THE RANCH

.EPILOGUE….

Four months later Dorothy and Luke sat in the front seat of the church, holding hands. She wore a long blue dress, heels and her hair done up on top of her head. He wore his best suit, his heart raced, it always did whenever he looked at her. Keanan and Kimberly’s wedding was about to begin. After the church wedding, the reception was to be held at the Town Hall.

When she had come to him and said she wanted them to pay for this wedding as a gift since Keanan couldn’t afford a decent wedding he fell even more in love with her. The money hadn’t changed her, or them for that fact. He was afraid her trust fund would cause problems between them, but it was the opposite. Neither one spent any money without talking to the other one first. He still provided for her, that was and would always be his way, he was brought up believing the man was the provider and protector. That was one of the things they did fight about, she would call him pig-headed and stubborn.

The ceremony went smoothly. Dorothy had tears in her eyes as she watched her best friend getting married, she considered Kimberly to be more like a sister. Everyone headed to the hall for drinks and dinner.

Dorothy had hired caterers, with Kimberly’s help ordered the flowers and decorated the hall.

The music began and the newlyweds started off the dance, then others joined in. Luke took Dorothy in his arms.

‘It’s nice to see them so happy and they have you to thank for it.’

‘Me, what did I do?’ she asked him, her hand moving over his chest.

‘Well you got them together in the first place and it was your suggestion that we give them this beautiful wedding.’ He pulled her into him, his mouth going to hers, his kiss warm, his hand moved down her back.

‘Ok, you two break it up. Dorothy I need your help,’ Kimberly said looking frantic.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, moving from Luke’s embrace.

‘My hair is falling down, the pins are coming out. This can’t happen now, not before the pictures are taken,’ she whined.

‘Come with me to the back office, I’ll fix it in no time.’ Turning to Luke, ‘I won’t be long, go talk to Keanan, and keep him company till we get back.’

Taking Kimberly’s arm she escorted her to the room where their bags and other belongings were.

Dorothy got busy fixing Kimberly’s hair, taking out the pins and reapplying them so that they would stay in place. “There you go, all DONE.’

She jumped up to take a look in the mirror, smiling. ‘Thank you, it’s perfect,’ Looking back at Dorothy she noticed there was something wrong, she had turned pale and was holding her stomach, ‘Are you Ok?’

‘Iii,’ she said and ran to the bathroom.

Kimberly waited a few minutes before going in, Dorothy was rinsing out her mouth. ‘I heard you throwing up. Are you not well?’

‘Just a little under the weather. I’ll be fine, let’s get back to the party.’

‘Dorothy, are you pregnant?’

‘I’m not sure, maybe.’

‘Wait right here,’ Kimberly said and disappeared, returning moments later with her overnight bag. She took out a small bag that had a few pregnancy tests in it. ‘Here, take a test now and find out.’

‘Why do you have so many of these with you?’

‘Keanan and I have just started trying to get pregnant, so I keep these handy, just in case. Now go and take it, I’ll wait in the other room.

Dorothy walked out a few minutes later. ‘Now we wait. I’m sorry Kimberly. This is your day and you should be out there with Keanan, not fussing about me.’ She was nervous and yet excited, she and Luke had talked about waiting, she was even on the pill.

‘Hey, you’re my best friend and this is exciting. Keanan’s busy with the guys, he’s having a ball and he knows I’m with you.’

She looks at the clock on the wall. ‘Times up, go see if you’re going to be a mommy.’

Dorothy entered the bathroom and picks up the stick and looks at it. A tear falls down her cheek and she goes back to Kimberly. ‘It’s positive. I’m pregnant.’

‘Oh my God, I think I’m going to cry,’ Kimberly said, giving her a big hug. ‘You have to tell Luke right away. Man, he is going to be over the moon.’

‘I will, but not tonight. This is your special day and I’m not going to spoil it by taking the attention away from you.’

‘Don’t be silly, you aren’t taking anything away from me. You wait here,’ she said and got up to leave.

‘What are you going to do?’ Dorothy asked.

‘Just wait here, don’t move!’ Kimberly said. Giving her a huge smile she hurried out the door before Dorothy could stop her.

Keanan and Luke were standing together when Kimberly came over. ‘Luke, Dorothy is in the office. You should go see her, now.’

Luke’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Did something happen to her? Is she ok? She was fine a few minutes ago.’

‘Just go to her,’ Kimberly said, giving him a shove.

Knocking once he walked in and she was sitting on the chair by the window, looking out. He went over and kneeled down in front of her, taking her hands in his. ‘Sweetheart, tell me what’s going on. Why are you sitting here all alone? You look so pale. Are you not well? I bet it was the crab salad, I thought it tasted a little off.’

‘No,’ she shakes her head. ‘I’m not sick. I’m pregnant, we’re having a baby.’ She handed him the stick.

His jaw dropped open, and taking the pregnancy stick he read it, 3-4 weeks. A smile crossed his face and he pulls her to her feet. “Really?’ he asks, his head bobbing up and down.

‘Yes,’ she nods, a tear slowly trickling down her face.

Making a loud whooping noise he puts his hands around her waist and lifts up off her feet and twirls her around before setting her back down.

‘This is the best news ever. I know we talked about waiting but I can’t help being happy.’

He stroked her cheek, looking lovingly into her eyes. ‘You are happy aren’t you?’

Placing her hand on top of his she reached up and softly kissed his lips. ‘Yes Luke, I’m so happy. I want to have your baby, I have wanted this for so long now. I didn’t say anything because I thought you wanted to wait.’

‘I only said that because I thought that’s what you wanted.’

‘It was, at first,’ she answered.

His hands went to her face and pulled her close, kissing her with all the love and feeling he possessed for her.

When he finally released her she ran her fingertips over her lips that felt bruised from his passionate kiss. ‘We better get back to the party, let’s keep this quiet tonight.’

Dorothy was now seventeen weeks pregnant and with her back turned away from Luke as she washed up the dinner plates he sneaked up behind her, putting his arms around her, resting his hands on her belly.

‘Do we have time to go upstairs before we have to leave for the Doctor? Luke asked as he nuzzled the back of her neck.

‘No, now behave yourself and get ready, we have to leave now,’ she said, swatting his hands away.

They sat waiting for the doctor, she was having a scan done and they decided to find out the sex of the baby. Luke gently rubbed it.’

‘It could be a girl you know,’ she said, her hand on top of his.

The doctor came in and after greeting them started the scan.

‘So you wish to know the sex of your baby I hear.’

‘Yes, Doctor,’ they both said at the same time.

‘Ok, let’s have a look here.

Everything looks good, a strong heartbeat.’ He points to the screen. ‘Here is your baby.’

Dorothy and Luke held hands as they looked at the images on the screen.

‘Oh my,’ the Doctor said, squinting at the screen. ‘Now this is unexpected, I never noticed it before now.’

They stared at each other, Luke’s hand tightened on hers when he saw how scared she was. ‘Is something wrong?’ He asked the Doctor and tried to see whatever it was on the screen.

‘Forgive me, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s good news actually, you’re having twins Mrs Rogers, twin boys.’

Her hands flew to her mouth.

‘Oh my God, Luke, twins.’

She let the tears fall, tears of happiness, to give the man she loved twins was a dream come true. ‘So what do you think? It’s good right?’

Bringing her hand up to his lips kissed it, a single tear slid down his face when he looked at her.

‘It’s good sweetheart, really good. I love you, and even more for giving me this gift.’ He had to stop talking, his emotions were running high and he was afraid he’d break down and cry.

‘The babies are really tiny by are healthy. Just keep doing whatever you are and get lots of rest and don’t over - exert yourself.’ The Doctor smiled, it always warmed his heart seeing two people so much in love and giving them this news made being a Doctor worthwhile.

‘Oh, I’ll make sure she takes it easy.’ he looks at her. ‘There will be no more chores for you, you hear me, sweetheart?’

Nodding she puts her arms around him, hugging him so tight her arms began to ache.

As time went by Luke was driving her crazy, he wouldn’t let her lift a finger. He even hired someone to come in to cook and clean. Whenever she tried to argue with him about it he would just start kissing her, making her forget as he swept her into the passion of their lovemaking. Kimberly was thrilled for her friend and found out she too was now pregnant.

Now in her ninth month, she was getting impatient, wanting the babies to come and yet a little scared. How would she manage with two babies? Luke had hired a new guy, saying he wanted to spend more time helping her when the twins arrived. She loved that he was determined to be home more to help out, this made her feel much better. And what made her happier was that Denny and Charlene were coming and staying for a few weeks once the babies arrived. They were like parents to her and she missed them more than Luke did.

IT was now one week past her due date when she woke Luke from a deep sleep. ‘Luke wake up,’ she said, shaking him. ‘It’s time, the babies are coming.’

Waking up he touched her stomach. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, this is it.’

Getting up he threw on his clothes and helped her into her white robe. Grabbing her bag and with so much care helped her down the stairs. His parents were due that day and he wished they were here now.

He was a mess and knew his mother would be able to help them both through what was to come. Taking a deep breath assured himself he could handle it. After arriving at the hospital she was taken away, this gave Luke time to call Keanan and Kimberly.

He stood by her side, holding her hand and staring lovingly into her eyes. ‘This is it, sweetheart, are you ready?’

‘I guess I have no choice.’

‘Ok, Mrs Rogers, we need you to give one big push and your son will be here,’ said the Doctor.

‘That’s it, here he comes.’

Moments later the cries of their first son could be heard. ‘That’s it, sweetheart, we’re doing great,’ Luke said as he peeked over at his first son who the nurse was holding. But his head snapped back to her when she yelled at him.

‘We, what do you mean we? I don’t see you pushing two human beings out of your hole.’ She then let out a grunted noise as she started pushing once again. Sweat was pouring off her forehead as Luke kept wiping it away. ‘I’m sorry Luke, I didn’t mean to say that.’

‘I know babe, I know,’ he said, kissing her cheek. ‘Now start pushing and bring our baby into the world.’

Ten minutes later the second child was born and both babies were brought to them, Dorothy held one, Luke the other.

‘They’re so prefect,’ Luke said as he looked down at his two sons. Leaning over he placed a kiss on her lips. ‘I love you Dorothy.’

‘I love you too.’

Dorothy’s eyes widened in shock when she heard the commotion going on around them and the babies were taken away. ‘What’s wrong?’ she cried out.

The Doctor smiled when he looked at the couple. ‘There’s another baby and it’s coming now so I need you to push.’

Before pushing she looked at Luke who appeared as stunned as she was. There was no mention of another baby, only two showed up on the scan. But she didn’t have time to think about it and started pushing, grabbing Luke by the collar pulled him close to her face.

‘You’re never getting sex again.’

He chuckled. ‘We’ll see about that.’

This baby was in no hurry to enter the world and Dorothy was getting tired and just when she didn’t think she could go on she gave one final push and then heard the sounds of a baby crying.

‘It’s a girl,’ the Doctor said, then chuckled. ‘Her brothers were hiding her, protecting her. Congratulations you two. You have three beautiful little miracles.’

The baby girl was placed in her arms, she and Luke both shed a few tears. ‘They’ll all so tiny Luke.’ She couldn’t help being worried, the boys both weighed three kilos. The girl was not quite three kilos.

‘They’re small but all are healthy, they will grow in no time dear,’ the nurse said, patting her arm.

Three hours later, Luke, Dorothy and the triplets were in her hospital room and they marvelled over the three little miracles. ‘How am I going to cope with three babies,’ she said, looking up at Luke.

Pushing her hair behind her ears. ‘After my mother leaves to go back home we’ll hire a live in nanny. Maybe a beautiful, sexy young brunette,’ he said jokingly.

‘Over your dead body mister,’ she said, giving him a dirty look.

‘Guess I’ll have to fix up another room for our little girl.’

There was a light tap at the door and Kimberly and Keanan walked in.

‘Hi guys, come meet Michael, Rory and Faith Rogers,’ Luke said, grinning with pride.

BONUS TREAT!

As the doors parted open, a gust of anticipation filled the air. His eyes scanned the room, searching for her amidst the scattered sea of faces. And there she was, a radiant vision that seemed to outshine the dimly lit room. A gentle smile adorned her lips as she noticed him, her mere presence drawing him in like a moth to a flame.

He couldn’t help but be captivated by her allure, a delicate balance of innocence and sensual grace, Her eyes, framed by long lashes, held a certain depth that seemed to whisper untold secrets, promising nights of unbridled passion and unexplored desires.

As he approached, a wave of nervous excitement washed over him, causing his heart to quicken its pace. With every step closer, a magnetic energy buzzed in the air, drawing them inexorably together. Her scent, a floral perfume laced with tantalizing hints of vanilla, wrapped around him like a seductive embrace.

With each word exchanged, their connection deepened. The way she laughed, the way her voice quivered with vulnerability, it was as if she was unveiling an intimate part of herself for him to explore. He found himself spellbound, hanging onto her every word as if it were the sweetest melody his ears had ever heard.

His hands brushed against hers, a brief, electric touch that sent a shiver racing through his veins. In that fleeting moment, his minds propelled forward into a world where time stood still. The possibility of discovering the nuances of her every curve, the gentle curvature of her lips, the softness of her skin, became an irresistible temptation.

But more than just physical desire, his heart yearned to uncover the intricate layers of her soul, to delve into the depths of her mind that were yet unexplored. In her presence, he felt a longing to be understood and to understand in return, to traverse the realms of vulnerability and ecstasy together.

As the night unfolded, their conversation dipped and swayed between flirtation and substance, building an unspoken connection that resonated deeply within them. And as they said their Good - Byes, a knowing glimmer danced in their eyes, silently acknowledging the smouldering fire that had ignited between them.

This was just the beginning, the start of an intoxicating passion. And as he walked away, he couldn’t help but imagine the countless adventures that awaited them, as their souls intertwined in a sensuous dance, where boundaries dissolved, and pleasure and love converged into a symphony of rapture….

THE END..