“That sounds perfect,” Sadie said. “How’d I manage to find such a smart man?”
“You didn’t. Your father did.”
Sadie laughed. “You’re right.” They turned as one to spot the General, who was now adding his two cents loudly to the discussion about the baby gear. “Who could have thought such an ornery old man could be so good at matchmaking?”
“I thought I’d landed in hell when I got sent to USSOCOM to work with him,” Connor admitted. “Turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.” He remembered Halil, the stranger who’d saved one of his buddies behind enemy lines in Syria—and who Connor had saved, in turn. On their flight out of that dusty, barren plain, Halil had advised him to “Find a wife. Make her your everything.” He’d said it was the secret to his happiness.
Connor had taken that advice. It had paid off in spades, and before returning his attention to Sadie, he sent a silent thank-you to the universe that Halil and his family had made it safely to Canada.
“You’re really pregnant?” he asked again, joy spiking through him in a way that caught him off guard.
“I really am. We’re going to be good parents, right?” She snuggled back into his embrace.
“Damn straight. The best.” He knew he’d give it his all. “Speaking of which—my parents are going to be over the moon! Dalton, too!” His parents, who had reconciled after a decades-long separation last year, were still together, for which he was very grateful. They’d spent a winter in Texas and were currently in Ireland, where apparently his father was reconciled to his mother’s “tiny” farm in a way he hadn’t been capable of before now. Connor’s brother, Dalton, now officially ran Ard na Greine but welcomed his parents’ presence there during summer months.
“I hope they’ll all visit when the baby arrives.”
“I’m sure they will.” He hugged her again. “Uh oh, people are looking. We’d better move along, or there’ll be questions. You want to save the surprise until tonight?”
Sadie nodded. “We’ll tell them during the fireworks.”
“Sounds perfect. You sure you’re up for the fair? We could still go home.”
“I wouldn’t miss this day for the world!”
This is what it felt like to be pregnant, Sadie thought as Connor guided her with almost exaggerated care to the sidewalk, then went back to collect anything they might need during their day in town. It was far too early for her to feel the baby, but she felt… something. Almost a buzzing sensation inside her, like the processes of her body had gone into overdrive to create this new life. She had a sense she should be a little quieter, move a little more slowly—allow most of her inner resources be allocated to this important new task.
She thought she might understand Cass a little better now, too. She’d watched her sister all the previous year stop sometimes in the middle of cooking or climbing the stairs and turn inward, as if witnessing something no one else could see. At the time it had felt a little like an affront: like once more Cass was separating herself from the rest of them, playing parent while they all had to remain little girls.
Now she realized it wasn’t something you controlled. Your body demanded your attention in a wholly different way than it had before.
“Ready?” Connor joined her on the sidewalk.
“Ready.”
They ambled along with the others toward the town square and the fields that adjoined it, where food and game tents would be set up and the Revolutionary War re-enactment would happen later. It was early enough that the day still felt fresh, but soon it would be hot. Sadie was grateful there were a couple of pop-up awnings in one of the trucks they could set up later to create shade for themselves.
“Sadie!” Ellie Donaldson called out from across the street. “Happy Fourth! I’ll be by later this week for some more of my tonic.”
“I’ll have it ready.” Sadie was proud of the way her sales had grown this year. Last year, when her garden had failed to thrive and the sense for growing things she’d always relied on to guide her had disappeared, she’d thought she would have to leave her home and give up on gardening altogether. Only when Connor arrived and renewed her belief in people—and love—did her green thumb return. Now her garden sang with appreciation when she came to work in it each morning and had become almost jungle-like in its growth. She thought her love for Connor must be distilled in every tincture and tonic she created because her customers were thriving, too, their small ailments soothed. Her farm stand did a steady business, enough to make her consider adding a second greenhouse to the property. She’d been wondering how much she could grow with a more extensive setup.
Of course, she’d need to balance work and family now, but secretly she dreamed about bringing her child to her garden with her, teaching him or her the names of the plants and the ways to listen to what they wanted. She wondered if her skill at hearing them would blossom in her baby but decided it didn’t matter. Connor was becoming a green thumb in his own right, just by spending so much time with her among the plants. He took pride in the fruit trees and flowers they’d planted in the walled garden and was already talking about espaliering peach trees along the wall that garnered the most sun, to see if they could survive the winters.
There was so much they could do together here.
“This looks like a good place,” Jo called out, indicating a free stretch of curb where they could sit and watch the parade—the first event of the day. Immediately there was a flurry of setting up camp chairs. Connor opened theirs with a flourish and set them side by side.
He beckoned her into one of them and then pulled
