Part 29 (1/2)

”Your babies have always been normal,” Mildred interrupted. ”This is Annie's baby!”

Annie's whole body jerked. ”My baby is normal, too!” she cried, sitting up straight and facing her mother. ”Don't you say such a cruel thing! Don't you dare spoil this, too!”

Luke leaned forward and placed his arm around Annie's shoulder. She trembled with obvious hurt and anger. ”It's all right, Annie, my sweet,” he said softly against her hair to calm her.

”Mildred, there's no cause for upsetting Annie,” Eldon said logically.

Will, having heard the voices, came to stand at his father's knee. ”Nanny cry?” he asked, his brown eyes wide with concern.

”Nannie's just fine,” Burdell told his son and pulled him onto his lap. ”Nannie's going to give you a cousin to play with.”

Annie's head turned toward her brother, and Luke felt the tension ease from her body. Burdell's gaze went from Annie's to Luke's and Luke silently thanked him for this change of heart and support.

Diana touched her husband's arm as though he'd justified her belief in him.

Mildred stood, kicking aside the paint box, straightened her silk skirts and her spine and left the room with her chin high.

The tension seemed to leave with her, especially now that Burdell had become an ally of sorts. Luke wouldn't bet money that the man would spit on him if he caught fire, but at least he'd shown some mercy toward his sister's feelings, and for that Luke was grateful.

Charmaine moved over to Annie and Luke released her so that the two could embrace. Annie surely needed comfort and a.s.surance from the women in her family now more than ever. He was her husband and he would do everything he could to make her happy and protect her, but she needed her family, too.

Charmaine touched Annie's cheek and gave her a watery smile, amazing Luke at the tenderness and love the two shared. He'd never seen a similar display of affection, and had to wonder how Annie's mother could hold herself apart from people who had so much love to give. Since he didn't have much family, he was thankful now that the Renlows would be a good example for his child.

After several minutes, Charmaine got up and helped Diana clear away wrapping and dishes. Burdell knelt in front of Annie. Luke kept his face hidden behind Annie's shoulder, so as not to interfere.

”Your baby is just fine, Annie. We all know that,” he said to his sister, his voice softer than Luke had ever heard it. ”You will be a wonderful mother. Remember, this is all new, and sometimes new things take some getting used to. I'm seeing a whole different person than the Annie I knew.”

”It's still me, Burdy,” she said. ”Still the same Annie. But I've been able to grow up and live-really live for the first time. Why can't Mother accept that?”

”I don't know. Maybe she thinks you don't need her any more. Maybe she's jealous of your new life without her. You were her whole life for a lot of years.”

”Maybe,” she said. ”But why can't she see that I don't want a life without her? She's the one closing me out.”

”I don't know,” he said again, and Luke understood his inadequacy to come up with an answer for Annie when she asked those questions that ripped into a man's heart. Annie was still the apple of this family's eye.

Burdell got up, meeting Luke's eyes in a brief exchange, then left the room.

Eldon and Mort had taken seats at the checkerboard, and Will napped on the divan.

”I want to go now,” Annie said, turning to face Luke.

He gave her his most encouraging smile. ”You okay?”

She nodded. ”I just want to go home.”

”I'll go get the buggy. I'll need to feed and water the horses, so it will take me a while. You'll be all right?”

”I'll watch their game until you come back. They never call a draw.”

Mildred had gone to her room without returning, so Annie hugged and kissed and thanked the rest of her family. Her father put on his coat and carried her out to the buggy and Luke, understanding his need to take care of his daughter once in a while, trudged behind.

”Thank you for the s.h.i.+rt, Annie,” he told her, waving from the curb.

”Thank you for the mirror, Daddy!” she called.

Luke prodded the horse forward.

She snuggled against his side, and he wrapped his arm around her for warmth and security. ”You sure impressed them with your sewing,” he said.

”Yeah. I did, didn't I?”

”Their little Annie can make s.h.i.+rts and pies...and a baby. No wonder they need some time to get used to things.”

She chuckled. ”Let's stop by your Uncle Gil's. I hope his s.h.i.+rt fits him.”

Gil's ranch house was obviously a man's domain, furnished for practicality alone. Annie had saved a pie for him, and he thanked her. His astonishment over the s.h.i.+rt she'd made him was a pleasure, and he congratulated them on the news about the baby.

”I don't have any children, so some little Carpenters are mighty welcome around here,” he told Annie.

Annie was glad they'd stopped, but eager to get home, so she was grateful when Luke made their goodbyes and helped her into the buggy.

He carried her into the house, brought in all their new gifts and took the rig to the barn. When he returned, Annie had started a fire and placed the round horse picture on the mantel beside the satin box her jewelry had come in. Luke hung his coat and hat and glanced at the plain tree sadly lacking gla.s.s b.a.l.l.s or candles or beads, thinking again of the material things he hadn't been able to supply.

Annie sat in her chair watching the firelight dance on the tree. ”Isn't it beautiful?” she asked.

”It's just a tree,” he said. ”Your family's is nicer.”

”Fancier, maybe, but not nicer,” she disagreed. ”Glenda probably decorated it as part of the household ch.o.r.es. But n.o.body loved it. Not like we love this one.”

He couldn't help but be amazed by her joy in simple things, her pleasure in doing routine tasks and owning the barest minimum of possessions. Annie made all things new and lovely by her pure childlike enjoyment of life and its simple pleasures.

And now with a baby on the way, life would only get better. They had withstood the tests of her family thus far, weathered their disapproval by showing them that their love was greater than the obstacles. Gradually her family was being won over by Annie's enthusiasm and obvious joy. Eldon had softened, and today even Burdell had shown his support.

Nothing could get in the way of their happiness now.

Chapter Sixteen.

Luke had lost weight over the winter, she noticed, though she fed him well. He was always working-always cutting wood or shoeing horses or breaking ice from the stock tanks-between the livery and the house he barely rested. Part of his labors was to make things easier for her, and she worried that she was a burden. He grew leaner and more muscled and Annie grew fatter and lazier.

Sometimes she was so tired, she would try to sew and wake up an hour later, the fabric wrinkled in her lap. Other times she'd make up her mind to complete a task and end up beneath her quilt in front of the fire. Luke had made her a thick pallet and instructed her to rest whenever she felt the least bit weary. And that was always. Or so it seemed for most of the winter months.

Spring arrived, and with it a new burst of energy and a renewed vitality. In April, the snow melted and rushed down the mountains, spilling over the creek beds and the riverbanks and turning gra.s.s and trees green. Mares foaled and Luke seemed to always be with the horses.

Annie had sewn an entire wardrobe of tiny gowns, hats, blankets and flannels for their baby, lovingly pressed each item and packed all between dried rose petals in a trunk.

Luke bought a cradle and brought it home to her one evening. She sat down in her chair and cried.