and when she laughed, it made Tanner laugh. The sound of his laughter made me sigh internally. A feeling I really hadn’t felt in a very long time moved over me. It was more of a longing than anything. For a quick moment I wanted to make Tanner laugh like that. I wanted Tanner’s attention.
I was actually jealous of a baby. I shook my head to make the thought go away.
“There’s something very sexy about a man with a baby, isn’t there?”
I jumped at the sound of Lincoln’s voice. A nervous laugh slipped free as I realized I’d been caught staring. “Yes, there is.”
Lincoln gave her a knowing look. “I’m so glad you decided to come and spend Christmas with us, Timberlynn. Kaylee was over the moon when you told her you were coming.”
I was relieved Lincoln had moved on from my obvious gawking of her brother-in-law to another subject. Lincoln adored my cousin Kaylee, and the feeling was mutual. They were the best of friends and reminded me a lot of myself and Candace. “Well, when she invited me, I knew I had to come. I miss seeing her, and getting a chance to visit the area longer will be a good thing.”
Lincoln grinned and looked around the kitchen.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, glancing down to her stomach and then back up.
“Wonderful! This time around I don’t have the morning sickness like I did before.”
I raised my brows. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
She laughed. “You sound like Stella. She’s insisting it’s a boy.”
“Smart woman. I’ve heard girls make you sick more, so maybe she’s right.”
Lincoln’s gaze searched the room until they found her husband. Brock was just as handsome as the other two Shaw brothers, with brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to look deep into your soul. He had been a professional bull rider and had retired recently. Kaylee’s husband, Ty, had also been a professional bull rider, but a car accident ended his career a few years back when he was at the top of his profession. Both of them worked the family ranch now and seemed to be perfectly content with their lives.
“Does Brock have a preference?” I asked.
“No, not at all. He simply wants me and the baby to be happy and healthy.”
Kaylee had told me a little bit about Brock’s first wife. She had died only moments after giving birth to their son, Blayze, so it was not surprising that he’d be worried about Lincoln.
“Is Blayze excited to be a big brother again?” I asked.
Lincoln’s face beamed with happiness. “He is very excited and has no problem telling everyone he needs a baby brother. He loves Morgan, but I think he wants a brother like Brock has with Tanner and Ty.”
“I can see that. Are they all very close? Brock, Ty, and Tanner?” I asked, looking back out over the family.
“Yes, the three of them are thick as thieves.”
With a chuckle, my attention was once again brought back to Tanner and Morgan. She was standing in his lap, her fingers in her mouth as he spoke softly to her. She was nine months old and seemed to be able to hold the complete attention of the man holding her. Lucky little girl.
“Timberlynn, I hope you like chicken fried steak!” Stella’s voice caused me to drag my attention away from Tanner and Morgan.
“It’s one of my favorites!” I replied with a smile. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You are a doll. Yes, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing the salad out of the refrigerator and taking it to the table in the dining room. There should be some homemade ranch dressing in there as well.”
“I’m on it!” I said as I made my way through the kitchen. One thing I had noticed back in September when I visited for a few days was how Stella and Ty Senior had a way of making a person feel right at home. Like you were part of the family. I never had that growing up. A surge of anger and jealousy raced through me. If my mother hadn’t died in that car wreck, is this how life would have been for me? A happy mother and father who loved their children so much you could see it practically beaming from their bodies? I wasn’t going to go there again. I pushed away the negative thoughts and headed to the dining room.
Blayze soon appeared at my side and walked next to me as he