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  Sarah looked in his direction. “You read me like a book, don’t you?” she asked. “I can’t even keep my thoughts to myself these days.”

  “I know what makes you tick,” he admitted. And then he reached for her. “Forget Stephen for a while, Sarah. Just let me hold you and appreciate you, will you?”

  “Appreciate me?” she asked, curling against him. “I think I like the sound of that.”

  The house they found was small, but as Colleen said, they didn’t need stairs to climb, and two bedrooms were plenty for her to keep clean. The rooms themselves were ample, the kitchen holding a new cookstove, shiny and showing signs of loving care. She and Sarah measured the windows and set to work making curtains while Joshua and Brace got the house ready to move into.

  A letter to their lawyer in Big Rapids, with instructions to sell their home there and pack up their belongings, settled that part of their moving problem, and arrangements were made for their household goods to be shipped on the train.

  Colleen fretted over someone coming into her house and finding things awry, but Joshua pooh-poohed her fears. “Everything is spick-and-span,” he said. “You left things just like you always do, sugar.” He turned to Sarah and laughed. “She always has to clean everything within an inch of its life, just in case something happens to her and she doesn’t come back. She doesn’t want anyone to think she’s not a good housekeeper.”

  Sarah laughed and then sobered suddenly. “I understand that, Mama. Scary, isn’t it?”

  “I knew you would. After all, we’re both women,” Colleen said, as if that settled that. And so it did.

  By the time July was over, the new house had been thoroughly cleaned and outfitted with the houseful of furniture that arrived from Big Rapids. The leftovers were deposited in the attic, and Colleen hung curtains and laid rugs with a vengeance. A few new pieces were ordered from the catalog and delivered to the general store from Sears, Roebuck, in Chicago. Moving in was the next order of business, and the whole family pitched in with enthusiasm.

  A washing machine took Colleen’s fancy, and once he saw how it simplified Colleen’s wash day, Brace vowed to get one for their own home, a decision Sarah did not argue with. She was thoroughly tired of the scrub board and more than ready to have the modern appliance in her washroom. Turning a crank so that the clothes were agitated inside the machine sure beat scraping her knuckles on the scrub board any day of the week, she told Brace.

  It was late August when she approached him with some news he found much to his liking. In fact, so delighted was he that he picked her up and carted her without ceremony to their room. There he closed and locked the door, then proceeded to strip the clothing from her body.

  “Brace! What are you doing?” she asked, breathless from his handling.

  He held her before him, admiring the sleek lines of her feminine form, and frowned. “I don’t see anything,” he said. “How do you know there’s a baby in there?”

  His big hand was flat against her belly, and she laughed aloud at the perplexed look on his face as he pressed gently against the cradle nature had provided for his child to inhabit for nine months. Just seven months now, though, thought Sarah.

  “I have all the signs,” she told him gently. “My mother says that everything points to our having a baby in about seven months.”

  “Why’d you wait so long to tell me?” he asked. “How long have you known?”

  “Not long,” she said. “I talked to Mama about it just yesterday, and she said it seemed likely.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought much about it,” he told her. “I should have known you haven’t done that woman thing for a while.”

  “The absence of ‘that woman thing,’ as you put it,” she said with a smile, “is one sure and certain way of knowing there’s a baby on the way.”

  “Where will we put him?” he asked. “We’ll need one of those little beds that babies use, won’t we? And a high chair for him to sit up to the table, and—”

  “We won’t need any of that for a while,” Sarah said quickly. “We can put her in a box or basket or a dresser drawer for a couple of months while we decide on furniture for her.”

  “Her?” He looked aghast. “What do you mean, her?”

  “It could very likely be a girl,” she said.

  “And just as likely a boy,” he said, speaking his mind. “Although we already have a son.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I guess a girl would be all right.”

  “Well, thanks a lot,” Sarah said. “I don’t think it makes one bit of difference what we have, so long as it’s healthy.”

  He reached for her at that, and held her close. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he told her. “You know I don’t care what it is. I’m just so doggone happy about the whole thing. I hadn’t thought a lot about babies, but I guess I should have realized that two people who make love as often as we do ought to be prepared for this to happen.”

  “Brace.” She spoke his name sharply and then laughed. “I guess you’re right. I just hadn’t thought about it that way.”

  “There’s just one thing,” he said. “There’ll be no dresser drawer for our baby to sleep in. We’ll buy a proper bed, or else I’ll make one. I’ll bet your father would help. I think, from what I’ve seen, that he’s pretty handy with any kind of woodworking.”

  “He is,” Sarah admitted fondly. “He made my mama all sorts of things for the house. In fact, the next time you go out there to visit, take a good look at the library table in front of the window in the parlor, and the cabinet in the kitchen where she keeps her good dishes.”

  “Well, that’s settled, then,” Brace said with satisfaction. “We’ll build a crib and buy a mattress from the catalog. And we can get some stuff for you and your mother to make baby clothes out of. That soft, kinda fluffy material. You know what I mean.”

  “Flannel,” Sarah said, providing him with the proper word. She grinned at him, her delight in the fact of her pregnancy obvious. “I’m so glad you’re happy about this,” she said. “We’ve never really talked about having babies, but I’ve been walking around in a cloud all day today. I feel like I’ve been blessed by God, Brace. Does that sound foolish to you?”

  “No,” he replied. “Not by a long shot. I think each child that’s born is a blessing. I think that’s why I couldn’t stand that Lester had been so mean to Stephen. I don’t know how anyone could deliberately hurt their own child. Or anyone they’re responsible for. It seems to me that a wife and child are a sacred responsibility, and a man should respect them and treat them as well as he’s able.”

  “Well, you certainly follow that principle,” she said, touched to the core by the words that allowed her to see the noble character of the man she’d married. He was loving and good, and she told him so in plain words. And then added for good measure the feelings she’d recognized since the early days of their marriage. “I love you, Brace. I know I’ve told you before, but sometimes it fills me to the brim and I can’t contain it. I didn’t know I could love anyone the way I do right now. You’re the best man in the world, and I’m so happy you’re mine.”

  He looked down at her, and for the first time since she’d known him, she saw his eyes fill with tears. “I’ve known that for a good while, Sarah, but it makes me feel very privileged when you say it aloud. I knew you loved me on our wedding night, when you gave yourself to me so sweetly. You couldn’t have done that if you hadn’t felt deeply for me.” His body trembled as he held her, and then he spoke again.

  “I’ve never told another woman that I loved her. Probably because…well, just listen hard, sweetheart. I love you, Sarah Murphy. I’ve loved you almost from the first time I saw you. I told you once I didn’t love you, but it wasn’t true. I just didn’t recognize it at the time. I want you to know that I’ll do my best to earn your love for the rest of my life.”

  “You don’t have to earn it,” she said, her own tears falling like rain. “You have it already, freely given.” She l
eaned against him fully, as if she could somehow be a part of him, her mouth seeking the tender flesh of his throat.

  He hugged her, his big hands measuring her as they moved against her skin. From her nape downward he traced the lush curves of her body, his hands tender as he stroked her slender frame. “It won’t be long, though, will it?” he asked. “I mean, before you’re growing big with my baby and we won’t be able to stand so close together.”

  “We’ll figure something out, I’m sure,” she told him, smiling at his reasoning. “Folks have been hugging for centuries, even when women were nine months pregnant. We won’t be any different than anyone else.” She slid her fingers into his hair. “I’ll bet you can come up with some way for us to snuggle, even with a baby to consider.”

  “Yeah,” he told her with a wide smile. “I’m already working on that.”

  The mail was delivered daily to Titus Liberty when the morning train came into Benning, and should Sarah be in town, she delighted in stopping by to talk with the man and carry home the assortment of mail Brace received on a regular basis. Some of it had to do with his job, and those letters she quickly set aside for his perusal. There was a large catalog included in the bundle this morning, she was pleased to note, anticipating an hour of wish-list time for herself once the house was in order for the day.

  But by far the most important item was a letter addressed to Brace, bearing the return address of John Caulfield. Recognizing the address as the one she had sent Brace’s letter to, she clutched the letter tightly, barely remembering to thank Titus for his quick delivery of her mail.

  The jailhouse was her first stop, and she entered the door quietly, her gaze seeking the familiar form of her husband. He was at the far side of the room, looking out the window, his forehead pleated as if he were in the midst of some great dilemma.

  “Good morning,” Sarah said, greeting him in an almost formal manner, as if this were just any old day, and not an occasion that would touch Brace’s heart and hopefully bring him into a closer relationship with his parents.

  “What do you mean, ‘good morning’?” he asked, turning to her with a smile, his pensive mood evaporating in an instant. “It was good from the very beginning, Mrs. Caulfield. If I remember correctly, you greeted me with a kiss earlier today.”

  “So I did,” she replied. “And you took advantage of my good nature. Besides, this place…” She paused, looking about with a raised brow, and then continued. “This place does not lend itself to such shenanigans.”

  “Shenanigans? Is that what you call it?” He grinned and approached her, arms outstretched. “Let’s see if I can nudge your memory a little bit.” He drew her into his arms, the abundant mail delivery between them.

  “Kinda hard to hug you through all this,” he said, looking down as if the mail had a life of its own and was purposely keeping him from his wife. “Let’s just set it aside for a minute.”

  “You won’t want to do that when I show you what arrived for you on the morning train,” she said, her voice rising, her eyes filling with quick tears.

  “Sarah?” He lifted the mail from her arms and dumped it unceremoniously on his desk. “What’s wrong, baby? Whatever it is, I’ll fix it. Just don’t cry, sweetheart.”

  With nothing to clutch, her hands made their way to his shoulders and then met behind his neck, where she found the tender spot beneath his collar. “I’m not crying,” she protested. “I’m just all in a dither about something that came for you. I want you to open it.”

  “What? Another wanted poster? Or a note from the judge?”

  She shook her head. “Neither,” she said. “This is more important than any wanted poster in the world.”

  He frowned. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” And at her nod, he bent his head to kiss her briefly. “Just find it in that assortment and dig it out,” he told her. “We’ll look at it together.”

  She obliged him quickly, handing him the envelope addressed to Sheriff Caulfield, Benning, Texas. His eyes widened as he looked it over, and then he attempted a smile, but his lips trembled a bit, she thought. “From my father,” he said quietly.

  “I know,” Sarah agreed, apprehension rising, coiling around her heart. What if the letter was not what she’d hoped for? A full acceptance of his son, appreciation for Brace’s success and maybe a welcome into the family for his bride.

  Brace tore the envelope open and drew forth a single sheet of paper, covered from top to bottom with line after line of black cursive writing. He looked at it for a moment and then handed it to Sarah. “My eyes are blurry,” he told her.

  And indeed they were. But that was not the only reason for his action, she knew. He feared what his father had to say. Perhaps the news, whatever it was, might come better if she read the words to him.

  She skimmed the first few lines, and her heart settled down to a slow rhythm. “He says that he and your mother were happy to get your letter,” she began. “And then he says, ‘We are pleased with your success in Benning. Being an officer of the law is an occupation to be proud of. We are sure you are filling the position with diligence and have every hope that your success will reflect well on the family.’

  “And then your mother wrote a note,” Sarah told him. “She’s pleased that you’ve found a wife, and very surprised that you were able to write a letter with no assistance.”

  “If she only knew,” Brace said quickly, interrupting Sarah’s words. “I couldn’t have even considered writing to them if you hadn’t believed in me, sweetheart.”

  “You just needed someone to get you moving,” Sarah told him. “You were so ready to take the step on your own. I’m proud of you, you know.”

  “I do know that,” he told her, and then his gaze dropped to the paper she held. “Finish it, will you?”

  “Not much more,” she said. “Just that they would like to see you, and if you can arrange some time from your job, they’d like you to come home for a visit. Your mother wants to brag about your success to the folks at church and maybe have a reception for us to celebrate our marriage.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Brace said with finality. “Not while you’re in the midst of carrying a baby. We’ll write them and tell them that their first grandchild is on his way and it will keep us at home for the next little while.”

  “Maybe they’d consider coming here,” Sarah said hopefully. “I’d really like to meet them, Brace. And I want them to see you in action.”

  “In action?” He frowned at her. “How so?”

  “You know. All dressed up in your black sheriff clothes, with your badge pinned on your chest and your gun tied to your leg.”

  “I thought you didn’t like my gun,” he said.

  “Just not when it’s pointing at me,” she told him coolly. “I still have chills when I remember that night.”

  “I told you, I wouldn’t have shot you, sweetheart. By the time I got a good look at your hair and the way you filled out those britches, I was ready to take you home with me.” He laughed as he spoke, his eyes crinkling, his seldom-seen dimple showing in his cheek and his body relaxing against her. “And now I plan to keep you around for the rest of my life. I hope you understand that.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said obediently, then turned from him to pick up the pile of mail he’d dumped atop the clean surface of his desk. She sorted through the contents and set aside the mail addressed to him as sheriff, piling the few remaining items to one side. “That’s all of it,” she said. “I’ll take the rest and go home.”

  “What shall we do about my parents?” he asked quietly. “We can’t go to them. But maybe they’d consider coming to us, like you suggested. What do you think?”

  “I think you should write them another letter and tell them that. It sounds to me as though they’d accept an invitation willingly. And now that my folks are in their own place, we have room for visitors.”

  “Speaking of your folks,” he said, smiling in a smug fashion, “when do you suppose we
should tell them about the baby? I know your mother suspects, but we need to make it official. And Stephen? What about him?”

  “Well,” she began, “my mother is delighted with the idea. She’s been counting the months already and decided that I should be in childbed sometime in March. I just hope the weather will warm up early next spring. And she’ll be busy in the meantime cutting out baby clothes and helping me put them together.”

  She halted her words, her excitement gaining control of her thoughts, and took a deep breath. “As to Stephen, I think it would be nice if you told him about it. There isn’t any hurry, you know. We have the whole fall and winter to go through.”

  “I don’t want him to pick up on it from our conversation, though,” Brace said. “He has to be included in this.”

  Sarah felt a melting in her chest at his words. Stephen didn’t know how very fortunate he was, she decided. And she said so in no uncertain terms. “You’re a wonderful father, Brace. It makes me happy to know how much you’ll love your own child, based on what I see between you and Stephen.”

  “He is my own child,” Brace told her, his voice husky, his hands trembling a bit as he wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks.

  “And I think you ought to be the one to verify the facts with my father,” she said. “I’m sure my mama has already told him her suspicions. She can’t seem to keep secrets from him, but he needs to be told by the man responsible for this whole event.”

  “He’ll probably want a granddaughter,” Brace said, pouting a bit, making Sarah laugh, as he’d obviously intended.

  “And will you be pleased with a girl?” she asked.

  “I’m pleased with her mama,” he told her. “Girls are among my favorite people. I thought you knew that.

  “Especially this girl,” he said with a tug that drew her closer into his embrace. “You’re my favorite person in the whole world, Mrs. Caulfield.”