By Friday evening, Marti had a new respect for mothers. Any mother, and not just a mother of quadruplets.

She sank onto the couch and stared blankly ahead after the babies were back to sleep. “How would we do this if they were on different schedules?” she asked no one in particular.

Heather was already asleep, so she didn’t respond. Barbara sighed. “I have no idea. I don’t know how mothers of twins do it either. You girls were hard enough.”

Amy rubbed the back of her neck. “Being a mother is hard. Period. It doesn’t matter if you have one or two or seven. Multiples puts a whole new dimension on things, though.” She looked as if she had nothing left inside her. “I’m going to sit here for five minutes, and then I’m going to go see to supper. It’s mostly done. I put it in the Crock-Pot hours ago.”

“Thank heavens for Crock-Pots,” Barbara said. “I’ll help with supper. It’s not fair that you get stuck cooking every night.”

“You’re up with the babies before I get here in the mornings. No, it’s fine if I cook.”

Marti wasn’t even sure what to say to any of it. She had taken to sleeping from five in the morning ’til about noon. The babies were usually asleep by five. She knew her mom and Heather took the next shift of babies alone, and Amy got there around eleven. Marti was even doing the laundry for the entire household.

She’d not really been outside since her arrival in Idaho, but she knew Amy lived in a house behind the main house, where Heather, Michael, and all forty-thousand babies lived. There had to be that many!

Amy smiled at Marti. “You look exhausted. I hope you get some good sleep before your date.”

Marti groaned. “I forgot all about that date.” It was true, and that’s what surprised her. She hadn’t realized that she was so tired she could forget about the bizarre evening she’d had with Michael’s brothers. Had that really been days before? She knew she’d gotten there on Monday. At least she thought she had. All the days were running together in her sleep deprivation.

“Well, it’s tomorrow. Josh said he’d pick you up around one.”

Josh. Hearing his name caused a flash of the future to go through Marti’s mind. A flash of him standing in front of a pastor in a powder-blue tuxedo. A flash of him smiling sweetly down at her.

Marti shook her head. “I’ll be ready. I hope he’s fine with jeans for a date, because I don’t have the energy to even think about putting on something nicer.” She glanced at her sister, who was sound asleep. If the babies were sleeping and she wasn’t eating, she was sleeping. She made it into the shower once a day, but other that that, her entire life was feeding babies and herself. It was crazy.

“What would Heather do if she didn’t have people helping her?”

Amy got to her feet. “I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that. She does have people helping her, and she always will. Once the babies are a little older, the help won’t be needed like it is now.”

Barbara and Amy went into the kitchen, and Marti closed her eyes. Sleep was all she needed. If she could just get ten minutes . . .

She woke up to a pair of big brown eyes staring down at her. “Josh?” she asked, surprised to see him.

“Hey. I wanted to tell you that if a later show of the movie is better for you, we can do that. Mom said you’d been exhausted and doing way more than your share.”

Marti hid a yawn behind her hand, suddenly worried about how bad her breath might be. “What are our options?” she asked tiredly. “I have been getting up about noon to help with the babies, but they said I could have all day off tomorrow and Sunday as long as I do the night shift as I have been.”

“I guess it didn’t occur to me that you were working as hard as you are. Mom said you were even doing all the laundry. I kind of thought we had a pact . . .”

Marti grinned. “Well, I do laundry when I need to do laundry.” She sat up straighter. “Maybe we should put off going out for another week . . .”

“No way. I need every minute of the time available to me to get to know you better.”

She frowned at him. “You know I’m not going to be part of your weird tug-of-war game with your brother. You two are strange.”

He laughed. “It goes back to high school. I had a crush on a girl, and he asked her out. That kind of thing. We’ve always competed for everything. It’s a guy thing.”

“Well, it’s weird, and I don’t like it.” Marti blinked a few times to clear the last of the cobwebs from her brain. “I really don’t have any winter clothes. How cold is it going to be tomorrow?”

“In the twenties. You should borrow Heather’s coat, but you really do need to get a coat of your own.”

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here . . .” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Marti realized that she did know she’d be there at least through the winter. “You’re right, though. I need to get a coat.” There was no way she was going to abandon her sister in her time of need.

“I would think so!” He grinned at her. “I like the idea of you sticking around for a while.”

“You do?” She still wasn’t sure if he liked her, or if she was just some pawn in the weird game he was playing with his brother.

“Yes, I do. I know the other night was weird with both of us there, but I like you. A lot. I want to get to know you better. I think our relationship could go somewhere.”

“I feel like all my time needs to belong to Heather and the babies right now. For the foreseeable future even. The workload that quadruplets brings is unfathomable until you’re right in the middle of it.” Marti looked over and saw that Heather was awake and Heather’s eyes were on her. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“I talked to Michael last night, and we want to pay you. We want you to be our nanny. Live-in, of course.”

“Really?” Marti asked, surprised. She wanted to do it, more than she could express, but she wasn’t really qualified. “Are you sure you don’t want someone who knows what she’s doing?”

Heather laughed. “You’ve been more help than I imagined a spoiled-rotten sister could be. Yes, I’m sure we want you and not someone more experienced.”

Josh held his breath as he waited for Marti’s answer. He wanted her to accept badly, because he needed her to stay for as long as she possibly could.

Marti nodded, a slight smile on her lips. “I’d like that a lot.”

Heather smiled. “Oh, good! Then I’ll go back to work Monday . . .”

Marti laughed. “Sure you will. Maybe a year from Monday.”

“That would work as well!” Heather grinned at her sister. “We’ll talk salary later. I’m just glad you’re willing to stay and work with us.”

“For as long as I’m needed.”

“I’m staying, too,” Josh said. “For supper. Maybe I should run and tell Mom.” He hurried from the room, letting the sisters have a moment alone.

“It’s a good thing Amy always makes triple what she needs to make. That boy can eat!”

Marti frowned at her sister for a moment, thinking of her power. “What do you know about us?”

“I know you’re my sister, and he’s Michael’s brother . . .” Heather grinned at Marti.

“And our auras? Or hues? Or whatever you want to call them?”

Heather shrugged. “I’m not letting you use my power to make your decisions for you. The two of you will not kill each other.”

Marti rolled her eyes. “What about the other brother. Amos?”

“You two would kill each other.” Heather wasn’t going to let her sister be with the wrong man, just as she wouldn’t confirm Josh was the right man.

“You’re so helpful.” Marti grinned at her sister, understanding her reluctance to use her power. Their sisters had started to use her as their own private Magic Eight Ball, and she wasn’t necessarily a fan of that either.

“I aim to please.” Heather yawned widely. “It must be about time for Michael to come home. I’m waking up a little.”

“Are you as happy as you seem?” Marti asked softly. “I mean, the two of you look like you’re the perfect couple, and your face lights up when he walked into a room, but . . . is it really worth it?”

Heather nodded emphatically. “I don’t think I’d have ever been truly complete without marrying Michael. Some women don’t need a man to be happy, but . . . I need Michael in my life. There’s no doubt about it.”

“I had a vision of Josh wearing a powder-blue tux and standing in front of a preacher.”

“Well, then you know you’ll go to his wedding. That’s something, right?”

Marti laughed. “You’re not giving me anything.”

“No, I’m not. Find a man the old-fashioned way.”

Michael walked into the room then, immediately drawn to his wife. “Did you talk to her?”

Heather nodded. “She’s staying on as our nanny.”

“Thank God!”

Marti grinned. “And I even did your laundry.”

“Didn’t your fingers fall off?” Michael asked, knowing the family joke about Marti and doing laundry.

“Not yet. They might, though.” She got to her feet, deciding to leave the couple alone. “I’m going to go wash my face and brush my teeth before supper. I feel like I’ve been awake for a week.”

Heather grinned. “Thanks for sacrificing sleep for your nieces.”

“No problem. I love them already.” Marti left the room and headed to the bathroom, wondering if she’d ever be able to tell the girls apart. She sure hoped so.

When she arrived back downstairs, supper was already on the table, and they were obviously just waiting for her. She moved to sit beside Josh—not because she wanted to, but because it was the only empty spot—and took a sip of her water. The Muir family was definitely different than the McClains, but there were as many McClains at the table as there were Muirs. And they all meshed well.

She glanced over at Josh to see him watching her, and she felt a flutter in her belly. Was he the one for her? She didn’t know, but she did know she wanted to get to know him better. She was glad she had the opportunity.

Marti had a full eight hours of sleep Saturday, and she woke feeling refreshed for a change. She showered and dressed for her date with Josh, choosing a pair of jeans and a pullover sweater. She had very few clothes that were meant for the kind of cold weather they were experiencing in Idaho, but she wouldn’t even complain. Heather had offered to share her wardrobe until Marti had her own.

She had a lunch of leftovers, sitting alone at the table. Heather was passed out in her chair, and the moms were talking quietly in the living room, resting up for the next onslaught of crying.

She had just put her dishes into the dishwasher when Josh appeared in the kitchen. “You ready?”

Marti nodded. “Thanks for being willing to see a later movie. You’ll find me a lot more alert and more pleasant to be around.”

Josh grinned at her. “I don’t mind you when you’re sleep deprived. I think you’re wonderful no matter what.”

“Just keep telling yourself that.” She popped her head into the living room. “I’m leaving.”

“Have a good time!” Barbara smiled at her. “Remember your manners.”

Marti rolled her eyes. “I’ve been on a date before.”

“Never with my baby,” Amy said with a grin. “Have fun.”

Marti sighed as she walked over to Josh. “I’ve been reminded to remember my manners. I think Mom has forgotten that I’m twenty-two and not twelve.”

“Let’s get out of here before they offer more advice!” Josh took her hand and tugged her outside. “Finally!”

“Finally?” Marti had no idea what he was talking about.

“I finally have you alone with no members of either of our family watching us. I felt like we were their amusement. Like a favorite TV show.”

“We were better than Love Boat!”

He laughed, leading her to an old Ford truck. “Let’s go see that movie!”

“What are we seeing anyway?”

“Jagged Edge. I know nothing about it, but it’s number one at the box office right now, so I figured it was worth trying.”

“Works for me. If it’s scary, I’ll have to borrow your shoulder to bury my face in.”

He laughed. “You can bury your face in my shoulder whether it’s scary or not. In fact, I’d prefer it.” He drove toward the tiny town of Muir, Idaho, wondering what she’d think of it. “You’re about to be in the heart of town.”

She looked out the window and saw . . . very little. “Wow. There’s a restaurant there!”

“That’s where I’m taking you for supper!”

She grinned. “Well, at least I know my future now . . .” She wondered how much he knew about the powers her family had.

“I wish I knew my future. Since you’re in the business of fortune telling, can you tell me whether I get a goodnight kiss or not?”

“I can see that going both ways. . . . If you behave yourself and buy me popcorn and a Coke, I can see you getting a nice kiss. If you belch loudly at the movie and make everyone look at us and point at me like I did it, then I see you getting a kick in the shins instead.”

He laughed. “Well, that answers that for me.” He parallel parked the truck in front of the movie theater. “Let’s go movie.”

“I hope you’re not one of those people who feels the need to sit in the front row. I always feel like the people on screen will eat me alive when I sit that close.” The last date she’d had did that, and she hated it.

“Nah, I’m more one to take you to the back row and hope I can talk you into making out . . .”

She laughed. “Maybe we should sit in the middle. It sounds like the better option for both of us.”

“Maybe that would be the wisest thing. Have I claimed to be intelligent?” Josh bought their tickets and took her hand, leading her into the building.