“Not too soon,” Pamela said. “You’ve only just come home.”
“No, ma’am,” both men said.
“Come along.” Pam set a hand on each of her sons. “There’ll be more guests arriving for your brothers and their fiancée to greet. Let’s get a table, and I’ll get you boys something to eat.”
Grant winked at Jillian. “Yes, Mother. Come to think of it, I am hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Andrew Jessop groused.
“Hey, I’m a wounded man. Pity me.” The Jessops made their way toward an empty table, greeting family as they went.
“Is your sister going to make it?” Jillian was looking forward to meeting the young woman. Having grown up an only child—as had her ex-husband—she was eager to gain a sister.
“Rebecca has a showing in Seattle this weekend,” Robert said. “She’ll be coming back to Lusty when it’s over. She should be here by Monday.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
David bent over and kissed her ear. “If you look down the street on the sidewalk you might see a couple of people you know.”
Jillian grinned. They’d seen to it, especially over the last two weeks, that she met just about everyone in town. She thought her lover was being funny. Then she turned to look, and nearly screamed with excitement.
“Oh my God! How did you arrange it?”
It didn’t escape her notice that her men beamed at each other, obviously proud to have surprised her and made her happy.
The door swung open, and her aunt Shirley entered, greeted aloud by nearly everyone with shouts and waves. Shirley was accompanied by a very handsome young Marine, newly promoted to Second Lieutenant.
Jillian wanted to rush to him, but Robert kept hold of her hand and said, “Let him come to you, sweetie.”
They’d chatted on Skype a few times. No one had been more surprised than Jillian when Brandon had appeared so accepting of his mother’s engagement to two men. Now, seeing the way he and Shirley had been chatting on their way inside, she had to wonder how much he’d already known about Lusty when he’d encouraged her to take over Shirley’s place here more than a month ago.
Shirley came right up to her and gave her a big hug. Then she stepped back. “What a beautiful necklace,” she said.
Jillian reached up and touched her collar. It had been designed to look like two close-fitting bands of metal, but was actually a single piece of jewelry. She’d decided to keep it on all the time, and if anyone said anything, she planned to simply claim sentimental attachment to such a beautiful gift from her fiancés—which wasn’t at all far from the truth.
Shirley reached down and took Jillian’s hands in hers. “You look so happy,” she said. “Oh, I’m so glad!”
“Thanks, Shirley. Not just for the sentiment, but for bringing me here.”
“Darling, I just gave you an opening. The rest was all you!” Then the woman treated both Robert and David to a sharp look. “Hurt her, either of you, and answer to me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said together, making Jillian laugh.
“I’m going to go visit, but we’ll talk later,” Shirley promised.
Jillian watched for a moment as her aunt, waving and smiling, went over to greet some of her friends, including sisters-in-law Bernice and Abigail Benedict, as well as Samantha Kendall and Heather Jessop, Tracy’s mother.
Jillian turned back to the handsome young man in Marine khakis. He’d already taken his hat off. When he opened his arms, she went to him.
“I had no idea you could get away. How long can you stay?” Jillian hadn’t seen him since he transferred to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, five months before.
“I’ve got a week.” He put his hands on her shoulders and held her so he could look at her. He grinned. “Aunt Shirley is right. You do look happy.”
Jillian loved that smile, and every time she saw it, her thoughts went back to when he was just a little boy. Even then, his smile had the power to uplift her, and make her day.
“I am happier, and even more so now to know that you have a whole week’s leave. How did you manage that?”
“Apparently, your new hometown has members who have friends in high places.” His smile faded just a little as his eyes landed on her jewelry. Then he sobered completely and said, quietly, “That’s a very nice collar.”
Jillian had one of those moments of heart-stopping shock. Robert chose that moment to step forward and hold out his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you in person, Brandon. We’re delighted that you’re here. It means a lot to your mother.”
Jillian was embarrassed that her men beat her to it. She’d looked forward to introducing her son to her fiancés face to face. Of course, they had already met, sort of, online. “Oh my God, I can’t believe how slow I am sometimes. I am so sorry I didn’t do that, formally.”
David said, “Relax, baby. Sometimes we Doms just like to take over. Isn’t that right, Brandon?”
“That we do.” Brandon grinned again, and winked.
Jillian laughed. “Okay, this is just too weird a coincidence for me to even contemplate.”
“Tell me about it,” Brandon said. And then to David, he said, “You’ll have to tell me when and where you go to play so we don’t cross paths when I’m on leave.”
“Not a problem.”
Jillian introduced her son to Ginny, who’d just come over after restocking the buffet with some savory-smelling hor d’oeuvres.
Ginny shook his hand enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to meet you, Brandon. I bet you don’t know a soul here. Now, let me see…” She gestured toward the left. “You’ve got your pick tonight. You can sit with a couple of law men and a very junior sheriff—those would be mine, by the way—or that table over there with two newly retired air force flyboys.”
Brandon smiled. “I want to meet everyone—including Kate Benedict. I’ve been hearing about all of you, especially Kate, from Aunt Shirley for years.”
Robert and David both laughed. “Kate is a force of nature,” Robert agreed. “But she hasn’t arrived yet. We’ll make sure you’re introduced to her.”
Brandon nodded. Then he met first David’s and then Robert’s gaze. “I’m glad Mom found you. I love my dad, of course. But when I got old enough to understand such things, I knew he wasn’t what Mom needed. I think the two of you are.” Then he kissed his mom on the cheek. “If that offer to bunk with y’all is still good, I’ll take you up on it. We can catch up, later.”
“There will always be room for you with us, Brandon,” Robert said.
Brandon nodded and followed Ginny. Jillian smiled when he was so readily accepted by Adam and Jake Kendall. Benny, of course, didn’t know how not to welcome someone.
“You did a damn good job with him, sweetie,” Robert said.
“Seeing how well he turned out has me a little excited about the future,” David said.
Jillian knew they wanted at least one child with her. She was warming to the idea more each day. This time around, she knew she wouldn’t be alone in the work of parenting—or in the joys of it, either. That was a huge plus.
The door opened and Maggie Morrison entered, followed by her fiancés, and two men Jillian felt certain she didn’t know—two men who appeared to be identical twins.
One of the twins looked right at her and smiled, his aqua eyes sparkling. It was then she noticed the scar, just below the corner of his left eye. The mark reminded her of a lightning bolt and did nothing to detract from his almost rugged good looks.
“You don’t know anything about being real cowboys,” Richard Benedict was saying to the other twin.
The one who’d been smiling at Jillian shot his eldest brother what could only be called a cheeky grin. “We can learn, Rick. We’re pretty smart.”
“Boys, please.” Maggie slipped into Richard’s arms and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Richard, weren’t you listening? It’s
always been their dream.”
The twins grinned. The one with the scar turned to the other. “I told you Maggie was going to be a great addition to the family.”
Maggie introduced Jillian to Chase and Brian Benedict, her fiancés younger brothers—and soon-to-be cowboys.
“You’re thinking of opening up the northern quarter?” Robert asked.
Chase nodded. “Neither of us has been very happy in the corporate world. So we’ve decided to try our hand at something different, something we’ve always wanted to do.”
“We both know a fair bit about horses. We thought we’d have a few head of cattle, but mostly we wanted to see if we could breed and raise horses.”
Chase said, “It’s what we used to talk about when we were younger. Before we convinced ourselves that living the cowboy life was just a kid’s dream.”
“Hey!” His cousin, Steven Benedict, had obviously heard the entire conversation. He came over and gave Richard a mock punch in his arm. “There’s nothing wrong with being a cowboy,” he said.
“No, there isn’t,” Richard agreed. “For men who have trained for the job.”
“Hi, Jillian and Robert and David. Ooh, nice necklace. Congratulations on getting engaged!” Maggie’s bright, wide-eyed speech made Jillian laugh and her men—and even the brothers of her men—shut up and look embarrassed.
“What she said.” Richard laughed. Then he hugged Jillian, and shook Robert’s hand. To David he said, “I’m sure the men in the family will be happy to learn the most unrepentant flirt among us has been taken out of circulation.”
“I like David’s flirting,” Jillian said. She slipped her arm through his. “He has my permission to flirt all he wants anytime. With me.”
“Suits me just fine,” David said.
Jillian was hugged by all of the brothers Benedict, Brian and Chase last. “I say go for it,” she said. She looked to each of her own men in turn. “You have to follow your heart and do what you love.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Chase said. “We think so, too.”
“You still have to convince the Town Trust to give you a shot,” Richard said.
“They do, indeed, and likely will do so successfully. For what is the Town Trust but the very heart of this family?”
Jillian grinned at the sound of the soft, feminine voice that emerged from behind the wall of Benedicts. Richard and his brothers spun on their heels. There, standing with the brand-new parents and their baby, Kate Benedict beamed at her family with absolute joy on her face.
“Look, everyone! Tonight marks the social debut of our newest member, Eloise Katherine Benedict. We call her Ellie.”
Everyone applauded, and Jillian knew that many of the family in attendance hadn’t had the chance to see the new baby yet.
“Let me have that sweetie.” Robert’s eyes had lit up. Alex gently handed his daughter over to the man who had delivered her.
Jillian thought she’d never seen a more moving sight than her Robert cradling close that tiny baby girl. Ellie was safe in his arms, for Robert Jessop was a man of constancy, a man of strength that any woman—that she—could count on to be there, no matter what.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of delivering many,” Robert said. “But that day, David, when I heard little Ellie here cry out for the first time, I so totally understood why you do what you do.”
“I have the best job.” David moved closer to his brother, but kept his hand on Jillian.
“It never gets old,” Kate said. “Every new baby has a part of all of us, right back to Caleb and Joshua and Sarah, to Adam, Warren and Amanda. I see Sam and Charlie, Sarah’s twin boys and Madeline, my mother-in-law in this wee one. I see my beloved Gerald and Pat in Ellie’s beautiful face.” She met Jillian’s gaze. “We’re all connected, from the first of us, to the last of us, to the next one not yet born. It means something. It’s love, and it’s family.”
Jillian looked around the room, her gaze taking in so many who’d become dear to her so very quickly. She thought about the life she’d lived before coming here, and she thought of the future stretching out before her.
“It’s so much more than even that, Kate,” Jillian said. Her heart had never felt so full. “It’s everything.”
THE END
HTTP://WWW.MORGANASHBURY.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Morgan Ashbury writing as Cara Covington
Morgan has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons, and write.
Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the Paper Rule: Thou shalt not throw out any paper that has thy mother’s words upon it.
Believing in tradition, Morgan ensured that her children’s children learned this rule, too.
Life threw Morgan a curve when, in 2002, she underwent emergency triple bypass surgery. Second chances are to be cherished, and with the encouragement and support of her husband, Morgan decided to use hers to do what she’d always dreamed of doing: writing full time.
Morgan has always loved writing romance. It is the one genre that can incorporate every other genre within its pulsating heart. Romance showcases all that human kind can aspire to be. And, she admits, she’s a sucker for a happy ending.
Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and traveling—though she would rather you didn’t mention that last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.
Morgan lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a mysterious cat, a dog that has no dignity, and her husband of forty years, David.
For all titles by Cara Covington, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/cara-covington
For titles by Cara Covington writing as
Morgan Ashbury, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Love Under Two Doctors Page 26