Page 90 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

Eva stepped forward and edged him out of the way. “Oh, no. Since you Wilder men screwed me out of a victory in the Christmas challenge, we women get to choose your songs and you have to sing them.”

“All right. I’m up for it.” Ethan grabbed a microphone, flipped the power switch and said, “What have you got for me? Do your worst.”

Eva had a song in mind already and had it loaded and playing before Poppy and Linc could settle into their seats for the show.

When the first strains of Beyonce’sPut a Ring on Itplayed Linc broke out laughing.

“Don’t laugh. You’re up next,” Eva warned.

That sobered Linc considerably. But they all did enjoy Ethan’s rendition, which included all the appropriate choreography and some pretty good dance moves on his part.

Linc was less enthusiastic about his command performance of Madonna’sLike a Virginbut it was still equally amusing for the small but engaged audience.

And at Ethan and Linc’s demand that they had to do their share to entertain Olivia too, Eva and Poppy both performed, but the songs were their choice.

In keeping with the karaoke tradition established a year ago when they’d first arrived in Bitter End looking for the snake, they stuck to man bashing songs.

Poppy was brilliant at Britney Spears’Toxicand together Poppy and Eva did a duet of Pistol Annie’sHell on Heels.

As the song ended, flashing lights outside alerted them to the ambulance’s arrival.

As he applauded their performance, Ethan jumped up from his seat. “And now it’s time for an intermission while I let the EMTs in.”

“I’ll run upstairs and get a baby report.” Poppy headed for the stairs, leaving Eva and Linc alone.

“Come here.” Linc reeled her in for a kiss. And since they were alone, she let it get a bit more heated than she should have, given they were in the Wilder living room.

When he pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Yup. Looks like this baby is going to have a January first birthday.” Just like her, although no one realized that.

Her birthday was something she’d long ago chosen to happily ignore. And since she hadn’t met Poppy and Olivia until after it had passed last January, they didn’t even know when it was.

Last January.

It struck her that this all had started one year ago. Their road trip to Bitter End to find and punish Emmett Wilder. Them crashing Olivia’s RV on Roan Mountain.

Their finding the Wilder brothers instead of the snake might have been the best thing to ever happen. To all of them.

“Do you realize we came here almost a year ago?” she said, still amazed how much time had passed. Even more amazed at how much had happened in that time. Olivia married. Poppy engaged. Her living with Linc.

“And I’m very glad you did. And that you decided to stay,” Linc said, pulling her closer. “I love you.”

Dammit, she was not going to cry. Even so, she found her throat wasn’t working all that well as she swallowed hard.

Finally she managed to say, “I’m pretty sure I might love you too.”

He smiled, accepting her without question, such as she was, as he always did.

The screams from upstairs they’d been ignoring during this tender moment changed. Now, they were no longer Olivia’s. The pitch was higher. The volume lower. What they heard now was definitely a newborn baby’s cry.

“The baby,” she breathed.

“And two minutes before midnight,” Linc said, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the staircase.

Poppy appeared at the top. “He’s here!”

“We can hear that. It’s a boy?” Linc asked.

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