“A couple months,” Laura admitted. “I wanted to wait until we were here to tell everyone. Our own Christmas surprise.”
“Well, I’m surprised, that’s for sure,” Jessy declared.
“Not me.” Trey grinned at his sister. “You’ve always been highly competitive. You couldn’t stand that Quint and I were already one up on you.”
With a defiant and faintly laughing toss of her head, Laura didn’t bother to deny it. “Not for long, you won’t be, because I’m going to go you one better.”
“You’re having twins.” Trey stared at her in amazement.
“Naturally. If I’m going to lose my figure anyway, I might as well provide the proverbial heir and a spare while I’m at it.” Laura was clearly reveling in their stunned but happy reaction.
“You’re having boys,” Sloan breathed in surprise.
“We are,” Laura confirmed.
Chase’s brows pulled together. “You already know?”
“With today’s technology, it’s amazing how quickly they can tell these days, Gramps,” she said, then turned to Jessy, smiling. “In fact, that’s one of your presents under the tree. Framed pictures of the digital sonogram showing the two little rascals.”
“I can hardly wait to see it,” Jessy declared, then laughed. “I sound like Jake.”
“Now you have to start picking out names,” Dallas murmured. “It was hard enough deciding on a name for one. You have to choose two.”
Laura slid a look at Chase. “I already know I want to call one of them Benteen after my side of the family. We still haven’t settled on one from Sebastian’s side.”
Laredo gave Chase’s arm a light poke. “And you think it’s noisy with two great-grandsons running around. Imagine what it’ll be like with four.”
A harrumphing grunt came from him. “Remind me to ask for a pair of earplugs next Christmas,” he said as Jake ducked behind his chair to get away from Josh. Undeterred, Josh dropped onto all fours and crawled after him.
In his haste to elude the toddler, Jake ran into the end table. The lamp teetered for an instant before Laredo reached out to steady it. By then Jake had bounced off a corner of the sofa.
“Did you hear that thump?” Chase swung his head around to stare in the direction of the entryway.
“That was Jake bumping into the sofa,” Cat told him.
“No, not that. It came from outside,” he insisted, scowling his impatience with her.
“Then you probably heard the wind,” she began.
“Dammit, I’m old, not deaf.” Chase grabbed up his cane and levered himself out of the chair. “And I know the difference between the sound of the wind and someone outside.”
“Dad, there is no one out there.” But she was talking to his back as he used his cane to stomp out of the living room. Now totally irritated with him, Cat quickly brushed past her father on her way to the entrance. “Go back and sit down. I’ll go look for you.”
“Take a good look while you’re at it,” Chase called after her, slowing his headlong pace. “Don’t just go through the motio
n of glancing out the window, thinking I’m going to be satisfied with that.”
“As if I can see anything the way that snow’s blowing,” Cat muttered to herself as she crossed to the window, hearing the way the wind battered itself against the house.
Just as she reached the window and leaned closer to look through the panes, the front door burst open. Thinking it had been blown by the wind, Cat reached out to grab it, averting her face from the swirling rush of wind and snow. At the last second she caught a glimpse of a snow-spattered figure stepping across the threshold.
“Sorry.” Wade’s voice reached out to her. “The wind ripped the door right out of my hand.”
He caught hold of it and shouldered it closed, while she stood staring at him in disbelief. He turned toward her, a wet glisten to his face from the melting flakes.
“Dad said he heard someone, but I didn’t believe him,” Cat admitted, still finding it hard to believe her eyes. “I didn’t think anyone would venture out in this storm.”
“I thought I had a chance to make it before the snow hit. It didn’t work out that way.” He tugged off his gloves and stuffed them in the pockets of his wool coat.