brides for brothers 15 - a randall hero by judy christenberry Page B

can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, but you don’t have to pretend. Babies can be difficult, and I’ll understand if you get irritated by her crying…or anything.”
    John and Camille started to protest, but Griff held up his hand. “Lucy, we love babies, all babies. Emma won’t wear us out, and we’re delighted to help you with her.”
    “Thank you,” Lucy said. But her eyes filled with tears. A second later she turned and ran from the room.
     
    J OHN PULLED HIS HORSE to a halt and shoved back his sleeve to check the time. It was two o’clock. The ladies should be back from the luncheon. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number at the house.
    Listening to the unanswered rings, he frowned. Why weren’t they back? Emma needed to sleep in her own crib, and Lucy would be exhausted. After all, she had a baby less than a week ago. His mother should know better than to keep them out so long.
    “Hey, John!” one of his cowboys called, drawing his attention. He supposed he should pay attention to what was going on, but he had trouble keeping his mind on cows lately. He was worried about Emma and Lucy.
    Fifteen minutes later, he called the house again. Still no answer. He waited another fifteen minutes before he called his mother’s cell phone. When she answered, his first question was, “Why haven’t you brought Lucy and Emma home, Mom? They need their rest.”
    “Hello, to you, too, John.”
    “Sorry, Mom, but I’m worried about Emma and Lucy.”
    “Emma is sleeping peacefully. Lucy is a little tired, but I’m putting her to bed as soon as we get home.”
    “When will that be?”
    “Probably by three, or maybe three-thirty.”
    “I hope she doesn’t overdo it. She’ll have a hard time if she does.”
    “Quit fussing, John. I’ll get her in bed as soon as we get home, I promise.”
    He could hear laughter in his mother’s voice. “I’m not being difficult, Mom. I’m just worried about them.”
    “I know. We’ll be on our way in a few minutes.”
    “Good to hear.”
    He put his phone away and went back to herding cows. But his mind was on Lucy and Emma. And he was wishing he was at home to wait for them.
    Hoping to get in earlier than he’d planned, John pushed the herd a little harder. He could help Lucy with Emma if she needed it. And she would if she didn’t get enough sleep.
    At best, she’d only get a couple of hours to nap before it was time to get up for supper. She’d have trouble getting up with Emma later in the night. Maybe he’d stay up a little later to feed Emma her first bottle around midnight.
    He could manage staying up that late. He could even set his alarm. Get a couple of hours of sleep and then get up with Emma.
    An unruly cow grabbed his attention and he decided he’d better concentrate on the job at hand. He wouldn’t be able to help anyone if he fell out of the saddle.
     
    “O H, THERE YOU ARE, J OHN,” Camille said as she heard her son come in. “We thought we’d have to eat dinner without you.”
    “Sorry.” So much for his plan to come in early. Now he was even later than usual. “One of the boys got thrown from his horse because of a snake,” he explained.
    “Was he hurt?” Griff asked. “And who was it?”
    “Jerry. He’s got a new girl and wasn’t concentrating on his job.” John hoped his cheeks weren’t as red as he feared they were. He knew exactly how Jerry felt. It could easily have been him thrown from his horse for all the focus he had today.
    “Was he hurt badly?” Camille asked.
    “No, he just sprained an ankle when he landed on it. He’ll stay in tomorrow and probably be all right after that.” He turned to see Lucy sitting at the table.
    “Hey, Lucy, how are you doing?”
    “Feeling lazy. Your mom insisted I take a nap and she didn’t wake me up until a few minutes ago. She even fed Emma her bottle and put her back to bed. I never heard her cry.”
    “Good for Mom. I was afraid you would be exhausted by your