Ana Seymour (19 page)

Vermillion, November 1883

I
t was satisfying to see John Sheridan’s big oak dining table full again. Dennis, Smitty and Brad, the three silverheels, had come all the way from Virginia City to help celebrate Caroline’s second birthday and, not incidentally, to give an official welcome to little John Sheridan Kelly Smith Connors Jones.

“The poor lad will spend twenty years in grammar school just learning to spell his name,” Sean had protested.

But Jennie had wanted to honor both her father and the three caring miners who had been such an important help to the sisters after their parents’ deaths. Carter, who had never had a legitimate last name of his own to claim, was delighted that his young son would have a whole passel of them.

And since he’d been the one to file the newly required birth records, the name had been duly registered.

“Now I have two sons,” Carter had observed, taking Barnaby in an affectionate headlock that turned into a hug. Shortly after Caroline’s birth, Carter had filed adoption papers to make the young orphan officially Barnaby Sheridan Jones.

“The lad is as bonny as his namesake,” Dennis observed with a twinkle when the supper was finished. Jennie had just brought the tiny bundle to the table for all to admire.

“Depends on what namesake you’re meaning,” Brad objected. “He’s a sight prettier than you, you big Irish lug.”

“I think he looks like Jenme,” Smitty observed, giving his former landlady a big smile.

“If he’s as kindhearted as his three namesakes, I’ll be happy,” she said, beaming at the trio.

Sean, sitting at the end of the table with Caroline on his lap, cleared his throat. “We’re all happy about little Johnny, Jennie, but there’s just one problem.”

Jennie looked up. “Problem?”

Sean looked at Kate, who blushed and nodded her head. “He’s only one little tyke, but you’ve used up all the names.”

Carter went to stand behind his wife, putting his hands on her shoulders and smiling down at his son in her arms. He appeared to find some significance in his brother-in-law’s remark, but Jennie still looked puzzled.

“Shall we tell them, Caroline?” Sean asked his daughter, who seemed too interested in her new birthday doll to notice. It was an expensive fashion doll with ruffles all down the dress and a real bustle in
back, much too fine a toy for a two-year-old. But Sean had said to Kate, “It’s from her grandparents. Let her play with it”

Sean bounced her on his knee a little to get her attention. “Pumpkin, let’s tell Aunt Jennie and Uncle Carter our secret.” The doll fell to the floor with a thud as Caroline turned her attention to her father. He asked her again, “What do we have cooking in Mama’s tummy?”

Caroline looked around the table and announced, “Baby.”

Sean leaned toward her ear and whispered in mock correction, “Baby boy.”

“Baby boy,” Caroline obliged.

“Or girl,” Kate added with an indulgent shake of her head.

“Oh, Kate…how long have you known?” Jennie exclaimed. She turned around and deposited little John in Carter’s arms, then ran over to her sister’s chair to embrace her.

Carter juggled the baby a little uncertainly. “A fine couple of partners we’ll make, Sean,” he said. “How do we expect to get a freight company up and running if we’re both walking the floors every night with babies?”

Kate and Jennie both began to object at the same time, so Jennie fell silent and let her sister defend her.

“Jennie’s the one I see up every morning before dawn feeding your son, Carter. I haven’t seen any dark shadows under your eyes.”

“I wake up when she does,” he protested. “It’s just that I don’t have the particular equipment that
Johnny’s interested in at this stage of the game. So I go back to sleep,” he ended lamely.

“I think we’ll manage, brother-in-law,” Sean observed. “In fact, you and I might find it a lot more restful down at the shipping office than here at home with so many little ones underfoot.”

“Can I come to the shipping office, too?” Barnaby asked wistfully.

Everyone laughed, but Sean said, “You can come anytime you want to, Barnaby. And if you want, in a few more years we’ll give you a job. But I promise you, it would be a real job, one of substance.” He exchanged a meaningful glance with Kate. “And only if you like it there.”

“Once you two get started maybe we’ll come back and work for you,” Dennis suggested. “Mining’s not what it used to be in the boom days. What do you say, boys?” He turned to Brad and Smitty. “Are you two ready to become mule skinners?”

“Sounds good to me. At least we’d see the sunlight,” Smitty replied with an emphatic nod.

And Brad added, “Count me in.”

Barnaby wrinkled his nose. “Hey, then you all would have something other than silver on your boots. Instead of
silverheels,
you’d be…”

“That’s enough, Barnaby,” Jennie admonished gently, but laughed along with everyone else.

The merriment could have lasted well into the night, but both babies started getting crabby and the miners got to their feet and said that since they still
were
silverheels, they’d better start out on the road back to Virginia City.

Jennie said a hurried good-night and rushed upstairs to feed Johnny, while Carter walked with the three miners out to the horses they had borrowed for the trip.

Caroline was falling asleep in Sean’s arm. He put his other arm around Kate as they mounted the stairs together. “We won’t give her a bath tonight,” Kate said “She can just go right down to sleep.”

Together they placed her in the crib in what was now exclusively her bedroom, then walked down the hall to their own.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Sean asked. “You’re not too tired?”

Kate gave him an arch smile. “Too tired for what?”

Sean grinned. “I didn’t mean that. I’m thinking about my son. Unlike the first time around, this time I’m here to take care of you, and I intend to do it.”

Kate leaned her head on his shoulder. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe how much richer my life is than it was two years ago as I lay all by myself in that hospital in Virginia City.”

“Mine, too.” He stopped at their doorway and suddenly scooped her up in his arms.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed.

“I’m carrying you across the threshold.”

Kate giggled. “That’s for honeymoons.”

“That’s all right. You and I have done a number of things backward, but eventually, we’ll get them all worked in. Tonight I’m in the mood for a honeymoon.” He stopped and looked down at her with a little frown. “That is, if you’re sure you’re all right.”

Kate clasped her arms more tightly around his neck
and thought about her daughter sleeping peacefully in her bed down the hall, about the new little one already growing within her and about her thoroughly-at-peace husband. “My darling Sean,” she told him, “I’ve never been more all right in my whole life.”

eISBN 978-14592-5073-4

FATHER FOR KEEPS

Copyright © 1999 by Mary Bracho

All nghts reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterpnses Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone beanng the same name or names They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A

® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with

® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries

Printed in U.S.A.