her.”
“I know.” He shot a grin at her, then continued to punch in the number. “I know, as well, that Mom would see me drawn and quartered if I didn’t tell her at once.”
The phone in his childhood home in the small town of Sprucewood, located some fifteen or so miles outside Philadelphia, was picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?” There was an underlying note in Maddy Wolfe’s voice that only her four sons would have recognized and identified as fear of bad news. It was a note familiar to the families of most dedicated law-enforcement officers.
“It’s me, Mom, and there’s nothing wrong,” Eric assured her at once, motioning Tina to his side and curling an arm around her waist. “In fact, it’s very good news, news you’ve been waiting to hear.”
“To use an over-used, trite phrase—” Maddy’s voice had resumed its normal, wry tenor “—I’m all ears, son.”
“Well, first I’d like your opinion on an idea I have.” His eyes gleamed with a teasing light thatwas very familiar to Tina. and that would have been very familiar to the older woman, had she seen it.
“Get on with it, Eric.” Now her voice held a warning that drew an appreciative chuckle from him.
“Right. Ah, how do you think Jake and Sarah might take to the idea of a double wedding?”
There was a brief pause, a breathless silence, and then: “Are you serious?”
“Oh, yeah,” Eric said, tightening his arm possessively and protectively around Tina and gliding an adoring look over her glowing face. “Tina’s pregnant, Mom. She just did the home test.” Unable to contain the excitement bubbling inside him, he grinned again. “Metaphorically speaking, the rabbit died.”
“You don’t sound too despondent,” Maddy observed, probing gently, hopefully.
“I’m over the moon,” he said jubilantly. “We both are. It’s no accident, you know. We were trying.” His voice held laughter. “Trying hard.”
“Before marriage?” A tiny note of censure there.
“Aw, Mom,” he said, in the exact same tone he had used as a boy. “So what do you think—will Jake and Sarah go for it? We could kill two birds with one stone. so to speak.”
“Or two Wolfes with one shotgun. so to speak,” she retorted dryly.
It took a moment for the dawn to break in Eric’s mind; Maddy waited with maternal patience.
“Sarah’s pregnant!”
“Hmm.” she concurred in a murmur. “They told me just last night. I knew I had raised rambunctious sons. I just never realized quite how rambunctious.”
Eric roared. “Is Jake happy about it?” he asked when his laughter subsided.
“To quote your youngest brother exactly,” she drawled, “ ‘Is Elijah Blue?’ “
Eric laughed again, then said, “I’ll give Jake a call in a little while.”
“You do that,” Maddy replied. “And, Eric-”
“Yes, Mother?”
“Congratulations, son, and give my love to Tina.”
“Thanks, Mom, I will.”
Eric didn’t replace the receiver after saying goodbye, but merely depressed the disconnect button, then moved his index finger to punch in the Sprucewood number registered to his younger brother, Jake. His intent was thwarted by Tina sliding her palm over the buttons.
“That can wait awhile,” she said decisively. “At least until after breakfast.”
“You’re hungry?” Eric asked hopefully, somewhat surprised, since she’d been off her appetite the last week or so. At her nod, he dropped the receiveronto the cradle. “Good. I’ll rustle up some eggs.”
“No,” she said, as he started to move, his encircling arm moving her along with him, toward the kitchen. “I’m not hungry for scrambled eggs.”
He looked at her askance. “I hope you’re not about to tell me you want pickles and ice cream.”
“Don’t be silly,” Tina said. “No. What I wantmust have—is chicken noodle soup.”
“Chicken noodle soup!” Eric made a face. “At six-thirty in the morning?”
“Eric, please.” She batted her naturally
“I know.” He shot a grin at her, then continued to punch in the number. “I know, as well, that Mom would see me drawn and quartered if I didn’t tell her at once.”
The phone in his childhood home in the small town of Sprucewood, located some fifteen or so miles outside Philadelphia, was picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?” There was an underlying note in Maddy Wolfe’s voice that only her four sons would have recognized and identified as fear of bad news. It was a note familiar to the families of most dedicated law-enforcement officers.
“It’s me, Mom, and there’s nothing wrong,” Eric assured her at once, motioning Tina to his side and curling an arm around her waist. “In fact, it’s very good news, news you’ve been waiting to hear.”
“To use an over-used, trite phrase—” Maddy’s voice had resumed its normal, wry tenor “—I’m all ears, son.”
“Well, first I’d like your opinion on an idea I have.” His eyes gleamed with a teasing light thatwas very familiar to Tina. and that would have been very familiar to the older woman, had she seen it.
“Get on with it, Eric.” Now her voice held a warning that drew an appreciative chuckle from him.
“Right. Ah, how do you think Jake and Sarah might take to the idea of a double wedding?”
There was a brief pause, a breathless silence, and then: “Are you serious?”
“Oh, yeah,” Eric said, tightening his arm possessively and protectively around Tina and gliding an adoring look over her glowing face. “Tina’s pregnant, Mom. She just did the home test.” Unable to contain the excitement bubbling inside him, he grinned again. “Metaphorically speaking, the rabbit died.”
“You don’t sound too despondent,” Maddy observed, probing gently, hopefully.
“I’m over the moon,” he said jubilantly. “We both are. It’s no accident, you know. We were trying.” His voice held laughter. “Trying hard.”
“Before marriage?” A tiny note of censure there.
“Aw, Mom,” he said, in the exact same tone he had used as a boy. “So what do you think—will Jake and Sarah go for it? We could kill two birds with one stone. so to speak.”
“Or two Wolfes with one shotgun. so to speak,” she retorted dryly.
It took a moment for the dawn to break in Eric’s mind; Maddy waited with maternal patience.
“Sarah’s pregnant!”
“Hmm.” she concurred in a murmur. “They told me just last night. I knew I had raised rambunctious sons. I just never realized quite how rambunctious.”
Eric roared. “Is Jake happy about it?” he asked when his laughter subsided.
“To quote your youngest brother exactly,” she drawled, “ ‘Is Elijah Blue?’ “
Eric laughed again, then said, “I’ll give Jake a call in a little while.”
“You do that,” Maddy replied. “And, Eric-”
“Yes, Mother?”
“Congratulations, son, and give my love to Tina.”
“Thanks, Mom, I will.”
Eric didn’t replace the receiver after saying goodbye, but merely depressed the disconnect button, then moved his index finger to punch in the Sprucewood number registered to his younger brother, Jake. His intent was thwarted by Tina sliding her palm over the buttons.
“That can wait awhile,” she said decisively. “At least until after breakfast.”
“You’re hungry?” Eric asked hopefully, somewhat surprised, since she’d been off her appetite the last week or so. At her nod, he dropped the receiveronto the cradle. “Good. I’ll rustle up some eggs.”
“No,” she said, as he started to move, his encircling arm moving her along with him, toward the kitchen. “I’m not hungry for scrambled eggs.”
He looked at her askance. “I hope you’re not about to tell me you want pickles and ice cream.”
“Don’t be silly,” Tina said. “No. What I wantmust have—is chicken noodle soup.”
“Chicken noodle soup!” Eric made a face. “At six-thirty in the morning?”
“Eric, please.” She batted her naturally
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