“Yup.” He nodded toward the tarmac. “I think her plane just landed.”
Tracy got to her feet. “I know they will be a minute before they disembark, but I can’t wait!” She walked forward, so her sister would be sure to see her as soon as she was off the plane.
Steve stood up to be beside her, watching for the girl he’d known his whole life. When she finally stepped off the plane, the first thing he noticed was her rounded belly. He gaped at her. Did Tracy know? Glancing at Tracy’s face, he could see she didn’t. Well, there was a surprise for the whole family.
Tracy hurried forward and hugged Heather. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Heather laughed softly. “I thought it would be a fun surprise for everyone when I got here.” She patted her stomach. “I’m due in October. I feel huge.”
Tracy thought Heather looked like she was more like eight months pregnant than five. She stepped back. “You remember Steve?”
Heather’s eyes rounded. “I do remember Steve.” She looked back and forth between the two of them, a slow smile curving her face.
“He offered to ride with me to pick you up. I hate driving through that traffic alone.”
“I don’t blame you,” Heather said, smiling. “Muir is so small that it’s hard to drive into any kind of city. I flew out of Salt Lake City and was completely overwhelmed by all the traffic.”
Tracy linked her arm with her sister’s. “Let’s go get your luggage. I’m assuming you want Mexican for supper?”
“Yes! All the Mexican.” Heather glanced at her sister. “And I’m totally craving your Irish nachos. I can taste them!”
“I’ll make sure you get them at least once while you’re here.” Tracy realized then her sister didn’t know her big news. “My offer was accepted on the building for the pub this week.”
“Are you kidding? That’s wonderful! I didn’t know you’d gotten that far. When do you think you’ll open?”
“I’m planning for October first. So around the time you give birth!”
Heather laughed. “That will be a big month for both of us. Am I still staying with Mom?”
“Yeah, I told her you could stay with me, and she said there was no way. She wants you all to herself.”
“Well, until tomorrow night when she’s doing Marti’s laundry.”
Tracy sighed. There was something very wrong with their youngest sister. “Definitely. Mom is going to be so excited when she sees you! Oh, and Gaylynn and I told her our big secret on Sunday.”
“You did?” Heather looked at Steve. “I guess he knows, too?”
Tracy blushed. “I had to tell him after I fixed his remote control the other day.”
“I see. Does he know what my power is?”
Tracy nodded. “I told him that on the way here.”
“Sounds good. So tomorrow is graduation and next Saturday is the wedding. Are we doing a sister night on Friday night to celebrate the brides?”
“Definitely! I can’t wait. I figured we’d do it at my house. We’ll rent a musical. Since Lillian is going to join us, I thought Seven Brides for Seven Brothers since she’s obsessed.”
“Is she pregnant yet? They’ve been married for weeks!” Heather grinned at her sister.
“Not that they’ve announced, but we all know it’ll be soon. That line of the family doesn’t have the ability to put off babies. Neither do you from what I can see.”
Steve walked along behind the sisters, grinning at their banter. He had always envied large families, and he desperately wanted to be part of this one. And not just because he was head over heels in love with Tracy. Something about them made him feel welcomed in a way he never had before.
He stopped walking in the middle of the airport. Head over heels in love? Where had that come from? He hadn’t realized.
He hurried to catch up after a minute, realizing they hadn’t even noticed him lagging behind. He knew he wanted to marry Tracy, but he was in love with her? He hadn’t quite realized that yet, though he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t seemed connected to him. Maybe he’d lost his mind along with his heart!
When they got to the turnstile, the suitcases were already coming out, and Heather pointed to hers. Steve grabbed it for her and set it on the floor. “Is that the only one?”
Heather nodded. “Yeah, I might have to ask Mom to do my laundry once while I’m here.”
Tracy laughed. “She’s going to start sewing a baby quilt as soon as she sees you. She’ll be mad that we won’t know if it’s a boy or girl.”
“I wonder if Rebekah will be able to tell? I hope so! I would love to be able to prepare, knowing what I was having!”
Steve looked between the sisters. “What’s Rebekah’s power?”
Heather smiled. “She can diagnose people the way Tracy can diagnose things. Cool, huh?”
“So she might be able to tell! Has she tried on anyone yet?” Steve was astounded by all the powers the sisters had.
The two sisters looked at each other, and both shrugged. “The powers are still new enough that we don’t really know what all they encompass,” Tracy said. “I think she might be able to tell, but I really don’t know.”
“That’s cool.” Steve kept walking, his mind now thinking about all the powers the sisters had. They had seemed so small at first, but when he thought about each of them having a different one . . . well, it was of a much larger magnitude than he’d thought in the beginning.
He put the suitcase in the trunk of the car, and he folded his long legs into the backseat. He wasn’t about to make a pregnant woman sit in the back. As soon as Heather got in, she slid the seat as far forward as it would go. “Do you have enough room?”
“Yeah, but you could come back an inch or two if you needed to.”
“I have short legs. I’m good!” Heather looked at her sister. “How did I forget that Texas was so hot?”
“It’s only May! What are the temperatures like in Idaho?” Tracy laughed.
“It was snowing when we left for the airport . . .”
Tracy laughed. “Welcome home, sis.”
“I already miss Idaho. Surprising, huh?”
“You mean you miss your new husband . . .”
“That too,” Heather said with a grin. “Married life has been good to me.”
“How’s the new dance school? Do you have a lot of students?”
“Not as many as I had here, but this area is more populous. The students I have are a lot of fun. We had our spring recital last week, and it was crazy. One of my two-year-olds almost danced off the stage. I jumped up and put my hand in front of her to keep her from falling. There were lots of cheers.”
Tracy laughed. “Sounds like it was a success.”
“For my students and their parents, it really was. All the moms were so proud of their little girls. It was a lot of fun.”
“No boys?”
“Not even one. I’m working on it!”
“Good. Boys should be able to dance, too.” Tracy pulled out onto the highway. “Do you want to stop to eat here or Austin? Or go home?”
“I want Comida or Taco Hut. Nothing else will do!”
Steve and Tracy both said, “Comida!” at the same time, causing Heather to laugh.
“I guess we’re having Comida,” Heather said. “I knew I had to have it at least once while I was here, so tonight is it.”
“Should we get Mom before we go?” Tracy asked.
“Nah. We’ll eat, and then you can deliver me.” Heather looked at her sister. “Now how long have you and Steve been dating?”
“A week. He bought a truck from me last weekend, and we reconnected.”
“I know you two were good friends in high school. Haven’t you hung out since?”
Steve answered for them. “Not really. Tracy’s been working and going to school, and I’ve been dealing with my dad. He died last month.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
“Thank you.” He said nothing else, because there was
nothing else to say. Even though the man had been difficult, he had been his father. He’d done the best he knew how to do after his mother died, and the two of them had come to a truce before his death.
“Steve is running the ranch now. And he has new kittens!” Tracy knew that Steve would want the subject changed as soon as possible.
“Oh, kittens!” Heather smiled. “I want to see the kittens!”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to pry you away from your mother from the way Tracy talks, but if you have time, I’d be glad to show them to you,” he told her.
“Thanks! You’re right, though. I doubt there will be time.” Heather sighed. “It’s going to be a long, busy week.”
“But a good one, I hope.” Tracy was excited about the wedding. And there would be a graduation party the next day. Why was this time of year always so busy?
Chapter Eight
Around noon the next day, Tracy met with her sisters and their parents to head to the UT graduation together. Rebekah got there right after Tracy, and Tracy pulled her aside and whispered in her ear. Rebekah’s eyes widened, but she grinned and nodded. “I haven’t tried yet, but I will!”
The two of them went into the living room together, and Rebekah immediately walked to Heather, putting her hands on her sister’s belly. She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate. “Umm . . . Heather? Are you seeing an obstetrician? Or a GP?”
“Just a GP for now. Why? Is something wrong with the baby?”
Rebekah shook her head. “No, the babies are fine. All four of them.”
Heather stared at her sister for a moment with her jaw dropped, but then she laughed. Surely Rebekah was joking. Quadruplets? Who had quadruplets? “This baby is natural. There were no fertility drugs involved. I promise, it’s only one. Two tops!”
“Heather, I’m not kidding. You’re having four little girls. They’re fraternal, and they’re healthy, and so are you. But there are four of them.” Rebekah looked over at Tracy, her eyes begging for help.
Tracy shrugged. She had no idea what to say to such a thing. As far as she knew, there had been no multiples in their family. Not for generations! “I don’t think she’s joking, Heather.”
“I’m really not!”
Heather sat down on the couch behind her, looking dazed. “I . . . four? What am I going to do with four babies? How will I take care of them?” She stared straight ahead, looking as if she wanted to vomit.
“Your face is turning green, Heather,” Tracy said, starting to worry. “Mom!”
Barbara McClain hurried into the room and looked at her eldest daughter. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Heather just sat staring straight ahead of her. There were no words.
Rebekah answered for her sister. “Mom, I just told Heather she’s having quadruplets. Four perfectly healthy little girls. That’s why she’s showing so much already.”
Barbara sat down beside Heather, her face, so like her daughters’, filled with shock. “Are you sure?”
“Well, I’ve never diagnosed anyone as being pregnant with quadruplets, and I’m not a doctor yet, so I really can’t diagnose anyone, but . . . yeah, I’m sure. There’s a sonogram machine at the hospital here in town. I’m sure I can talk the tech into using it on her to confirm. I’m not trying to upset anyone . . .”
“No, I know you’re not,” Barbara said, still sounding funny. “When can you do that?”
Rebekah shrugged. “I’ll call now. The tech is a friend of mine.” She hurried to the phone and punched in a number. “Hey, Tina. It’s Rebekah. Can I talk you into doing a sonogram on my sister sometime this week? I have a feeling that she’s carrying multiples.” She paused for a moment. “Yeah, I know. Okay. Thanks.” She looked at Heather. “She’ll do the sonogram at five-thirty Monday. That’s after the hospital closes.”
Heather looked at Rebekah. “Thanks, I think. What am I going to tell Michael? I’m sorry, but I’m having a litter instead of just one baby?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know how Jeremy would respond either, but . . . well, what am I supposed to do? Lie to you?”
“No, I’m glad you didn’t lie, but . . . four babies? All at once? No wonder I’m already wearing maternity clothes and feeling huge!”
Bob McClain walked into the room then, not noticing anything wrong with his wife or daughters. “Let’s go! We’re going to be late for the graduation!”
Tracy reached out and took one of Heather’s hands. “Ride with me.”
Rebekah nodded. “I’m riding with you as well. We’ll talk.”
Heather needed to be led to the car and reminded to buckle herself. She was obviously having a very hard time with the news she’d just been given. “I hope you’re wrong.”
Tracy and Rebekah kept up a steady stream of chatter on the way to UT, both of them doing everything they could to steer the conversation away from babies. By the time they reached the campus, Heather was back to herself. As they walked into the auditorium, she whispered, “I’m having four babies.”
Rebekah and Tracy exchanged an amused look. Maybe the idea would grow on her. They both hoped it would.
Monday afternoon, Tracy and Barbara went with Heather to support her for the sonogram. Rebekah’s friend Tina was a sweetheart, and she talked about the sonogram process as she got Heather to lie back comfortably. “This is going to feel cold on your belly. Have you had a sonogram?”
Heather shook her head. “No, I see a GP, and he felt like I was growing normally and said I didn’t need one.”
Tina smiled. “I think in a few years, sonograms are going to be part of every pregnancy, but right now, they’re so new, you only get one if something seems to be wrong. Since your pregnancy seems to be normal, there was no reason.” She squirted some gel onto Heather’s stomach and put a metal wand against it. As she moved the wand around, she smiled. “There’s one. Can you see?” She pointed out the head and the body of the baby, helping the others to see what they were looking at. “Here’s a second baby. And a third. I think Rebekah was right. Your sister has an amazing ability to understand things.” She kept moving the wand. “I think that’s four.”
“Four? You’re not sure?” Tracy asked. She was sure, though. Rebekah had said four, and that meant that Heather was having four.
“It’s not an exact science. Truly, there could be another baby hidden behind one of them. It’s hard to tell. When it’s just one or two, it’s easier.” Tina wiped off the wand, setting it down. “You’re going to need to see your doctor right away. Who is he?”
“I live in Idaho,” Heather said immediately. “My doctor is there.”
“Well, as soon as you’re home, make an appointment. Or make an appointment now to see him as soon as you get there. You’re going to be high risk with that many babies.” Tina helped Heather sit up. “Congratulations.”
As they left the little room, Heather looked at her mother. “Two days ago, I thought my world was ending because Rebekah said I was having quadruplets. Now I can’t wait to hold all four of them.”
Barbara nodded. “You’ll love them all so much. You’re going to be a good mother, Heather.”
Heather wiped away tears. “Now I know why I’ve been so emotional. I’m crying for five!”
Tracy laughed softly. “I’m happy for you, Heather.”
“I’m calling Michael as soon as I get to your house, Mom. I can’t wait to tell him. Or maybe I should tell him in person . . .”
“I wouldn’t give him news like that over that phone,” Tracy said with a grin. She could just picture her brother-in-law fainting. What if he hit his head? He was living alone. Someone would need to call 911!
“Maybe you’re right. I’ll just call him and tell him I have some great news that I can’t wait to tell him.” Heather practically skipped out of the hospital. “And now I know why I look like I’m six months pregnant already. Lots of babies!”
“We should have Mexican food to celebrate!�
� Tracy said with a grin.
“Nope. I’m craving your Irish nachos. We’ll stop at the store and get the stuff on the way, but you’re cooking tonight, Trace.”
Tracy nodded. “I was going to cook for Steve at my place. I’ll have him drive to Mom’s instead. He won’t care as long as he’s not eating yet another Hungry Man.”
After hitting the grocery store, they went to Mom and Dad’s house, and Tracy went straight to the kitchen. “I’m going to take one minute to call Steve to tell him to come here, and then you can call Michael.”
Heather nodded, heading into the living room. As she and Mom walked toward the couch, Tracy heard her say, “No wonder I’m so tired. I’m sleeping for five!”
“You’re doing everything for five for a while,” Barbara agreed, a huge grin on her face. It seemed that if Heather was happy about the babies, they could all be happy about them.
Steve got there as Tracy was taking her homemade potato chips out of the deep fryer. “It’s just about ready. We just got some news about Heather, and we’re all celebrating tonight.”
Steve leaned against the counter, one eyebrow raised. “What’s the good news?”
“Heather’s having quadruplets. Four little girls.”
Steve coughed. “Four? And this is good news?”
Tracy laughed. “It’s good news. At least Heather thinks so, so we’re all thrilled for her. I can’t imagine having that many at once myself, but it’s not up to me.”
“Quadruplets. I hope they don’t run in the family.”
“Not that I know of. There are family stories about triplet sisters with power at the time of William the Conqueror, but no one can substantiate. That was nine hundred years ago.”
“That would be hard to substantiate.” Steve stole one of her chips and bit into it. “These are warm!”
“I just made them. Now stop. Heather chose this meal, and she’s eating for five!”
From the living room, Heather called. “I’m crying for five and sleeping for five, too!”
Steve chuckled softly. “Sounds like she’s doing everything for five.”
Tracy (Seven Sisters Book 5) Page 6
