Authors: I. R. Johannesen
Willow shrieked with excitement as they turned off the main road into Macey and Eli’s long, tree-lined driveway after spending more than five hours on the road. “Mama look, they have lots of cows and horses! Do you think we might get to have a horsey ride while we’re here?”
Clare felt nervous at the prospect of meeting Crank’s sister. “Maybe sweetheart, but we just have to wait and see.” She glanced
nervously at Crank. “Hopefully Crank will take us for a horse-ride in a day or so once we have been to the hospital to see his brother-in-law, Eli.”
Crank reached across the centre console of his 4WD and squeezed Clare’s hand reassuringly. “Relax,” he drawled. “Mace is going to love you and Willow. Trust me.
” He glanced at Willow in the rear vision mirror and grinned. “And we will definitely find some time to go for a horsey ride, but you need to be patient, okay?”
Willow shot back a
gappy smile, “Okay Crank.”
Crank
then turned his attention to Michael and Edward. “Boys does your Dad still have Barney?”
Barney was a small, well-mannered pony just perfect for beginner
riders. Eli had bought him for the boys to learn to ride when they were around five, but they had both long since outgrown him and moved on to their own stud quality quarter horses.
“He sure does,” Edward piped up, “but
poor Barney doesn’t get ridden much these days. Sometimes Dad lends him to the local pony club so that he gets some use, but at the moment he’s out in the horse paddock, most likely waiting patiently for someone to saddle him up and take him for a ride.”
Willow’s baby blue eyes lit up. “Edward, do you think that I might be allowed to ride him? I love
ponies and I am a quick learner.”
Michael joined
in the conversation. “If it’s okay with you Clare, Edward and I would love to saddle up Barney and give Willow some horse riding lessons in the exercise yard before she goes for a horse ride around the ranch.” He looked at Clare expectantly. “Barney is real quiet and he just loves kids, especially if they bring him a carrot.”
Clare
felt torn, she trusted the twins to take good care of Willow while she was in their care, but she still had some resignations about letting her daughter get on a horse, even if it was a pony. “I guess it would be okay boys, but only if Crank can find Willow some suitable riding gear. I can’t risk her falling off and getting hurt.”
“Thank you Mama,” Willow said happily. “You’re the best!”
“That shouldn’t be a problem at all,” Edward assured Clare. “Our Mom never throws anything out that she thinks may come in useful again someday, so Michael and I both still have our first riding jodhpurs and helmets from when we were five.”
“Does that mean I can borrow them
so you can teach me how to ride?” she asked them excitedly.
Edward tousled her hair teasingly. “It sure does kiddo, anytime.”
***
Macey could hardly believe her eyes when she opened the door and saw Crank standing on her
front verandah with one arm draped over Clare’s shoulder and the other holding on tightly to Willow’s hand.
Crank
had not yet told her anything about them, preferring to keep their arrival at the ranch with him and the twins as a complete surprise.
“Oh my sweet Lord
, Crank!” she drawled. “You could have warned me you were bringing guests; I look like a complete wreck!”
Crank
squeezed Clare’s arm as if to reassure her; “Mace, my beautiful sister, as if you could ever look like a wreck!” he teased, letting go of Clare and Willow momentarily to give her a brief hug. “Mace, I’d like you to meet Clare and her daughter Willow. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve invited them along?”
“Mind?” she gasped
, barely able to contain her shock. “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t be happier for you.” Eagerly, she stuck out her arm to shake Clare’s hand. “Hi Clare,” she drawled, pumping her hand excitedly, “pleased to meet you.” She then turned her attention to Willow and knelt down until she was at eye level. “Pleased to meet you Willow, my name is Macey and that big lug of a man beside you is my brother.”
“Pleased to meet you Macey,”
Willow grinned, “Crank is our neighbour. He saved us when our car broke down and now him and Mama like each other … a lot.”
Macey’s mouth was
now wide open. “R-e-a-l-l-y? They like each other a lot hah?” She shot Crank a
‘well this is a complete turnaround since the last time we spoke’
look and stood back up. “Well I can’t wait to hear this story,” she said wryly, “so I guess I had better let y’all in so I can hear all about it.”
After Crank had ushered Clare and Willow into the house,
Edward and Michael picked up their belongings from the top of the steps and made a beeline for the door, but Macey stopped them in their tracks. “Do you two boys really think that you can just slip by to your rooms without giving your Mama a kiss?” she chastised.
“No Mama,” they both drawled in unison, before simultaneously kissing
a cheek each. “Did ya miss us?”
“Of course I have missed my boys,” she admitted, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks. “With your Daddy still recuperating in hospital the house has just been too damn quiet. That’s why I asked Crank to bring you guys home
. Besides, your Daddy is missing you guys so much.”
“We’ve missed him too Mama,” Edward said. “How is he doing?”
“He’s doing just fine,” she said cheerily. “The doctors say he should be allowed home in a week or so, but he will still need to rest for a few weeks after that before he will be allowed to go back to running the ranch, so I’m afraid you boys are going to have to take on most of the chores until your Daddy is back on his feet, okay?”
“We don’t mind Mama,” Edward drawled.
He gently nudged his brother. “Do we Michael?”
Michael gave his mother a reassuring smile. “Nah, we don’t mind,” he agreed.
As soon as Macey had made up the spare room for Clare and Willow and got out some sheets and blankets to make up the fold out sofa bed in the lounge for Crank, she set about making some sandwiches and home-made lemonade for the twins and Willow to eat out on the verandah, while Crank and Clare freshened up.
Thirty minutes later the three
adults were seated around Macey’s rustic eight-seater dining table enjoying a coffee and some chocolate cupcakes, which she had baked earlier that morning especially for Crank.
After bringing Macey up to scratch on how he met Clare and Willow and how he and Clare ended up together, Crank turned his attention to his sister. “Well Sis’,” he quipped, “now that we have finished telling you our story, it’s time for you to spill the beans and tell me what was so important that you had to tell me face to face rather than over the phone?”
Rather than answer straight away, Macey toyed with her empty coffee cup. “Crank, I’m afraid that Eli isn’t the only one who’s been sick. I’ve been feeling off for several weeks now and a couple of days ago at the hospital I feinted so they ran some routine tests.”
Crank looked concerned. “Oh my God, Mace, did the tests reveal anything?”
Macey nodded her head quietly.
Crank grabbed h
er hand. “Mace, please, just tell me, is it anything serious?”
Macey’s expression lightened, “I guess that depends on whether you think a woman getting pregnant at 33 is serious or not?”
Crank couldn’t believe what he just heard. “You’re pregnant?” he asked jumping up excitedly to give her a congratulatory hug. “Congratulations! That’s wonderful news!”
“I’m glad to see you’re happy for me Crank,
” she said, rubbing her belly, but just remember that this baby is gonna cost ya another hundred grand in tuition fees. Not to mention many, many hours of babysitting duties.”
“Mace, that’s wonderful news you’re a great Mom, but how? I mean
, how far along are you?”
“Almost three months
, apparently.”
“And what bout Eli, what does he think about being a
daddy again?”
“He
don’t know yet,” she admitted. “I’m gonna wait ‘til he gets home from hospital before I tell him. He’s still on too much medication at the moment.”
“Congratulations!” Clare said excitedly.
“I guess the idea of having another baby after such a long break is pretty daunting, but after spending the last two weeks with your sons and seeing first-hand what fine young men they are, I have no doubt that this baby is going to be a very lucky baby to have you as its Mom.”
“Thank you Clare,” Macey beamed. “I know you’re right, but I guess I’m still
tryin’ to get my head around being a Mom to a newborn again.”
“Do Edward and Michael know yet?” Clare asked.
“Not yet,” Macey admitted. “I want to tell them when I tell Eli, over a home-cooked family dinner.”
“The twins are going to be so excited when you tell them,” Crank
assured her. “They have absolutely adored spending time with Willow at the lake and have been treating her like a sister. Heck, Edward even told me at the lake that he sometimes wished he had a younger sister to hang out with when he and Michael are having one of their many tiffs.”
Macey rubbed her tummy again. “Well I sure hope Edward gets his wish ‘cause it would be kind
of nice having a little baby girl to dress up in pretty dresses and lacy shoes and bows. You know I always wanted to have a daughter someday.”
After four months of living together as a family in Austin, Clare had finally agreed to set a date to marry Crank and they had wed in the last week of January.
Kurt’s wife Fi, who had fast become
one of Clare’s best friends, had recently given birth to a daughter, Sasha Rose Waylon, and her new sister-in-law, Macey, was also due to give birth to a daughter any day, much to the delight of her now fully recovered husband, Eli, and her twin sons, Edward and Michael.
Clare
and Crank had decided at the last minute to head to Smithville for the weekend to catch up with Macey and Eli, and she was now sitting beside her new husband watching their daughter Willow happily cantering Barney around the exercise yard, her back straight and her shoulders square just like her cousins had taught her.
Briefly, she turned her attention to Crank, who was busily shouting
riding tips and encouragement from the sideline. His face etched with pride as he watched his newly adopted daughter confidently riding Barney around the exercise yard.
She had been putting off something important for days and realised that
delaying it was only prolonging her own agony. After making up an excuse to Crank that she was thirsty, Clare headed into her sister-in-law’s house and made her way to the upstairs bathroom. She had missed her last period and for the last couple of weeks had been feeling sick most mornings.
After securely locking the door to the bathroom
she opened up her handbag, retrieved the small box that she had discreetly purchased from a local Austin pharmacy the previous afternoon and followed the directions on the back of the box. In less than a minute two distinctive pink bars appeared in the small display oval, indicating a positive result for pregnancy.
Just as she was deciding how to break the wonderful news to Crank, there was a loud wrap on the bathroom door. “Clare, honey,
are you in there? It’s me Macey.”
Clare straightened out her clothes and hurriedly opened the door, concerned about the urgency in Macey’s voice. “What is it Mace? Is everything alright?”
Macey’s face was etched with pain and her stance looked awkward. “Oh thank God!” she blurted. “I thought you and Crank may have both still been down at the exercising yard with Willow. Honey could you please dash to the barn and fetch Eli for me, my water has just broke.”
Clare’s heart started racing. “Sure
, is there anything I can get you first to make you more comfortable while you wait?”
“No thanks Clare, just my lug of a husband; after all he’s the one who knocked me up. But you could call the boys for me while we’re on our way to the hospital and let them know that they’ll soon have a baby sister.
And tell them their Daddy will call them as soon as she’s born.”
After letting Crank know that his sister was in
labor and on her way to the hospital with Eli, Clare phoned the twins and told them the exciting news, passing on the message that their father would call them as soon as their new sister was born. She then headed for the kitchen to put on the roast dinner that she had been planning to cook in order to give Macey a rest from the kitchen.
“What’s all this for?” Crank asked, surprised to
be greeted by the magnificent aroma of a roast dinner and his sister’s dining table immaculately set for three, with candles, a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice, a centrepiece of fresh flowers and a chilling bottle of bubbly in the ice bucket.
“With Eli and Mace at the hospital
,” he drawled, lovingly embracing her around the waist and kissing her lovingly on the cheek, “I was just gonna grab us a few pizzas while we waited for news from Eli.”
Clare kissed him
back. “Can’t a wife surprise her gorgeous husband with a special dinner every once in a while?” she asked, curling her lips to reveal dimples that sent his pulse racing and his hormones raging.
Crank
nodded his head. “Sure, just give me a few minutes to fetch Willow and wash up and we’ll be ready to eat.”
“Hurry up!” she called after him as he headed upstairs. “I will be dishing up in about five minutes.”
***
“Have I ever told you how perfect my life is, since meeting you and Willow?” Crank asked
her as she popped the bottle of bubbly and poured some into his glass before pouring her and Willow a juice each.”
“What about you?” he asked. “Aren’t you having a glass of bubbly?”
“Not right now sweetheart, I’d prefer juice at the moment, but I would like to make an announcement before we start eating.” She looked from Crank to Willow and paused for effect.
“What is it Mama
?” Willow asked excitedly.
“W-e-l-l,” she announced. “There’s no easy way to say this so I’m just gonna come straight out with it. We’re having a baby!”
Willow squealed with delight. “Does this mean I will be getting a little sister or brother soon?” she asked excitedly.
“It sure does sweetheart!” Clare confirmed.
Crank was so happy at hearing the news that he almost cried. “We’re having a baby?” he asked wide-mouthed. “Oh my God! I’m gonna be a Daddy again.” He jumped up from his chair and kissed Clare excitedly on the lips. “Did you hear that Willow? I’m about to be a Daddy again and you’re about to be a sister to a little baby boy or girl.”
“I know,” Willow decreed. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It sure is!” Crank agreed.
Seven months later:
“Willow sweetheart,” Crank said excitedly, as he carefully placed a small bundle of joy into her lap. “I’d like you to meet your new little sister, Allora Faith Jackson, ain’t she gorgeous?”
Willow bent down and kissed her new baby sister on the cheek. “She sure is Daddy. Now you have three girls to look after instead of two.”
In his mind’s eye an image of his deceased daughter, Ellie, suddenly appeared, smiling at him with a grin from ear to ear.
‘Don’t worry sweetheart,’
he told her silently.
‘There will always be room for you in my heart no matter how many children Clare and I have. You’re my first baby girl and I will always love you no matter what.’
“Is everything alright?” Clare asked, spotting a stray tear rolling down his cheek.
“Every thing’s fine sweetheart,” he assured her. “In fact it’s better than fine; it’s absolutely perfect thanks to you.” He bent down and kissed her tenderly on the lips, remembering the moment he first spotted her and Willow broken down on the side of the road.
“Thank God my Mama brought me up to always
stop to help a lady in distress!”
THE END