Luke nodded and Sherry noticed that his eyes were bright with tears as he bent forward and kissed his son’s wrinkled brow. Then he placed his hand over Ellie’s cheek and kissed her, too. “Never again,” he vowed. “Our family’s complete now.”

Ellie’s eyes drifted shut. “That’s what you said after Christina Lynn was born.”

“True,” Luke admitted, “but that was because I couldn’t bear to see you suffer. This time it’s for me. I don’t think I could go through this again. And I nearly lost my best friend.”

“You were a long way from that, partner,” Cody said from the doorway.

“I don’t care. Two children are plenty. Right, Ellie? I know you said you’d like four, but you agree with me, don’t you?”

Sherry moved behind the big, rangy cattleman and looked down at Ellie. “You’re exhausted. You need some sleep.” Lifting the baby from her arms, Sherry placed him in a soft blanket, marveling at the tiny, perfectly formed person in her hands.

“Come on,” Cody urged Luke. “It’s time to celebrate. Let’s break open that bottle of expensive scotch you’ve been saving.”

“She’s going to do it, you know,” Luke said to no one in particular. “That woman knows I can’t refuse her a thing. Before I even figure out how it happened, we’re going to have four kids running around this house.”

Sherry finished her duties and found Luke and Cody in the living room each holding a shot of whiskey. “Ellie and Philip are both asleep,” she assured them.

“Philip,” Luke repeated slowly, and a brightness came into his eyes. “She decided to name him Philip, after all.”

“A family name?” Cody asked him.

Luke shrugged. “Actually, it’s mine. I never much cared for it as a kid and dropped it when I started school. I insisted everyone call me by my middle name.”

“Ellie says your son looks like a Philip,” Sherry put in.

A wide grin split Luke’s face. “I think she’s right—he does.” He stared down into the amber liquid in his glass. “A son. I’ve got a son.”

Sherry smiled, then yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. It had been a long day. She’d been up since dawn, not wanting to travel in the worst heat of the day, and now it was well past two in the morning.

“Come on,” Cody said, setting down his glass, “I’d better drive you back into town.”

Sherry nodded as another yawn escaped. She was weary through and through.

“Thank you,” Luke said. He took her limp hand and pumped it several times to show his gratitude. He seemed to have forgiven her for being a stranger.

“I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” Sherry promised. “Ellie did a beautiful job with this baby.”

“I know.” Luke looked away as if embarrassed by his behavior earlier. “I knew the minute I saw that woman I was going to love her. What I didn’t know was how lucky I was that I convinced her to marry me.”