by Jan Springer
Brady shook his head. “I had an assistant at the law office and her name was Holly. I also knew a woman whose name was Angel. Those names are Christmas themed. And Chrissy or C.J. are available for her if she ever decides she doesn’t want the name Christmas, especially in the summer.”
JJ laughed and cuddled her wiggling bundle of softness closer and then spoke to the infant.
“I can just see me being mad at you one day, and saying Christmas Jane! Stop bothering your brother!”
“Or your brothers. Or your sisters,” Brady added, with a grin.
JJ smiled. Now that the pain of birth was almost forgotten, and Chrissy was snuggled safely in her arms, maybe she’d been too hasty in thinking of only having one kid? She’d only been mostly uncomfortable the last three or so weeks and some bad days with morning sickness. What was a few weeks of discomfort for a lifetime of joy?
“Yeah,” JJ chuckled. She was already liking the idea of a sibling or two or three for C.J., maybe even a dog or a cat too?
“I think she’s hungry now,” Brady said. “She’s trying to tug my finger up toward her mouth.”
JJ laughed as she gazed at her sweet little princess. Sure enough the baby’s mouth was doing all the things that Layla indicated meant she was hungry.
When JJ moved Christmas Jane closer to her breast, and nudged her nipple into the baby’s mouth, the baby began to suck and to JJ’s surprise, her milk had come in.
Having her baby at her bosom, knowing JJ was able to feed and nourish her, despite the uncomfortable tenderness in her nipple, was absolutely the best feeling in the world.
As JJ slept with the sleeping baby on her chest, Brady slipped out of bed and gazed down at them. His heart absolutely burst with love.
His family. His beautiful woman. His beautiful baby.
He had a family of his own.
Wow, this morning had been intense. It had never entered his mind that the baby would come so fast. But after Layla had learned from Dan about JJ experiencing back pains, she’d chastised them for not letting her know. How the hell was he supposed to know a woman could be in labor with a simple backache and not even know she was in labor?
But he understood JJ. She probably hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was still from that tumultuous plane landing she’d been involved in. Perhaps she had pushed through it all on her own, not wanting to bother anyone.
Damn, sometime, she was just too independent. He was going to put a stop to that. At least over the next week or so. Reluctantly, he left the bedside and slipped out of the bedroom. He needed to make some phone calls.
Layla finally allowed JJ to get up and out of bed that afternoon. By evening, Layla had left, informing JJ to take it easy and that she would be back in a couple of days to check in on them. In the meantime, JJ had to promise she would call the midwife, day or night, if there were any worries at all.
JJ had promised. Her first concern from here on out was always going to be their baby. She knew that now and she would never put Christmas Jane in any kind of jeopardy. The first thing JJ did after Layla left, was bring Chrissy downstairs to see the Christmas tree.
It didn’t matter that her daughter was busy sleeping while JJ gave her a tour of the house. She just wanted her baby to hear her voice and for her to know she was loved so much. After, Chrissy woke up and cried, Rafe helped JJ change her diapers and then JJ fed her again.
Dan had cooked a light meal for all of them and after supper, JJ insisted they lounge around the tree and open their presents.
This was the best Christmas ever, she thought as they lay Chrissy down on the couch. Nearby, a friendly fire flickered in the hearth. It was warm enough in the living room, but JJ had swaddled her in a soft beige blanket and placed a beige knit cap on her head.
Rafe, Dan and Brady took turns sitting beside JJ and watching C.J. sleep. To her surprise, the usually loud cowboys, spoke in quiet tones as they opened their presents.
She watched each of her men. They’d barely had any sleep last night, but they didn’t appear the least bit tired. All three wore bright smiles and cast JJ and the newborn so many adoring looks that made her heart so happy, despite her wanting to cry.
Soon, the floor was littered with colorful bandanas, work gloves, brand new steel-toed work boots for each of them, jeans, shirts for the summer and the winter and plenty of new long johns.
“Wow, awesome! JJ got me that ratchet set I’d been thinking on getting! How’d you know, baby?” Dan asked from his perch on the carpet as he gazed adoringly at the set of shiny tools.
“Kind of hard to miss when every time I walked into the office and saw you looking at the ratchet sets online on the computer.”
Dan laughed. “Dead giveaway, eh?”
“Damn! You got me that portable fishing rod I was going to get this Spring. Thanks, JJ!” Rafe said as he began putting the fishing rod together.
“Looks like we have two other kids here, hey baby?” Brady snickered.
“Hey! Not nice!” Rafe said with a laugh.
Rafe grabbed another brightly wrapped present from under the tree and tossed it to Brady, who caught it easily.
“Come on, let your inner kid out to play. That one there is the last one from JJ,” Rafe said.
“Alright, if you all insist,” Brady said with a huge grin.
JJ smiled as he ripped his wrapping paper and surprise etched his face when he saw the gift.
“Woah, now this is something I’ve been toying with getting for years, JJ. We have so many sugar maple trees on the property. Thanks, sweetness.” he said and gave her a sweet kiss that made JJ want to cry.
Oh great. She probably had the baby blues now.
Brady held up the large package containing a maple syrup tapping beginner’s kit.
“It has a book that shows you how to tap the maple trees, there’s sugar making tools and instructions on how to make maple syrup. I figure you can use the buckets in the barn to collect the liquid and we have tons of firewood to cook the syrup,” JJ said as the guys hunkered in around Brady to inspect the kit more closely.
“Man, no more excuses, Brady,” Rafe laughed and slapped Brady on his back.
“Now with a kid, you’re going to want to give her something natural to eat for her sweet tooth,” Dan said. He gave JJ a wink and a nod of approval.
“Thanks, JJ. This is going to be awesome taking Christmas out on the snowmobile and have her help me tap the trees,” Brady replied. His eyes were full of cheer as he gazed down at their newborn daughter.
“We’ll start a family tradition, right, sweet baby girl?” Brady asked the sleeping infant.
“Now it’s your turn, JJ,” Dan said and soon the guys were handing JJ the presents they had gotten for her.
JJ chastised them for getting her presents because they and Chrissy were all she needed for Christmas, but she had fun ripping the wrapping paper and opening boxes. The guys had given her much needed clothing; a new ski suit – thankfully not maternity, wool hats, mitts, gloves and even a couple of pairs of very warm looking knee-high winter boots.
They brought her jewelry; a gold bracelet, gold cowboy hat earrings, and of course she wouldn’t let the cowboy earrings pass without teasing them that she’d be wearing those earrings when the time came again for intimacy. Layla had informed Brady and herself they should abstain from sex for at least six weeks.
But JJ didn’t mind. She was unusually tired and weepy, and sex was the last thing on her mind.
When Brady suddenly disappeared for a few minutes and then came back carrying something large in his hands, JJ just about started to cry when he placed the item on the coffee table.
“Rafe, Dan and I made it. It’s a knotty pine baby cradle. We can keep it beside the bed until she’s a little bigger. We carved it out by hand,” he said.
“It’s so beautiful,” JJ whispered. She’d never seen such intricate work before. She reached out and ran her hands over the delicate raised swirls and designs that had bee
n carved into the wood. She knew they were good with wood, but she’d had no idea they were such talented carvers too!
Rafe turned the cradle so she could see the outside headboard area. There were two deer carved into the wood. The deer were grazing on grass. Pine trees had been etched into the background and a creek ran through the meadow.
“Oh my gosh, I know where this meadow is,” JJ laughed and clutched her hands to her chest. This place was one of her most favorite in the world!
“Thought you might,” Rafe laughed. “Wasn’t sure if it was appropriate on a baby cradle, but hey the kid doesn’t have to know. I just thought it was a beautiful place.”
“It is appropriate, and the carving is so stunning,” she complimented. The three guys had made love to her one bright sunny afternoon in this meadow. It had been such a gorgeous place. Peaceful and pleasure filled.
Then Dan reached out and twisted the cradle around, so she could see the outside footboard.
“And I carved this part,” Dan said, pride flowing through his voice.
“Oh my God! It’s the ranch house!” JJ gushed. The design was intricate and showed off the two-story log cabin with chimneys, and the windows and even the birdhouse they had in front of the kitchen window.
“It’s gorgeous, I can even see a face in an upstairs window. It’s the nursery window!” JJ gasped.
“That would be the baby looking out the window. I know it doesn’t look like her, but hey, we didn’t know how she would look, right?” Dan chuckled.
“And the rest, Brady made,” Rafe said. He brushed his fingers along the swirls and curls of carvings that swept along the sides.
“Hey, I can’t draw worth a hill of beans, so I went with the designs,” Brady replied. “Do you like it, Jennifer Jane?”
“Brady, the designs are absolutely creative, and you melded them in so perfectly with what Rafe and Dan carved. Everything matches and of course I love it! Group hug!!” she reached out and all her three men crouched in around her and she bundled all three of them close to her. Not an easy feat with three big guys.
“Gosh, how were you able to keep me from finding it?” JJ laughed.
“Well, we know you like to snoop for your presents,” Brady replied.
JJ gasped in mock horror. True.
“So, we wrapped it inside a tarp and hid it in behind a bundle of hay on the second floor of the barn. Dan brought it in earlier and stashed it in the first-floor bedroom closet,” Rafe said.
“Earlier, while you two were upstairs sleeping, we showed Layla the padding and stuff we bought for the cradle,” Brady said. “She approved the safety of everything, so once the cradle warms up and we can get all the padding and blankets in place, we can use it whenever she’s ready.”
“Oh, wait a minute,” Dan suddenly said. She caught him wink to Rafe and Brady. Then he stood and strolled out of the living room. A moment later, he reappeared, and JJ’s mouth dropped open in surprise at what he carried.
“A rocking chair!” JJ couldn’t believe it. She’d thought about getting one to put in the nursery, but hadn’t been able to decide on which kind.
As Dan placed the chair in front of her, she knew this was the chair she would have picked. It was solid and sturdy. It was even padded with a fluffy cushion.
“Hey! How come I wasn’t let in on this gift for JJ,” Brady complained.
Dan and Rafe chuckled.
“Because it is a surprise for the both of you,” Dan replied.
“Yeah, you’re the dad, so when duty calls, you’ll be spending plenty of time in this chair rocking the baby too, right JJ?” Rafe asked as he gave Dan a playful nudge to his ribs.
“All of you are her dads, so you’ll all be bonding with her,” she reminded. She wanted Rafe and Dan to feel like they belonged to Christmas too.
“Aw, shucks, sweetness. We hoped you’d think so.” Dan took a seat near the baby and smiled down at her.
“I swear if she wasn’t sleeping, I’d be hugging this girl. She is the best-looking baby I’ve ever seen, and rest assured I will be fighting off any of her beaus with a shotgun in each hand when they come snooping around,” Dan warned. His forest-green eyes blazed with protectiveness.
“I’m thinking when a potential suitor finds out she has three fathers, she won’t be getting any boyfriends,” JJ joked.
A chorus of laughter from the guys echoed through the living room.
Happiness gushed through her as she gazed at the endearing knotty pine rocking chair, then at the beautiful cradle and then to her sweet baby, Christmas Jane, who slept soundly and totally oblivious that she was the luckiest girl in the world in having three dads. This was all so wonderful, and she swore that at this moment she’d never felt happier in her life.
This was the best Christmas ever!
The next several weeks fly past so fast that JJ couldn’t even think straight. She was tired all the time and emotionally all over the place. According to her mid-wife being emotional was normal due to the hormones. Layla brought her up to speed about post-partum depression and to keep an eye out for it, but so far JJ felt only love for her baby and wanted to be near her and take care of her.
To her surprise, Kelly had come the day after Christmas and stayed for a week to help JJ run the ranch house. Brady had called her, and Kelly had dropped her life, taken vacation time owed to stay here with them.
She was a wonderful help. At first, JJ had been mad at Brady for interrupting Kelly’s life, but then she’d accepted that yes, Brady was right. She needed the rest and the down time of not having to prepare meals and keep the house spic and span as she loved to do. It had allowed JJ to have precious time to bond with her daughter and to rest.
After Kelly left, to JJ’s surprise, Kayley came and stayed with them for a few days. Once again, Brady had been behind it.
But she was grateful for their help. They had given her tips that made life after having a baby so much easier. Having Kelly and Kayley here eased her anxiety too and by the time Kayley had left, JJ felt her normal self again. Almost.
But Layla assured her that she would be back into the swing of things, sexually, in no time flat and JJ could hardly wait for that to happen.
It was about six weeks after Christmas Jane’s birth, and the weather had turned exceptionally warm over the past two weeks, when JJ noticed she was truly feeling better.
She looked forward to waking up early, so she could have a nice hot shower and prepare breakfast for her cowboys. The days were also getting longer and brighter and happiness bubbled inside her as she spied brilliant colored blue jays visiting the bird feeder outside the kitchen window. Even the dripping sounds of the snow melting off the roof, made her giddy.
But she knew the mild weather wouldn’t last because this was just the traditional January thaw, a mild spell that happened almost every mid-winter, usually toward the end of January. Except this year, the thaw had lasted well into the second week of February and the sunny, spring-like weather was just what she needed to put that spark of wanting sex back into her.
Love welled as she gazed at her baby who lay in the cradle blinking up at her with sleepy eyes. Her baby was thriving. She was gaining weight and she was such a happy little girl as she kicked her chubby legs and waved her pudgy arms around. She had the plumpest cheeks and JJ couldn’t resist kissing them or lovingly pinching them every chance she got. Best of all her baby looked so much like Brady, with the same shade of dark brown hair and blue eyes.
She’d gone back to flying her plane too. She loved the freedom of soaring into the sky. The little time away from her routine, thanks to the guys who took turns to babysit for an hour or two every morning, seemed to help keep her anxiety at bay. But every once in a while, anxiety and worry niggled at her. So far though, she had managed to keep it under control by becoming aware of her thoughts and then trying to figure out what was truly bothering her.
Sometimes it was worry over why the baby was fussing so much that particular day. Othe
r times, she realized she was thinking the what if scenario. What if she had another panic attack? What if something bad happened to her while she was flying her plane and she couldn’t come home and take care of C.J.? What if one of the guys didn’t come home? What if…nothing bad happened and she’d made herself sick over nothing?
She allowed her mind to wander back to her plane. It always made her happy to think about how far she’d come since arriving here at Moose Ranch with her anxiety issues. Back then, the mere thought of flying in a plane had literally made her sick with panic. With hard work and in slowly changing the way she thought, she had overcome her crippling fears on the most part and had learned how to fly. How cool was that?
She was also helping the guys deliver the feed, by flying the plane low over the various meadows that were dotted with black and brown Angus cattle. The guys would push out from the plane the bales of hay and other nutrients the cattle required. The plane drops would cut their work time and allowed her men to come home to her at night.
She’d taken C.J, as the guys loved to call her, up with them in the plane too and JJ had kept the cockpit nice and warm for her baby. Christmas didn’t seem to mind the rides. She didn’t get airsick or fussy. However, she was quite fussy during the nights when everything was quiet, and JJ was thankful the guys took turns getting up for the baby, changing her, rocking her, and giving her a bottle of the breast milk she always prepared, so she could have a good night sleep.
Thanks to their help, her lovely yearnings to want to be with her three men was back almost full force. But, she didn’t tell them she was craving her cowboys. At least not yet. She would need a few more days to prepare herself. To get ready for what she knew she wanted, especially after being away from them for so long.
Chapter Eight
Valentine’s Day
“Have you guys been back for long?” Brady said as he tugged off his gloves and joined Dan and Rafe in the barn’s small office. The two men were huddled over the computer, the screen open with their order for various nutrient packets they needed for the cattle. Due to the exceptionally cold winter, they’d been supplying the cattle with more feed and nutrients than usual. They were starting to get low on those specialized packets and the time to order more was now.
