Shine On Oklahoma by Maggie Shayne

Author:Maggie Shayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: western romance, reunion romance, maggie shayne, texas brand, oklahoma brands, opposites attract romance, mcintyre men, conartist heroine
Publisher: Maggie Shayne

CHAPTER EIGHT

When the shower wound down, and most of the guests had left, Dax helped load mountains of gifts into the back of Rob’s pickup. There was enough for ten babies piled in there, Kendra thought.

Ned and a couple of long-time waitresses were already busy taking down streamers. Joe’s little girl, five-year-old Matilda was running around gathering up balloons. She could manage two at a time, kind of hugging them to her waist, one under each arm, but then she kept trying to go for three. She bent over a pink balloon, wiggled her fingers and twisted her hands, but she couldn’t push her arms together around the balloons she already had. Little T-Rex, Kendra thought, and laughed out loud. Matilda pressed her arms harder, and both balloons sprang free. She dropped onto her backside on the floor. A blond curl landed across her face, and she blew it away with a pouty little puff.

Kendra experienced a warm wave of something in the middle of her chest, behind her ribcage and a little to the left. She looked at her sister, hadn’t meant to, just did, and her eyes locked onto that bulging belly, and she thought of her niece being Matilda’s age, that cute and that precocious and that pretty.

This thing was real. There was going to be a new person in her life. It was a big deal. Her eyes were getting all damp, stupid eyes, and when she dragged them off her sister’s belly, she found Kiley looking right at her. She had an odd look on her face, like she was trying to interpret Kendra’s interest in her belly.

Getting up with effort, Kiley came over. Kendra turned a little sideways to watch Joey, Matilda’s father, handing her a giant trash bag.

The little girl’s eyes lit up. “That’s brilliant!” She shouted, springing upright and at him, like she’d been sitting on an airbag as it deployed. He totally knew it was coming, too, because he hunkered down and caught her for a great big hug. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“Any time, Princess.”

Matilda looked at the bag, a green one, then at the balloons all around the room. “I might need more than one bag.”

“I think you can make due with one,” her daddy said. “Maybe some of the other kids want to take some home. You think?”

“Okay.” She ran off to fill her bag with balloons.

“She’s cute, isn’t she?” Kiley asked.

“If she was any cuter, I’d need insulin.” Kendra softened the words with a smile. “Watching her made me think about Diana. And how big a deal this is.” Her eyes were on her sister’s bump again. And something pressed outward from one side, then receded, then gave three quick little jabs.”

“Ow!” Kiley said.

“That’s…that’s unreal.” Kendra put her hand on there to feel it. “It’s like Alien.”

“It is not like Alien!” Something poked outward slowly, making an odd and impossible lump. Kendra met Kiley’s eyes, lifted her brows. “Okay, it’s a little like Alien.” She smiled. They both did. “I really want you to stay, Kendra.

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