Newlywed Christmas (Brides of Juniper Junction Book 4) Read online

  Usually, Christmas hadn't been a happy time for Tassie. Living on her own with her older brother after they were orphaned as children, Christmas had hardly meant warm cozy family times. They'd struggled. Another twinge of guilt hit her when she thought about Michael. He'd run off from the sanatorium after Cal had used his influence as sheriff to get him admitted. Michael drank too much and it made him do awful things. Bad things. Scary things. She'd been so optimistic when he'd gone to the sanitarium, hoping he'd get the help he needed and once again he'd be the caring, loving older brother she remembered.

  And now he was going to be an uncle. Not that he'd likely ever know.

  She shook her head and put her focus on other things, like finding the button that had rolled underneath the kitchen table. Moving a chair out of the way, she got down on her hands and knees, stretching her arm out to collect the errant accessory.

  "Well, now that's a sight a man likes to see after a long day of chasing bad guys." Cal's warm voice startled her and she nearly banged her head on the underside of the table, but caught herself in time.

  Her nerves were certainly frazzled. She'd relax after she told Cal her news.

  But before she got herself out from under the table, Cal had grabbed hold of her hips and stroked over her backside. "Mmm. Yes, this is exactly what I've been thinking about the whole way home." He gave her bottom a playful swat and then helped her to stand up and greeted her with a kiss. He tasted of fresh air and hard work and Tassie's pulse sped up.

  After the kiss ended, he held her at arm's length and looked her over, taking note of the missing button that left a tantalizing gap in her blouse. "I see you anticipated my return." He stuck two fingers into the opening and gave her beaded nipple a pinch.

  "Youch!" Tassie jumped away and grabbed at her sensitive breast, giving Cal an accusatory stare.

  "Holy cats, Tassie," he said, coming toward her, his face covered with remorse. "I must have been a little too eager, I'm so sorry, darlin'. You know I'd never hurt you."

  She caught her breath and remembered Dr. Granger's list of possible symptoms for her current condition. Well, he'd been right about sensitive breasts. Her body was going to be changing... a lot. How would Cal react? He was an eager lover and nearly every night he reached for her in the bed they shared. How would he feel now if she started yelping every time he touched her?

  Oh, dear.

  Cal pulled her into his arms and gently stroked over her breasts, as if apologizing to one of his favorite parts of her body. Even that small touch was uncomfortable. Tassie bit her tongue to keep from protesting, but she couldn't fool Cal.

  No one fooled Cal.

  "Cal, sweetie. Why don't you have a seat?" She smiled at him and nodded toward the chair she'd moved out of the way to retrieve the button.

  "What's the matter, Tassie? You look awfully serious."

  She meant to sit down across from him but she was too nervous so she stood, wringing her hands together. "I-I went to see Dr. Granger today."

  "What?" Cal jumped up from his seat and Tassie realized that was not the best way to start this conversation. She should have practiced a bit but honestly her mind had been in a complete muddle since she'd left Dr. Granger's office.

  Cal grabbed her by the upper arms and scanned her from head to toe. "Are you all right? Why did you go to see the doctor?" He eased her down into the chair he'd vacated. He knelt next to her and took her hand in his. "Please tell me everything is fine and that you just have a cold or something. Have you been sneezing? I heard there's a bug going around. Let me get you a shawl." He stood but Tassie gripped his hand and kept him in place.

  "Cal," she said, gazing into his eyes. At that moment, it hit her. A baby. A tiny baby for her and Cal. She was going to be a mother. Her heart nearly overflowed with happiness. He cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to finish what she had to say.

  "A baby, Cal," she whispered, barely able to believe it herself. "We're going to have a baby."

  For a full minute he stared at her, slack-jawed. After a few seconds, his lips started to move as though he was trying to get them to work but they were rusty or something. Finally, after several failed attempts he spoke. "A b-baby?" he said, face full of wonder.

  "Yes," she answered, her face suddenly wet with tears of happiness. "A baby of our very own. Dr. Granger says he— or she— will be here around Christmas time."

  "A baby?" Cal said again as though in shock. Tassie could certainly understand that. She'd felt that way all day, but saying it to Cal made it all seem more real.

  And then, it was like the dam broke and realization set in for Cal. He whooped and pumped his fist in the air, then gently scooped her into his arms and sat back down with her in his lap. "A baby? Oh darlin', I can't believe it. But I'm so happy. So happy to have you as my wife and the mother of our children. You're going to be a wonderful mother."

  "Thank you, Cal," she said, resting her head against him. "I don't have much of an example for how to be a mother. I'm kind of scared."

  "Don't you worry, sweet girl. I'll be right there with you." He lowered his face and kissed her with such tenderness, Tassie's tears flowed again.

  POSEY AND JAKE

  "B-baby?" Jake's voice was so soft, Posey had to lean forward to hear him. They were in his office at Windy River Ranch. She'd walked all the way there after she'd visited the doctor without even going to the Quilting Society meeting. Happy tears had streamed down her face as she strode the last few hundred yards. A mother, she was going to be a mother.

  And she wasn't going to die.

  She'd been nearly sure of it until Dr. Granger had reassured her that she was perfectly healthy and would be having a baby in a few months.

  A baby! She was as shocked at Jake.

  She gazed into his eyes, cupping his face in her hands, all the love she felt for him pouring over her. "Yes," she whispered, almost as if saying it out loud would break the spell and she'd wake up to find that she was in fact dying. Had swallowed a tapeworm and that was why she couldn't stop eating. For her, it had been the only explanation that made sense. Fortunately, Dr. Granger had a better answer.

  "A baby?" Jake said it again, like he was trying to convince himself. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes!" she replied. "I went to see Dr. Granger today before the quilting society meeting. Oh Jake, I was sure I was dying and I just needed the doctor to tell me how long I had to live so I could prepare myself. I hated the idea of leaving you, especially now that we've been so happy and you make me so happy and everything is perfect so of course when I kept eating and eating and eating, I knew it had to be a tapeworm. When I was in school Billy Brucker had a tapeworm and it nearly killed him and he'd eat and eat and eat. It was disgusting and then when I did the same thing, well, all I could think about was Billy and the tapeworm and how I was going to die and leave y-you, but now I'm not. I'm going to have a baby and won't that be wonderful?" She paused and took a deep breath.

  Jake just stared at her, stunned.

  "You're happy about the baby, aren't you?" she asked. It had never occurred to her that Jake wouldn't be happy about a baby. But maybe he didn't want children. They'd never talked about it, but everyone wanted children, right?

  But what if Jake didn't?

  "Of course I'm happy, darlin'. This is the best news ever. Second only to when we got married. I'm just trying to understand a couple things, though. First, if you thought you had swallowed a tapeworm, how would that have happened and why didn't you tell me?" He shook his head back and forth. "Posey, oh my sweet, Posey. You sure do make life interesting." He lifted her from the chair and set her on his lap.

  "Now, I'm going to have to check with Dr. Granger about whether or not I can spank you while you're pregnant because not telling me about your worries is a big no-no."

  Posey gasped. "Jake! I just gave you the best news ever, you said so yourself. You can't spank me over that." She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted up at him.

  He
tapped her on the nose. "You did give me the best news ever, but you also confessed that you were worried and never mentioned it to me.'

  "I thought you'd figured it out. You've seen how much I’ve been eating lately. Not to mention the incident with the pickles at the fair." She hung her head. She was still pretty embarrassed about that. "And my clothes are too tight." She tugged at the waistband of her skirt.

  "Well, I guess you'll just have to not wear so many clothes." Jake stroked his wide palm over her head, brushing her hair back off her face. It had come loose during her rush to Windy River Ranch.

  "Jake! You're scandalous!"

  His eyes shone with so much love and happiness, it made Posey's heart hurt just to look at him. He lowered his face and blocked her view before he captured her mouth in a tender kiss that conveyed all the love they shared. She pressed herself closer and wound her arms around him.

  When the kiss ended he nuzzled his face into her neck. "You're going to be the best mama in the whole world, Posey. I just know it."

  "Oh Jake. Do you really think so? I tend to mess things up. I'm kinda worried."

  "No need for you to worry, sweetheart. You've got the most important quality. Love. And lots of it. I'd have thought I'd be jealous thinking that you'll have a baby to love instead of me." He settled his hand over her abdomen reverently. "But I love this baby so much, I feel like I could burst. I can't wait to meet him. Did the doctor say when you'll deliver?"

  "That's the best news of all," Posey exclaimed. "He says around Christmas. Oh, a Christmas baby. Won't that be wonderful?"

  "Christmas, New Years, any day is a wonderful day for our baby to arrive."

  He gathered her close and kissed her again.

  Jake couldn't believe that Posey, in her condition, had made the trip to Windy River Ranch on foot. It was only a couple of miles from town, but still, that was a long way for an expectant mother to travel.

  "No more walking, or running, to Windy River, you hear me?" he said as they rode back to town in one of the ranch's wagons. He'd gone to the stable to borrow it, explaining to Matt why he needed it in the middle of the day. To his shock, he found out that Lizzie was also pregnant. And due around Christmas as well.

  "Yes," Posey answered with a pout. "Dr. Granger says I'm perfectly healthy."

  "And I plan to keep it that way," Jake replied. "You've got our baby in here," he rubbed her tummy again, it seemed he couldn't stop himself, "and we need to protect him."

  "Or her," Posey corrected him.

  "Or her. I'm sure if it's a girl, she'll be as ornery as her mother. Heaven help me."

  TASSIE

  "Congratulations to you girls. Well, I guess I shouldn't call you girls, though I can't help it since you're all so much younger than me. Plus, I kinda like to think of you as my daughters." Mrs. Campbell's voice was full of warmth and Tassie drank it in, as she assumed Posey and Lizzie did as well.

  It had been two weeks since Tassie and Posey found out that they were pregnant too and everyone at the quilting society meeting was excited for them.

  They were all three about to become mothers and none of them had much recollection of life with their own mothers. Though from the little she knew about Lizzie, she'd had more time with her mother than either Tassie or Posey had, but their relationship had not been close.

  "Thank you, Mrs. Campbell," she replied with an affectionate smile for the older woman who really had been like a mother to her since she'd arrived in Juniper Junction alone and without a job. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Campbell giving her work and a roof over her head, Tassie hated to think what might have become of her. Plus, she’d met Cal, the handsome sheriff who was now her husband, at Mrs. Campbell's boarding house.

  "This has got to be a record, don't you think?" Mrs. Blake from the general store said, joining the conversation, though she seemed to be directing her comment to Mrs. Campbell rather than the mothers-to-be.

  "Record?" Posey asked.

  "Three of us all expecting babies around the same time, that's pretty unusual," Lizzie explained. "I'm rather surprised by it myself."

  "Oh, we're not surprised at all," Mrs. Campbell said, giving Mrs. Blake a sideways glance. Both women smiled with a bit of smugness.

  "I think there were four just a couple years ago, the year Mr. Conners served his mother’s recipe for whisky punch. I think that had an extra positive affect." Mrs. Blake chuckled.

  "I-I don't understand," Tassie said. Posey and Lizzie nodded in agreement.

  "Yes," Lizzie said, "what are you ladies talking about?"

  Several women, young and old, had gathered around the table where Lizzie, Posey and Tassie sat. It was quilting day, the first one after the fair and now everyone in town knew about the three expecting brides. After the incident at the flower tent, many of the hurt feelings were smoothed over once they found out that Tassie was going to have a baby. Babies solve so many problems, it seemed.

  "We always have a bumper crop of babies around Christmas time. Haven't you noticed?"

  "Not really," Tassie said. "I guess I haven't been here that long and didn't know quite so many people."

  "Same for me," Lizzie added. "I've been here even less time."

  "But why is there a bumper crop of babies? And what's Mr. Conners serving punch have to do with it?" Posey asked.

  Tassie nodded. "Good questions, Posey."

  "Do you want to tell them?" Mrs. Blake said to Mrs. Campbell. "Or should I?"

  "Oh, you go ahead. I'll enjoy listening."

  "Well," Mrs. Blake started, "as I recall, all of you were at Mr. Conners' St. Patrick's Day party this past spring, right?"

  "Y-yes," they all answered, brows furrowed.

  "Oh!" Posey exclaimed. "I've heard about special herbs that can help a lady who wants to have a baby. Is that what Mr. Conners put in the punch?"

  "Why would he do that?" Lizzie asked.

  "Stop, stop." Mrs. Blake held her hands up to halt the discussion. "Mr. Conners doesn't do anything to help people who want to have babies. It's just that... well, after a long winter, getting out and having a good time with music and maybe a bit of alcohol... it seems that many of the married couples in town… well." Mrs. Blake started to blush. Tassie'd never seen that before. She glanced at Mrs. Campbell who seemed to be feeling a bit awkward too.

  "Oh!" Lizzie exclaimed, understanding crossing over her face.

  Tassie stared at her and wished she understood what the big riddle meant.

  Lizzie leaned over and explained to Tassie and Posey. "I think what they are trying to say is that Mr. Conners' party tends to lead couples to want to ... well, you know... be intimate."

  "Oh!" Tassie and Posey both drew back in surprise. Then Tassie remembered how she and Cal had snuck out of the party and done naughty things against a tree. A heated flush covered her face.

  "I can see how that could happen," she confessed.

  The other women squealed with laughter.

  Posey and Lizzie raised their hands with looks of guilt. "Same here," Lizzie said, and Posey just nodded.

  "It was a fun party," Posey said.

  "We're all so happy for you," Mrs. Blake said.

  Others at the quilting society congratulated the mothers-to-be and then the rest of the married ladies congregated in another part of the room where more laughter rang out with a few exclamations of "I won" and "Yippee!"

  "What are they doing over there?" Lizzie asked.

  "I don't know," Tassie said, "but I have a feeling it has something to do with us. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be hiding in the back of the room."

  Mrs. Campbell glanced in their direction, then with a bit of a guilty expression she returned to the three friends. "I suppose you're wondering what we're all so excited about," she said, sheepishly.

  "We are," Lizzie said, arms folded over her chest. Not all of her high-falutin' ways had fallen by the wayside and it tickled Tassie when Lizzie went all society lady every now and then.

  "Well, every year
we have a little pool. We all put in a few coins and make our predictions for how many pregnancies will come from the St. Patrick's Day party. We also add extra points for those who guess the women who actually become pregnant."

  "No!" Tassie said, her face flaming. "You bet on us, like we were racehorses?"

  "When you put it that way, dear, it does sound bad. But have some pity on the rest of us, especially a widow like me. We have to have some fun and maybe live a little vicariously through you newlyweds."

  "Besides," she added, "I won two dollars."

  POSEY

  "I know everyone is happy for us," Posey said to Lizzie and Tassie, "but I sure wish they hadn't been betting on us."

  Tassie sighed and patted her hand. "It was all in good fun and it's not like they were betting on us specifically."

  "Well, I do suspect Mrs. Campbell must have had at least one of our names as a guess since she seems to be the big winner."

  Posey frowned. "I know it was all in good fun, but it's not so much fun when you're the subject."

  "Sort of like gossip?" Tassie said, giving her a wink. If anyone knew how much Posey hated being called Nosey Posey, it was Tassie. Posey had made some big improvements, but these little reminders filled her with guilt over her habit of spreading tales.

  "I guess that is my payback for what I've done. But what about you two?"

  "There's no payback for anyone, Posey," LIzzie said. "Besides, we're all happy to be expecting babies, right? And we're doing it together."

  "Thank goodness," Posey said. She looked from side to side before leaning close and whispering to her friends. "I don't have any idea how to be a mother and I'm scared to death. I know I should be excited but I can't stop thinking about how I just make a disaster out of everything and how can I be a mother?"

  "Oh, I'm so glad you said that," Lizzie confessed. "I feel the same way. I'm just now learning how to be a wife and take care of a household. How can I be a good mother too?"

  "Have you thought about hiring a nanny?" Tassie asked. It wasn't an option for Posey or Tassie, but Lizzie had a mysteriously large amount of money in the bank and no doubt could live much higher off the hog than the modest life she had with Matt.