Life After Wife (Three Magic Words Trilogy, #3)(15)

To take her mind off Elijah, Sophie reached out and touched Fancy’s stomach about the time the baby kicked. “She wants out of there. Why don’t you have her early?”

“Believe me, I would if I could. The doctor says if she’s not here in two weeks he’s going to induce labor,” Fancy said.

“You absolutely sure it’s a girl?”

“Looked like it on the ultrasound. Lord help us if it’s not. Tina is expecting a sister. She might toss a brother in the trash can,” Fancy said.

“If it’s a mistake and a boy after all, I’ll take Tina,” Sophie said. “I can raise her as my own and not have to worry with a man.”

“I don’t think so,” Fancy singsonged.

“And besides all that, you are changing the subject, and you don’t get to do that. Is that tall, good-lookin’ Native American goin’ to be your life after wife?” Kate asked.

“That would not be a no, but a you’ve-got-to-be-nuts no! He’s egotistical, too old, set in his ways, used to being top dog on the porch, and…” She searched for other horrible qualities.

“Too old?” Fancy frowned.

“He’s forty. That’s old,” Sophie answered.

“That’s not much older than you are. When you were ten and he was nineteen, it would have been. When you were twenty-one and he was thirty, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But thirty-one and forty. That’s nothing,” Kate said.

“And you are almost thirty-two, so it’s only eight years and some months,” Fancy reminded her.

“It’s closer to nine years, and I don’t know when his birthday is so it could be a full nine years,” Sophie argued.

“Well, if he’s not your life after wife, then what is he?” Kate kept on.

“He’s my business partner right now. We are just barely settling into the idea of sharing a house and a ranch. I’m seriously considering giving him the ranch house and buying myself a trailer and putting it on the back corner of the ranch. The only reason I don’t is it would be giving him a point, and I’m determined not to lose even one. Give him the old proverbial inch, and he’s liable to take a mile,” she said.

Kate set the entire platter of cookies in the middle of the table. “Fancy, sit down and prop up your feet on this chair. You’re goin’ to drop that baby right here on the kitchen floor if you keep standin’ up.”

Fancy eased down into a chair and slung her legs up on the extra chair. “That does feel better, but if she’d fall out that easy, I’d stand up until dark.”

“OK, now go on, Sophie. Who cares if he gets one point? If you put a trailer on the property, he’ll know for sure that he’s not running you off. And you won’t be tempted to cook for him or clean up the house after him. He’d be on his own in that place, and you could take care of yours however you want to. Now that would be real business partners,” Kate said.

“I agree,” Fancy said. “Get a double-wide with all the bells and whistles. Front porch. Back deck. Or better yet, build a house. A great big one that makes his place look small. Talk about an ego buster.”

Sophie ate three cookies while she listened and thought about such a venture. “I like it. Only I don’t want a big house. I had that with Matt. I like the idea of a double-wide, so it could be ready to move into sooner. After the cattle sale, do you two want to shop with me?”

Fancy nodded and did the calculations in her head. “Three weeks until the sale. Baby should be here, and hopefully I’ll be able to walk without waddling. Yes, I want to shop for your trailer with you.”

Sophie looked at Kate. “How about you?”

“I’m in. You should do it. You’ve got the money, and if he’s not going to be your life after wife, then you should get out of the same abode as he’s in. No decent prospect is going to want to come courtin’ if he has to go through the chief first,” she said.

It started out as a schoolgirl giggle, with Sophie’s hand going to her mouth. It went from that to a high-pitched laugh that sounded like it could crack crystal, and went into an infectious roar that had Kate and Fancy both wiping at their eyes and woke Tina from her nap down the hallway.

Tina snuggled down into what was left of Fancy’s lap. She wrapped her arms around the baby bump and laid her head on the top. Fancy brushed her dark hair back out of her sleepy face. “Aren’t you going to speak to the ladies?”

“Hi, Kate. Hi, Sophie,” she mumbled. “What’s funny?”

Sophie chuckled again. “Kate called Elijah chief.”

“Why?” Tina raised her head up and knuckled her eyes.

“Because he’s an Indian,” Kate said.

Tina was suddenly wide-awake and interested. “You mean like on television? Does he live in a tepee?”

“No, he’s just got Native American blood or Indian blood in him. Like you have Mexican blood,” Fancy explained.

“Can I call him chief?” Tina asked.

“I don’t think you should. He said you should call him Eli,” Fancy said.

“I like chief better. It sounds like a dog. Can I name one of the kittens out under the porch, chief?”

“Yes, you can. That yellow one. He’s got attitude,” Sophie said.