Erin felt slightly guilty for the gift she was going to give Lance. Technically, she had other things to give him, but yesterday, at the store, she’d had a feeling, so she’d picked it up. They’d only been remarried for a couple of months, but it was enough time that the possibility she hoped for just might be true.
Nicole burst into the kitchen as she was wrapping the item. She did her best to try to cover it up, but Nicole swooped in.
“What’s that?”
Erin covered it with the bag. “None of your business. It’s a Christmas present. Go away.”
“It looks like a pregnancy test.”
She’d promised Lance he’d be the first to know. And, actually, she didn’t know anything. That was the whole point. They were going to take it together. Well, she was going to take it, but her husband was going to be there, positive or negative, through it all, just like she’d promised.
“I said, it’s none of your business.”
Leah entered the kitchen. “What’s this about a pregnancy test? Who’s taking a pregnancy test?”
Erin gave an exasperated sigh, which gave Nicole the opportunity to pull the bag off the test.
“I knew it. Are you pregnant?”
Erin grabbed the test. “I don’t know. I haven’t taken it. I was going to give it to Lance, in private, and he was going to be the first to know. I promised.”
The guys came through the back door then, laughing and brushing snow off one another.
“What did you promise?” Lance said, grinning. But then he saw what Erin had in her hands and the smile left his face. “Is that...?”
Erin stood. “Yes. I picked it up on a whim, and I was going to give it to you tonight when we were alone.”
“Why don’t you take it now?” Nicole asked. “We’re all here. You should take it and let us know.”
She was going to kill her sisters. Most specifically, Nicole, but Leah’s mischievous grin wasn’t helping matters.
Erin looked over at Lance. “It’s your present. Your call.”
“Might as well take it.”
He looked nervous. Like he was afraid to hope. She didn’t blame him, they’d been through so much.
She took Lance by the hand then pointed at her sisters and their husbands. “You all stay here. Lance is going to wait for me in the bedroom. I am going to take the test, and he gets to read the results. Then we’ll tell you all. And if any of you break the rules and there is a baby, I won’t let you hold it when it’s born.”
Her threat worked, because her sisters nodded. They all loved babies, and they knew if they made her mad enough, she would make good on her promise.
After Erin took the test, she went to the bedroom and handed it to Lance. It wouldn’t show positive or negative for a few minutes, so she grasped his hand. “Whatever the result is, we’re in this together.”
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “I know. But until I saw that test, I didn’t realize how badly I wanted to be a dad again.”
She closed her eyes as he held her close to him. She wanted the same thing.
“Baby,” he whispered. She opened her eyes and looked down at the results. The big plus sign was unmistakable.
They hugged for a moment, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was glad she’d put her foot down to make this a private moment between her and Lance.
When they came out of the bedroom, Erin couldn’t help laughing at the sight of her sisters standing at the foot of the stairs, eagerly awaiting the news.
Lance held up the test. “We’re having a baby.” His voice cracked as he spoke and her sisters rushed her to hug her.
“This is so exciting,” Nicole said. “When I saw the test, I was really hoping for it to be positive, because I want to share this special time with you. Our babies will grow up together and be best friends and—”
Erin stared at her sister. “You’re pregnant, too?”
A wide grin filled Nicole’s face. “Yes. I just told Fernando this morning.”
Leah put her hands on her hips and glared at them. “And now you ruined my surprise. I had a big reveal planned for tonight’s dinner to share our news with all of you, so now it won’t be as exciting. But what does it matter? We’re all having babies. And the Three Sisters Ranch legacy is going to live on.”
Erin returned to her husband and he held her tight. When she looked over at her sisters, all snuggled up to their husbands, she was so grateful for the gift they’d been given in inheriting this place.
The door slammed open and the boys raced in, but then they stopped.
“Not this mushy stuff again,” Dylan said. “Mom and Dad can’t stop hugging and kissing each other. It’s kind of gross.”
Shane shook his head. “It is never gross for a cowboy to love his wife. The cowboy way is to love your wife with all your heart.”
Dylan made a noise. “If having a wife means all that gross stuff, count me out. I’ll be the Lone Ranger. Come on, Ryan. Let’s go visit the animals.”
Lance gave Erin another squeeze. “Marrying you was the best thing I’ve ever done. Life around here is never dull.”
Erin pulled away. “The best thing? No, it was the second best. Marrying you the second time? Now that was the best thing.”
He laughed and kissed her again. “I stand corrected.”
As they continued their holiday preparations, Erin couldn’t help thinking how, each Christmas, life just got better and better. She glanced over at her binder, sitting on the counter. Even though Lance still made fun of her for having her checklist, he couldn’t deny that every year together, it was the perfect Christmas.
If you enjoyed this
Three Sisters Ranch story,
be sure to pick up the previous books in
this series to see how Erin’s sisters found
their happily-ever-afters:
Her Cowboy Inheritance
The Cowboy’s Faith
Available now from Love Inspired!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Hometown Christmas Gift by Kat Brookes.