Jessica started toward Rebecca. Matty and Sebastian’s eight-month-old sat in a bottom dresser drawer yelling her head off.
“She climbed in and didn’t know how to get out!” Luann shouted by way of explanation as she continued pacing with the squalling four-month-old who belonged to Gwen and Travis. They’d named the baby Luann after her grandmother, but Travis had quickly dubbed her Lulu.
Jessica picked up Rebecca and grabbed a tissue to wipe her nose. Then she turned to Luann. “What’s wrong with Lulu?”
Luann grimaced. “She gulped her bottle, like usual, and now she’s got enough gas to heat the city of Denver for a month!”
Matty, Shelby and Gwen appeared in the doorway. Matty, with her seven-month-along belly, took up most of the space. She pressed a hand to the small of her back “What’s all this noise about?”
Nat stood surveying the room. “The usual,” he said with a grin.
Elizabeth waved her hands. “Lizbeth not cryin’,” she announced again.
Jessica caught a flash of green on Elizabeth’s hands. Uhoh. Then she glanced down at her linen skirt, the one Elizabeth had been clutching minutes ago. Sure enough, now she had green splotches on her skirt to match the color on the toddler’s pink dress. And she had another contraction, this time a hard one.
“Hey, we can hear this racket clear out in the front yard!” Sebastian crowded in behind the women, followed by Boone, Travis and Jessica’s father. “What’s going on?”
“It’s all the girls making noise,” Josh said, looking superior.
Jessica glanced over at Nat. “I hate to tell you this, sweetheart, but I think—”
Nat’s casual grin disappeared. “It’s time?” His voice squeaked.
Jessica nodded.
The group exploded into action. As Nat rushed over to lead her out of the room, Sebastian took Rebecca, Travis scooped up Elizabeth, and Boone picked up Josh. The women followed, with each grandmother carrying a baby.
As they all poured into the living room, someone knocked on the front door.
Jessica’s father wrenched it open. “What?” he bellowed.
The television reporter shrank back. “The—the governor and his wife are here, sir. Their limo just pulled up. And I was wondering if—”
“He came in a limo? Great!” Jessica’s father turned back to the group surrounding Jessica. “We’ll commandeer his limo for the run to the hospital! Come on. Everybody out!”
“But what about the ribbon-cutting ceremony?” Jessica asked as Nat hustled her toward the door.
“It can wait,” her father said, beaming at Nat. “Right, son?”
“You bet.”
Before Jessica quite realized how it had happened, the governor and his wife were standing on the front porch waving goodbye and all of them were crammed into the stretch limo, crying babies included.
“So,” Sebastian shouted above the din as he glanced around at the limo full of people. “What’s it gonna be this time, boy or girl?”
Travis, Boone and Nat looked at him, then at each of the screaming babies. The four cowboys grinned. “Boy!” they all said together.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6128-4
THAT’S MY BABY!
Copyright © 2000 by Vicki Lewis Thompson.
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