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“Well, well,” Jean said after Larry had gone. “I must say your young man has impeccable timing. You look wonderful.” She twirled Maddy around in the chair to gaze at her own reflection. Maddy stared at the woman in the mirror. She did look good, and it bolstered her confidence to know it.

Jeb got to the store shortly after she returned. He rushed inside and stopped dead when he saw her, as if he needed a moment to catch his breath before he spoke, as if the sight of her had stolen it away from him. “I got your message. The pictures?”

“I have the printout from the ultrasound,” she assured him.

“Listen, could you—would it be all right if we went to dinner? I know it's a little early, but I've never eaten at Rachel's place and if you're interested—”

“I am.” It probably wasn't a good strategy to show this much enthusiasm, but Maddy had never been one to apply strategies to emotions. “I'd love to,” she said happily. “I had a light lunch and I'm famished.” It was barely five, but Maddy didn't care.

She wasn't sure if the restaurant was open yet, but Rachel ushered them inside, served them water with a slice of lemon and left them her menus. They sat at the corner table, and as soon as her coat was off, Maddy reached for her purse and removed the envelope.

“They aren't actually pictures as in photographs,” she explained as she unrolled the long sheet of paper. “Like I said, it's more of a printout.”

The image of their perfectly formed infant was shadowed between a series of black semicircular lines.

Jeb stared at it for several minutes. “Dear God,” he whispered.

“Here's the heart.” She pointed to the center of the baby's chest, just as the technician had shown her.

“The heart.” He placed his own finger on the spot, and stared up at her, eyes full of awe. “He's so…perfect,” he said when he couldn't seem to find the right word.

“He is, isn't he?” She smiled shyly, delighted to be sharing this moment with her baby's father.

“It looks like he's sucking his thumb.” Jeb sounded amused.

“He is.”

His gaze shot to hers. “You're joking, right?”

“No, he really is.”

“Look at his fingers. I had no idea there'd be such detail.”

“I didn't, either.” Maddy had experienced a rush of pure joy when she first studied the ultrasound, and watching Jeb now was just as thrilling.

“I had a thought about names,” he said, changing the subject.

“And?”

“My mother's name was Marjorie…. I know it's old-fashioned, but it'd please me immensely if you'd use it for the middle name if you—we have a girl.”

“Marjorie,” Maddy repeated. “I have no objection to that.”

“Thank you.”

“What about a boy?” she asked.

“A boy,” he said. “I suppose it's a bit egotistical to want a son with my own name….”

“Jeb?”

“Actually it's Jedidiah, but I've always been called Jeb. It was my grandfather's name.”

“Jedidiah,” Maddy said slowly, then decided she could live with that, as well. “For the middle name?”

He nodded.

“Deal,” she said and held out her hand.

To her surprise, he didn't shake it, but raised her palm to his lips and kissed her there. “Thank you,” he whispered just as Rachel arrived.

“Are you ready to order?” she asked.

Maddy had to make a determined effort to pull her gaze away from Jeb's. When she did, she stared blankly up at Rachel Fischer.

“Your order?” Rachel repeated.

“Oh.” Flustered and happy, Maddy turned her attention to the menu.

B
uffalo Bob had been vague about his plans when he left 3 OF A KIND that morning. Merrily had guessed immediately that he was up to no good, and she was right. But he couldn't tell her what he had in mind, not until he'd completed the task.

It'd all started one night in the first week of May when Axel had come down with an ear infection. The poor kid had been in agony, sleeping in fits, crying until he made himself sick. First thing the next morning, Bob and Merrily had driven into Grand Forks and taken him to a pediatrician Hassie recommended. Luckily they didn't have to wait long. Because Axel was a new patient, the receptionist had given Bob a clipboard and asked him to complete the attached questionnaire. Unfortunately, there'd been a number of questions neither he nor Merrily could answer. Questions about Axel's background, his medical history. Bob filled it out the best he could, making up information as he went along.
Name: Axel Carr. Place of Birth: Buffalo Valley, N.D.
He changed several answers after consulting with Merrily, and by the time they handed the sheet back to the receptionist it had half a dozen crossed-out and rewritten responses. The woman glanced at the sheet and then up at them. She didn't say anything, but Bob had the distinct impression she knew they weren't Axel's parents. He could tell that Merrily had the same feeling. She reached for his hand and held hard.

Once the physician had examined Axel and prescribed antibiotics, Bob had felt relieved. The doctor had assured them the child's infection would clear up within two days. But on their way out of the office, the receptionist stopped Merrily and asked for a copy of Axel's birth certificate “for the file.”

“I think I might have lost it,” Merrily had said, sounding shaky.

“I'm sure if you write away for it, the state can issue you a copy.”

“We'll do that,” Bob said and quickly ushered Merrily and Axel out of the office. Merrily hadn't said anything on the trip home, but they both knew they were going to need a birth certificate for Axel.

A few weeks earlier, Bob would have welcomed the opportunity to send Axel back where he'd come from. Not now. He wasn't sure how it'd happened, but the little boy had found himself a place in Bob's heart. These days Buffalo Bob was as crazy about the child as Merrily was. Axel loved him, too; his eyes would light up when Bob came into the room and he'd immediately run to him. Bob would catch him and throw him in the air, laughing as Axel squealed with pleasure.

Sometimes, early in the morning, Merrily would bring Axel into their bed and let him lie between them. Those moments were some of the most peaceful of Bob's life. He was content just to watch Axel sleep, and to talk softly to Merrily as he did so. She'd told him little about the abuse Axel had suffered at the hands of his mother and father, but Bob didn't need the details. He saw the fear that sometimes flashed in the little boy's eyes. God help the man who hurt that child if Bob ever got his hands on him.

It'd taken Axel weeks to completely trust Bob. When the little boy had hugged him and called him Daddy, Bob's heart had melted. For the first time he'd understood why Merrily had risked everything to save him. And now he was willing to risk everything, too.

For the past four years, Bob hadn't had any contact with the people he'd known in his previous life. He'd needed to call around in order to reconnect, and he'd finally found someone in Fargo willing to forge a birth certificate, a man who went by his first name only. Darryl was apparently the best in the area. The forged certificate was going to cost Bob fifteen hundred dollars cash. He'd brought the money with him, fifteen crisp one-hundred-dollar bills folded and held in place with a rubber band.

He made the call from a pay phone, as instructed.

“You alone?” a deep male voice asked.

“Are you Darryl?”

“You expecting anyone else?”

“No.” Bob couldn't believe how nervous he was. If caught, he was sure to face jail time, and he had a lot to lose. More than ever before in his life.

Darryl asked him a series of pertinent questions about the birth certificate, then told Bob to meet him at the visitor information center off the freeway. Five o'clock, he said, and took a description of Bob's car. Bob wrote down the instructions, then killed time at a strip mall with a burger joint and a jewelry store. He arrived thirty minutes early for their meeting.

Although the Fargo/Moorhead information center was impressive, Bob didn't venture inside. The fewer people who saw him, the better. Darryl arrived five minutes late and parked next to Buffalo Bob.

He climbed out of his car and handed Bob a flat manila envelope. Bob removed the certificate and read it over. It sure looked genuine to him. Certainly it was good enough to pass off as real, especially since the school and doctor's office would only see a copy, not the original.

“Satisfied?” Darryl asked.

“It's good.”

“I got the names spelled correctly?”

Bob checked the details again. “Everything's exactly as I asked.” He reached inside his jacket and removed the wad of cash. “Fifteen hundred dollars. You can count it if you want.”

Darryl glanced at him and snickered. “Damn straight I'll count it.” And he did.

Five minutes later, both satisfied, they left, heading in opposite directions.

It was dark by the time Bob returned to BuffaloValley. The bar was empty, and Merrily was downstairs waiting for him.

She stood up when he walked into the kitchen. The first thing Bob noticed was the lack of a smile, the lack of welcome. “Busy tonight?” he asked. Obviously she hadn't been. Weeknights tended to be slow, but he made up for it on weekends.

“Same as usual,” she answered.

He went to kiss her, but she turned her head so that his mouth grazed her cheek. “You're later than you said.”

He shrugged, figuring it didn't really matter, since he was back.

“Where were you?”

He didn't like her tone, but he answered in an effort to keep the peace. “I had an appointment.”

“Anyone I know?” she pressed.

“No.” He glanced upstairs. “Is Axel in bed?”

Merrily crossed her arms and nodded. “He had a hard time falling asleep…. I think he was worried.”

“About what?”

Her eyes widened. “You!” she cried. “You were gone all day. You didn't say a word about where you were going, only that you'd be back before dark and you weren't. I didn't know what to think.”

This concern was supposed to make him feel guilty but it had just the opposite effect. In fact, Buffalo Bob was delighted. At last, Merrily had experienced a taste of the anguish he faced every time she disappeared. Only,
his
waits had always been much longer.

“Where
were
you?” she asked again. “I've been sick with worry….”

“You knew I'd be back.”

“I hoped…all right, I knew, but you were so secretive about who you were seeing. It's another woman, isn't it?”

He almost laughed out loud. “I'm a one-woman man, Merrily. You should know that by now.”

She sighed and flipped the hair from her shoulder. “I do. Now, tell me where you were.”

Unable to help himself, Bob did laugh this time. “Come on, honey, sit down and I'll show you what took so long.” He guided her back to the table and handed her the envelope.

She stared at him.

“Go ahead—open it,” he told her, straddling the chair across from her.

Merrily carefully released the metal clasp and slid out a single sheet. Then she frowned as if she didn't understand what it was. “Axel Thomas Carr,” she read aloud.

“I didn't know his middle name, so I indulged myself and gave him mine.”

Her features softened considerably. “You got Axel a birth certificate!”

Bob grinned. “He's going to need one, right?”

“Yes, but how—”

“You don't want to know.”

“This must have cost you the earth.”

He wasn't going to comment on that, either. “Did you check out the parents' names?” he asked, and pointed to the place they were listed.

“Merrily Ruth Carr and Robert Thomas Carr,” she read. She turned to stare at him. “You made it sound as if we're
married
.”

He sighed. Sometimes the woman could be pretty dense. “I've never asked any other woman to be my wife,” he told her.

“I'd never pressure you—”

“But I'm asking now, Merrily, and I'm asking you.” He reached inside his pocket and removed a jeweler's box. “I wish this was the size of one of Liz Taylor's rocks—it's not. Actually it's pretty damn small, but it was all I could afford.” He opened the velvet-lined box to expose a gold band with one tiny brilliant-cut diamond in the center.

Merrily looked as if she were about to bolt from the room. All at once, his heart started to do crazy things. It had never occurred to him that she'd refuse. For a long, tension-filled moment, she said nothing.

“I'm asking you to marry me,” Bob said again, wanting to be sure she understood.

She angrily wiped the tears from her cheeks and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob. “You don't know the things I've done, the men I've had. You don't have a clue about the kind of woman I am—”

“I know everything I need to know. I love you. I love Axel. I want us to be a real family. In case you think I've lived a pristine life, think again. I've made my share of mistakes. A few times I lived so damn close to the edge that when I walked away my feet were bloody. I ended up in Buffalo Valley by the grace of God, and grabbed the chance for a fresh start.” He paused. “Merrily, I want you always to be part of my life.”

With tears streaking her face, Merrily sobbed as he took her left hand and slipped the gold band on her finger.

The next thing he knew, she hurled herself into his arms, hugging him so tight he had trouble breathing.

“I take it that's a yes?”

In response she covered his face with warm, wet kisses. “Yes, Bob, yes!”

He chuckled and swung her around. “I think it's time for bed, don't you?”

“But the bar isn't officially closed yet.” Happiness radiated from her eyes, a happiness that humbled him…and made him proud.

He carried her over to the door, locked it and then turned the OPEN sign to read CLOSED. “It is now.” With that, he hauled her up the stairs to show her exactly how he felt.

 

Jeb was tired. He'd spent all day worming his herd and checking on his calves. When he finally walked into the house, it'd been dark for hours. All he wanted to do was shower and fall into bed; he would have if the hollow ache in his stomach had let him. He didn't have the energy to cook more than canned soup, and he ate that straight from the pot, crumbling crackers on top and stirring them in with a spoon. It burned his mouth, but he was too damned hungry to care.

When he finished, he noticed the blinking light on his answering machine. Although he was tempted to ignore it, he walked over and pressed the message button. He heard the tape rewind.

“Hello, Jeb, it's Maddy. I realize it's last-minute, and this is a terribly busy time of year for you. But I was wondering if you'd like to go into Grand Forks with me in the morning.”

Jeb frowned. He hadn't been in Grand Forks since his hospital stay four years earlier and he wasn't interested now.

“I'm seeing the doctor for my routine appointment…” Maddy's voice continued. “Also…I'm going to need a birthing partner for the class I signed up for. If you'd like to come along tomorrow, please give me a call.”

There was a second message from her. “Jeb, it's Maddy again. I don't mean to make a pest of myself, but I thought I should probably clarify my earlier call. I wanted to be sure you knew there isn't any pressure for you to be my birthing partner. If you prefer not to, I understand. I can ask Hassie or maybe Sarah….”

Tired though he was, Jeb reached for the phone and dialed Maddy's number. They hadn't talked since their dinner, but he'd ordered groceries each week since and they'd exchanged notes. Hers told him small details about the baby's development and asked his opinion of several names. His return messages answered her questions—yes, he liked Julia and Catherine, didn't care for Shannon—asked about her health and always included a reminder that she shouldn't work too hard. He wasn't keen on her delivering groceries when she was six months pregnant, but it wasn't his place to tell her what she could and couldn't do. The idea of her alone on the road worried him to distraction.

Maddy answered on the second ring.

“I just walked into the house,” he said, explaining the lateness of the call.

“It's almost ten.”

He hadn't checked the clock; all he knew was how exhausted he felt. “I counted five new calves this afternoon, all born within the last twelve hours.”