Spring
1871
"I can't believe how gentle that horse is with Toby," Shanna said as they stood in the back yard and watched Toby saddle Starlight. "Why, he won't hardly even let you ride him."
"Stud, City Girl," Cody said, wrapping his arm around Shanna's thickening waist, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at the blush on her cheeks. "Toby's riding over to JT's again, so Starlight can take care of a couple of his mares that are ready to breed. City Girl, you still have a few things to learn about the names for the farm animals."
The screen door slammed and a small figure raced by them, legs pummeling as he ran toward the corral.
"Wait, Toby!" the little boy called. "I'm done with my homework now. Aunt Bessie said I could go with you!"
"Joshua Garret!" Shanna called. "Where do you think you're going?"
The four-year-old skidded to a stop. He looked at his mother, then gazed yearningly at the corral.
"I've done my lessons, Mommy," he said as he trudged back to Shanna. "I said all my A-B-C's right and counted all the way up to a hundred for Aunt Bessie. You said at breakfast that I could have some free time today after lessons."
"Josh, Toby's going over to JT's to...."
"Go on, Mommy," Cody said with a laugh. "Tell our son why Toby's taking Starlight over to the Lazy T."
"Oh, I already know that, Daddy," Josh said. "He's gonna let Starlight make babies with Uncle JT's mares. Toby said I could go with him on Chessy if I got my lessons right in time. Please, Daddy. I'll be back before chores."
"Joshua Garret!" Shanna gasped. "JT doesn't let you watch while the horses ma...make...babies!"
"It's called matin', Mommy." Josh's small face puckered in a frown. "An' no, he ain't...hasn't let me watch yet. He said maybe next year, when I'm five."
Josh screwed up his face even further and centered his eyes on Shanna's stomach. "Mommy, did you and Daddy get the new baby started by...."
Cody's laughter roared, covering up Shanna's choke of embarrassment. "You better get going, son," Cody said when he could speak. "Toby's leading Chessy out for you to saddle. Just be sure to keep your promise to be home for chores."
"I will, Daddy," Josh yelled, already running toward the corral.
"Next thing you know, JT will have Josh training those horses, right along with Toby," Cody said with a smile. "I'm glad you helped JT buy his old home place back and start his horse farm."
"Toby's the one who talked JT into letting him be a part of the horse farm with his share of our mother's inheritance," Shanna reminded him. "I'll bet Toby's the youngest half-owner of a horse farm in the state. And it's turned into a good investment for him, with both Starlight and the other horse...stud...JT has. But," Shanna grumbled, her cheeks still flushed. "It all makes me stop and wonder sometimes. These children know more about how animals reproduce than I did until after I was married!"
"Not quite, darlin'," Cody said softly as he turned her in his arms and bent his head. "Remember that night in the barn? I'll never forget that you told me you loved me that night."
Cody's lips covered hers, and Shanna sighed in surrender as she returned his kiss. Cody jerked his head up when he felt a movement against him and tenderly ran his hand down Shanna's stomach.
"That's the first time I've felt this one move," he said in wonder. "It never ceases to throw me for a loop every time. Are you feeling all right?"
"Wonderful," Shanna replied. "Just like last time. I still have this crazy craving for fried fish, though, like the ones we had beside the lake that evening."
Someone cleared a throat behind Cody, and Shanna glanced around to see Melinda standing there.
"If you two would quit smootchin' for a minute," Melinda said, "I was gonna ask if I could go catch Mom some fish. Pappy told me yesterday the fish were biting over by his place. And I was gonna take Archie with me, if Mrs. Samuel will let him go."
"Melinda," Cody said with a frown. "What in the world do you have on?"
Melinda looked down at herself and turned a wide-eyed, innocent gaze on her father. "Just a pair of Toby's old trousers. I can't go tramping through the field to the creek in a dress."
Shanna stifled a giggle and touched Cody's arm. "She's right, darling. The last time she came back with her skirt pricked and torn from briars. The denims make much more sense."
Melinda turned away and called over her shoulder, "Thanks, Mom. Aunt Bessie said to tell you she's taking a nap!"
Cody stared after his daughter until she emerged from the barn a moment later, a cane pole over her shoulder and a bridle in her hand. Melinda climbed through the corral fence, and Brownie immediately trotted up to her. After slipping the bridle over the mare's head, Melinda leaped aboard bareback and urged the mare over the railing on the far side, clearing the fence with inches to spare and galloping across the field beyond, braids bouncing on her shoulders.
"Where in the world did my spoiled princess in ruffles and lace go?" Cody asked in a forlorn voice. "What will the neighbors think, when they see her in those pants?"
"That little princess is still there under the tomboy," Shanna soothed. "Just give her a couple years or so, until she starts discovering boys."
"Oh, good lord," Cody groaned. "I don't know which is worse — a tomboy or a princess I have to stand guard over with a shotgun."
"Well, keep in practice, because I've got a feeling this one will be a girl, too. I'd like to name her Diedre after my mother, Cody. We can call her Dee Dee while she goes through her tomboy stage."
"Um hum. Whatever you want, sweetheart."
"Cody, are you listening to me?" Shanna tugged on his sleeve until Cody looked down.
"Huh? Listening? Yeah, I was listening to the silence. Do you realize we're alone here — at least for the next two hours."
"No, we're not. Bessie's in the house."
"Asleep. But I wasn't thinking about the house. I was thinking about the haymow."
"Oh, the haymow," Shanna said in a dreamy voice. "I haven't been in the haymow in years, not since the new barn was built. Is this haymow as nice as the old one?"
Cody swept her into his arms. "Let's go see what you think of it," he growled.