"There's something missing here," GG said.
Maggie looked concerned. "What did we forget?"
"There need to be some children running around with those dogs."
Savannah laughed. "Why don't you tell us what you really want, Gran?"
"I'm not getting any younger, I'd like to have some great grandchildren while I can still enjoy them. I'm sure Frank would like to have a grandchild too."
Savannah gave her a sunny smile. "Don't look at me."
Shelby got up abruptly and walked over to Sam.
GG frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"
Maggie said, "I don't think so."
Shelby had pulled Sam aside and was deep in a quiet conversation with him. He spoke to Carter for a moment, and then all the guys and Shelby trooped over to where the ladies were sitting.
Holding hands, Shelby looked seriously up at her husband and said, "We have to tell you all something."
Worried, GG asked, "What is it, dear?"
She hesitated and then said, "We're having a baby!"
There was a single second of absolute silence, and then chaos broke loose. Everyone started talking at the same time, laughing and congratulating. GG wrapped her granddaughter in a fierce hug with tears in her eyes while she flashed a beaming smile. Savannah looked completely shocked and temporarily at a loss for words. Frank pumped his son's hand and then grabbed him in a hug. Carter grinned and hugged and kissed his sister, giving a high five and a one-armed man hug to his brother-in-law.
Shelby and Savannah's eyes met and then they were in each other's arms, in a hard hug.
Savannah whispered, "My baby sister is having a baby."
Shelby laughed shakily. "Baby sister! By how long?"
"Doesn't matter. You're still the baby." Recovering a little, she said, "You don't waste any time, do you?"
Shelby's smile was radiant. "We both wanted a family as soon as possible. And Gran is going to be GG for real, finally. And you're going to be an aunt. Aunt Savannah."
"You know, I'm going to be the coolest aunt who ever lived. Just think of the things I can teach your child. Especially if it's a girl." Savannah gave her sister a wicked grin.
"You don't scare me. You will be the coolest aunt ever. And Carter can practice on our baby."
Savannah laughed. "Yeah, he's really falling behind, isn't he?"
Maggie joined in. "I'll have you know, I'm hiring a full time assistant in the bakery so we can start working on that."
Shelby gave a hoot. "I bet Carter is really nervous now, isn't he?"
Carter looked insulted. "Of course not. I've always wanted to have kids; everybody knows that."
They all laughed hard. Sam punched him on the shoulder and said, "Not nervous, really?"
Carter lowered his voice and said, "Scared to death. I'm up to it, though. I'll have you to teach me a few things."
GG and Frank were deep in excited conversation. Ben and Joey watched and toasted the parents-to-be.
Ben put his arm around Savannah and pulled her close. "Congratulations, Aunt Savannah," he said with a grin.
Impulsively, Savannah reached up for a kiss, leading to a couple of laughing cheers from her family.
Carter waved a hand and said, "Hey, everybody, I think we should toast Shelby and Sam. Should I open a bottle of wine, Gran?"
"Absolutely."
Maggie said, "I'll get glasses. We should do this properly."
She went to the house and gathered wineglasses while Carter pulled a bottle of wine out of the cooler. Sam went over to his cooler and returned with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, drawing another laugh. When everybody had their glass of wine or bottle of beer, they fell silent.
Carter lifted his bottle and spoke. "Here's to Shelby and Sam and the new life they're bringing to us all. You know we all love you and we're all going to be here for you, whatever you need to help you along the way. Sis, I can see you as a mother right now. The way you love kids and the way all your kids love you, you're going to make a great one. And Sam, you've always had a way with kids. So congratulations to you and know how happy we are for you."
They all toasted the happy couple, some with smiles and some with happy tears. Shelby's face shone with love and joy and she shared a long kiss with her husband.
Then she declared, "Now get cooking, boys! I'm eating for two, and I'm starving."
Ben said, "I can help you with that."
He went to his cooler and returned with a covered tray.
"I had to make something for a girl once when I was in high school, so my mom taught me how to make these. I don't have a lot of culinary talents, but these, I can make."
He took the lid off the tray to reveal an array of caprese skewers, fresh mozzarella with tiny tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil and herbs. The ladies all gasped, impressed.
Ben grinned triumphantly. "That's just the reaction that girl had when I presented them to her. The guys all made fun of me, but it was worth it."
The little skewers were disappearing at an amazing rate.
Shelby said, "Ben, these are wonderful!"
Maggie agreed, "No Italian restaurant could make them any better."
"Hey!" Carter called. "Save some of those for us."
Shelby giggled. "You'd better get over here; we're not guaranteeing anything."
Savannah looked at Ben. "Very smooth, cowboy. How long did that girl stick around?"
"Well, this big, buff football player came along a couple weeks later, and she was history."
Savannah scoffed, "Silly girl. She missed out."
"She was impressed enough to let me kiss her and unbutton her top two buttons."
"Oh, I see. Is that how you learned to kiss so well?"
Ben grinned. "I'll never tell."
By evening, the whole group was well fed and pleasantly relaxed, sitting under the shade trees and talking. They'd had a great time, shared good news, and enjoyed each other's company. Reluctantly, they began to clean up, sharing their leftovers with each other and making sure that Carter and Maggie weren't left with a mess. Finally, they said their goodbyes and made their separate ways home.
Savannah drove Ben home, and he turned to her when they pulled up in front of the barn.
"I had plans to lure you up to my place again, but I think you need some time with your gran. She looked like she was still about to burst with excitement."
Savannah smiled at him. "I had plans to let you lure me up to your place, but I think you're right. That's the happiest I've seen Gran in forever, even happier than Shelby's wedding day."
Ben drew her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.
Savannah melted into his kiss and made her little hum in the back of her throat. "You'd better go," she said huskily. "Or I'm going to forget myself and chase you up into your place anyway."
He chuckled at her and said, "There'll be time again. I'm a very patient man. Sometimes family is more important."
"Okay. I'll see you on Wednesday."
"You'd better. And, Saturday, we'll go on another little trail ride if you want. We can stay out a little longer this time."