by Liz Isaacson
“Cookie,” Conrad said, and Rhett set him on the counter while he opened the cupboard where Uncle Jeremiah kept all the cookies for the nieces and nephews. He handed one to Conrad, who tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth.
“Small bites, bud,” he said, setting the boy on the floor. “Go say hi to the doggies.”
Conrad waddled over to the back door, where Jeremiah’s dogs pressed their noses to the glass. Winston and Willow were good dogs, and Jeremiah had trained them to herd cattle. He’d just gotten three more dogs too, and he loved moving cattle from horseback.
The ranch used quads too, but Jeremiah sure did like the traditional way of doing things. He’d been doing them more and more, and he’d even started talking about using a more traditional way of harvesting hay this summer. “No bales,” he’d said. “You use a beaver slide, and push the hay onto it. Then it lifts it up and creates a haystack for you. Right there in the field.”
“Okay,” Rhett had said, because he didn’t care how Jeremiah harvested hay for the ranch.
They were the first to arrive, but Rhett didn’t worry. Skyler ran late most of the time, and Jeremiah had work to do on the ranch. He’d come in when it was time, and not a moment before. He was right in the middle of calving season, and that kept a cowboy up day and night. Rhett knew; he’d done it a time or two.
Or twenty, he thought with a smile.
Evelyn curled into the couch with a sigh, and Rhett knew she’d be asleep within minutes. “I’m going to take Conrad out back,” he said.
“Okay.”
He stepped over to the door with his son and opened it. Winston and Willow started licking and sniffing, but Conrad just laughed and pushed them back. Rhett often brought Penny to the ranch and let her run too, but she’d been getting older and slower the past few months. So he’d left the dog he’d named after his mother home today, and the hound hadn’t even gotten off the couch when they’d left.
“Hey guys.” Rhett bent down and patted the dogs. They trotted to the end of the deck and looked back, almost like they were asking Rhett if he wanted to follow them. “Lead on.” He picked up Conrad and added, “Should we go see the horses?”
“Horse.”
Rhett let the dogs lead him across the lawn and past the first barn. The stables spread before him, and Jeremiah did have the horses out in the greening pasture.
“Daddy, horse.”
“Yeah,” Rhett said, moving right up to the fence and putting Conrad on the top rung. “You want to ride, bud?” He grinned down at his son, who looked so much like a Walker, with that strong jaw and sloped nose. He did have Evvy’s eyes, and a softness in his eyelashes that was not characteristic for the Walkers.
“Ride Daddy.”
“Yeah,” Rhett said again. “We’ll go after the meeting, okay, bud?” Rhett wasn’t working today, and he could take his son on a horseback ride for a few minutes. “It’s kind of windy today.”
He looked up to see his rich, dark horse coming toward him earnestly. Rhett put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, and Ebony kept on coming. “Hey, girl,” he said as she arrived. She huffed and nickered, and Rhett realized he hadn’t been out to see her in far too long.
“Conrad, that’s Ebony,” he said as the little boy reached up to pat the horse’s cheeks. “She’s Daddy’s horse.”
“Daddy horse.”
“That’s right.” Rhett gazed at Ebony, sheer love moving through him. “Jeremiah takes good care of you, doesn’t he?” He stroked the horse, who closed her eyes in bliss. “I’m sure he does. You look good. Nice and big. Shiny coat.” He grinned at Ebony, who leaned into every touch he gave her.
His phone rang, and Rhett pulled it out to check it. Skyler’s name sat there, and Rhett swiped on the call. “Hey, I’m out with Ebony. I’m comin’.”
“Okay,” Skyler said. “Jeremiah just came in from the barn and he’s getting the papers.”
“We’ll be in in a jiff.” Rhett hung up and looked back at Ebony. “Okay, girl. Here we go.” He picked up Conrad and put the boy on his shoulders, and they walked back toward the house, three dogs with them now.
When he went inside, he realized just how cold the wind was. “How’s the calving going?” he asked Jeremiah who had just sat at the big dining room table.
“Good,” he said. He looked utterly exhausted though, and it was Whitney who said, “He didn’t come home last night.”
“Three calves came after midnight,” Jeremiah said. “I was sitting with the mothers before they came, because I knew they’d deliver in the night. And one needed help.”
Rhett nodded, because that was the side of ranch life he did not miss. Staying up all night, catching swatches of sleep in a barn, hoping you knew when to pull for the newborn calf, and that they wouldn’t be born dead.
“I’ve got another in labor,” Jeremiah said, wiping a hand down his face. “But Orion can handle it. And we’re doing a C-section later today.”
“Good luck,” Rhett said, taking Conrad into the living room, where JJ played with a couple of toys on the floor. Whitney sat on the couch watching them, and Evvy was still asleep. Maybe she was pregnant, and Rhett watched her for a moment, trying to decide just by looking.
They’d just gone through round two of their drug treatment, and Evvy had to wait another eight days before Rhett would drive her back to the clinic for a pregnancy test. But the way she rested with her hands over her stomach like that….
He finally turned back to the table and picked up one of the pens. “All right,” he said a little too gruffly. “Let’s get this done.”
Rhett clicked around on the computer, reading about adoption centers. He’d found one right there in Three Rivers, but he hadn’t mentioned it to Evelyn yet.
She prayed every morning, noon, and night that this third round of drugs would do something. Their second back in March, when Rhett had sold the majority of the ranch and then celebrated his son’s second birthday, had resulted in a false positive. Evelyn had cried then, and Rhett could admit to getting teary himself.
But only a week later, the test was negative, and Evelyn had had to go through an ultrasound to find out that there was, in fact, no baby. No pregnancy.
So she’d gone back on the fertility drugs and they’d waited the three months to try one last time. They’d gone in for a blood test three days ago.
Evelyn had an appointment at the clinic in a couple of hours to find out if she was pregnant or not, and Rhett needed a back-up plan in case the test was negative.
They’d already decided that if this third time wasn’t the charm, they would start looking at other ways to have a bigger family. Neither of them felt good about going a step past the drugs to something like in vitro fertilization, though they’d met with the pastor, and he’d said such decisions were personal, and that he would support them in whatever they chose.
Liam and Callie had gotten foster kids, both of whom they’d adopted in the past year. There were other options, and Rhett had been praying that Evelyn’s mind would be open to them.
“Ready?” she asked, and Rhett practically knocked his monitor to the floor in his haste to turn it off. “Or do you need a couple more minutes with your case?”
“I’m ready,” he said, standing up and blocking the computer with his body. He had been working on his case before he’d turned to the Internet for more research about adoption. “I’m almost done with it.” He joined her in the doorway of his office.
“Good,” she said. “You’re due in court in four days.” She smiled up at him, and he loved the bravery she put on for him. It wasn’t necessary, but he liked it anyway. He wanted to be the absolute anchor for her, and she laced her arms around him and leaned into him.
“Evvy,” he said. “No matter what the test is today, it’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” she whispered, her voice tortured. “I’m trying not to be too hopeful, but I don’t want to not hope either.”
Rhett understood. He
wanted another baby too, and Evelyn probably didn’t even know how deep his pain ran. He’d tried to hide it from her, because she could barely shoulder her own disappointment, and he didn’t want to add to it.
“Conrad,” he called. “Time to go to Gramma’s.”
“He’s on the front porch with Penny,” Evelyn said. “He’s ready.” She stepped away and wiped her eyes. Rhett reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Love you, baby.”
She smiled at him, and together, they got their son loaded up. Evelyn ran inside to take Conrad to Rhett’s mother, because if Rhett did it, he’d be stuck in there answering questions for fifteen minutes. And not just Momma’s.
Evelyn came back out in just a couple of minutes, and as she climbed into the truck, she asked, “Did you know your dad now has over thirty miniature horses?”
Frustration built inside Rhett, but he also found his father’s new habit somewhat comical. He burst out laughing as he backed out of the driveway. “I’m not surprised. Daddy grabs onto something and holds on tight.”
“I guess he’s going down to some farmer in a couple of weeks to get some equipment or something. Your mother wanted to know if you could find out more details. I guess he’s been shifty with telling her everything.”
“Sure, I can spy on my father for my mother.” Rhett’s words only carried sarcasm, and he gave Evvy a grin. “Honestly, I don’t think getting in the middle of that is wise.”
Evelyn giggled and shook her head. “You’re so right.”
After that, they both fell quiet as he drove them to the clinic in town. They checked in, waited, and waited, and finally it was their turn.
Rhett sat with his wife, both of them on the edge of their seats, nothing to say. Nothing to do.
Ten minutes later, the doctor came in. “Rhett,” he boomed. “Evelyn.” He hugged them both, and pleasantries were exchanged. “Are you going to lunch after this?”
“Yep,” Rhett said.
“But not that Chinese place,” Evelyn said. “It really wasn’t good, Dr. Johnson.”
“No?” Dr. Johnson shook his head. “Well, my wife swears by it.”
“The twins love it too,” Rhett said, looking at Evelyn.
“Maybe try one of those new places that went in on the west side,” Dr. Johnson said. “I hear there’s a really good grilled cheese sandwich place there. You can get pulled pork on it, or a pizza grilled cheese. That kind of thing.”
“Sounds good to me,” Rhett said, but he knew Evelyn wouldn’t go there. She was a sandwich purist, and she didn’t want pork on a grilled cheese sandwich. And if the test was positive…she’d want to celebrate, and not with grilled cheese sandwiches.
Rhett pushed against the hope, because he didn’t want to break down in the doctor’s office.
Dr. Johnson looked at his charts. “Everything looked good going into last month.” He looked up. “How are you feeling?”
“Hopeful,” Evelyn said.
The doctor looked at Rhett, and he decided he had to be honest. “Tired.”
Dr. Johnson nodded. “That sounds about right.” He seemed to be able to see more than a normal person. “I think you’re both about to be even more tired.” He grinned, and hope sparked in Rhett’s heart.
“Because Evelyn, you’re pregnant.”
She gave a little shriek and turned to Rhett, tears streaming down her face. Rhett held her so tight, so tight, trying to use the pressure to keep his own chest from collapsing.
“Congratulations,” Dr. Johnson said. “Now, Evelyn, I want to get you on some hormones in these early stages to make sure we don’t lose this pregnancy.”
“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath and wiped her face. “Okay.”
“And guys,” the doctor said. “There was a lot of hCG in the blood. We might have more than one baby.”
Rhett nodded like he was totally on board with that. He was actually scared out of his mind. “When will we know?”
“Not for a while,” Dr. Johnson said. “We can sometimes tell at the first ultrasound, but that won’t be for another six weeks.”
“We’re not telling anyone until then either,” Evelyn said with a pointed look.
Rhett lifted his hand in agreement and looked back at the doctor. “Are we talking twins?”
“There’s no way to know,” Dr. Johnson said. “The fertility drugs can be a tad unpredictable, and of course, every woman is different. I once had a patient who had five babies using the same medicines Evelyn took.”
Five babies.
Rhett almost passed out, but he managed to nod and listen as Evelyn asked him about what the next steps were.
When they left the office, he hugged Evelyn tight and said, “We did it, baby.”
“Praise the Lord,” Evelyn said, and Rhett echoed her. God was good, and even if He hadn’t given Rhett and Evelyn another chance to be parents, Rhett knew that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Skyler pulled up to Seven Sons Ranch, his truck full of boxes, and the trailer he towed full of new furniture he’d picked up on his way through town.
The landscape had changed over the past five months as the house Micah had designed for him and Mal had taken shape. First the foundation had been poured, then the frame had gone up. The roof, the walls, the front door, the windows. The sidewalks and driveway had been poured, the landscaping done, the pieces put together inside, from trim to appliances to fixtures.
Skyler and Mal had come out every few days and documented the process. If he put together all his cellphone photos, he could make a time-lapse video that took the ranch from field to two-story home with six bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, two laundry rooms, one office, and the biggest kitchen in the world.
Fine, Wyatt and Marcy probably had the biggest kitchen in the world, but Mal would definitely have enough room to cook and bake. She’d already started making meals for Wyatt and Marcy, whose baby was due in only five days.
“Okay,” he said, forking right at the oak tree they decorated for Christmas every year, and pulling into the driveway. “Here we are. It’s done, sweetheart.”
“It’s beautiful,” Mal said. She hadn’t been out to the house in a few days, and all the finishing touches were now in place. The upper half of the house was a cool robin’s egg blue, and Skyler loved it.
Whitney walked out from the garage, her camera around her neck, accompanied by Micah. They’d been taking pictures every step of the way too, and Micah wanted to put the floor plan and finished product on his website.
Skyler slid from the truck and lifted his hand in a wave. “Hey, guys.”
“It’s so gorgeous in there,” Whitney said. “I want everything I see.” She beamed at him. “And the pictures are going to be amazing with all that light coming through the huge windows.”
Skyler took off his cowboy hat and wiped his forehead, as he was already sweating in this July heat. “Thanks, Whitney. I can’t wait to see them.”
“You’ve got everyone coming, right?” Micah asked. “Because your truck from Amarillo just arrived.”
Skyler turned to see the eighteen-wheeler pausing out on the road instead of trying to turn into the gate. “Yes,” he said. “Everyone is coming. All the ranch hands from Seven Sons and Shining Star too. We start in twenty minutes.”
Mal looked at him, her hands full of the cinnamon rolls she’d made last night. He started helping her carry in the churros and more cinnamon rolls, and they got out plastic cups for juice, milk, and water too.
“I hate moving,” he said.
“We didn’t even have to go to Amarillo and pack anything,” she said. “They did it all.” The front door opened, and a man stood there with a clipboard.
“Skyler Walker?” he asked.
“Yep.” Skyler jogged through the house to him and signed the clipboard.
“We’ll get it unloaded,” the man said, and he left. Skyler watched him walk down the few front steps, and then he turned back around. The
y didn’t have a giant lobby like Wyatt and Marcy did, but a little entryway with a bench where someone could sit to put their shoes on. Above that sat some hooks, and then Skyler’s office was right around the corner. The living room opened up beyond that, which bled into the dining room and the kitchen. The master suite forked to the right off the living room, with its large master bath and closet. A guest bathroom sat in the hall, with the guest bedroom right beside it.
Upstairs, they had four more bedrooms and two more bathrooms. A half-bath sat off the kitchen, along with the laundry room. The house was filled with light, and the dark gray furniture Mal had picked out would look great in here.
The kitchen counters were quartz, done in a dark brown, and they popped against the white cabinetry. Micah had painted the kitchen the same color as the outdoor siding, and it was bright, cheerful, and beautiful.
“The rugs will look good,” Skyler said as the moving men brought in the first box. They’d labeled everything too, and he directed them where to go.
Only minutes later, the help he’d procured arrived, and Skyler grinned around at everyone as they started eating breakfast.
The truck and trailer got unloaded. Laughter rang through the house and the countryside. Furniture filled the house, and soon enough, everyone had left again.
Skyler stood in the living room, having just put a throw pillow in the corner of the couch. “This is amazing, don’t you think?”
Mal came to stand beside him, and she finally smiled. She’d seemed so nervous up until now. “This is great, Skyler.”
“You want to live here, right?” he asked.
She shrugged as she leaned into him. “We’ll have the apartment for weekend getaways.” She laughed, and Skyler joined her, beyond glad the house was finally done. He was tired of sharing his living space with Wyatt and Marcy, and Wyatt didn’t need his help anymore.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go get groceries and your car. Then we can settle in.”
“I’m going to take a nap in our new bed,” she said.