A Lady of the West (49 page)

“Nephew.” She looked down, her face getting hot as she fumbled with his bandage. “And maybe a son of your own,” she mumbled.

“What?” He stared at her in shock. “What?” he asked louder, sitting up straight.

“Hush!” she hissed at him.

He grabbed her arms, holding her still. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“It's possible. I'm not certain yet.” She was just a little late, and her system had never been as reliable as Victoria's. But the possibility was there. She had spent too many nights in Ben's bed for her to think otherwise.

He began laughing and pulled her down for a hard
kiss. “Emma girl, I haven't been able to think straight since I met you, and things aren't getting any better. I think we'd better get married, don't you?” “Because I might be—?”

“No, because we love each other and we'll probably have a houseful of kids, so it would make things simpler if we were married.”

Emma's dark eyes began to glow. “Ben Sarratt, I do love you.”

“That's a yes?”

She nodded. “That's a yes.”

Jake sat on the ground, holding Victoria propped in his arms. Unbelievably, she was sleeping and so was the baby. He looked at his son, all red and wrinkled and completely helpless, dependent on him for protection and food and everything else in life. He had to think about the future now, and his future was Victoria and the baby, as well as other babies that might come. The morning carried the stink of smoke and gunpowder, but the snow had stopped and the sun was trying to break through and shine on the new layer of white. There was something else new, something inside him, new and good. The future loomed before him, and he felt good about it.

He had Victoria, their baby was fat and healthy, and together they could build a life of their own without the taint of the past. The territory would see a new Sarratt's Kingdom, the one he and Ben would build, but this one would be as fresh as the snow that lay on the high valley.

LINDA HOWARD
is the award-winning author whose
New York Times
bestsellers include
Open Season, Mr. Perfect, All the Queen's Men, Now You See Her, Kill and Tell,
and
Son of the Morning.
She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.