Cowboy, Stay with Me

Chapter Thirty-One: What to Expect

After the wedding, Cassie and Carson flew off to Bora Bora for their honeymoon, leaving their son, Charlie, with his Auntie Amanda. Luckily all of the little cousins played well together.

Sean Kallaghan stayed true to his word and took off the day after the wedding; headed back to work, wherever work took him. Last Lucy heard, he had gone back to Oklahoma City.

Lucy did her best to keep up a good face for everyone. She wasn't ready to tell them about her pregnancy, she wasn't even sure why exactly, but she just wasn't.

Her family members were all highly perceptive, however, and Amanda wasn't just her sister, she was also her best friend.

Amanda cornered Lucy out in the stables one evening, when Lucy was having some quiet grooming time with Hopalong Cassidy.

"Hey, sis." Amanda leaned her arms on the top of the stall door.

Lucy looked up from Cassidy's glossy coat and attempted a smile. "Hey."

"You ever gonna tell me what's got you so blue lately?" Amanda asked in a conversational voice.

Lucy shrugged, not even bothering to pretend to not know what Amanda meant.

"'Cause you've been out of sorts since the wedding." Amber pressed on doggedly.

"Do you wanna take a walk with me?"

"Of course! We haven't gone on one of our walks in a really long time."

Lucy finished up with Hopalong and then the sisters headed out together. They walked along the country lane that ran through their property.

Lucy realized that she was leading them subconsciously to their childhood treehouse only when they arrived at the base of the great old oak tree.

"Shall we go up?" Amanda giggled, testing the rope ladder.

The kids at Sunrose Creek Daycare used it often and Grandpa Leroy was in charge of keeping the large treehouse in ship shape condition.

The sisters both laughed as they climbed up the ladder into the treehouse.

"That used to be easier, I swear." Amanda said ruefully, when they were sitting at the opening with their legs dangling over.

They sat there in pleasant silence for a time, both just enjoying the fresh evening air.

Finally, Amanda put her hand on Lucy's knee in a tender fashion. "So tell me what's on your mind, hun."

Lucy drew a deep breath. Then she told her sister everything; everything from having had amazing but reckless sex with Sean, to their many long talks that resulted in a frustrating lack of results. And finally, the biggest piece of news of all, the fact that she was now pregnant with Sean's child.

Amanda covered her mouth with her hands for a moment, eyes huge, then she hugged her sister. "Oh, Lucy! Congratulations! Oh my gosh, this is simply amazing! This is what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Lucy said hesitantly.

"Well, you've always wanted a big family. Remember, as a little girl, how you always wanted to play 'House'?

"And then, when we lost Mom and Rose...well, I know how much family means to you. And we've always known what an incredible mother you're going to make."

Lucy lowered her eyes, idly twining her fingers together in her lap. "Yes, but Sean...he's not taking this well. He says he needs time and space, ugh!"