Renegade Cowboy

by Sara Richardson

  “Okay,” her friend whimpered. “Okay, let’s try.”

  Cassidy pushed the blanket up over Naomi’s hips and placed her hand low on her friend’s belly to feel for the next contraction. “I’ll count to ten, then I want you to start pushing. As hard as you can until I tell you to stop.”

  Naomi nodded, panting violently, holding tightly to Levi’s hand.

  He’d crouched over her, as though refusing to look at what was happening near where Cassidy stood.

  She did the countdown, and Naomi’s body seized. A strangled cry stuttered through her lips.

  “You’re okay, you’re okay,” Levi whispered over and over while he smoothed her hair away from her face.

  Cassidy watched the baby’s head crown. “Good. That was good. I need you to do that again when I tell you.”

  “I can’t.” Her friend writhed. “I can’t do this. Please don’t make me do this.”

  Levi sent a stricken look to Cassidy, but she simply glared at him. They had to get her through this. They had to deliver this baby.

  Seeming to get the message, he hovered over his sister-in-law. “You can do this. You’re so strong. It’ll be over soon,” he murmured. “Just a few more pushes.”

  “Another contraction is coming.” Cassidy moved in closer. “Give me a really big push, sweetie. As much as you’ve got.”

  Naomi dug her heels into the seat and pushed, screaming.

  Levi’s eyes squeezed shut as though he couldn’t take it.

  “Come on, come on. A little more,” Cassidy urged. The baby’s head emerged. “Good!” Supporting the baby’s head, she quickly cleaned her sweet little mouth. “Her head is out. But I need another strong push.”

  While Naomi grunted and pushed again, Cassidy positioned the blanket, guiding the infant’s shoulders, and there she was…a beautiful little baby girl.

  In the distance, sirens whirred.

  “She’s here,” Cassidy called, tears pricking her eyes. “And she’s so beautiful.”

  Leaving the cord intact, she maneuvered to snuggle the baby onto Naomi’s chest.

  “Oh…” Naomi sobbed. “Oh, hi. Hi, sweet girl.”

  “Dry off the baby’s nose and mouth,” Cassidy instructed Levi, who had frozen in place. “You need to rub at her chest and face to stimulate breathing. Now!”

  He seemed to wake and got to work right away while Naomi cradled her against her chest and cried. Within seconds, the baby’s strong wail put Cassidy at ease.

  “We have to get the placenta delivered,” she said, eyeing the amount of blood covering the blankets. It was a lot. Too much. Quickly, she went to work massaging the uterus.

  The ambulance pulled up next to the truck, and Molly was out before it’d even stopped. She sprinted over.

  Cassidy stepped aside. “Healthy baby girl,” she said. “Born about two minutes ago.” She lowered her voice. “Mom’s losing a lot of blood.”

  Molly nodded grimly. “We’ve got this.” She crowded the truck, followed by Brady, who was pushing the gurney. The medic wasn’t Cassidy’s favorite, but he’d have to do.

  “You’re in good hands,” she called to Naomi, backing away to give them space to work.

  Levi stumbled up from behind her. “Wow,” he mumbled weakly. “That was…wow.”

  She turned to him. His color looked even worse than before. “You okay?”

  “I’m…” He eased in a breath. “You were amazing,” he uttered.

  “Naomi was amazing.” She peered over to make sure they were taking good care of her. They’d already loaded her up on the gurney. As they passed by, Cassidy quickly squeezed her hand, stealing another look at the beautiful baby girl. “She’s so perfect!”

  “She is, isn’t she,” Naomi murmured, cuddling the little bundle to her chest. “Can you call Lucas?” she asked as they loaded the gurney into the ambulance. “He’ll be so devastated he missed everything…”

  “We’ll take care of it,” Cassidy promised, looking to Levi for confirmation.

  His gaze seemed to have locked onto the obscene amount of the blood that covered the blankets.

  “Whoa.” He swayed. Then, sure enough, down he went.

  * * *

  Bright light. Bright, painful light…

  Levi squinted. His eyelids were so heavy…

  “There we go,” Cass murmured over him. “Rise and shine, cowboy.”

  Cass. The delicate notes of her voice were enough to wake every part of his body. He forced his eyes to open. “Shit.” Wasn’t he a badass, lying on his back, next to his truck, staring up at the sky?

  Not far away, the ambulance peeled out onto the highway, sirens blaring.

  “They wanted to put you in there too, but I told them to go on ahead.” Cass knelt next to him, her blond hair haloed by the sun’s glow.

  Levi swallowed the sand in his throat so he could talk. “Couldn’t ask for a hotter nurse,” he said, earning himself a sexy little quirk of her lips.

  “You just passed out, Romeo. You might want to wait five minutes before hitting on your nurse.”

  “I never waste an opportunity.” Especially seeing as how he had limited time to convince said nurse he was worth the long-distance effort. Masking pain with a grin, he pushed himself to a sitting position. “Besides, I feel great.” Minus a skull-crushing headache.

  “You sure?” Cass looked into his eyes as though assessing his medical status. “No headache or nausea?” Concern pulled at her lips.

  “Nope. Nothing hurts.” The last thing he needed right now was for her to admit him to the hospital so they could diagnose him with yet another concussion.

  “Luckily, you slowly slumped to the ground. Better than keeling straight over and hitting your head again.” She stood up and brushed herself off, and he took the opportunity to study her legs. Mountain biking had sculpted every lean muscle, from her calves to her quads. Hell, he loved those biking shorts…

  “That was quite a spectacle.” Her smart-ass gaze teased him. “Watching a big, tough cowboy faint at the sight of blood.”

  Even the mention of the word was enough to bring on that woozy sensation again. “That was a lot of blood.”

  Cass’s teasing expression dimmed. “Which was why I wanted them to get her out of here.”

  Another hit of adrenaline ripped through him, and he sprang to his feet. “Will she be okay?” He couldn’t face his brother if she wasn’t…

  “She’s in good hands. They’ll get her stabilized. Molly’s the best. She’ll keep me posted.” Cass smiled softly at him, the way she had that night when he’d made her dinner. “You did really good, Levi.”

  He laughed. “That’s generous. I completely panicked.” He had no problem keeping it real in front of her. She’d just seen him at his worst. If she could get past that, then maybe they could have a future.

  “It’s understandable,” Cass said quietly. “A lot can go wrong in those situations. Trust me.”

  “You’re so brave.” She did this kind of stuff all the time—handling emergencies, delivering babies. He didn’t want to know what could go wrong, couldn’t stand to think about it. It was awful enough seeing Naomi in so much pain.

  He eased out a breath, the remnants of adrenaline still pounding through him. “So you’re sure nothing went wrong this time?”

  “As far as I could tell, the baby is healthy. And Naomi is almost to the hospital by now. They’ll take care of her.” Cass leaned against his truck as though she needed a reprieve too. With the emergency now further behind them, he let himself admire her. He loved her hair that way—pulled back loosely to expose her graceful neck. He loved the petite frame of her body, delicate but also curved, somehow both soft and strong.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” She eyed him as though doing a quick medical assessment.

  “I’m good.” In fact, he hadn’t been this good in a long time. “We just delivered a baby together. I know you did most of the work, but it was so incredible.” It was still sink
ing in, but he knew he’d never forget it. Never forget Cass working so methodically and focused but also somehow compassionate too. He’d never forget her handing the baby to Naomi so lovingly. He’d never forget that first glimpse of his new niece…

  Cass’s full lips curved again, drawing him closer to her. He couldn’t stay away. Everything they’d just gone through had deepened the bond between them, whether she wanted it to or not.

  It seemed she preferred the not. Cass stepped away from him and peered into the backseat of his truck, clearly avoiding any close contact. “So it looks like you did a good job protecting the upholstery. Molly took all the blankets with them, but I’m sure I can get them back for you.”

  “No. That’s okay.” He wouldn’t be needing those back. Ever. He stepped close to her again, trapping her against the truck, unwilling to let her search for any more diversions to hold him off. Every time things got intense between them, she pulled away.

  “You need to call your brother.” Her eyes refused to meet his, but her voice had that same breathless quality she’d had when he’d kissed her neck.

  He’d like to do that to her again, kiss his way down her neck until she was gasping, but she had a point. The phone call probably shouldn’t wait.

  Making his hesitation obvious, Levi backed off and dug out his cell. “What the hell am I supposed to say?”

  “Tell him his wife had their baby and he’d better get his ass back here as soon as possible.” The distance between them seemed to relax her. She looked boldly into his eyes again. Yet another reminder that he couldn’t push her too hard. Even if it killed him, he’d have to give her space, keep things light. For now, anyway.

  “I hope he’s sitting down,” Levi said as he dialed his brother.

  After a few rings, Lucas answered.

  “What’s up, Levi?”

  “What’s up?” he repeated, glancing at Cassidy for assistance. He’d never been good at things like this. Real conversations with his brothers. He’d rather be giving Lucas shit than telling him he missed the birth of his daughter.

  Nurse Cassidy prompted him with a nod. “There’s really no way to put it delicately,” she said, letting him off the hook.

  So he went for it. “Your wife just had a baby in my truck,” he said. “That’s what’s up.”

  Lucas laughed. “Nice.”

  “I’m serious,” Levi shot back.

  Cass snatched the phone out of his hand. “I delivered the baby. According to a text I just got from Molly, your sweet little angel and your wife arrived at the hospital.”

  Even though the phone was a good two feet away, Levi heard the swearing.

  “She’s doing okay. Lost some blood, but the doctors are on top of it,” Cass said patiently. “The baby is perfect. It all happened really fast. No one had time to call you. We were a little busy with the delivery.” After a silent pause, she handed the phone back to Levi with a grin. “I think he may have passed out too.”

  “None of us are good at shock.” And his brother had to be reeling right about now. He held the phone up to his ear. “How far away are you?”

  “About two hours.” His brother’s voice wavered. “I can’t believe I missed it. Did she look okay? Did Naomi do okay?”

  “She did great.” He decided not to mention the screaming. Or the fact that she’d nearly broken his hand. “She made it look easy.”

  “You’re going to the hospital, right?” Lucas asked. Couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard that kind of desperation in his voice. “Please. You and Cassidy have to stay with her until I can get there. Make sure she’s getting the best care.”

  “Yep. We’re on our way.” Levi dug the truck key out of his pocket.

  “Okay.” His brother exhaled. “Let me know when you’re with her. I need to talk to her. I need to hear her voice.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as we get there.” He hung up the phone and shoved it in his back pocket.

  Before he could step foot near the truck, Cass snatched the keys out of his hand. “You just passed out. I’m driving.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He dutifully climbed into the passenger’s seat while she went around the front. At least this way, he’d have some extra time with her. If he could keep it light and teasing, maybe she’d even let him kiss her again.

  Cass climbed into the truck and buckled in, starting the engine without hesitation. She looked so dainty behind the wheel of his F-450…

  “Lucas sounded pretty devastated, huh?” she asked, handling his truck like it was a BMW as she peeled out onto the highway.

  “Uh, yeah.” He grabbed the oh shit handle above his head and held on for the ride. “Maybe I should’ve called him sooner.” Like the first time Naomi had doubled over. That would’ve been good.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered. It happened too fast.” Cass cruised around the car in front of them, going at least fifteen over the speed limit. Levi tried not to watch the speedometer.

  “If they have another baby, they’d better camp out in the hospital parking lot,” she said with a laugh.

  “I’ll recommend that to Lucas.” He wasn’t doing this again. He was not going to have any part in childbirth unless it was with his own wife. Even then…“I’m not sure I could ever do that to a woman I loved.”

  “Do what?” Cass kept her eyes on the road, thank god. Because now she was doing twenty-five over. At this rate, they’d cut the twenty-minute drive to the hospital in half.

  “Get her pregnant,” Levi said, bracing himself as they went around a curve. “Make her go through that.”

  “She doesn’t remember the pain right now.” Cass slowed the truck as though she knew exactly where Dev’s patrol car would be parked. Sure enough, the deputy waved at them, seeming to do a double take when he saw Cass driving.

  Her eyes softened. “She’s holding her beautiful, healthy new daughter. Everything she went through is worth it.”

  Levi would have to take her word for it. She’d likely seen enough deliveries to know. “Do you want kids?” he asked, peering over at her. He’d thought he did, but that was before he knew how much trauma was involved.

  “Someday.” Cass glanced in the rearview mirror. With Dev’s patrol car far behind them, she hit the gas again. “Down the road,” she added quickly. “Why? Don’t you?”

  “Sure. Yeah.” For the first time in his life, he could see it. He could understand the desire to create a little miracle that would be part him and part of the woman he loved. He could see it with Cass.

  He gazed at her again, struck by that unrelenting ache to reach across the distance she kept between them. But then he’d lose her again. Keep it light. He had to keep it light. “I’m just wondering if maybe adoption is a better option. Something that doesn’t involve so much blood.”

  She laughed. She seemed to do that much more in his presence now. He loved it, hearing her laugh. It was the happiest sound he’d ever heard.

  “It won’t be so bad when it’s your own baby.” She grinned at him. “And it probably won’t happen in a car either.”

  “God, I hope not.” He hated feeling helpless. He’d had nothing to offer Naomi, no skills, no knowledge, and definitely no composure. “That’s what I get for asking her to help me finalize everything for the clinic.” Speaking of… “With her out of commission, I might need help with the logistics.” Late-night help. Endless hours of help…

  “What kind of help?” Cass slowed the truck and turned into the hospital parking lot.

  “Registration stuff, finalizing the insurance and budget.” He could do all of it himself, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. “And it’d be great to have you help with the kids too. It doesn’t pay, but I can promise you plenty of free massages.”

  Her face flushed. That was another thing he loved to see. The blush that told him he had an effect on her.

  “You don’t have to bribe me,” she said, still looking mighty warm. “As long as there’s no bull riding involved, I’m hap
py to help.”

  “No bull riding,” he confirmed. The events she’d be helping with would be a perfect introduction to a different side of the rodeo world. Maybe she’d start to understand why he loved it so much.

  Levi slipped his hand onto her thigh as she pulled into a parking space. “It’ll mean spending a lot of time together.”

  Her seductive smile tortured him. “I’d be okay with that.” She started to open the door, but he stopped her.

  “You’re okay with our arrangement. Right?”

  “Yeah. Of course.”

  Levi didn’t miss the slight hesitation that flashed in her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

  “Naomi and Jessa mentioned something this morning. Before everything else happened.” And he was hoping they were right. That maybe she wanted more…

  “You know how those two are,” she said, waving it off. “They want everyone to join the newlywed club.”

  She said it flippantly, but it didn’t sound like such a bad club to him. “And you don’t want that. You don’t want a serious relationship.”

  “No.” The word came out strong. “I already have enough complications in my life with the move. I can’t handle one more big thing right now.”

  He fought back the disappointment with a naughty grin. “Seems like someone already needs another massage.”

  She shook her head with exasperation, but a smile broke through. “Not here. Lucas asked us to go in and hang out with Naomi.”

  “Riiiiighhhhtttt,” he droned, pulling her into his arms. She might not want to define the terms of their relationship, but as far as he knew, kissing happened to be one of the best perks of a fling. And he intended to take full advantage.

  He took his time lowering his face to hers. Then he brushed a kiss over her lips, tasting sweet lemons and spice. Her body sank into him, and she laced her arms around his neck.

  Desire clawed at his chest as he deepened the kiss, tangling their tongues together. Flashes of heat burst inside him, demanding more, but he fought them back.