I Do! I Do!. Jacqueline Diamond

the press and the crunch of small wheels behind him told Mason that the babies had arrived. Turning, he saw Gina standing behind one of the bassinets, staring at Margaret and Stuart. She must have guessed who they were, even if she hadn’t heard their comments.

      Her lips parted in dismay. In the sunlight, the translucent clarity of her skin made her look even younger than she was. He wanted her so much, he nearly forgot where they were.

      “Mr. Blackstone?” Chelsea pressed, having reclaimed her microphone. “How do you respond to your sister’s points? She tells us she has parenting experience, which I understand you don’t. Furthermore, you never answered my question about who was going to care for the girls while you’re working on the ranch.”

      “I’ll tell you who.” Marge, who had worked herself up into what Rance used to call a “bossy fit,” seized the mike again. “He’s got a housekeeper, a perfectly competent woman. She never had children of her own, though, and she’s certainly not the twins’ mother. That’s who’s going to take care of these girls if my brother has his way. Is that the mark of a man who loves his nieces? I’d say he was thinking more of himself than of them.”

      The unfairness of this remark brought gasps from several people, including Dr. Abby, who had witnessed Mason’s devotion over the past two months. Megan Maitland glowered. But what could she or anyone else say?

      “That’s not true.”

      Gina’s sweet voice carried over the crowd with surprising strength. Before anyone else could react, and no doubt before Margaret even figured out who had spoken, Chelsea snatched back her microphone and hurried over. “What makes you say that, Nurse?”

      “I’m the one who’s going to take care of Daisy and Lily,” Gina announced. “Mason and I are getting married.”