Chapter 23

"No, Heath Barkley, and don't you dare touch me!"

Heath stood in the great room of the lodge and watched his wife, her eyes shooting daggers toward him. He couldn't help but become frustrated with her.

"Ellen, why not? We don't have to leave until tomorrow after lunch. We still have plenty of time."

Ellen sighed in frustration. Heath was being stubborn, and she was ready to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Heath, you see it as we will be leaving after lunch tomorrow. I see it as we only have until lunch tomorrow! We've finished the kitchen, two of the bedrooms and now all we have left is the great room and the last bedroom. Let's just get those done. Then we can spend the rest of the time enjoying ourselves. We told your family we were coming up here to make sure everything is ready for everyone to use this house. I wouldn't be able to ever look anyone in the eye again if we didn't finish! We've been here almost a week! They'll wonder what we've been doing!"

"Ellen, they would understand. We're married. They know we are doing more than cleaning," he said, his eyes twinkling. Ellen refused to smile, although she almost bit a hole on the inside of her cheek to keep from doing so.

"Please just help me finish the great room," Ellen asked. Heath knew he was being obstinate, but he was tired of cleaning. He wanted to play. He nodded, and Ellen hid a smile at his sulking expression.

"You know", she said as she was finishing scrubbing the floor, "we only have that last bedroom left once we finish in here."

Heath was half listening as he was putting the furniture back into place after the floor had dried.

"Yeah," he responded.

"Once we finish this room, Heath," she said his name in a way that caused him to pause and look at her. "We'll get to clean the bedroom."

Heath smiled. He remembered how much fun it was to clean the bedroom the day before. Now that he had some motivation, Heath quickly finished his tasks. He took the bucket of dirty water from Ellen dumping it outside, then he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

They made it back to the ranch just before dinner the next day. Jarrod and Melissa had arrived in town, and Victoria had invited Carl and Audra to share the meal with them that evening. As Victoria looked around the crowded dinner table, she couldn't keep the smile from her face. All of her children were married and seemed happy. She admitted she'd been worried about Heath and Ellen in the beginning since they had married so quickly. It looked as though the time they'd spent at the lodge had been good for the young couple.

Later that night, after everyone had turned in, Nick sat up in bed, thinking about Heath and Ellen. Abby climbed into bed and snuggled up next to him.

"What has you so happy?" she asked.

"Oh, just thinking about Heath and Ellen. They seem really happy now."

Abby smiled, remembering the slight blush of Ellen's cheeks when she'd been asked how the cleaning had gone.

"Heath's got that sparkle in his eyes," Abby commented.

"Sparkle?" Nick asked.

"Mmm hmm...The same sparkle I see in Jarrod and in you. My mother used to call it, 'The look of love'."

Nick wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her closer. He fell asleep thinking about their new house and how he hoped to fill it with their children soon.

Six weeks later, Nick and Abby were settled in their new home. The entire family plus the ranch hands pitched in to help with the move. The house was a beautiful two story home, not quite as large as the mansion, but almost as grand.

The mansion seemed somewhat empty now that Nick and Abby were gone, and Heath couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Dinner that evening seemed subdued. Heath and Ellen turned in early, both feeling tired. They lay in bed together, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Ellen spoke.

"Heath?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not here yet."

Heath rolled over and looked at his wife. Was she talking in her sleep? But no, she was wide awake.

"What are you expecting?" he asked, clearly confused. He thought perhaps she had ordered something, and it hadn't arrived. Ellen bit her lower lip in uncertainty.

"It's always on time, but it's over a month late. My monthly has never been late before, Heath."

Heath continued to stare at Ellen, then it dawned on him what she was saying. He sat up quickly and pulled her up with him.

"Are you saying...?"

Ellen nodded, her eyes searching Heath's. She couldn't tell if he was happy or not. She would be crushed if he wasn't.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired. Scared."

Ellen drew in a shuddering breath. In truth, she was deliriously happy. She'd always wanted to be a mother. She was worried though about Heath. They'd been on a sort of honeymoon of late. Would this bring them crashing down to earth?

"What about you?" Ellen asked, knowing she had to know how Heath felt, even if he wasn't happy.

"I think I'm in shock," he said seriously. Then she watched as his mouth stretched into an easy grin. Ellen smiled too and Heath leaned in to kiss her.

When they broke apart, Heath said, "Ellen Barkley, you've just made me the happiest man on earth. I was feeling sorry for myself because this house seemed so empty. Now, we're gonna fill it up!"

Ellen laughed with relief. Heath said he was going to take her into town to see Dr. Merar the next day. Ellen felt a profound sense of relief. She'd literally made herself ill that day thinking about how Heath would react. She curled up next to him and fell asleep, a contented smile on her face.

The appointment with Dr. Merar went well. He asked Ellen all the pertinent questions, then offered some advice. As of yet, she'd not experienced any morning sickness. He admonished her to get plenty of rest and not to overdo. Heath assured the doctor his wife would follow his orders.

The next week, all the family, except Jarrod and Melissa, gathered at the Barkley Mansion for dinner. Heath and Ellen announced their news. Everyone was happy and hugged the couple. The talk that night was of the future. Nick talked about the next generation of Barkleys, and how he couldn't wait to see his and Heath's sons working the ranch. Heath listened to Nick's plans and smiled. He admitted he hoped this baby was a boy. He'd love to teach his son how to ride a horse, rope a bronco, brand a steer, go fishing and hunting. His thoughts turned to the fact it could be a girl. He didn't see any reason why his daughter couldn't learn some of those things as well.

"Boy, you listenin' to me?"

Heath looked up and smiled.

"Sorry, Nick. I was thinkin'."

Nick smiled widely. "Yeah, I just bet you were. How about a game of pool?"

"Sure, Nick. Guess since I'm so distracted, you figure you can beat me this time?"

"Ha! Boy, I could beat you anytime, anywhere!"

Heath locked up downstairs then went in search of his wife. He knew she was really tired, and he wanted to make sure she was taking it easy. He found her sitting at the small vanity in their room, brushing her hair.

"Hi, Love," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

She smiled distractedly.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"My shoulder is bothering me. I'm trying to remember what I've done to make it hurt so."

"Which one?"

"The left one."

Heath began to massage her shoulder. After a while, he noticed Ellen was dozing. He lifted her up into his arms and carried her to their bed. He thought she was asleep, but she surprised him with her request.

"Heath? Make love to me."

"Ellen, maybe we shouldn't..."

Ellen opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I want you to hold me close. Dr. Merar said it was perfectly fine for us to do what we normally do."

"Aren't you too tired?" Heath asked. He wasn't trying to talk her out of it. He wanted her badly. He was just concerned she wasn't up to it. He didn't want to hurt her or the baby.

"I'm never too tired for you," she murmured. Heath took her in his arms and with a gentle passion, took her to heights of pleasure.