“You’ve got it all organized, haven’t you?” she asked. “I’m surprised you’re not making plans to do the delivering of your child yourself.”
“Not on your life, sweetheart,” he said with emphasis. “I’ll be more than willing to let the doctor and your mother have that privilege.”
And they did. For just before midnight, a baby’s squeal of anger was heard throughout the house, and Joshua settled back with a snifter of fine brandy, toasting his new grandchild. Beside him on the sofa, Stephen slept undisturbed.
In the room upstairs, Brace knelt by the bed and leaned over Sarah. “It’s a girl, honey,” he told her. “A beautiful little girl. Want to see her?”
“In a minute,” Sarah told him. “I still feel like I need to push, Brace.” She began to cry, her mouth quivering, her body trembling as she cried silent tears. “I’m so cold,” she said, shivering.
He rose and found a quilt to pull over her body, covering her shoulders and arms. “It’s not cold out,” he told her, and then was set straight by the doctor, who seemed to be very pleased about the proceedings.
“I’d say your missus is about to present you with another young’un,” he said. “I wondered last time I saw her if she wasn’t carrying two little ones in there, and I’ll be doggoned if she hasn’t surprised us all.”
“Sarah, do you hear him?” Brace asked eagerly.
“I’m not deaf,” she said, “just pregnant.” And with that she inhaled deeply and obeyed the doctor as he worked with her, delivering a second child in less than a minute.
“Another girl,” he said. “And here comes the after-birth. Just one, Mrs. Caulfield. It looks like your twins are identical.”
“I kind of suspected,” Colleen said happily. “But I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want Sarah to be disappointed if she only had the one child.”
“Disappointed?” Sarah asked. “How could I be?” She held out her arms for the babe her mother held. “Let me have Brenna.”
“Brenna?” Colleen asked. “What about the second twin?”
“Brianna,” Sarah said softly. “We’ll call her Bree.”
“You had two names ready,” Brace said, his eyes asking a question Sarah seemed to understand as she held the first baby at her side, her hand firmly clutched in that of her husband.
“I knew,” she said. “For the past few weeks I knew there were two of them. And somehow I felt like Sierra was with me today. We were so close and loved each other so much. I just hope my girls will have as wonderful a childhood as Sierra and I did.”
“They will,” Brace vowed. “We’ll see to it. All of us. Your folks and mine and all of our friends.”
“Your folks?” Sarah asked, realizing what he’d said.
“My folks. I got a letter in the morning mail. They’re on their way here, sweetheart. I was so excited about the baby coming today, I forgot to tell you. Forgive me, honey.”
“After what you’ve given me today, I’ll put up with you for the rest of my life,” she told him. “Thank you, Brace…for my babies…for my life with you…for loving me.” She lifted his hand from her breast where she’d held it close, where it had given her such comfort over the past hours, and kissed it, a lingering caress that was more eloquent than the words she spoke.
“I do love you, Sarah, wife of mine,” he said softly. “You’ve filled me with joy—not just tonight, with the babies, but over the past months, ever since we spoke our vows.”
“Well,” Colleen said, walking to Brace and depositing his second daughter in his arms. Both babes, wrapped in lengths of flannel, washed quickly and inspected by the doctor, were quiet, almost as if they felt the love that surrounded them. “Here’s your Brianna,” she told Brace. “One for each of you.”
“Both of them for each of us,” Brace said quietly. “We’ll raise them together, and with Stephen’s help we’ll give them all they need to have a good life.”
Sarah looked up at him, aware of the tears that flowed from his dark eyes, matching those that she’d given up trying to control. It was worth all the waiting, she decided, worth all the pain, for there had been an abundant amount of that. Just to see Brace with his child, his face wreathed in smiles even as his joy took the form of tears, was enough to cement this memory for all time in her heart.
“I think your father will want to know what’s going on,” Colleen said. “I suspect he’s aware that we’ve been busy up here, what with the babies announcing themselves. I’ll just go down and tell him it’s time to come up and meet his new grandchildren.”
“And don’t forget Stephen. Wake him if you have to,” Brace said. “I want him to be part of this tonight. He needs to share in our happiness.”
And then he bent to Sarah. “Are you truly all right?” he asked. His mouth touched hers softly as if he could not bear to leave her side. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” he whispered.
She laughed aloud, and he frowned. “You aren’t supposed to laugh at me,” he said. “I just want to be in here with you and the babies.”
“Doggone right you’re going to be in here. You’ll be an expert at changing diapers by morning. I’ll guarantee it,” she told him. “And yes,” she whispered in return, “you can sleep with me, and hold me and tell me how wonderful I am.” Her smile was wide as she teased him. Teased and tempted him, with her grace and beauty, with the love she bestowed on him.
“You can sleep in my bed,” she told him tenderly, her eyes holding happiness and desire and the passion of a woman who loved deeply and well. “Not just for tonight, you understand, Sheriff Caulfield, but for the rest of your life.”
She whispered the words again, as if she would impress them on him for eternity.
“For the rest of your life.”
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3717-9
TEXAS LAWMAN
Copyright © 2005 by Carolyn Davidson
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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* Edgewood, Texas
+ Montana Mavericks
‡ Colorado Confidential
Table of Contents
Praise
Title Page
Available from Harlequin Historicals and Carolyn Davidson
Dedication
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Copyright
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Texas Lawman Page 26
