And Baby Makes Three

Once out on the highway he gave Cole a furtive wink, obviously no longer wondering what his big brother had been doing away from the ranch all this time.

Cole grinned back. They’d always been close, and for the most part could read each other’s thoughts without speaking.

“Okay.” He relented at last, sensing his brother’s impatience for an explanation. “What do you want to know first?”

John shook his head. He looked through the rearview mirror at Catherine. “You’re the beautiful mystery woman Janine told us about-the one who came to the house the day of Buck’s funeral.”

Air locked in Cole’s lungs while he waited for his wife’s response.

“I was the un wit ting intruder, yes. From the beginning Cole and I had a stormy relationship because- Well, it doesn’t matter now why. But when he asked me to marry him, I turned him down flat.”

“That had to be a first!” John chuckled before glancing at Cole for his reaction.

Cole nodded. “Remember last fall, when you told me I was a hard man to be around some times?”

“Sometimes- I’ve said that to you more times than I can count, but I do recall you were particularly difficult to reach back then. I thought it had to do with the ongoing range war over grazing rights.”

“That’s a problem that never goes away,” Cole muttered. “But the truth is, I couldn’t take it when Catherine turned me down.”

“I-I couldn’t take it either,” came a tremulous voice from the backseat. “I loved Cole. Saying no to him turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. When I discovered I was pregnant, I knew I needed to tell him. But I didn’t want the pregnancy to complicate the issue between us, so I kept him in the dark as long as I could. He kept coming to Reno to see me, and I continued to say no to him, all because of my stupid pride. Ultimately he found out I was expecting. That’s when it got really bad, because I knew I’d hurt him by not telling him. In the end I realized I’d been a total fool. Unfortunately it took until last week to get up enough courage to ask him to marry me because we had a daughter who needed her daddy as much as I did.”

Even if the story had been manufactured, the throb in her voice couldn’t be faked. It reached down inside the core of Cole’s psyche, moving him in inexplicable ways.

“Incredible. So how did you two meet?”

“At a resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe,” Catherine volunteered.

She had to be thinking of the one they’d gone to earlier in the week while they’d been waiting to hear from Jim. She was doing such a superb job, Cole was happy to sit back and let it all happen.

“One of the condos in my fourplex had a fire. I had to find a place to stay for a few days. When I went outside for a swim, your brother was doing laps in the pool. We more or less collided.”

“It was fate,” Cole pro claimed with a satisfied smile.

Another low whistle issued from John’s lips. “This is going to knock the family up one side of the Rubies and down the other.”

By now they’d entered the property, and would be coming up on the lake soon.

“It will get Penny and Rosemary off my back.”

“No kidding.”

“While Catherine and I settle in at my house, do us a favor and break the news to everyone? We’ll be over for dinner later.”

His brother’s head jerked toward him. “Your place isn’t exactly set up for a baby.”

“All we need for tonight is a crib. Tomorrow we’ll figure out everything else.”

“I’ll bring over the one we used for Susie. It’s in the storage room somewhere.”

Cole thumped his brother on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

“We appreciate your coming to pick us up,” Catherine chimed in. “Cole’s told me so much about his family. I’ve been looking forward to meeting all of you.”

“You don’t know the half of it. To be frank, our family has feared this day would never come!”

Cole made a grunting sound. “Now that it has, better make room for more Farradays. Bonnie’s going to need a little brother or sister before long.”

Brother or sister-

What?

Catherine broke out in a cold sweat.

A “real” marriage she under stood. Cole might have been giving her time to get used to the idea, but she realized he expected they’d be sleeping together soon. If only he knew that she could hardly breathe, waiting for it to happen.

However, another baby wasn’t something they’d ever discussed. If he was looking forward to getting her pregnant, then they needed to talk as soon as possible.

After they’d circled the lake to the house, Cole climbed out of the suburban with Bonnie, visibly excited they were home. She could tell because that air of restlessness about him while they’d been in Reno had left him.

While John took their things inside, Catherine hung back on the porch, ostensibly to look at the view. When he reappeared he told her he’d be back with the crib.

She put a hand on his arm to detain him. “That’s very kind of you, John, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I’d rather your family didn’t know anything about us until we come over for dinner. We’ll get the crib then.”

Or not.

She trembled. It all depended on Cole’s reaction once they’d talked.

His eyes danced. “You’re asking me to hold back that kind of news?”

Catherine liked John a lot. No doubt she would have felt the same way about Buck.

Her eyes implored him. “Do you mind?”

“Nope. We are a pretty terrifying lot.” Then he grinned. “Now that Cole’s a married man, he might as well realize up-front he’s no longer the big boss around here.”

She kissed John’s cheek. “Bless you.”

After waving him off, she walked inside the house. There was Cole at the living room window, chatting with Bonnie while they stared out at the spectacular vista. She studied them for a minute.

He’d bonded so completely with the baby, and she to him. If there was going to be an annulment after all, the two of them would be fine.

Riddled with fresh pain, Catherine searched for the diaper bag among their suitcases. The sound brought Cole’s dark head around.

“I’m pretty sure Bonnie needs changing,” she explained, uncomfortably aware he could sense she was feeling guilty about something.

She spread the changing pad on the first piece of furniture she came to,