“Hold up; you’ll need this.” Ellie passed her the diaper bag Caitlyn had packed the night before. “Probably sooner than you’d like. I think Lottie might need a change.”
“Oh, right. Thanks.” Caitlyn caught a whiff of Lottie and winced, but she paused when a funny look came over her aunt’s face. “What’s wrong? Don’t worry; I’ll change her.” But when Ellie continued to stare, she turned around to find Ben had come up behind her. He’d pulled on his jeans, thank goodness, but he was still shirtless. He reached out to lift Lottie and the diaper bag from Caitlyn’s arms.
“I’ll take care of that. Hi, Ellie.”
“Hi, Ben,” Ellie said. “Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too. Be back in a minute.”
Both women watched in wonder as he carried Lottie away down the hall, looking into rooms until he found the nursery.
“Does he know how to change a diaper?” Ellie asked.
“I have no idea.”
“You’d better go see.”
Chapter Ten
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“I CAN DO that.”
Ben looked up from the changing table to see Caitlyn hovering anxiously nearby.
“I’ve got it.” At least he thought he did. He’d never changed a diaper before, and he hoped there wasn’t some trick to it he hadn’t anticipated.
He undid the plastic tabs and opened the diaper, frowning a little at the smell. Lottie smiled and cooed at him as he carefully extricated her from the mess.
Caitlyn passed him a container of wipes and he knew she wanted to take over, but he pressed on stubbornly. A few wipes and a shake or two of powder and the baby girl was as good as new. Caitlyn handed him a clean diaper and bit back anything she might have wanted to say while he fastened it on. His hands felt clumsy around the tiny girl, but in the end he felt he’d done a creditable job.
“That went way above and beyond the call of duty,” Caitlyn said as she took Lottie from him.
“I figure I better know how if I’m going to spend a lot of time with you two.”
“Do you plan to spend a lot of time with us?”
“You better believe it.” He kissed her on the nose. “Think you can stand it?”
“I think so.”
As they kissed again, with Lottie squashed between them, Ben knew that no injury could keep him from being with the woman he loved.
Epilogue
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Six months later
“AREN’T YOU GLAD I forced you to get a date for the Harvest Dance?” Mason asked Ben as they stood at the altar of the Chance Creek Reformed Church.
“You got that right. It was worth it to get that revolver. Hey!” Ben grinned when Mason elbowed him.
“You barely looked at that revolver when I gave it to you. You were too wrapped up in your new girlfriend.”
“Can you blame me?” Ben craned his neck when the music started and Mia began to walk down the aisle in a pale blue bridesmaid dress. Behind her came the woman he wanted to see—the woman he looked forward to spending his life with. Caitlyn was radiant in a classic gown as she walked by her father’s side, Lottie in her arms. The toddler wore a pretty gown of her own, and stared at the gathered crowd, her eyes round with surprise. When Caitlyn reached Ben’s side, Lottie reached up her arms to him. He took her and settled her in the crook of his elbow as he and Caitlyn turned to face Reverend Halpern.
“Dearly Beloved,” the reverend began, but Ben lost track of his words as he gazed at his bride. He’d never expected that his injury could have brought something so wonderful into his life. He’d fallen for Caitlyn almost at first sight but over the months he’d grown to cherish her—and Lottie. More than ever he thought that Lottie’s father had made a huge mistake when he’d left Caitlyn behind, but his loss was Ben’s gain and he meant to make the most of it.
“Repeat after me, Ben,” the reverend said. Ben took a deep breath.
“I, Benjamin Warren, take you, Caitlyn Cross, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”
“Caitlyn?” The reverend turned to her. When she raised her gaze to his, Ben wanted to sweep her into his arms, but he wasn’t home free yet. He waited for her to speak the words that would bind her to him forever.
“I, Caitlyn Cross take you, Ben Warren, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”
“Then by the power vested in me by the State of Montana, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Caitlyn tilted her chin up to meet his kiss and Ben pulled her into an embrace he never wanted to end, but when Lottie clapped and squealed they broke apart laughing.
“I think she’s as happy as we are,” Caitlyn said.
“I can’t imagine being happier.”
“Are you sure? Because Lottie and I have news for you.”
As their guests clapped and cheered, Ben leaned close to hear her. “What’s that?”