“We just need some time to sort out our stuff,” Gabby said. “But we were spotted in Benton by Taylor Shirk, so it probably won’t stay a secret for long.”
“I’ll let you be the one to tell her,” Bea said, and as Seth picked up a couple garbage bags filled with clothes and linens, the older woman added, “Welcome to the family, Seth.”
Seth shot Gabby a half smile, then nodded to her aunt. “Thanks. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of these boys.”
“And Gabby, too, I hope,” Bea shot back.
“Most definitely.”
The warmth in his eyes, the private smile he cast in Gabby’s direction, and the way his muscles flexed as he hoisted the first bags—they were a combination that made it easy to pretend this marriage was something it wasn’t.
The screen door banged shut as Seth disappeared outside, and Gabby looked at her aunt with eyebrows raised.
“You’ve got your privacy now,” Gabby said. “What’s on your mind?”
“What’s on yours?” Bea quipped, and she reached for Gabby’s hand, looking down at the wedding ring. “Why did you do this?”
“You know why.” Gabby felt the tears rising up inside her. She was tired. She had missed her babies, and she really wasn’t in the mood to argue about something that was already done.
“I thought you’d come to your senses before you actually went through with it,” Bea said.
“Auntie, could you afford that formula for the long term?” Gabby demanded.
“No, but the church could have taken up a special offering—”
“No!” Then Gabby lowered her voice, because Beau and Aiden squirmed in their car seats. “Auntie, I’m not a charity. And I’m not going to be waiting on church collections to feed my children. Besides, I don’t want them growing up with the stigma of how they came into this world.”
“But you’ve married a man you don’t love.”
Gabby looked out the front window to where Seth was tossing the bags into the bed of the pickup. “Yes, I have. Look, he and I are good friends. We have been for years. We understand each other.”
“How long will you stay married?” Bea asked. “Is this truly until death do you part?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess. There are no false expectations here.”
“No?” Bea paced the living room, then turned back. “This is marriage. It isn’t supposed to be the sort of thing you take a day at a time!”
“I know.” Gabby rubbed a hand over her face. “Trust me, I’m aware. I’m not a child anymore, Bea. I’m thirty.”
The door opened again and the women fell silent as Seth grabbed a folded playpen in one hand and a baby swing in the other. He met Gabby’s gaze, then turned back to the door and disappeared outside once more. Bea pushed it shut behind him.
“There’s no point in arguing about it,” Bea said, adjusting her tone. She reached out and touched the back of her finger to Andy’s cheek where he lay snuggled on Gabby’s chest. “But I feel like I should at least warn you.”
“Of what?” Gabby asked tiredly.
“You’re playing with fire, dear. Those vows—they’re no joke. When you vow to belong to a man as long as you live, whether you mean it or not, it joins you to him in a way you don’t understand yet. It’s not just business. It can’t be.”
“Well, it’s too late now,” Gabby said with a bitter laugh.
“You have to know that I wish you only happiness,” her aunt replied earnestly. “All I can say is that you’re in for the ride of your life.”
Of that, Gabby was absolutely certain, but whether it would be exhilarating or a wild regret, she wasn’t sure. Still, her boys would be fed, and they’d have doctor’s visits and medicine if they needed it. And that was what mattered. She’d deal with the fallout later.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Gabby said quietly. “Cross your fingers for me, or say a prayer for me, but for crying out loud, don’t tell your church my business, okay?”
Bea smiled wryly. “Wouldn’t dream of it, dear. But the prayer chain is very discreet if you change your mind.”
“Auntie!” Gabby caught the teasing glint in her aunt’s eye. “I’m not going to tell anyone about the health insurance. You’ve got to keep my secret, okay? I don’t want Seth getting charged for insurance fraud or something like that. We can’t afford those legal fees. Besides, it’ll only hurt Mom if she knew. So I’m asking for a huge favor—keep my secret.”
Bea nodded. “I can do that. But just know, secrets have a way of coming out, anyway.”
“I’ll take that risk.”
The side door opened again and Seth poked his head in.
“So how are we going to do this?” Seth asked.
“I’ve got the car seat bases in the back of my car,” Gabby said. “And I think I’m ready.” She gave her aunt an appreciative smile. “Thanks for everything, Auntie. I’ll call you, okay?”
Bea nodded. “And if you need someone to mind the babies while your mom is working, I’m here.”
Gabby leaned over and kissed her aunt’s cheek. “I intend to take you up on that.”
THE ROSS RANCH was about forty minutes outside of Eagle’s Rest, out of the mountains and down in the snowy foothills. Seth was the ranch manager, and his little cottage was just up the road from the ranch hands’ bunkhouse and canteen. As he drove past the main house and around the bend, he came to another cottage—what used to be an in-law arrangement, from what he understood. This was where Billy Austin lived—a ranch hand and a good friend.
Billy’s wife, Grace, had just pulled up to the cottage. She was a teacher in town, and their daughter—now in kindergarten—hopped out of the car and turned to wave at Seth’s truck as he came around the bend. He smiled and waved back. Poppy was a cute little girl, and he had a soft spot for the kid. But then Grace and Poppy both turned their attention to Gabby’s car following his truck, and Grace brightened and waved. Here was hoping that in the car, with only a coat visible, Gabby didn’t look too much like a bride…
It wasn’t that he wanted to hide their arrangement, exactly, but he did want a few minutes with Gabby alone to adjust, at least. They didn’t have their story straight yet, and Grace and Gabby were good friends. What they decided to tell people was going to matter, big-time.
The ranch manager’s house was a small affair with two floors, and it was located on the other side of the bunkhouse and canteen. The last woman to share this house with him had been Bonnie. Pregnant Bonnie, always knocking water glasses and towels off the counter with her belly. It drove her crazy, and the memory brought back the sad ache. They’d set up a nursery together, all decorated in yellow and green because they’d wanted to be surprised about the baby’s gender. When Bonnie and little Hazel Marie hadn’t come home with him, he’d shut the door on that nursery and hadn’t gone inside again.
Seth parked in his regular spot and waited for Gabby to park next to him. The next few minutes were spent getting the babies out of her car and unloading a few necessities. They carried the car seats into the kitchen, and he glanced back at Gabby to see her appraising the place.
“Grace saw you coming here,” Seth said. “How long until she drops by?”
“She texted