“I’m fine Mark, maybe a little less spinning though,” she said with a smile. He smiled back at her sheepishly.
“I can’t wait to tell my family,” he said excitedly. “Not only do I get one son but soon another child. Thank you so much for all you’ve brought into my life.”
“You’re the one we should be thanking. You’ve given us so much, most importantly of all, making us a real family.”
“Let’s compromise and agree we’re all great together,” he said.
They finished having their dinner together, then sat by the fire watching a comedy. The evening ended on a perfect note, with laughter and snuggling on the couch.
The next morning Emily was making the hands lunch when Joseph walked into the kitchen, startling her.
“Good morning, young lady. I hear congratulations are in order,” he said to her with a smile from ear to ear.
“Thank you, Joseph. Yes, you’ll have a new grandchild in about eight months,” she said with a radiant smile lighting her face.
“I will officially have a new grandson in a couple of days, since Mark submitted papers to officially adopt that beautiful boy of yours. Then I will also get the added bonus of another grandchild in eight months,” he corrected her.
Emily smiled with joy at the pure acceptance of her child into the Anderson clan. She knew if ever anything were to happen to her he’d still be a part of their family and they’d always take care of him. That was the greatest gift any mother could receive.
“I was stopping by today anyway to let Mark know I’d found him the perfect cook and maintenance man, when he gave me the great news,” Joseph said.
“Who is this person?” Emily asked with suspicion. After all, Joseph had been the one to find her and she really didn’t want a young woman to be there all day.
“It’s actually a married couple. They’ve worked for the company for many years but want something different now. I told them about Mark needing another cook and they asked if he could use a maintenance man as well. With a place this big, two more people would be a blessing, especially with Mark’s growing family,” Joseph said.
Emily knew it sounded a bit selfish but she really didn’t want to share the house with two more people. She loved having Edward there but he always gave them privacy and most of the time you didn’t even know he was around. It would be much harder to get any privacy with her husband if two more people moved in.
“Mark has a little cottage right around the corner. They could live there and you wouldn’t have to share your newlywed space,” Joseph said with a wink.
Emily turned scarlet, as she looked up at him. She was a little worried the man was a mind reader, among other things.
“I didn’t know that was there.”
“It was built years ago for a married couple, who worked here, but it has been empty for some time. We’ll have to bring a crew in to fix it up, but they could start in about a week if you like them,” he said.
“It wouldn’t be up to me.”
“Of course it’s up to you, Emily. You’re the lady of the manor now. Mark already knows them, they’re coming over for you to interview.”
“Oh,” she responded.
The couple arrived about an hour later and Emily fell instantly in love with them. They were in their early fifties and full of life. Mary had as much passion for cooking as Emily did and she knew they’d work well together. She also knew if she wasn’t feeling good Mary would be perfectly capable on her own.
Scott was her husband and although he was quiet, his face lit up when Trevor came into the room. He explained the two of them hadn’t been successful in having children and so they both took great joy in spoiling everyone else’s kids.
“I would love it if you both worked here,” Emily said to them sincerely after visiting for a couple hours.
“I think we’re going to work wonderfully together,” Mary said to her, then gave her a hug. Emily agreed with her. It was going to be nice to have someone helping in the kitchen, especially when her stomach got in the way, eventually.
Mark came in and invited Scott to come over to the cottage with him. The two men were going to figure out exactly what the place needed and get the right people out there immediately. Emily was actually excited for the week to go by and the sweet couple to move in.
“Seriously, I’m so incredibly happy you’re working here,” Emily said to Mary. They’d moved in the previous week and Emily didn’t understand how they’d ever survived without them. Emily had been fighting morning sickness for a week straight and Mary had whipped her up some magic drink, completely curing her.
Emily was currently sitting at the table, with her feet up and the magic drink in her hands. Mary had insisted she rest until she was a hundred percent and had made the whole lunch on her own. The men were enjoying her cooking as much as Emily’s. They made sure to give the women equal praise, which was smart of them.
The incredible aroma of lunch cooking brought the men trampling into the kitchen, where they sat down at the table, bringing in non-stop laughter, talking and mud.
Emily loved every minute of the busy ranch life. She felt completely at home and each hand had a special place in her heart. Mark walked through the door with his usual tag along, her son, right behind him.
“Mom we’re going to rope cows today,” Trevor said excitedly.
“That sounds fun.”
“Yeah and then we’re gonna cas…cas… what are we gonna do again, Dad?” Trevor tried to get out.
“We’re going to castrate them,” Mark said with a smile. All the men groaned slightly.