Dakota Home by Debbie Macomber Page B

opinion about something that involves us both.”
    Now she was the one who looked uncertain. “I thought I always did that.”
    â€œIf you do, I don’t hear it.”
    The baby woke and started to fuss. Because he had so few opportunities to be with his son, Brandon reached for Jason and gently held the infant in his arms. “Remember my incredible baby swing?” he asked, grinning at his wife.
    Sage had suffered terribly with colic, and Brandon had discovered that if he supported her in both hands and swung her back and forth with his arms outstretched, he could comfort her when all the conventional methods failed.
    â€œYou used to rock her for hours,” Joanie remembered.
    â€œYou did, too,” he said. Taking care of Sage, especially during those first few months, had been a combined effort.
    Jason began to sputter and cry. “He’s hungry,” Joanie explained, taking him from Brandon. She unfastened her blouse and freed her breast for their son. Jason eagerly turned his face toward his mother and sucked greedily, until tiny bubbles of milk appeared around his mouth.
    Mesmerized, Brandon watched the two of them, his heart so full of love he had to look away. “I love you, Joanie,” he whispered. He went down on one knee at her side to kiss the baby’s head.
    Joanie leaned over and kissed Brandon, their child between them. “I love you, too. I’ve always loved you.”
    Embarrassed by the emotion that came over him, he stood, moving across the room, pouring himself a cup of coffee he didn’t want.
    â€œI’m willing to try counseling again,” he told her. “If you want to make an appointment with one of the counselors Dr. Geist recommended, that’ll be fine with me.”
    â€œOur normal session was supposed to be tonight,” she said.
    â€œI know.”
    â€œInstead of seeing the counselor, would you like to come into town for dinner with me and the kids?”
    Brandon had missed family dinners more than he would have dreamed possible. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
    â€œThe kids would, too.” And then she added, “So would I.”
    Brandon felt wonderful, exhilarated. By the time Joanie left an hour later, he was more optimistic about the future than he’d been since she’d moved back to Buffalo Valley.
    That evening, when Brandon arrived to join his family, Sage and Stevie flew out of the house and raced toward him. Sage, being older and faster, reached him first and hurled herself into his arms. He loved all his children, but he shared a special closeness with his daughter, and had from the very first moment he’d held her.
    â€œMom made your favorite dinner,” Sage told him, “and I helped her.”
    â€œI helped, too,” Stevie insisted. “Boys can cook, you know.”
    In the past year Brandon had learned his way around a kitchen and had actually surprised himself with his aptitude. “Yes, they can,” he agreed.
    Joanie was busy in the kitchen, and he kissed her on the cheek, stealing a cherry tomato from the salad when she wasn’t looking. Sage covered her mouth and giggled. Brandon pressed his index finger to his lips with an exaggerated wink.
    They all set the table together. Joanie had placed a vase of chrysanthemums in the middle, and they were using her good cloth napkins, not paper. Besides the salad, Joanie had made a beef casserole and an apple pie for dessert.
    Dinner was a companionable, easy time. Afterward Brandon, Sage and Stevie washed dishes while Joanie bathed Jason. When they’d finished, Brandon went over their school assignments and then read to Sage and Stevie. Once they were down for the night, he returned to the living room, where he discovered Joanie rocking and nursing Jason. She sang softly to the infant, and Brandon could see that she was tired, on the verge of sleep. It was time for him to head back to the farm, but he found himself