Erin heard her name called and looked to see Austin hurrying toward them. Lilly spotted her daddy and squealed in delight. When the little girl reached out, Austin scooped her up in his arms. He held her high in the air and she giggled, and then her father pulled her close and kissed her chubby cheeks.
Warmth spread through Erin’s chest and circled her heart as she watched father and daughter. Their bond was so precious it brought tears to her eyes. Darn emotions. She hoped her news was going to make him happy, too.
Austin turned his attention to her, giving her that sexy grin she loved. Then he leaned down and kissed her. “Hey, what brings my two favorite girls out here?”
She blew out a breath. “Well, I didn’t want to wait until you got home tonight to tell you my news.”
He looked concerned. “Is it the baby?”
She raised a hand. “Not in a bad way, but Dr. Evans wants us to come in later today.”
She watched the color drain from his face.
“Stop, Austin. It’s okay. I’m healthy, but the doctor found one kind of irregularity. She wants to do an ultrasound to be sure, and I didn’t want to do it without you there.”
He paused, then asked, “That’s when we get to see the baby and tell the sex?”
“Babies!” she corrected him. “That’s my news—there are at least two babies.”
Those gorgeous gray eyes rounded in shock and he grinned. “Oh, God. You’re not kidding, are you?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I guess I neglected to mention that fertility drugs might cause multiple births.”
A slow smile crossed his face. “Wow, it’s a good thing you only took the shots for a few days.”
“You’re not upset about this?”
He pulled her close against his side and kissed her. “Are you kidding? I’d say if we have more than one at a time is good—then you don’t have to go through this again and again.”
She was truly blessed to have Austin in her life. “Here I thought I couldn’t even have one child...” Joy spread through her. “Oh, we still have to find out from the doctor if there are twins, or more.”
“My only concern is you, and for these babies to be healthy. But I suddenly want a large family.”
She laughed. “I love you, Austin Brannigan.”
“I love you, too, Erin Brannigan.”
Lilly got into the act. “Dada. Kiss. Mama.”
“You got it, kid.” He gave his daughter a big smacking kiss. Then he turned back to his wife and kissed her, too. “Now let’s see that doctor so I can find out how many bedrooms we need in our new house.”
* * *
FIVE MONTHS LATER and summer had arrived in Colorado, and Austin’s first bull riding class had finished up the previous day. He’d sent twenty aspiring world champions off, satisfied he’d given them skills they needed to improve their rides.
And not once during the four-day school had he been tempted to climb into the chute and show those young riders how he’d done it. He knew he wouldn’t risk his life again. Not with what he had waiting at home, a wife and three kids, daughters Lilly Katherine and Nora Christine and son Logan Austin.
He’d been relieved when they’d learned the news that there were only two babies. First and foremost was for Erin to have a safe pregnancy and give birth to healthy babies. And she had, with only the last month on bed rest.
That was when he knew he had to get the house finished for his growing family. He stood in the new kitchen Erin had designed for their two-story home. The large room was adorned with white cabinets, dark granite counters and stainless appliances. The massive island made it easy to feed kids, and also would entertain the entire Brannigan clan. And soon his family would all be descending on them to meet the new Brannigans.
Just then the back door opened and Shelby arrived with her arms filled with platters of food, followed by Cullen and Ryan. Soon their family would be growing, too. Shelby was expecting a baby in about four months.
“Bro, have I thanked you for marrying a chef?”
“No need.” Cullen winked at his wife. “It was my pleasure.”
“Uncle Austin, did you know we’re going to have a baby girl? And we’re going to name her Georgia, after my mom in heaven?” Ryan announced.
Austin looked at his brother and sister-in-law. “That’s wonderful. And I bet you’ll be a great big brother.”
The boy beamed just as Lilly came running into the kitchen. “Ryan...play.”
Ryan took the toddler’s hand. “Sure.” They went off into the other room.
“Be forewarned—never tell a kid your news unless you want him to announce it.”
“Well, congrats on the baby girl.”
Shelby nodded. “Hey, where’s the new mama?” Shelby asked as she began to arrange the food on the counter.
“She’s upstairs feeding babies. I better go check on her. Can you handle things here?”
She gave him an annoyed look. “I can’t believe you’re asking me that. Go. Hurry and bring the babies down.” She waved him off.
Austin walked out of the kitchen and into a hall that had an office on one side where he ran the business and a formal dining room on the other. He continued into the great room with the stone fireplace and the huge sectional sofa and big coffee table. The dark hardwood floors gleamed, just like the smile that Erin showed him when everything had been completed.
He went to the open staircase as more family came in the front door. He tossed a wave toward Rory and Diane, along with Laurel and Kase, and their eighteen-month-old twins, Kate and Jack, and their older sister, Addy. Then Brooke and Trent appeared with Chris and baby daughter Leslie. She was named after Trent’s mother. “Make yourself at home. Be right down.”
Down the hall he passed Lilly’s pink bedroom with the crib and toys scattered on the floor. Then he came to the nursery with two cribs for the newest family members. Brother and sister would be sharing a room for a few years yet. There were two empty bedrooms farther down, but he headed for the master suite, where he’d find his wife.
Austin opened the door and paused, seeing her seated in the familiar rocking chair. Behind her were large windowed doors that led to a balcony and a view of the Rocky Mountains. The afternoon sun was like a halo around Erin as she held their son to her breast. The picture was so beautiful that he wished he were an artist so he could paint them. Love surged through him. How could one man get so lucky?
Erin sensed someone and she raised her head to see Austin. He walked across the room toward her, dressed in a burgundy Western shirt, snug black jeans and those fancy ostrich boots.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Hey, cowboy. Who’s holding down the fort downstairs?”
“Who else? Shelby. I thought I’d come up to see if you need any help.” He nodded to her breast. “I can see you’re doing a perfect job without me.”
“You can burp your son.” She handed him a protective cloth, then the baby.
She refastened her nursing bra, noticing her husband was watching her. Another thrill shot through her. “I know it’s been a long time.” She stood and placed a sweet kiss on his mouth. “But hang in there an extra week. And I’ll make it worth your while.”
The babies had been a little premature and had to stay in the hospital a few weeks to put on weight. Now they were finally home.
He grinned. “You already made it worth my while with these two healthy babies.” He continued to pat Logan’s back. “I love you so much.”
Her heart was full. She couldn’t believe this wonderful man she was married to. How caring and loving he’d been to her over these past months of her high-risk pregnancy. “I love you, too. Thank you for giving me these wonderful babies.”
He placed Logan in the bassinet, then turned back to her. He took her in his arms. �
�You’re the one who saved this crazy bull rider from a life of endless wandering. You showed me what a home really is supposed to be.” He lowered his head to hers and captured her mouth in a loving kiss.
“Oh, no, none of that.”
Hearing Trent’s voice, Erin broke off to see several family members filing into the bedroom.
“Since you wouldn’t come downstairs, we decided to come up and meet the newest Brannigans,” Trent said.
“We were headed down.”
Erin smiled fondly at Shelby, Cullen, Trent and Brooke. Rory and Diane went to stand next to Nora’s bed.
“Oh, she’s so precious,” Diane said. “Leslie would love knowing that her grandchildren were living on her family’s ranch. And all together.”
Erin knew she couldn’t have a home more deeply rooted in heritage.
Brooke’s twin sister, Laurel, and her husband, Kase, came in with Addy along with their two toddlers in hand. They walked over to see the babies.
“Family is important,” Erin began. “We want our children to know about theirs.”
Austin and Cullen’s dad, Neal, arrived with Dan and Lilly, and they went to see the babies.
Austin took Erin’s hand. “I kept my promise. Is this enough family for you?”
“Yes, you have, cowboy. More than enough.” Erin stepped into her husband’s embrace. “You gave me more than I could have ever dreamed of.”
She was finally home with her man.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from IN THE RANCHER’S ARMS by Trish Milburn.
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In the Rancher’s Arms
by Trish Milburn
Chapter One
Having a place feel both foreign and familiar wasn’t a new sensation for Arden Wilkes. She’d experienced those conflicting impressions all over the world, arriving in new locales and feeling immediately at home. Not once, however, had she been swamped with those feelings about her actual home.
Until now.
She watched out the window of her mom’s car as the familiar sights of Blue Falls, Texas, flowed by. Though she’d been here only four months ago to visit her parents for Christmas, that seemed a lifetime ago. She’d had no clue the trauma and fear she would endure in the months ahead.
Arden closed her eyes, hoping to keep the memories at bay, but that only made them more vivid. So she opened her eyes again, watching as they passed the sheriff’s department, the bank, La Cantina Mexican Restaurant, the hardware store that felt like a slice of an earlier era. Her mouth watered as she glanced to the other side of the street and noticed a steady stream of people going in and out of the Mehlerhaus Bakery for pastries and morning coffee. How many times had she fantasized about a huge bear claw and rich, dark coffee in the past several weeks?
Her flight into San Antonio had been the first one to land that morning, putting them in Blue Falls when the downtown area was busy with the opening of stores and ranchers coming to town to do business before spending the rest of the day out working beneath the endless sky. She would have preferred arriving under the protective cover of darkness, when no one would see her and she wouldn’t have to see the seemingly endless yellow ribbons tied everywhere and parade of Welcome Home, Arden signs.
She appreciated the residents’ kind sentiments, really she did, but every ribbon, every sign reminded her of those endless weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds of captivity. Memories she just wanted to forget.
“I need to stop for gas, sweetie,” her mom said beside her, squeezing Arden’s hand that she’d barely let go since they’d gotten in the car.
“Okay.” Arden needed to stop anyway, even though they were only a few miles from her parents’ house. After weeks of not having enough to drink, she couldn’t seem to quench her thirst. And all the water, coffee and bucket-size sodas had a way of sending her to the bathroom on an annoyingly regular basis.
But when her mom pulled up to the convenience store’s gas pumps, Arden hesitated. As irrational as it was, stepping outside the confines of the car scared her. She made herself take a slow, deep breath. No one was out there waiting to grab her, to drag her away to an uncertain fate.
As she stepped out of the car, the fresh air bolstered her. Despite the fact that her entire career was built on finding the right words to describe people, places and events, she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what made the air smell like home. It just did. Maybe it was simply the air had a different personality in Texas, blowing in across the vast expanse of the western part of the state and finding its way through the hills and valleys of the Hill Country. Whatever it was, it helped settle her nerves. Gone were the scents of cooking fires and the sweat of not only her captors but also the other captives.
Stop thinking about it.
With another deep, fortifying breath, Arden headed inside and made a beeline straight for the restroom without making eye contact with anyone else in the store. They would no doubt have questions for her, kind words and hugs and all the things she wasn’t ready to face yet. She needed time to shed the Arden she’d become during the past weeks and find the Arden she’d been before—if that was even possible. Sometimes the fear that it wasn’t possible nearly sent her into full-blown panic attacks—something she’d never experienced prior to being abducted.
After she was finished, she walked out into the main part of the store and set her gaze and path toward the exit.
“Oh, sweetheart, I thought that was you.”
Arden jerked her head to her right just as an older woman, Franny Stokes, came up to her and pressed Arden’s hand between her cool, wrinkled ones. Arden flinched at the contact but Franny didn’t seem to notice.
“We’re all so glad that you’re home safely.” Franny gave her a sympathetic look. “What you must have been through, I can’t imagine.”
Arden knew Franny meant well, but the sound of her voice faded. All Arden could focus on was how to extricate herself from the other woman and flee to her mother’s car. Her pulse began to race, and it became harder to breathe. She detected movement to her left a moment before she heard a deep voice.
“Mrs. Stokes, how are you?” the man asked Franny, inserting himself into the conversation and positioning himself so that Franny had to let go of Arden’s hand. “Mom says you’ve been a bit under the weather.”
The man glanced at Arden, long enough for her to see him nod slightly toward the door, giving her the opportunity to make her escape. A wave of gratitude welled up inside her at the same time she realized who he was—Neil Hartley, older
brother of Sloane Hartley, who’d been in Arden’s graduating class.
She gave him what she hoped was a thankful expression and made for the door. She’d taken only a couple of steps when a loud crash made her scream in the same moment arrows of fear seemed to pierce every part of her. She ducked and covered her head.
* * *
EVERYTHING HAPPENED AT ONCE. A few feet behind Franny Stokes, a woman Neil didn’t recognize dropped a full coffeepot, sending hot liquid and shards of glass in all directions. In front of him, Franny yelped and pressed her hand to her chest in surprise. But it was the sound that came from Arden Wilkes, combined with her duck-and-cover reaction that spurred him to action.
Two quick strides and he was beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay.”
She jerked at his touch but then seemed to realize who he was, that he meant her no harm. He didn’t have to look around the store to realize every person in there was staring at the two of them.
“Let’s go outside,” he said, and steered her toward the door.
The way she was shaking damn near broke his heart. He didn’t really know Arden well, her being a couple of years younger than him, but she and Sloane had been on friendly terms in high school. And everyone in town knew what had happened to her, captured by human traffickers somewhere in Africa. It was near impossible not to know with the front-page articles in the local paper, some national news coverage and the parade of yellow ribbons down Main Street. The journalist had become the story. When word had come that she’d been rescued, it was as if the very town of Blue Falls had exhaled in relief.
As they passed through the doorway, he looked up and made eye contact with Mrs. Wilkes. Her eyes went huge and she hurried toward them.
“What happened?” Her hands went instinctively to Arden, checking her for physical injury.
Arden straightened. “I’m fine.”
A Colorado Family Page 20