'
Ethan exchanged a long-suffering look with his oldest brother. 'Let's move it back to the window, Cal.'
Gabe watched from the doorway with a great deal of amusement as his brothers hoisted the heavy couch until it was once again beneath the cottage's front window. He loved watching Rachel torture his brothers. She made Ethan fetch and carry for her, and when Cal visited, she developed an insatiable need to have all the new furniture they'd bought for the cottage rearranged.
She held the biggest grudge against Cal, so, even though he was around less frequently, he got the worst of it: She'd conned him into going to school with Chip last fall as his show-and-tell project, and she made him sign a ton of autographs for every kid she met. She still loved to save money, so she'd also made him agree to give future free medical care to Chip and the other children she and Gabe had, to all of Ethan and Kristy's children, and to herself, as long as she didn't have to take her clothes off. Cal had the nerve to argue with her about the last part.
No matter what Rachel demanded from his brothers, Gabe acted dumb, as if he didn't know what was going on. It drove them crazy, but they never complained because they still felt so guilty about the hard time they'd given her. As penance, they did as she asked, and she rewarded them by asking for even more.
Just this morning Gabe had inquired exactly how much longer she thought she could stretch this thing out, and she'd said she figured she could get another six months from it, but he doubted it. She didn't have a real killer instinct, and his brothers could be charming bastards when they set their minds to it. For a long time now, she'd been running more on mischief than retribution.
Cal finished positioning his end of the couch and shot Gabe an irritated look. 'Tell me one more time, Rach. Why is it that lazy lug you married can't help move your furniture?'
Rachel reached down to stroke Snoozer, their calico cat. 'Now, Cal, you know that Gabe has a trick back. I just don't think it's wise for him to aggravate it.'
Cal muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'Trick back, my ass.'
Rachel pretended she didn't hear, while Gabe tried to support his beloved wife by looking like someone who might actually
As he lounged in the doorway, he realized that, after a year of marriage, he hadn't come close to getting tired of watching her. For the cookout they were having today, she wore tailored walking shorts with a silk maternity top, both of them the same blue as the hyacinths that had come up this spring in front of the cottage. A pair of small diamond earrings dangling from thin European wires glimmered through her auburn curls, which were cut shorter now, but were still a little disheveled, the way he liked. He'd bought her bigger diamond earrings, but she'd made him exchange them, saying this size suited her just fine.
What he most enjoyed about her appearance today-and most days, for that matter-were her shoes, a slim pair of silver sandals with a tiny wedged heel. He loved those sandals. He loved all the shoes he bought for her.
'Cal, that armchair… I hate to ask, but you're always so sweet about helping me. Would you mind moving it nearer the fireplace?'
'Not at all.' Gabe could almost hear Cal's teeth grinding as he hoisted the chair across the room.
'Perfect.' Rachel beamed at him.
Cal looked hopeful. 'Really?'
'No, you're right. It's not perfect at all. Maybe by the couch?'
At that moment, the back door slammed and Jane shot past them on her way to the bathroom. Cal glanced at his watch and sighed. 'Right on schedule.'
'Three pregnant women and one bathroom.' Ethan shook his head. 'Not a pretty sight. I hope you get the expansion to the cottage finished soon, Gabe.'
'It should be done before winter.'
Unlike everyone else, his parents had fallen in love with Rachel the moment they'd met her, and his mother had deeded the cottage to them as a wedding present. Even though they had the money to buy a much more luxurious home, they both loved living on top of Heartache Mountain, and they didn't even consider moving. They needed more room, however, so they were building an airy two-story extension off the back that was designed to stay true to the cottage's rustic architecture, while giving them the additional space they needed.
Despite the construction mess, Rachel had wanted to throw a family cookout to celebrate Gabe's formal adoption of Chip. It was a big deal to everybody in the family except Chip and Gabe. They'd adopted each other a year ago on the night Rachel'd been put in jail.
'At least we only have one of our wives throwing up this time,' Ethan said. 'Remember when we were all here on Christmas Eve, and Rachel and Kristy were both at it.'
Cal shuddered. 'It's not something any of us is likely to forget.'
To avoid the construction rubble, they'd set up the picnic area near Rachel's garden, which was in bloom from the rosebushes they'd planted, and now Kristy called in through the side window. 'Rachel, come out here. You have to see Rosie's new trick.'
'I'll be right there.' She patted Cal's back. 'We can finish this later.'
The cat followed as Rachel waddled toward the door. Rachel had her weight thrown back on her heels and her big belly leading. Gabe felt a surge of primitive male pride knowing he'd done that to her. In another month, the baby would be born, and none of them could wait.
The moment Rachel disappeared, Cal and Ethan collapsed on the couch they'd moved to four separate locations. Gabe took pity and brought them each a beer. Then he settled in the armchair he suspected he'd have to wrestle back to its original position as soon as his brothers left and lifted his own bottle. 'Here's to the three luckiest men on earth.'
His brothers smiled, and, for a while, they just sat there sipping their beers and thinking about how lucky they really were. Cal had finished his first year of medical school at UNC, and he and Jane were enjoying living in Chapel Hill. The architects had completed the plans for the renovation that would turn the mausoleum into a spacious contemporary. It would be their permanent home when Cal finished his residency and came back to join their father's practice.
Ethan seemed to have finally found peace in his role as a minister, although he griped about the series of church secretaries he'd gone through in a futile attempt to replace Kristy, who refused to leave her job teaching preschool to come back to work for him. And Rachel…
Chip dashed in, followed by Sammy, his year-old black Lab. Sammy dashed over to Gabe, while Chip ran to Cal. 'Rosie's a pain.'
'What'd she do now, pal?' Cal gave Gabe's son a quick hug. From the back of the house, the wheel on the hamster cage squeaked.
'Crashed my fort right after I got it built.'
'You don't have to put up with that,' Cal said. 'Tell her
Chip regarded him with reproach. 'She was helping, and she didn't mean to.'
Cal rolled his eyes. 'One of these days you and your Uncle Cal are going to have to have a long talk about dealing with women.'
Chip wandered over to Gabe, crawled up on his lap, and settled in. At six, he'd started to shoot up, and, before long, his feet would brush the floor, but he still liked being in Gabe's lap. Chip's beloved Lab collapsed across Gabe's foot. 'You know what I think's gonna happen, Dad?'
Gabe brushed the top of his head with a kiss. 'What's that, son?'
Chip gave a sigh of resignation. 'I think when me and Rosie grow up, we're gonna prob'ly get married, just like you and Mom did.'
The men didn't laugh at his pronouncement. All of them had come to respect the mysterious bond that had formed between the two children, even though none of them quite understood it.
'Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do,' Cal observed.
Chip nodded. 'That's what I was thinking.'
They did laugh then.
A huge Rosie-howl came from the side yard. Sammy lifted his head from Gabe's foot, and Chip sighed. 'I better go. She's got Grandma and Grandpa wrapped around her little finger.'
