Promise me tomorrow (42 page)

Quintin smiled as his father hugged him.

"Hows Mother?"

"Come in and see."

Quintin didn't need to be asked twice. He walked swiftly into the room and right to his mother's side.

"Oh, Quin," Rusty smiled up at him. She was flushed and tired, but also delighted. "A girl—did your father tell you?"

"Yes. Michelle, isn't it?"

"That's right. Michelle for a girl and Clayton for a boy."

"Michelle McCandles. That's nice."

"Have you seen her?"

He hadn't. Michelle was still being cleaned up and checked over by the doctor and Mrs. Whitley, but it wasn't long before Chase had her in his arms and moved to show Quintin. Quintin watched as her face scrunched up, but she didn't actually cry.

"She's wonderful," he said and turned to smile at his mother. "I'm glad it's a girl."

Rusty smiled back at him and kissed his cheek when he bent over her.

The next few hours were spent settling in. Quintin took himself off to bed, proclaiming that this business of delivering babies was exhausting work. Rusty had a good laugh before the room emptied of all but Chase, giving her a chance to nurse the baby to sleep and fall asleep herself.

Chase ended up with Michelle in his arms, not yet ready to put her into the cradle. He sat on the bed, his back propped against the footboard, and looked down into her sleeping face. It didn't matter how many God gave them, Chase thought they were all miraculous. He was on the verge of putting the baby to bed when he found Rusty's eyes on him.

"I think you're wonderful," she told him as she did so often.

Chase's
eyes
locked with hers for a moment. He then
stood and gently settled the newborn in her bed. He joined Rusty, sitting beside her on the edge of the mattress.

"Why am I wonderful?"

Rusty reached for his hand, not sure she could express herself "You just are. You take such good care of us, and no matter how many children we have, you love them all."

Chase kissed her. "Since most of them look like their mother, that's not at all hard to do."

It was such a romantic thing to say, but then she'd learned early on that this was what she could expect from him. Chase McCandles loved his God, his wife, and his children with his whole heart. Through the years he had taught Rusty so much. They had grown in the Lord and closer to each other with every passing day.

"Coming to bed now?" Rusty asked.

"Yes."

Chase joined her a few minutes later. Rusty let a huge sigh escape when her head was finally pillowed on Chases shoulder.

"Why the sigh?" he asked.

"Eight children, Chase. Can you believe it?"

"Yes, I can, but even if I were having trouble, 1 would need only to walk around the landing and look into each door."

Rusty laughed. "A long time ago I asked God to remember me when He thought of motherhood."

"I didn't know that." Chase came up on one elbow to look down into her face.

"It's true." Rusty brushed the hair from his brow. "I worked with children at the orphanage and even with Quin, and I wondered when I would have children of my own."

Chase smiled. "Now Quintin is your own, plus seven besides. God certainly did remember you, didn't He, Katherine?"

"Yes, He did, but that's no surprise at all, is it?"

"No surprise at all ," he echoed softly, a smile in his voice. "No surprise at all."

About the Author

Lori Wick is one
of
the most versatile Christian fiction writers in the market today. Her works include pioneer fiction, two series set in England, and contemporary novels. Lori's books (more than 5 million copies in print) continue to delight readers and top the Christian bestselling fiction list. Lori and her husband, Bob, live in Wisconsin and are parents of "the three coolest kids in the world."