Destiny got well and came home. Señor Medena and Felipa returned to Texas and life returned to normal. With everyone in good health again, the focus shifted back to preparing for the new babies. They moved Alex’s office upstairs and began work on the nursery.
At the end of January, Princess gave birth to the first foal on the ranch that wasn’t sired by Ed. Eleven months earlier Alex had her bred to a handsome Appaloosa stud in Indiana – via AI. Where Princess was concerned, it was a normal uneventful birth. For Carmen, it was an enlightening experience. Alex was away on a call when she discovered Princess in labor. Alex told her to call him back if she didn’t give birth in an hour. By the time she got back to the barn, little Adora was already scrambling to her feet. Princess had this birthing thing down to an art.
Most things had returned to normal, but the trip to Texas had given Jonathan an idea. He hesitantly announced to Carmen one evening that he wanted to learn to play a guitar. Jonathan rarely asked for anything and the idea of having someone in the house playing music was appealing. When Alex came home that evening, Carmen told him about it. Fortunately, Jonathan had already gone to bed. She was cleaning the coffee pot and Alex was reclining in a chair at the table, enjoying the last cup of coffee.
“I doubt he can play a guitar,” he said between sips. “Why don’t you rent one or buy a cheap one to let him try it out?”
Carmen glanced up from rinsing the pot.
“He wants one of his own. Besides, if you buy a cheap one, you get discouraged when you can’t get the quality of music that you want.”
Alex frowned. “I don’t want the kids thinking that just because we have money they can blow it on every whim.”
She rinsed the pot again before responding. It didn’t need another rinse, but she needed the time to contemplate before saying something she might regret. There was a fine line between being frugal and being a miser. He had crossed it. Where the children were concerned, she had no intention of remaining silent.
She wiped the pot with a dishtowel and carefully placed it on the coffee maker. Slowly she turned and met his intent gaze. For once his expression was readable. He knew she was upset.
“He did a lot of researching before he talked to me. He knew exactly what he wanted and I told him we would buy it for him.”
She met his gaze defiantly for a moment longer, but he made no attempt to argue. Maybe he knew it would do no good. Finally she continued.
“If it’s something we simply can’t afford, that’s one thing, but we should be encouraging things like this, Alex.”
His gazed followed the coffee cup absently as he placed it on the table. Finally he leaned forward and stood, rubbing the back of his neck. When his gaze met hers, it was bland.
“Alright.”
He didn’t bring it up again – not even when Jonathan was unable to get his short arm into a comfortable position to play the guitar. Nor did he say anything when she exchanged the guitar for a violin and paid for lessons. Maybe he was impressed with how quickly Jonathan improved. She certainly was.
At the end of February, Carmen was playing a game with Destiny on the family room floor when Alex came home early. Destiny jumped up and charged him.
“Daddy!” She plowed into him, nearly knocking him down.
Carmen uncrossed her legs and stood. “You’re home early. What’s up?”
Alex hugged Destiny and kissed her before turning to Carmen. His face was flushed and his eyes were bright.
“I didn’t want to tell you this on the phone. I just got a call from the doctor. The babies are healthy and growing and they’ve determined the sex. It’s a girl and a boy!”
Carmen stared at him, trying to follow his runaway thought train.
“The twins?” she finally asked.
He grinned. “Yes, can you believe the luck? The doctor set a due date of August 17th.”
Anyone who thought a man’s pride in fathering a child was based on sexual prowess should see Alex. He was practically beating his chest. Without a doubt, the fact that the babies were healthy had major influence on his mood.
Carmen shook her head in disbelief. “I just can’t believe this. The odds must be astronomical.”
Alex looked confused. “Do you mean the odds of two healthy babies, or the sex of the babies?”
She shrugged. “Either, I guess.”
The smile returned to his lips. “I don’t know what the odds are, but I figure god is responsible for both – don’t you think?”
She met his gaze and nodded. “Of course.”
She still wasn’t sure if they had committed a sin, but if they had, it looked as if god had forgiven them.
Whatever the case, they were getting closer to their goal. The babies were healthy and by mid-August, they would have two new family members. Alex could rest easy knowing that their family gender ratio would remain even.
Less than a week later she passed another milestone. On the 28th of February they celebrated her thirtieth birthday. Five years ago that day she had met Alex. In a way, it was hard to believe it had been that long. Yet it was a short period of time for so much to have happened to them.
Work continued on the nursery on weekends when Alex was home. They decided on an ark theme and found some wallpaper with cartoon animals and arks on it. Katie found some material to match and made quilts for the cribs. Even Mrs. Reynolds pitched in with some stuffed animals – a giraffe and horse.
March came in like a lion with a snow storm. Carmen was making the bed while Destiny slept in. It was all so domestic and pleasant.
Pulling Alex’s pillow from the bed, Carmen caught the faint whiff of his cologne. She gathered it in a hug and smelled deeply of it. Would she always feel this way about him and everything he touched?
She started to put the pillow down and caught the movement in the mirror from the corner of her eye. Turning, she stared at her figure. They were four months into pregnancy with twins and she still had a slim waist. On impulse, she stuck the pillow under her blouse and rested her arms across it, smiling. It looked like she was pregnant.
Alex stepped through the door and she jerked the pillow out from under her blouse, her face flaming as she met his gaze.
“I . . .don’t know why I did that,” she stammered.
He shrugged. “I do.” He moved closer, taking the pillow from her hand. “You want to be pregnant.”
He stuffed it under her blouse as she had and then stepped behind her, putting his arms around her artificially enlarged waist. They stood there for a moment, watching their image in the mirror. It was a silly thing to do . . . utterly pointless. And yet it was satisfying.
Finally Alex kissed her neck and released her, stepping away as he spoke.
“There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, Carmen.”
She pulled the pillow from her blouse and turned to the bed.
“I know. I think I can put it behind me now. It wasn’t just losing a baby. It was the idea that I would never have one . . . the death of a dream, I guess. I was right from the start, though . . . about you. You are more important to me than having children. You’ve become a vital part of me – more vital than my limbs.” She sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”
His gaze wandered away in reflective thought. He had a lot on his plate right now . . . the twins, his father and who knew what else? Beside his problems, hers seemed trivial.
Finally that soft chocolate gaze came back to her.
“I think I know what you mean.”
Whether he meant that his feelings for her were the same was unclear. What was clear was the fact that he was struggling over something. He had been unusually quiet and solemn lately.
The snow melted, leaving in its wake a harvest of spring flowers. It started with Crocus and Jonquils and then the fruit trees as the weather grew warmer. The nights were still cold into April, but the temperature climbed into the 60’s during the day.
Alex hired someone to till the garden, refusing to let Carmen do it. He treated her as if she were actually pregnant. It was nice to have the extra attention, but this charade with psudopregnancy was uncomfortable. But then, she had started it by shoving the pillow under her blouse. The big question was how to end it. Maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe it was therapeutic for him in some way.
The plants she had started in the house in March thrived. As April slipped into May and the last threat of frost passed, she began planting them in the garden. Destiny helped her with planting the green bean seeds.
Maybe all the activity was what brought the skunk to their home. At any rate, Carmen and Destiny were working in the garden when Carmen saw something out of the corner of her eye. Her first thought was that it was a puppy someone had dropped off. It was wandering around, getting close to Destiny.
When she glanced up at it, she did a double take.
“Destiny!” she said in an urgent tone. “Come to me right now!”
Destiny immediately followed her command, looking back at the skunk. When she paused, Carmen yelled at her.
Destiny ran to Carmen, her eyes large.
“Mommy?”
Carmen picked her up, watching the skunk suspiciously. It was wandering in circles and looking around.
Carmen cautiously walked around it, carrying Destiny. When she was close enough to the house, she ran to the courtyard and slipped in through the back door. Once inside, she locked the door and ordered Destiny to stay in the house while she called Alex.
At her urgent request, Saundra transferred her to Alex.
“There’s a skunk out in the garden,” she plunged in as soon as he answered the phone, “and it’s acting strange.”