Chapter 4

May 1st 1964

It was almost 9pm when they finally got back to the ranch, and Ennis and Jack were glad to be home.

The journey had been pretty uneventful; Becky had spent most of it sleeping, huddled in the blankets they had given her. Luckily for her, her companions decided that the truck was no place for a lady to spend the night, so they'd been sleeping in motels. This also meant that they remained unaware of her morning sickness.

Often, while they were driving, Becky would just lie there with her eyes closed; they often became warm and slightly weepy, which she surmised must be a pregnancy symptom. She would overhear their conversations about the ranch. She hadn't yet had the chance to visit since they'd moved in; she couldn't exactly risk the possibility of her father and uncle knowing their location. But from the sounds of it, things seemed to be going well. They'd already told her about their foray into dairy, and she overheard them talking about some rancher near Albany who wanted to take a look at their bull and maybe loan him for breeding purposes.

She was pleased for them; they'd been through a lot since last August, and she thought it was about damn time they caught themselves a lucky break.

Speaking of Lucky, the day after Jack's birthday in October, he'd called her excitedly to tell her about Ennis's gift of a young blue heeler pup, and by the sounds of it, Jack was completely smitten by the bundle of fur. By all accounts, he was becoming a good ranch dog, yet Jack had reassured her that he wasn't snappy or anything, perfectly sweet towards his humans. Becky wondered vaguely if he would be able to tell about her pregnancy; she'd heard that dogs had a sixth sense when it came to things like that.

Jack kept giving her worried glances in the rear-view mirror. He was very concerned by how much she was sleeping, and hoped that once they got her home she would return to normal. Space wasn't an issue, they had three guest rooms after all, and he and Ennis were of the opinion that she could stay as long as she wanted to. It wasn't in their nature to turn someone away who needed help; they knew all too well how it felt. At least Becky knew and accepted, even supported their relationship.

Jack went through in his mind the people they knew who knew and accepted them, aside from Becky. There was his mother, obviously, who had been of great help. Cecilia and Tom had always been supportive. And after K.E's visit earlier that year, it seemed like he was slowly coming around to the idea. There was Andy, even if he hadn't been heard from for a while. At least he wouldn't go flapping his mouth about his ex-girlfriend's cousin.

Here in Georgia, they had their four hands and Dave, who were all decent men, even if Pete did harbour bad feelings towards Michael. There were their neighbours Bill and Mary, who had taken them under their wing, and bringing up the rear was their vet Paul, and their doctor, Rick Hardeman.

They had more friends than Jack had realised, even hoped for. And he knew that Ennis was aware of the fact that even though people knew about them, the world hadn't come crashing down around them. Sure, they were always going to encounter people like his father, Aguirre, those bastards in Texas and Fred Kane, but at least they had friends to fall back on. And he and Ennis had vowed to each other that they would at least try to keep each other safe.

Jack finally drove the truck up the driveway and parked. Becky was awake but looked groggy. He and Ennis exchanged a look.

"Becky? We're home."

She sat up, blinking and taking in the house, looming up in the darkness.

"Looks better in daylight," Jack commented. He and Ennis got out of the truck. Ennis went around to the truck bed and started gathering up their bags, including Becky's trunk. Jack went to Becky's door and helped her out, where she started yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Don't worry; once ya get in one of these beds you'll sleep like a log," Jack assured her. Within the first few months of their residence, they had replaced things that were old and no longer fit for use. A few kitchen appliances had been replaced, as had all the beds upstairs. They'd kept one guest room as a twin; Cecilia's two children had used those when they'd visited with their mother. That left two doubles, and the beds, like the master, were like sinking into heaven for a tired person. Jack knew she would get a good night's sleep here.

They trudged into the house and Becky looked around. "This looks real nice, you guys," she whispered.

"We'll give ya a full tour once yer up to it." Jack's words were interrupted by Lucky padding down the stairs and barking softly at them, his attention drawn by the new arrival.

"Hey Lucky, c'mere," Jack said, clapping his hands together. Lucky wandered over and went straight to Becky. He sniffed her hand and let her pet him; Becky smiled.

"Becky, this is Lucky. Lucky, meet Becky."

"He's lovely."

"Sure is. You wanna hit the hay?"

Becky nodded.

Jack went into the kitchen to prepare overnight food for Lucky. Ennis took Becky, the bags and her trunk upstairs and showed her the bathroom and to the guest rooms. She chose the one nearest the bathroom; she hoped he wouldn't ask why just yet.

While Becky got herself prepared for bed, Ennis went downstairs and over to Lucky.

"Keep an eye on her, boy," he whispered, looking into Lucky's eyes. Lucky brought a paw up to Ennis's arm in apparent understanding and went upstairs, and then Ennis took Jack up to bed.

Becky lay on her back, making the most of it while she could. She'd left her door slightly ajar in case of an emergency, and looked over when Lucky came in.

"Hey, boy." She patted the bedspread next to her and Lucky jumped up. He looked straight at her, then down at her stomach. Becky knew straightaway he could tell.

"You know, don't you?" she whispered. She'd heard that blue heelers could be very protective of their owners, and Lucky's presence calmed her. He gently prodded her stomach with his nose and curled up next to it, as if in an effort to keep it warm. Becky smiled and fell asleep. Down the hall, Ennis and Jack were doing the exact opposite.

The next morning, Ennis and Jack left Becky in bed and crept quietly downstairs to make breakfast. At least it was a Saturday and they would be on their own today. Jack was busy making eggs and bacon while Ennis made toast, when Becky wandered in, followed by Lucky who started eyeing the bacon.

"Hey guys," she said sleepily. She was still in her nightie and dressing gown, and her long strawberry blonde hair was all over the place.

"Hey," they greeted back, looking over.

"You okay?" asked Jack. She nodded and sat down.

"Feel better after sleepin' in that bed," she smiled.

"Told ya. You want some coffee?" offered Jack.

"Um, no thanks." She knew that caffeine was inadvisable in this condition.

Ennis and Jack exchanged a look, and then Ennis got her a glass of orange juice from the fridge for her, which she took gratefully.

The cowboys got breakfast together and they all dug in. Becky found herself ravenous; whether it was from her pregnancy or the stress of everything she didn't know. They were glad to see that she had her appetite in full force. That was a good sign.

After the meal, Jack exchanged another look with Ennis and a nod, and then leaned forward.

"Becky? You wanna tell us what's goin' on?"

She got a nervous look on her face, and then sighed. She couldn't hide it forever. "Okay."

She wrapped her hands around her glass and looked down. "Thing is...I, uh..." She bit her lip. This was harder to do than she'd thought.

"What is it, honey?"

She looked up at them both. Her lip trembled. "I...I'm pregnant."

They both sat in stunned silence. This was probably the last thing they'd expected to hear. "You're...you're pregnant?" Jack repeated, dumbstruck.

She nodded and tears filled her eyes. She was scared they'd turn her away, even though she knew in her heart that they weren't like that.

"Aw, come on...don't cry..." Jack leaned forward and took hold of one hand; Ennis did the same.

"I'm sorry, I just...I just don't know..."

"What are ya gonna do?"

She looked up at them with a determined expression. "I'm gonna do it. Gonna keep it an' raise it."

Jack ran his tongue along his bottom lip nervously. He let go of her hand and stood up. Ennis also let go and looked at Jack, confused.

Jack turned to face her. "I gotta ask...why did ya call us?"

"I was already plannin' to leave, when my doctor called my daddy an' told him. I don't have no friends that can take me in. You two were the only people I could think of. I thought you'd understand..."

"Understand?" said Jack in disbelief. "Look, Becky, we'll support you, you know that. But what made ya think we'd understand? Ain't like we got a lot of experience with things like this."

"An' I have?" Becky stood up with her arms folded, and Ennis soon became aware, once again, of the kind of temper Twists could have.

"I'll tell ya why I thought you'd understand. The guy who got me pregnant was a rodeo guy I met a few weeks ago. I didn't mean to end up in the back of his car, it just happened. An' I know that you two didn't plan on fallin' in love on Brokeback, it just happened. What I did was totally on impulse. I thought it was a one shot thing." She knew the impact of those words. "Instead, I end up havin' my life changed for good. That one night will impact the rest of my life. People would shun me for it, call me names. My father disowned me. I'm tryin' to make the best of things. Sound familiar, Jack? Are you tryin' to tell me you don't know how that feels?"

There was silence in the room. Both Ennis and Jack were aware that Becky was right; their situations did have some fundamental similarities, just like when they compared their situation to Michael and others like him. The circumstances were different, but at the core, the two situations were pretty much the same.

Jack's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yer right. When ya put it that way...I guess we do understand." He walked over to Ennis and put a hand on his shoulder, which Ennis covered with his own hand. Jack looked at Becky. "If yer sure you can do this, see this through, then me an' Ennis are gonna be right behind ya every step of the way. Right, Ennis?"

"Yeah, you bet. Ain't right to let a woman deal with somethin' this big on her own."

Becky smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure I can do it, I'm just gonna need a little help, that's all."

"No problem. Just tell us what ya need an' we'll do our best."

Becky came around the table to them and hugged Jack, and then pulled Ennis up and hugged him. They were careful not to squeeze her too tight.

"Well, the room you was sleepin' in is yours, if you want it. Maybe we can put a nursery up in one of the others." Jack's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Sure. Yer gonna be uncles, after all," Becky smiled happily. Ennis and Jack went red and tried to keep the smiles off their faces.

"Listen, I uh...I'm gonna need to go into town as soon as possible. Get myself registered with a doctor an' everythin'."

"Sure, I'll drive ya," said Jack.

"Uh, Jack...that guy's comin' by today, the one from Albany who wants to look at our bull. I can drive Becky, you should see to him."

Jack knew that Ennis wasn't so comfortable in dealing with customers; he didn't have the confidence and didn't consider himself as smart as Jack. But Jack had every faith in him and knew he could do it.

Becky sensed that they needed some alone time and went upstairs to shower and dress.

Jack turned to Ennis and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Ennis, I think it's best if I go. I'm direct family, after all. I know Becky considers you family, but apart from Rick I don't think them at the doctor's office will. You'll be fine."

"I dunno Jack...I ain't so good with customers like you. What if I mess up?"

Jack gripped his shoulders. "You ain't gonna. I got faith in you, cowboy. He already wants to loan our bull, you just gotta show him to him, point out his good points, maybe show him the cows, sing his praises, you know? You know the stock better than anyone. I believe in you, sweetheart." He leaned forward and kissed Ennis firmly. "You can do it, cowboy."

Ennis looked deep into Jack's love-filled eyes, trying to draw strength from him, and swallowed nervously. "Okay Jack, I'll try."

"There ya go. It'll be fine, trust me."

A little later, Jack and Becky left for town and Ennis went out to the stables to see the horses, trepidation filling him up, hoping that Jack was right to have faith in him.

A truck pulled up outside the house and Ennis grew nervous. He stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans, trying to calm himself. He knew he wasn't as good at this as Jack was, but he could at least try because Jack had faith in him. He tried to keep in mind everything Jack had told him.

The knock on the front door came and he opened it to see a big burly man, probably in his forties or maybe fifties. It was clear that he was one of those big-shot cattle ranchers, for he wore a suit and Ennis suspected he had an ego to match his size.

"Um, howdy sir," Ennis greeted, trying to keep his nerves in check.

"Good afternoon," replied the man. "Samuel Peterson. Are you Mr Twist or Mr Del Mar?"

"Del Mar. Jack's got business in town, might not be back for a bit yet. I'm guessin' yer the guy from Albany?"

"Yes, I spoke to Mr Twist on the phone about a partnership with you concerning your bull."

"That's right. You wanna come in? Or you wanna go see the bull first?"

"I'm on a schedule; best if I go straight to the bull and look him over."

Ennis could tell that this man had been well educated; had probably gone to the best schools. The way he spoke was certainly different to how he and Jack spoke. He tried not to feel intimidated.

He directed Samuel to meet him outside around the back of the house. He then led him over to the stables, knowing that they would have to ride to the fields. Ennis felt a surge of pride as they walked across the property; all of this belonged to him and Jack. They had built this up together and it was their home.

Ennis saddled up Lightning and told Samuel to take his pick of horses. He secretly hoped he wouldn't choose Signal; that was Jack's horse. Fortunately for him, he didn't. He chose Star, the filly that Signal seemed to be interested in. It was a strange sight to see a man in a suit mount a horse.

Ennis led Samuel over to the fields, where the bull was being kept separate from the cows; they were all grazing. They dismounted near where the bull stood and walked over.

"Here he is," said Ennis. He remembered what Jack had said about "singing the praises" of this bull to persuade Samuel it would be a good idea, and tried to think about what he could say.

"He's a fine specimen," commented Samuel, looking closely at him with interest.

Ennis swallowed. You can do this. "Well, uh...you know he came from that big ranch near Atlanta, right? They got a real good reputation for livestock."

"Indeed," Samuel agreed. "And to be honest, I thought it might be easier to deal with a smaller ranch like this than something so...complex. I would have had to go through a lot if I went to them."

"That's true," said Ennis. "It was a lotta hassle, Jack said. Worth it though if the calves are of good quality."

"Absolutely. Are all of your cows impregnated?"

"Yep. S'all goin' well. Calvin's in October. We'll know then fer sure if it's been worth it. Maybe it's just me, but...I think it'd be worth yer time breedin' him with yer cows." Ennis shuffled his feet. He was feeling very out of his depth without Jack.

But that wasn't to last for long. He heard hooves approaching and turned to a vision. Jack was riding up on Signal towards them; black hat flapping as he rode, blue eyes alight with life and happiness, and a grin on his face.

"Hey Jack," said Ennis. If Samuel hadn't been there he would have greeted Jack with a big kiss, but that wasn't an option unfortunately. Jack dismounted and clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Hey cowboy, I take it this is Mr Peterson?"

"Yes, nice to meet you Mr Twist." He offered his hand.

Jack shook it, salesman determination and tenacity firmly in place. "So, whaddaya think of our bull?"

"He certainly seems to be what you described. Your partner was telling me about the cows and where this specimen came from. He sure looks promising..." Samuel looked over at the bull once again. "I've decided. Mr Twist, Mr Del Mar, I'd like to formally offer a breeding partnership; your bull to my cows."

"Done," said Jack as he shook his hand again. "You wanna come back to the office?"

"Actually, I'm on a tight schedule, so perhaps I could come back on Tuesday to start proceedings?"

"Sure, come on by whenever."

As soon as the horses were put away and Samuel had left the stables to leave, Jack swept Ennis into his arms and planted a firm kiss on his lips. It was the kind of kiss that made Ennis dizzy.

"Woah, what was that for?" he breathed, his arms around Jack's waist.

"You did it, that's what! You swayed him! We got us some more business thanks to you!" Jack cupped Ennis's face with his hands. His eyes were shining and dimples were stretching his mouth.

Ennis knew there was no point in arguing the finer points, such as the fact that Samuel was already interested and was probably on the verge of making it official anyway. He was secretly pleased that he'd made some sort of contribution to the business side of things. He smiled and kissed Jack again, slow and soft.

"How'd it go at the doctor's?"

"Fine. Rick registered her as his patient; said it was easier since he's got us down already an' she's livin' with us. She's sleepin' right now; he said she'd do a lot of that. Ain't a right lot we can do for her, she's gotta take care of herself." He paused, and then smiled. "Wanna get some lunch? Maybe see if there's a movie on?"

Ennis smiled back. "Sure, darlin'."

The rest of the weekend passed without much event. Becky could no longer hide her morning sickness since Ennis and Jack awoke so early, and more than once she'd drawn their attention with the sound of retching. They were often there to hold her hair back and give her some water, and she was very grateful for the support.

Rick had given her a few pregnancy leaflets and pamphlets to look through to gain some idea of what to expect, and over the weekend she had been looking through them. Ennis and Jack had joined her out of curiosity, which found them in the living room on Sunday evening when there was nothing on TV. Ennis and Jack were on the sofa and Becky was in the armchair they'd put in a few months into their residence here when they started having company. Earlier in the day Jack had dragged Ennis into town to find an ottoman for her so she could put her feet up.

Jack was looking through a leaflet about the actual labour, and felt slightly queasy at how gruesome it sounded. He knew that labour was a messy business; both he and Ennis had seen it on their families' ranches, but to think about it in context with his cousin...it didn't sound good. He found a photograph of afterbirth and abruptly tossed the leaflet aside. He remembered the first time he'd seen a cow give birth and had seen the afterbirth himself.

"Huh," started Becky. "Says here my taste buds are gonna go haywire soon. There's gonna be foods I won't be able to look at or smell without feelin' sick, an' I'm gonna start cravin' specific foods. Wonder what I'll get? Knowin' my luck it'll be somethin' I hate."

"Well, when that does start, let me know so's I know what to make ya to eat," commented Jack as he looked over at the leaflet Ennis was reading; it was a basic outline of what to expect from each section of the pregnancy, known as trimesters.

"These first few months ain't gonna be much 'cept throwin' up. Stuff really starts happenin' after, 'bout August. When are ya due again?"

"Rick said 'bout the second of January. That's the fortieth week but it's never dead on, he said. Due for a twelve week scan on July 4th, actually."

"Independence Day? That's somethin' ain't it?" said Jack.

"Yeah. You guys got any plans for that by the way?"

"Um..." Ennis and Jack looked at each other. Their last July 4th had been spent up on Brokeback. They'd sat around camp listening to the distant boom of fireworks and seeing the glow on the horizon, and then they had retired to the tent and made fireworks of their own. But now they were together, they could celebrate properly.

"Dunno. Ain't put much thought to it, to tell ya the truth. If you've got yer scan, though, I think we'd like to see that," Jack smiled.

Becky smiled back. "Sure. Yer both welcome to come an' see fer yerselves. It's a Saturday too; we can go into town afterwards an' see if there's anythin' goin' on. There might be a parade or somethin'. Whaddaya think?"

"Sure, sounds good. Might be fun." Ennis nodded in agreement. It would be fun to go out and spend the day with Jack and Becky.

The sound of the phone ringing shook him from his thoughts. Jack picked up.

"Brokeback Ranch, Jack speakin'." A few seconds of silence. "Oh, hey Michael, what's up?"

As Jack listened down the phone, his brow furrowed and he chewed his lip nervously. "So...they just broke in? What happened...? Oh, Jesus...how about you an' yer family? Well that's somethin'. I dunno what to tell ya except...stick together. That's all ya can do. Let us know how it goes, alright? You still comin' in tomorrow? Okay. Yep, see ya."

He hung up and rubbed his jaw.

"What did he say?"

Jack sighed. "You know that Ku Klux Klan lot that's been terrorizin' coloured folks? There's this family that live near Michael's family. Good friends of theirs. Those bastards broke in last night an' killed 'em in their sleep," he spat out the last few words.

"Jesus..."

"The only thing Michael could think of to do was call us, said he knew we'd understand. It ain't right. It's no different from people with tire irons who would come after us. We better be careful cowboy; those people ain't just targetin' coloured folks. They're goin' after anyone who's different, anyone who don't fit what they call "normal Americans".

"As long as people still think we're just business partners, we'll be okay, rodeo." Ennis put his arm around Jack's shoulder.

"It ain't just us no more though, is it? We gotta protect Becky too, an' her baby."

"Jack...I think Ennis is right. You've been sayin' that yer cousins an' business partners; people probably won't bat an eyelid. If they do, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Yeah." Jack still looked doubtful.

"Whaddaya say we hit the hay? Back to work tomorrow after all," said Ennis, shaking Jack's shoulders slightly.

With this agreed to, Becky put out food and water for Lucky and Ennis and Jack went up. After some slow, sweet and satisfying lovemaking, Jack spooned into Ennis, who wrapped an arm over his stomach. Ennis could tell that Jack was still tense about the latest news, and started rubbing his stomach in comfort. Jack enjoyed the feeling very much and was touched that Ennis was trying to help him relax.

"S'okay, rodeo," Ennis whispered into his ear. "Everythin's gonna be fine."

Jack sighed. "You don't know that," he whispered into the darkness.

"Maybe not. But I gotta have faith in what we got. Ain't we agreed that there ain't nothin' can come between us? They could burn this place down but you know what? It wouldn't matter to me so long as you an' Becky an' the baby are safe. We'll all start over someplace else. It ain't four walls that make a home; it's who's in it. You guys are my family. Okay?"

Jack smiled, letting Ennis's words wash over him. He was right. These walls could be torn down, but their family unit would never be destroyed. The three of them, soon to be four of them, were tied together. That was one tie that would never break.

The next morning over breakfast, an agenda was agreed between the three of them. Ennis was usually first to rise, so he was on breakfast duty. He would then go out onto the land as normal, while Jack would take Becky into the office to teach her the books and finances. Once she got the hang of it, she would spend her mornings cleaning the house, including laundry, and relaxing. She would then make lunch, and then in the afternoon Jack would go out to the fields as normal and Becky would take over in the office. When the working day was over they would all retire to the house and Jack would make dinner. They figured it would help the place run more smoothly and they'd been sorely missing a third person to hold the fort in the office in the afternoons.

Jack was very happy with this arrangement; he would still get to look after the business side of things, and also would still be able to work with his partner on the land. And Becky felt elated that she could contribute to the running of the ranch. She was good at working with animals, but Ennis knew they could be unpredictable, especially pregnant ones, so he told her that under no circumstances whatsoever she was to go near them. It wasn't worth the risk.

It was nearing lunchtime and Becky was preparing food for everyone. Jack was in the office finishing up for the morning and decided to give his mother a call.

"Hey, mama."

"Jack! Good to hear your voice. How are you, sweetheart?"

"Everythin's great. The ranch is doin' real well; got someone who wants to loan our bull for breedin', we're goin' into dairy, things are really takin' off," he said happily.

"How are you an' Ennis?"

Jack smiled. "We're doin' real good, ma. We're real happy. I love him to bits, you know that."

"I sure do. I'm proud of you son."

"How's things up there?"

"Same as usual. Yer daddy don't never talk 'bout you or anythin' that happened last year. Ranch is doin' okay."

"Best we can expect, I guess. Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"You know my cousin Becky?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...she's livin' with us now. Her daddy kicked her out an' she called us, we went an' got her an' brought her here."

"Why was she kicked out?" Rose asked in concern.

"Well...thing is, ma...Becky's pregnant."

Utter silence as Rose digested these words, and Jack remembered all those silences of the last time he'd spoken to her about Becky.

"That so?"

"Yep. Met this guy at a rodeo, an', well..."

"I see. Give her my best, won't you?"

"Will do, mama. I gotta go in to lunch. Nearly twelve here. What time's it there?"

"Almost ten. Two hours difference I guess, Jack."

"Yep. Gotta go, mama. See ya."

"Bye, Jack."

Ennis poked his head in the door as Jack hung up. "Jack? You comin' fer lunch?"

"Yep." Jack stood up and Ennis led him by the hand back to the house, Jack filling him in on the conversation with his mother.

Early on in the running of their ranch, they had extended an invitation to all their hands to join them for lunch, and this had been accepted gratefully. It helped that Jack, and now Becky, were such good cooks. Ennis and Jack had introduced her to them that morning, and said they expected them to treat her with the kind of respect they would show their bosses. They were all taken with her, and turned sweetly protective when they learnt of her pregnancy. A couple were fathers themselves.

A larger kitchen table had been bought to accommodate everyone, but it still fell short of requirements as their staff number grew, so a couple were usually sat at the island. It was always a pleasant time; the time when they learnt about each other and their backgrounds, a nice break in the working day. Jack loved being surrounded by people in a family setting like this, what with him being an only child. Even Ennis appreciated it without the shadow of his father looming over everything.

The hands were all fascinated by tales of the rodeo that Jack and Becky could tell them, and were impressed to be in the presence of rodeo stars.

"You ever rodeo, Ennis?" asked Dave. Both Ennis and Jack bit back grins at the memory of the day they'd met, when Jack had asked Ennis the same thing.

"Some. Did calf-ropin' a few times. Wasn't much good at it an'...we didn't really have the money much."

"Yeah, we was both dirt-poor when we met," said Jack.

"But look at you now!" piped up Peter. "You got this place, it's doin' real well, you got money..."

"An' we got each other," smiled Jack. Ennis smiled back and went red, which did not go unnoticed by their workers. It was clear to them that there was a lot of love between their bosses, and those who had wives or girlfriends made a mental note to themselves to tell them at the next opportunity how much they loved them.

After lunch was finished, Becky started clearing up the dishes and all the men went out into the fields and stables. Becky would go into the office when she was done. She had proved to have a head for numbers and organising, and even Jack was rendered speechless by how quickly she'd picked it up. He'd offered to pay her for her work but she'd shot him down, her reason being that they were doing enough by looking after her. It was eventually agreed that if she should need anything, she had authorisation to take money out of the business account. Jack had set it up that morning. In time they would go about turning one of the bedrooms into a nursery, and both he and Becky were looking forward to it.

Becky couldn't thank them enough for everything they were doing for her, and made up her mind to do something in return for them. She made herself a mental note to think on it some more. This baby would be the start of it; she knew it sometimes got them down that they couldn't have children together, so she vowed to give them the next best thing; have her baby christened once it was born, and ask them to be godfathers. It was the best thing she could offer.