by Caroline Lee
Katie took a drink of the water, then stuck her tongue out. “I'm the one that has to experience it.”
“Yeah,” he'd drawled with a smile, “but I get to help!”
“I think you've helped quite enough already, mister!”
They were both giggling as he slid into the chair beside her. Her kitchen table and chairs had looked so small in their new large house, so they’d used his instead, moving hers into the bedroom designated as her studio. As they got settled, they planned on moving furniture around and getting new stuff.
Especially because they were going to have to outfit the nursery soon.
“If you're not going to let me unpack the spatulas, will you please do it? I'd like this house to look alright by Saturday when your family comes to visit.”
“I promise you, honey, my father doesn't care at all about our silverware drawer arrangement. Have you seen what he's done to his kitchen? It's like bare bones in there!”
Since Mom's death, Dad had been mourning his own way. He’d made changes in the house to things he's never liked, but kept other things the way Mom had set it up. Marybeth said she thought it was his way of taking control of his life, even though he'd been forced to do it.
Either way, Dad was doing pretty well, all things considered. It was obvious he was sad, just like the rest of them, but since Kenneth had moved to Quinn Valley full time, the Weston family was seeing a lot more of each other. And more than anything, that was really helping them all get through their loss.
“Any word if Cooper and Jackie will be able to make it? I'd love some more practice with cute little Kalli Jo.”
“That knuckle-headed twin of mine still hasn't returned my text. Last thing I heard, their two new bunnies were driving them nuts by chewing through wires and carpet, and their landlord was threatening to take their security deposit.”
Katie chuckled and shook her head, reaching for the glass of water again. “I never thought I would find another family as wild as mine, but I think I might have accomplished that.”
“Wild?” Kenneth snorted dismissively. “Lady, last week's July Fourth picnic proves that no one else in Idaho can compare to your family! That was an epic fireworks display.”
“Yeah,” she said thoughtfully, staring down at her glass. “It was nice to see Betsy and Knox get engaged.”
“Betsy? I still can't get over Tripp…”
Katie looked up and met his eyes. From her expression, and her soft smile, and her slight nod, Kenneth knew she understood.
“Sooo?”
She was obviously trying to change the subject, and Kenneth went along with it.
“So what?”
“So, I'm really impressed you haven't started bugging me about that envelope.”
“Me?” He pretended to be offended. “I'm impressed you haven't ripped it open yet. Do you want to know? Or should we wait?”
Although Katie was getting her prenatal care from her cousin, Robyn had mentioned some tests they could have done, since Katie had been ten weeks along then. One of them included testing her blood for a Y-chromosome. Since she, as a woman, had two X-chromosomes, then any evidence of Y-chromosomes in her blood indicated the baby was a boy. The nurses hadn't told them yet, but had written the answer down on a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope.
She’d been thinking about his question. Now, she shifted in her seat and offered him a little smile. “Do you mind? I mean, finding out now? We still have a long ways to go, but since we are already in the middle of changing so much in this house, it might be nice to know if we have to paint the bedroom blue or pink.”
“We could go totally crazy and paint it black!”
“Or a beautiful rainbow ombre.”
They shared a smile, and Kenneth knew they were both thinking about her wedding gown, the first addition to a whole new line of rainbow-themed wedding dresses, though none would ever come close to matching her one-of-a-kind gown.
Since he’d moved here to Quinn Valley full-time, he and Penny spoke daily. He went back to Boise every other week or so, and he still flew to wherever she’d booked him appointments, but it was surprising how easy the transition had been for him to work from home. Not only that, but since Katie had opened his heart, his designs were so much...better.
“I'm not sure what's going on up there,” Penny had laughed, “but it certainly is working! I've had to book a second space for another show. And you've already got three more one-on-one consultations with brides next month. Keep it up! Business is booming!”
It had been good to hear, even though Kenneth wasn't exactly worried about the money. Katie had registered her nephew in the private school Alyssa had wanted him to attend, and only after, confessed what they’d done to her sister. Alyssa had burst into tears and hugged them both, and Kenneth decided then and there, marrying into another big, crazy family wasn't all that bad.
But more importantly than the money, Kenneth was happy here. And it wasn't just because he was madly in love with Katie. It was the sense of peace she'd brought him, the permission she'd given him to open his heart, his feelings, and his senses to the world around him.
He still liked to be in control, of course, but he was learning more and more, he needed to allow himself to make decisions with his heart as well as his brain.
He smiled at his wife. It was perfect.
“Are you sure you’re not just excited to get started on that gender-reveal soap idea?” he teased her.
Since he was so busy with his company and all the new designs, he didn't have too much time to help her with her business. But when she did invite him to do videos, he had a great time. And apparently, a big chunk of her fanbase loved him.
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously that's why I want to find out the gender of our baby. For my soap videos. Of course!”
He chuckled at her sarcasm, then nodded.
“Okay,” he said with a deep breath. “Let's open up the envelope and find out if we're having a baby boy or little girl.”
With shaking hands, Kenneth pulled the envelope out of his pocket. The same pocket where he'd kept their marriage contract Easter morning. That envelope had changed his life. And this one would too.
He handed it to her. She peeled up the flap of the envelope, but then handed it back to him.
“You do it,” she urged with a smile. “I'm too nervous.”
Taking a deep breath, he reached inside, pulled out the paper, and unfolded it.
No evidence of Y-chromosome. Congratulations, you're having a girl!
A girl.
A daughter.
Softly exhaling, Kenneth turned wonder-filled eyes to his wife. “A—A girl. We’re having a girl,” he said in a choked voice.
Her smile immediately bloomed, her eyes misty. “A girl,” she repeated in a whisper, as two big fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
He stood and went to her, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her in his arms.
Against his chest, she mumbled something. He didn't understand, so he pulled back long enough to look down into her face.
“I'm naming her Susan.” Katie frowned up at him. “Don't bother trying to fight me on it, Kenneth. Her name is Susan.”
Susan Weston. After his mother.
Kenneth's throat tightened up, and he pulled her back against him, placing a kiss on the top of her head. He felt his own eyes swimming with tears, as he kissed her again.
“Susan,” he whispered. “I think that's perfect. Thank you.”
“I love you,” she mumbled against his chest.
And when he smiled, his heart smiled with him. He knew his mother was looking down at them from Heaven, and rejoicing along with them. For the rest of his life, he would carry his mother with him, in his heart and his actions. And soon, he'd have a precious little daughter to carry on his mother's legacy.
A few short months ago, he'd started a spreadsheet to find a wife. Miracle of miracles, Kenneth had chosen Katie. And while he might have signed that
marriage contract to bring his mother peace, asking Katie to be his forever was the best bargain he ever made.
“I love you too, wife.”
When she smiled, he felt it in his heart.
Thank you, dear reader, for picking up this story. If you’ve gotten to know me online, you know how hard it was for me to lose my own mother last year. This book was heart-wrenching, and so very cathartic, to write. I’ve poured so much of my own experiences into it, and I hope you appreciated the highs and lows of Kenneth’s journey towards love with the absolutely perfect Katie. If you’re curious about just who exactly Katie is based on, skip ahead to my “Acknowledgments” section.
If you’ve enjoyed Katie and Kenneth’s romance, I urge you to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram. I frequently post fun stories, links to great books, and cute photos of my toddler.
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If you love the world we’ve created in Quinn Valley, then come play with us in our Quinn Valley Ranch Readers Facebook group, where we chat about the books, behind-the-scenes fun, and contests! And if you’re a fan of contemporary western romance in general, we’ve got a Facebook group for that too!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You might’ve picked up on the fact I’m an amateur soap-maker (here’s a video of me cutting into a bar). Well, that’s entirely thanks to Katie Carson! This amazing lady is Katie of Royalty Soaps, and she’s the star of a wildly successful YouTube channel where she not only shows us her gorgeous creations, but hands out tips and tricks to this cool science-art. Artsy-science? Whatever: soap-making is really cool, okay?
Not only is she knowledgeable, Katie is just about the bubbliest YouTuber you’re ever going to watch. Just as Kenneth was drawn to my Katie’s personality, the first time I saw a Royalty Soaps video, I said: “I wanna be her friend!”
So many, many thanks to Katie of Royalty Soaps, who not only let me borrow her personality for this book, but also her soap-making quirks. While I didn’t go into as much detail when Kenneth helped make the carrot-cake soap, I totally used Katie’s video as inspiration. Her eighteen-bar cutter is named Evangeline, and her signature phrase—complete with t-shirts!—is “Scrapey-Scrapey!”
If you, dear reader, have any interest at all in soap-making, science, art, or just fun videos in general, check out Royalty Soaps’ channel!
www.RoyaltySoaps.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyaltySoaps
Back in May of 2016 I had the utter pleasure of meeting Kirsten Osbourne, Pamela Kelley, and Cindy Caldwell in Chicago during a conference. Soon after, they invited me to be part of this delightful world they were creating, and introduced me to the wonderful Amelia Adams. I was thrilled to join their team, and have had hours and hours of fun, playing via our imaginations at River’s End Ranch. Now we’ve added Liz Isaacson, Kay P. Dawson, and Melissa McClone, and are having just as much fun playing at Quinn Valley Ranch!
Thank you, ladies, for letting me be a part of the magic.
And thank you to Alyssa, to my beta readers and Cohort members, to Sonya, and to our continuity reader Amy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Lee has been reading romance for so long that her fourth-grade teacher used to make her cover her books with paper jackets. But it wasn't until she (mostly) grew up that she realized she could write it too. So she did.
Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After in NC with her husband, sons, and new daughter, Princess Wiggles. And while she doesn't so much "suffer" from Pittakionophobia as think that all you people who enjoy touching Band-Aids and stickers are the real weirdos, she does adore rodents, and never met a wine she didn't like. Caroline was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006 and is really quite funny in person. Promise.
You can find her at www.CarolineLeeRomance.com.
Other works by Caroline Lee
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