Epilogue
Eight years later
“Mama, look at me!”
Meri gazed up from her lawn chair, in time to see her eldest daughter standing on her horse’s saddle, holding her arms straight out and loping around the corral. Seven-year-old Jenny had been practicing this trick for weeks, and this was the first time she made it work.
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. But if you don’t want to give your mother a heart attack, you’ll ride Cheyenne the way he was meant to be ridden. With your seat in the saddle.”
Jenny laughed, but she slid back to a sitting position.
Thank God.
Meri returned to knitting a little bootie in yellow.
They didn’t want to know the sex of the baby, especially when this would be their last. This baby was an accident.
Though she and Chase already love him as much as their children.
It happened on the night of their eighth wedding anniversary.
They had celebrated in style. Her mother was keeping their three children.
Chase had flown them to San Francisco for dinner at her favorite seafood restaurant.
One glass of wine too many and nine months later, they were having another child.
Despite her excitement about the baby, the fact was she was forty, and she thought it was too old to be having babies.
At forty, she was supposed to have all the children she was going to. Being in labor at her age scared her. What if something went wrong?
Chase dropped into the chair beside her. He took her hand and kissed it. “What has you thinking so hard that you missed our youngest riding her pony for the first time without a lead rope?”
“Oh, did I really?” She leaned toward him, pregnancy hormones causing her eyes to tear up. “Tell me you’re teasing me. I couldn’t have missed Danni on her own for the first time.”
He kissed her hand again. “I’m teasing you. I didn’t let her do it by herself, but she’s ready. I want to make sure her mama is watching.”
“I’ll pay more attention. I promise.”
He lifted his eyebrow in that irritating way he had of making her feel that whatever she’d said was wrong. But this time, he wasn’t wrong. She was missing out on her other children’s successes because she was so worried about the new baby.
“I can’t help it. I’m worried. I’m too old to be having a baby. Danni is five now, Jenny is seven and CJ is six. I finally had everyone out of diapers.” She scooted forward to get out of the chair.
“Here, let me help you.” Chase took her by the sides of her waist, or what had been her waist, and lifted her with ease.
“You’re as strong now as the day I met you.”
“I do my best.” He let her go.
She stood and placed her hands at the small of her back and stretched backward.
“Does your back hurt?”
“Yes, it aches something terrible.”
He narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “How long have you been in labor?”
“I’m not…” As she was about to deny it, she remembered this was how her labor had started with Danni.
“Oh, good grief. Oh, my goodness.” She waited until the pain subsided.
“We need to get my mom or Rose here now. You need to keep track of the time between the pains, especially since I’m such an idiot.
I’ve been worried about this baby coming and he’s on the way. ”
“She’s on the way.” Chase corrected her.
She frowned. “I’m not having this argument right now. Do you have your phone? Mine’s in the house.”
He tilted his head and crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t say a word.
“Okay, that was a silly question. You always have your phone on you, or at least where you can pick it up in one or two rings. So call Mom or Rose. One of them has to get here, and fast.”
He looked down. “Good grief.”
“I know. My water just broke.”
Chase whipped his phone out of his jacket and pressed a number. A couple of seconds later, he told the person on the other end. “It’s time. How soon can you be here?”
He listened before speaking again. “Okay. If we’re all gone, you know we’re on our way to the hospital. In the meantime, I have to get Meri inside and into fresh clothes, then into the car.”
He listened again. “Rose is in town doing the weekly shopping. Okay, we’ll wait, if we can.” Then he hit stop and pocketed his phone. “Your mom is on her way. She’ll be here in about ten to fifteen minutes. Can you wait that long, or should we head out now?”
“No, I’ll change clothes and then just walk around the kitchen until you’ve corralled the kids. They need to come in now, anyway.”
Chase put his arms around her and hugged her as close as her enormous belly would let him.
“I’ll help you inside and then I’ll get the kids.
Jake is out there and can watch them until I come back.
When they’re in the house, I’ll take care of the horse as quick as I can and then walk with you until it’s time to go to the hospital. ”
After they reached the kitchen, she reached up and cupped his jaw. “I’ll be fine. Now, go and hurry back.”
He gave her a quick kiss and then rushed outside to his children.
Ten minutes later, Jenny, CJ, and Danni ran into the kitchen.
“Mommy!” yelled Danni, her bright-red braids flopping down her back as she ran. “Daddy says we’re having a baby today.” Her green eyes sparkled with excitement.
“And we have to be good for Nana when she gets here.” Jenny stopped right in front of Meri.
She also took after Meri with bright red hair, but she had her daddy’s blue eyes.
“Your daddy is right. I want you three to be especially good for Nana. Can you do that for me?”
“We’ll be real good.” CJ, with his dark-hair and blue eyes, was almost a replica of Chase.
Chase trailed behind the kids carrying a box. “Look what I found in the barn after you three abandoned me.”
Meri and the children all gathered around him as he set the box on the floor.
Inside the box were three kittens.
“Chase?” Meri couldn’t believe her eyes. “Do you really think now is the time for kittens? I can’t handle them and the baby, too.”
“That’s the thing. These kittens are barn cats, but their mama died.
” He looked down at his children, each of whom was now holding a kitten.
“The kids are going to take care of them, but they will still live in the barn. They’re very small, only about four weeks, I’d guess, and they are too little to survive without help.
I’ve noticed the other mama cats haven’t accepted them and they haven’t eaten in a couple of days, not since their mama died. ”
Meri sighed. Oh well, I have time. I’m just a little panicked, but that’s because I’m scared.
I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. The baby will be fine.
If I keep telling myself that, I might even believe it.
“Nana will have to deal with the kittens when she gets here, which should be in a few minutes.” She looked up at Chase. “Can you get my overnight bag, please?”
“Sure, I’ll be right back.” Chase kissed her on the forehead.
Meri looked at her children, each with their own kitten, and admitted to herself that the scene was adorable.
“Those kittens will need baths, but I don’t want you to do it until Nana gets here.
You can’t get the kittens’ heads wet, and since they’re so tiny, Nana will have to be careful when she bathes them.
You’re allowed to watch, but that’s all unless Nana says differently. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mama. We can watch, but not give kittens a bath.” Jenny shook her head, her mouth closed, and her eyes narrowed. “I’ll make sure CJ and Danni mind Nana.”
Meri smiled. “You do that, sugar cakes.” She looked at the other two children. “What about you two? Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Mommy,” said CJ.
Danni nodded solemnly. “Yes, Mommy. We mind Nana and don’t get kitten’s heads wet.”
The kitchen door to the backyard opened.
Carole Anderson walked in. “How are all my babies?”
CJ ran to her. “Nana!”
“Nana!” Danni was right behind CJ. “We got kittens.”
Jenny walked up to her grandmother. “Daddy gave them to us. He said their mama died, and they haven’t eaten in two days.”
Carole bent and gathered the three children in her arms, hugging the group of them, careful of the kittens they held. “Well, we’ll just see what we can do about that.” She straightened and walked over to Meri. “How are you, ladybug?”
“I’m good, Mama.” A contraction hit her, and she did her best not to moan and scare the children. Instead, she gripped the counter and breathed through the pain, which only lasted about a minute, but felt like forever. “I’ll be even better when I have this baby.”
Carole set her purse on the kitchen counter and looked around. “Where is Chase?”
“Getting my overnight bag.”
“Well, don’t worry about them.” She jutted her chin at the children. “We’ll be having fun, won’t we, kids?”
Jenny was petting her kitten, a tiny calico with four white socks, two black eyes, and a mottled orange, brown, and white body and tail. CJ’s kitten was solid black and was struggling to be let down.
Danni had an orange-and-white-tiger-striped baby cat that was busy trying to claw its way up her shirt onto her shoulder or her head. Meri wasn’t sure which.
Chase walked in, holding Meri’s small overnight bag.
It had a summer nightgown and robe, along with a change of clothes for the trip home.
He also carried a diaper bag she had packed with diapers, wipes, and a couple of newborn onesies in white and green.
She had some pink and blue garments, too, but she wouldn’t take those with her to the hospital.
Meri looked up at Chase. “I forgot about the diaper bag. They’ll probably have all of that at the hospital, but I like to be prepared. Thank you, my love.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” Chase wrapped an arm around Meri’s waist and walked around the kitchen with her.
Carole pointed her finger at the diaper bag. “When will you get rid of that thing? That’s the same one you had with Jenny.”