Chapter Thirty-Three

"Yes, Finn. Yes, we're going to have a baby."

Finnegan simply sat there. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think beyond the single word flashing in his head, 'Baby'.

Shite.

A baby? His baby. Little Cass's baby. A father. He was going to be a father?! Surely there was some unspoken law about a man like him having children wasn't there? It was one thing to talk about having them one day and a complete other to be told there was one on the way and growing inside your wife.

Finnegan was faintly aware of Cassandra speaking but he had no idea what it was she said. He sat there and stared at the wall as his brain shut down from the overload.

It wasn't until darkness was falling outside and the shadows were stretching across the room that Finnegan snapped from his daze. Cassandra was curled up on the bed, sound asleep. Finnegan rose to his feet, covered her with a spare blanket and left the room. He didn't even have to think about where he was going; his feet simply carried him down the road to the most rickety saloon the town had to offer.

He stepped inside and breathed in the scent of sweat, dust, dirt, beer and whiskey. Finnegan went to the bar and tapped the scarred wood, "What'll it be, sir?" the bartender questioned as he stepped over. "Beer or whiskey?"

"Whisk....." Finnegan stopped. His body burned for just a taste of the stuff but he couldn't; he had a child coming. "Just a beer."

Finnegan took his beer and weaved his way through the tables full of people until he found an empty one toward the back and sat down. He stared down into the amber liquid and wondered what in the hell he was going to do.

"Finnegan, what are you doing here?"

Finnegan looked up at the sound of Seamus' voice and forced a smile before taking a drink of the beer in his glass. "Relaxin', Dear Seamus. You should try it sometime."

Seamus grumbled and pulled out an empty chair. "Calvin figured out where the Hanging Rock is," Seamus informed him.

"Good... good." Finnegan replied, though his mind was far too distracted to care about what Seamus was saying.

"Finnegan, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Finnegan tilted his head as he looked at his older brother. "What makes ya think there's anythin' wrong with me?"

"Because you're sitting alone in a saloon with a poker game going on less than ten feet away which you're not playing and you're nursing a mug of beer. I've never once seen you with beer--it's always been whiskey."

Finnegan tipped his glass back and forth and watched the liquid inside slosh around. "Yeah, well, I didn't want the distraction. I simply wanted to think."

"Think?" Seamus sounded amused. "It's a little too late to start doing that isn't it? You've lived this long without thinking so why start now?"

"I think more than ya think I do, brother. For example, me thinks you're a jackass."

"Yeah I probably am," Seamus agreed, surprising Finnegan. "Now what's wrong? Did the doc say something bad about Cassandra? Is it bad news?"

"Not bad news just suprisin' news it is. And the doc was never there."

Seamus frowned. "But I thought she was sick and you were going to make her let a doctor take a look at her"

"Aye, I was. But ya see, Little Cass insisted that she knew what was wrong with her and then she made sure I knew as well."

Seamus seemed more than a little suspicious as he leaned forward. "What's wrong with her, Finnegan?"

Finnegan took another swig of his beer, swiped his shirt sleeve across his mouth and forced a humorless grin. "A wee little Irishman is growin' in her belly."

"Shite," Seamus' Irish accent came out a moment in his shock and he downed a big swig of beer. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, his accent disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Clearly I wasn't," Finnegan replied, leaning back in his chair. "I lose all control of myself with that lass. She drives me wild and I...."

"I don't need to know the details, Finnegan," Seamus snapped. Finnegan attempted a mischievous grin but he simply couldn't muster the energy it required. "Why aren't you happy, Finnegan?" Seamus questioned suddenly.

"I am happy. I'm a cornucopia of glee, Dear Seamus."

Seamus studied Finnegan thoughtfully a moment and then shook his head. "I thought you wanted children? You seemed to like them well enough at the orphanage."

"I do like children," Finnegan assured him. "And I did want children."

"You did want them? You don't want them now?"

Finnegan shoved his mug of beer away, crossed his arms on the tabletop and threw his head down upon them, "Would ya want me for a father then, Seamus? Shite! Sayin' you want to have children and findin' out one's comin' are two completely different things."

Seamus was quiet for a long moment and Finnegan finally peeked up at him through his lashes. "What did you say to Cassandra when she told you?"

Finnegan winced. "Nothin',"

"Nothing?"

"I just sat there and stared."

"What was her reaction to your reactions?"

"I have no idea," Finnegan admitted. "By the time I snapped out of my daze she was sound asleep. Her cheeks were dry, I checked."

Seamus snarled. "So she didn't cry but I'm sure you hurt you, you great idiot."

"And you're familiar with the softer sex then are ya, Seamus?"

"You know I'm not nearly as familiar with them as you are, Finnegan, but even I know that when a woman tells her husband that she's carrying his child, she would like him to show her some form of excitement."

Finnegan groaned. "I know."

"Finnegan, I think you were real thoughtless to get her with child just now. You have no home, nowhere to live and you still have men that want you dead until you find this treasure and pay them back..."

Finnegan rolled his eyes and buried his face back in his arms. "I can always count on my brother. This wee chat has been so helpful."

"I'm not done yet," Seamus snapped. "Now you're my damn brother and I know we've never been real close but you're better than this. You love that woman and she loves you. You might have been a worthless sack of shit for a long time but you've changed, Finnegan."

Finnegan had no idea what to say to that. What did you say when your hard ass of an older brother who had tried to kill you more than once suddenly told you that you weren't quite as worthless as he had always said you were?

"Since I've finally got you speechless and you don't have anything to say I'll continue speaking. I think you're going to be a real good father. You've proven that you're a man who is capable of being a good husband and being a father will be no different. Cassandra loves you and your children will love you. It might not be the best time to be having a child but the two of you will figure it out. If there's one thing that I do know about you, Finnegan, it's that you have a way of always getting yourself out of sticky situations and coming out the other side smelling like a rose. Everything's gonna be just fine."

"Are ya sayin' ya believe me to have a pleasant scent?"

"Dammit, Finnegan, I'm trying to be nice and you're being a jackass!"

"I can't help myself, Dear Seamus. But I do thank ya for havin' faith in me. I'll admit it feels a bit odd to know my brother believes in me..."

"Don't get carried away now, Finnegan, I never said that. I just don't think you'll be too bad of a father."

Finnegan grinned, rose from his seat and rounded the table. He put his arms around Seamus' neck from behind and hugged him tight. "Too late to take it back now, Dear Seamus. I'm going to be a father!"

Seamus chuckled before shoving Finnegan off of him. "Yes, you are. Now get up there and make sure your wife knows you're happy about it as well."

Finnegan felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he skipped from the saloon and out into the fresh air. Darkness had fallen but this town was still bustling. He tipped his head and politely greeted those he passed. A father. He was going to be a father. While he still wasn't completely sure he knew how to be a good father, Seamus' words had made him realize that he had changed and just maybe he stood half a chance of being better than what he had had as a father.

Finnegan stepped into the hotel room and found kerosene lights burning as Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed. "I thought ya were restin'?" he stated.

"I was, but now I'm sitting here wondering just how I want to begin killing you," Cassandra replied with an overly sweet smile.

Finnegan winced. "Ya wouldn't want to kill the father of your wee child then would ya?"

"Where did you go, Finn? Are you that upset over the thought of having a child? After the orphanage and our conversation that night I would have thought you'd be excited,"

Cassandra was clearly a little hurt and Finnegan quickly went to the bed and dropped to his knees between her legs. "Little Cass, I'm sorry I didn't have the reaction that ya had hoped I would. I was scared, lass."

"Scared?" Cassandra laid her hand on his cheek. "Scared of what?"

"Of being a father. Of havin' a little human that'll be expectin' me to take care of it. I do well to take care of myself, Cass."

"Oh, Finn, you don't have to worry about that," Cassandra insisted with a smile. "I'll take care of both of you."

Finnegan laughed and looked into her green eyes that gazed at him with such dedication and love it made him feel capable of anything. "I know ya will, Little Cass. I love ya."

"I love you too," Cassandra kissed his brow. "You are happy, aren't you?"

Finnegan bent his head and kissed her stomach through her pale blue blouse, "I'm happy, Cassandra. I'll be the best father I can be and while I can't promise to give you and the little lad the life that ya had growin' up, I will do all I can to keep ya both happy."

"Finn, I don't want that kind of life for me or for our child. My parents are good people and they loved me but our children won't be raised by nannies and they won't be pushed to become something they have no desire to become. All I want for me and for our children is you, just the way you are."

"Are ya up for continuin' on the treasure hunt, Cass? If ya are too tired we can..."

"I've come this far, I'm not going to stop now," Cassandra countered. "Besides, if I'm not there who will reach into the scary dark holes?"

"You're right," Finnegan grinned. "We need ya." Finnegan rose up and let his lips dance across her neck. "Are ya still real tired, Little Cass, or do ya feel a bit better?"

"I'm still really tired," Cassandra admitted. Finnegan was about to cease his feasting on her soft skin but she buried her fingers in his dark curls and held him in place against her neck. "But I'm not quite that tired."

Finnegan smiled against her pulse, "We no longer have to work on that first child but perhaps a bit of practice for when it's time to make the second?"

Cassandra snorted. Finnegan grabbed her hips and her laughter filled the small hotel room as he tossed her gently back onto the bed and got to work on the practicing.

****

"So there really is a Hanging Rock?" Cassandra asked the next morning as she, Finnegan, Calvin and Seamus sat in the hotel diner and ate their breakfast.

"Yeah, it's about a three day ride north of here," Calvin replied.

"And do they really hang people there?" Finnegan questioned.

"How else would it get that name, Finnegan?" Seamus grumbled. "I think it's pretty clear what they do there."

"According to the men I talked to there hasn't been anyone hanged there in over a decade but that did use to be a fairly popular hanging place," Calvin stated and Cassandra smiled as she took a drink of her lemonade. Calvin seemed to be quite good at playing peacemaker between the brothers when he chose to. Perhaps she would just leave that job up to him from now on.

"Well I say we eat, stock up on supplies and head out as quickly as we can," Cassandra urged.

"Cassandra, are you certain it's okay for you to ride in your condition?" Seamus asked warily.

Cassandra glared at Finnegan. "You told him already?!" she demanded.

Finnegan grinned sheepishly and shoved a big bite of eggs into his mouth. "Can't talk with my mouth full."

Cassandra turned her gaze to Seamus who shifted in his seat. "I found him at the saloon and he...."

"The saloon?!" Cassandra shoved her chair back and stood. "Instead of staying and talking to me last night you ran off to the saloon? Just how much whiskey did you drink before becoming a father didn't sound bad to you and you came crawling back to our room?"

"None!" Finnegan insisted as he stood up and glanced around them.

Cassandra knew that people were looking but couldn't seem to find it in herself to care. "You expect me to believe that you went to the saloon and you didn't drink a bit of whiskey?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I expect ya to believe because it's what I say happened and ya said ya would believe me from now on. Did ya smell any whiskey on my breath last night?"

The answer to that was no now that she took a moment to think back but she was too far in now to simply back up. "I wasn't exactly smelling for it," she snapped.

"I drank less than half a mug o'beer, Seamus and I spoke a bit and then I came back to you. I simply needed to do a bit of thinkin' and I didn't walk out on ya either. When I left, you were sound asleep."

"He's telling the truth about the saloon, Cassandra," Seamus came to his defense in a very strange and foreign turn of events. "I found him all alone at a back table and he seemed lost in thought. The last I had heard he was going to get a doctor for you so I was worried he'd gotten bad news and I checked on him."

Cassandra bit her lip and cleared her throat when she realized she'd greatly overreacted. It was the babe in her belly! It had taken her impulsive nature and kicked it up ten notches while throwing in a snappy temper just for fun. "Okay then," Cassandra sheepishly sat back down and wished everyone would go back to their meals.

"I'll be goin' and gettin' the horses ready," Finnegan muttered.

"I'll come with you," Seamus agreed. "You two stay here and finish your breakfast," he added, tipping his head at Calvin and Cassandra.

"Finn?" Cassandra called out before Finnegan could walk out the door. He turned with a questioning glance. "I'm sorry," she offered.

A bright smile lit his face and made her heart swell. Then his next words had her heart dropping. "Don't worry, Little Cass. You'll get your payback when a little miniature me comes screamin' out of ya."

Finnegan and Seamus left then and Cassandra picked up her lemonade and took a long deep swallow as Calvin stared at her with amusement.

"Calvin?"

"Yes?"

"I'm in a lot of trouble."

"Yep."