Righteous Lies (Book 1: Dancing Moon Ranch Series)

by Patricia Watters

  "Honey, Lauren's my ex-wife. She killed my son. She means nothing to me."

  "She was at the hot springs pool with you." Definitely not something she intended to bring up now. She had enough flutters and other feelings in her stomach without adding anxiety over what went on in the natural hot tub with Jack and Lauren.

  "She took the horse she used to ride and tracked me there," Jack said

  "Were you in the pool when she found you?" Grace asked.

  "Yes."

  "Were you naked?"

  "Yes."

  "Did she touch you?"

  "Yes."

  Tears filled Grace's eyes. "You didn't have to marry me, Jack. I was okay with things the way we were. But I'm not okay with this. She killed your son. How could you have sex with her? I would have taken care of you, although I understand that it would have been a lot better doing it the right way than—"

  "Grace, stop!" Jack said, in a harsh voice. "Nothing happened. Lauren caught me at a bad time. I was sitting in the pool thinking about you, about how much I liked... well, holding your breasts, if you really want to know, and I got hard. When Lauren came in I got out of the pool and she assumed it was because of her. She put her hands on my chest, and I shoved them away and got dressed. I told her I planned to marry you, then got on my horse and started back to the ranch. She followed on her horse, trying to convince me to take her back, and that was that."

  "Then you told her you were marrying me before you told me," Grace said, as the realization dawned.

  "I was already thinking about it when I was up on the mountain earlier. Then at the hot springs pool, I knew getting married was right."

  "Because you were aroused," Grace said.

  "No, because my mind cleared enough while I was sitting in the pool listening to the sounds, to know what I wanted. Honey, you're my wife now. Don't complicate things." He grabbed the bags from the bed and headed out to the SUV, where Maureen was waiting to take them to the airport. Sam and Susan were already in Portland, since they'd been staying with Susan's parents. The trip to New Jersey came up so suddenly, they wanted to be close to the hospital where they could get Ricky's medical records together, and be nearby if he needed another transfusion. They'd also be flying on different planes since Maureen had been unable to book them on the same flight, although they'd all be leaving Portland at the same time.

  On the way to the airport, Maureen and Jack discussed what Greg planned for the lawsuit against the clinic, but Grace was barely aware of what they were saying, until Jack reached between the front seats and squeezed her hand, and said, "You want to eat before we board?"

  "No, my stomach's kind of—" definitely another pain. Not a contraction... exactly.

  "Kind of what?" Jack asked, turning around further.

  "Just nerves," Grace said. She glanced between the seats at the clock on the dash. A little over eight minutes since the last pain. But she'd been doing a lot of handwringing over the idea of flying, which was enough to make her stomach clench...

  At the airport, they met up with the others. Susan hadn't spoken to Grace since the night Grace told her she'd be having the baby in New Jersey, and she doubted if Susan and Sam even knew she and Jack were married. Which was confirmed when they were standing in a circle together before going to their individual gates, and Susan spotted the wedding rings. "You're married," she said, in a plodding voice. She looked at Jack for an explanation. It was obvious, her alliance was with Lauren.

  "Yes," Jack said. He took Grace's hand. But when Grace looked at him, she didn't see the face of a man who was overjoyed about being married. She saw the face of a man who was resigned to it. In time he might grow to love her, but for now she was his wife, only because she was the mother of his son.

  Sam shook Jack's hand and patted him on the back. "Mom mentioned something about you planning to marry, but we were so busy with Ricky it didn't sink in. I'm happy for both of you." Then he said to Grace, "Welcome to the family," and gave her a sincere hug.

  While Jack and Sam were discussing last minute ranch issues to pass on to their foreman, Susan said to Grace, "Things have been pretty overwhelming these past few days, but thank you for doing this. You're giving my son a chance at life."

  "He's a special little boy," Grace replied, finding it difficult to cozy up to Susan. Ever since hearing the venomous argument between her and Sam, and seeing Susan in action, knowing she was a manipulative, self-centered shrew, who had no attachment to the child she was carrying, Grace didn't even want to be around the woman. And now, Susan was her sister-in-law.

  "Yes, he is special," Susan said. "It's been a rough three years trying to find a bone marrow match, and when the cord blood transplant idea came up, we knew we had to do it."

  ...I'm stuck with this because you talked me into it...

  "It's funny," Grace said, "I got the impression from Jack it was Sam's idea."

  "Well, Sam was the one to suggest it," Susan said, "and Jack was willing to help, even after losing his own son."

  "I'm sorry, Susan, but Jack didn't really lose him, as though the baby died of an illness. Jack's wife killed him," Grace said, aggravated by Susan's rationalization.

  "I know," Susan said, "and I'm not trying to excuse Lauren. But she's been my friend for years, and she's not that kind of person. Everything was distorted in her mind—" she stopped when Grace grunted and pressed her hands to her belly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "Just a little knot in my stomach. I don't like flying." Grace glanced at a clock on the wall above the check-in counter. Eight minutes since the last one...

  A voice came over the PA announcing their flight.

  "We need to get going," Jack said, breaking away from Sam. "We'll see you in New York."

  On the plane Grace took the aisle seat so she could go to the bathroom whenever needed, and Jack sat beside her. Seeing her hands clutching the armrests, he unlatched her fingers, took her hand in his, and said, "Soon we'll be above the clouds where it's smooth and you can sleep. We'll be in New York for breakfast."

  Grace gave Jack a nervous smile and said nothing. But in her head, she was repeating to herself, like a mantra, a lot of things could happen but nothing will...

  Breathe in... and out... in... and out... in... and out...

  "Whoa," Jack said. "You're not having contractions are you?"

  Grace shook her head while continuing to breathe in and out until the pain passed. "Just trying to settle my nerves."

  "Everything's going to be okay," Jack said in a confident voice that didn't do squat for Grace's nerves. "In less than twelve hours we'll be checked into the Hilton and you'll be able to enjoy a few days in luxury before Adam comes."

  After the passengers filed on and took their seats, the PA boomed out the pilot’s welcome-aboard message, the seat-belt light came on, accompanied by the whine of engines, and the plane taxied to the end of the runway. There it stopped for a few minutes, then the pitch of the engines' whine grew higher, the plane raced down the runway, picking up speed, and in an instant, the nose rose and the plane lifted off, soaring upward into the air at a sharp angle. As it continued to rise, it vibrated and bucked and quaked. Grace let go of Jack's hand and shoved her arm into the curve of his elbow and clutched with both hands.

  "We'll be out of this in a minute," Jack assured her, covering her hand with his. Before long, the plane leveled off and began cruising smoothly and the seat-belt lights blinked off.

  Grace released the breath she'd been holding...

  And another pain started.

  Trying not to alert Jack, she smiled in a kind of grimace, and said, "This is better."

  "Yeah, you can close your eyes now. It'll be smooth flying until morning."

  Maybe not, Grace thought as she glanced at her watch. And they still had five hours to go.

  ...first babies can take hours...

  She made her first run to the bathroom...

  On her return, Jack grabbed two pillows from the rack above and
put one under Grace's head, then arranged his own and shut his eyes. Grace also closed her eyes, even managed to drift off a little, when suddenly the plane began to shudder and things started rattling, and it felt like they'd dropped several hundred feet before leveling off and continuing on a bumpy course. To Grace's alarm, the fasten seat-belt lights came on, and the flight attendants quickly took their seats. At once, Grace started shaking, and her heart started racing, and her muscles felt weak.

  "It's okay, honey," Jack said, taking her hand. "Just a little turbulence."

  "It feels like we're about to drop out of the sky," Grace said, her voice anxious.

  "Not a chance," Jack said. "These things are designed to withstand a whole lot more than this. Hurricane hunters fly into the eye of hurricanes and stay there for hours taking readings. This plane's designed to do the same thing."

  Grace said nothing, distracted momentarily by another contraction, stronger yet, and holding longer. But not unbearable. Just breath-catching.

  The plane stopped shaking, the seat-belt light went off, and between contractions Grace made her next run to the bathroom, then returned to her seat and closed her eyes again...

  Much later, hours in fact, Grace awakened in the semi-darkness of the cabin and saw Jack staring at her. "What's happening?" he asked, in a worried voice. "You were moaning."

  Grace released her breath as a contraction subsided—a reminder that she might have managed to drift off for a couple of minutes out of pure exhaustion, but there was still a baby on the way. "I guess I had a dream," she said, deciding to put it off a little longer.

  But Jack was wide awake and watching her, and she suspected he was beginning to put things together. Which he did when a contraction hit and she bit her lip to try to get through it. But she couldn't stop her hand from pressing against her belly, or the moan that accompanied it.

  Jack put his palm to her belly, and said, "You're having contractions."

  Grace nodded. "Nothing to get excited about. Their still three minutes apart."

  "What!"

  "Hush," Grace said. "You don’t need to announce it to everyone."

  Jack climbed over her and headed down the aisle. Immediately afterwards, a flight attendant bent over Grace, and said, "How close are your contractions?"

  Grace looked up at the woman, and replied, "Maybe three minutes. We're still scheduled to arrive just after seven aren't we?"

  The woman nodded. "We'll be landing in forty-five minutes. I'll call and have an ambulance waiting on the tarmac when we arrive."

  "That might be a good idea," Grace replied, feeling sharp pains in her back and increasing pressure down low. Turning to Jack, she said, "I need to go to the bathroom. Fast!" She stood. And immediately felt pressure unlike anything she'd felt before. "Something's wrong," she said. "I feel like he's about to come out."

  "Let's go." Jack took her arm and they shuffled down the aisle to the restroom. When Grace opened the door, Jack came in with her and she didn't protest. But the moment she sat on the toilet, she felt a rush of water.

  "Oh hell," Jack said. "Your water just broke."

  CHAPTER 12

  Jack helped Grace back to her seat, but as much as she wanted to rest, she wanted to walk more. It hurt her back to sit, and walking eased it. Her contractions were less than three minutes apart now, and it was still ten minutes before touchdown...

  By now, everyone on the plane knew she was about to give birth. And all Grace could think of was getting through the next contraction. Jack put the armrest up between the seats, and each time a contraction came, Grace moved between sitting, and laying curled on her side, and getting up and walking the length of the aisle with Jack holding onto her. She was at the far end of the aisle, and feeling increasing pressure, when the fasten seat belts light flashed on.

  "Hold on, honey," Jack said. He picked Grace up and carried her back to her seat.

  "I can hold onto you," Grace replied, "but I don't know about Adam."

  "There's an ambulance on the tarmac," Jack said. "They can deliver him there."

  "If I make it to the ambulance," Grace muttered then gripped the armrest as another contraction began to build. While she clenched her jaws, and gripped Jack's hand, and moaned, and even let out a little expletive, the plane made a wide circle, and when it banked before making the approach, Grace could see the parallel lights of the runway in the distance. Moments later, she heard the welcoming squeal of tires on the runway, and knew the plane had touched down. It taxied to the gate and the engines died.

  The instant the seat belt light blinked off, Jack unfastened Grace's belt, lifted her out of the seat and carried her down the aisle to the cheers of overjoyed passengers, then waited with her in his arms for what seemed like hours until the door finally ground open. Attendants with a wheelchair were waiting, and moments later, they whisked her and their carryon bags to an ambulance waiting with lights flashing. As soon as Grace was strapped to a stretcher, with Jack beside her holding her hand, sirens pulsated and the ambulance sped off.

  At the hospital, although pre-registered, Grace still had to sign for the cord blood collection kit that had been delivered by the lab. Between contractions she read about the procedure then signed several papers and was rushed to a triage room to be checked. When a nurse announced she was dilated three centimeters, Grace said, with shock and annoyance, "After twelve hours of labor, that's it? Three lousy centimeters?"

  "Twelve hours?" Jack looked at Grace. "I thought the contractions started on the plane."

  "Actually, they started this morning," Grace admitted then grimaced as a contraction began to build. After the pain passed, the nurse drew blood and wheeled Grace, with Jack trailing behind, to a labor room, where the nurse helped Grace into a gown and hooked her up to a fetal heart rate monitor, which showed the baby was doing well.

  "You'll be here a while," the nurse said, and left.

  "Twelve hours," Jack said, pedantically. "Why didn't you tell me you were in labor?"

  "You wouldn't have let me fly," Grace replied.

  Jack looked at her, his face sober, and said, "Is this going to be a pattern in our marriage?"

  "Well, not a pattern," Grace replied, "but I didn't know what you'd do, and I wanted to have the baby here for Ricky." She also knew Jack was setting the first parameters for their marriage.

  Jack took her hand, and said, while looking down at her, "Honey, this is about trust and honesty. You have to have some faith in me now. I'm your husband, and I'll be with you for the rest of our lives." And Grace knew Jack truly meant it.

  It hit her then that she was really married to Jack, husband and wife, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, and when Jack made his vows, he'd meant every word of them, except perhaps the to love part, which she was certain he planned to work on until it was a reality.

  "I'm sorry," she said, looking up at him through a mist of tears. Tears of joy that she had Jack as her husband and he intended to stay by her, and tears of anger with herself for not putting her faith in a man she knew innately would be devoted to his family. "I guess I should have said something. But I was afraid you wouldn't let me come here."

  "I wouldn't have," Jack said. "Your welfare and the welfare of our son is more important. But it's done now. I just want us to get off on the right foot." He bent over and went to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned quickly and her lips met his.

  She put her arms around his neck and started to steal a second kiss when a contraction hit. Hard. Removing her arms from around him, she gripped his hand and held her breath...

  "Breathe, honey," Jack reminded her. He started breathing with her, as he'd been instructed in class, and for some reason it seemed to help, that and having Jack's hand to hold onto, and his other hand stroking her hair, and his dark eyes, intense with concern, looking down at her.

  For the next two hours she became so focused on breathing through contractions, while gripping Jack's hand, she couldn't concentrate on anything else
. But with each contraction, she knew she was that much closer to seeing the baby who'd been growing inside her for nine months. Jack's son. Their little Adam, who she hoped would be a clone of his dad in every way.

  Sometime later, the nurse asked Jack to time contractions, which he did. But after a while, Jack said to Grace, "Instead of your contractions starting farther apart and getting closer, they're coming at odd intervals. I'm calling the nurse." Which he did.

  "The baby's heartbeat's strong and steady," the nurse announced, when she checked the fetal monitor. "A healthy baby who doesn't seem to mind at all staying where he is."

  Grace braced for the next contraction and clutched Jack's hand, knowing the crushing pressure in her pelvis would be worse. After bearing through it, certain she must finally be at ten, the nurse checked her, and said, "Yup, you're at four," and walked out.

  Two hours later, when she'd still made little progress, the nurse came in, rolling an IV bag, and said, "His heart rate's a little low. The doctor wants to put more fluid in you."

  Jack looked at the nurse in alarm. "What do you mean his heart rate's low?"

  "Nothing to be concerned about," the nurse assured them. "Fluids help dilation."

  Until then, Grace had been in drug-free labor, but she was exhausted, and even though she'd made it through six hours of hard labor she'd made no progress, and she was getting discouraged.

  "We're not sure why your wife isn't dilating," Grace heard the doctor tell Jack, a little later. "I suspect the baby's stuck because of his size and your wife's small pelvic opening, and maybe he's face up. We'll wait a little longer, but then we'll either have to go for a C-section or give her an epidural so she can relax, get some sleep, and try pushing harder." The doctor gave Grace's arm a comforting pat and left the room.

  Grace closed her eyes, and when she did, tears collected and emerged beneath her lashes. She felt Jack's hand on her face, and she looked up at him through a mist of tears, and said, "I don't want an epidural. It's bad for the baby."