“We were thinking about September,” was all he said to Colt’s excited discovery.
“The hell you are! That’s great!” Colt said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. “Elaina will be ecstatic.”
“Let me tell her please, Colt. I want her to be my maid of honor,” Tammy pleaded.
He nodded. “By then she’ll no longer be pregnant and I’m sure she’d be happy as hell to do that for you.”
The ride home was laced with an uplifting ambiance while Colt and Lance talked about the ranch and business, as usual. Tammy always was envious of the affection the three brothers had for one another. She loved her siblings, but they didn’t seem to have that same connection.
Lance helped her unload her luggage and took it up to her apartment. He set it down in the entrance and looked around.
“What is it?”
“I was just thinking that we’d have to find a place to live. Soon.”
She never even thought about that.
“I would love to stay in my father’s house with the rest of my family, but with us wanting children right away, it would begin to get crowded.” He smiled mirroring her own. “I’m thinking, I’ll build a house.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
He shrugged. “It will be on the ranch though. I want to stay close to my brothers.”
“Oh Lance, that sounds wonderful.”
He walked up to her and kissed her sound on the mouth. “I’d do anything to please you Tammy.”
She felt like weeping again but did her best not to. She seemed to be doing that a lot around him lately.
“I’ll be back later tonight. I have to go home and deal with some business and unpack.” He kissed her again and left.
She went and checked her messages and laughed at the dozen messages left for shifts. She called the hospital and took an evening shift.
Then she called Lance and told her she did. It was the first time she used her cell phone.
“Do you not remember the rules?” he asked.
Colt cast him a sideways glance and mouthed,rules?
He nodded, “She works too much.”
“Yeah well we’ve all told her that.”
“You two quit talking about me,” Tammy chastised. “Besides it’s been so long. I’ll be home by eleven-thirty. I know you’ll be a while Lance, so I need to keep busy.”
“You will cut down these shifts Tam, now and in the future. You know why.”
He sounded so stern but she felt herself smile. “Yes sir.”
“Not funny.”
“Well, how about you just get me pregnant then, councilor, then I’ll stop working.” She hung up the phone to his sharp intake of breath.
“She all right?” Colt saw his brother’s shocked expression.
“She’s fine. She just keeps finding ways to surprise me.” He chuckled and tucked his phone away.
“Are you sure about this big brother?” Colt didn’t need to explain what he was talking about. Lance already knew it was about marrying Tammy.
