Page 134 of Rough Ride

“Holy fucking shit!” Eli exclaimed, hopping up and down. “We’re havin’ a baby!”

“Language!” I hissed at him.

“He’s fine, they hear worse from us,” Liz said, hugging me next. “Iknewyou were glowing when we drove up. I just assumed it was all the fresh air out here.”

Eli was still hollering excitedly. He grabbed Marcus, threw him onto his shoulders, then ran around the outside of the barn, both of them squealing.

I guess I shouldn’t have been worried about how he would react.

Sawyer had turned away from me, and was staring at the metalwork sign. I slowly approached, anxiety returning to my body like a plague. He had claimed he wanted kids some day, but I had always been suspicious of the truth to that, or if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.

“If you’re not okay with this…” I said.

He turned to me. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he let out a pathetic sniffle that was so unlike the rough cowboy that I almost fainted in surprise on the spot.

“We’re going to have a baby?” he asked me, for a brief moment showing more vulnerability than I had ever seen.

I nodded. “I can’t believe you’re crying. You’re going to makemecry again!”

“I’m not crying,” he said, angrily wiping his face with a sleeve. “It’s dusty in here. That’s all.”

Billy, the four year old, tugged on Sawyer’s arm. “Take this,” he said, handing him a stuffed elephant. “Whenever I’m sad, I squeeze Elly and feel better.”

“I’m not sad,” Sawyer said, wrapping an arm around the kid and hugging him against his leg. “I’m happier than I ever thought possible.”

I kissed away one of his salty tears. “Me too.”

Johnny put a hand on his back. “You’ll make a great father.”

“So will you,” Sawyer replied, his deep, rough voice returning.

Eli finally ran back into the barn. He lowered Marcus from his shoulders and said, “I bet it happened last Tuesday.”

“You betwhathappened last Tuesday?” I asked.

He pointed at my belly. “The baby. I think it happened last Tuesday.” He lowered his voice. “I camea lotthat night. Like, more than usual. I had a feeling about it.”

“Your timing is off, since I’ve known for a few weeks,” I said.

“If my memory serves right,” Sawyer added, “you didn’t exactlydeposityour boys in the right place.”

Eli grinned around at us. “I told you. My boys are strong swimmers. Doesn’t matter where in her body they start—they’ll end up crossin’ the finish line.”

“Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re joking,” Sawyer replied, “or if our public education system has truly failed us.”

Johnny frowned at me. “You were riding a horse earlier. Should you be doing that? In your condition?”

“My condition? Johnny, I’m pregnant, not paralyzed.”

“But the baby…”

“I spoke to my doctor. Riding is fine during the first trimester. The baby is the size of a peanut right now—it’s fine.”

But the men had already begun ignoring me, and were talking amongst themselves. “We should take all of her chores,” Eli said.

“Good idea,” Johnny agreed.

“I don’t mind milking Joline,” Sawyer said. “But I’m not setting foot in the chicken coop. That rooster wants to claw my eyes out.”

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