As he lounged in the doorway, he realized that, after a year of marriage, he hadn't come close to getting tired of watching her. For the cookout they were having today, she wore tailored walking shorts with a silk maternity top, both of them the same blue as the hyacinths that had come up this spring in front of the cottage. A pair of small diamond earrings dangling from thin European wires glimmered through her auburn curls, which were cut shorter now, but were still a little disheveled, the way he liked. He'd bought her bigger diamond earrings, but she'd made him exchange them, saying this size suited her just fine.

What he most enjoyed about her appearance today-and most days, for that matter-were her shoes, a slim pair of silver sandals with a tiny wedged heel. He loved those sandals. He loved all the shoes he bought for her.

"Cal, that armchair… I hate to ask, but you're always so sweet about helping me. Would you mind moving it nearer the fireplace?"

"Not at all." Gabe could almost hear Cal's teeth grinding as he hoisted the chair across the room.

"Perfect." Rachel beamed at him.

Cal looked hopeful. "Really?"

"No, you're right. It's not perfect at all. Maybe by the couch?"

At that moment, the back door slammed and Jane shot past them on her way to the bathroom. Cal glanced at his watch and sighed. "Right on schedule."

"Three pregnant women and one bathroom." Ethan shook his head. "Not a pretty sight. I hope you get the expansion to the cottage finished soon, Gabe."

"It should be done before winter."

Unlike everyone else, his parents had fallen in love with Rachel the moment they'd met her, and his mother had deeded the cottage to them as a wedding present. Even though they had the money to buy a much more luxurious home, they both loved living on top of Heartache Mountain, and they didn't even consider moving. They needed more room, however, so they were building an airy two-story extension off the back that was designed to stay true to the cottage's rustic architecture, while giving them the additional space they needed.

Despite the construction mess, Rachel had wanted to throw a family cookout to celebrate Gabe's formal adoption of Chip. It was a big deal to everybody in the family except Chip and Gabe. They'd adopted each other a year ago on the night Rachel'd been put in jail.

"At least we only have one of our wives throwing up this time," Ethan said. "Remember when we were all here on Christmas Eve, and Rachel and Kristy were both at it."

Cal shuddered. "It's not something any of us is likely to forget."

To avoid the construction rubble, they'd set up the picnic area near Rachel's garden, which was in bloom from the rosebushes they'd planted, and now Kristy called in through the side window. "Rachel, come out here. You have to see Rosie's new trick."

"I'll be right there." She patted Cal's back. "We can finish this later."

The cat followed as Rachel waddled toward the door. Rachel had her weight thrown back on her heels and her big belly leading. Gabe felt a surge of primitive male pride knowing he'd done that to her. In another month, the baby would be born, and none of them could wait.

The moment Rachel disappeared, Cal and Ethan collapsed on the couch they'd moved to four separate locations. Gabe took pity and brought them each a beer. Then he settled in the armchair he suspected he'd have to wrestle back to its original position as soon as his brothers left and lifted his own bottle. "Here's to the three luckiest men on earth."

His brothers smiled, and, for a while, they just sat there sipping their beers and thinking about how lucky they really were. Cal had finished his first year of medical school at UNC, and he and Jane were enjoying living in Chapel Hill. The architects had completed the plans for the renovation that would turn the mausoleum into a spacious contemporary. It would be their permanent home when Cal finished his residency and came back to join their father's practice.

Ethan seemed to have finally found peace in his role as a minister, although he griped about the series of church secretaries he'd gone through in a futile attempt to replace Kristy, who refused to leave her job teaching preschool to come back to work for him. And Rachel…

Chip dashed in, followed by Sammy, his year-old black Lab. Sammy dashed over to Gabe, while Chip ran to Cal. "Rosie's a pain."

"What'd she do now, pal?" Cal gave Gabe's son a quick hug. From the back of the house, the wheel on the hamster cage squeaked.

"Crashed my fort right after I got it built."

"You don't have to put up with that," Cal said. "Tell her no. Or build your fort out front where she can't get to you."

Chip regarded him with reproach. "She was helping, and she didn't mean to."

Cal rolled his eyes. "One of these days you and your Uncle Cal are going to have to have a long talk about dealing with women."

Chip wandered over to Gabe, crawled up on his lap, and settled in. At six, he'd started to shoot up, and, before long, his feet would brush the floor, but he still liked being in Gabe's lap. Chip's beloved Lab collapsed across Gabe's foot. "You know what I think's gonna happen, Dad?"

Gabe brushed the top of his head with a kiss. "What's that, son?"

Chip gave a sigh of resignation. "I think when me and Rosie grow up, we're gonna prob'ly get married, just like you and Mom did."

The men didn't laugh at his pronouncement. All of them had come to respect the mysterious bond that had formed between the two children, even though none of them quite understood it.

"Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do," Cal observed.

Chip nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

They did laugh then.

A huge Rosie-howl came from the side yard. Sammy lifted his head from Gabe's foot, and Chip sighed. "I better go. She's got Grandma and Grandpa wrapped around her little finger."

The men waited until Chip and his dog had disappeared, then grinned at each other. Cal shook his head. "That boy is spooky. Six going on thirty."

Ethan smiled. "I just hope the three new ones turn out half as terrific as those two."

Gabe glanced through the back window. Shadow, a collie mix he'd adopted a few months ago, lay patiently on the ground and let Rosie climb on him. Chip approached his parents. His Grandpa Bonner felt his bicep, while his grandmother reached over and ruffled his hair.

He was glad to have his parents back from South America, not only for his own sake, but for Chip's. The Bonner family had taken his son right to its collective heart, along with his mother. Chip also had friends now, and he'd done well in kindergarten. Gabe was so proud of him.

Jane, looking healthy, if a little green, came back through the living room. Tasha, an older cat Gabe had rescued from the shelter, waddled after her. Jane was nearing the end of her second month of pregnancy and was delirious with happiness when she wasn't throwing up.

Cal started to rise, but she waved him back down. "I'm fine. Visit with your brothers."

They exchanged smiles, and Cal patted her rear.

Gabe thought about how much he loved doing that. Not patting Jane's rear, of course, but Rachel's. Being able to pat a woman's rear whenever you wanted was one of the best things about being married, although nobody ever told you that.

"I spoke with Carol Dennis yesterday," Ethan said.

Gabe and Cal exchanged grim looks. The memory of the day Bobby Dennis had jeopardized their children's lives was something they'd never forget. Nor would Ethan and Kristy. They were still beating themselves up for having left the children alone in the car, even though nobody blamed them for it.

It had taken six months for Bobby to recover from his injuries, but the car accident had turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the kid. He'd been clean and sober for the past year, and he and Carol had gotten the counseling they so desperately needed.

Gabe suspected their relationship would always be difficult, but, according to Ethan, they were finally communicating. Bobby had also stopped blaming Rachel for his problems, which was a good thing, because if Gabe had still believed the kid was a threat to her, he'd have run him out of town, counseling or not.

"Carol said Bobby's planning on starting college in August. He actually finished high school with some decent grades."

Cal shook his head. "I still can't believe the way Rachel kept visiting him in the hospital. That woman's got more heart than sense. You know what people are saying about that, don't you? That if Rachel hadn't visited him, he wouldn't-"

Gabe groaned. "Don't say it."

"That reminds me." Ethan glanced out the window at Kristy, who was holding Rosie's hand against her belly so she could feel the baby move. He smiled, then returned his attention to the discussion at hand. "I'm going to need some help from you with Rachel. Brenda Meers is taking a long time recovering from her pneumonia, and I want Rachel to visit her."

"Here we go again." Cal stretched out his legs and looked amused.

Gabe thought he and Ethan had an understanding about this, and he regarded his brother with exasperation. "Eth, I told you last time that I'm not getting in the middle of this. You're Rachel's pastor, and you'll have to talk to her yourself."

The men sipped their beer and thought about how tough that might be.

"How long do you think she's going to keep fighting this thing?" Cal finally asked.

"I'd give her another forty years," Gabe replied.

Ethan held up his hand. "I'm not the bad guy here. I don't know whether she heals people or not, but the fact is, a lot of them seem to get better after she sits with them for a while."