Becky opened her eyes groggily. Her mind was still befuddled by her dream. It took a moment for her to understand the shrill wail that still filled her ears; then, with a smile, she rolled to her side and looked down into the cradle that Garrick had placed next to her bed. “Hello, princess.”
“Is she hungry?” Garrick asked, sitting up and rubbing his hand over his face.
“I don’t know. Probably.” Becky glanced toward him as he rose from his bedroll and walked over to them. Garrick hadn’t bothered to undress when he fell into bed. His hair was disheveled, his clothes rumpled, a day’s growth of whiskers shadowed his face, and he looked exhausted. Becky thought he was beautiful.
“It’s been several hours, I think.” Garrick bent over and picked the baby up, his huge hands nearly covering the tiny body as he placed the squalling infant in her mother’s arms. “As I remember, they eat pretty often when they’re first born.”
“Have you been around many babies?” Becky asked, fumbling with her nightgown.
Garrick reached over and undid the buttons for her. “I have seven younger brothers and sisters. When I look back on it, I can hardly remember a time when there wasn’t a baby in the house. Well,” he said, turning away, “I suppose I’d better rustle up some grub for us, too.”
After parting her gown awkwardly, Becky managed to maneuver the baby into place and sighed with relief when she felt the sudden insistent tug at her breast. It was a good thing babies were born knowing what to do.
Becky smiled softly to herself as Garrick stoked up the fire in the cook stove. Leave it to him to calmly unbutton her nightgown then give her privacy as she figured out how to get the baby into the proper position to nurse. He’d shown her how to hold the baby the first time, and it was easier now.
Becky marveled at the change her feelings had undergone during the night. She had loved Garrick before, but somehow what they had gone through together had forged a deeper bond between them. As she touched the golden down of her daughter’s head, a feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced flowed through her. She had this precious child and a husband she loved. Surely life could be no sweeter.
“Breakfast will be ready before long,” Garrick said fifteen minutes later as he set a chair backwards next to the bed and straddled it. Crossing his arms, he leaned on the chair back and settled down to watch.
Becky smiled at him then looked back at the baby. “Can you believe how perfect she is?”
“Ja, she’s something.” Garrick couldn’t tear his eyes away from mother and child. The sight stirred something deep within him, something primitive and very male. As Becky put the baby against her shoulder and patted her back, he experienced a sudden surge of protectiveness that was almost painful in its intensity.
Becky smiled as a muffled burp sounded against her shoulder. “Do you want to hold her?”
As Garrick took the baby and settled her in his arms, Becky marveled at how comfortable he looked. He acted as if holding a tiny scrap of humanity not much bigger than his hand was the most natural thing in the world.
“Got morgen, lite barn,” he said softly looking down at the tiny bundle in the crook of his arm.
“What does that mean?” Becky asked.
“I just told her good morning.” Garrick smiled as the baby wrapped her hand around his finger. “Have you decided what to name her?”
“I really hadn’t thought much about it.”
“Uh-oh.” Garrick grinned. “This is going to be just like naming the colt.”
“I refuse to call her Socks!”
Garrick chuckled. “Then how about Dawn? That’s when she was born.”
“You’re always so practical,” Becky said with a smile. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to name her after your mother.”
“My mother?” Garrick couldn’t have been any more surprised if Becky had said she wanted to name the baby Cleopatra. “Why?”
“Because I like the name Alaina and because you’re her father. Neither the baby nor I would be here if you hadn’t saved me last spring. If you hadn’t known how to get her breathing this morning, she’d have died before she ever lived. You’ve given this baby life as surely as I did. Don’t you feel it?”
“Ja, I feel it.” Garrick wondered if Becky had any idea of the gift she had just given him. “I’m sure my mother would be flattered to have a granddaughter named after her.”
“Is this her first?”
Garrick was silent for a moment then sighed. “To tell the truth, I don’t know. I suppose several of my sisters are married by now, and maybe even some of my brothers.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen your family,” she asked softly.
“A lifetime.” He stood up and placed the baby in her arms again. “I guess I better get breakfast finished.”
Becky bit her lip to keep it from quivering as he walked away. She’d unwittingly crossed the line once again. When would she learn not to delve into his past?
Chapter 17
“Put on your coat while I wrap Alaina up nice and warm,” Garrick said, taking the baby from Becky’s arms. “You’ve both been cooped up in this cabin for almost three weeks. It’s time you got outside and got some fresh air.”
“But Garrick, there’s two feet of snow out there,” Becky protested.
“Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of that.”
“I suppose you shoveled a path so Alaina and I can take a nice little stroll to town and back.”
“No, it’s easier to travel over the top of the snow up here in the mountains.”
“If you expect me to get on those infernal skis of yours you can forget it!”
Garrick grinned at her as he finished putting Alaina into her new fur-lined bunting. “My skis are much too long for you.”
“It’s just as well.” If the truth were known, Becky was more than a little fascinated with Garrick’s skis. She’d viewed them as a curiosity from his Scandinavian heritage until she saw how fast he could travel on them. Instead of battling his way through the drifts, Garrick sailed over the top. Unfortunately, skiing wasn’t very lady-like, so Becky kept her yearning secret. “The last thing I want to do is strap a couple of boards to my feet,” she said, pulling on her mittens.
“This won’t be the least bit undignified,” Garrick assured her as he placed Alaina in her arms and wrapped the ends of her scarf around her neck. “In fact, you’ll be the envy of all who see you.”
“And who’s going to see me way out here?”
Garrick’s eyes twinkled as he pulled on his gloves. “Who said anything about staying here?” He opened the door and stepped to the side. “Shall we go?”
Mystified, Becky followed him outside where she gasped in surprise. The last thing she’d expected to see was Sophie hitched to the buckboard. It took her a moment to realize the wheels had been replaced by runners. “You made it into a sleigh!”
“I’m a blacksmith, you know. We do things like that.”
“Oh, Garrick, it’s wonderful!”
“Let’s try it out,” he said, grasping her around the waist and lifting her and the baby up to the seat. In a moment, he was beside her and gave Sophie the signal to start.
Unlike wheels, the runners glided over the bumpy road like silk over glass. Buried beneath the thick blanket of snow, the ruts were but a memory as Sophie pulled the sleigh through the drifts.
The main road had been packed down by the traffic, and Sophie broke into a trot as soon as they turned on to it.
Becky laughed in sheer delight as they sped toward town. “It feels like we’re flying!”
Garrick just grinned, pleased by her obvious pleasure. He slowed when they came to town, carefully avoiding the places where garbage or horse dung encroached on the snow. They soon left South Pass City behind as Sophie followed the road out of town. At the top of a high hill, Garrick pulled back on the reins and brought Sophie to a stop.
“Are you ready to try it?”
Becky’s eyes gaze to his f
ace in surprise. “Me?”
“Of course, you. I think Alaina might be a little too young,” he said with a grin.
Though Becky was daunted by the idea, she couldn’t quite keep the excitement out of her voice. “Are you sure?”
“If you’re going to use the sleigh to get around, you’ll have to know how to drive it. I don’t know any other way to teach you.”
“You mean it’s mine to use?”
“The only time I’d need it is when you and Alaina are with me. I can ski the rest of the time.” He wrapped the reins around the brake lever before taking Alaina from Becky’s arms and peeking under the blanket that covered the baby’s face.
“She’s sound asleep,” he said, tucking the bundle into the crook of his arm. “You may as well get started. It’s pretty much the same as driving a wagon. A sleigh just moves a little faster.”
For once, Becky was grateful for her husband’s stoic demeanor. No matter how bad her mistakes, he seemed unaffected. Even when she took a corner too fast and nearly wrecked the sleigh, he just told her to slow down a bit. At last, he pronounced himself satisfied with Becky’s driving and took the reins back.
“How are you and Alaina doing?” he asked. “Cold yet?”
“No. With the rabbit fur you got for the inside of Alaina’s bunting, I think she could stay out all day and not get cold.”
“How would you like to ride over to Atlantic City and back?”
“Oh, could we?”
“I figure if enough people see us it will bring in business. Everybody will want runners for their buckboards and wagons.”
Becky didn’t care what the reason for the trip was; she thoroughly enjoyed herself as they flew over the snow-packed road. The small seat of the buckboard and their heavy coats forced Becky to sit with her body pressed against Garrick’s side, a situation she found very much to her liking. The contact caused an odd little fluttering in her stomach and made her want to grin like a fool.
Since she was no longer pregnant, Becky was sure it wouldn’t be long now before Garrick decided to share her bed. Surely he’d only been waiting for the baby to be born. Of course, it would still be a few weeks before she was healed enough, but then... She gave a happy sigh and snuggled closer against his side.
“What?” he asked looking down at her with an inquiring smile.
Becky startled guiltily and looked away so he wouldn’t see the telltale blush staining her cheeks. “Oh, nothing.”
“It must have been something. That was a satisfied sigh if I ever heard one.”
“I was just thinking how much fun this is,” she said thinking quickly. “I’m so glad you thought of it.”
“So am I.”
He slapped the reins against Sophie’s rump, and Becky giggled in delight as they sped up. But the bubbles of joy surging through her had as much to do with the anticipation of consummating her marriage as they did with the thrill of going so fast.
Over the next few weeks, Becky’s life settled into a routine. Every morning she did the things that needed to be done around the house. Precisely at noon Garrick would come home to eat lunch and play with Alaina.
After he went back to the smithy, Becky dressed Alaina warmly, hitched Sophie to the sleigh, and drove to The Green Garter. There she spent several hours sewing and taking cooking lessons while Angel and her girls did their best to spoil Alaina. Then it was home again to fix the evening meal.
Garrick returned at dusk. He fed the horses, ate supper, then spent the evenings much as he had before, though now he devoted a great deal of time to his daughter. Alaina was a constant source of joy for both of them, one more thing for them to share.
Still, Becky was dissatisfied. Expecting a closer relationship to develop with Garrick, she found herself becoming impatient when nothing happened. She rationalized it by telling herself he wanted to be sure she was fully recovered from Alaina’s birth, but she chafed at the delay. It wasn’t until Christmas that she began to suspect there was more to it than that.
Becky didn’t even notice that Garrick took longer than usual to feed the horses before breakfast Christmas morning. She was too busy trying to get her griddle cakes done before he came back. It was the first time she’d made them, and she wanted to surprise him.
The last griddlecake had just joined the others on the plate in the warming oven when he came in stomping the snow from his boots.
“Mmm, something sure smells good.”
“Griddle cakes,” Becky said, turning from the stove with a smile. “I told Angel I wanted something special for Christmas and she...” Becky’s voice trailed off in surprise as he handed her a shirt and pair of trousers.
“Merry Christmas,” he said with a grin.
Becky glanced at the clothes then back to his face. “I don’t understand.”
“You can’t ski in a dress.”
For the first time, she really looked at the skis leaning against the wall. She’d thought they were Garrick’s, but now she saw they were much shorter. “You made me skis?”
“I could tell you wanted some.”
“But how did you know? I mean, I never said anything...”
“You didn’t have to. I saw it in your eyes every time I strapped mine on.”
“Oh, Garrick.” She went to them and ran her hands over the polished surface, marveling at how smooth the wood was. “They’re beautiful. I hardly know how to thank you.”
“How about by feeding me breakfast?”
“Oh...” She scurried back to her stove, retrieved the cakes from the warming oven and set them on the table. Then, with a flourish, she set a brown paper package on the table next to Garrick’s plate.
“What’s this?” he asked, raising his eyebrows a fraction.
“Your Christmas present,” she said with a shy smile. “I hope you like it.” She hovered nearby, struggling to contain her excitement as he took his time unwrapping the package.
Garrick suppressed a grin. It was times like this that she seemed very young. “A new shirt,” he said, rubbing his hand over the soft wool.
“You really don’t have any winter clothes.”
“I do now,” he said with a smile. “This will keep me plenty warm. Thank you.”
Becky flushed with pleasure. “Better eat before it gets cold.”
With a nod, Garrick put the new shirt aside and attacked his breakfast like a man who had been too long without food.
As soon as breakfast was over and the dishes stacked, Garrick pushed back his chair. “Why don’t you leave those until later? They’ll keep until after your first lesson.”
“What about Alaina?”
“We’ll take her with us. I’ll get her ready while you change your clothes.”
“All right,” Becky said doubtfully as she picked up her new clothes and went behind the curtain.
By the time Becky had removed her dress and struggled into the unfamiliar trousers, she was questioning her sanity. The way they outlined her legs was downright indecent. She felt a little better when she put on the shirt. It was one of Garrick’s and hung nearly to her knees. There was still a great deal of her leg exposed, but at least it covered her hips and thighs.
The thought of wearing such an immodest costume in front of her husband was daunting, but she took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the curtain.
Becky’s embarrassment was forgotten instantly as she saw what Garrick was doing. Alaina was already snugly tucked into her bunting as Garrick adjusted the leather straps that held her against his chest.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Garrick didn’t even look up as he tightened one strap and loosened another. “Don’t worry, she’s perfectly safe.”
Becky eyed the strange harness dubiously. “Are you sure?”
“This is the way my father always carried the baby when we went skiing.”
“Your father?”
“Mama maintained that since she carried them for the first year he could carry them t
he second. He never dropped a single one. Besides, Alaina likes it, don’t you, min datter.”
It was true. As Becky crossed the room she could hear the baby gurgling and cooing in contentment. Obviously, Alaina was quite happy where she was.
“All right,” Becky said reaching over and smoothing the golden curls on her daughter’s head. “I guess you know what you’re doing.”
She glanced up at Garrick and caught her breath in surprise. The spark of desire she saw in his eyes as he admired her outfit, sent the blood singing through her veins. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone; leaving Becky to wonder if she’d imagined the whole thing.
“Shall we go?” he asked, putting on his coat.
“I’m ready if you are.”
It didn’t take long for Becky to discover skiing was far more difficult than it looked. With the skis attached to her feet, she was awkward and uncoordinated. She fell more than once, but Garrick, with his unending patience, was always there to get her going again.
At last, she managed to stay upright long enough to get her feet moving in the proper gliding motion. Suddenly, it seemed almost easy, and her confidence grew rapidly. Everything was going well until they came to a small incline. Garrick stopped at the top and showed Becky how to keep her skis under control.
Feeling quite bold after her success, Becky started down the hill without a qualm. She had only gone a few feet when she suddenly realized she didn’t know how to stop. As she continued to pick up speed, Becky began to panic. All at once, a small tree loomed in front of her, and she tried to swerve to avoid it.
The resulting crash looked far worse than it actually was, but Becky was still floundering around in the snow when Garrick arrived.
“Becky!” he cried in alarm, as he reached her. “Are you—Oomph.” One of Becky’s flailing skis connected with the back of his knee, and he tumbled into the snow next to her. He twisted as he fell to protect Alaina and landed flat on his back.
“Alaina!” Becky said in alarm as she struggled to sit up.
“She’s not crying...” Garrick uncovered the baby’s face anxiously.
“Agoo.” Alaina gave her parents a toothless smile.
Meadowlark Page 13