It was on her mind all through dinner. She didn't realize how quiet she had been until after they had gathered in the parlor to wait for Tom and Rafe to bring in the tree and Danny had taken her aside to ask her if she was all right.

"I'm fine Danny honestly. The idea of us having a baby is so wonderful and I just don't want to get home and be disappointed." She admitted.

He smiled at her. "This comin' from the woman who told me that we had plenty of time."

She put her arms around his neck and laughed softly. "That was before I thought we might actually be having a baby."

"Wouldn't that be somethin'?" He whispered in her ear.

She nodded before he kissed her cheek and let her go just as the McCawley's came in with the biggest tree that Danny could remember. Even when times had been hard during the Depression and they had taken him in after his daddy died, the one thing that Tom McCawley never scrimped on was the family Christmas tree. He'd told Danny once that he'd be damned if a lack of money would ruin his Christmas.

It had always been that way with the McCawley's. No one had had much during those years, but through ingenuity and with the old family ornaments Christmas was the time of year that most everyone was able to worry just a little less about what they didn't have and thank the Lord for what they did have.

This year Danny knew that he had more than his fair share to be thankful for. He and Sandra were finally married and if they were very lucky, they would be parents before the next Christmas rolled around. "What are you thinking about?" Sandra's voice was close to his ear.

He looked at her and smiled. "You mean other than how much I love you?"

She laughed again. "Nice answer, but that's not what I meant."

"I know. I was just rememberin' how hard it was for the McCawley's when Rafe and I were growin' up. Times were real hard here, but no matter what we always had a tree."

"And you paid us back in more ways than you'll ever know Danny." Sarah told him. He hadn't heard her come over. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I don't know that Tom and I ever really let you know how much having you here meant to us. We finally knew you were safe and you helped Rafe with his schoolwork when he would have such a hard time. You helped him graduate from high school and get through flight training. He always told us that he couldn't have done it without you and that meant so much to us."

"You made me a part of your family." Danny told her in way of explanation.

"And you made us part of yours." Sarah answered with a smile.

"Well, seein' as how you and Tom are goin' to be the closest thing to grandparents I can give our kids, it only seemed right."

"Seein' as how you're the closest thing that Rafe ever had to a brother, it means a lot." Tom said as he walked over to them. "We could sure use some help gettin' that tree up if you'll give us a hand."

Danny smiled at him. "Just tell me what you want me to do." And Tom put a hand on his shoulder as they headed back to the tree.

"He really loves you." Sarah stated.

"I've never doubted it either." Sandra answered. "Even through all of the years of waiting, I never had any doubt in my mind that he did."

"And it makes me very happy to know that." She said as she held out a small box and gave it to Sandra. "This is for you. Actually, it's for you and your first born. My parents had a tradition that everyone in the family had their own ornament. When Tom and I got married, I made one for him and then when Rafe came along, I made one for him."

"Danny has one?"

Sarah smiled at her. "The first Christmas after he'd come to stay with us for good, I made sure he had one of his own."

Sandra opened the box and inside was two ornaments. One had her name on it and their wedding date. The other had the name Baby Walker 194 . "Nineteen forty what?" She smiled.

"I didn't know what your plans were for a family and frankly it was none of my business. I made that after you and Danny were married and when the time came for you two to start your family I was going to fill in the year."

"What if it had been after 1949?"

"Then that ornament would have been known as Sarah's folly." She said and they both laughed.

"Why don't you ladies come on over here because the tree's up and we have to string the lights. Those kids are goin' to be expectin' a decorated tree when they come downstairs tomorrow mornin'." Tom called them over.

"You four go ahead. I need Sandra to help me get the cider and the popcorn." Sarah told him.

"When did you have time for poppin' corn?"

"When you were out getting that beautiful tree." And she took Sandra by the arm and walked her into the kitchen.

"They've really hit it off." Danny observed with a smile.

"That's because she'd got two daughters in law now." Tom explained. "She worried that Rafe wasn't ever goin' to settle down and then he married his lovely wife over here. Then she worried that you would never propose to Sandra."

"So did we." Danny's best friend grinned at him.

"It just took me awhile to get up my nerve." He grinned back.

"That and the fact that Sandra had to corner you in your barracks." Evelyn smiled.

"That she did."

"What did I do?" Sandra asked as she carried a bowl of popcorn out to the tree trimmers and Sarah followed with a tray of hot apple cider.

"You married me." And when he saw her with the large bowl in her arms he took it from her and put it on the coffee table. "You shouldn't be carrying that, it's heavy."

Sandra looked at Sarah and then at Evelyn who tried not to laugh. "Daniel Walker, if you do this for the next nine months we're going to have to have a long talk."

"Get used to it Sandra." Evelyn finally did laugh. "Rafe was like that when I was going to have Joseph and there isn't a lot you can do about it."

"You're really startin' to believe it aren't you?" He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "I guess I am." And she joined the others as they sang Christmas carols along with the radio and decorated the tree.