Chapter 28 A Cornucopia of Riches 1911

1911 Bear Valley Ranch, Colorado

"Pull the brake!" John Henry shouted at his older brother.

"I am! I am!" a panicked Charles cried. The Stanley Steamer shuddered and belched a noxious cloud but still continued to careen down the dirt road that followed the creek at the bottom of the valley.

"PULL IT HARDER!" John Henry cried as the car dashed headlong towards an old cottonwood tree that stood between the road and the stream.

"IT ISN'T WORKING!" Charles yelled as he tugged the hand brake.

"OH, LORDY. PA'S GOING TO KILL US!" John Henry screamed.

"THAT IS IF WE AIN'T DEAD ALL READY!" his brother added.

They were just moments away from crashing head long into the gnarled tree trunk. John Henry reached down and grabbed the hand brake to help his brother and both young men pulled with all their might.

With a squeal and a ripping backfire the car finally skidded to a stop only feet short of the tree.

The young men collapsed on their seats, relief making them giddy. "Oh Lord, Charlie, I thought we were in it for sure. Pa would have killed us if we crashed the car."

"Don't I know it! We'd best get it back up to the shed before he finds that we took it out."

"How are we going to do that? I ain't driving this thing."

"I ain't neither." Both young men, still boys at heart, stared helplessly at the other.

"Maybe Lee will help?" Charles suggested. Lee Crowley was the ranch handy man and could do just about anything, at least that's what Charles and John Henry believed.

"Let's get him before Pa comes down from the high pasture, else we'll be up a creek." They both jumped out of the stalled vehicle and ran up the hill to the stable yard hoping they could find the amazing Lee before their misdeed was discovered.

Lee was leaning against a fence rail, chewing on a blade of grass and watching a skittish colt prance around the paddock. The colt was Bear Valley Ranch bred, a descendent of the infamous Old White and the famous Kate. That line produced the best cattle horse he'd ever seen, either here or in Denver. If Boss decided to sell the young horse, he'd be able to make a good deal off of him, Lee was sure. His musings were interrupted by a panicked voice.

"Lee, we need your help," John Henry said as he and his brother slid to a stop in front of the man.

"What have you done now?" Lee's voice sounded pained but there was a twinkle in his eye that belied his tone.

Charles and John Henry looked guiltily at each other and hemmed and hawed a little.

"Out with it. What happened?"

"Well, you see, we 'borrowed' Pa's car for a bit, just to see her paces you know and, well, she stalled out on the river road and we dasn't try to move her in case something ran afoul," Charles explained.

"You know, fellers, 'borrowing' something before you ask permission actually is called stealing." Lee wasn't about to let them off without grinding their spurs a bit.

Both Cullen boys looked abashed. "We know but if'n we asked first, Pa would be sure to say no."

"Sure he would until he taught you how to drive that contraption."

"Do you really think he'd teach us how to drive?" John Henry looked hopeful.

"You never know until you ask." Lee had always found Boss to be reasonable but he did notice he was a might particular about his new fangled automobile.

"Well, let me get my rope and Sal and Andy." Sal and Andy were two work horses that had been made useless by the advent of motorized farm equipment but Lee relied upon them more than any machine. He liked to know that something was listening to him when he spoke.

The boys helped him lead the horses down to the river where they'd left the car. Lee took a look at the tree they almost rammed into and said, "Sure am glad you didn't crash because that's the tree I was born under."

Both boys looked at Lee in surprise.

"You were born under that tree?" Charlie said.

"Yep. The day I was born, my ma had a hankering to go for a walk but before she could get back home, I decided to make my appearance right then and there. I surprised everyone, most especially my mother." Lee chuckled as he unwound the rope and squatted down to tie it to the bumper.

A few moments later he had the team of horses hooked up to the car. "Now one of you fellers get in and steer the thing and me and the team will haul her up the hill."

Charles opted to man the steering wheel since he was the one responsible for getting the car stuck in the first place and after a false start—Charles had neglected to release the hand brake—the horses easily pulled the vehicle up the hill and in a few minutes, the car was safely back in its shed. Pa should be none the wiser. Both John Henry and Charles felt they'd dodged a bullet.

Bella peered into the mirror and sighed as she pulled a gray hair from her head. She was getting old. She felt it in every part of her body at the end of the day and it was making her mighty blue. It was funny, she had never felt old until Joyful, now wedded two years, had come and blushingly revealed that she herself was to become a mother in the coming summer. Ever since, it seemed that the march of time weighed heavily upon Bella's shoulders.

Last night, as she and Edward were cuddled in bed, he had made an off-hand remark about how her behind was more than a handful now. She turned to look at her offending derriere in the mirror. It was bigger than when they married and turning back, she noticed she had a little pooch in place of her once flat stomach, as well. And to top it off, her breasts were sagging. Tears formed in her eyes.

She felt fat.

Saggy.

Wrinkled.

Tired.

Old.

Ugly.

She wanted to curl up on her bed, pull the quilt up over her head, bawl and never come back out, but she couldn't. She had never ending work to do and there were many who relied upon her even though she was fat, saggy, wrinkled, tired, old and ugly.

Sighing, she twisted her hair up on top of her head and deftly threaded her hair pins through it to hold it in place. She smoothed her dress down over her hips and stepped into her shoes.

Exhaling a deep breath, she looked sternly back into the mirror and thought, "Isabella Cullen, you need to get a hold of yourself. You are getting older but you aren't old yet. Forty-Seven isn't elderly. And Edward didn't mean anything about the size of your bottom. He comes home happy as a jaybird to see you and you couldn't ask for a better husband. Why on earth are you so moody? Come on, there's work to be done and life to be lived."

With that, Bella resolutely turned away from the mirror and towards her Bear Valley life. Picking up some clothes from the mending basket, she went out to the front porch to work on them. The porch still was her favorite place to sit and work. The vista was amazing. She could look over the ranch clear to the other side of the valley and appreciate the beauty that God had endowed her home. She smiled as she remembered that long ago advertisement that described these mountains as "purple pillars of majesty, icy castles in the winter, and green havens in the summer." Those had been the words that had resonated within her so much that she had felt compelled to write their author and from that, her life had been decided.

She sighed fondly as she thought of Edward. She was more in love with him than ever; each day brought its own joy. He was generous and kind, loyal and hard working. She couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect husband or a better father to their four children.

He had aged well, she decided. At the age of almost fifty-three, his reddish-brown locks were now more grey than bronze but it gave him an air of distinctiveness and didn't mar his original handsomeness one bit. He still sat tall in the saddle and the lines that squinting into the sun had cut into his face were matched by the ones that laughter had etched there as well. She only hoped he was equally pleased with her now-a-days.

She pulled out a shirt that needed a button and as she was threading the needle, she noticed a hub-bub in the stable yard. A team of horses was pulling Edward's prized possession, his Stanley Steamer, up the road. Lee was leading the horses, John Henry was running alongside and Charles was steering the contraption.

She shook her head. Those boys were as bad as Edward about that thing. Edward brought it home from Denver a few months before and took great joy in driving it around Bear Valley. He had told her that he could just imagine the both of them touring in it, enjoying the sites as they flew about the place. He even bought her a special hat and scarf to wear just for those occasions. The boys were agog over the car and clamored to learn to drive it themselves but so far, Edward had been reticent about teaching them. There were some things the man just didn't like sharing, she had to admit.

And so, apparently their sons took matters into their own hands and went off in the car without Edward's approval. She'd best get to the bottom of this.

Charles and John Henry were heading for the old cook house dining room. It was where the hands still ate, even though the family usually took their meals in the new dining room she and Edward had added to the house several years ago. Knowing her sons, they were probably going to try to cage some treats from Nana, the name their children gave their cook's wife, Ana Maria.

The couple, Juan Carlos and Ana Maria, worked side by side in the kitchen helping to feed the ranch and prepare foods to be sold to the restaurants in town. Bella's vegetable and fruit gardens had become a great source of income for the ranch over the years. They now had a variety of compotes, jams, jellies, and canned sauces they sold as well as the fresh vegetables and fruit in season.

Bella put down her mending and followed her sons into the cook house. They had quickly cajoled a square of corn bread slathered with honey butter from their doting Nana and sat at one of the long trestle tables, teasing each other the way brothers do. The eight years between their ages didn't make much difference in their behavior, Bella was thinking. Charles had always doted upon his siblings and John Henry was always up for an adventure, so they made a mischievous pair.

Bella walked over to where they were sitting and stood there with her arms folded across her chest and watched them.

"Hello, Ma." Charlie was the first to notice her. He also observed the 'you're in trouble, mister' look on her face. John Henry noticed the same expression and he sheepishly nodded at his mother.

"I sure hope you didn't damage your father's automobile," Bella said.

"Naw, ma, we didn't. She's as right as rain."

"Then why was Lee towing it up the hill with the team?"

Both of her sons looked embarrassed. Charlie spoke up, "We took her out for a spin, mother, and soon found we didn't have the measure of her, and so instead of plowing on, we asked Lee to pull it up to the barn."

"You're lucky you didn't crash it!"

"We almost did!" Irrepressible John Henry couldn't resist adding.

"You did?" Bella was horrified. Her boys could have been hurt.

"Yes'm. It's a good thing that we were able to stop her. She was headed towards that big cottonwood tree near the stream."

Bella put her hand over her heart. "You could have killed yourselves, you foolish boys!"

"Ah, ma, we'd be all right. We'd a jumped from the thing into the ditch."

Bella just shook her head. "Promise me you won't do that again? Wait until you've been taught how to drive before you try. Promise?"

Both boys reluctantly agreed. They didn't have it in their heart to disappoint their mother. Bella grabbed each one in a tight hug and kissed them on their heads. "I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to either one of you."

"Ah, maaaa." John Henry was the one to object to her outward affection. Charles stoically bore it as befit his adult status. Bella knew they felt they were too big to be cosseted but she didn't care at the moment. She loved them dearly.

"Charles, I had a note from Rosalie that Emma is coming home from her boarding school next week."

Charlie's eyes lit up like fire crackers. "Truly, mother? She's coming home? For a visit or is she staying?"

"She's staying this time. Seems she's done with finishing school."

Charlie didn't say another word, just smiled to himself thinking about how excited he would be to see their neighbor's daughter again. He'd always had a soft spot for her. In fact, he'd never met a girl he liked more. "Say, mother, aren't we going to have a party for Papa's birthday?"

"We are. In fact, my son, I am planning to have ice cream to serve. And I think there is to be dancing in the evening."

Charlie's smile just grew broader.

Bella fondly watched her oldest son's expressions. She knew of his soft spot for Miss Emma. Perhaps soon there would be another Cullen child wed. She felt her hair turning grayer by the minute.

Stifling a sigh, she said, "Well, I need to help Nana in the kitchen, so you boys clean up after yourselves and make sure to stay away from that car. Your father will have kittens if he ever finds out what you were up to."

"Yes'm," they chorused and she left them to finish their treat and tiredly went to help with dinner. Time and tide wait for no man—or woman.

"But, darling, I want you to have a safe delivery," Abraham pleaded with his wife as she sat at her vanity brushing her hair.

"I shall, Abraham. My mother did well with all of us on the ranch. I don't see why I couldn't as well. I want to have my mother, Nana, and Susan there. They all helped each other through child birth and came through just fine."

"But my mother didn't. She died having little Daisy and it just about killed my father. I never could understand how he could just give up on life after that but now I can. If anything happened to you, Joyful, I would die. I couldn't imagine living without you."

The young woman's countenance softened in the face of the love her husband had for her. "Oh, my love, to hear my mother tell it, your mother was poorly throughout her entire confinement with little Daisy. I've been healthy as a horse throughout mine. You can't claim that Miss Lauren would have lived had she had the hospital at her disposal."

Abraham sighed gustily. "That's true but as a doctor I'd simply feel better if you delivered our child at the hospital. You have a choice that my mother didn't."

"But I wouldn't feel better. The hospital is a cold and sterile place for our child to be brought into the world. There's no feeling of home or family there. Abraham, we were both born on the ranch. I want our children to be a part of that, too."

"Whether they are a part of the ranch or not has more to do with how we rear them than where they shall be born. Besides the hospital's sterility is what will keep you safe."

Joy sighed. "Can't we compromise on this?"

"In what way?"

"How about if I have the baby here in our home which is just a step away from the hospital? If I run into trouble, you can move me there in a trice. I don't think my mother would mind moving in with us at the end so she can be on hand."

Abraham gazed at his delightful wife and weighed their options. She was indeed a beautiful woman and pregnancy brought a glow about her that was breath taking. Her burnished hair shone from the brushing she had just given it and her peignoir hung gracefully over her rounded belly. The feelings he had when she told him she was expecting their child were indescribable. He had been over the moon with happiness but, as he was a physician, he immediately started to worry. He knew the real dangers of child-birth. He looked around their room thinking how he could make it as antiseptic as possible. "I believe I can live with that, my Joy."

She smiled at him, loving him more than she could tell. She felt a thump and, smiling, held out her hand to her husband and then taking his, placed it gently upon her belly. "I believe our baby agrees with us."

They stood there together, feeling the baby do acrobatics within her womb, smiling into each other's eyes at the baby's antics. "Baby's an active rascal," Abraham said.

"That is very true. Sometimes I cannot sleep for his calisthenics."

"You think the baby's a boy?"

"I don't know for sure but I've been thinking I'd like to name him after his grandfathers if he is."

"Tyler Edward Crowley?"

"Or Edward Tyler Crowley. I think since there's already a Tyler Crowley, the first way may save confusion."

"That's true. How about if it is a girl?"

"Lauren Isabella Crowley?"

"I think that's grand, Joyful. Do you think my father will object to that, though?"

"I don't know. It's too bad we can't ask him." Tyler had never been the same after his Lauren died. He disappeared for years only reappearing about the same time that Joy and Abraham got married. He'd come and go ever since, staying away for months at a time, returning as quietly as he left. He was away now and, like always, no one knew where he was or when he'd return.

"Perhaps he'll get back before the baby comes," Abraham said.

"He's got a few weeks."

"When's the party for your father's birthday?"

"This coming Saturday. I am bringing some fried chicken."

"Joyful, do you think you should go? What if you start labor while you're up there?"

"It's too soon for that, Abraham and I want to be at Pa's birthday party. I don't want to miss out on the fun. I promise I will be careful and if I feel the least bit funny, I'll come right back home."

Abraham had to be contented with that.

Edward knew something was amiss with Bella. The spark was missing from her eyes and she seemed sad. He'd asked her about it only to be told that she was fine, he was fine, everyone was fine and then she would sit and continue stewing in her own juices, apparently anything but fine.

He watched her as they sat in front of the fire one evening. She was reading a novel from the library he had inherited from his grandfather at the beginning of their marriage but the newspaper that came that morning from Denver couldn't hold his interest. He was worried about his gal and he was struggling to think of things that would cheer her.

Setting his newspaper aside, he went over to stand behind her chair and started massaging her shoulders. She sighed blissfully and put her book down in her lap. "That feels heavenly, Edward.

She shut her eyes and enjoyed his gentle touch. Edward leaned over, kissed her on the temple and then whispered in her ear, "How about we get that Indian book and try out something new?"

"Edward! Why would you want to do that?"

Edward was shocked. After twenty-four years of marriage, she should know very well why he would want to do that. In fact, he delighted in doing that quite a bit and hoped to continue to do that for many years to come. She had always understood his desires, so why was she being coy now?

He swung around to the front of her chair and squatted down to look her in the eye. "I want to do that because I have a hankering for my lovely and alluring wife."

"Oh, pshaw." Bella looked away so he couldn't see the tears that had unexpectedly come to her eyes. "You don't want an old woman like me. I am too fat, too wrinkled, and I am getting gray."

Edward's shock turned to astonishment. "Bella, how in the world did you come up with that? It isn't true in the least."

"Oh, yes it is, Edward Cullen. My mirror doesn't sugar coat it. I've seen the gray hair and look at the corners of my eyes. I've reached my climacteric, Edward. I am a crone. I feel tired and dizzy and I have wrinkles! Even you said the other night that my behind had gotten too large."

"I never said that!"

"You did. You told me it took two hands to grab on to it."

Edward felt as though he was walking bare foot and blind folded through a field of rattlesnakes. He wasn't sure where to step but he knew he'd better step right, else he'd regret it for a long time. He didn't know what words to use to correct Bella's misapprehension.

So, he didn't use words.

He scooped her up, not paying any mind to her protest, and carried her into their bedroom, shutting the door behind them with his foot. Then, he laid her down on their bed and kissed her, gently at first, then more to purpose. Fires began to smolder down deep and he felt that old, familiar feeling of ecstasy that expressing his love for this wonderful, perfect woman always engendered. But there was something he needed to say before they went further.

He pulled away and looked down at her, framing her face with his calloused, work-hardened hands. "I don't know what to say to you, except you are every bit as beautiful to me as you ever were, even more so. If gray hair made a body unappealing, you would have thrown me out of our bed five years ago but you haven't."

He kissed the tip of her nose, "And if your monthly friend won't be visiting any longer, we can celebrate that we no longer have to abstain at certain times."

He kissed the corner of each of her eyes. "These faint wrinkles were put there by the life we've shared together. I wouldn't trade them for all the gold in California."

Sliding his hands down to her bottom, he whispered hoarsely, "These are the perfect size for me to caress and hold as I love you."

He kissed her again and said, "I love you, Isabella Cullen. I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as I will tomorrow. Never again think that I don't adore and worship your body. To me, our private times are the stars in our firmament and I look forward to them as a thirsty man does the most beautiful oasis."

He reverently placed both hands back on either side of her face and kissed away the tears that had come and then continued to put his words into action. He poured every bit of his love into her with his kiss, trying to fill the holes she had developed in her self-perception.

Kisses soon led to caresses and clothes fell off onto the floor an article at a time. Moans and gasps and whispered desires were followed by languorous embraces. Warmth was met with warmth, building to an urgency that only love could assuage. Languor turned to delightful frenzy until Edward shouted his exultation.

"Oh, my darling. Oh, my love," he cried.

He collapsed upon her, his head nestled in the crook of her neck. Bella lovingly stroked his back, enjoying the feeling of the corded muscles there. His weight pressing her into the mattress was a comfort she relished as her thighs cradled him. She realized she felt better than she had in months. Her heart leaped as she recognized her cowboy's love had healed her. She would never doubt the power of it again.

Edward's birthday dawned sunny and fair. Charles had finally cajoled Edward in to teaching him how to drive the car and so they spent the morning down on the river road, speeding up and down much to the displeasure of the cattle grazing nearby. Finally, Edward declared Charlie able to drive as well as he could and gave him leave to manage by himself. After dropping Edward off to tend to some farming duties in the lower field, Charles drove up to the house to get Bella for a celebratory spin.

"Go on with you! I have work to do. We've a passel of people arriving this afternoon for the party."

"Aw, ma, we'd just go down the road a bit. You won't be gone long," Charles begged.

Bella wasn't all that interested in going but when she saw her son's disappointed face, she relented. "Alright, just down the road a piece and back, y'hear?"

His grin was infectious, "Bully, ma! Go and get your hat."

Bella went into the big house and found her hat hanging on a hook near the side door in readiness for just such an outing. She stood in front of the mirror and tied it on with its scarf so it wouldn't blow off and then rejoined Charlie in the yard.

After helping her into her seat, he climbed in himself and said, "Hang on, ma!"

Charlie set the vehicle into motion and soon they were motoring down the hill to the main road that led to town. "Should we go in to see Uncle Michael, mother?"

"I'd like to but I am afraid I don't have the time. He, Molly and little Renée will be coming for the party anyway. I am not sure that Joyful and Abraham will make it, though."

"Why not, ma?"

"She's too close to her time to travel much. It's best she stay closer to home."

"How about we drive by the McCarty's, then?" Charles said, trying to keep his voice disinterested.

But it was of no use. Bella darted a knowledgeable look at him. "They'll be at papa's party, too."

With a pleased grin, Charles drove on but just like he promised, he soon pulled over and after making a series of turns and reversals—that was something he needed practice on—they were soon headed back home. Charles pulled back into the yard and turned off the car. He jumped out to help his mother from her side when suddenly she swayed dizzily.

"Oh, dear," she exclaimed.

"What's wrong, ma?"

"Nothing. I am just a little dizzy is all." Charles helped her from the car and she leaned on him, needing his strength.

"You should lie down, mother."

"I can't. I have more to do."

"You can't do it when your head is spinning. Let me take you to your bedroom."

"No. Take me to the kitchen. I'll sit there until it passes."

Charles carefully led his mother through the house and to a chair in the kitchen corner. Nana exclaimed, "Madre de Dios, what is wrong, Missus?"

"Just a little light headed. Nothing to worry about," Bella responded as Charles helped her sit in the chair.

"Oh, Mother, I'll get you a cup of tea with sugar. That will set you right." Gracie, Bella's seventeen year old daughter, ran to assist her brother in helping their mother. Bella had been having dizzy spells lately and though no one said much about them, all the family was a tad worried.

Nana was watching Bella critically and, after Charlie had left the room, finally spoke up, "Senora, I would lay money that you are going through the change of life. You have many of the symptoms."

Bella nodded. "'Tis what I think, too. It will pass one day and I will again be right as rain."

"Be easy on yourself, Senora. I know of an herbal tea that will ease you a bit." Ana Maria bustled away preparing the infusion.

"Mother, are you sure you are well?" Gracie looked worried.

"'Tis natural, nothing to fret about and the tea you brought me is just the thing." Bella smiled warmly at her daughter.

Just then, there was a commotion at the door and Joy Crowley waddled in with Abraham trailing behind her, a concerned look on his face.

"What can I do, mother?" She asked.

"Oh, Joyful, I didn't think you'd make it today."

"I wouldn't miss Papa's birthday for anything, Mama. I am fine. Abraham's got the basket of fried chicken I made this morning." She waved in the direction her husband was standing, looking worried.

"Hello, Abraham," Bella smiled. "Just put the chicken on the table. Joy, you sit down right there and I'll find something you can do at the table."

Soon, Bella was directing the activities in the kitchen just as she always did, the dizziness passing for the moment.

"Why, Miss Emma, don't you look a peach?" Charles said as the McCarty clan entered the old dining hall. Since so many people were expected that day, Bella chose to celebrate the festivities in the larger room than the dining room in the main house.

Emma blushed and curtsied. "Why thank you, Mr. Charles. I do feel pretty peachy today."

"My ma said you were staying home now."

"That I am. I convinced both Ma and Pa that I had no inclination to stay another day in Denver. I missed the valley too much."

"Dare I say the valley missed you, as well? Here, let me get you some punch." Charles saw Emma seated then ran over to the punch bowl to obtain a cup for her. Emmett stood there and watched the two flirt with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

Rosalie was shepherding their younger children to their seats and noticed her husband's expression. "What's troubling you, Emmett?"

Emmett didn't say anything, just nodded in the direction of Emma and Charlie. Rosalie followed the direction of his glare and chuckled. "Well, that's nice."

"What's nice about it?" Emmett asked.

"Those two have been sweet on each other since they were babes. Now they're of age, perhaps they can finally do something about it."

"Do what about it?"

"You know, Emmett." She pushed at his arm and smiled.

"No, I don't know."

"You don't know or you don't want to know?"

Emmett just huffed.

"Just think, Emmett. You missed Emma while she was in town." Rosalie lowered her voice so only her husband could hear, "If those two should make a match of it, she'll only be up the road a bit, much closer than if she married some Denver buck."

"Why does she have to marry at all?"

"You sound like Edward did when Joy got married. I think Charles will make Emma happy."

"You've already got them at the altar. What's the rush?"

"There's no rush but we need to stay out of it and let nature take its course."

Emmett glowered, "Nature had better NOT take its course, else I'll whip him with a good piece of bull hide."

"Be good, Emmett." Rosalie laughed and turned her attention to Emma's younger siblings as they fought over a tray of candy they'd discovered on the buffet table.

The meal and party went on and Edward was feted and celebrated and toasted and teased. Bella sat beside him and laughed with the jokes and smiled at the compliments. She was proud of her rancher and wasn't ashamed to show it. After the speeches were over, she arose and said, "I believe the ice cream is just about ready on the porch."

There was a general rush to the back as the delicacy was a favorite of many, not just the youngsters, and Bella smiled to see the delight on the faces of her family and friends. It had taken years to develop the deep and loving relationship she had with each person there, from her husband and children, to the McCartys, her brother and his family, her cook's family, and her adoptive sons, Abraham and Lee. She was becoming more at ease with her current state of affairs, realizing that her life was a happy one and the gift of time was a blessing.

As Bella passed Joy, who was sitting at one of the trestle tables she noticed her daughter had a curious look on her face, as though she was pre-occupied about something. Abraham hadn't let her out of his sight but at the moment he was talking to his brother Lee who was sitting on his other side.

"Joyful, are you feeling well?" Bella quietly asked.

The young woman looked up into her mother's face. "I am well enough, mama. Let me help you with dessert." She rose from her seat and just as she took a step towards the kitchen, what seemed like a flood of water suddenly soaked her dress and pooled on the floor.

Joy looked down at the puddle in horror and whispered, "Mother, I've wet myself!"

Bella laughed. "No, my dear, that isn't what you think it is. The waters have broken. Your babe is on its way!"

Abraham knew exactly what had happened and looked panic stricken. "Joyful, I knew this would happen. That baby is bound and determined to be born on Bear Valley Ranch no matter what his papa would wish."

It didn't take long for Bella, Nana, and Susan—the ranch foreman's wife and Abraham's aunt—to get Joy settled in her old bedroom on the second floor of the ranch house. This was the room that once housed Tyler and Lauren before they moved into their cottage and was the actual room where Abraham was born. Edward and Bella's first grandbaby being born on Bear Valley Ranch was destined to be. Most of their guests had elected to stay to help clean up after the party and to celebrate the new life that was coming.

Abraham supported his wife during his child's birth instead of being the baby's deliverer. He had to admit, the Bear Valley women were skilled midwives. After several hours, the baby was born without much difficulty. When the infant's lusty cries were finally heard, a cheer went up across the ranch.

And Edward became a grandfather on his fifty-third birthday.

Abraham brought a dish of strawberry ice cream up to his wife after all the excitement had settled down some. He stepped into her room to see her sitting up in bed holding their child tenderly in her arms as the baby nursed.

"I brought you a treat, Joyful."

"Thank you most kindly, Abraham." Joy was elated by the birth of her baby but tired.

Abraham carefully sat on the side of the bed and put his arm around his wife and child and watched the baby hungrily feed. "Is it going well?"

"Seems to have a healthy appetite."

They both sat and watched the baby for a bit as Abraham fed spoonfuls of the ice cream to his wife. When she was done, Abraham leaned over and kissed Joy on her temple. "Joyful, I am so over the moon with happiness tonight, I think I shall explode."

"Well, Abraham, don't do that. Baby and I need you whole and not in pieces." Joyful smiled at her husband then leaned back to lovingly kiss him. They pulled apart when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The baby had fallen asleep, so Joy covered her breast and straightened the bed clothes before their guests came in the room.

Lee poked his head in. "Is it all right for us to come in?"

"Certainly, Uncle Lee," Abraham said with a grin.

Lee turned to look behind him and said, "Come on in. The baby's here."

Shuffling slowly into the room, Tyler Crowley appeared, smiling shyly at his son and daughter-in-law.

"Pa!" Abraham jumped from the bed and put his hand on his father's shoulder. "It's good you're here. Come meet your grandchild."

Tyler moved closer to the bed and peered down into the little face of the infant sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms.

"Yep. That's a baby. Looks like a right nice one, too."

"How did you know to come back today, Pa?" Abraham asked.

Tyler shrugged. "Just had a feeling."

"Would you like to hold the baby?" Joy asked her father-in-law.

"Yes, I believe I would." He held his arms out for Joy to gently lay the baby in them. Tyler gingerly held and stared down into the sleeping babe's face.

There were tears in the old man's eyes as he looked up at his son, "What's the baby's name, son?"

"If it's fine with you, Pa, her name is Lauren Isabella Crowley after her grandmothers."

Tyler's voice caught in his throat. He couldn't answer so he just nodded his head and looked down at his granddaughter through his tears. He cleared his throat after a minute and said, "Yer ma woulda liked that."

Bella and Edward arrived in the room just in time to hear the last bit of the conversation and Bella's heart pounded to hear the name of the little girl. Tyler looked up and said to Bella, "Would you like to hold your namesake, Missus?"

Grinning, she said, "Indeed I would." Tyler carefully gave the little one to her grandmother and smiled to see Bella holding the baby.

"Now, that's a sight I've seen before," Tyler commented, remembering all the babies Bella had held during her time on the ranch.

"Yes, it brings back many fond memories," Edward said as Bella walked over to stand close to her husband.

Tyler watched the couple admiring the baby for a few moments then he asked Bella, "When's your baby due, Missus?"

Bella looked at Tyler in surprise and opened her mouth to say she wasn't expecting but then she stopped and suddenly all the tumblers started clicking into place. She had chalked her symptoms up to the change of life but there could be another reason for them as well. Her poochy stomach, the weight gain, her missing monthly, the light-headedness, and her over wrought emotions all pointed to one thing: she was pregnant.

She looked up at Edward with big, astonished eyes and saw the realization dawn on his face.

"Bella, could you be…?"

"It would explain a lot."

Edward started to laugh. "We're going to have another baby!"

Four months later, Edward and Bella welcomed their fifth child into the world, one that was conceived 'on the change' but though unexpected, was thoroughly anticipated and loved. Bella found giving birth so many years after her last baby was a little more difficult than she remembered but in the end all was well, both for mother and her new little daughter.

Charity Surprise Cullen was a bonnie baby and delighted everyone who met her, most especially her father. She had large brown eyes, just like her mother and her hair seemed to be darkening to brown. He loved to take her and Bella for rides in his Stanley Steamer and show her off to his neighbors; that is when he could pry the car from Charles' hands. It seemed that Charlie liked to court Emma by taking her for drives through the country side. It also seemed there would be another wedding come spring.

Edward was not giving them the Steamer as a gift.

When Edward looked at his kin and kith—his wife, his children, and the people of Bear Valley Ranch—he knew the truth of the scripture: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

He had started all those years ago by deciding to love this woman, Isabella Swan, with his whole heart. The blessings that came of it were a cornucopia of riches, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. He was a man who had loved much and in return had a life better than any he could have ever imagined—his wonderful life on Bear Valley Ranch.