Page 64 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

Bailey’s dad gave her away, wearing his full and impressive uniform, the entire front of which was weighted down by medals and pins. Bailey wore a simple white satin dress, a sharp contrast to the massive beaded monstrosity Isabel wore a decade a go, one with a train so long it rivaled Princess Diana’s. It was hard not to make comparisons between that day and this one, and it was hard not to feel grateful, ridiculously so, over the second chance he’d been given. Bailey was the kind of woman he should have looked for in the firstplace, a woman who valued hard work and personal integrity as much as he did. Those things might not be glamorous or sexy or end up on the cover of a magazine. But they were better indicators of happiness and fulfillment and he loved her, adored her, really. There was something extra special about knowing she reserved her soft side for him, hisdiabla loca.

After the wedding and the meal and the cake, they cleared the floor and danced. Cal was enjoying himself, was enjoying being with his family and friends, but he also longed to get away, to have Bailey all to himself, to begin their lives. His plan was to ease her out, to edge her toward an exit and steal away with her. But Bailey, it turned out, was not as into the plan as he was.

“My family is here. What are they going to think when I disappear?” she whispered. They were near the door, beneath the hayloft, and Cal was attempting to urge her away.

“That you’re ready to start your honeymoon with your ridiculously eager husband,” he said.

“Give me one more hour,” she said, pressing her palm to his cheek.

“Okay, but that’s one less hour I have to get you good and pregnant,” Cal said.

“Are you really sure you want to have a baby this soon?” she asked. She didn’t have a ton of female friends, but the ones she did have always seemed to lament the fact their husbands didn’t want kids as soon as they did.

“I have never been more sure about anything, present company excluded. I want us to have kids, a lot of kids, and very soon.”

“Yes, I am so down with that plan,” Maggie said, poking her head over the side of the hayloft. There were pieces of hay stuck haphazardly all over her head. “You guys should havekids stat.”

“Girl, get down from there. Do you know what you look like you’ve been doing?” Cal exclaimed.

Cam’s head appeared beside hers. “What’s she look like she’s been doing?”

“Probably exactly what she’s been doing,” Cal said.

“We were playing with the kittens,” Maggie said, holding a kitten aloft. “Mostly.”

Cam dropped his head to his hand. “Maggie, why did you add that ‘mostly’? We were in the clear until then.”

“Not really,” Bailey said. “We’re going back to the party. You kids have fun.”

“We really were playing with the kittens,” Maggie called.

“Mostly,” Cam added. He sat back and set aside his kitten, reaching for her instead. “You know, if they’re having a baby, we should really consider.”

“Are you saying that because you want to have a baby or because you want to beat your brother?”

“Competition makes the world go round,” he said, his hand smoothing up and down her arm. He started picking pieces of hay from her hair and then gave up when he realized there were too many. She was ridiculously lovely, and he couldn’t get over the fact that she was his forever.

“I think we’re going to be okay here,” Maggie told him, easing her palms on his chest.

“How? If they get pregnant tonight, they’ll have a baby first.”

“Trust me, we’re going to be okay,” Maggie said.

“That only works if we…” he froze. “Maggie, are you trying to tell me you’re pregnant?”

“A little bit,” she said.

There was an exclamation from the hayloft and everyone turned to look.

“You know what I bet’s going on?” Cal asked.

“Thanks to that eighth grade biology class, I think I do,” Bailey answered.

“I bet because they heard us talking about having a baby, they’re planning to have a baby now, too. Cam’s competitive like that. I have no idea where gets it,” Cal said.

“What?” Bailey exclaimed. “She’s younger than I am, and he’s way,wayyounger than you.”

“One ‘way’ would have been plenty sufficient, thank you.”

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