A Mail-Order Escape

by Janelle Daniels

  A Mail-Order Escape

  Miners to Millionaires - Book 7

  Janelle Daniels

  Dream Cache Publishing

  Sadie Johnston wasn’t planning to deliver her baby in the wilderness, but when she unexpectedly goes into labor while driving into town, it seems a good possibility. Spotting smoke, she forces her way into a ranch house not far from the road, determined to have her baby indoors. The quick-to-action owner delivers her child, sealing a place in their lives and in her heart. But after surviving an abusive relationship, she's not sure she’s willing to take the leap and trust.

  When Owen Judd helped Sadie birth her child, his life changed forever. He’s been running his family’s ranch, content with his work and books, never knowing what he was missing until the moment he first heard Jack cry. Months later, he’s still visiting them both, trying to earn Sadie’s trust and a place in their lives.

  But when Owen finally asks to court her, Sadie gets spooked, forcing Owen to hope their friendship blossoms into something more. He wants them in his life, but first, he needs to convince Sadie he’s someone she can take a chance on.ht quarters without giving in to what they want most?

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  To Dan. You always keep me going.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Titles by Janelle Daniels

  Chapter 1

  Sadie Johnston flicked the reins, urging the horse to pull the wagon at a faster pace. “I am more than capable of going into town alone,” she reassured herself for the twentieth time.

  Just because she was about to give birth didn’t mean she needed to be bedridden. Women had children all the time. Half the people in the world were women, so there was nothing extraordinary about her circumstances.

  And what did it matter if it was winter? Sure, it was cold, but the path into town was visible. As long as she stayed bundled up, she’d get to the mercantile and back with little fuss.

  Christmas was only a few days away. Everyone was busy with the holiday preparations, and Sadie hadn’t wanted to interrupt just to have someone accompany her. She was the one who wanted the extra cloth to make more baby gowns, so she should be the one going to town to fetch it.

  Besides, there weren’t as many people around to help as there had been when she’d first arrived in Promise Creek. Now that Rosalie had become recently engaged, she too would soon be out of the house, just like Clara, Olivia, Belle, and Aria.

  It was hard to believe it had only been earlier this year when she’d come to marry Ivan. Ivan had been a miner, who, for some reason, had ordered nine mail-order brides in addition to herself. The reason for his overabundance of brides will never be known, as he’d up and died just a few days before their arrival. So much had changed since then, and Ivan’s large home, which the women had all once shared, was now even larger and emptier as each woman found love and moved out.

  Sadie rubbed an ache in her stomach, trying to ease the pain, while still keeping control of the horse. She decided she must have eaten something which obviously hadn’t agreed with her. She puffed out a breath and watched it form in the icy air. She had so many aches and pains now, she prayed her time would come soon. She wasn’t sure she could handle this pregnancy much longer. How did other women make it look so easy?

  Perhaps Mrs. Stevens would know of a remedy she could try to ease her discomfort. Mr. Stevens certainly kept the mercantile stocked with anything a person could ever want. There had to be something there she could try.

  As the pain grew, she rubbed her tightening belly even harder, whimpering at the assault on her body. The pain peaked, then began to subside, and she sucked in a deep breath.

  Perhaps she should rest in town for a while. Not that sitting in the wagon was all that difficult, but if the jostling from the ride was the reason the pains had become so much worse, then she probably needed to take it easy.

  She scanned the sunny sky in an attempt to distract herself from the pain. The crystal blue was a stark contrast to the heaps of white snow surrounding her. The snow reminded her of the approaching holiday, and her feelings about it seemed to shift from one moment to the next. As a child, she’d relished everything about Christmas. But after her first and only Christmas with her husband last year, it was tainted with bad memories.

  No!

  Sadie vowed not to allow the magic of Christmas to be taken away from her. She made up her mind she would enjoy the holiday just as she had before, and would make sure her child loved it as well. This would continue to be a blessed time of year, and she refused to have it ruined.

  The ache returned in her stomach, but this time the pain spread to her back, and her breath caught from the force of it before she could cry out. The wave of pain swept over her, drawing beads of sweat to form on her icy skin.

  Something was wrong.

  But as the pain subsided once more, and she could breathe again, she decided it couldn’t be anything too serious. It was normal to have aches and pains while pregnant after all, and she felt perfectly fine now.

  She continued down the road, hoping the pain wouldn’t return.

  When it did hit again, a minute and a half later, even stronger than before, shock and knowledge filled her. Her baby was coming—now—and she wasn’t going to make it to town.

  Her hands clenched on the thick leather straps as her eyes darted around, before finally landing on a cabin with smoke rising from the chimney.

  She spurred the horse faster, praying she made it before it was too late, and gritted her teeth as pain flared again, encompassing her whole midsection as it tightened into a knot. She would get through this; she had to.

  She would not give birth in the snow.

  Owen Judd took a long drink of water, then dusted crumbs off his hands. He’d just finished a quiet lunch in his kitchen and had a few more minutes to spare before he needed to head back out. He glanced longingly into the living room at his bookshelf, but there was still plenty of work to do before he could jump into the new book he’d ordered and had finally received earlier that morning.

  He’d waited three weeks for it to come in and couldn’t wait to get started. But the ranch came first. After his father had passed, and his mother moved into town, he’d taken over running the place. To be honest, he had an excellent foreman and enough hands for the operation to run smoothly, but he liked to be involved at every point. It was his livelihood and legacy, and working it, building upon what his father had left him, brought Owen more satisfaction than he could have imagined.

  He glanced at his book again, part of him wishing he could slack off and stay here the rest of the day, but he refused to give in to the impulse. Besides, in a few hours, he could sit by the fire and read all night if he wanted to.

  He stood from the table, raking a hand through his sandy blond hair, before covering it with his broken-in, slightly dusty hat. He should probably buy another, but this one still had a bit of life in it. It seemed such a waste to get rid of it even though it might not look the best.

  He was just about to step out the back door when he heard a wagon pull up in front. He sighed at the interruption, but wouldn’t ignore whoever came to visit.

  He nodded to a few of his men who’d chosen to eat around the fire outside. “You go on. I’ll catch up.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

&
nbsp; A soft knock sounded on the door behind him, and he frowned. If it had been someone from the neighboring ranches, they normally just walked around to the back, knowing they would usually find him there. His mother wouldn’t have knocked either. She simply would have let herself in, assuming he wasn’t there to greet her anyway.

  Curiosity urged him to move rapidly across the floor to the front door and he pulled it open.

  His eyebrows rose when he found a woman, who was partially bent over, raise her head and try to smile at him, though her lips twisted into a grimace before she could fully accomplish it.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked her as he tried to find the cause of her obvious pain.

  “Yes.”

  He backed up in surprise when she quickly pushed past him and entered his home. “Are you injured?”

  “No—”

  The single word ended in a moan, and ice moved through him as his gaze flicked from her startling green eyes and the auburn curls plastered to her cheeks, down to her overly-large waist.

  The anguish in her throat turned to a scream, and his stomach dropped. “You aren’t…?” He gestured wildly at her midsection.

  “I am, unfortunately.” She tried to offer him another smile, but just like before, she wasn’t quite able to pull it off. Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips tightened, then opened on a gasp, followed by a tortured, “Ah!”

  Her legs wobbled, and he gripped her upper arms, helping her to remain upright. “Let me help you. Where is your home? I can take you there now.”

  When the pain seemed to subside a bit, she looked up and her regretful eyes met his. “There’s no time for that.”

  “You can’t have the baby now. Not here.”

  But, apparently, it didn’t matter where he thought she should have the baby. When she crumbled in pain against him after another contraction, he knew she was out of time. Her baby was coming right now, right here, and with the contractions so close together, they’d never make it anywhere else.

  A sudden calm descended upon him. She was alone, and he was the only one who could help her.

  Before she’d fully recovered from the most recent contraction, he tossed his hat away and swooped her up in his arms, cradling her to his chest, her weight nothing for him after all the years working the ranch.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped.

  “Taking you somewhere more comfortable to have your baby.”

  Thankfully, he always made sure fresh linens were kept on the spare beds for his visiting family and friends, saving him time when it was obvious she didn’t have much left.

  He could do this. He’d delivered hundreds of calves...how different could it be to deliver a human baby?

  When he eased her back on her feet beside the bed, she hurried to shimmy out of her underclothes. There was no time for propriety or embarrassment, though she did keep her skirts on. “I’m sorry for the bother. Try to ignore the screaming.”

  When she gestured for the door and leaned against the bed, panting in pain, he was shocked to realize she expected him to leave. Apparently, she intended to deliver this baby on her own. “You can’t honestly think I’m leaving you like this.”

  She gritted her teeth, then ground out, “In one more second, I’m not going to care what you do. But you don’t have to stay for this.”

  Owen was thunderstruck for a moment, but pulled himself together when she moaned. He rushed over to a chest placed against the wall and pulled out more clean blankets and linens. He kept an eye on her as he tore up some of the fabric into smaller pieces, knowing they’d be needed shortly.

  Another pain started and she moaned as she began to sink to the floor. “I think it’s time. I need to push.”

  He sprang into action and moved behind her, throwing a pile of blankets on the floor underneath her to cushion the hardness of the wood. He helped her squat down and supported her as she breathed deep and pushed, her obvious pain caused her to cry out, but he knew she was doing her best not to scream.

  Her skirts billowed around them, and he reached between her legs, careful not to touch her, but hoping to catch the child before it dropped to the blankets. It was unlikely the baby would be born on the first push, but Owen wasn’t taking any chances.

  The woman collapsed against him, and he moved his hands up to her arms, rubbing them gently, as he spoke words he hoped were encouraging. “You can do this. I’m right here with you.”

  She nodded, while taking in gulps of air. “I’m sure you probably didn’t realize when you woke up this morning, you’d be bringing a new life into the world today.”

  He appreciated her humor in the moment. It showed her strong character, regardless of the excruciating pain she was in. “Well, you know, I never quite know what I’ll run into with my herd. There’s sometimes an occasional surprise birth waiting for me.”

  She chuckled, but it was short and harsh, and he could tell another contraction was building. “Don’t hold back if you need to scream. I can take it.”

  This time, he wrapped an arm around her to help take some of her weight, and her hand clenched his tightly as she cried out. She was focused intently on one purpose. When she relaxed against him again, he held her quietly and waited for the next one. He didn’t want her to feel as if she had to talk if she didn’t want to.

  He stayed with her, holding her, and wishing he could take some of the pain from her, as the contractions occurred one after another, each one seeming more and more painful.

  “You’re doing great.” He took advantage of the quick lulls between pushes to rub her back, hoping it helped to ease some of the aches.

  “That feels so good.” She drew the words out with a moan of pleasure, and his heart eased a little, knowing his presence was helping her.

  But just how long would they be at this? He knew births varied, but he believed women generally labored like other women in their family. “Do you know how long your mother’s labor was?”

  “No.” She arched under his hands and he moved to where she subconsciously guided him. “But I don’t think it was long.”

  “Well, let’s hope it’s the same for you.”

  She laughed softly, before tensing at the beginning of another contraction. He supported her again, feeling her squeeze his hand as she bowed back against him. “Push!”

  She screamed as she pushed, then collapsed against him once more, pulling in huge lungfuls of air. “I think something is finally happening. It feels different.”

  “Check and see if you can feel the baby’s head,” he suggested.

  He heard her skirts rustle, then felt her body jerk in surprise. “I feel the head!”

  Excitement flooded through him, and the weariness fled. “Then you’re close. A few more pushes and your baby will be here. You can do this!”

  She nodded, her eyes now blazing with determination, and settled in for the next push. When her breathing changed, and her stomach tightened against his hands, he yelled, “Push!”

  He willed all his energy into her as she bore down. She arched, her entire body clenching, working toward its goal. The baby landed in his hand a second later, and in no time, a screech of outrage from the tiny being filled the room.

  The new mother collapsed against him, both crying and laughing, then took the baby from his hand, before bringing the tiny body to her chest. “You’re here. You’re here, little one.”

  Awestruck, Owen turned them so he could lean back against the bed, still holding her in his arms. His eyes locked onto the child’s sweet form over his mother’s shoulder, the baby curled against her, and the strongest urge to protect overwhelmed him. Someone so precious and innocent needed to be shielded and cared for.

  “He’s handsome.” He paused a moment, then laughed. “It is a boy, right?”

  The woman let out an amused puff of air and tilted the baby away, showing his front. “Most definitely a boy.”

  Owen grabbed a blanket from the clean pile next to him and placed it over her
arms and tucking it around the baby. “You have a perfect child. You were incredible.”

  She turned her head and looked at him, her bright green eyes only inches away. “Thank you, for everything.”

  Peace settled inside him, and he was amazed at how bonded he felt to this woman and her child. “I’m glad I was able to help you.” He looked down at the sweet little face of her baby. “Both of you.”

  Her bright smile faltered and turned into an embarrassed grimace after a moment. She cleared her throat. “I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Sadie Johnston.”

  He knew they hadn’t. Which was amazing in and of itself, because the town wasn’t that large. But he shouldn’t be that surprised, as he typically stayed on the ranch more often than not. “I’m Owen Judd.”

  “Is this your ranch?”

  He nodded, then remembered she couldn’t see him where he sat behind her, and said, “It’s been in my family for generations.”

  “How lovely.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments, both gazing down at the tiny baby, when a sudden realization hit Owen, and his stomach clenched. He’d been sitting here, holding Sadie and enjoying this miracle, feeling proud of them both, but these moments actually belonged to someone else.

  “I guess with everything happening so quickly, I didn’t think to ask if I should send for someone. Should I have one of my men fetch your husband?” He knew he should set her away from him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so yet.

  Sadie stiffened against him, and he could tell his words had bothered her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, and he could feel it as she forced herself to relax. “I didn’t mean to react that way. It’s just… there is no husband.”