Lynn stood in the kitchen, watching dishes. She felt arms around her waist and looked and saw her husband, Russ. She smiled and he kissed her softly.

        “Hey,” Lynn said.

        “Hey yourself, where’s Shayne?” Russ asked.

        “Asleep,” Lynn said. Russ rested his hands on her growing stomach. Lynn was five months along with their second child.

        “I love you,” Russ said kissing her neck. She smiled.

        “I love you, too,” Lynn said. The phone rang. Russ answered it.

        “Hello,” Russ said.

        “Russ, it’s Jake, you and Lynn better get over here,” Jake said.

        “Is something wrong?” Russ asked.

        “You will find out,” Jake said. Russ hung up.

        “Get Shayne, Jake wants us at the Bar M,” Russ said.

Ten minutes later, they were headed to the Bar M. They pulled in and saw an unfamiliar car.

        “Who is here?” Lynn asked.

        “We’ll find out,” Russ said. He got Shayne and got out and helped Lynn out of the truck and they looked up and saw Jake, Ryder, and Deke standing on the porch.

        “What’s going on,” Lynn said.

        “Lynn, get in the house,” Jake said staring at Russ.

        “No, not until you tell us what is going on,” Lynn said.

        “Your wife is here, Russ,” Jake said.

        “Yeah, she is right beside me, she came in the same truck as me,” Russ said.

        “Guys, what the hell is going on?!” Lynn said.

        “Russ!” a voice called. The door opened and Candace came running out and stopped when she saw Russ standing there holding Shayne.

        “What the hell, Candace, what the hell are you doing here,” Russ said.

        “I came to see my husband,” Candace said.

        “What husband, we divorced a long time ago,” Russ said glaring at her.

        “No we didn’t,” Candace said.

        “Yes, we did, I got the papers showing the divorce was finalized, remember, I divorced you after you showed up pregnant by some other guy,” Russ said. Shayne started fussing. Russ talked softly to his son. Lynn stood in front of Candace.

        “Just what are you trying to pull here, obviously you guys aren’t married anymore since he’s got papers saying the divorce was final, are you trying to get money out of him, well, you won’t get any, he was working his ass off for you and what did he get, you sleeping around on him, and then you end up pregnant by some other guy, get lost, honey, Russ is my husband now and the father of my children and nothing you do will destroy my family!” Lynn said angrily.

        “The divorce did not go through, the baby was Russ’s child, though I miscarried,” Candace said.

        “Bullshit, Candace, I talked to your doctor and the night you conceived was when I was out of town, and don’t go saying the doctor was wrong, because he showed me the papers, the timeframe that you got pregnant, I was nowhere near you,” Russ said.

        “Russ,” Candace said.

        “I don’t know why you are here or what crap you are trying to pull, but I know what is true, our marriage was over and divorce was final, the baby wasn’t mine, I am married to an amazing woman and I have a son and another one on the way, I have moved on with my life, got you out of my system a long time ago, so please go away and never come near me or my family again!” Russ said. Russ turned and went into the house. Candace stood there. Lynn shook her head and followed him. Jake, Ryder, and Deke stood there looking at Candace.

        “What is the truth, huh, were you lying to us,” Jake said. Candace looked at him and nodded.

        “Everything he said was true, I wanted him back,” Candace said.

        “He is married to my sister and I will not let anyone hurt her or her family, so go back to wherever you were and leave us alone, and stay away from my sister and my brother-in-law, get off my land,” Jake said. He walked into the house. Ryder and Deke watched Candace leave and went into the house and found Lynn and Russ in the den with Catherine, Ashley, Mary Beth, and Matthew. Russ was holding Shayne. Lynn was trying to talk to him.

        “Russ, honey, what’s wrong,” Lynn said.

        “She’s gone, Russ, she left, she said she was lying, she said you were telling the truth, it’s over now, everything is okay,” Jake said.

        “No, everything is not okay,” Russ said handing Shayne to Ashley and going outside. Lynn sat there. She got up and went outside and saw Russ standing there looking at the sky.

        “Russ, what is it, what’s bothering you,” Lynn said.

        “Nothing, I’m fine,” Russ said.

        “Russ, come on, you can talk to me,” Lynn said.

        “It’s just that, ugh!” Russ said.

        “Russ,” Lynn said.

        “I so much wanted her out of my life for good and she has to come back and stir things up again, I hate her, I hate her!” Russ said as he paced.

        “Russ, she’s gone now, she left,” Lynn said.

        “It doesn’t matter, it’s what she left is what’s wrong,” Russ said.

        “I don’t understand,” Lynn said.

        “Do I have to spell it out for you, she stirred up the feelings I had for her, that I thought were long gone, everything is so screwed up in my head, god, I have to get out of here,” Russ said. He ran to the truck and got in and drove off. Lynn stood there watching him go. Tears fell down her cheeks. Jake, Ryder, and Deke came out and went to their sister.

        “Lynn,” Jake said. Lynn said nothing and fell into his arms and cried. They helped her inside and she told them what happened.

        “I don’t know if he’s coming back,” Lynn said crying.

        “Lynn, calm down, okay, Russ loves you and Shayne, he’ll be back, he just needs time to think, his ex-wife showing up really messed up his mind, he needs to think, but he loves you, and he knows if he leaves you, he’ll have us hunting him down,” Jake said. Ryder and Deke nodded.

        “I love him so much,” Lynn said.

        “We know you do,” Jake said. He kissed her forehead and hugged her. Catherine came in with Shayne. Lynn took him and held him.

        “Shayne looks so much like his daddy, I’m scared,” Lynn said. Jake hugged his sister close.

Later on…

Jake settled Lynn and Shayne in her old bedroom. He went to his room that he shared with Catherine. She was sitting up in bed. He got ready for bed.

        “Ryder and Deke went to Lynn and Russ’s house, Russ wasn’t there,” Jake said getting into bed.

        “I guess Candace coming back stirred up old feelings, just like when you came back in my life and I came back in yours and I’m glad we are together,” Catherine said. Jake smiled and kissed her. He put a hand on her stomach. Although Jake’s unable to have children, he and Catherine found another way to conceive and she was four months pregnant with their second child.

        “I love you and only you, there is no other woman for me,” Jake said.

        “And there is no one else for me,” Catherine said. They kissed. They removed each other’s clothes and he gently made love to her.

The next morning, Lynn woke up and saw Shayne gone and she sat up and jumped up and ran down the hall to the kitchen and saw Jake, Catherine, Matthew, Ryder, Ashley, and the babies in the kitchen.

        “Morning, Lynn, Shayne woke up and we got him so you could sleep,” Ashley said.

        “Any word from Russ?” Lynn asked.

        “No, Deke and I checked your place last night, he wasn’t there, and Deke just called, he and Mary Beth are heading here and they stopped and Russ wasn’t home, Deke and Mary Beth took care of the chores while they were there,” Ryder said. Lynn went into the living room and sat down.  The phone rang. She grabbed it.

        “Hello,” Lynn said.

        “Lynn, it’s me,” Russ said.

        “Russ, thank god, where are you!” Lynn said.

        “Headed for Montana, I stopped at the house to check on things and there was a message from the police, my aunt passed away, I’m headed up to take care of things, I’m sorry for leaving like that, I needed to clear my head, I’m sorry, honey,” Russ said.

        “Russ, I love you so much, I can’t bear to think of what my life would be like without you,” Lynn said.

        “Same here, honey, I love you more than anything in the world, I’ll see you and Shayne when I get back,” Russ said. Lynn wiped her eyes.

        “I’ll miss you,” Lynn said.

        “I’ll miss you more, I have to get going, I love you, Lynn, more than you know, I want you to know that you are the only one for me, you and Shayne and our baby are my life, bye honey,” Russ said.

        “Bye,” Lynn said. She hung up. She looked up and saw her brothers and sisters-in-law at the doorway.

        “Was that Russ?” Jake asked.

        “Yeah, he’s headed to Montana, his aunt passed away, he needed to go take care of things up there,” Lynn said.

        “He’ll be back,” Ryder said.

        “Yeah, he will,” Lynn said smiling.

A week later, Lynn was helping Catherine, Mary Beth, and Ashley in the kitchen when they heard a truck pull in. They knew Jake, Ryder, Deke, and Matthew were out on the ranch on horses. Lynn went to the window and saw Russ get out of his truck. She smiled and ran out and ran to him. He smiled and hugged her close.

        “I have missed you so much!” Russ said burying his face in her neck. She hugged him tight.

        “I missed you, too!” Lynn said.