Epilogue

“Time for the school bus!”

“Thanks, Birdie.” Jessie reached down to pet Barlow’s warm head as his tail thumped against the ground. “We need to pick up the kids, old boy. C’mon.” The collie followed as she walked away from the garden, crossed the side yard slowly, and headed toward the lovely sound of silly giggles emanating from her little girl. “Whew! It’s hot today.”

“You okay?” Birdie raised a hand against the afternoon glare from her chair on the front porch. “I’ll keep an eye on Violet, if you’re still able to drive down the lane to get the girls.”

“I’ll give it a try.” She grinned at four-year-old Violet, who was on the wooden porch swing flipping through a picture book. A breeze ruffled her daughter’s beautiful ginger curls. Our little Peanut. The sudden smile from the child made Jessie’s heart swell with love. “Be right back, sweetie.”

“Mommy, can I go?”

“I’ll just be a few minutes. Stay with Grandma, hon.”

Jessie picked up the keys from the lawn chair and hummed softly to herself as she made her way to the sedan parked near the flower beds. She paused and inhaled deeply, enjoying the fragrant scents of early fall.

Barlow barked as she opened the car door. The dog moved past her and jumped into the front seat, and then she climbed in carefully, shifting her weight as her pregnant belly brushed gently against the steering wheel. Next time, I think I’ll let Birdie do the driving. She patted her swollen tummy. “Okay, babies, let’s go get your sisters.”

Jessie guided the car slowly down the end of the lane and put the vehicle in park just as the familiar lumbering school bus eased to a stop. The doors jerked open, and a bright-eyed Daisy flew down the steps. Poppy appeared right behind her sister with both hands full of coloring papers as Jessie waved. Their sunny cheerfulness brought a smile to her lips. Thank you, Charlotte, for letting go and allowing the girls to live this happy life with us at the ranch.

“Mommy! Barlow!” The kids pulled open the back doors, one on each side, and piled into the car. “No babies yet?” Daisy hung over the front seat.

“Not yet, sweetie.” She wiped sweat from her brow with a tissue. “But very soon. I promise.”

“I’m tired of waiting,” Poppy chimed in.

Me, too. Jessie exhaled a quiet sigh as she pressed a hand to her stomach.

Then Poppy leaned over the seat next to Daisy and ran her fingers down Barlow’s back. “I want to see Dalton and Wyatt for real. Not just those goofy photos you got on the fridge.”

She chuckled, a bit startled by her daughter’s outspoken opinion. “You don’t like the pictures from the doctor’s office?”

“Nah, they’re yucky. Hey, Mama, my teacher said I did good in art. Real good!” Poppy enthused. “I brought my drawings home. See? I did one of my new brothers. Twins! Like me and Daisy.”

“That’s great, honey. We’ll put them up next to the others.” She took the pages from Poppy, carefully considering each of them. “Beautiful work, babe. Lots of pretty colors.” Then she winked at her beaming little girl. “Much better than the photos on the fridge.”

Jessie reached over and tugged gently on Daisy’s long blonde braid. “How did recess go, sweetie? Better today? No hitting? Right?”

“No hitting. But I wish.” The child offered a sly grin that roused a smile from Jessie, even though she regretted succumbing to the humor of the moment.

She cleared her throat, wanting to sound serious. “Daisy, I’m proud of you. You’re doing a good job trying to get along with all the kids.”

“Just stay away from Bobby,” Poppy insisted with a roll of her eyes. “Kindergarten shouldn’t be so hard.”

Jessie couldn’t resist a light laugh. “Can’t argue with that, honey. Now, sit back and buckle up.” Carefully turning the vehicle around, she headed slowly back up the long lane. “Let’s go see Violet and Grandma Birdie.”

“Is Gramps here, too?” Daisy squinted as she stared out the window toward the front porch.

“Not yet.” Jessie steered the old sedan into its usual parking spot. “Grandpa Milo will be here later for pizza.”

“Yay!”

Daisy shoved open her door, and Poppy quickly followed. Jessie expected Barlow to bail out with the girls, but the collie didn’t budge. He remained faithfully by her side, his big brown eyes focused on her.

“Worried about the fat pregnant lady? You’re the best dog. Ever.” She struggled to slide from behind the steering wheel, but she managed to climb out with Barlow trailing along behind her. Then she looked up, smiling at the beautiful sight of the twins entangled in their daily ritual—a reunion huddle with little Violet. All three excitedly jumped up and down as Jessie blinked back tears of sheer joy. Her tired, achy body longed to sink into a comfortable chair, but she had never been happier. Of that, she was certain. And she could hardly wait to hold her little boys in her arms.

“Hey, what about me?” Birdie called out loudly to the children as she stood, both hands on her hips, with her mouth turned into a fake frown. But not for long. Her smile returned when the trio giggled and scooted her way for a hearty embrace.

Jessie slowly climbed the front steps, reveling in the cheerful chatter. Thankfully, her jumble of emotions was finally settling a bit. She didn’t want to burst into tears in front of the kids.

“Take a load off.” Birdie pushed a lawn chair in her direction. “You should be resting.”

“If I sit down, will you help me up?” she asked with a light laugh.

“You bet. Relax while you can. When those baby boys arrive, you’ll need all the energy you can rally. Especially if they’re anything like their father was when he was a kid. Chase was as ornery as dirt.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Jessie pulled her long curls, damp from sweat, into a loose ponytail and fastened it with the band from her wrist. “Ah…it feels good to sit down.”

A big gray rig pulled onto the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust, and a comforting relief settled over her.

Good. He’s home.

With the delivery date closing in, she grew more and more reluctant to see him leave the house each morning. But hadn’t he always been there when she needed him? Jessie’s lips tugged into a smile. Maybe that’s the sweet truth I should hold onto.

“Speaking of Chase…” Birdie nodded toward the road. “Hey, girls! There’s your dad. Take a seat. Remember, safety first.”

All three hurried to their places. They sat down obediently—the tiny redhead nestled between her fair-haired siblings—on the front step and waited for the truck to stop. Once Chase swung open the door, Daisy looked up in wide-eyed excitement.

“Now? Okay? Now, Grandma?”

“Go ahead.”

“Yay!” Free at last, the kids jumped up and raced down the front steps. “Daddy! Daddy!”

Jessie laughed softly at the lovely spectacle.

“Hey, hey! Where are my girls? Oh, there they are.” Chase’s voice, hearty and chuckling, brought the sting of tears back to Jessie’s eyes. How much I love this man.

A lump rose in her throat as her husband knelt down to embrace all three of their girls in a big bear hug. She bit her lower lip, hoping to suppress the river of emotion that threatened to overflow.

Birdie’s jovial laughter broke the tension of the moment.

Jessie swallowed hard and managed a quiet response, “He’s such an amazing dad.”

“Yep,” Birdie agreed. “And he’ll soon have more kids than he can hug in one bunch.”

Chase and the children made their way noisily onto the porch.

“Hi, ladies.” He leaned in close, his gaze as tender as a caress, and Jessie inhaled the familiar scents of leather, horses, and hay. She smiled. “You smell like the stables.”

“That can’t be good,” he remarked as he placed a large, warm hand gently on her very round middle.

“On the contrary…” She arched an eyebrow. “I like it.”

Chase grinned mischievously. “Then I guess you married the right guy.”

“Absolutely.” She touched his cheek, enjoying the rasp of beard against her skin.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

“Happy.” Although blissfully peaceful works well, too. She nodded toward their growing brood as the girls scrambled boisterously off the porch after Barlow. “Birdie and I were just talking about our expanding family. Think how blessed we are the adoptions worked out so well,” she added. No challenges from anyone. Charlotte is off again with some new guy; Jonas is settled with a job in Texas; and Brian is relieved to be out of the picture.

“We are blessed,” he agreed. “And I love big families.”

“Me, too.” She leaned forward to brush his smiling lips with a kiss. “Especially this one.”