"If your brother comes along, I would like to meet him.  Whether we get along or not only future will tell.  If he treats you as you have said about your past, I won't find him a friend.  That I can tell you now."

On the other grateful comment she made, Lorn waved his other hand.  "Your babies are to be mine and Heidi is to be yours.  I will take care of them as I do her."  He gave her a tilted look as if asking a question as he added, "and any other that might come along?"  He was okay either way, but he did hope this would become a his, hers, and their kind of situation one day. 

"I mean, it is too soon to even consider that, but is that something you would like to hope for or not?  Three is quite a lot."  He chuckled.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then said, "He always puts a time on things like love. I am sure his intentions are well and good, but ye cannot tell me I must wait ta love someone or marry. I think he needs a lass who can handle his shenanigans and make him see love."

When he spoke of the babies, she smiled tenderly at him. "I love ye," she murmured and went on to say, "I wouldn't mind one wit' ye. But... We shall come ta that when it happens." She squeezed his hand, grazing her thumb over his knuckle. She took a drink with her free hand.

"Ye make me feel beautiful."

He nodded.  He would follow her lead on dealing with her brother unless he hurt her or upset her.  Then he would have a 'quiet' conversation with the man out behind the stable.  He didn't say it aloud but he definitely thought it.  "We are grown adults.  Both of us have our own children to think about and being together is a better situation for both of them.  Why not go ahead and get married?  Widowed and alone, added to it, I think we are old enough and mature enough to make our own choices.  Back home on the east coast, they are like here in England.  In Texas, folks move along when a decision is made.  Most around here consider I am from the 'wild west' of the states.  They already know I do things a hel... um pardon me, a lot differently than the folks here."  He coughed having almost been disrespective to her with cursing.

At the response to the baby topic, he smiled.  "I am in no hurry.  I am enjoying getting to know the twins and seeing them interact with Heidi.  Watching them grow up is a joy."

A chuckled came from her last comment.  "I don't think I had anything to do with that.  Maybe your parents had a lot to do with it, but most of it is from your heart and how you interact with people."  He thought about some of the comments that were made about Karen from the servants.  They were happy for them and thought Karen was a lovely woman and a wonderful mother.

She smiled and went to open her mouth to speak again, but the waiter came with their food. That was a rather large steak for such a dainty woman. She inhaled the scent and her stomach growled a little too loudly. When the waiter was done doing that and had refilled their drinks, she looked down, "I don't understand his reservations except I think he is worried I'll get hurt. But he hurts me when he says it the way he does. Ye ken? He's taken care of me. But I always land on me feet... And sometimes I'm lucky enough ta have a soft place ta land."

She smiled and pulled back so they could eat, "I'm in no hurry either. If it happens, it happens. Until then, we enjoy each other and the little ones we have already." She cut a slice of beef, it was like butter. She put it in her mouth and sighed. She was content to eat the whole steer if she could.

Her eyes met his from across the table and her cheeks warmed at his statement.

Digging into his own steak once he saw all was well and once Karen had all she wanted.  His eyes closed as he made the sound of enjoyment.  "Mmmmm mmmm Man oh boy."  He grinned chewing and indicating the steak.  After finishing the bite, he just sat there a moment.

"It isn't a Texas steak but near close to it."  He winked, teasing her.  Cutting another bite, he glanced at her.   "I do have the plan set up for our honeymoon."  He took the bite giving her another look to see what she thought of that idea.

"Is that so?" she asked, perking up when he mentioned the honeymoon. That was another thing, she and Harold had never had a chance to honeymoon, as he was a doctor and she was his nurse, there was no time. "What do ye have planned, ye handsome devil?" she asked further and took another bite of steak. It really was delicious and she was starting to feel spoiled on it. She was used to simpler fair like chicken stew and sometimes even the hares she caught in traps she set to prevent them from eating her plants in her personal garden.

Another drink of wine was taken. Her cheeks were getting a little flushed.

He gave her a smile.  "I was making a choice between the States or to a train across Europe.  I wasn't sure which you would prefer.  I made a guess and now you tell me which you would pick and I will let you know if I got it right."  He winked taking a drink.

Her eyes widened. The states? She had never been there before, so it was a delightful. Her mouth curved into a smile and she reached across again for his hand, while the other took up the glass of wine so she could sip from it. Her eyes met his from across the table and she had that familiar longing churn her stomach and burn in places for something more than just a little touch.

"I would love ta see the states," she murmured.

He found himself distracted by looking at her.  Her touch on his hand added to the distraction.  He coughed a moment later remembering what he had been talking about.  "Ok then, so that will be the honeymoon trip.  I told the accountant to set aside tickets for both to be ready for whichever one you might choose."

"However, the rest is a surprise as to where and what we do while there.  Be ready for some traveling, young woman, and the children can stay with several nannies along the trip, after all that kind of traveling won't be handled by just one.  We will have most of our private time and some with them as well.  But no stress on you.  Period."  He added giving her a loving smile and a bit of a hidden sexually wicked glance in his eyes as well.  "This is for making memories."

She gave a slow smile, the promise of something more lingering in her dark eyes as she gazed at her fiance. "I will be glad when all this planning comes to fruition. I can't wait ta spend me life with ye." Her fingers traced his for a moment. She sighed in content and then eventually pulled her hand away so she could slice her steak and eat a bite or two. "Soon, I will be Mrs. Vaughn, and that makes me happy."

She couldn't wait for him to see the wedding dress. It was going to be beautiful!

(Dress: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/11540542788251250/ )