July, 1908
Emily hugged her sister-in-law, Heidi, both of their rounded bellies getting in the way of their embrace. “You’re looking good, Heidi.”
“Thank you. You are, too.” Heidi looked around the garden. “Let’s take that bench over there, under the shade of that tree.” Arm in arm the women strolled over and settled in.
“Are you as tired as I am?” Heidi rubbed her hand over her belly.
“I’m sure you’re a lot more tired than me with Madeline to look after.”
“Michael is a big help, I must give him that. But you—you’re working, running a business. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Back rubs.”
Heidi raised her eyebrows. “Back rubs?”
“Yes. Hunter gives me wonderful back rubs.”
“I’ll have to have him teach Michael how to do that,” Heidi said.
“Here they are,” Michael said as he and the rest of the family joined the women in the garden where the family Independence Day picnic would take place. Every year Jesse and Tori hosted the event for their ever expanding family.
Heidi waved at Rachel. “There’s room here, Rachel. Get off your feet. You look like you’ve swallowed a watermelon. I think you’re having twins.”
“Well, thanks so much. Just what I need—two at once, and you don’t look much better, Mrs. Henderson.”
“Which Mrs. Henderson?” Emily and Heidi said.
“Both of you. The three of us sitting here look like a lineup of pudgy ducks waiting to be shot at the State Fair.”
“Well, move over and make room for one more, so we can be a lineup of four pudgy ducks.” Ellie released Max’s arm and joined her sisters-in-law and sister on the bench. “This will be a remarkable year, with four babies due before Christmas.”
“Ladies, you all look wonderful.” His arms full with a platter of meat, Jesse grinned at the women as he made his way to the fire pit.
Tori and Jesse’s four offspring, Paul, Priscilla, Henry, and Benjamin spilled from the house, along with Rusty’s daughter, Amelia, and Rachel’s son, Will. Priscilla and Amelia each carried a baby—Michael’s thirteen-month-old Catherine, and Rachel’s nine-month-old son, John. Michael’s four-year-old daughter, Madeline trailed behind, dragging her favorite doll, Dolly.
“Our brood is exploding,” Benjamin said, eyeing the four women from behind his spectacles as they fanned themselves on the bench.
“Instead of being a smart aleck, Ben, how about getting us some lemonade?” Ellie said.
“Coming right up, your majesties.” He bowed low.
“If it wasn’t so hard to get up, I’d cuff him,” Heidi said.
As usual at the Cochran-Henderson Fourth of July picnic, chaos reigned. Chicken and steaks were grilled by the men as they sipped cold beer, and the women roused themselves from their spot and helped bring out the beans, coleslaw, and potato salad from the kitchen.
Jesse finally called his brood to the enormously long table under a copse of trees. Once they were all settled, Rachel looked around. “Where’s Tori? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen her all afternoon.”
The others all looked around as well, as if she were hiding under the table or behind a tree.
“Here I am.” Tori approached the table, a slight smile on her face.
“Where were you?” Michael asked.
“I, um, took a short nap.”
“A nap?” Several of her family members said at once.
Jesse stood and held his hand out to Tori. “Come here, darlin’, I think we might as well tell them.”