A Headstrong Woman(125)

“Mommy’s scared of storms,” Lilly commented.

Jonathon glanced at the top of his wife’s head and wondered how he’d missed that.

“I’m so sorry, I should have been there with you,” Jonathon said as he led her to the bed, sat down and pulled her into his lap.

Lilly giggled beside him. “Mommy doesn’t fit in your lap.”

“She doesn’t?” Jonathon asked with a smile. “I think she does,” he countered as he invited his stepdaughter to snuggle against him. She cuddled against his side and raised wide blue eyes to his.

“Daddy.”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“It was real scary,” Lilly admitted.

Jonathon’s heart turned over at her admission. All the horses and cattle in the world couldn’t match the value and importance of these two.

“But I’m glad the horsies are okay,” she added almost as an afterthought.

“Do you think my family’s okay?” Alexandria asked Jonathon.

“Ted’s on his way over there if he’s not there already,” he shared; Alexandria nodded against his neck. “Why don’t you two take a nap?”

“I need to clean up…”

“I’ll clean up the mess in here; you need to rest.”

“I’m fine,” Alexandria persisted.

“The doc’s not here to order you to bed so I am,” Jonathon informed her.

“I don’t think I want to be up here by myself.”

“Then you lay on the settee and I’ll pull two chairs together for Lilly and you two can rest in the parlor closer to where Millie will be working,” he suggested.

“Is Mommy sick?” Lilly asked her small brow scrunched up in concern.

“No, Lilly, we haven’t found out for sure from the doctor, but we think you may be getting a little brother or sister,” Jonathon shared. Lilly scrambled onto her knees and smiled at him.

“Really?”

“We think so.”

“I want a little brother,” she declared.

“Well, we don’t get to decide if you get a brother or sister but either way I know you’ll be a good big sister.”

“Oh I will, I’ll help and I won’t get into things,” she promised. “You know I’m real lucky.”

“How’s that?” Jonathon asked her with a smile.

“I got to have two mommies and two daddies and lots of grandma’s and grandpas and aunts and uncles and now I get to have a little brother or a sister. Do you think we can get whichever one we don’t get this time later?” she requested. Jonathon chuckled and could hear Alexandria doing the same.

“I think so, but time will tell,” Jonathon told her.

“What does that mean?” she asked, her little nose wrinkled.

“It means be patient my little pixie.”

“Oh,” Lilly said with a dejected sigh. Patience was not her strong point.

“You want to do your first big sister help?”

“Now?” Lilly asked with wide eyes.

“Now.”

“What do I need to do?”

“You need to go get a pillow and blanket from your bed, take them down stairs and wait for me. I need you to set a good example for your Mommy, she thinks she has to do everything at once but right now she needs extra rest for the baby.”

“I can do that,” Lilly nodded and scrambled off the bed.

“That was low,” Alexandria informed him as she looked up into his face.

“I’m just trying to take care of you, Alexandria. I’ve already failed you once today,” he said as he stood and placed her back on her feet.

“No, you didn’t, I was being…”

“Alexandria, you are far more important to me than horses and had something happened to me…the thought of you working yourself to the bone on this place again, especially now,” Jonathon stopped, his eyes suspiciously moist as he swallowed hard and tried to regain his composure. “I promise to be more careful in the future. Today I reacted from adrenaline; I didn’t even stop and think about it.”

“We’re all okay, that’s the important thing,” Alexandria reminded him.

“I’m glad we’re all okay, now go set an example for your daughter who is trying real hard to be big right now,” he encouraged her.