Rory (11 page)

“So you think you’ll be staying
for Christmas?” he asked her.

“You want me to?”

He nodded before kissing her.

“Rory is that you up there?”

It was Marie, and she was in the
stables.

Rory blushed. Cass loved seeing
him
do that
.

“Yes, Mom, you need something?” he
called back.

“I was just looking for Cass.”

“She’s up here with me. We were
moving some hay for the horses,” said Rory.

“When your father and I were your
age we called it making whoopee,” said Marie.

Cass laughed, and Rory bit his
lip.

“Hi Marie,” said Cass.

“Hi honey. I just wondered if
you’re coming to the craft party
tonight?
”

“I sure am.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you there.”

Rory rested his head on Cass’s
cheek and they both burst out laughing.

****

Rory didn’t know if his mother
had told either Shane or Flynn about the incident in the stables earlier that
day. If she had, they hadn’t said anything or were being coy. Maybe they were waiting
for him to bring up the subject, but he was keeping it to himself.

“The doctor said the baby’s
turned into the birth canal so Natalie could go into labor at any time now,”
said Flynn breaking opening some peanuts and dropping the shells on the table.
He popped them into his mouth and chewed.

“If you need Lacey and me to look
after Emily while she’s having the baby, you know we’d be happy to. And did I
tell you what Liam did the other day?” asked Shane.

Rory took a deep breath. If the
boy’s night out was going to continue in this fashion, which he guessed it
might once Flynn became a father again, he’d opt to stay at home and read a good
book. Before they’d gotten married and had babies, they’d talked about fishing,
football, and the ranch, but now he felt left out.

Flynn was laughing, and he
guessed Shane had shared something mildly amusing about his son while Rory had
been miles away thinking how their lives changed in the last twelve months.
Shane had met and married Lacey and had a baby. Emily’s real mom had shown up
out of the blue and made Flynn fall head over heels. And Cass was back in
Timber Creek.

“So Rory, Cass’s been helping you
out while Flynn’s been spending more time with Natalie?”

“Mom’s told you, hasn’t she?” said
Rory.

Shane and Flynn looked at one
another. It had been an innocent enough question, but he’d foolishly jumped the
gun. Probably because he felt partly guilty about being with Cass, and partly
because his own mother had walked in on them post sex.

“Told us what?” asked Flynn.

Shane knocked his arm. “Don’t
stop now. Is there something we should know?”

Rory lifted the beer bottle and
took a long sip. “I’ve been…”

“You’ve been what?” asked Flynn.

“I’ve been sleeping with Cass.”

Both of them looked at him. He’d
stepped over the line and broken the family honor code. Is that what they were
about to tell him?

“When did this happen?” asked
Flynn.

“Not long after she got here and
I’m sorry, okay?”

“What’s there to be sorry about? Cass’s
a wonderful young woman,” said Shane.

“She’s also our brother’s ex-fiancé,”
said Rory.

“She was, but that doesn’t make
you a bad guy. I think Ryan would prefer to see her with you than someone who didn’t
respect her and care so much about her.”

They had a point.

“So let me get this straight. Mom
knew about this, but not us?” asked Flynn.

“She walked in on me and Cass
this afternoon while we were up in the hay loft.”

Both Flynn and Shane burst out
laughing. “The hay loft?” asked Shane. “You know how many girls I’ve had up
there?”

Rory pushed his hand through his
hair. Now that made it seem even worse.

Shane slapped the back of his
hand as Flynn’s cell phone rang.

“Hello…okay, I’ll be right
there.”

Flynn stood. “It’s Natalie. Her
water broke and looks like she’s in labor at the craft store.”

“You want us to come with you?” asked
Rory.

“I can give you a police escort
to the hospital,” said Shane.

“What would I do without you
two?”

****

Cass held one of Natalie’s hands,
Emily the other while Marie rubbed her daughter-in-law’s shoulders.

“Nice deep breaths, Natalie,”
said Marie.

“You’re going to have the baby,”
said Emily.

“I think I am.” Natalie squeezed
their hands.

“Flynn’s on his way,” said Marie.

“I’m scared,” said Natalie,
beginning to cry.

“Oh honey,
it’s
okay,” said Marie.

Emily put her head on her
mother’s lap and Cass began tearing up.

Flynn, Shane, and Rory headed
through the door.

“You okay, honey?” asked Flynn.

Natalie nodded. “I think I need
to get to the hospital as soon as I can because the contractions are really
strong.”

Cass and Marie helped her to her
feet, and Flynn put his hand around her waist.

“Shane’s going to give us an
escort there. Emily, you go with Uncle Rory and Cass and stay the night with
them.”

“I want to go with Mom. I want to,
I want to!” She stomped her feet and crossed her arms.

“Emily, you have to do as I tell
you, okay?” said Flynn.
 

“No, I want to be with you and
the baby.”

“You will be, but not now,” said
Natalie. “You do as you’re told and Uncle Rory will bring you to the hospital
as soon as your brother or sister is born okay?”

Rory put his hand around Emily, and
she nodded. “We’ll watch movies, eat popcorn, and have a fun time.”

Flynn took Natalie outside with
Shane following behind.

Emily wiped her eyes with the
back of her hand.

“She’s going to be fine,” said Cass,
hugging her.
The poor girl.
It was probably a bit
overwhelming for her.

“I’ll close up the shop and café
and why don’t you take Emily back to your place right now and get her settled
in for the night,” said Marie.

****

Rory had looked after Emily on
more occasions than he could remember, but it seemed more fun having her around
now that Cass was here too. They’d pulled out a few of the old board games he
and his brothers had played together when they were young.

“You’re cheating Uncle Rory,”
said Emily, smacking his hand. “You looked at the cards.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did,” said Cass.

“See, Auntie Cass knows it too.”

Auntie Cass, he liked the sound
of that.

“Who wants popcorn?” asked Rory.

“Don’t go changing the subject,”
said Cass. She put her hand on the back of his. He liked that too.

“I want some, and I don’t want anyone
cheating while I’m gone,” he said pulling faces at both of them.

Cass and Emily looked at one
another and both laughed.

Rory headed for the kitchen and
opened the cupboard still hearing the two girls laughing and giggling. He
smiled. He hadn’t realized how lonely he’d been living in this house all by
himself until right now.

He poured some kernels into the
machine, turned it on, and leaned against the wall by the oven and waited.
Had to be wonderful having a wife and kids.
People sitting around the dinner table and chatting with you.
Kids to play board games with after they’d done their homework.

“You look miles away.”

He jumped. He hadn’t heard Cass
walking into the kitchen.

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Life.”

“Wow, that’s a broad topic.”

She walked over to him and
wrapped her arms around his waist and set her head on his chest. The smell of
her perfume drifted up to meet his nostrils, and he closed his eyes for a few
seconds.

“Emily’s so much fun,” she said.

“I know. She’s been a great
source of joy for Flynn.”

“Uncle Rory, Auntie Cass. I just
phoned Dad on his phone, and he said the doctor told them that the baby should
arrive any time now.” She put both her thumbs up and smiled.

“You’re about to be an uncle for
the third time,” said Cass.

He loved that role but now he
wanted the title of dad too.

****

Emily had fallen asleep, and Rory
had carried her into the spare room, put her into the bed, and pulled the
covers up over her shoulders. He’d leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Cass
had tears in her eyes watching how gentle and kind he was to her.
To everyone.

The phone rang an hour later, and
Rory was quick to pick it up so it didn’t disturb his niece.

“It’s a boy,” Rory had told Cass
when he’d gotten off the phone. “Eight pounds five ounces and his name is Sean
Michael. And according to my brother, he’s your typical handsome Malone who
will break hearts one day.”

She saw tears in Rory’s eyes now
as they lay side by side in his bed.
 
She’d wiped one away as it edged close to his lips.

“Do you think we should wake
Emily and tell her?” asked Cass.

“No, let her sleep on.” He kissed
her head.

“Do you ever think about having a
child of your own?” she asked him.

“Sometimes.
How about you?
You want a child someday?”

“I guess that would be nice.”

“So you’d be just as comfortable
around your own child as your brothers’ kids?” said Cass.

“I guess, why?”

“Just asking.”

Cass bit her lip. She should tell
him that her period was five days late and for her that was very, very unusual.
However, for now it would be her little secret.

Chapter Fourteen

Cass’s hand hovered near the
pregnancy test kit. She pulled it away when she saw Emily turning the corner.
She wasn’t sure if she knew what they were and what they were for, but she
didn’t want to take her chances that she would tell her dad or even Rory that
she’d seen Cass buying one.

“I’m going to buy some candy
bars, you want one?” Emily asked her.

“That would be great, thanks,
Emily.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you in a
minute.”

She watched Emily walk away,
quickly pulled a kit off the shelf and then hurried to the checkout to pay for
it and get it wrapped before Emily returned. She’d told Flynn and Natalie she’d
look after her for the morning while they got the baby settled in at their home.

Cass handed over a ten dollar
bill and quickly put her purchase into her purse as Emily headed to the check-out
with what looked like five candy bars.

“Hi Emily,” said the girl at the
checkout.

“Hi. It’s going to be Christmas
soon.”

“I know it, and it seems like just
yesterday it was Halloween.”

Cass watched as Emily counted her
money to the exact amount owed and handed to the clerk.

“I heard you have a new brother.”

Emily nodded. “He’s name’s Sean,
and he looks like my dad.”

“I can’t wait to see the baby,”
said the clerk handing the bag of candy to her.

She and Cass stepped outside.
Emily opened up one of the candy bars and began eating it.

They were about to turn the
corner when Cass stopped in her tracks. It was one of the guys she owed money
too. How had they found her in Timber Creek? She was about to turn so her and
Emily could get away, but he was on top of her before she had the chance to
move.

“Hi Cass.
See your leg’s
all healed,” he said.

“I’m Emily.”

“Shut up kid, I’m not talking to
you.”

“Hey, don’t you talk to her like
that,” said Cass.

“You have my
money?”

“Look, I thought that was all
settled,” said Cass.

“There’s the little matter of interest.”

“I have money,” said Emily.

Cass wanted to cry when she saw
Emily pulling out her purse and digging out some one dollar
billsand
coins. She handed them to the man. He flicked them out of her hand, spilling
the coins over the sidewalk and sending two one dollar bills sailing in the
air.