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Sam came in from feedin’ the chickens.
“Come on in, Sam, want you to hear this too,” Lee called him to the table.
Sam washed his hands and came to the table.
“I got sort of an announcement. You see…we’re going to have a little one in the family.”
Lily and Daisy stared at him wide-eyed. Violet looked at him. “Littler than me?”
“Yes, you see Mama’s gonna have a baby.”
Sam sat very still then turned his head toward him. “Your baby?”
“Yes Sam, my baby. Our baby. Our family is growin’ already.” Lee stared into his eyes.
“This just sorta makes us a real family. Ties us together. Strengthens us, don’t you see?”
“You mean that, don’t you?” Sam frowned.
“With all my heart.”
Sam stared long and hard and then slowly extended his hand. “Then I guess I’m gonna be an uncle again, huh?”
“You are.” Lee smiled.
“And you girls are gonna have a brother or a sister…”
“I love babies!” Lily smiled.
“Does Mama know?” Violet asked.
“I’m not sure, honey. But I’m gonna tell her, when she wakes up,” Lee said.
“Tell me what?” Hattie asked as she came through the kitchen, her arm wrapped up and moving about slowly.
“We’re gonna have a baby, Mama…” Daisy burst out.
Hattie stood very still, glancing at each one at the table. When she landed on Lee, she stopped… “So that’s what it was…?” She looked at him, as though waiting for some reaction from him.
When he didn’t smile, didn’t say anything, she gripped a chair. “Well…what do you know?”
All of a sudden, Lee stood up, came up to her, picked her up in his arm and whirled her around the room, gently so he didn’t hurt her shoulder. “Yes darlin’, we’re gonna have a baby. And I’m so happy I’m about to burst.”
/> When his lips came down on hers in front of everyone, the kids giggled and Joe laughed aloud. “Yes sir, we’re havin’ a baby!”
Sam stood up and smiled at his sister. “Yep, and we got to get packin’. We’re goin’ to Texas.”
Chapter Fifteen
Hattie mended well and was up doing immediately. Everyone began to pack the house up and the wagon that Lee bought was full.
As they began to pull out of the yard for the last time, Lee looked about the land.
“Do you hate leaving it, Lee?” Hattie asked from the seat of the wagon.
“No, not at all. I look around here and I think what it was that even brought me home. It wasn’t the land. It was a hope.” He turned to look at her as he checked the horses.
“A hope?”
