Sunday dinner sure was fun. And I do mean that at least a little sarcastic. Now the day started out alright though maybe not as much fun for poor Jesse who was trying not to pout too much over his boss going to dinner with his English teacher. Al was smiling like I don't think I'd ever seen him do before. I don't know what it was about this lady really. We'd had pretty and available women in the shop before but there was some sort of spark that passed between them when they met and she felt it too.

"So how did dinner with Mrs. Dunne go, old man?" I asked him.

"A gentleman doesn't reveal such things," he said lifting his nose in the air.

"Now Al," I said, "I assured that lady her reputation would be safe with you so you'd better not have been up to anything a gentleman can't reveal."

"All the years I've known you and have you ever had to deal with me telling you how to conduct your affairs with a lady?" Al asked getting testy. Now part of the reason I was so upset was that I had given this specific lady my word.

"Before Joanie, you ever seen me out with a lady?"

"Emma needs help, James," Joanie said coldly before letting the screen door fall shut and slamming the front door. It was probably a good thing right about then I still had the old davenport with the fold out bed. I was pretty sure that was going to be my best friend that night.

"Sorry Al," I said, "I gave her my word is all."

"We had a delightful dinner and I was a gentleman," he smiled at me and something told me he'd had one or two ungentlemanly thoughts during this dinner. "We're having dinner again this week. I might be so bold as to try for a goodnight kiss."

He winked at me and I sighed before heading into the house to see what Emma needed help with. If I didn't hurry she'd try to climb a step ladder herself with that ever growing belly of hers. Sam and Jesse had gone off to pick up some butter or eggs or something she needed. Buck and Carol weren't coming. They were spending more time at home when he wasn't working. They were doing better and that baby turned out to be the greatest blessing. Joanie, in one of her better moods, giggled to me that she'd be surprised if Greg didn't have a little brother or sister coming along soon. Not that sex is all there is to a relationship or a happy marriage but it's a decent sized part. It helps people feel valued; especially after a baby, women get plenty insecure about how they look when things are all out of place and sagging and stretched out. I know Buck didn't care about any of that. He always loved her and that was that. She'd always be about sixteen with a tight little body and her little bobby socks and saddle shoes in his eyes. That's the way it is with men when we love someone. No matter what changes Joanie's body ever went through, naked she always looked to me like she did that night on the beach at the cabin.

I found my way to the kitchen where Joanie was physically barring Emma from the step stool.

"You need that platter again, Emma?" I asked and tried not to shrivel up under Joanie's angry glare.

"Thank you, Jimmy," she said noting the look Joanie gave me and I mean it was THE LOOK. I'm not sure all women know that they're doing it when they do it but all men know exactly what I'm talking about. "I'm sure I could have gotten it myself."

"Not as long as I'm around," I told her, "And I dare to say Sam and Jesse would say the same thing. Heck, if I let you on that step stool, I think Sam would kill me and he does carry a gun."

Emma laughed and then got a serious look and nodded me toward my wife. I didn't really want to face her. A part of me was wondering why she was so mad since I made sure to say that she was a lady but then I know that a man doesn't always have to know what he did wrong to have done something wrong.

"I shouldn't have said that, Joanie," I said, "It was stupid and wrong."

"It's not what you said in the way you think," she told me, "I mean I don't like that side of you very much where you talk about women like that. I try not to think about how you might have been toward girls before you met me. But that's not what upset me."

"What is it then?"

"Sometimes I like to believe, even though I know it's not true, that I'm the only one."

"You are," I said.

"I'm not the only one ever."

"You're the important one," I assured her, "You're the only one now. And you're the best one."

She looked up at me strange and I looked around to make sure no one was near to hear it.

"You're really good at it," I clarified, "I've never had better. I guess that's at least partly because I love you but partly you're just that good."

Joanie blushed at me and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me deep. We didn't even hear the front door open.

"Geez, you two," Billy's voice cut through our amorous moment, "I thought all that ended once you got married."

"Not if you're doing things right," I told him going in for one more kiss.

"I told you so, Will," Sherry said elbowing him in the ribs. That girl was all kinds of good for him.

I couldn't help but laugh at poor Billy's predicament. I know he was scared of where this relationship was going but the rest of us could see it and could see he'd regret it forever if he let this one slip through his fingers which meant he would eventually have to decorate one of hers. That day was a little ways off though. Sherry wasn't like most girls and her world didn't revolve around a white dress or sparkly ring and she was getting enough of babies from her nieces and nephews. That wasn't going to work forever though and he knew it. That one remark of hers let me know marriage had been discussed. I think Billy was hoping Joanie and I hadn't heard it but we had and he knew I had from my laughter. Joanie giggled too.

"You should know better than to try to fool a smart woman like my friend, Sherry," Joanie said trying to chastise him through her giggles.

"Now Joanie you know it wasn't like that," Billy pleaded but the girls only laughed at him and headed to the kitchen to see if they could persuade Emma to get off her feet a little.

"You've been caught," I said putting an arm around his shoulders, "There's no sense in fighting it. You'll never be happy without her. You'll never be happy with anyone else."

"I can't marry her yet," he told me, "A woman like that shouldn't be married to the guy who's stuck doing the stupid story about the cat stuck up a tree."

"She agree with that?"

"I don't even care," he said, "I-I," his voice dropped to a whisper, "love her too much. I can't do that to her."

"You won't be covering Fluffy the stranded kitty cat forever," I reminded him.

"I know that but as long as I have the stupid stories I have to put her off a bit."

"I don't think she's as concerned about the ring as she might let on," I said, "I think as long as you let her know every now and then that she's it for you and always will be that she can be very patient."

"You think?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "It took me two years to get a ring on Joanie's hand and I never serenaded her at dinner. I'm sure you have at least as much leeway."

Billy smiled and I think he was finally seeing something in his future that he never allowed in before.

We heard Jesse and Sam walk in with whatever Emma had sent them out for and right behind them was Noah followed by Rosemary. Noah was smiling but looked a little reserved about something. Emma came out of the kitchen and the look on her face said she'd been banished and wasn't happy at all about being kicked out of her own kitchen. I took her hand to lead her to a chair and Jesse was quick to jump up and take her other hand.

"I'm not an invalid, you know," she protested, "I could make it to a chair by myself and standing up isn't going to kill me."

"Well, you shouldn't have made yourself so important to us," I told her, "We're not going to take any chances with you or that little one you've got growing there."

She rolled her eyes and I'll tell you by that time I was immune to the eye rolls of women. Joanie was a master eye roller. I looked up to see Rosemary headed over with a big smile. She had a real pretty smile and I always thought that Noah was a pretty lucky man to have that smile for him. Of course my Joanie could light a room with hers so I knew exactly how lucky.

"Emma," Rosemary said sweetly, "Jimmy's right. You know we have to take care of ourselves for our babies and you especially."

"What did you say?" Emma asked. I could see her fighting to keep her voice level. It wasn't working and I honestly thought she was going to turn into one of those cartoon characters where the steam comes out their ears.

"Well, I only meant that at your age a pregnancy is more dangerous to you and to the baby."

"I got that," Emma said through her clenched teeth and Sam, Jesse and I were circled around her trying to keep her calm. It really was no good for her to get this worked up. "I was talking about the other thing you said."

"Well, we weren't going to tell anyone just yet but I guess I'm so excited I let the cat out of the bag," Rosemary said oblivious to the expression on Emma's face. "I'm due in August. Don't you just think it will be the most precious baby ever? Especially if it gets its daddy's eyes."

Of all of her adopted babies I know Emma never thought Noah would be the one coming to her with something like this. Buck threw her for enough of a loop. I think the only one she would have been more surprised by was Ike but he did it the right way in her eyes. For his part Noah looked like he wanted to fall through the floor. I know he had planned on telling Emma and the rest of us a little differently. You have to understand that 1965 was still a pretty conservative time and Emma was a very old fashioned woman. I think her reaction was more to how Rosemary told the news than the news itself. They were already engaged after all. I know if I had ever been the one that knocked up some girl I wasn't married to, she probably would have expected it. I'm sure she would have denied if I had said that but it's true anyway. I was the one most likely to get a girl knocked up and it's probably some kind of miracle that I didn't.

"Are you at least going to move the wedding up?" Emma choked out and Jesse ran to get her some water.

"I don't see why we should," Rosemary said matter of factly, "It's not like the baby would be born a full nine months after a wedding anyway. We're just going to go ahead and get married in July after Noah graduates and takes the bar."

Emma wasn't taking any too kindly to this and I could see Sam's reaction building to Emma's agitated state. I know that man would never strike a woman but he looked tempted right then. I took Rosemary's arm and pulled her out to the porch leaving Noah to try to talk to Emma.

"It's freezing out here," Rosemary complained.

"It's better here than in there right now," I said and I could barely hold my tongue for the things I wanted to say to her.

"I don't understand the big deal," she said haughtily, "Women get pregnant every day."

"In Emma's world women get married before they get pregnant," I informed her. "She's very protective of all of her children and she doesn't like seeing them put themselves behind the eight ball."

"We will be married before junior here comes," she defended blowing on her hands.

And you'll be a month from giving birth when you say your 'I do's'," I reminded her. "I know you don't like thinking of how people will think of things but that doesn't make Noah look very good to a lot of people. It's lucky he already has a job lined up with some very progressive people or you might have to fear him getting a job at all."

"You know we can't get all hung up on what people think."

"Rosemary, I love the world you dream of and I wish we lived in it but denying the reality around you doesn't change it," I said, "That woman in there doesn't care one bit about the color of someone's skin or the religion they were brought up in. She accepted and loved Joanie at first sight, Noah too. She never thought the first thing about the two of you being together. But she's a realist and she knows how much more of a challenge the world is for Noah. Plenty of people do see his color first and she knows the judgments fall harder on him. I like you, Rosemary, I really do. I cannot stand by and see hurt come to my family. Emma's not supposed to be upset right now. That baby is something she dreamed of and never thought she'd get again. Anyone costs her that and that person had better learn to like being out in the cold."

I stormed back in shutting the door a little too hard behind me. Rosemary stayed out for a while and I know she was thinking a little about what I said. I understood where she was coming from but it didn't change that there was something to the place Emma was coming from too. Noah had quickly become one of my brothers and I liked Rosemary and I think she was just not seeing the potential for harm in this situation. I really worried for him to follow along with whatever she said when she obviously didn't understand what it was to be him in that time.

Noah was sitting next to Emma with Jesse at her side. I don't know where Sam had gone. Men don't always handle their women being hurt or in peril. Chances are Billy or Al had pulled him off somewhere else to calm down so Noah could talk to her. Noah looked up when he heard the door close.

"Where's Rosemary?" he asked.

"On the porch," I told him, "I think she's thinking a little. I don't think it occurred to her that this would upset anyone."

"I wish those weren't the circumstances," Noah said, "I know she's happy about it and I guess I am too. I mean I'm going to be a father. That's pretty cool. Just wish it was a few months from now we got this news."

I nodded and Emma put a hand to the side of his face and patted it tenderly.

"She was right about one thing," Emma said, "It will be a beautiful baby."

Yeah it would be an awful cute baby...Rosemary is intensely dense in this chapter...I think I'll just hang out wherever Cody and Sherry are...they are adorable. I love them.-J