Joyce nervously sat in the waiting room of the obstetrician's office. She noticed the bump between her hips when she tried to pull on her pleather pants. The button and zipper refused to meet. Why didn't she terminate the pregnancy? Right, Catholic guilt. Her mother was excited to have a grandchild, and Joyce didn't want to disappoint her mother.

She followed the nurse into an examination room when her name got called. Joyce Morelli. It took a while, but she eventually got used to the name. She had to admit it was better than getting called Barnyard. Despite the rumours, Joyce did not have sex with animals. They were in the room but not participants. She wasn't that freaky between the sheets.

"How are you feeling today?" Gemma asked.

"Fine. The doctor's tricks for morning sickness worked. I drink ginger tea before getting out of bed. I've been wondering. Why didn't my birth control work? I get the shots, so I don't worry about missing a pill." Gemma smiled at Joyce. She never realized Joe Morelli could be domesticated.

"Nothing is one hundred percent. We always advise our patients to use condoms if they don't wish to get pregnant. Even condoms aren't immune from failure," Gemma calmly explained. "Your shot was due in a few weeks. Sometimes they wear off early."

Joyce could have taken the morning after pills, but after a pregnancy scare with Vinnie Plum, Joyce discovered she was allergic to the pill. "I guess," Joyce replied. Joyce shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "Can someone hurry up and do the ultrasound? I've got to pee."

Gemma giggled, then called the technician. Joyce impatiently waited as the radiologist pulled the sonogram machine to the examination table. "Jump up and pull your pants down to your pelvic bone." Joyce followed the instructions. "The gel is going to be a little cold," the technician warned.

"Please. A little cold won't bother me," Joyce snorted. The technician squeezed the gel onto Joyce's abdomen. Joyce didn't flinch.

"You weren't joking," the technician laughingly said. "My name is Clara."

The doctor entered as Clara finished her assessment. "Can I empty my bladder before I explode?" Joyce asked. She ran from the room when the doctor nodded. Joyce returned a minute later, looking less murderous.

"We were able to confirm the conception date. You got pregnant between May 18th and 22nd. The baby is at seven weeks gestation, which makes you nine weeks pregnant."

Joyce knew the pregnancy weeks got determined by your last period date. But because she was on birth control, it got calculated from when conception occurred. The doctor added two weeks to align with the pregnancy terminology. "When is my due date?"

"Around February 11th," the doctor replied. She pointed to the four-inch heels on Joyce's feet. "You'll need to wear lower-heeled shoes. No more than two inches once you get to sixteen weeks."

Clara poked her head inside the room once the doctor finished the examination. "These are for you," Clara said, passing Joyce two sonogram images. "We'll repeat the sonogram at eighteen weeks to check the gender."

"Thanks," Joyce replied. She looked at the blob. A tear slipped down her cheek. Joyce never imagined herself as a mother until she became one.

Instead of going home, Joyce parked in the TPD visitor lot. She entered the building and walked through into Joe's office. He was at his desk, filling out a report. A smile crossed his lips as he saw his sexy wife enter the room. Living with Joyce was surprisingly easy. They never fought like he and Stephanie. He was excited to have a child. Joyce wasn't exactly his ideal partner, but they got along well.

"How was your appointment, darling?" Joe asked.

"Illuminating," she replied, then passed him the sonogram images. "We're having a blob." He had never seen anything better than the blob in the picture.

Joe laughed as he pulled Joyce onto his lap. His hand rested on the baby bump as he examined the picture of his child. "I can't wait to see him."

"What if it's a girl?" Joyce nervously asked. She prayed they were having a boy.

"I don't want to think about raising a daughter. I'd have to protect her from men like me," Joe said, shuddering. Joyce couldn't agree more. "When can they determine the sex?"

"Eighteen weeks," she replied. "We'll refrain from assuming it's gender until we know for sure."

"Deal." Joe kissed Joyce and returned one of the images. He wanted to keep the other on his desk. "I'll be home by six for dinner." Joyce frowned. She didn't know what to cook. "How about I pick up that chicken soup you love?"

"Thanks," she replied before leaving his office. Joyce drove to the bond's office next. She had to give Vinnie her notice. Getting told you're pregnant and seeing the proof were two completely different things. Her pregnancy didn't become real until she saw the blob inside her uterus.

Joyce didn't want to give up the job, but she barely made enough to pay for gas. She wondered how Stephanie managed to survive on the pitiful wage.

Joe didn't want her working as a BEA. He wanted her to work as a secretary. Joyce decided selling her condo would suffice to support her growing family. She was happy to be on Joe's health insurance.

~~~~~~~~~~

Woody drove Stephanie and Edna to the farm. His brow dampened from sweat. Stephanie reached over the console to grab his hand. She entwined their fingers and rested them on his thigh. Woody mumbled his thanks. Her touch grounded him.

"You can't force anyone to value, respect, understand, or support you, but you can choose to spend your time around people who do," Stephanie reminded Woody.

He grinned at Stephanie. "And you, Darlin, should practice what you preach," Woody replied. Stephanie thought for a few minutes before agreeing. It was easier said than done.

Woody parked in the long driveway far away from his father's truck. He left enough room for his dad to drive around the SUV. Stephanie saw Woody's parents exit the house. She smiled at the handsome man and beautiful woman as they approached. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Walker," Stephanie said, extending her hand. Woody's mom surprised Stephanie by hugging her.

"Welcome to our home, Darlin," Jean replied. "Please, call me Jean and my husband, Toby. Woodrow's friends needn't be formal."

"I'm Stephanie, and this is my grandmother, Edna," Stephanie said. Toby and Jean hugged Edna.

"Follow me," Toby said. He pulled Edna's arm through his and walked her to the house.

"She's a muscular one," Jean whispered to Woody. "You must teach her how to wrangle cattle." Stephanie pressed her lips together to prevent herself from laughing. Woody looked too scared to teach Stephanie anything on the farm.

Jean gave Stephanie and Edna a tour of the house. Since the Walkers offered them rooms in their home, Stephanie checked out of the hotel. Stephanie liked the idea of working on the farm for a few weeks. "Did y'all bring your luggage?" Toby asked.

"Yes, sir," Stephanie replied. "But I refuse to stay here for free. I want to help you with chores on the farm."

"Aren't you a dear," Jean said. "We could always use the help with the gardens." Jean showed Stephanie and Edna the rooms where they'd sleep. She turned to face her son. "Woodrow, you best be getting their bags settled." Stephanie was hoping to feed the cattle and tend to the horses.

"Yes, mama," he replied. Stephanie watched Woody leave the house. She stared at his jean-clad ass, making Jean laugh.

"Are y'all sure you're not dating my son?"

Stephanie blushed. "I'm in love with our boss. But I still appreciate a fine-ass hug in tight jeans. You should see the other Merry Men. I swear being hot and muscular is required to work at Rangeman."

Jean laughed. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath. "Come with me, Darlin. I'll fix y'all some lunch," Jean said when Stephanie's stomach grumbled. Jean talked to Edna as she prepared lunch. She was curious if Edna knew why Woody avoided coming home. Edna patiently shared the story Woody had shared the previous night. Jean carried the food to the table, then sat in a chair. "Are y'all joking? Freddy's death was not Woody's fault. My youngest boy rode that lawnmower whenever his Pop left to feed the cattle. It could easily have happened on our watch."

"Have you told him that?" Stephanie asked.

"I didn't think it was necessary," Jean replied. "Woody must have known Freddy loved to ride the mower."

"He did, but Woody didn't know Freddy snuck out to ride it unsupervised. Woody had carried the guilt from Freddy's death. He couldn't face you after getting his younger brother killed. Woody gave up his chance to play for the NFL and joined the Army because that's what Freddy planned," Stephanie explained.

"Oh, dear. It's time Toby and I set Woody straight. We assumed Woody didn't want to talk about his brother. Toby and I had no clue he was wallowing in guilt." Jean hollered from the kitchen door for Toby and Woody to join them for lunch. Stephanie didn't bother telling Jean what she thought about assumptions. Woody experienced twelve years of nightmares and guilt for something that should have been discussed after Freddy's death.

After lunch, Woody took Stephanie and Edna out on the ATV to explore the property. He showed them the stables and the barns for the cattle and chickens. Stephanie laughed at the chickens with head feathers sticking out like a bad hairdo.

"I'll help Jean collect eggs in the morning," Edna announced. "I haven't collected eggs since I was a child." Vivid memories of the geese chasing after Stephanie made her say she didn't want to go near chickens.

Woody remembered the geese incident, causing him to laugh. "Chickens aren't the same as geese, Darlin," Woody said.

"I don't care. Chickens have beaks, which means they can peck me. I'll pass." Stephanie would rather take her chances in the bullpen. Woody laughed, making Stephanie realize she had said that out loud. He assured Stephanie the chickens were safer than the bull because the bull had deadly sharp horns. Stephanie refused to admit he was right.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jean waited until Woody took their guests outside. She sat on the couch, pulling Toby down beside her. "Edna and Stephanie told me why Woody's been avoiding home. He believes we blame him for Freddy's death."

"Darlin, that simply isn't true. It could have happened while Woody was on one of his football trips," Toby replied. "Freddy could hot-wire any car, tractor, ATV or motorbike. If it had an engine, Freddy could ride it. I don't know where he learned that trick. Maybe Woody taught him."

"Woodrow wouldn't want Freddy to hot-wire vehicles. You know we blamed ourselves for Freddy's death," Jean reminded him. "Talking to the grief counsellor helped us immensely. I think getting stuck in our grief alienated Woody. He joined the Army before we could stop him. What are we going to do?"

"Jeanie, Woody came home. We have Stephanie and Edna to thank. Woody needs to sit down with us to have an honest conversation," Toby replied.

"I told Stephanie and Edna that Freddy would ride the lawnmower whenever we were too busy to watch him. Maybe they told Woody." Jean hoped her statement was true. She didn't want to have that discussion with her son.

"Who told you Woody blamed himself? Stephanie or Edna?" Toby asked.

"It was Edna. Stephanie only talked about what pertained to her. She didn't seem the type for sharing other people's secrets," Jean said. "Edna shared Woody's concerns because she thought it would help our son."

"I knew there was something special about that girl. She is selflessly taking her grandmother on trips to complete that bucket list. I don't know anyone who would sacrifice their job and relationship to help their family. Are you sure Stephanie isn't Woodrow's girlfriend?" Toby hoped the beautiful woman would become his daughter-in-law.

"Toby, stop hoping for something that would never happen. Stephanie's in love with another man," Jean said. "I'm going to collect the ingredients for the salads. I need time for the pasta and potatoes to cool."

"Thank you, Darlin." Toby kissed his wife, then went to the barn to see if Woody found the horse he needed to break.

When Toby approached the paddock behind the barn, he saw Edna and Stephanie sitting on the fence as Woody had a lead rope on his horse. Woody clicked his tongue before changing directions. He firmly held the rope as the horse resisted his guidance.

Before Toby could call out to Stephanie, she jumped into the paddock. The horse neighed when the stranger approached. "Hey, buddy. It's okay," Stephanie calmly said. She took a few steps, then stopped. Stephanie watched the horse raise his head in defiance. When the horse lowered his head, she took a few more steps. She was a few feet away and held up her hand. Woody grinned when the horse bumped Stephanie's hand. Toby had never seen anything like that since Freddy tamed Chopper.

"You're a natural," Toby said.

"Not really. My Uncle Joe said the trick was to show no fear. I love horses. It's been several years since I've ridden," Stephanie confessed. "Isn't that right, Sandor?" The horse neighed. Woody passed Stephanie the lead. "You want someone else to follow, don't you, handsome," she said to the horse.

Edna sat on the fence, recording a video of Stephanie's interaction with the horse. "I hope you don't mind me naming him," Edna said.

"We were trying to find a name best suited to him," Toby replied. Edna explained that she compared the horse's feistiness to her brother, Sandor. The horse raised and lowered his head.

Stephanie dropped the rope and let the horse follow her in circles. "I wonder if Sandor would let her ride him," Woody said. "When I tried, he bucked."

"Give Sandor a few weeks to get used to a harness before letting Stephanie ride him," Toby said.

"I'm up for that," Stephanie said. She agreed to stay on the farm for a few weeks. Woody lowered his head. He didn't want to stay that long. Stephanie couldn't wait to be the first person to ride Sandor. She worked with Sandor for another half hour before giving him a mint she had inside her pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ranger was amazed as he watched the video from Edna Mazur. He had no idea that Stephanie was good around horses. Ranger watched Woody struggle with the horse before Stephanie slipped inside the paddock and did what came naturally. When Stephanie mentioned her Uncle Joe had horses, Ranger researched Joe Juniak.

His family owned a farm outside the city limits. Juniak trained horses to help special needs children. The farm offered reduced rates for autistic and disabled kids. Ranger wanted to offer assistance to the cause. Woody, Junior, Manny and Lester were comfortable around horses. He wondered if they could assist Juniak with training and overseeing the camps. Juniak had a questionnaire on his website for potential volunteers.

Ranger smiled as he forwarded the link to the Trenton office, including Stephanie. He wondered if Mary Alice would be interested in attending a camp.