“So, I brought you here so we could have a real talk.”
Brittany frowned at him. “I’m listening.”
“Have you noticed anything odd about my family?” he asked, taking a drink of the Dr. Pepper.
She shrugged. “The whole town has. You always have seven sons in every generation, the seventh son inherits, and that son always has seven more sons. It’s a bit strange.”
He grinned. “Yeah, that’s kind of obvious to everyone. Have you noticed anything else?”
She thought about it for a moment, not sure where this was going, but she’d play his game if that’s what he wanted. “Adam seems to be more in touch with other people’s emotions than most men.”
“Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?” He took a deep breath. “Well, I’m about to tell you our big family secret that only people who were born into our family or who will marry into our family know.”
She leaned forward. “You know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried?”
He blinked a couple of times. “Unfortunately, no. This secret has nothing to do with Jimmy Hoffa.”
She frowned. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
He sighed. “Can I tell you the real secret now? Or are we obsessed with Jimmy Hoffa?”
“I guess I can listen. And why are you telling me?”
“Because you need to know.” He cleared his throat, really wishing she hadn’t thrown him off his game with the Jimmy Hoffa stuff. He’d practiced what he was going to say to her, and now everything in his head had just flown out the window. “Our family is born of the seventh son as far back as anyone can tell. Each seventh son has seven sons, and the seventh son in each generation has something special.”
“Special? You mean like he has a sixth toe on his left foot? Have I ever seen your feet?” Brittany frowned at him. “Take off your boot and sock and let me see your left foot.”
He frowned at her. “Believe it or not, I’m very serious about this conversation.”
“Has that ever happened before?”
“Anyway, the seventh son has something very special. My dad is a precog, meaning he knows things before they happen.” Gideon looked at her waiting for a response.
She shrugged. “Doesn’t totally surprise me. Why does Adam seem to have something special as well? He’s the first born in the generation. You’re the seventh.” She leaned forward. “Are you sure you won’t show me your toes?”
“Positive.” He put his hand over hers, hoping she wouldn’t push him away. “Our generation is the seventh generation, and we all have special powers, if you will—and no, mine has nothing to do with having six toes on my left foot!”
She pouted at him, a bit disappointed. “Fine. What’s your power?”
“Let me tell you my brothers’ first, because it will make more sense that way.”
“Whatever makes you happy.” Brittany sat back and drank her tea, wondering if there was money to be made in having a sixth toe on one foot.
“Adam is an empath. He feels the emotions of the people around him.”
She nodded. “I can honestly see that. Not surprised at all.”
“Benjamin has an affinity with plants and the land. He can grow things on command.”
She made a face. “I know he’s considered fabulous with plants and they say his whole body is green and not just his thumb.”
“That’s why.” Gideon was surprised she was taking this all so matter-of-factly. It was unusual in his experience. “Caleb can sense danger, which is why he’s such a daredevil.”
“I wondered how he never got hurt!” Brittany was starting to enjoy the conversation, really looking forward to knowing what Gideon’s power was.
“Daniel—”
“Can heal people with a touch!” She grinned. “I’ve heard stories that he could do that, but no one has any proof.”
“That’s probably for the best,” Gideon said, smiling at her enthusiasm. “Ephraim can talk to animals and heal them.”
“Makes sense. The kids call him Dr. Dolittle a lot.”
“Yeah, they love that he’s so good with animals.” Gideon grinned at her. “Frank has a calming aura. If a fight’s about to break out, he can go to the area, and no one remembers why they were angry.”
“Ooh, that’s a cool power. Too bad you didn’t get that one!”
Gideon took a deep breath, getting ready to tell her about him, which was the hardest part of the conversation. “I did. I have each power my brothers’ have, to a lesser degree.”
Her eyes widened. “So you can make plants grow?” She gestured to the single flower in a vase on the table. “Make that one grow!”
“I can’t. It’s silk.”
She reached out and touched it. “It looks so real!”
He shook his head. “Are you ever serious about anything, Brittany?”
She shrugged. “You’re serious enough for both of us.”
“Well, there’s another part to all of this. We all have women we’re destined to marry. As soon as Adam met his girl, the others were set into motion. You’ve seen how we’ve all fallen in love and gotten married super-fast.”
“Sure. It’s all anyone in town is talking about.”
“Well, you’re my destiny. I think I felt it in high school, and my emotions were overpowering me, so I broke it off with you.” He frowned down at his hands. “But I’m ready to marry you now. We’ll do a good job with your brother and sister.”
She frowned at him. “You can’t marry me just because I’m your destiny.”
“Why not? I know we’re meant to be together, so we should just do it now. You won’t have a place to live in two weeks, and I know you can’t afford to buy a house with what you make.”
“So you’re telling me you want me to marry you and have seven sons? Do I get any daughters?”
He shook his head. “None at all. You’ll have nieces, I’m sure, and you can even have granddaughters. But you will only have seven sons.”
Miss Mae stopped at the table then, putting their food in front of them. “Don’t let this one talk you into running off to marry, Brittany. His brothers have singlehandedly taken care of the entire unmarried female population in Bagley. Don’t let him take you!” She smiled sweetly. “Can I get you anything else? Refills on your drinks maybe?”
Brittany broke into hysterical giggles as the older woman walked away. “She has your number, Gideon McClain!”
Gideon took her hand in his, feeling the electricity jump through his body. Every time he’d ever touched her had been the same. So he had made it a point not to touch her often. “Please, Brittany. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Brittany stared at him for a moment, doing her best to process everything he’d just said. “I can’t think on an empty stomach,” she finally said, taking her fork and cutting into her steak.
He took a deep breath. “I was hoping for something more than that. Do you need a special proposal? Ephraim had to propose in front of a church full of people. I’ll do that if you want. I’ll take out a skywriter.”
“Just let me eat, and then we’ll talk. But if I’m late, you have to tell Adam where I am.”
He grinned at that. “One of the advantages of you working for my family. Adam knows we’re having this talk today.”
“He does? He knows you’re asking me to marry you?” Brittany shook her head. “If I say no, is it going to hurt my job?”
“Of course not. You know us better than that.” Gideon frowned at the thought of her saying no. He’d known her forever. He’d loved her forever. What would he do with the rest of his life without her?
They were silent as they finished their meal. He had said he’d let her eat, and he was going to do just that. When they’d each eaten their last bite, he pushed his plate away, waiting for her to say something. He couldn’t put himself out there again, waiting for her to knock him down.
“You broke my heart when you broke things off in high school. I thought we’d spend forev
er together, but I picked up the pieces. I’ve come to think of you as one of my very closest friends, if not the closest friend. I don’t know if I’d survive it if you decided after a year or two that I wasn’t the woman you wanted in your life.” Brittany didn’t look at him as she said the words, instead staring down at the table. “I have two other mouths to feed now. I have to stay strong for them. I can’t give up on life because you don’t want me anymore.”
Gideon reached out and took both of her hands in his. “That won’t happen. As far back as my family has traced their history, there’s never been a divorce. We won’t be the first, either.” He looked down at their joined hands. “I don’t know what it’ll take to convince you, but I want to marry you, to have children with you, to help you raise Madison and Kaeden. Please.”
She looked up at him, a tear in her eye that burned his heart. “I need to think about it.”
He nodded, leaning to one side so he could dig the ring out of his pocket. He opened it and showed her. “I got this from my dad today. It belonged to my grandmother.”
“It’s beautiful.” She stared at the ring. “Your dad knows what we’re doing today?”
“I think everyone who has ever had the name McClain knows what we’re doing today.” He didn’t want to rush her, but he really needed an answer. “I don’t know how to convince you that I’d never hurt you.”
“I don’t either.” She frowned at him. “Would you want me to keep working after we married?”
He shrugged. “In the beginning, that would be up to you. Once the babies started coming, you’d probably need to stay home with them. Or we could get a full-time nanny if you preferred. Or you could stay home, and we could have a full-time nanny. I’m not picky.”
Brittany couldn’t imagine herself with seven children, but it was Gideon. She couldn’t imagine life without him, either. “If I said yes, would you be willing to marry fast? So we would have a place to go?”
He nodded. “Of course. I don’t think the McClains know of another way to marry.”
She nodded. “You may have a point there.” She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining what life would be like married to him. He may have a lot of magical powers, but her power was imagination. She could dream up what life would be like, and hope it would be that way. She spent a lot of time writing out her imaginings, but she’d never told anyone about them or showed them to anyone. Being able to stay home would suit her purposes beautifully. Finally she opened her eyes, her mind made up. “I’ll marry you.”
“You will?” He felt happiness rising inside him. He was going to marry the woman he loved. Maybe she didn’t love him yet, and that was okay. He had enough love to get them through.
She nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I will. We need to tell the kids.”
“Do you want me with you for that?”
She thought about it for a moment and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll tell them tonight, and you can tell your family.”
“When do you want to marry?” he asked, needing her to lock down a day, so it would be harder for her to back out.
“What’s the waiting period in Texas? Do you know?”
“Three days. I’ve had six brothers get married quickly in the past few months. I know the waiting period as if it was etched on my brain forever.”
Brittany grinned. “Why don’t we get married at the barbecue on Friday night? I can carry bluebonnets for a bouquet. There’s no prettier time to get married in Texas than the end of March. And maybe the beginning of April, because the bluebonnets are still in bloom.”
“Sounds perfect.” Gideon couldn’t believe she’d finally agreed. He had never wanted anything in life as much as he wanted her.
On the drive back to the ranch, he kept glancing over at her, not quite sure this was really happening. But she was sitting there wearing his ring. “We have to stop by the big house on the way so we can tell Mom and Dad.”
“Just don’t get me in trouble with Adam! I haven’t decided yet if I want to keep working or not.”
“I won’t let you get in trouble. In fact…” He pressed a button on his steering wheel. “Call Adam.”
An electronic voice came back. “Calling Adam McClain…”
“This is Adam.”
“Adam, it’s Gideon. I’m going to keep your administrative assistant for just a bit longer. I need to take her to the big house to tell Mom and Dad the good news.”
“No problem. Congrats, Gideon.”
“Thank you.” He pushed the button to end the call. “How was that?”
“Perfect.” She sat back and stared out the window, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Even with all the love she had for him, she was scared. Gideon McClain was a strong man…and she didn’t want to lose herself as his wife.
Chapter Three
When Gideon pulled up in front of the big house, he didn’t immediately go inside. Instead he turned to Brittany. “I hope you know how happy you’ve made me.”
She smiled at him. “I’m glad.” And she was. As her best friend, she wanted him to be happy, but she knew she’d be guarding her heart.
He unfastened his seat belt and leaned toward her, cupping her face in his hands. “You’ve always been the most beautiful woman in my world.” With those words, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her for the first time in almost a decade. The old feelings came rushing back quickly, making him feel as if he was being washed away by them.
When he raised his head, her lashes were still down, veiling her eyes from him. “For some reason, I’ve always had a hard time reading your emotions. I have no idea why, but only you.”
“I’m glad. I don’t want you to know how I’m feeling.”
“Well, I got an inkling today when you were so upset. Maybe your emotion has to be really powerful for me to feel it.”
She vowed then to try to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to be read by him. Ever. “Let’s go tell Lillian and Peter the good news.”
“I’m sure they already know. Dad’s a precog, remember?” He got out of the car and ran around to her side.
“What exactly is a precog?”
“Sorry. I forgot not everyone knows the lingo. Precog means someone who has precognitions. He can see the future before it happens.”
Brittany nodded, looking impressed. “That’s really cool. I want to learn to do that.”
“I don’t think it’s something that can be learned.” He took her hand and walked toward the house with her, so happy to be taking her home to his parents. “Mom, Dad! I’m here!”
His mother came out of the kitchen. “Gideon, you have to stop—” She grinned. “Brittany!” She walked over and hugged the younger woman, obviously happy to see her. “How did you escape from Adam in the middle of the day?”
Gideon grinned, realizing then his father hadn’t talked to her. “I talked Adam into letting me take her to lunch.” He took Brittany’s left hand and held it up to his mother. “We want to marry during the barbecue on Friday night.”
Lillian gasped, hugging Brittany again. “It’s a lot of responsibility being married to the seventh son, but I have to say, my Gideon is worth it. He’s such a good man.”
Brittany smiled at that. “I’m excited to have you for a mother-in-law.”
“We need to talk about the wedding. You want to do it at the barbecue this Friday, but do you want casual?”
Brittany nodded. “I think I want to carry bluebonnets, and I want Madison to stand up with me.”
“What do you want me to serve for the meal? I can do anything. And do you want to get a cake from a bakery in town? Or do you want Claire and I to bake it for you?”
Gideon grinned at the way his mother just immediately started volunteering the services of his sister-in-law. “Give her a minute to think, Mom. We’ve been engaged less than an hour.”
“Hush, you.” Lillian turned back to Brittany. “We’ll start packing up immediately. Are you going to
keep working? I think it might be hard for you to work, but for now it’s up to you. It would be nice if you could take over the Friday night barbecues.”
It was in that moment that Brittany realized the enormity of what she’d agreed to. “I hadn’t thought about taking those over.”
“I’ll help you at first, but I know you and Claire will do just fine.” Lillian took Brittany over to the table. “Do you want me to shop for a wedding dress with you?”
Brittany frowned. “I think I can wear my mom’s.” There was no way she could afford a wedding dress on such short notice. She wouldn’t have been able to afford one if she’d had a year to save.
“All right. I was at your mother’s wedding, and her dress was beautiful.” Lillian stood up and went to get a notebook from the kitchen. “Let’s make a list of everything you want so we don’t miss anything.”
Gideon frowned at them. “I don’t feel like I’m needed here.”
Lillian waved him away. “Go fill in for Brittany for a bit. See if Adam needs anything. We’ll work on planning the wedding. Tell Adam she won’t be back today.”
Gideon nodded, going off to do what he was told. He walked to the office, and went inside. Adam’s door was open, so he went to his brother. “Mom said she’s keeping Brittany for the rest of the day, and if you need anything, I’ll have to do it.”
Adam laughed. “I’m not at all surprised, and if you are, you don’t know our mother. When’s the wedding?”
“During the barbecue on Friday night. She wants to carry bluebonnets, but that’s the only thing she’s given an opinion on so far.”
“Mom will get the rest out of her.” He glanced up. “Tiffani! Brittany’s taking the rest of the afternoon off.”
“Oh. I was just going to ask her to run to town. The printer has a new form he’s printed for me so I can send it to the vendors for the fundraiser. I guess I’ll have to go.”
“Nope. Mom is giving us Gideon to take Brittany’s place for the rest of the day. Maybe for the rest of the week! Gideon and Brittany are getting married at the barbecue Friday night.”
Gideon (Seven Sons Book 7) Page 2
