Unexpected Romance

Chapter Twelve

Catherine looked down at her very pregnant belly and sighed. She could barely manage to hoist herself up out of her bed and kept a hand on her aching back as she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a large cotton dress that Gretchen had given her. It was far too big but it allowed her belly plenty of room.

Catherine walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Bianca had all the windows thrown open and Catherine had to remind herself that yes it was January but that it was also Texas and the winters here were like the summers back east.

Catherine walked out to the barn and got her gardening gloves and a bucket of her manure fertilizer that Edward had ready and waiting for her. Edward saw her picking up the heavy bucket and he ran over.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded taking the bucket away from her. "You're about to pop and the last thing you need to be doing is carrying around something that heavy. If Emmett saw me letting you lift that he would have killed me."

"Well lead the way then, my hero." Catherine said. Edward shook his head and carried the bucket over to her flower gardens.

"Where is Bianca this morning?" Catherine asked as they walked.

"She insisted on going for a ride alone this morning." Edward replied looking out over the horizon. "I tried to tell her it's not safe but you cannot tell that woman anything." Catherine laughed and laid a hand on his arm.

"If you are worried about her why don't you just follow after her?" She asked. Edward sat the bucket down next to the flowers and wiped his sweaty brow with his shirtsleeve.

"Because I value my life too much and if I disobey her direct orders she's liable to kill me." he replied. "I'll let you get to work on your flowers, I'm going to go finish cleaning up the barn."

Catherine got busy on her flowers. Pulling up the small weeds and laying new fertilizer over the ground. She didn't know how much time passed before she finally looked up from what she was doing and nearly screamed when she saw Richard standing less than ten feet away watching her with an amused smile on his face.

"Catherine, that's just about one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen." he said. Catherine got back up on her feet, after a few minutes of a struggle with her pregnant belly and wiped her sweat and dirt covered brow with the sleeve of her dress.

"Richard…" Catherine started to scold him. He was always telling her how beautiful she was and how much he cared about her and she was constantly reminding him that they were only friends. Richard chuckled though his heart broke a little and he held up his hand.

"I know. I know." he said. "We're just friends. But since when can't one friend tell another one that watching them working in the dirt with a bunch of beautiful flowers is the prettiest thing he's ever seen." Just then Bianca came out of the barn having just got back from her horseback ride. She walked over to them.

"Hey lawman, what brings you out here again today?" she asked while tossing her dark curls over her shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be catching bad guys and keeping us defenseless women safe?" Catherine rolled her eyes as she pulled off her gardening gloves. Her sister would never grow up.

"Done got all them locked up." Richard replied with a grin. "Rest of 'em are too scared of me to come around." Bianca turned on her heel and went back to the house irritated that she had not managed to get on Richard's nerves. She had always loved riling Emmett and desperately wanted that kind of relationship with someone else. Apparently Richard was a lost cause. She had already tried with Edward but he had even more patience with her than Richard.

"How do you always keep your patience with her?" Catherine asked Richard as she carried her gardening supplies back to the barn. Richard took the half empty bucket from her and matched her step.