go stay with Etta.” He pulled away and grinned at Montana.
“Food,” she said. “I should’ve known.” She laughed and shook her head. “Lucky for you both, I have everything I thought you could want.”
“She’s not kidding,” Bishop said, joining them and hugging Oliver too. “I’ve been up to my elbows in pastry dough all morning. The kids want croissants, Bish. Can you get started on the croissants? They’ll be here before eleven, and we can have brunch.” His voice pitched up in a poor imitation of Montana, who folded her arms.
“And are the croissants done?” she challenged.
“No,” Bishop said with a laugh. He passed Robbie to Oliver. “I guess I better go get that done. I can’t have my wife mad at me.”
“No, sir,” Ollie said, smiling. He glanced at Montana as Aurora came to his side. He put one arm around her, and with Robbie in his arms, it sure looked like they could be a family. A young family, just starting out with their first child.
Montana didn’t hate the idea, though she’d spent the first six months of this year praying that Aurora and Ollie would just wait a little longer to start their family. They had so many years ahead of them, and she wanted them both to have the educational opportunities they’d worked for in Georgia.
A wave of unrest hit her, and Montana turned toward the house. “The cupcakes are done, at least. I made those last night. Come on.” She led the way up the steps to the front porch, because now wasn’t the time to obsess over the fact that she hadn’t been able to get pregnant again, or worry that maybe Aurora wouldn’t be able to either.
Then her prayers would’ve been wasted, just like they had been for the past nine months as she’d begged the Lord to give her and Bishop another baby. Her husband loved kids, and he had a heart as big as the moon and as wide as the sky. He was younger than her, and she still had several years where she could bear children. They hadn’t had any problem conceiving Robbie, and Montana had started to wonder what she was supposed to learn from this experience.
Bishop always played music while he baked, and the rock song on the Internet radio filled the house. Aurora and Ollie started dancing with Robbie, and Montana simply stood back and allowed herself to feel the joy that came from these people, from this small family she’d managed to build.
Bishop stepped to her side, one arm slipping around her waist easily. “They sure seem happy.”
“They do,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice nowhere near loud enough to be heard over the music.
She wasn’t sure if she should nod or shake her head no. She gave a half-hearted shrug, a smile touching her mouth, her eyes, and her soul as Robbie started to giggle and giggle. The boy had been a blessing to her, but he could also be a devil. He loved getting into the pantry and climbing up on the buckets and then the shelves to get to the yogurt-covered raisins. He could slip away from her in the blink of an eye, and she’d find him covered in mud, flour, or grass clippings, none of which were that fun to clean off an almost-two-year-old boy.
She loved him fiercely though, and Robbie reminded her so much of Bishop. Full of life, full of mischief, full of faith. He had a heart of gold, and plenty of charisma, and she couldn’t wait to watch him grow into a fine young man.
The song ended, and Ollie set Robbie on the floor.
“When are you going to see your parents?” she asked.
“Tonight,” he said. “They’re having a big dinner at Seven Sons.” He wore a smile, but he seemed nervous. “They act like they haven’t seen us in years.”
“They just miss you,” Montana said. “I’m sure Jeremiah does too. You worked hard around that ranch.”
“I think it’s actually Uncle Skyler and Uncle Micah,” Aurora said, wrapping her arms around Ollie and beaming up at him. “He babysat for them a lot, and when he left…no babysitter.”
Ollie shook his head, but he didn’t contradict her. “We are watching the kids this weekend, so my aunts and uncles can go to the Country Christmas. I guess there’s a big concert there?”
“Yeah,” Bishop said. “Mister might be able to get you some tickets. Libby puts on the Country Christmas.”
“We’ll see,” Ollie said. “I think my family