Page 45 of A Bride for Brodie
Lottie had recently needed to take a nap in the afternoon. Regardless, today, she headed out to find Brodie, if she could. He said he’d be sharpening tools today, and that was done in the barn.
As she walked down to see him, the dry, August air and the beating sun made her sweat and she was happy for the relative cool of the barn. Both the front and back doors were open, as was the hayloft’s trapdoor. A pleasant breeze whipped through, keeping the smells down and the animals and humans cooler.
Lottie followed the sound of the grinding wheel back to the tack room, where it was set up to be out of the way.
As she turned the corner, she saw Brodie bent over his task.
He pulled the curved blade back and glanced up, giving her a smile. “Hello, pretty lady. What brings you out in this heat?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay. Come sit on the bench.” He set the sickle on the ground before patting the seat next to him.
She sat and clasped her hands in her lap.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Well, I…I mean…I’m…I’m expecting.” She grinned, hoping he was as excited as she was.
Eyes wide, he gazed at her. “Expecting? As in having a baby? I’m going to be a father?”
She smiled and nodded with each question. “Yes, to all. Are you happy?”
He pulled her into a hug. Then stood, tugged her to her feet and kissed her.
She felt like he put his whole heart into the kiss.
“I’ve never been so happy, except for when I got you back, unharmed. That was the best day of my life.”
“I’m glad I came back to you, too. In your arms is the place I would always rather be.” She looked around the barn to see if anyone else was near. “I think several of the other women are expecting too. I’ve noticed that I’m tired in the afternoon and have been taking a nap if I have time. I think Maisie and Fiona are pregnant, too. For all I know, we all could be. Not that we’d be expecting on the same day or anything, but it wouldn’t be too hard to believe that we’ll all have babies around the same time.”
Brodie held her hands and gazed down at them for a moment. “It’s been fun having Cody since Tucker and Ivy brought him home two months ago, but he’s eight months old now.” He turned his gaze back toward her. “The coming babies will be brand new. I remember with Jenny and Susie how hard it is with a newborn, and we’ll have five of them. Five more babies will be a lot of work for everyone. Heck, Tucker and Ivy will have two in diapers under the age of two.”
Lottie shrugged. “We’ll all help each other. That’s the good thing about living together. I wonder if our houses will be done before we deliver?”
“Maybe, but we can always stay where we are for a while, until each bride is ready to move on. And that way, all of you who are mothers for the first time can get your questions answered by Fiona, who has done all this before with her son, Billy.”
“You went through it all with Jenny and Susie. So you should know it, too.”
“Not really. Sally was still alive and handled everything with the babies. It exhausted her, but she seemed so happy, too.” He got quiet for a moment and gazed at the floor. “When she died, it left Ross with two little girls, one just a baby. We all learned something about children, but Agatha was indispensable. If she hadn’t been here…” He shivered. “Those poor girls would have suffered from our lack of knowledge.”
“I’m glad she was here for you and for him. I want to announce my pregnancy tonight at supper. I don’t want anyone to beat us to the punch if we can help it.”
* * *
Supper that nightwas its usual boisterous affair. Everyone talked and ate and laughed.
Lottie tapped her spoon on her milk glass and stood. “Hi everyone, now that we have your attention.” She pulled Brodie to his feet, too. “We have some news to share with you. Brodie and I are expecting, probably in March or April.”
Everyone spoke at once.
“Congratulations.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“You’re the first, depending on your due date.”
Fiona tapped her water glass. “Ross and I are expecting too.”
