by Tina Leonard
Aberdeen smiled. But she didn’t say anything for a long moment. She closed her eyes and he thought she looked happy. Content. He brushed her hair back from her face, thinking she really was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. Of course he was in love with her, had been always, but now she’d given him an amazing gift, so he loved her even more.
“I saw him one day,” Aberdeen murmured, and Creed said, “Who?”
“The Native American. He was on your ranch, probably a thousand feet from the house. He waved to me, so I went to talk to him. He was tall, and had long, braided hair and such kind eyes. He said he was watching over the horses.”
“The Diablos?”
“He called them that, but I didn’t know what he meant at the time. And he said not to be scared, that all things worked out for the Callahans. That you would know your parents through this baby.”
He blinked. “He told you that?”
“I didn’t understand what it meant. But now I do. He said he’d known your parents a long time ago, and this baby was a gift to them. And then he left.”
Creed was shocked. He’d never spoken to Aunt Fiona’s friend; neither had any of his brothers, as far as he knew. “Our parents died long ago,” he said. “I’m not sure how a baby can be a gift to them. But I’m okay with the theory.”
“Have you ever talked to him?”
Creed shook his head. “He comes around to talk to Fiona about once a year. I don’t know why. It’s one of those things Aunt Fiona is mysterious about—one of many things, I suppose.”
“He was nice. I liked him. I’ve never seen so much peace in someone’s eyes.” She looked at him. “I’ll marry you, Creed Callahan.”
His heart soared. “You will?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
A nurse came between them for a moment, handing Aberdeen her pink-blanket-wrapped baby, and a delighted smile lit Aberdeen’s face. “She looks just like you.”
“Don’t say that,” Creed said, “I want her to look just like her wonderful mother. There are no beauties in my family tree, just unfortunately unhandsome brothers.”
“There’s a beauty now.” Aberdeen kissed the top of her baby’s head. “She’s so sweet.”
“That she gets from your side of the family.” Creed was so proud he was about to burst. “Are you really going to marry me?”
Aberdeen handed him the baby, which he took carefully, lovingly. “I am, cowboy. I’ve decided you’re the prince I’ve been waiting for.”
He was so happy he wanted to cry. “What took you so long?”
“I was afraid you might be the wolf in my fairy tale, not a prince. You had me fooled for a while.” Aberdeen smiled. “I was determined not to make any more mistakes. But I never stopped thinking about you, and after a while, I knew you were the only man I could ever love.”
“When were you going to tell me?” Creed asked. “Because I’m pretty sure the last several months have just about killed me.”
“After you told me,” she said simply, and he groaned.
“I’m going to tell you every day of your life how much I love you,” Creed said. “I’m going to keep you convinced that you made the right decision.”
“I am,” Aberdeen said with conviction. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m marrying the most wonderful man in the world. Now name your baby.”
He hesitated, glancing down at the sleeping child in his arms. “I don’t know anything about naming babies. What if I pick something she hates later on?”
She smiled. “Don’t you have a favorite female name?”
“Aberdeen,” he said with a decisive nod.
That made her laugh as she lay back against the pillow. “I’m going to sleep now, but when I wake up, I want you to have named your little girl. Surprise me with your creativity.”
“No pressure or anything,” he said, and he looked down at the tiny lips, adorable closed eyes, sweet cheeks of his daughter, knowing the old Navajo was right: This baby connected him to the past he could barely remember. But he knew his parents had loved him, just as he loved this child. Joy filled him, and then it came to him. “Joy,” he said, and Aberdeen opened her eyes.
“That’s lovely,” she said.
“It’s what I feel when I look at you,” he said, and she knew his heart was in his words. “And when I hold this little baby…” He leaned down to give Aberdeen a kiss. “Thank you is all I can say. And I will love you until the end of time.”
“You’re going to make me cry,” Aberdeen said, but he sat down next to her, and touched her face, and suddenly Aberdeen didn’t feel like crying, only smiling, with joy.
Creed Callahan wasn’t loco, she knew. He was her prince, her man, and the hottest cowboy she’d ever laid eyes on. All hers.
All her dreams come true.
Creed leaned against her and Aberdeen drifted, loving feeling him by her side, holding their baby. It was the sweetest moment, starting their family. She murmured, “I love you,” and Creed said, “Joy says you’d better,” and then he kissed her again.
It was perfect.
Joy.
Epilogue
In February, the month after Joy Patrice was born, Aberdeen finally walked down the aisle into Creed’s waiting arms.
Only it wasn’t that simple.
First, he had to convince her that baby weight was no excuse not to marry him. Then he had to tell her that getting married at Rancho Diablo on Valentine’s Day during the coldest month of the year was a swell idea—red was a great color for bridesmaid’s gowns. She only had one attendant and that was Diane, but still, it took some doing. Aberdeen kept talking about waiting until springtime, when she’d lost some weight, when Joy would be a little older, when the weather would be warmer—but he wasn’t about to let her weasel out of marrying him for any reason.
He’d nearly lost her before. If he’d learned anything, it was that he had to do a lot of talking with this woman. So talk he did.
And today, a day that dawned clear and sunny, he didn’t relax until Aberdeen finally said, “I do.” And even then, he asked her to say it again, which made her and the guests laugh.
Judah said later he’d never seen such a desperate case. Jonas told Judah he’d better hush, because one day it might be him begging some poor woman to marry him. Sam said he thought it was romantic, if a bit weinie, of his brother to go down on bended knee and promise to love and adore Aberdeen for the rest of their lives, and Rafe said his twin had finally showed some depth of character and soul. Pete said he didn’t care as long as they hurried up and cut the cake because he was starving. Keeping up with the demands of three little girls kept his appetite fired up.
Valentine’s Day was a perfect day to catch his bride, in Creed’s opinion. When they were finally declared husband and wife, he swept Aberdeen off her feet and carried her back down the aisle, intent on putting her right into the waiting limousine.
He intended to spend their week-long honeymoon in Bermuda making love to her constantly, and as far as he was concerned, the honeymoon began now.
“Wait,” Aberdeen said, laughing, “Creed, put me down. We have guests. There’s cake to cut.”
“Oh.” He put her down, reluctantly. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, though.”
She took him over to the three-tiered cake. “I know. But there are some duties required—”
“Cut fast,” he told her, and she made a face at him.
“We have to dance, and tell everybody thank you for coming,” she said. “Creed, we just can’t desert our guests. And there’s Joy. I feel so guilty about leaving her. Don’t you think we should wait for our honeymoon until—”
“That’s it,” he said, “here’s the knife. Cut the cake, take a bite and let’s shazaam before you get cold feet. I know you too well, parson, and I worked too hard to get you.” He put cake into her mouth, waved at the applauding guests, let the photographer snap a few more photos of them, and then went over to Aunt Fiona who
was holding Joy in her arms.
“This is a great party, Aunt,” he said.
“But you’re leaving.”
He kissed her cheek. “Yes, we are. My bride wants me all to herself. Mrs. Callahan is demanding like that.”
“Creed,” Aberdeen said, laughing, as she bent to kiss Fiona’s cheek, and then reached up to kiss Burke’s.
“It’s all right,” Fiona said. “I’ve succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, so I just want to say welcome to the family, Aberdeen. And congratulations on catching Creed. I never thought I’d live to see the day, did you, Burke?”
Burke shook Creed’s hand. “The limo has all your items in it, and is waiting for your call.”
“Thanks for everything,” Creed said, and kissed his aunt goodbye. Then he bent to kiss his baby’s head. “Joy, you be sweet to your family. Aunt Diane is going to take very good care of you.”
“Yes, I am.” Diane closed her sister in her arms. “Congratulations, sis,” she said, “I’m going to be as good an aunt to your daughter as you were to mine. I can never thank you enough for giving me time to figure out my life.”
Aberdeen smiled. “I knew you would.”
Johnny nodded. “I’m going to practice my uncle skills. I can’t wait. Seems like I’ve been waiting months for this, and now I’ve got four babies to uncle. It’s pretty cool.”
“Yes,” Creed said, prouder about new fatherhood than about winning all his rodeo buckles. “All these new women in my life. Who would have ever thought it?”
“I would,” Fiona murmured to Burke, who hugged her as she gazed at her growing family. “I always knew he had it in him.”
“I always knew I had it in me,” Creed said to Aberdeen, and she kissed him.
“Let’s go, cowboy,” she said, for his ears only. “I’ve got a special gift to give you in the limo. Because I’m pretty sure you said I wasn’t having you until I made an honest man of you, and now I have.”
“Hot dang,” Creed said. “I’m already there, my love.”
They waved goodbye to their guests under a shower of pink paper hearts, and, as Creed helped his bride run to the white limo in her long, lacy gown, he caught sight of the black mustangs running, tossing their manes and pounding their hooves, free and wild, as they chased the spirits in the wind.
Enchanted.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0840-7
THE COWBOY’S BONUS BABY
Copyright © 2011 by Tina Leonard
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** Cowboys by the Dozen
* The Tulips Saloon
‡ The Morgan Men
@ Callahan Cowboys