Whispers on the Wind (36 page)

“Maybe they will be good.”
Mary laughed, then accepted her family’s hugs. When Billy hugged
her, she asked, “How is Claire? Did she have the baby?”

“Claire is just fine. We
have a baby girl,” he said with the beaming smile of a new
father.

“So what did you name
her?” Brandy asked.

Billy turned to Mary and
said, “We named her Mary.”

Tears sprang to Mary’s eyes
and she whispered, “You named her after me?”

“Had to name her after my
best girl,” Billy told her with a smile.

“She’s my girl now,”
Carter said, moving up beside Mary.

Billy grinned wickedly.
“Are you sure about that?”

Carter lifted Mary’s chin
so he could see into her eyes. “Mary, will you marry me?” Carter
thought the silence that followed was the longest he’d ever
experienced as he waited for her.

“No.” She flinched at the
hurt in his eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re a lawman,
and every time you left on an assignment, I’d wonder if you were
coming home. I want a home and family and somebody who is home with
me every night. I don’t want to wonder if you’re going to leave me
and never return. I—I— I’m going to be sick,” Mary said. She dashed
through the crowd out the front door and to a side street She threw
up what little she’d been able to eat that morning.

In a few minutes, Helen was
by Mary’s side. When Mary had finished being sick, Helen asked, “Do
you feel better?”

“Yes and no. I was hoping
after the trial that I’d quit having this nervous stomach, but I’m
still sick as ever. And I feel so bad about Carter. I love him, but
he’ll never give up being a lawman,” Mary said
miserably.

“Mary,” Helen said,
gaining her attention.

“You’re going to have
Carter’s baby. That’s why you’ve been sick. I think that you should
tell him.”

“Baby?" Mary said, looking
completely surprised. “Me?”

Helen nodded. “You are a
woman, after all.”

“But I can’t imagine me
with a baby. A mother?” Mary shook her head. “There isn’t anything
mothering about me.”

“Unfortunately, there
aren’t any rules to being a mother, dear. But I think you’ll make a
fine mother.”

“Really?” Mary
said.

Helen nodded. “Now, go and
tell Carter. If you don’t want to marry him, that’s fine. You can
always live with our family, but the child’s father has a right to
know.”

“Where is he?”

“After you ran out, he
went to the jailhouse.”

Mary made her way to the
jailhouse. The door was standing ajar, and she paused outside
before she entered. When she heard Marshal Forester say, “Are you
sure about this?” Mary didn’t go any further.

“I’m sure,” Carter said.
“When I became a marshal, I had a mission to accomplish. I’ve done
that. Now it is time for me to start living my life. I’m going home
to the ranch.”

“We’re losing a hell of a
lawman,” Forester said.

“And a damned good
partner,” Rick added

Carter chuckled, but it
was a sad laugh, Mary thought. “You can always come by the ranch
and visit me.”

“Can I visit you?” Mary
asked as she slipped into the room.

Carter swung around. “I was
kind of hoping that you would. But a visit isn’t what I had on my
mind.”

Mary took a step closer to
him. “And exactly what did you have on your mind?”

“I was figuring on a more
permanent relationship. But since you refused to be my wife, I’m
not sure what we can come up with.”

Mary draped her arms around
Carter’s neck and looked up at him with all the love she had as she
said in a teary voice, “How about the mother of your
child?”

The look of shock that
crossed Carter’s face was worth a bag of gold to Mary. She’d bet no
one had ever surprised Carter.

“Do you mean ... ?”
Carter’s voice was rough with emotion.

Mary nodded.

“Wed, I’ll be damned,”
Rick said from behind them. “I’ll be glad to arrest him for
tampering with a lady’s affections,” he teased.

“I don’t think that will
be necessary,” Mary said, and then she looked up at Carter. “Will
it?”

“A baby,” Carter repeated,
still sounding stunned.

“You gave up the law for
me?” Mary asked, but she knew the answer. “Ask me
again.”

Carter’s arms tightened
around her. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Mary said with a
soft smile. “But marriage to me probably won’t be easy.”

Carter laughed. “After
meeting your very unusual family, I somehow don’t doubt that, but
I’m willing to take the risk because life without you, my love,
isn’t worth living.”

Thunder and Brandy appeared
in the doorway. “Don’t just stand there,” Thunder called from the
door. “Kiss her before she changes her mind and I have to shoot
you.”

Mary glanced at both of
them with a sly smile. “You heard about the baby?”

They nodded.

“Well, Carter, you heard
them. It’s either kiss me or get shot”

His mouth hovered just
above hers as he said in a very sexy voice, “In that case, I’d
better kiss you. I want my child to have a father.”

And Carter did just that He
kissed the tip of her nose, then her eyes, and finally he kissed
her soft mouth.

A kiss that would last a
lifetime.

As a summer breeze swept in
through the door of the office surrounding them, Mary thought that
their love would always be whispers on the wind.

Whispered until
eternity...
Carter loved
her.

Author's Note

I hope that you have
enjoyed the Misfit Series. WHISPERS ON THE WIND is the third book.
As of this writing, I’m not sure which book I will do next, but I
hope it will bring you as much pleasure as my other books. It seems
everybody has their favorite book.

May all your dreams come
true.

Brenda K
Jernigan

e-mail -
[email protected]