Marry Me...Again

by Cheryl St. John

  “As soon as we came back from Seattle.”

  “In two days?”

  “Yep.”

  “You were planning the house for us? Together?”

  “Of course. I was trying to figure out how to ask you to start over.”

  “Just asking might have worked.”

  “I didn’t know if you were ready.”

  She had to agree that he might have been right to wonder. “I don’t know if I was ready either. I wanted to fix things between us. But I still didn’t have every thing sorted out. I’ve realized a lot about myself in the last few days.”

  He caressed a lock of her hair. “All I care about is that you realized you wanted me.”

  “I do.”

  “Say that again?”

  “I do?”

  “No, with more certainty.”

  She smiled. “I do.”

  Dev framed her face with his hands. “Get those words just right, because you’re going to be saying them real soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “As soon as we can arrange a wedding.”

  “What will we tell people?”

  He ran his thumb over her cheek in a gentle caress. “What do you want to tell them?”

  Brynna thought that over and realized something she hadn’t imagined she’d feel. “I want to tell them the truth. We were married illegally, but we’re going to marry again because we want our marriage to be legal…and forever.” She grasped his wrist. “Is that okay?”

  “That’s more than okay. I think that’s the best thing we could do. No secrets.” He kissed her lips tenderly. “What about the lawsuit? Do you want to be involved?”

  She’d thought it over and had never been comfortable with the idea. “Do we need the money?”

  He grinned. “No.”

  “Do we want reimbursement for pain and suffering?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t.”

  “Neither do I. We’ll let them take action without us then, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “But Dev?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I don’t want you to give up something you love as much as the ultralight. And we had planned a honeymoon to Kenya, remember? What will happen with that?”

  His eyes searched hers. “We don’t have to make that flight, Brynn. We’ll take any honeymoon trip you’d like. A cruise, maybe.”

  His generosity touched her. She’d made him think she’d never wanted to take that trip in the first place, and that just wasn’t true. She shook her head. “I was hurt and said some cruel things.” She kissed him. “I’m sorry. I did want to take that trip with you. Truly.”

  “You did?”

  She nodded. “I still do.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Then Kenya it is.”

  “Can you buy back Sky Spirit?”

  “No, but I can build us a new one.”

  She smiled with unrestrained happiness. Every thing was going to be all right, and they were truly going to start over fresh. She hadn’t made an impulsive mistake with Dev after all. He was exactly the right mate for her. There was no longer a shred of doubt in her mind.

  An hour later, they were dressed and sharing an omelet at the kitchen table.

  “I’ve been thinking about something else,” Dev told her.

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve been thinking about buying a couple more planes, functional ones.”

  Brynna nodded. “Okay.”

  “And starting my own outfitting charter. I can hire a couple of pilots and guides, and we can fly hunters and fishermen over the Rockies. Corporate types will pay big bucks for the service.”

  Brynna studied him with surprise. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

  He shrugged. “A while.”

  Running his own business was a commitment he was apparently ready to make. “If that’s what you want to do.”

  “I do.”

  She grinned. “Now you’re practicing.”

  “I promise not to miss holidays, anniversaries or birthdays, okay?”

  She nodded sheepishly.

  “And especially not the big events.”

  “What’s bigger than any of those things?”

  He reached across the table for her hand. “When our kids are born.”

  Brynna clasped his hand with a lump in her throat. Around it, she managed to say, “Dev, even if we never had another baby, it would be okay. We have each other, and I am fulfilled with our relationship and my career.”

  “Me, too, Brynn. But we will have a baby. And I want you to know you can count on me through all of it—not just the birth.”

  “I already knew I could count on you, but thanks for saying so.”

  They shared a smile.

  “But just so you know, if you did miss that big event, you could just keep on flying, buster.”

  He chuckled and drew an X on his chest. “I’ll be there.”

  The following day, Dev and Brynna told their friends and family about the situation they’d found themselves in and invited everyone to their wedding.

  Before the gossip about the Holmes’s illegal marriage had a chance to die down, new rumors flew and distracted the townspeople. Brynna and Dev heard from Dev’s aunt Louise, who heard from Donna Mason, who owned the Getaway, who heard from Linda Fioretti, the art teacher at Rumor High School, that Linda had received a phone call from the missing suspect, Guy Cantrell.

  The news was the oddest rumor ever to spread through the small Montana town: Guy Cantrell was claiming to be invisible.

  Epilogue

  Nine months later

  “Eight, nine, ten,” Dev said. “Okay, relax.”

  “You said for real this time. You said forever. You promised for better or for worse.” Brynna huffed and gritted the words at her husband.

  “That’s right, sweet thing,” Dev told her, not moving a muscle in reaction as she crushed every bone in his hand with her iron grip.

  “It doesn’t get any more real than this,” she said.

  “This is real,” he agreed.

  “And it doesn’t get any worse,” she panted.

  “No, Brynn, it doesn’t get any better.”

  “That depends on whether you’re on this table or beside it.”

  “You’re doing great, we’re almost there.”

  “Do you know how many women I’ve said that to?” she asked. “And lied?” Brynna turned her head and found an OB nurse who was checking her pulse. “How many women have you said that to?”

  “Thousands.”

  Dev couldn’t help a chuckle.

  “Okay, Brynna, take a rest between contractions,” Dr. Atwood said kindly, giving her encouragement with his eyes. His blue mask obscured the rest of his features.

  “Rest. Now that’s a joke. There’s a baby clawing its way out of me and you want me to rest.”

  “Maybe if you just lay there and didn’t say anything for a few minutes, sort of got your second wind…” Dev, too, wore the obligatory mask, cap and gown. His green eyes glowed with love and concern.

  Exhausted, Brynna stared at the ceiling. “I will never look at a patient the same way again,” she said.

  Dev rubbed her arm and kissed her forehead. “You’re doing great.”

  “Okay, here comes another one,” Emma said from beside her, where she watched the monitors. Brynna had requested her presence in the delivery room.

  Kelly Brenner, the pediatrician, stood waiting just behind the doctor.

  “We’re almost there,” the doctor said. “Concentrate on pushing this time.”

  “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

  “Push, Brynna,” Dev said. “One, two, three, four…”

  Brynna pushed.

  “There’s his head,” Emma said. “Look, Daddy.”

  “Five, six, seven, eight…”

  “You’re doing great,” the nurse said from her position at
Brynna’s knee.

  “Nine, ten. Okay, relax.”

  Brynna let out her pent-up breath and lay back. Dev wiped perspiration from her forehead and rubbed her arm soothingly.

  “He’ll be out with the next one, Brynna,” Dr. Atwood assured her.

  She nodded.

  “In the next few minutes we’ll know if it’s a girl or a boy,” Dev said to her. They had declined knowing the sex of their baby, wanting instead to be surprised. Brynna closed her eyes and waited.

  Emma had her hand high on Brynna’s abdomen and her eyes on the monitor. “Okay, here it comes. This is the one. Take a deep breath.”

  Brynna garnered her last reserve of energy, inhaled and leaned up. Dev helped support her shoulders.

  “Here comes your baby,” the doctor said. “Bear down.”

  “There’s the head,” Dev said.

  With a final burst of energy, she pushed and felt the oddest sensation of a lifetime as her baby slipped from her body into the world.

  Dr. Atwood held the infant with its feet upward and Kelly, who’d been standing to the side, moved in to suction mucus from the baby’s mouth and nose.

  “It’s a girl,” Dev said with excitement lacing his voice.

  “A girl?” Brynna breathed. Emotion overcame her at the sight. She’d seen hundreds of babies born, but this one was her own.

  The pediatrician had taken the baby and was wiping her clean with soft cloths. She then placed their daughter on her side on a flannel blanket on Brynna’s chest and continued to rub her skin. The tiny girl’s arm flailed. “Hold your baby,” she said.

  Brynna tucked the little arm down and wrapped the blanket around her to keep her warm. She touched the incredibly soft skin of her little cheek and her downy shoulder. “Oh, look at her, she’s just perfect.”

  “Yes, she is.” Dev pressed a kiss to the baby’s forehead.

  She had fair hair, but her eyes, when she squinted them open and seemed to look right up at Brynna seemed round and dark. Her incredibly small mouth opened wide and a moment later, she emitted a cry.

  Brynna couldn’t help the tears that flowed. As emotional as she was, the doctor in her wouldn’t be ignored. “Her skin’s a little gray.”

  Kelly reached for the baby. “We’re gonna take her and get her to pink up a little bit. She’ll be back after she’s weighed and warmed and given her eye drops.”

  Brynna watched the woman she trusted take her baby.

  She turned her eyes up to Dev and he leaned down to kiss her. “You did fine.”

  Her chest quaked with a few last sobs, and her body had begun to feel cold and shaky. “I complained the whole time, what do you mean?”

  The nurse brought her a blanket.

  “Doctors make terrible patients,” Emma said, assisting Dr. Atwood as he finished up.

  “But this one makes a fine mommy,” Dev said.

  “A girl,” Brynna said in amazement. “What are we going to name her?”

  “I was thinking Estelle,” he teased.

  Meghan Elizabeth Holmes made her public debut at the baby shower which had been planned for after her arrival, since Mommy and Daddy didn’t know her gender. The event was held at the Calico Diner, and Meghan had her first look at Elvis, when her aunt Melanie held her up to the life-size cutout and introduced her to the King.

  Jilly Forsythe who owned Jilly’s Lilies had provided centerpieces of baby’s breath and miniature pink roses.

  Colby and Tessa Holmes attended, along with Dev’s aunt and uncle, Louise and Bud, as well as Sheree Henry, Russell and Susannah Kingsley and their two children. Sheree and Susannah both wanted to know when Meghan would come to Rumor Rugrats Daycare where they worked.

  Jim and Kelly Brenner, both pediatricians who worked with Brynna, were there, as well as a huge assortment of family and friends who wanted to wish the family well.

  “Look at those green eyes,” Jilly said. “She’s going to be a stunner.

  “She’s my cousin,” Chandler said proudly. “But she can’t open all those presents, Aunt Brynn, can she? Isn’t she gonna need some help?”

  John scurried to his brother’s side. “You wasn’t supposed to ask.”

  “It’s okay,” Dev said. “She really does need help, and you two are the best choices, don’t you think, Brynn?”

  “Definitely.”

  Brynna’s brothers took turns holding Meghan. “Are you really disappointed that Mom and Dad didn’t come?” Kurt asked Brynna.

  She hadn’t expected her parents to show up. “I wish they had, but I’m not going to place unrealistic expectations on them,” she replied. “Some day they’ll realize what they missed with their kids and grandkids.”

  Kurt shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Just then the bell over the door rang, and all conversation drifted away as attention focused on the couple who entered the Calico Diner.

  Dressed in a pink chenille designer suit and carrying a stack of elegantly wrapped packages was Estelle Holmes, followed by her husband in a dark business suit. They were so out of place in the fifties diner with the room full of casually dressed citizens of Montana that the scene was almost laughable.

  But Brynna found her composure and hurried forward to greet them.

  Dev was right behind her. “Mother, Father,” he said. “I didn’t know you were going to come.”

  “Brynna’s sister called with an invitation, and we told her we’d be delighted,” Estelle replied. “Where is the little darling?”

  She moved directly toward the bundle in the pink blanket now in Emma’s arms.

  Brynna noted her sister’s sly expression. “You sneak,” she said with a grin.

  Dev gave Melanie a hug. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. There’s another surprise you don’t know about.”

  “What’s that?” Dev asked.

  “They just bought some land from me. They’re going to build a vacation house in Rumor.”

  Brynna and Dev shared a surprised look, then turned to discover their new daughter being made over by her grandparents. Dev wrapped his arm round Brynna, and they enjoyed the sight.

  Conversation and laughter rose up around them once again, and townspeople introduced themselves to the senior Holmeses. Brynna noted the love and devotion of family and community that surrounded her and Dev and their newest addition, and her heart brimmed to overflowing.

  She took Devlin’s hand and felt the new wedding band she’d bought him press against her palm. Thank goodness she’d had the sense to marry Devlin Holmes…again.

  Special thanks and acknowledgment to Cheryl St. John for her contribution to the Montana Mavericks series.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-0870-4

  MARRY ME…AGAIN

  Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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