’s head.
The instant flash of a baby nuzzling against her breast made Lainey nearly moan out loud. She wanted that. She wanted that with Spence and Tim. She knew they were going to be wonderful fathers, and she literally ached to give them the children she knew they would love completely.
“So how’s mated life, Lainey?” Melanie asked her, looking up and winking at her.
“It’s great. Actually, that’s why I’m here.”
“What do you mean?” Gracie asked as Robbie climbed up onto her lap and showed her the small puzzle board he had just completed. “Oh, Robbie! You did a wonderful job, honey.”
“Aunt Lainey, look at my puzzle,” Robbie said proudly.
“I see,” Lainey told him, walking over to him and kneeling in front of him. “I bet you finished putting that together so fast, your hands were almost invisible because they were moving like lightning.”
Robbie giggled. “You’re funny, Aunt Lainey.”
“I think you’re funny, little boy,” she teased him. She picked up the small plastic bag that she carried and offered it to Melanie.
“What’s this?” Melanie asked, taking the bag and settling it on the cushion beside her.
“Payment.”
“Payment?”
Lainey nodded. “Open it.”
Melanie opened the bag with one hand, peeked inside, and looked back at Lainey in confusion. “There are two giant chocolate bars inside, Lainey.”
“I know,” Lainey giggled. “You told us we owed you a giant chocolate bar with almonds when we found our mate. Since I’ve got two mates, you get two candy bars.”
“Oh, yum!” Melanie nearly squealed with delight at her unexpected reward. She turned and faced Lainey, smiling as she saw the way her friend was glowing. “Are you happy, Lainey
?”
Lainey’s blue eyes sparkled as she nodded. “I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am, Melanie,” she told her softly. “I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to have Spence and Tim as my mates. I love them so much.”
“I know you do, honey,” Melanie told her gently. “We all knew. It was just a matter of time before you accepted the possibility of your unique mating. Do you understand that you’re the key to a future of love and happiness for your men?”
“That’s your take on it, Melanie,” Lainey told her seriously. “But I see it as my men are the key to my happiness.” She leaned forward and rested her cheek against Mary Grace’s head before kissing her lightly. “I have to get to the diner. I just wanted to stop by to give you your spoils.”
She leaned over and kissed Robbie’s head quickly, laughing when he grabbed for her face and kissed her sloppily. She tugged on his black hair and looked in his striking, blue eyes, her heart catching at the sight of the strong McKade genes.
“I’ve got to go, little boy,” she told him quickly before she could fall apart, grabbing his little hands and kissing his palms quickly. “I’ll see you guys later. I’ve got to hurry. Becca and DelAnne will be waiting for me at the diner. Claire won’t be helping out today so I want to make sure I’m there in case Becca needs me.”
She moved quickly toward the door, opening it and stepping outside before she could embarrass herself. Just thinking about babies was getting to her. She was not usually a weepy type of person. She blamed Spence and Tim that she was suddenly so emotional. How could she help it when she was suddenly feeling the most wonderful emotions she had ever felt in her life ever since she the day she had realized that they wanted her as their mate?
“Get a grip, Lainey girl,” she warned herself, determined not to dissolve into a puddle of tears.
Rushing to Spence’s truck where it was parked beside the corral, she opened the driver’s side door, climbed inside, and buckled her seat belt. Resting her forehead on the steering wheel, she concentrated on keeping her breathing even to calm herself. As a vision of her two men filled her mind’s eyes, she leaned back and smiled. The thought of her men calmed her and gave her exactly what she needed to know that she was indeed a very lucky woman. Spence and Tim loved her exactly as she was and valued her as a friend, a woman, and a mate.
Claiming Lainey [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 22