Balloons were flying at the entrance to the newly renovated Redemption Ranch lodge as Arianna, Jack and Sammy walked into the warm, welcoming great room. Arianna looked over at Sammy, worried he wouldn’t like the colorful change to a familiar environment. And indeed, he studied the balloons impassively for a moment.
“Balloons, Sammy. How do you like the balloons?”
He studied them for a moment longer. “’Loons,” he said and nodded once. The shadow of a smile crossed his three-year-old face. “Like ’loons.”
She swept him up in a hug. “Good words!”
“You little pistol.” Jack tickled Sammy’s chin, making him giggle. “You knew you’d get a hug from Mommy for that.”
Arianna still got a warm, happy feeling when she heard her husband refer to her as Sammy’s mommy, because there was no ambivalence or discomfort in his tone. With God’s help, they’d worked through it and it wasn’t a barrier to their happy marriage. Their very happy marriage. She leaned into him, and he put an arm around her.
All their friends were here: Gabe and Daniela with their baby, named Tommy for one of Gabe’s fallen comrades, and Lily and Carson and the twins, Sunny and Skye, who had been so wonderful helping Arianna and Jack manage the hard time they’d gone through.
Finn and Kayla were here with Leo, now a big third grader. And of course, Penny, Long John and his wife, and Willie. And Branson Howe, the banker, which was a little bit surprising.
After everyone had eaten a kid-friendly meal of pizza and pasta, and the kids were playing with Sammy’s toys—he had plenty, and no problem at all sharing his wealth—Penny gestured to bring the adults together. “I love you guys so much,” she said. “And I want you to be the first to know that, thanks to our donors, including many of you, we’re burning up the mortgage to Redemption Ranch, because it’s all paid off.”
The door opened, and everyone turned as Nathan came rushing in. “Sorry to be late,” he said. “I didn’t... Well, I appreciate the invitation.” His eyes scanned the children, and his small smile told Arianna he’d found Sammy at the center of the kids.
“We’re glad you came, too,” Penny said to Nathan, “because your donation is the one that put us over the top in paying off the ranch.”
Arianna lifted an eyebrow and looked over at Jack. His eyes had narrowed a little, and he looked surprised and interested, but not angry.
He was the best husband in the world.
“As long as we’re making announcements,” Willie said, “Penny and I have one, too.”
Arianna sucked in a breath and looked at Penny.
She was smiling at Willie with eyes full of love.
Willie cleared his throat. “She and I, well, we’re going to get married.”
There was general cheering and hugging, and Arianna’s heart was full. So much to celebrate, and these people were all so dear to her. She and Jack and Sammy were richly blessed.
Jack walked Branson Howe to the door. “You okay, man?” he asked.
“Yeah. I wish them well.” He took one more glance back at the room, where people were toasting Penny and Willie, and shook his head. “Next time, if there is one, I’ll try harder.”
“There will be,” Jack said. Sometime in the past year, he’d become an optimist about the future.
Jack looked across the room to where Nathan knelt in front of Sammy. They were both engrossed with a complicated and undoubtedly very expensive truck that Nathan had brought for Sammy’s birthday.
They didn’t look much alike, but the intensity they shared, their complete focus on what was in front of them rather than the din of the party around them, identified them, at least to Jack, as father and son.
It’s good for Sammy.
Of course, Sammy was too young to understand about biological parents. They had started telling him a simplified version of his adoption story, but for now, he didn’t have much interest.
As Jack watched, Arianna turned from refilling drinks and walked over toward Nathan and Sammy. She squatted down to admire the truck with them.
Emotion flashed through Jack, jealousy and longing, but it was clean now. He wasn’t ashamed of how he felt, and that helped him be in control of it. He drew in a couple of deep, calming breaths and walked over to the trio.
“Daddy!” Sammy held up his arms, and Jack reached down to pick him up, his heart swelling with love. Nathan stood then, too. He met Jack’s eyes and gave a little nod, and Jack understood.
It was a thank-you. Nathan was grateful to be involved in Sammy’s life. And Jack knew that as time went on, that involvement might become greater. Nathan might be a huge resource to Sammy, and that would be a good thing. Jack felt big enough to let it happen now.
“Bus! Bus!” Sammy struggled to get down as Buster, now a full-grown retriever mix, let out one deep bark. Sammy wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck for a none-too-gentle hug, which Buster endured patiently. Then the two of them headed off toward the other children.
Arianna slid an arm around Jack, and when he looked down at her, her eyes were warm with love. He tugged her closer, putting an arm around her slender waist and letting her his fingers stretch to touch her slightly convex abdomen. “You’re sure we can’t tell everyone tonight? Today?”
“It’s only four months. I still feel like it’s too early.” She smiled at him and relented. “Pretty soon, I’ll let you shout it from the rooftops.”
And that, he reflected as gratitude flooded his heart, he would certainly do.
Don’t miss these other books in
Lee Tobin McClain’s
Redemption Ranch miniseries:
The Soldier’s Redemption
The Twins’ Family Christmas
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at
www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from Rocky Mountain Memories by Lois Richer.
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