That was a distant memory. At home now he wore jeans, old Ts, and one of Jack’s cast-off Stetsons, and he’d never been happier.

“Marcus,” he called. Marcus spun on his heel to face Riley and smiled openly.

“Hey.” He waved a folder. “I bought the papers for you, as promised.”

Introductions followed and very quickly Marcus, Jack, and Riley were sitting in the kitchen signing off on the paperwork.

“This is the dry bit,” Marcus apologized. “The really boring bit of my job.”

“We’d rather it was this way than some backstreet job,” Riley reassured. “I’ll get my dad to check the legal bits over as well if that’s okay.”

“No worries. Just give me the boring stuff and bring the legal documents over on your next visit. Have you seen Rebecca?”

“Yesterday,” Jack said quickly. “Poor woman looks exhausted. My sister is around the same time now, but she’s glowing.”

Marcus chuckled. “She’s what? Five months now? That’s the awkward part where you stop being graceful and you’re a bit more wobbly. Given she’s carrying twins, her belly is expanding fast, and it’s shifted her center of gravity. She’ll be fine and get used to it pretty quick, but you’ll find she suffers from backache.”

“Yeah, Beth said she was as well, and that’s what the book said,” Riley agreed.

“You bought a book.” Marcus smiled.

“Ten,” Jack deadpanned. “He has ten of those forty weeks of pregnancy books, and when one week doesn’t exactly match up to the same week in another book he’s on the internet finding out why.”

Riley shrugged. “I just want to know what is going on is all. Rebecca should stand up straight when she walks, that means her hips and shoulders line up. And she should sit with her feet slightly elevated. You think I should call her?”

He was being serious, and he punched Jack in the arm when the bastard started laughing. “Asshole.”

“We had a question for you,” Jack began. “Do you have any contacts within the adoption area?”

“A couple. Why? You thinking after a few days with twins and you’ll want to pass them on?” Marcus laughed at his own joke.

“Hell no. No one gets our babies,” Jack said quickly. He glanced at Riley, who nodded his agreement that they keep their cards to their chest. “Someone asked.”

“I can get you some numbers if you like,” Marcus offered.

“Thank you. Now, you want to see the horses?”

Marcus grimaced and glanced down at his suit. “Are they clean horses?”

Jack smiled evilly—a look only Riley would recognize. “Of course. Double D only runs clean horses.”

By the time Marcus had completely fallen for the idea, he was covered in dust but seemingly loving every minute of it. He spent a lot of time—a lot of time—watching Liam running with one of Jack’s new training horses. Riley smiled inwardly when Liam stopped running, dealt with the horse, doused himself in cool water, and Marcus never stopped staring.

“That’s Liam,” Riley said.

“He’s one of your cowboys?” Marcus asked.

“Not mine, Jack’s, but yeah, he’s working with the horses.”

Marcus closed his eyes briefly. “Please god, tell me that tall drink of water is playing for our team.”

“He is.”

“Can I go talk to him?”

Riley shrugged. “We’ll be up at the house when you want to go.”

When Riley walked away Jack caught him by the fence. “Why are you smiling?”

“Marcus likes the look of Liam, so he’s gone to talk to him.”

“Is that a wise idea?” Jack looked concerned. Riley placed a hand flat on Jack’s arm and ran his fingers over the corded muscles he could trace there.

“It’s talking. And Robbie is over there. Liam will be fine.”

“Robbie told me he found Liam crying…”

Riley held up a hand. “Eli told me. You know his past, or what he tells us, but he’s doing well here, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a natural and a hard worker.”

“Then let him be a man and leave him be to make his own decisions.”

“All of a sudden you sound like the sensible one,” Jack said teasingly.

Riley moved closer for a kiss. “You mean almost like a millionaire with responsibility for three hundred staff at random locations around Texas?”

They kissed rough and fast, and Riley was hard in seconds. Someone should bottle whatever Jack had that made Riley melt and try selling it. They’d be rich overnight.

Chapter 16

~May~

Jack was the one who heard the message first. Peter sounded calm but that didn’t negate the urgency of the situation. I don’t want you to worry, but Rebecca had a little tumble. She got dizzy and tripped up some steps. She’s at the hospital if you’d like to visit. They said they’ll be scanning her, so you may want to try and get here.

Jack didn’t hesitate. He called Riley and Hayley and the three of them made it to Mercy in half the time it would usually take. He was lucky to be the one driving as Riley looked sick. Or it could be the news. Jack couldn’t even begin to think about what was wrong with Rebecca. Dizzy?

“Is this normal?” Jack asked as soon as they pulled up in the parking lot. Abruptly he didn’t want to go in. He wouldn’t know what to do if anything went wrong. Riley stumbled out of the car and inhaled deeply.

“Normal pregnancy side effect,” he explained. “But she fell over and she could have hurt herself.” Or the babies. What was he thinking? He wasn’t this selfish person who thought of himself first. Get a grip.

They were up and on the ward within minutes and by the bed after flashing identification. She was on the maternity ward in the private room, and Jack moved to her side immediately. She was sitting on top of the cover with her legs elevated, and Jack’s gaze immediately zeroed in on bandages on both legs.

“What happened?”

“The twins making themselves known I think,” Rebecca joked. Then she became more serious. “I sometimes get dizzy around this time in pregnancies, but somehow this time knocked me for six. I’m quite a bit more front-loaded than I’ve ever been before.” Jack deflated and sat in the nearest chair. She was right. On her frame her stomach seemed to have gotten twice the size overnight.

“Did the doctor see you?” Riley asked. Jack wished he’d though to ask that—he chalked it up to being relieved to see her sitting so comfortably.

“They’re taking me down for a scan. Peter is just getting me a drink, but he has to go home for the kids soon. Could one of you wait with me?”

“We’ll both do it,” Jack said. “Maybe Hayley can hear the heartbeat?”

“I’d like to,” Hayley said. Riley ruffled her hair. They’d had a very long, detailed discussion about Hayley and the babies and the fact that she wouldn’t ever be replaced. Riley had been so nervous. If the books were to be believed then the elder sibling could feel displaced. All Hayley had said was that she felt left out not going to see Rebecca as the babies grew. That simple.

The doctor arrived and checked her legs for inflammation. Then he made an mmmm noise and checked with his pen at something on the chart.

“You’re blood pressure is a little high. I’ll get the nurse to take a sample and get you checked out.”

“Oh my god, preeclampsia,” Riley intoned. He looked so serious.

“Often with multiple births,” the doctor agreed. “Although if that was the case, I would expect her results to be higher than this. I don’t think there is cause to panic.”

He left and after a while a nurse arrived to take Rebecca for her scan. Rebecca kissed Peter goodbye, then held out a hand to Hayley.

“Do you think you could help me to the scan room?” she asked.

Hayley slipped her hand in Rebecca’s. “Of course,” she said politely. Then she looked up at Rebecca and grinned the widest smile that Jack had ever seen on their little girl. “Gotta look after my sister or brother’s mom.”