Wyoming Christmas Quadruplets. Jill Kemerer

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СКАЧАТЬ then went back to the living room. After settling the boys in their bouncy seats facing the girls, Ainsley and Marshall took opposite couches.

      “If you’re too tired to do this right now...”

      “No, I’m fine.” She was tired, but she wanted to get a plan nailed down as soon as possible. She placed a pouch with markers, a folder full of stickers, her trusty clipboard and the stacks of various charts she’d printed on the coffee table. Laying them out in precise order, she reviewed the spread to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. With a satisfied nod, she straightened and gave Marshall her full attention. “First, let’s assign each baby a color.”

      “Okay.” Skepticism thinned his lips.

      “What?” She excelled at three things: organizing, helping those in need and reading people. “Something’s bothering you.”

      “It’s not bothering me, but...could you explain the color dealie? My expertise is not in babies. I’m good at fixing large farm equipment and taking care of cattle. I’m pretty new at quadruplets.”

      “Of course.” She peeked at the children—all quiet, thankfully. “Each child is assigned a color, and everything will be marked with it.”

      “You mean their clothes?”

      “Yes, we’ll dot the tags with permanent marker.”

      “Most of their clothes don’t have tags.”

      “Well, we’ll figure it out. The clothes aren’t the main thing. We’ll color the bottom of each bottle. And we’ll place stickers on the bouncy seats, car carriers and so on.”

      “Oh, I get it.” He brought his hands behind his head, leaning back. She couldn’t help noticing his muscular arms. “What about pacifiers and stuff?”

      “I think it will be too difficult to separate pacifiers. I guess we could put them into plastic storage bins labeled with their color. We can keep marking the pinkies of Grace and Max with markers, and I think this will be another way for us to keep the twins straight. Especially at bath time when the marker might wash off.”

      “Good idea.”

      “Let’s assign the colors.” She slid out a sheet of red, blue, green and yellow stickers. “Who gets what?”

      “I don’t know.” He tapped his fingertips against his jeans.

      “Who’s the happiest?” It would be fun to match the babies with colors representing their personalities. She waited for Marshall to reply.

      “Easy. Lila.”

      “She gets yellow. It’s the color of sunshine and joy.” Ainsley held up a yellow sticker. She then placed it on a piece of paper and wrote Lila next to it. “Who’s the most energetic?”

      “Ben. Definitely. His cries go from zero to ten like that.” He snapped his fingers.

      “Ben gets red. The color of fire and passion.” She placed the red sticker on the paper and wrote Ben next to it. “What about Grace and Max? Do either show signs of being a peacemaker? Or like they are attentive to the other babies’ feelings? I know this might seem silly considering how young they are.”

      He considered it for a moment. “You know, I think Grace does. I never realized it, but if Max and Ben are crying, she usually joins in.”

      “It bothers her to see her brothers upset.”

      “It’s possible.”

      “She gets green, the color of nature and harmony. Does Max seem to be more stable than the other babies? Trusting?”

      “He’s five weeks old. I really couldn’t say.”

      “You’re right.” She laughed. “Whether it suits him or not, Max gets blue, the color of the sky and stability.” After writing his name, she took out another sheet of stickers, crossed to Marshall and handed him one. “Let’s mark the bouncy seats, then make up bottles for the rest of the night.”

      “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned, rising. “You’re not going to ask me to put these on their foreheads, are you?”

      “No, of course not.” She shook her head. Marshall had a good sense of humor. Another trait she admired. She circled the bouncy seats, not seeing a good place to put the stickers. “Where do you think these should go?”

      “Why don’t we put a couple on each? One on the back, and we’ll wrap two around the front legs.”

      They marked the seats and surveyed their work. It was a start. Max’s pacifier fell out, and he made loud grunting noises.

      “I know what that means.” Marshall rolled his eyes. “I’ll take this one.”

      She knelt in front of the other three while he changed Max. They were so little. Smaller than the average baby the same age. They looked like newborns. Humming, she placed her index finger next to Ben’s fist. He flexed his hand, then curled it around her finger. The pacifier bobbed as he sucked on it.

      “You’re a little cutie, aren’t you?” She opened her mouth and made faces at him. His hand tightened around her finger. What a sweetheart.

      Marshall returned, carrying Max. “You’re glad you missed that one.” He waved his hand in front of his nose.

      She chuckled, but it turned into a yawn. It had been a long day of packing, driving and...this.

      “Hey, why don’t you kick up your feet on the sofa and rest? When Belle wakes, I’ll show you to your cabin.”

      “You don’t mind? I’d like nothing more than to cuddle with these sweet babies for a while.”

      “Really?” He frowned as if the concept was foreign to him.

      “Yes.” She unstrapped Ben and took him in her arms; then she unstrapped Grace and brought both babies to the couch. “Infants grow up so fast. I’d like to enjoy this while I can.”

      He blinked, then followed her lead, taking Lila and Max to the other couch.

      Neither spoke for several minutes. The silence gave Ainsley the space she needed to register things she’d missed. The decor was homey. A framed picture of Belle and her husband on their wedding day stood on the end table. The dining room table was stacked with supplies and a pile of what appeared to be unopened mail. In the corner, a laundry basket held stuffed animals and baby toys. Burp cloths and rattles were scattered around it. Two used bottles had rolled under the coffee table.

      This was a warm home, but, from the looks of it, the babies’ arrival had chilled it a bit. She’d tidy everything later. For now, she’d enjoy the wonder of two precious little ones in her arms.

      Babies. How she’d love to have some of her own.

      The jagged scar down her heart throbbed. Love and marriage came before kids. She didn’t know if she had it in her to try that combination—even for children. Love clouded a woman’s judgment. And marriage came with commitment. She couldn’t cut and run from a husband the way she had from her СКАЧАТЬ