Chapter Thirteen
“So it looks like neither one of us will ever wear the magic wedding dress,” Seton told Corinne a week later, when her aunt came out to the ranch to visit and check on the knitting process. “I didn’t want to wear it, because Sam and I were getting married under false pretenses. And Sabrina and Jonas will never get to the altar.”
Corinne sat on the leather sofa across from the one Seton had taken over. Sam had practically set up a command center for her, with two cell phones, drinks, food, tissues—it looked like a small convenience store—on a nearby table. Corinne eyed all the items and smiled at her niece.
“Let’s tackle the last worry first. Jonas and Sabrina might find their way to the altar. Your mother’s wedding dress may get worn by one of her daughters. It’s not totally hopeless.”
“It’s not really Mom’s,” Seton said. “She got the dress from a lady somewhere in Upper Bavaria, where she was from, who claimed that the gown had been worn by someone important, like a duchess or something. I don’t really remember the story. Anyway, it was supposed to have some kind of magical properties. Jackie, Aberdeen, Darla and Julie all claim that when they put on the dress, they knew exactly who the right man for them was.”
Corinne smiled. “Around here, we enjoy tales of mysticism. I wouldn’t give up on getting Sabrina into the gown. Now, what do you mean, you and Sam married under false pretenses?”
Seton glanced at the door to make certain no other visitors—or her husband—were about to pop in. “Sam and I knew that Sabrina was never coming back, because she was pregnant with Jonas’s baby and didn’t want him to know. So we cooked up this idea that if we had a pretend engagement party, or even a pretend wedding, she’d probably come home. We went with getting married for real, because at the time, Sam was still thinking about Fiona’s stipulation that the men be married to get their part of the ranch. Only then,” Seton said, taking a deep breath, “Sam got notified at the altar that Bode was giving up the fight for the ranch. So that basically nullified Fiona’s stipulation. There was no longer a rush to divide the ranch up to try to keep Bode from being able to take it.”
“But Sam wanted to marry you, anyway,” Corinne said.
Seton nodded. “Which confused me at the time, because we’d already gotten Sabrina home, and goodness knows, that went over like a popped balloon. Jonas and Sabrina probably didn’t say three words to each other. And Sam and I knew we’d made everything worse.”
Her aunt’s eyes twinkled. “I do seem to remember that they didn’t have a lot to say to one another.”
“And Jonas left right after the wedding, as if he’d been shot out of a canon. Neither Sam nor I realized until later that his brother was such a dunderhead he never considered that maybe Sabrina is carrying his child.”
“I can see where the mistake could be made,” Corinne said. “Sabrina had been gone for months. And she didn’t bother to inform him, even though anyone who knows Sabrina knows she’s a fairly direct lady. So I can see how the misunderstanding could develop.”
“Yes.” Seton was so sad for her sister. “She just doesn’t want Jonas to feel he’s stuck with her, since they never had a real relationship, or so she claims. I’m pretty certain Jonas was crazy about her. In fact, now that we know he can’t find Fiona and Burke, but still hasn’t come home, I think he’s off nursing a broken heart.”
“What does Sam say?”
“Sam says—” Seton glanced toward the door once again “—that Jonas is a lightweight in the love department. That Jonas, the great heart doctor, can’t take even so much as a scratch on his own four-chambered ventricular muscle. That was how my windbag of a husband put it.”
Corinne giggled. “Well, I think Sam’s overstating it a bit. All Jonas knows is that Sabrina is expecting a child.”
“Yeah. It seems we made everything worse.” Seton looked at her aunt. “And I’ve made everything worse for me and Sam. He acts so happy right now that it makes me nervous. Because I know he didn’t want a child, and now he’s having four. He didn’t really want anything, except to get Sabrina and Jonas together.”
“And yet here you are!” Corinne said cheerfully. “With so many things happening, one just has to believe it’s all meant to be! Let me get you a glass of water. This July is going to be one of the hottest on record.”
“Thank you.” Seton accepted the water her aunt handed her, even though she wasn’t thirsty. “I wish I didn’t have this uneasy feeling that Sam’s acting happy just because he feels there’s nothing else he can do.”
Her aunt shrugged. “He didn’t have to marry you. It seems he wanted to. And he seems to like you well enough, or you wouldn’t be in a family way.” She smiled at Seton. “The difference between you and Sam, and Jonas and Sabrina, is that you and Sam went ahead and jumped in with both feet. No fear.”
“I’m afraid,” Seton said. “I’m very afraid. I want my husband to be happy.” Actually, she wanted Sam to be in love with her, the way she was with him. “I feel strangely like I trapped him, Aunt Corinne.”
“Because you wanted a baby.”
Seton nodded. “Yes. Mind you, I didn’t think anything would happen quite so soon....”
“You’re worried about nothing, I really do think.” Corinne arranged some cookies on a tray and some fruit beside them. “Sam’s a grown man. He knows how babies are made, Seton. If you’re worried that you don’t have your husband’s heart, it might be due to something else.”
Seton didn’t know whether she had Sam’s heart or not, that was true. He seemed happy, but it had all happened so fast.... “I don’t think I expected to fall in love with him quite as hard as I have,” she admitted. “I came back here to find out if there could ever be anything between us—”
“And now that there is, you’re not certain it can be real.” Corinne smiled at her. “Try not to worry so much, dear. No one dragged Sam to the altar. I was there, and as I recall, he was more interested in being wed than you were.”
Seton smiled. “That surprised me, too.”
“Well, then. Don’t borrow trouble. That would be my advice.”
“And worth taking, I might add,” Sam said, coming out of the back bedroom. Seton gasped, shocked by her husband’s sudden appearance.
“Sam! I thought you were out on the ranch!”
“I was. I came in the back, trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t awaken my turtledove, who’s supposed to be getting her twenty-four hours of beauty rest.” He came over and kissed her on the forehead, then gave her aunt a hug. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Corinne. She’s going a little stir-crazy.” He gave Seton a concerned glance. “I’m not sure how I’m going to keep her on this sofa for another five months.”
“Sam,” Seton said slowly, “there’s something I have to tell you.”
Her aunt stood. “I should be going.”
Sam glanced from one to the other. “That’s not good, if Corinne doesn’t want to hang around to hear your news.”
Seton sighed. “Corinne, stay, do.”
“Well,” she said, and Sam sat down next to where she had been, and patted the seat beside him. “All right, just for a moment or two.”
“Let’s have it, wife.”
Seton looked at Corinne, who knew what she was about to say. Then she took a deep breath. “Sam, you know Corinne took me for my checkup today.”
“Yes, I do.” Sam beamed. “Usually, I’m on board for the checkup, Corinne, but today was a big day at the ranch. Thanks for filling in.”
“Well,” Seton said, wanting to get her news out quickly, “today was one of the umpteen sonograms I have to have as a high-risk pregnancy—”
“I hate that term. I prefer to think of it as high-value,” Sam said.
“And Sam,” Seton said, trying not to let him stop her flow, “we’re having four girls.”
Sam’s jaw dropped. “Four…girls?”
Corinne laughed at his expression. Even Seton had to smile, he looked so dumbstruck.
“Four girls?” he repeated.
“Yes,” Seton said, “and so far, everything seems to be healthy and fine.”
“That’s great. That’s great!” Sam exclaimed. He hopped up to give his wife a kiss on the forehead, then headed to the door. “I’m going to go tell my brothers the good news. I’ll be back in a little while.”
He went out, and they could him whistling as he walked.
“Do you see what I mean?” Seton asked.
“Too happy,” Corinne said. “Maybe he really is.”
“But all he’s talked about is having boys.”
“They all do,” her aunt said wisely, “but there’s something about ‘Daddy’s little girls’ that steals a man’s heart. All the Callahan men dote on their daughters. I think it’s because there were six of those rascal boys growing up that makes them enjoy the lace and frills and my-daddy’s-a-hero of little girls.”
“I hope you’re right,” Seton said. “I’m starting to get worried. Sam’s always just so happy.”
“You know,” Corinne said, “it may be that the man is in love.”
Seton blinked. “He hasn’t said so.”
Her aunt smiled and stood. “Time will tell. For now, just relax and enjoy the bliss of being pregnant. Try to trust him just a little. Sam’s a pretty smart guy. He knew what he was doing, I believe.”
Seton smiled, then sighed when he popped back into the den. “Yes, Sam?”
He looked at her. “Seton, how long does the doctor think we have until the babies are born?”
“Maybe another couple of months, if everything goes well,” she said, and Sam groaned.
“I’m going to hire a nurse for you,” he said. “Someone who can be with you around the clock, instead of all our family and friends.”
“Sam, I don’t want a nurse,” Seton said. “If I need a nurse, can’t Darla or Jackie come by sometimes?”
He shook his head. “I need a nurse who’s experienced in multiple births. Never mind, I’ll get this figured out.”
He disappeared again, and Seton turned to Corinne. “Did you see that?”
“Yes,” she said with a laugh. “If you were worried about him being too happy and not really expressing his true feelings, I think you just sampled them.”
“But I don’t need a nurse,” Seton stated.
Corinne picked up her handbag. “Welcome to the new Sam. I think you’ll be getting a nurse, until he decides to hire two.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Seton exclaimed. “He’s going to have to calm down.”
“All the Callahan men were like this,” Corinne said. “I think you’ve just seen the last of Serene Sam.”
“Argh,” Seton said, wishing she had the worry-free Sam back.
But she had some worries, too.
S
INCE
THE
NEXT
DAY
WAS
“Sabrina’s Day” to look after her, Seton was ready to have the talk with her sister she felt she should have had long before. “The problem,” she told Sabrina, “is that you’re here keeping an eye on me, when someone should be keeping an eye on you. You’re further along than I am,” she added, with an amazed glance at her sister’s growing stomach.