Frank and Sarah's chapter almost turned out to be more about Adam and Millie, but I hope you will all enjoy it. Again, many thanks to everyone who's reviewed.

I wish it were me.
I've always wanted to be a June bride,
and have a baby right off.

"What a night," Adam yawned, as he stepped out of his boots. It was all that he could do not to fall into bed, and he winced to imagine what time it must be. He usually woke up at dawn to get started with the farm chores, but he supposed that after night like this, he deserved to sleep a little late tomorrow.

In the corner of their bedroom, Millie was checking on Hannah, who was fast asleep in her crib. "You got a cousin now, Hannah," she said softly, smoothing her little curl of hair. "Ain't that somethin'?"

Of the six new Pontipee wives, Dorcas, Martha, and Sarah had all conceived right after their June weddings, and through the winter, it had almost been like a race between them, to see which one would have her baby first. But tonight, Sarah had won that race, going into labor early and delivering a healthy baby boy the first week of February. Frank had built a little cabin for himself and Sarah, across the pasture from the main house, and Millie, Liza, and Alice had spent most of the night there, helping birth the new baby, while Frank, Adam, and the other men paced the floor. Dorcas and Martha, too pregnant to waddle across the pasture in the snow, were happy to stay at the main house and baby-sit Hannah. They both wanted to get more experience with babies before their own were born. Ruth had announced just last month that she and Caleb were expecting a baby too, but she wasn't due until the end of the summer.

Millie stretched and yawned too, looking more tired than Adam had ever seen her, but it was a happy sort of tired. It was a relief to everyone that the new baby was so strong and healthy. "Land sakes," Millie said, "I just hope Dorcas and Martha's babies don't decide to get born this late at night... or, I guess I should say, this early in the morning."

"Just think how experienced you'll be at birthin' babies soon," Adam told her as they climbed into bed. "You'll have seen more than any doctor back east."

Millie chuckled a bit. "Why, I guess I will."

Adam was dead-tired, but to his surprise, he didn't fall asleep immediately. He laid in bed, reflecting on everything that had happened tonight. It was strange to think that Frankincense, his most hot-headed little brother, was a father now, too. Adam had never seen Frank and Sarah look so happy as they had tonight. "Isaac Pontipee," Frank kept repeating proudly. "We reckon we'll call him Ike for short. Ain't that a fine name?"

The Pontipees wanted to keep up the alphabetic Bible names, and now that Frank and Sarah had taken I, Dorcas and Martha were each keen to give birth next, to fall on J. They were always borrowing Millie's Bible to search for names. "John, Joseph, Judith, Joanna," Dorcas had said just earlier tonight, flipping through its pages. "Hardly seems fair there's so many fine-soundin' J names in the Bible, and hardly any K ones."

Adam yawned again and said to Millie, "Awfully glad Ike was born in such good shape, considerin' he come early and all." It was February, barely eight months after the June weddings, and even backwoodsmen in Oregon Territory knew how long a baby was supposed to take.

Millie was quiet, then said, "Hmmm," in such a serious way that it made Adam curious.

"Say, Millie, what's wrong?"

"It's just... well, Ike was so big - bigger than Hannah was when she was born. And he bellowed like an ox. I'll bet the folks all the way back in town could hear him cryin'."

Adam smiled proudly. Ike was a new generation of Pontipee men. But didn't want to say that and make it seem like Hannah was less important for being a girl, so he simply shrugged and asked, "Well, what of it? Ain't it a good thing?"

Even in the darkness, Adam could see Millie purse her lips. "Well, it's just... I'm just not so sure he did come early."

For a moment, Adam didn't understand. "He had to have come early," he argued. "Only been eight months since - " But then he realized what she meant, and he almost gasped. "You-you don't suppose... Frank and Sarah..."

"Adam, you just don't know what it was like 'round here when you were up at the trappin' cabin," Millie burst out. Adam could tell that she had been wanting to say this for a long time, and he felt guilty. "When the snows melted and spring finally came... they were practically fallin' all over each other. I was about to pop with Hannah myself, and I couldn't keep an eye on all twelve of 'em, but I never thought they... I never imagined Frank and Sarah would..."

"Now, Millie, don't get yourself worked up. You don't know for sure anythin' happened, and even if it did, it weren't your fault."

Millie sighed, conflicted. "I don't know. I just never heard of an early baby born so big."

Adam considered - maybe as the oldest brother, it was his job to say something to Frank about this. But he decided against it right away. What could he say? Even if Frank and Sarah had been baby-making before they were married, Adam was the one who had convinced his brothers to ride into town at night and kidnap their sweethearts. He didn't have room to go preaching at Frank. He decided to fall back on his father's old saying.

"Well, my pa always said it was best to let sleepin' dogs lie."

But Adam knew all too well that Millie could be as stubborn as a mule. "Well, maybe it is," she answered, "but I just can't."

x

The next day, when she and Alice went back to the cabin to check on Sarah and the new baby, Millie brought up the subject as tactfully as she could. "...course, sometimes, babies just come early, and if you promise me that's what happened with Ike, I'll believe you, Sarah, but I..."

But Millie stopped when she saw the expression on Sarah's face. She had thought that her sister-in-law might be angry or insulted, but Sarah was neither. She was sitting up in bed, nursing Isaac, and as Millie talked, a mischievous little smile spread over her face, and her eyes sparkled naughtily. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to.

"Why, Sarah Pontipee!" Millie exclaimed, gasping. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

But Sarah just shrugged. "Oh, what for? Frank and I love each other, and we're married now. What difference does it make?"

This was almost too much for Alice the reverend's daughter. She pressed one hand over her mouth and looked shocked enough to faint.

"Sarah, I defended you," Millie argued. "Back when I was workin' in town, I heard a rumor you let Carl Brown kiss you, and I said, 'Not Sarah, she's a nice gal, and nice gals don't let men kiss them till after they're engaged.'"

Sarah smiled again. "Frank is a better kisser than Carl," she said slyly.

Alice's eyes bulged so wide that Millie thought they might burst right out of her head. "I won't listen to this sinfulness!" she exclaimed, and she turned and ran out of the room.

Sarah watched her go, then turned to face Millie again. She wasn't smiling anymore. "Now, Millie, listen," she said, "Frank and I love each other, and I ain't sorry for what we did. How can I be? If we hadn't done it, we wouldn't have this beautiful baby right now." She paused and smiled down at Isaac, who was now sleeping peacefully in her arms. "But... I am sorry if we disappointed you. It didn't happen under your roof, I swear, if that makes you feel any better."

Millie was silent for a moment, wiping her hands on her apron, even though her hands weren't dirty. "Well, I guess it does," she said at last. "Perhaps it's best we don't talk 'bout this again."

Sarah almost laughed. "Well, I should say not. I thought Alice was like to fall over dead."

x

But Adam was the one who felt like he might fall over dead, when they were eating supper that evening and Millie said to him, "Well, you were right."

Adam stared, his eyes almost as wide as Alice's had been earlier. Part of him was tempted to jump up from the table and holler out to his brothers, "Hey, boys, my wife just admitted I was right about something!" But, with discipline that would've astonished his younger self, he hid his surprise and asked, "Yeah? Right 'bout what?"

"Oh, 'bout Frank and Sarah. You were right, I shoulda just let sleepin' dogs lie."

Adam smirked. He wouldn't mention this to his brothers, but he couldn't resist rubbing it in Millie's face just a little. So he turned to Hannah, who was sitting up in her high chair, feeding herself mashed blueberries - although she was getting as much on her face as in her mouth. "Hear that, Hannah? Your ma just admitted I was right 'bout something," he said with feigned horror. "What is this world comin' to?"