The Fourth Life of Sean Donoghue by Trish Hanan (children's books read aloud .txt) 📕

the two old men hobbled behind them. They were all tired but happy.
“I’m so happy you’re letting me work in the library,” she added as they rode up the hill. Sean laughed.
“I’m not letting you, darling,” he said. “You’re a grown women and you can make up your own mind how you want to spend your time. I’m your husband; I’m not your master.” She nodded.
“But still, most husbands wouldn’t like their wives working,” she declared. He nodded and put his arm around her.
“I’m not most husbands, darling,” Sean informed her and kissed her. The boys giggled. Ryan and Danny sighed.
“If you keep stopping the carriage to kiss her, we’ll never get home,” Danny complained. Sean turned around.
“What’s the matter with you, old man, you got a hot date?” he teased him. The boys laughed again. Ryan grinned.
“Yeah he does, with his pillow,” he retorted and they all laughed.
Winter came and the valley was washed with snow and it became a magical place. Sean took the boys who were now three and two outside to play in it and they had a great time. He decided that in the spring he would head into Jamestown and get a minister for their valley, going to the Ridge was a pain and he was tired of Reverend Andrews’s sanctimonious speeches. The fact that the man had wanted to refuse to marry him and Claire had shocked Sean, what right did he have to tell them how to live their lives? It was outrageous.
December came and one morning he was handing his wife a cup of coffee when she tried to take a sip of it. Claire’s face turned gray and she stood up very quickly and raced to the bathroom. Everyone looked at her with surprise.
“What’s the matter with her?” Sally asked and Sean shook his head. He got up and followed her. When he got to the closed bathroom door, he softly tapped on it.
“Claire, darling are you alright?” he called out. He heard the sounds of retching. Surprised he opened the door and entered.
“Don’t come in here, I’m being sick,” she snapped and retched again. Concerned he ran cold water over a wash cloth and handed it to her. He knelt down beside her.
“I think it was something I ate,” Claire said as she wiped her face. Sean stared at her.
“Ah, lass, you haven’t eaten anything yet,” he told her. She frowned. Then she noticed his stare.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she wanted to know. Sean shook his head.
“If I didn’t know you were barren, Claire, I would swear you were pregnant,” he declared and a little hope came into her eyes.
“But I was married to William for six years and I never got pregnant,” she protested weakly. He shrugged.
“Have you thought that maybe that was William’s fault and not yours?” Sean asked gently. Claire shook her head.
“When was your last monthlies?” he asked and she frowned at him.
“You’re not supposed to ask me that, that’s rude,” Claire snapped and he laughed.
“I’m your husband, darling, I can ask you that,” he teased. She shrugged.
“I don’t know, a couple of months ago, but I’ve never been regular, I’ve skipped before,” she informed him. Sean nodded.
“Well, let’s wait a while and see if your stomach starts to get a little bigger, like a wee rounder and then we’ll know for sure,” he said and she nodded. He got up and pulled her with him and hugged her.
“It won’t be the end of the world if you’re not, darling, so don’t get your hopes up, let’s just wait,” he said wisely and she nodded, but it was hard not to see the hope in her eyes.
For breakfast Claire skipped the coffee and drank tea instead and found tea didn’t make her nauseous like coffee did. She also found that she liked milk more than before and soon was drinking it at every meal. Sally looked at this and wondered but didn’t say anything; after all, everyone knew Sean’s second wife was barren.
For Winter Solstice everyone gathered in the foundry because it was the biggest building and it was cold outside. They all sang Church songs and Sean made a little speech about unity and community spirit and how he was going into Jamestown to get them a real minister. Everyone liked that idea. And he approached the subject of a Community Hall where they could all get together indoors on special occasions such as this and use it for meetings. Everyone liked that idea and decided to build it in the spring.
“You’re just full of ideas aren’t you, Granddad?” Young Sean declared as they packed up to go home. Sean grinned at him. Claire smiled and wrapped the furs around the two old men so they’d be warm on the way home.
“I try to keep busy while we’re waiting for that rubber,” Sean stated. They all laughed.
“Why do they all call you granddad, Sean?” Claire asked as they got ready for bed. Her husband grinned at her.
“You know those old paintings in the front room?” he asked her and she nodded and smiled.
“You mean all those Sean Donoghues who look just like you?” she teased and he nodded.
“That’s why they call me granddad, because I look like the first Sean Donoghue,” he said and she laughed.
“That’s the silliest thing I ever heard,” Claire declared. “What would have happened if you looked like Maggie Donoghue, would the silly people call you grandmom?” she teased and he grabbed her and rolled her on top of him.
“I guess they would have, lass,” he teased her and she rested her elbows on his chest.
“You’re a fine looking man, husband,” she told him and eased a hand down to encircle his hardness. He closed his eyes and moaned. She seemed very pleased with herself. Sean slapped her firm backside and she laughed.
“You’re pretty delicious yourself, wife,” he declared with a sly smile. She looked confused.
“Delicious, how can I be deli, oh, Sean, you wicked man, I swear you say these things just to make me blush,” Claire said as she turned red. He laughed as he rolled her over and spread her legs apart. She tensed with anticipation. He blew some breath on her curls and she shivered.
“Ah, lass, you have the prettiest red hair I ever did see,” Sean said and he meant it, Claire’s hair was an entirely different shade of red than Maggie’s had been. He bent his head to give her his full attention and she loved him for it.
January came and they waited for Claire’s monthlies and they didn’t come and she began to cross her fingers. She played with the boys and pictured having one of her own with her red hair and Sean’s dark, green eyes and took to staring at her still flat stomach whenever she was naked. Sean ignored this and tried to remain optimism. If it happened he would be happy, if it didn’t, he was still happy. He was afraid that she wouldn’t be happy if it didn’t though.
February came and still nothing and now she was beginning to get impatient. He smiled and made her play cards with him and the brothers to take her mind off of it.
“What’s the matter with Claire, I’ve never seen her act so nervous; you two ain’t fighting are you?” Ryan asked one day in the middle of the cold month. Sean shook his head.
“No it’s her time of the month if you know what I mean,” he whispered and both old men nodded and were nicer to her. She smiled at them and thought them the sweetest old men ever.
By March she had given up even though she hadn’t gotten her monthly time yet.
“Let’s face it, Sean, I’m barren and you’re stuck with me,” she said miserably and threw herself in his lap. Sean brushed the hair from her face and kissed her.
“I married you knowing that lass. I love you, Claire Donoghue, don’t you forget that darling,” he told her and she grinned.
“Why don’t you show me how much?” she whispered in his ear and they ran off laughed into the bedroom. Danny and Ryan laughed.
“That’s the only thing I hate about getting old, you only use it to pee with,” Ryan remarked and made a face. Danny grinned at him.
“Sometimes mine doesn’t want to work for that,” he informed him and Sally who was knitting in her chair giggled. Bill choked back a laugh. The two old men turned to him.
“Just you wait, one day you’ll be old like us and your won’t work so good either,” Ryan informed him. Sally shook her head.
“I hope I’m too old to care about that,” she remarked and they all laughed.
One morning the second week of April Sean woke up and kissed his wife before he headed out to milk the cows.
“Good morning, darling,” he whispered and she yawned, rolled over and kicked the covers off.
“I might as well get up and help Carrie with the boys,” she said sleepily. Sean grinned and glanced down to admire her body, she had such a lovely one. Then he blinked.
“Are you getting fat or is that my imagination?” he asked and put his hand on her round little belly. She glanced down and frowned. Then she got out of bed and stood up to look at herself in the mirror. Then Claire looked at him with hope in her eyes and he grinned and nodded. She was definitely pregnant. She squealed and jumped into his arms.
“Oh, my God, you were right, Sean, I’m not barren after all; it was William and not me!” she yelled and kissed him. He kissed her back and held her tight, they were both trembling.
“Ah, lass, I’m so happy for you,” he whispered. “I know how much you wanted to have a baby.” She had tears in her eyes and he wiped them away.
“We’re going to have a baby,” she whispered and he nodded and looked down at her belly.
“A big one too by the looks of things,” he teased and she grinned. Then he went off to milk the cows and she got dressed and hurried off to tell Sally and Carrie.
Breakfast was a joyous occasion with everyone laughing and talking all at once, Kalin and Bobby were very happy about the arrival of a new baby and took to patting Claire’s belly and shouting my baby. Claire would beam at them and nod.
“Yes, Kalin, that’s your brother or sister dear,” she told him and he grinned.
“Brothers,” he informed them with a big grin and they all looked confused. She looked at Sean and nodded.
“Well, my grandmother was a twin, so we could be having twins, sometimes they skip a generation,” Claire informed her husband who grinned.
“Twins run in my family too, lass, wouldn’t that be something, two wee little lasses that look just like their mother?” he said and she grinned now. Danny snorted.
“Kalin said they were brothers, you could always name them after their dear old grandfathers,” he hinted and everyone laughed. Sean wagged a finger at him.
“You already have a grandson named after you, Danny Donoghue,” he told