by Ana Leigh
“I don’t know what to call you.”
The statement caught Jed by surprise. “What would you like to call me?”
“Mama told me before you were married that you and my father were brothers, and so you’re my uncle. Should I call you Uncle Jed?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“But it don’t seem right calling you Uncle Jed, the same as I do the others.”
“Why not, Garrett?”
“’Cause you’re married to my mom now.”
“Well then, I’ve got a good idea: why don’t you call me by the name that I called my father?”
“What was that?” Garrett asked.
“Dad.”
After a thoughtful moment, Garrett nodded. “Yeah, that’s better than Uncle Jed. And you’re gonna live with us all the time now, right?”
“I’m at sea most of the time, Garrett. But when I’m not, I’ll live with you.”
“I’m glad. Before you got married, Mama was afraid we’d have to go back to Virginia, where you used to live. I sure don’t want to leave Granddad.”
Jed grasped the boy’s hand. Somehow, the hand felt smaller than it had before. “I promise you, Garrett, I will never take you away from your grandfather.”
“Or Buffer?”
“Or Buffer,” Jed said.
Garrett threw his arms around Jed’s neck. “I’m glad Mama married you. I love you, Dad.”
Jed felt his eyes moisten, and he hugged the youngster tighter. “And I love you, son. I love you.”
Garrett lay back. “I bet I can go back to sleep now.”
Jed stood up. “I bet you can, too.” He bent down and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, pal.”
“Good night, Dad.”
Jed’s heart swelled with love, and he went outside and rejoined the men.
Exhausted, but too nervous to stay put, the three women were in the process of cleaning up the kitchen for breakfast when Dr. Meechem came out of the room. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the front of his shirt was stained heavily with blood.
Fearing the worst, the three women stared numbly at him, waiting for him to speak.
“What does a man have to do around this house to get a cup of coffee?”
All three women jumped into motion, bumping into one another in an effort to serve him. He took a deep draught of the coffee, then shoved the cup to indicate he wanted it refilled.
Becky couldn’t bear it. “Doctor…Rory…is she…”
“I’ve done all I can for her. From now on, it’s between her and God.”
“Is she still hemorrhaging?”
“She’s bleeding, as to be expected after an operation, but the important thing for her is to remain still to avoid any more hemorrhaging.”
“What kind of operation, Doctor?” Caroline asked.
“It’s called a cesarean section. The baby is actually delivered through the abdomen, which spares the lives of mothers and infants. I observed several of them performed last year when I was in France, but this is the first one I’ve ever done. Rory will be able to bear more children with this procedure without jeopardizing her life.”
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe it,” Becky cried. She sank down in a chair and, sobbing in relief, buried her head in her hands.
Caroline swallowed her own tears of joy and put a comforting hand on Becky’s shoulder. “And the baby—”
“Is sleeping like a newborn,” Dr. Meechem said. “A little levity there in an attempt to cheer you all up.”
Becky lifted her head. “I don’t understand. How can you deliver a baby through the abdomen, Doctor?”
“With the aid of two very efficient assistants. I’m sure they will explain it in detail to you soon. They’re cleaning and padding Rory up now. I don’t want to mislead you, ladies; she is still very weak from the loss of blood, and she’ll be in bad pain for some time. But if she doesn’t start hemorrhaging again or have any further complications, she has a good chance of making it. That little gal has a lot of grit.” He cracked a tired smile. “Not much blood right now, but a lot of grit.”
A tearful Etta ran outside to break the good news to the men.
“And Garth?” Becky asked.
“At one point I thought I would have to treat him before continuing the operation. A delivery room is no place for husbands.”
“May we go in to see her now, Doctor?” Caroline asked.
“Give the ladies a few more minutes to finish cleaning up in there. You can well guess, it’s pretty messy. You’ll be needing a new mattress.”
“It will be a pleasure, Doctor. How can we ever thank you?”
“I must say, I’m quite proud of myself. I might even write this up for medical journals, operating under the conditions I did. But she’s not out of the woods yet—I can’t emphasize enough that Rory must have complete bed rest for six to eight weeks. So please have your husbands go in there and haul Garth out of that room, or she’ll never get any.
“I must go home and clean up since I have other patients to see, but I should be back in about four hours.
“I’ve given Rory a sedative to make her sleep, and it might be wise to move the baby into another room. I’ve examined the infant closely, and she appears to have survived the delivery without any harm. But the little tyke’s had a pretty rough time of it, too, so she’ll need her rest as well.”
“Doctor, if you remove your shirt, I’ll give you one of Clay’s to wear. And I’ll see what I can do about soaking the blood out of the one you’re wearing,” Becky said.
He grinned. “Perhaps that would be wise. If Emily sees me like this, she’ll think I’ve been shot. But you tell Clay I’m not settling for just a shirt. I expect a case of his best wine for all my hard work.”
Becky left the room, and Dr. Meechem smiled at Caroline. “I understand that yesterday was your wedding day, Mrs. Fraser. I wish you good health and happiness. It’s been my observation that it’s easier to have happiness when you have good health.”
“Thank you, Doctor, I’ll keep that thought.”
“If your husband is anything like his brothers, I know you will have a happy life. I’m very fond of this family.”
“I suspected as much.” She smiled.
“I’ve got a big investment in this family: I delivered most of their little tykes.”
Becky returned with a clean shirt, and the doctor quickly changed into it.
“Thank you again, Dr. Meechem. We’re eternally in your debt,” Becky said.
“I won’t let you forget it.” He winked and departed.
CHAPTER
20
The Garsons left shortly after the doctor did. Helena was totally exhausted and intended to sleep around the clock. Heavily sedated, Rory continued to sleep, so Cassie and Lissy collected their children and went back home with their husbands.
Garth refused to sleep under a different roof than his wife and newborn daughter, so while Jed and Garth carried a sleeping Garrett and their luggage to Garth’s house, Caroline and Becky cleaned up the connecting bedroom, changed the bedding, and moved the crib of eleven-month-old Danny into the room connected to his mother’s, which he would be sharing with his father for the next couple of months.
Caroline was pleased with the new arrangement, because with Garth and Rory staying at Clay’s house, she and Jed had complete privacy at Garth’s—thus avoiding any curiosity or explanation why they didn’t sleep together now that they were married.
Rory was awake and fully conscious when Jed and Caroline joined Clay and Becky for breakfast the following morning. Colt and Stephen rode into town to buy a replacement mattress, and when they returned, under Dr. Meechem’s watchful eye and guidance, Garth carried his wife to the other bedroom while Jed and Clay toted the old mattress outside and burned it. Cassie, filling in for his mother, fed Danny, and Becky and Caroline scrubbed the floor of the room and put bedding on the new mattress.
Thirty minutes later Rory
was tucked neatly back in bed and Dr. Meechem had departed, satisfied with her condition.
It was an amazing experience for Caroline. Everyone, in their own way, had chipped in to do their bit. Even the three grandfathers had taken over watching the children to free the women. And throughout the whole time there hadn’t been a cross word or look between any of them.
Coupled with the previous evening’s labor and a full day of scrubbing floors, changing beds, washing, and hanging out sheets and blankets to dry, Caroline was exhausted. The sight of Lissy and Cassie carrying in hot casseroles, freshly baked bread, and berry pies for the evening meal was a godsend, and she wanted to cry with joy.
After dinner and a few words of comfort to Rory and some coos at the baby, everyone left to go back to their homes.
It came as no surprise that the lights in all the houses were extinguished early that evening.
As soon as she put Garrett to bed, Caroline went outside and sat down on the stoop. The night air was refreshing, and for the first time in almost two days she thought about her marriage to Jed.
The screen door squeaked behind her, but Caroline didn’t look up.
“I thought you were tired,” Jed said and sat down beside her.
“I guess I’m overly tired. I suddenly don’t feel sleepy. This air feels good though, doesn’t it?” She turned to him with a smile and saw that he was studying her, his eyes hooded in pensiveness.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“You boggle my mind, Caroline.”
She laughed lightly. “Am I that complicated to figure out? I thought you were an authority on women, Jed.”
“I thought I was, too, until I met you. You scare me, lady.”
“Is that good or bad?” she asked, amused.
Jed chuckled. “That’s what scares me; I can’t figure that out. It finally sank in that we’re married. Man and wife! And we’ve taken a vow to love, honor, and obey each other until we die.”
“Our marriage has been obscured by the events of the last couple of days,” Caroline said.
“I know. But once we leave Fraser Keep, our lives will return to normal. Then in a couple of weeks I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Jed, what is there about the sea that causes you to want to leave here and your family? Clearly you all are very close, yet you’ve been content to sail away from them for most of each year.”
“It’s beginning to get harder every time, but the sea has always been in my blood.”
“It must be salt water in your veins, not blood. If I had a family like yours, I could never consider leaving them.”
“Colt isn’t much different,” he said. “In a couple of days he and Cassie will be going back to New Mexico.”
“But they’ll be returning for Christmas. Where will you be at Christmas, Jed? Singapore? Japan? At sea in the Mediterranean?” She shook her head. “I’ve longed for a sister or brother all my life. You don’t realize how lucky you are, yet you are content to sail away on the next tide.”
“Since it works to your benefit, that should please you, Caroline; you only have to tolerate me for one month a year.”
“I suppose it should, but I doubt it will please Garrett. Have we both deceived ourselves about our actions being for his benefit? Rory’s fight for life and Garth’s raw anguish were so deep and powerful, I feel shame. I fear the shallowness of our actions was blasphemous, not only against their devotion, but in the eyes of God.”
“So what is the answer for us, Caroline?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Caroline said.
They sat in silence for a while, then she got up and went inside.
The following day, things returned to near normal at Fraser Keep.
Caroline became a nursemaid not only to Rory but to all the other children while the rest of the adults were grooming the fields or harvesting grapes.
The color had begun to return to Rory’s cheeks, and despite the pain, which she never complained about, she began to gain strength with every passing day. By the fourth day she was able to start nursing the baby, who she and Garth had named Hope.
To Garth, the fact that this infant and her mother had survived had been a sign of God’s kindness and charity.
And the fact that he’d been given the yellow-haired daughter with her mother’s blue eyes that he had hoped for was a sign of a benevolent God to Garth.
That the woman he loved more than life itself would no longer be put at risk if he made love to her, in Garth’s eyes, meant that not only was He a very understanding God, but a merciful one, since in the throes of despair, he had prayed that if He spared Rory’s life, he would practice abstinence rather than put her at such risk again.
Regrettably, the time had come when Jed and Caroline must depart. After kissing Danny good-bye, who was sitting next to his mother in bed, Caroline picked up Hope.
“I’m going to miss this little sweetheart,” she said, kissing the tiny infant’s cheek.
“We’ll miss you. I wish you could stay.”
Caroline laid the baby back in her crib. “We’ve been away from home for over a week, and my father has to get back to the mill.”
Then she kissed and hugged Rory. “You stay in that bed, just as the doctor ordered. The next visit, I want to see you up and around.”
“Will you come back for Christmas?” Rory asked eagerly.
“I would like that.”
“And, Jed, I wish you a safe voyage,” Rory said.
“Thank you, Rory. When I return, I expect you to be bouncing around as always, so listen to your doctor’s orders. Don’t try to rush things.”
He put a hand on Caroline’s back and steered her to the door. “I’ll see you at Christmas,” Caroline called back.
Colt was waiting in the wagon with Garrett and Nathan. Clay had the carriage harnessed, waiting for them.
Garth thanked her for all she had done for Rory, then hugged and kissed her. He shook hands with Jed as they said good-bye, then went inside to check on Rory and his children.
Saying good-bye to Paddy O’Grady and Jethro Braden was equally hard. And to the three women: Becky, Cassie, and Lissy, who stood back, holding their tots’ hands and their infants in their arms. In this short time, they had become sisters.
Finally, amid shouted promises to see one another at Christmas, the wagon and carriage moved away.
When they reached town Caroline, Garrett, and Nathan boarded the train. She watched as Jed shook hands and said good-bye to his two brothers for another eleven months. The train whistle tooted, he climbed on board, and the train began to puff away. When the cloud of steam cleared, she settled back in her seat.
She slept the rest of the ride back to Napa.
Tired and hungry, they decided to spend the night in town. After checking into the hotel, they freshened up to go down to the dining room for dinner.
When they were through, Caroline and Garrett left for the general store for several items she needed. Jed and Nathan went into the barroom to await their return.
“I received a letter from Leland Stanford while we were gone,” Nathan said as he pulled the envelope out of his pocket. Leland said he spoke to Calhoun, and I can be assured there will be no further trouble.” He chuckled. “It appears Calhoun is moving to Sacramento.”
Their attention was drawn by loud laughter from four men who entered the bar; Ben Slatter was among them.
“Let’s get out of here,” Nathan said. “There’s already no love lost between the two of you, and Slatter can be real mean when he’s drunk.”
They downed their drinks and got up to leave, but Slatter saw them. “Well, if it ain’t my good friend, Mr. Fraser,” he called. “You ain’t runnin’ out on me, are you?”
“Come on, Ben, settle down,” the bartender said. “I don’t want any trouble in my place.”
“Then how come you let stinkin’ Rebs in here?”
“The war’s been over for four years, Ben, so let it go. I�
��ll pour you a drink on the house.”
“Naw, I’ve got a personal score to settle with Mr. Fraser.”
“If you’re gonna fight, take it outside. I don’t want my place busted up.”
“You’ve no cause for concern, sir,” Jed said. “I have no intention of fighting this drunk.”
When Jed turned to leave, one of Slatter’s men put his foot out and tripped Jed, sending him stumbling into Slatter.
Before Jed could get his footing, Slatter punched him in the stomach. Jed doubled over, and Slatter delivered an uppercut to his chin. He fell backward and crashed into a table, which splintered and collapsed.
Dazed, Jed rolled aside when Slatter made a dive for him. The drunken bully landed on the floor, giving Jed a chance to get back on his feet.
Everyone scrambled to stay out of the way as the two men faced off. Jed landed a solid punch to Slatter’s jaw before two of his friends grabbed his arms and held them to his sides while Slatter punched him several times in the stomach again. Jed’s insides felt on fire as he struggled to free himself from their grasps.
Though Nathan tried to come to his aid, the third man shoved him back just as Caroline, Garrett, and Buffer appeared in the doorway.
“Don’t you hurt them!” Garrett shouted. He rushed to their aid and began kicking at Slatter’s leg while Caroline shouted for help.
“Get away from me, you little bastard.” Slatter struck out with a backhand and knocked the child off his feet. With a feral growl, Buffer leaped at Slatter and got a hold of the bully’s leg.
Cursing, Slatter tried to shake him off, and the two men holding Jed released him and headed for cover. The third man drew his pistol to shoot the dog. Seeing his intention, Jed dove and landed a punch on the man’s chin. The gun went flying and slid across the floor to the feet of the tall man in the doorway. Sheriff Randy Newman entered the barroom, followed by Caroline.
“Call off Buffer, Garrett, or I’ll have to shoot him,” the sheriff warned.
“Buffer, stop!” Garrett cried. “Come here.”
The dog released his hold on Slatter’s leg and trotted over to Garrett, who knelt down and petted him.