The church services stretched on for what seemed like hours. Lily couldn’t concentrate on anything the preacher said as his voice droned on in her head. When he was finally finished, she almost ran from the church, unable to wait any longer. She needed to see her husband. She needed to know everything would be all right, now that she was sure he’d found out the truth.
“Where is Seth today?” She knew instantly to whom the mocking tone belonged when she turned to see Daniel leaning up against the side of the church.
“That’s none of your business.” She gathered the children and headed for the wagon.
“He really shouldn’t leave his pretty wife unattended. She might be tempted to stray.” His mocking tone irritated her past the point of politeness.
“You really are a bastard, Daniel, you know that?” She walked around the side of the wagon to pull herself up in the driver’s seat, but before she could, she felt strong hands grasp her waist and lift her into the seat. She shuddered with revulsion.
With a tip of his hat in her direction, Daniel sauntered off toward the boarding house.
Lily sat for a moment trying to calm her anger at his audacity. He obviously thought he could steal her affection from Seth, like he probably had Victoria’s. What he was completely unaware of was that Lily loved her husband with all her heart, and, without a doubt, would never do anything to hurt him.
When the wagon rolled into the yard, Lily could see Seth’s gelding in the paddock, so she knew he was home from his morning errand.
The children raced in the front door, eager to shed their Sunday clothes and be off on their discoveries of the day. Lily followed close behind, shutting the front door behind her. She was curious where her husband had gone off to when she realized the house sat in silence.
“Seth?”
Not seeing him in their bedroom, she continued down the hall, thinking he might be in the office. When she reached the door, it stood open, and there was no one inside the room.
“Seth?” She was afraid to go to the guest bedroom where Victoria’s things were kept for fear of what she would find. She walked into the room and was brought to tears when she saw her husband standing silently by the window, looking out into the yard.
“The boys aren’t mine,” he said in a whisper. He wouldn’t turn around to look at her as he watched them out the window.
“I know,” she said quietly when she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.
“How did you know?” He laced his fingers through hers where they rested on his belly.
“I suspected, the other day when Daniel came by the schoolhouse. Before he left, he stood near the boys, and their coloring and features resembled his so closely, it would have been impossible not to notice. I’m sorry,” she finished in a whisper.
He turned around at her last few words and looked directly into her eyes. “There is nothing you need to be sorry for. Victoria was the unfaithful one, not you, never you.”
“I know, but you loved her so much. I know this must be tearing you apart.”
“My love for her died in that line shack today when I read those letters. She had been unfaithful to me for years, but I was too stupid to see it.” He buried his face in her hair and drew her to his chest.
Lily pulled back so she could see his face. She needed to reassure him in any way possible. “You were not stupid, Seth. You had no reason to think she wasn’t being faithful to you. You had no reason to believe those children weren’t yours, but they are yours, Seth, they are. You’ve raised them to be strong, caring, decent boys, and you will always be their father.”
“How did I get so lucky to find you?”
“I guess God had plans for us we weren’t aware of. We’ll get through this, Seth, and we’ll raise those children as our own no matter who their parents are.”
“I love you,” he murmured before his mouth settled on hers.
* * * *
Summer ended, and the leaves began to turn bright orange, red, and yellow while the air got cooler in the evenings. Lily realized she was with child. She was never so happy in her entire life. She loved her husband with all her heart, and now she was to bear him a child. A secretive smile spread across her mouth, and her hand settled on her still flat belly.
Will it be a handsome little boy or a pretty little girl? Will it have Seth’s blond hair and blue eyes or my darker hair and green eyes? Edward and Kathleen would be happy to hear they are going to be grandparents, well, sort of. Last month, she’d received a letter from them telling her again how sorry they were they had kept her parentage a secret and how they wanted to see her.
“After I tell Seth he is to be a father again, I will have to sit down and write them a letter. Maybe they could come for the baby’s birth and stay for a while.”
That evening while she helped Carmen prepare supper, she noticed the little smile the housekeeper sent in her direction.
“Carmen, what are you in such a good mood for tonight? You look like a cat that swallowed a canary.”
“Nothing, Miss Lily. You just have a glow about you lately, I noticed.”
“A glow? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Well, some women get this glow about them during a certain time in their lives, I’m told, and it just makes me curious.”
“Curious? Carmen, whatever you are thinking, just tell me,” Lily said, putting down the knife she held and turning to the housekeeper.
With a secretive whisper, she bent to Lily’s ear and asked, “Are you gonna give Mr. Seth another child?”
Lily’s cheeks flushed when Carmen moved back, and she nodded.
“Oh! That’s wonderful news!” Carmen giggled and hugged Lily. “I’m so happy for you.”
Lily hushed her by saying, “Quiet. He doesn’t know yet, and I don’t want to give it away.”
“He doesn’t know what?” Seth leaned against the doorframe.
“Um… nothing.” She avoided his eyes, knowing he’d see in her face she was keeping something from him.
“Lillian?” He slowly walked toward her. As her given name rolled off his tongue, she raised her head and caught his gaze with hers.
“It’s nothing Seth, really. I’m just going to write to Edward and Kathleen and ask them to come for a visit. I haven’t had a chance to ask you yet if it would be all right, that’s all.”
"Are you sure there isn't something else you would like to tell me?"
"N-no."
"All right. I've got work to do in the office." He walked out of the kitchen after he placed a quick kiss on her lips, and she sighed thinking about telling him her good news later.
That night while they lay sated in the big bed, she rested her head on his chest and traced little circles across the hard muscles beneath her cheek.
“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or do I have to torture you with kisses until you do?” He kissed the top of her head before his hand began to wander down her chest.
“I don’t know what you mean, Seth. I told you what we were talking about earlier,” she said but couldn't help but smile against his skin, knowing she carried his child beneath her heart.
“Going to be that way, are you?” He flipped her on her back and held her hands above her head. He looked deep into her eyes and told her, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
His mouth settled on her breast, bringing a moan deep within her to the surface of her lips. He continued to rain kisses on both breasts and nipped at her skin until she wiggled beneath him. He let go of her hands and moved farther down, nibbling and licking each inch he reached.
Lord, he knows how to drive me crazy. He moved down her body until he reached the tender spot between her legs. As his tongue played on her secret center, her blood boiled until she almost couldn’t stand it anymore. When he raised his head, her body screamed for release, but he moved back up her belly to her breasts and up to her mouth. He
stopped inches above her and waited.
Her eyes opened slowly, and she saw his questioning gaze. He looked down, and that oh so torturous smile graced his lips.
“Are you going to tell me?”
His hand skimmed down her belly, and his fingers slid inside her, bringing another moan from deep within her.
“You don’t play fair, husband of mine,” she moaned.
“No, I don’t.”
“All right, all right, you’re driving me crazy,” she whimpered, shutting her eyes when he brought her body closer to release but still too far away.
“I know,” he whispered then waited for her to spill her secret.
“We’re having a baby.”
In the darkness his hand stopped its torture of her sensitive core, pulling a desperate moan from within her. She opened her eyes to see him above her with the most amazing look of love in his gaze.
“We’re having a baby?”
When she nodded, his mouth came down on hers, and his tongue swept into her mouth.
“Seth, please. I need you.”
He moved back down her body to bring her release from his torture with his mouth.
One, two, three flicks of his tongue, and the stars burst behind her eyelids, and she arched her body as sweet release finally came. He hovered above her and slid into her warmth with his entire length and a deep groan of satisfaction left his lips.
Riding their passion, she felt her body spring to life again beneath him while he stroked inside her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he pushed inside deeper and deeper, faster and faster, until she could no longer breathe or think, and release found them both.
“What are you thinking?”
“How much I love you.”
“You are impossible to keep a secret from, you know,” she said with a giggle. “I just might have to think up some more secrets, if that’s how you’ll get them out of me each time.
“You’ll be the death of me, woman,” he answered with a laugh, but after a few minutes, his mood sobered.
She propped herself on her elbow so she could look in his eyes. “What’s wrong, Seth? Aren’t you happy about the baby?”
“Absolutely ecstatic, sweetheart, but please don’t keep any more secrets from me. Even though I love torturing them out of you…” His voice trailed off, and he ran his hand up her side with that sexy look he loved to give her before he said, “I don’t want any secrets between us.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you by keeping it a secret. I just hadn’t found the right time to tell you.” A tear formed at the corner of her eye.
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he murmured, pulling her even closer. “I’m not upset. I just don’t want you to feel you need to keep anything from me.”
Chapter Eighteen
The months flew by, and the weather turned colder. The train robberies continued, much to the dismay of the town of Parkville. The sheriff couldn't stop them and had grown frustrated to the point where he quit his job and moved out of town. With the exit of the law, the robbers grew bolder with each passing hold up. They attacked every train passing through, taking money, jewelry and anything of value from the passengers. And they seemed to know which trains had shipments of gold and money headed for the bank in town and hit those the hardest.
The government began to search in earnest on its own, sending federal marshals to the area to hunt for clues, but they’d come up empty-handed. It was almost as if the robbers knew each and every move the marshals planned to make.
December blew in with a fierce, bitter cold. Christmas loomed around the corner, and Lily began to show. The baby would be due in late spring to early summer, and she couldn’t wait to hold him or her in her arms.
The children were so excited when they heard they would be getting a little baby brother or sister, especially Anne. She would lay her head on Lily’s stomach after supper and talk to the baby while Lily stroked her hair.
Lily wrote to Edward and Kathleen about the coming birth of their grandchild, asking if they would like to come for a visit. The response she had received in return brought news they would be visiting come spring to await the baby’s arrival, and she couldn’t wait. It had been a very long time since she'd seen them, and she missed them terribly. After she and Seth talked about secrets and how they had destroyed his memory and his love for Victoria, Lily realized the Backmans loved her like their own child, and she didn't want to be mad at them anymore. Several months back she had forgiven them for keeping the secret of her birth parents from her.
When Madge heard about the coming birth, she chattered with excitement, and Lily laughed. Madge will be the perfect extra grandparent or aunt to this child.
Lily couldn’t hold the behavior of Daniel against her friend. Madge had been her first acquaintance and best friend since she’d arrived in Parkville.
Daniel was an adult, and Lily firmly believed he should be held responsible for his own actions no matter what they were. Although Seth had warned him, he continued to taunt the couple when they were in town. He continued to be bold and daring, occasionally attempting to talk to Lily, but she ignored him as best she could. Lily wasn't sure if Daniel knew Seth was aware of his involvement with Victoria. She didn't want any confrontations with Daniel anyway.
Christmas came and went. Seth bought Lily a beautiful necklace of pearls that he'd sent away for shortly after he found out she was carrying his child. When he gave it to her late that night in their bedroom, she was brought to tears.
“I love it, Seth. They’re beautiful. Each pearl is so perfect. How did you ever manage this?” She ran her fingers over each one, caressing them, marveling at how smooth they were.
“I sent away for it some time ago. Luckily, it got here in time for Christmas. When I saw it, I knew I had to get it for you. I could just imagine running this necklace over your naked skin,” he said with a devilish grin. He took it from her fingers and slid the cool pearls over her breasts.
“Mmm… that’s nice,” she moaned, slowly closing her eyes to the sensation.
* * * *
Soon it was spring again. The trees began to blossom, the weather got slightly warmer, and the days grew longer. Lily also bloomed with the coming birth of their baby, and Seth spent more time at the house rather than out riding the fence line. Lily tsked at her ever expanding waistline while she grew bigger with each passing day. When she looked down now, she couldn’t see her feet any longer.
Seth was the ever-attentive husband. He would help her out of a chair when it became impossible for her to get up on her own. He would even help her put on her shoes and stockings because she couldn’t reach her feet. He loved helping her bathe. He'd wash her hair, scrub her back and even sometimes get in the tub with her. They would laugh and splash to the point that Carmen would cringe every time she heard them because she knew there would be water all over the floor. Each and every night he would hold her close to his side while their baby kicked against him.
The day came when Edward and Kathleen were to arrive by train. Excitement hung thick in the air. Lily rose early that morning even though she and Carmen had been cleaning and preparing the house for days. The train was due to arrive around eleven, but she wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
When the time finally came to leave the house to pick them up, they all scrambled to the wagon with the children piling in the back and Seth and Lily in the front.
She stood for a moment and gripped her stomach with her hands.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine, Seth. Just a few pains here and there. Nothing to worry about.”
“Are you sure?” His concerned gaze raked her from head to toe before he helped her into the wagon seat. “This isn’t going to be too much for you, is it?”
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” she said, settling in the seat.
“I’ll take it slow then. We don’t want that baby coming before it is time.”
“Oh, stop worrying. It will be fine. This baby will come when he or she is good and ready and not before.” She rested her hand on his arm to reassure him, but she had begun to worry a bit herself. The pains had started earlier in the morning and hadn’t really let up as the day wore on. She wasn’t sure if it was time, so she bore the pain without saying anything to her husband to keep him from worrying.
When they reached town and pulled into the station, the children jumped from the back of the wagon, excited to see the train.
Seth checked his watch and said, “They must be running late. It should have been here by now.”
“Could be. I don’t think they hardly ever run on time with the robberies happening so frequently,” she replied, resting her hand on her stomach while another pain moved across her belly.
When the train finally rolled into the station, the anxious passengers almost jumped from it while it was still moving.
“Something’s wrong, Lily. Let me see what I can find out. Stay here, all right?”
* * * *
Dread gripped his belly and clenched it tight. Seth walked near the engine while the people disembarked hurriedly.
The pale face of the engineer peered around the edge of the cab when Seth approached the train. “What happened, Sam?” Then Seth saw it. Blood. Bright red blood splattered the walls and dripped from the metal floor. The body of the conductor lay sprawled across the metal grate.
“They attacked, Seth. They are blood-thirsty killers now. They’ve never killed before, but when Matt here tried to stop them, they shot him, shot him dead, they did.” Sam almost slipped down the steps while he struggled to get off the train.
“Damn it! This has to stop! Someone has got to find a way to stop this craziness. It’s not safe to travel at all these days.” Seth took Sam’s arm and helped him up onto the platform as the man wobbled against him.
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