LITMIR.BIZ

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seem uncommonly fond of your hotel room,” Will teased.

      Jim shrugged his shoulders. “Compared to my normal accommodations, it’s pretty special.”

      Carrie felt she had to speak. “Jim—I mean Captain Barlow,” she hurriedly said when he raised his eyebrow, “Vivian would be terribly hurt if you left. And Vanessa would cry. Please stay.”

      His deep brown eyes looked into hers, as if questioning her honesty. Finally he gave her a nod. “I’ll wait.”

      He was a man of few words, Carrie decided, but she nodded in return, adding a smile. At least he’d agreed to stay.

      Will guided him toward some of the seats. “You must get tired of standing at attention so much,” he said.

      “Not really,” Jim said stiffly, still standing.

      Carrie desperately wanted to know more about this man. Though it was none of her business, she asked, “What made you leave the marines now?”

      She thought he was going to dive for a foxhole to avoid answering her question. But she kept her gaze focused on him, hoping he would explain himself.

      Finally he said in a low voice, “I’d been thinking about getting out for a while now. I was afraid I’d die before I saw my sisters again. I’d already been wounded twice. I figured the third time would kill me.”

      A chill shot through Carrie. She’d often found herself worrying about Jim’s safety. She’d listened more closely to the news about the Iraq war, fearing that one day she’d hear that Jim had been killed. It seemed they’d shared the same thoughts.

      Just as Jim started to sit down, they all heard rapid footsteps coming down the hall. Jim’s gaze fixed on the door where Vivian had disappeared.

      Carrie was amazed. She thought she saw fear in his eyes. A man who had faced down the enemy, had been decorated with many medals, was frightened to face his baby sister?

      Vanessa appeared in the doorway and came to an abrupt halt. She stared at Jim for a long minute. Then with a sob, she charged forward just as Vivian had done, her arms extended. Once again, Jim found himself holding a woman in his arms.

      Jeff followed Vanessa, but he only extended one arm.

      Awkwardly, Jim extracted his right hand from Vanessa’s embrace and shook Jeff’s hand.

      “I’m Jeff Jacobs, Rebecca’s husband. I’m glad to meet you. And Rebecca is waiting for you to come in and visit with her, if you don’t mind.”

      Vanessa didn’t turn loose of Jim, but she reared back so she could look up at him, tears streaming down her face. “Just promise you’ll come right back,” she said. “I wouldn’t let you go, but Becca is suffering.”

      Jim stared at his sister and shook his head. “I didn’t expect— You’re beautiful, Vanessa. You were so little the last time I saw you.”

      “Wait until you see Rebecca and Rachel together,” Vanessa bragged. “They’re the real beauties.”

      Carrie protested. “You could be a triplet, Vanessa, and you know it.”

      “You remind me of Mom,” Jim told his sister, awe in his voice.

      Vanessa started blinking furiously to hold back more tears. She buried her face in his chest again, then she stepped back. “Go see Becca, and I’ll try to get myself under control before you come back.”

      JIM HOPED Vanessa stopped crying. If she didn’t, he might end up crying, too, and that would be embarrassing.

      Jeff looked at Jim out of the corner of his eye. “Rebecca is a little emotional right now, so don’t be surprised if she cries, too. All three girls have been anxious for you to come home.”

      “Why?” Jim blurted his innermost thoughts. “They don’t know anything about me. I failed them. The only sibling I managed to keep in touch with was Wally, and I got him killed.”

      “Man, they idolize you and are so happy you’ve come. They don’t expect you to jump through hoops or be a superhero. They just want their brother.”

      Jim drew a deep breath. Then he muttered, “Thanks.” He wasn’t sure if he believed the man, but he gave Jim a little more courage to face Rebecca.

      Jeff opened the door. “Here he is, honey.”

      Rebecca, a dark beauty like Vanessa, sat up in bed and extended her arms, too. Jim wasn’t a slow learner, so he hugged her in return. Nor was he surprised when tears ran down her cheeks. Her reaction was brought to an abrupt halt by a labor pain. Jeff hurried to the other side of the bed and took her hand, telling her to take short breaths.

      Once it had passed, Jim leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Concentrate on your baby right now. I’ll be around when you’ve delivered.”

      “Okay, but promise you won’t disappear,” Rebecca barely managed to get out before another contraction hit.

      Jeff looked at Jim. “Would you ask the nurse to step in here?” he asked calmly.

      Jim, however, could see the panic in his eyes, so he hurried out and found the nurse. Then he returned to the waiting room.

      Chapter Two

      “You didn’t stay long,” Vivian said, back in the waiting room.

      “I think her pains have increased.”

      Vivian’s attention transferred from him to Rebecca’s situation. She hurried back to Jeff and Rebecca.

      Jim frowned. “She’s not Rebecca’s mother, too, is she?”

      Vanessa shook her head. “No, but she felt like she should’ve been. She wanted to adopt all of us, but her late husband wouldn’t let her. So when we find any of you, she kind of adopts them with her heart. Besides, Becca doesn’t have a mother around.”

      “Did her adoptive mother die?”

      “No,” Vanessa said, her lips pressed together.

      Jim didn’t ask any other questions. It was obviously not a happy situation. And he appreciated the support Vivian was giving his sister.

      “How long will she be in labor?” he asked.

      Will shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure, but Vivian said it’s supposed to be shorter with your second child.”

      “Oh, I’d forgotten Rebecca had another child. Joey, right?”

      “That’s right. And you wouldn’t have forgotten him if you’d met him. He’s adorable,” Vanessa said.

      “Carrie mentioned him earlier.” He looked at Carrie, nodding in gratitude. Their earlier conversation had helped him deal with the family. It helped to know someone who wasn’t family, too. After all, he’d gone from having no family to having more than he could comprehend. Carrie seemed to understand how overwhelming it could be. He could look at her and center himself. He’d never felt that before with anyone.

      “Come sit down, Jim,” Will suggested again. “We may have a long wait.”

      “So everyone’s staying until the baby is born?” Jim asked, a little surprise in his voice.

      “We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Will assured him and patted the chair next to him.

      As soon as Jim sat down, Vanessa grabbed the chair on the other side of him.

      “When did you arrive?” Vanessa asked.

      “Around three, I think.” He looked at Carrie for confirmation. “I arrived earlier at the airport, but I rented a car and found a hotel room.”

      “A hotel room? You’re staying with us, aren’t you?” Vanessa demanded.

      “I

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