“That’s all part of the fun.” Cass moved faster, washing up at double-time. “We need to load everything into the picnic basket.”
“You know we’re just going to end up buying food there,” Wye protested.
Cass shrugged. “It’s good to be prepared.”
Wye laughed. “I don’t doubt we’ll be prepared for anything that could happen.”
“Just think, this could have been your wedding day,” Cass teased her.
“I’m glad we did it on New Year’s.” Wye dried a dish and put it away. “I wouldn’t give back the past six months for anything. I really thought I’d never find someone I’d want to spend my life with, and then it all happened so fast.”
“No regrets?”
“None at all.”
Cass hugged her friend. “How about moving to Two Willows? You regretting that yet? You probably do a lot more dishes here than you’ve ever done before.” She gestured to the dishcloth in Wye’s hand.
“I’m not regretting that, either, and you know it. I’m glad I met you, Cass. You changed my life.”
“I’m glad I met you, too. I think you helped save mine, back when I was so lonely.” Cass hugged Wye again, and they stayed like that a minute. Sometimes being with Wye made Cass think of her mother. She had a feeling Amelia approved of their friendship. Had encouraged it somehow in her own magical way.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful Fourth of July,” she said.
“We’d better hurry up, then,” Wye said and got back to work.
“How are you feeling?” Connor asked Sadie when they’d parked near Chance Creek’s town square. The others had spilled out of their trucks eagerly, but he’d noticed Sadie had climbed out more slowly, and now she stood looking at the crowds streaming by with a hint of worry in her expression as he unloaded their things.
“I’m fine.” Her response seemed automatic, though. Connor supposed he would have gotten to know his wife well over the past year under any circumstances, but the time they’d spent together on their honeymoon in India had really bonded them together. You couldn’t spend twenty-four hours a day with someone on a trip like that without learning a lot about them. Connor had realized Sadie didn’t like to bother people with her worries, so he’d made a study of her moods and now could read the signs when something was off.
“You sure? We could find a place to sit down for a while, or I can take you home if you like.” He came to stand near her, concerned. Ahead of them, Cass, Brian, Wye and Emerson were surrounded by baby gear, talking and gesturing about who should carry what and what should be left in Brian’s truck, while the General was standing off to one side, waiting to get going.
“We’d miss the parade.” She looked at him with more of her usual humor. “I really am fine.” She hesitated, then moved closer to wrap her arms around his waist and lean against him. Connor ran his hands up and down her back. Something was bothering her.
“Oh,” Sadie growled against his chest. “I’m so bad at this.”
“At what?”
“Keeping secrets.”
He pulled back. “You’ve got a secret?”
“I do, and I wasn’t going to tell you until tonight. I wouldn’t have slipped if you hadn’t started asking questions.”
“What is it?”
“If I tell you, it won’t be a secret anymore!”
“I won’t pass it on.” He linked his fingers in the belt loops of her shorts and tugged her close. “Come on, you know you can’t resist my interrogation techniques.”
She placed her hands on his chest. “You’re right. I’m lousy at that, too.”
“Good thing you’re good at a lot of other things.”
“Too good.”
He tilted his head down to look at her in surprise. “How can you be too good at those things?”
She sighed. “Fine. But this would have been a lot more dramatic if I’d spilled the beans while fireworks were going off tonight. It would make a better story to tell later, too.”
“I don’t care about the story. Tell me the secret!”
“I’m pregnant.”
Connor stilled. Pregnant? “Are you sure?” They’d been trying, but they’d had a false alarm once before.
“I’m sure. I just missed my second period. We aren’t out of the woods yet, but I know this time it’s a go. I can just feel it.”
Connor pulled her close, finding it hard to put into words what he was feeling. He knew their time in India had made an impression on Sadie, too. Had steadied her in a way. Seeing so many people with so little had made it clear to them how much they had to be thankful for here at Two Willows. When he’d first met Sadie, she’d meant to leave the ranch for good. Now she had set down deep roots.
He knew he loved it here. He enjoyed traveling and assumed they’d do so again in the future, but he felt he could spend a lifetime exploring all the corners of their ranch. Being with Sadie was enough for now.
But soon they’d have a baby.
All the time he’d spent with Sadie in her kitchen garden and cultivating the new walled garden he’d built for her last year had given him a new sense of time and seasons, and he knew bringing a baby home to Two Willows would be about the sweetest thing he’d ever been a part of.
“Boy or girl?”
“I haven’t even had a doctor’s appointment yet. Besides, it’s too soon to tell. You’ll be there when we find that out.” She hugged him. “I can’t wait.”
“Me, either. But we’ve got a lot to do. We don’t have a house—”
“You know what? I think I’m fine living in the main house until after the baby comes,” Sadie told him. “Having Cass close by will help. I won’t have to take care of a home in addition to a new baby those first few months.”
“We’ll get our plans finalized before the summer is over,” Connor promised her, “and have everything ready to go next spring. By the time the baby’s
