There was definitely going to be trouble.
There’d been a time when Lena had felt she could hold her own in a fistfight with the best of them, and then a later time when she’d been proven wrong and had almost lost her confidence altogether. After nearly a year with Logan, her confidence had returned, but she no longer went looking for dust-ups.
She was grateful, therefore, to see the re-enactment continue with no sign of the trouble she’d been sure would erupt after Maya Turner and Lance Cooper kissed. Liam Turner still didn’t look pleased, but the crowd was loving the action on the green. None of Chance Creek’s prior re-enactments had included a storyline like this. Lena thought the change was brilliant. By the time the two sides began to line up on the battlefield, everyone in the audience knew the back stories of a number of the soldiers—and cared if they made it through the war or not.
As the redcoats and patriots lined up across from each other, she was truly excited to see how it all played out.
“I think you’re right,” she told Logan. “I think we should join the re-enactment group next year and be a part of this. It looks fun.”
Who would have thought a year ago she’d have time for something like this? Back then, she’d been trying to run Two Willows single-handedly, when she wasn’t trying to scare off the General’s latest overseer. Bob Finchley had been one of the worst they’d ever had. Thank God Cass hadn’t married him like she’d planned to.
“Sounds good. Here we go. Both sides are lined up.”
“Something’s wrong. This doesn’t feel right,” Jo said a minute later, leaning forward in her chair.
“No, it doesn’t,” Hunter agreed.
Lena knew what they meant, and her stomach sank. At first the men on the field had milled about good-naturedly, finding their places and getting ready for the fight. Now, however, it was clear some of the men in the ranks had a real grudge against the other side. Two groups of men glared at each other angrily and stood braced for real battle. Around them, the other participants noticed what was happening, and their banter died down as they shifted in their positions, holding their replica muskets tightly, watching the enemy lines uncertainly.
“I told you,” Lena said to Logan worriedly. “There’s bad blood between the Coopers and Turners.”
The spectators quieted down, too, until it seemed as if everyone was holding their breath.
“They should call this off,” Brian muttered.
“Too late,” Logan said.
Lance Cooper stepped forward as the Redcoat general. Liam Turner faced him across the field.
“Oh, hell,” Lena breathed.
Lance called out the command to charge.
“At least no one died. But I guess you knew that going in,” Jack said as he guided Alice back to the cluster of chairs and coolers that marked their group’s territory on the green. The re-enactment was long over, and they’d gone for a walk—and to get more food—before the evening’s musical entertainment started.
“You know I try not to look at the future,” Alice chided him, greeting the others and settling in her chair as a band began to play on the portable stage set up nearby, “but you’re right. I did know that much. Best re-enactment Chance Creek has ever put on, though, right? I think we’ll all be talking about it for a long time.”
“It’s a shame that neighbors can hold grudges for so long. Hope that never happens to us.”
“You mean at Two Willows?” Alice looked thoughtful. “You can’t have thirteen grown-ups living on one property without a good argument now and then, but we’ve fought for each other’s lives. I can’t see us losing sight of what’s important.” She smiled sadly. “It hurts me to see the Turners and Coopers, though. Those are good people, and they’ve known so much pain.”
“Like you and your sisters?”
“Like all of us.”
She was right. He’d sure known his share of hardship—and so had the other men the General had sent to Chance Creek.
“I wonder what my parents would think of where I am now,” he mused.
“They were ranchers, too. I think they’d be pleased for you.” Alice got to her feet, still graceful although she was seven months pregnant. “Dance with me, husband of mine.”
“You think you still can?” he teased her, placing a hand on her belly.
“You just try to keep up.”
Jack gladly took her hand and followed her close to the stage where other couples were swaying in time to the ballad the band was playing. Before he could take her into his arms, however, Cab Johnson waltzed past with his wife, Rose.
“Some dust-up,” the sheriff said. “You’re lucky you’re not on duty today.”
“All’s well that ends well,” Jack said. “At least you didn’t have to book anyone.”
“Thank God for small mercies. See you at work tomorrow.” Cab kept going. Rose smiled and lifted a hand from his shoulder to wave as they whirled past.
Alice snuggled as close as she could get with the bump of her belly between them. Jack sighed. He couldn’t get over how right she felt in his arms no matter how long they were together.
“We need to figure out a name for this baby soon,” she said. It had been a constant topic of conversation between them for months, ever since they’d found out they were going to have a boy.
“I don’t know why you can’t take a sneak peek at the future and just tell us what we named him.”
“That’s cheating. I want to live in the here and now. You know that.”
“Edward.”
“Too formal.”
“Constantine.”
“That’s even more formal.”
“Ned.”
“That’s just another version of Edward.”
“Tertius.”
“He’s our first child, not our third, silly.”
“Augustus.”
Alice sighed. “It would be nice to honor the General, but…. That’s a mouthful.”
“It is.” He thought a minute, although he was pretty sure they’d discussed every boy’s name ever known to man. “Oliver.”
Alice stilled in his arms. “Oliver. Why haven’t we thought of that before?”
“I don’t know.”
“I kind of like it.”
“I
