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Judy Christenberry
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter One
John Randall regretted the past few hours.
A trip to see an old college buddy appear in a rodeo had turned into a marathon when his friend lassoed him into a steak dinner and a few beers.
Every time John had tried to leave, his friend announced he had one more story to tell their companions about their college escapades.
Now he was finally on the road home—two hours late and a hundred miles from home. And the last seventy of them were on the two-lane road that led to Rawhide.
When he left the main road, he settled in for a relaxed drive. At ten o’clock he didn’t expect to run into much traffic. But about ten miles down the road, he rounded a curve and suddenly jammed on his brakes. A car was stopped in the lane, no lights on. No leeway existed on the narrow country road and John knew he’d have to risk running his truck onto the rocky, tree-lined shoulder or crash into the stopped car in front of him.
He twisted his steering wheel to the right…and prayed for the best.
His truck hit a boulder beside the road and his axle snapped when he landed on lower ground. He knew it before the truck had stopped moving. He spoke words his mother would have raised her eyebrows at, but he felt sure those words were justified.
He got out of his truck and climbed up to the road, angry now that someone had left their car on the road. Even if it had broken down, the least they could’ve done was push it to the side. He’d assumed no one was in the car, but when he knocked on the glass to be sure, a head popped up.
He thanked God he’d avoided the vehicle. “Can you roll down the window a little?”
The woman did so.
“Are you broken down?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then why didn’t you move your car off the road?”
“I—I can’t.”
His eyes followed her hand as she patted her stomach, and he realized she was pregnant.
Very pregnant.
“We’ve got to get you out of your car before another vehicle comes along and hits it.”
“I don’t think I can walk.”
“Come on, I’ll help you.”
“Where will I go?”
“To my truck for the moment. I’ll call for help after I get you safe and your car off the road.”
“You have a cell phone?”
“Yeah.” He tried to open her door. “Can you unlock your door?”
“Yes.”
He got her door open and helped her out. Then he half dragged and half helped her into his truck down below.
“Just stay put while I see what I can do about your car. Do you know what’s wrong with it?”
“I don’t know, but it started hissing and smoke started coming out of the hood.”
“Okay. I’ll see if I can push it on to the shoulder. I’ll be back in just a minute.” At least he would if he didn’t get run over on the pitch-dark road. Fortunately, he didn’t expect a lot of cars at that time of night.
Changing the gear to neutral, he pushed the car to the side of the road. There wasn’t that much space, but it would give anyone coming around the curve some room to maneuver.
He slid back down the gully to his truck and got in the front seat. “There, I got your car pushed to the side. Now let’s see if we can rouse some help.” He knew his insurance would pay for his truck, so he could be cheerful now that he’d calmed down.
Until he opened his phone.
He cursed several times and snapped his phone shut.
“What’s wrong?” she asked cautiously.
“I forgot to recharge my cell.”
“Do you have a charger with you?”
“No.”
“Wh-what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. At least I got your car out of the way so no one else will have to wreck their car.”
“Are you saying I caused your wreck?”
“You didn’t even have any lights on!”
“I had them on, but my battery died!”
“Look, it’s all right. My insurance will pay for it, but I can’t drive it. So we’ll just sit tight until someone comes along.”
“I’ve been here for a couple of hours and you were the first one to come along. Do…do you think someone else will—”
She grimaced and grabbed her stomach.
“Is something wrong?”
She lay back against the seat, breathing deeply. “No, I just need to…stay calm.”
“Just how far along are you?”
“About eight months.”
That brought John up short. He sure didn’t want to talk her into early labor. He agreed—calm was just what they needed.
“Look, we’ll probably see someone fairly soon. Until then, tell me what you’re doing on this road.”
“I’m just driving.”
“Toward what destination? There’s not much on this road except Rawhide.”
She jerked away from him.
“What did I say?”
“Nothing!”
“Okay, well, I’m from Rawhide, a small town that most of my family lives in. I’m John Randall. I run my family ranch about fifteen miles outside of town. But I have cousins all over town and on three other ranches in the area. We joke all the time because you can’t go anywhere without running into one of us.”
“Is it a nice town?”
“Absolutely. Both doctors, the sheriff, the only lawyer, the two accountants, all are kin to us. My sister is a jewelry designer. The drama teacher is kin to us, too. She used to be a movie star.”
“M-my brother is a deputy.”
John frowned. “In Rawhide?”
“Yes.”
“Who is he? I bet I know him.”
“I don’t think I should say.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not…not staying in town. I just needed to ask him s-something.”
“You couldn’t just call him?”
“I tried several times but—but he didn’t answer his phone.”
“Maybe he’s on vacation. No, that couldn’t be it. The only one on vacation is Harry and—-”
She jerked again.
He stared at her. “Your brother is Harry? Harry Gowan?”
“Please, I didn’t say that.”
“Harry is my brother-in-law.”
“Oh!”
“Stay calm. It’s all right. Harry would want me to help you. What’s wrong?”
Saying nothing, she shook her head and folded her arms over her protruding stomach, as if she were cold.
He took her by her shoulders. “Look, Harry is on—”
He broke off because she was wincing in pain. “Are you in labor?”
She shook her head.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I—I have some bruises.”
He turned on the inside lights. “Take your coat off.”
“I don’t want to. It’s cold.”
“I think you need to.”
“You can’t see anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t hit me where it could be seen.”
“He who?”
“M-my husband.”
“Are you saying your husband beat you?”
She nodded her head, her gaze lowered.
“Had he hit you before now?”
“Once,” she whispered. “I thought he wouldn’t do it again. He—he said he was sorry.”
“So what happened this time?”
“He—he decided he didn’t want the baby.” She sobbed, then, tears streaking down her cheeks.
He scooted across the seat and wrapped his arms around her. “He’s a fool!”
She buried her face against him and wept.
After a minute, she collected herself and, in spite of sniffles, said, “When he got up this morning and left for work at six, I grabbed what I could and went to the bank when it opened. I took all our money and I drove to Rawhide. At least I tried to drive to Rawhide. I hoped Harry could help me.”
“He’s out of town for about six weeks.”
“Oh.” She sniffed several times, trying to control herself.
“Look—I don’t even know your name. But I can promise you I’ll do what I can to help you. Remember I said the sheriff was kin to us?”
She nodded her head as it rested against his chest.
“Well, that means he’s kin to you, too. Harry is his favorite deputy. He’d help you even if Harry wasn’t part of the family.”
“How is Harry part of your family?”
“You didn’t know? Harry married my sister.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize—Then I can’t bother Harry.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Can my car be fixed?”
“Yeah, if Larry can get the parts. That could take a week. Then he’ll take about a week to fix it.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m guessing you knocked a hole in your radiator.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, you can stay at our house while they work on your car.”
“No.” That was all she said.
“What’s your name?” he asked, which seemed a silly question since he was holding her in his arms.
“Lucy.”
“Well, Lucy, take off your coat.”
“Why?” She pulled back and fear lit her eyes when she looked at him.
“I’m going to wrap us up in a comforter I have so we can stay warm until morning.”
She scanned the truck. “You have a comforter?”
“Sure. It’s not safe to drive around here without something to keep us warm.”
“Where is it?”
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“I just want to see it first.”
He took his arms from around her and scooted across the front seat until he could reach in the back. He had to stretch to take hold of the comforter, and a bottle of Gatorade. He brought them to the front seat.
Her eyes widened when she saw the drink. “Um, I’m really thirsty.”
“I don’t have any cups, but I think we can both share it.” He took off the lid and offered her a drink. Then he took one himself.
“Now will you take off your coat?”
“Wouldn’t we be warmer if we kept our coats on?”
“No. Body heat will keep us warmer. Besides, it’s not going to get that cold tonight.”
He took off his coat and laid it aside. Then he waited for her to do the same. Once she did, he spread the comforter over both of them and drew her back into his arms.
“You’ve got to relax, Lucy,” he coaxed, feeling how rigid she was against him.
“I—I’m not sure I can.”
“Sure you can. I know, I’ll tell you stories about Harry. That should make you feel better.” He began telling her things Harry had done, particularly the humorous ones. Finally he felt her relax against his chest.
After a few minutes of her silence, he whispered her name.
All he heard in response was the deep, steady breathing of a woman who had fallen asleep. He breathed in her scent. It reminded him of a fragrant blue flower that grew on the mountainside in spring.
He eased her even closer to him and lay his head against the headrest. His last thought was how right she felt in his arms.
LUCY CAME AWAKE SUDDENLY. She was snugly warm in her sleeping rescuer’s arms, but, unfortunately, she needed to go to the bathroom. She tried to slide out from under the comforter, but he stirred.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
She was embarrassed to tell him, but she had no choice.
“Oh, okay, let’s put on our coats.”
“No! I mean, you don’t have to…I’ll be all right on my own.”
“Lucy, I’m not going to watch you. But you’ll need help getting down. I’ll help you and then I’ll walk around the truck so you’re out of sight.”
“All right.”
He put on his coat and handed her hers. Then he stepped over her and got out of the truck. She shivered as she followed him down.
“It’s really cold,” she said with chattering teeth.
“Yeah, so let’s hurry. You should be all right here. I’ll go around to the front of the truck.”
He stood there in the cold, staring out at the night, waiting for her to call him. When she finally did, he came around the truck and helped her back in. “Okay, let’s shed our coats and huddle up again.”
This time he didn’t have to urge her to get close or to relax. She went naturally back into his arms and he spread the comforter over both of them.
Gradually they both warmed up and she relaxed against his chest.
“John?”
“Yeah?” he asked, on the verge of falling asleep again.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking care of me.”
“No problem,” he told her. Together they’d managed very well, better than he would’ve done alone. He settled her more comfortably against his chest.
He checked his watch. It was almost two o’clock. They still had a good portion of the night to get through.
They both went back to sleep.
Just as dawn broke, they both awakened because of sudden moisture. John assumed Lucy had had an accident. Lucy, however, thought something else had happened.
“I think my water broke.”
“What?” he asked groggily.
“I think my water broke. That means I’ll be going into labor soon.”
His eyes flew open. “You’re what? But we can’t—I mean, how soon will you—How much time do we have?”
“I don’t know!” She sounded frightened.
He felt the same way, but he realized he had to be the calm one. “It’s all right. Daylight is breaking. Someone will come along soon enough.”
“Are—are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure, and if not, then we’ll manage.”
“Have you ever delivered a baby before?”
“Nope. But I’ve delivered calves and foals. It’s almost the same, I’m sure.”
“I’m sorry you—I mean, I’m sorry this is happening. I’m so embarrassed!”
“Don’t be, Lucy. Having a child is a natural thing.”
“You’re so comforting, John. I don’t think I would’ve made it if you hadn’t stopped.”
He considered how he’d stopped his truck and decided not to mention it again. Lucy couldn’t help what had happened and she’d had a pretty rough time of it.
Lucy grabbed his shirt and gasped.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I think I’m in labor now!”
“What did you feel?”
“A tightening along the bottom of my stomach.”
He cleared his throat. Calmly he said, “That sounds about right, but it will probably be a while before anything happens.”
He hoped to God he was right. He lifted his wrist so he could read his watch. It was ten until six.
When Lucy woke him again, he checked his watch. It was almost six-thirty. He felt sure that was good. A weak sun was providing a little more warmth, and he realized he’d need to get out of the truck to see if he could flag down a car so they could get help.
“Okay, Lucy, I’m going to get near the road so I can flag down a car. You’ll be all right here under the blanket. Okay?”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“How else will we get help?” He laughed slightly. “Believe me, I’d rather stay here with you.”
“Can’t you wait a little while?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll wait until seven.”
“Thank you. I know I’m being too clingy, but—but you’re so comforting.”
“You’re not clingy. I just want to take care of you, Lucy. It’s important to get you to the hospital before anything happens.”
“First babies are supposed to take a long time.”
“Okay. We’ll just stay where we are for a little bit longer.”
To John’s surprise, he went to sleep again, as did Lucy. He awoke at eight o’clock, long after his normal time. Lucy was still sleeping against him. He smiled down at her. He guessed her labor wasn’t as imminent as it had sounded at six.
He tried to open the glove box without disturbing her, knowing he had several packets of peanut butter crackers in there. He was hungry. Of course he would save a packet for Lucy. Unfortunately, she woke up.
Her eyes flew open and she looked around frantically for a moment. Then she settled down as she realized where she was.
“Are you hungry?” he asked her. “I think I have a couple of packets of peanut butter crackers.”
“Where?”
“In the glove box. Can you reach them?”
“Yes.” She opened the glove box and found the packets. She handed them both to John.
“Don’t you want one?”
“I’ve heard that you shouldn’t eat if you’re in labor.”
“I don’t think that would hurt anything. Take a packet.”
“All right.”
They unwrapped the crackers and ate them slowly.
Lucy had only eaten one when she tensed again. “It’s another pain.”
“All right.” He checked his watch. It was eight-twenty.
“I’ll wait until you feel another one. Then I’ll go up on the road and try to flag someone down.”
“Okay.”
“Eat the rest of your crackers. You’ll need them.”
She ate slowly, trying to make them last.
John brought out the Gatorade again for them each to have a drink.
When the next pain came so soon, it surprised them both. John checked his watch again. It wasn’t eight-thirty yet. The pains were coming faster.
“Don’t go, John. Please.”
“I have to. We’ve got to get you to a hospital.”
“But you said we’d be all right.”
“We will be, if we have to deliver your baby here, but I’d prefer a hospital. Now, be strong. I’m going to cover you back up and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You aren’t going to leave, are you? I mean, walk somewhere?”
“No. That would take too long.”
“Okay.”
He tucked her in and got out of the truck. After climbing up to the road, he paced back and forth in front of her car, hoping someone would come by.
He almost gave up and decided to go back down to his truck to see how Lucy was doing, but at the last minute, he heard a vehicle approaching.
Stepping farther out into the road, he waved his arms as the pickup came into sight.
“You break down?” the man asked, after lowering his window.
“Yeah, and I’ve got a woman in labor down there.”
“All right. I’m going as far as Rawhide. Will that help?”
“That’s where we need to go. I’ll just go bring her up.”
“Need some help?”
“No, I’ve got her.”
John slid back down to the truck and opened the passenger door. “Lucy, we’ve got a ride.”
She looked up at him and he saw the pain on her face. “Thank God. This baby wants to be born.”
Chapter Two
John scooped Lucy up in his arms, comforter and all.
“My coat!”
He grabbed it and laid it across her so she could keep it from falling. “Do you have suitcases?”
“Yes, in my trunk.”
“Get out your keys. I’ll stop and put them in his truck before we get in.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to get in and then put the suitcases in? He might drive off with them.”
“I’d rather he drive off with your suitcases than with you.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
He brought her out of the truck and struggled up to the road. Then he set her down for a minute to deal with her luggage. Next, he scooped Lucy up again and set her on the car seat, pushing her over so he could get in, too.
Before he shut the door, the driver took off, as if he were trying to leave John behind. Lucy shrieked and John used the door handle to hang on until he could get his footing inside the truck.
Then he sent the man a sharp look.
“Figured you was in a hurry, what with the baby comin’ and all.”
“Yeah.” Under his breath he added, “But not in that big of a hurry.”
After several minutes of seeing how the man drove, John wasn’t sure he’d improved their status any. The man was driving eighty miles an hour and taking up most of the road.
John hated to ask the question, but for Lucy’s sake, he needed to. “Do you happen to have a cell phone?”
“Sure do. Want to borrow it?”
“Yeah. I’ll be glad to pay you for your minutes.”
“Okay.”
John dialed the number for the clinic. “May I speak to Caro, please?”
“Dr. Randall is in with a patient.”
“Is Jon?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Look, go tell Caro I have a pregnant woman who thinks she’s going into labor and I need to talk to her.”
He didn’t have to wait long for Caroline to come to the phone. “Who is this?”
“It’s John. Sorry I forgot to tell the nurse that.”
“That’s all right. Your message sounded urgent.”
“Yeah. Lucy’s water broke about six. Her pains have been coming about ten minutes apart and she thinks she’s eight months pregnant.”
“Where are you?”
“A kind gentleman is giving us a ride. We should be there in about forty minutes.”
“Okay, you should arrive before she delivers, but you don’t have much time to spare. With the baby coming early we’ll need to get it oxygen right away.”
“Yes.”
“She can hear you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me how you came across this woman?”
“No.”
“Is she from around here?”
“No.”
“Well, John, you’ve got my curiosity up. We’ll be waiting for both of you, and we’ll have an incubator ready, too.”
“Thanks, Caro.”
“No problem. Do you want me to call your parents?”
“Yeah, just tell them I’m all right. I’ll talk to them later.”
“All right. I will.”
When John handed the phone back to the driver, he looked at John. “That’ll be twenty dollars.”
John didn’t question the amount. He dug in his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. He handed it over without argument.
“How are you doing?” he asked Lucy.
“I think my pains are coming faster.”
“Caro said we should have plenty of time to get you to the clinic. She’ll take care of everything.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s my cousin, one of the doctors in town.”
“Oh, so she knows about having babies.”
“Yep. She’s had a couple herself.”
“Who is her husband?”
“The sheriff.”
“You know the sheriff?” the old man asked, suddenly interested.
“Yes.”
“He’s the one I’m goin’ to see!”
“That’s good. I’ll show you where his office is.”
“Okay.”
Lucy gasped as another pain, more intense this time, seized her.
“Try to relax, Lucy. I know it’s hard, but we’ll be there soon.” He put his arm around her, still enveloped in the comforter. Her scent wafted to his nose and in his mind he was back in his truck spending the night with Lucy wrapped in his arms.
“You two live in Rawhide?”
John squeezed Lucy’s shoulder, forgetting about her pain until she grimaced again. “Yes, we do.”
“Nice place. I was gonna settle down there, but I didn’t. I heard about the sheriff, though. They say he does right by people.”
“Yes, he does.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna talk to him.”
“You got a problem with someone in Rawhide?” John asked.
“Yeah!”
“I know a lot of people in Rawhide. Maybe I know who you have a problem with.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I might.”
“Nope.”
John gave up the puzzle of the stranger. He didn’t really care about him as long as he got them to the hospital in time. And they didn’t have much time left. He felt Lucy trying to relax, but the pain came even harder than the last time. He checked his watch surreptitiously, noting the time was nine-twenty-nine. The last pain had been at nine-twenty-one. He didn’t say anything to Lucy. And he certainly didn’t want to urge the old man to drive faster.
But he hoped they got there soon.
When they passed the turn to his family ranch, he smiled. At this speed, they were five minutes away.
“Uh, you’d better slow down inside the city limits. You don’t want to meet the sheriff from the back of a squad car.”
“I guess you’re right.”