by Cheri Chaise
I couldn’t lose her. We couldn’t lose her.
Everything we did now was for her. For the joy she brought to Carston Ranch. The life she infused into every inch of our sprawling homestead. The love she so freely shared with us.
Her husbands.
I wasn’t about to bury our Stella. Not now. Not ever. She’d never lay in the cold earth beside Sky and our son we’d lost. Not while I still had breath.
“Don’t you let her die, Bret,” I yelled through the wood separating us. “Don’t you dare die! You can’t leave us, Stella! Don’t leave me!”
My cries drifted off on a shuddering sob as I slid to the floor, my cheek pressed hard against the varnished wood door.
And I stayed there – waiting.
Always waiting.
Until sometime later when Bret slowly and carefully opened the door.
To let me say one last goodbye.
Epilogue
Estella
I opened my eyes to see sunlight streaming through the snow encrusted bedroom window, its beams caressing my face like a lover. I breathed deep. Content in my little patch of heaven.
The only thing that momentarily marred my happiness was when the lazy stretch brought about a twinge in my nether regions. With care, I raised up on my elbows to look in the cradle with a smile.
Make that two cradles.
My heart skipped a beat and tears blurred my vision to see the old cradle had been brought down from the attic to rest beside the newer one Drew had crafted when I’d been pregnant with Meghan.
The yellowed, moth-eaten bedding had been replaced by fresh bedclothes I’d meticulously sewn over the previous nine months. Now the bed that had rocked Cole’s lost child would bring comfort to our son.
Or at least one of them.
I gingerly rose from the bed, rather unstable on my feet, and found both cradles empty. Soft murmurings from the living room rose to my ears before I donned a dressing gown and peeked from the bedroom to find my family gathered together. Or at least most of them, with Drew nowhere to be seen.
Bret sat at the dining table across the room trying to feed our daughter, who appeared too curious about the new arrivals to eat. Every time her father offered up a nibble of egg or biscuit, she shied away to peer around his shoulder toward the fireplace just out of my sight.
Evan sat in the chair nearest the front door, smoking his pipe as curls drifted lazily around his beard. He was the only one to notice me at first and offered up a quiet smile so as not to give away my presence. A gentle tip of his head directed my gaze to what I sought as I came around the corner.
Cole sat in the rocker as near to the warmth of the fireplace as possible. The fire’s glow reflected on his face, revealing the edge of tiredness around his eyes. But no amount of lost sleep could dampen the utter joy in his smile as he softly cooed to our sons nestled in his big, strong arms.
Our twin sons.
No wonder I’d been in so much pain for so long. No wonder my ribs suffered jab after jab, and my spine felt as if constantly bowed and bruised. There really had been a fight going on in my swollen belly for the last nine months – a portent for things to come, I had no doubt.
My feet absorbed the chill through my stockings, warming as I drew closer to the fireplace and placed my hand on my husband’s shoulder. His head jerked up as if startled from a dream.
“Stella,” he whispered. “You should be in bed.”
Chair legs scraped the wood floor before Bret’s heat lurched in behind me. “Essie, you should still be in bed.”
“I’m fine, Bret,” I said, accepting kisses from my sweet little girl. It took every ounce of will I possessed not to take her reaching arms into mine.
Bret pulled her back. “It’s only been two days, and you lost a lot of blood.”
“Did you hear her?” Evan called out in support. “Said she’s fine.”
I peered over my dark-haired husband’s retreating shoulder to offer up a smile of gratitude to Evan before leaning over Cole to take in the faces of our boys. Little Jake and…
“We’ve yet to discuss another name for our second-born.” I stroked my knuckles over each rosy cheek.
Cole’s contented sigh warmed me more than the heat emanating from the fireplace.
“Well…since we named Jake after my pa, how about we name this one after yours?” He jiggled the one tucked into his right side.
My stomach turned just a tinge sour. Things with my father had been poorly long before I’d left my life back east. He hadn’t even shown up to bid me goodbye by the time the train left the station. Neither had he written a single letter in the last two years, though I’d made certain to include him in my correspondence upon my initial arrival to the Montana Territory.
I couldn’t endure the thought of one of my children bearing a name that had treated me so odiously. After all this time, I was content never to hear that name uttered in my presence ever again.
So I certainly wasn’t going to saddle my son with that heartache.
But there was one name from within my family’s sphere that would work – and would never cause me grief.
“I have a better idea,” I said with a squeeze to Cole’s shoulder. “We name him after my grandfather.”
The memories of bouncing upon my grandfather’s knee and his doting visits were always pleasant. Though his passing was sudden and unexpected, at least it had come about before my scandalous actions tainted his view of me. Who knows? He may have even supported my actions after having met Alan Westford, my miserable former suitor.
Cole’s green eyes rose to mine with a frown furrowing his brow. “I don’t think you ever told me your grandfather’s name.”
I carefully leaned over and kissed my husband. His lips were sweet and rich with promises of ravishings to come.
“He went by Jude.”
A crooked smile tipped one side of his mouth before he settled his gaze again on our sons. “Jake and Jude then.”
“My little Carston boys.”
“My little hellion Carston boys,” Cole chuckled. “Just you wait.”
Drew came around the corner from the kitchen then, his arms laden with the breakfast tray. His face fell when he saw me. “Well damn, Ella. I was hoping to get you all fattened up in bed this morning.”
I patted my empty stomach. “I think I’ll wait a bit before getting fattened up in bed again.”
Chuckles and chortles tittered all around. Even from dear Evan.
“Damn, damn, damn,” Meghan sang out from Bret’s arms.
I sighed. “At this rate, none of our children will be fit for society.”
Her father just shook his head. “Drew, you’re gonna have to remember to watch it around the little ones, or none of the Carstons will be fit to be in public, much less any sort of society Montana has to offer.”
I kissed Drew’s smooth cheek. “If you keep on building things around here so well, we’ll just create a society all our own.”
The youngest Carston brother grinned in his oh, so endearing way. “We could call it Carston City.”
Evan held up his pipe. “Here’s to Carston City.”
“Fuck, yeah,” Drew said, raising the coffee pot.
“Fuck, Mama.”
I just sighed again and shook my head. No, my children didn’t stand a chance in modern society.
But yes, I was going to be more than ready in a few weeks to let my men do that deliciously filthy word to my body. Over and over again.
And with any luck, we’d build a thriving community.
One Carston baby at a time from now on.
THE END
But the Carston family saga continues…
Other Works by Cheri
Big Sky Boys, a reverse harem Wild West romance
Captivating Cole
Big Sky Babies – an in-between novella
Bewitching Bret
Delighting Drew (coming 2020)
Enticing Evan (coming 2020)
&n
bsp; And watch for more in-between novellas
Space Courtesans Saga, a space opera romance
Courtesans in Space
Courtesans and Lovers
Courtesans Go Undercover
Courtesans and Pirates (coming 2020)
Courtesans at the Galactic Games (coming 2020)
And more!
The Call of Darkness, a dystopian/sci-fi reverse harem series
Darkness Calls (coming 2020)
Darkness Walls
Darkness Falls
Sucky Succubus, hot and humorous novellas
Sucky Succubus (coming soon)
Sucks to be a Succubus (coming soon)
And many more to come!
Want More?
If you enjoyed this novel and would like information on new releases, specials, ARC opportunities, and personal messages from your new, favorite steamy romance author, be sure and add your name to Cheri’s MAILING LIST. From sultry science fiction to the wilds of the 1800s American West, you’re sure to discover something new to stir your blood and tempt your emotions to ravishing new heights. Sign up today to get a free copy of the in-between novella Big Sky Babies, book two in the Big Sky Boys series.
About the Author
Cheri Chaise writes seductive and sensual romance novels set in a galaxy far, far away or the wild, Wild West of early America. A previous career in finance and a love of history allowed her to travel across the country to gain direct knowledge of many of the settings in which her novels take place, though she’s still waiting for a return call from NASA.
Cheri calls Florida home for now, but she continues to pine for the cooler temperatures and rugged terrain of northern climes that she once called home. But as long as her beloved husband is by her side, anywhere they are together feels like home.
She loves to hear from happy readers!
Feel free to contact Cheri through Email follow her on Facebook Amazon or BookBub.
