by Caroline Lee
“It’s normal, Cam, don’t worry. The afterbirth—“ Molly’s soothing tone was cut off in a gasp, and Cam’s heart climbed up his throat.
“Molly?” When Tessa bent double again, keening low in her throat, he knew this wasn’t normal, wasn’t right. “Molly, what’s going on?”
“Oh, God in Heaven!” There was another flurry of activity, and he saw Molly place his wrapped son down on the floor beside her. What could possibly—
“Another one!” There were tears on Molly’s cheeks again when she looked up at him, and then down at whatever held Annie’s attention. “Another baby, Cam!”
“Twins?” His whisper was rough. “Twins!” His mind was swimming, torn between fatigue and elation and relief that it was over, no matter the outcome. He looked down at Tessa to discover that she’d already given in to the exhaustion, fallen asleep there in his arms, her legs still held apart by whatever Annie was doing. He kissed her once, rested his forehead against hers, and that was the last he knew until Molly woke him to carry his still-sleeping wife to bed.
Later that evening, after the midwife had come and gone, and declared the babies to be healthy, if scrawny, Cam kicked off his boots and joined Tessa against the fluffy pillows. She was pale and weak, but had happily slurped down two bowls of the chicken soup Molly had whipped up. The other woman would stay with them at least until tomorrow, and had already promised Cam that she’d watch Jake and Mae for a few days. In the meantime, Annie had ridden home to tell them about their new brother and sister, and to help Wendy and Ash mind the lot of them.
Cam took his sleeping son from Tessa’s breast, and positioned their daughter in his place. Tessa shifted slightly, and winced, as the infant greedily latched on. He couldn’t help but watch in awe, his wife giving life to this perfect, tiny little human.
Dragging one finger down Ian’s cheek, he smiled to hear the baby mewl slightly, and glanced up to see his wife watching him. “What?” He whispered, not wanting to disturb the perfect moment.
“I don’t know about twins in my family, but they’re lucky in my father’s culture.” Tess remembered little of her paternal Chinese culture, but tried to share it with the kids when she could.
Cam smiled. “I never thought of it. A few of my mother’s cousins had twins, I think. Never figured they’d show up here.”
“You’re still okay with Jean?” It was the name they’d talked about for a girl, after her mother and one of his sisters.
Leaning over to kiss her forehead—careful not to disturb either baby—he smiled again. “Sweetheart, you can name them whatever you want. That was sure scary, huh?”
She exhaled on a small smile, and closed her eyes. “I don’t think I want to do that again for a long time, Cam.”
How about never? But he didn’t say it. The Lord worked in mysterious ways, and for now he was just grateful to have his wife still beside him. And not just Tessa—although it was going to take several weeks for her to recover, the midwife warned—but two beautiful new children. And, thinking about Molly making dinner downstairs, and Da’s teary expression when he’d introduced the old man to his namesake, he knew that he was a lucky man indeed. Surrounded by family and friends, building a future here together.
“I can’t wait to show Jake these two. He’s going to love them.”
She hummed slightly, breathing deeply. “Make Mae wash her hands before she comes in, though.”
Chuckling, Cam unlatched the now-sleeping Jeanie from Tessa’s breast, and covered his wife with her robe. She was already sleeping when he dropped a kiss to her lips. “I love you, my Tessa.”
Then, settling back on the bed with a tiny infant in each arm, marveling at their dark hair and perfect noses, he felt his heart swell. “And I love you too, my children.”
Life was good. Hard, sometimes, but good. He had the proof, here beside him, and in his arms. God was good.
Dear Reader,
You’ve probably figured out that I love the families of the Sweet Cheyenne Quartet well enough that I’m not going to leave them alone, and I hope you’ll forgive me for revisiting their world. I’ve started to call this series “The Apparently Inaccurately named ‘Sweet Cheyenne Quartet’”. I wonder how many more books I can squeeze into the Barker/Murray families’ lives? I hope that you’ve enjoyed this visit with the mothers of Sweet Cheyenne, and I hope that you have the opportunity to tell a mother in your life how much she means to you.
If you’ve enjoyed my brand of sweet Old West stories, I urge you to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter; I frequently post fun bits of social history that I find while researching my latest book. Do you like reading historical westerns, and like hanging out with others who do too? Join us on the Pioneer Hearts Facebook page, where we have the most wonderful discussions, contests, and updates about new books!
I’m currently working on a series of retold fairy tales, set in the wilds of the Old West. To find out more about the Everland Ever After series, or to keep up with my stories, or read deleted scenes, or receive exclusive free books, sign up for my newsletter.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Lee is what George R.R. Martin once described as a "gardener author"; she delights in “planting” lovable characters in interesting situations, and allowing them to “grow” their own stories. Often they draw the story along to completely unexpected--and wonderful!--places. She considers a story a success if she can re-read it and sigh dreamily... and she wishes the same for you.
A love of historical romance prompted Caroline to pursue her degrees in social history; her Master's Degree is in Comparative World History, which is the study of themes across history (for instance, 'domestication of animals throughout the world,' or 'childhood through history'). Her theme? You guessed it: Marriage throughout world history. Her favorite focus was periods of history that brought two disparate peoples together to marry, like marriage in the Levant during the Kingdom of Jerusalem, or marriage between convicts in colonial New South Wales. She hopes that she's able to bring this love of history-- and this history of love-- to her novels.
Each one of the books in her Sweet Cheyenne Quartet has reached the Best-Sellers list on Amazon, and all are available in e-book and paperback formats.
Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After with her husband and sons in North Carolina.
You can find her at www.CarolineLeeRomance.com.
