by Linda Ford
Sam’s eyes flashed admiration.
Nate thought the man saw where he could fit in.
Eventually, Phil moved to wash dishes. Miss Rolfe, Louise and Missy joined her.
“Looks like you need more wood.” Sam hurried outside and they heard the whack of an ax applied to logs. He returned with his arms full, and stacked enough wood to last her a day or two. “Anything else you need done?” he asked.
Phil chuckled. “I pretty well can do anything that needs doing.” She grew thoughtful. “But if you hear of someone nearby with cows they’d be willing to part with, you could let me know.”
“I’ll do better,” Sam said. “I’ll find you some. I’ll bring them in the spring.”
“You do that and I’ll be forever grateful.”
The pair looked at each other, unmindful of their audience. Nate turned away, feeling as if the moment should be private.
He slid his attention toward Louise and was caught in her dark, probing gaze. He couldn’t look away. All this talk about plans and the future had him thinking differently, wishing for things that were out of his reach. Wishing his cabin could be a real home.
She closed her eyes and sucked her lips back. Then she grabbed the edge of the cupboard.
Another pain. He’d hoped they had ended.
Missy noticed it, too, and reached for her elbow to guide her to the bench. Louise sank down beside Nate and rocked back and forth.
He rubbed her back until the pain passed.
Phil watched Louise, her face sober. “The baby?”
Louise shook her head. “I hope not. Maybe I just ate too heartily.” She gave a sound that was half chuckle, half groan. “It’s been days since we ate so well.”
“It’s something more than the food.” Phil sounded concerned.
“We’ll see.” Louise sat upright and waved away Phil’s comments. “You were telling us about starting a ranch.”
Phil shrugged. “You’ll know if it’s real soon enough.” She sat down. Somehow she managed to be at Sam’s side. As the pair talked about cows and horses, Phil’s gaze came often to Louise.
After a bit, Louise began to rock back and forth again. Another pain.
Nate rubbed her back and she grabbed his free hand and squeezed so hard his fingers were mashed together.
When the pain passed, Phil pushed to her feet. “You are going to sleep in my bedroom tonight.” She pushed open the door to reveal a bed covered in a quilt, a rag rug on the floor and another table with a stool beside it.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Louise protested.
“Yes, you can,” Nate said.
“Now who’s bossy?”
He chuckled. “I learned it from the best.”
But already another pain grabbed her middle.
Phil waited for it to pass, then shooed the men outside. “We’ll call you when the women are ready.”
Nate held back. “Louise, are you okay? If you need me…”
“I’m okay.” Her mouth said one thing, her eyes another. Only Phil making shooing signs persuaded him to leave.
Louise needed him. Maybe just for the evening. Maybe for the night. Might even be a bit longer. He knew it wasn’t permanent, but as long as she needed him, he meant to be available. She could count on him.
He left with the other men, but when they went to the barn, Nate hung around outside the way-station door just in case Louise needed him. In a few minutes, Phil called out for them to come back. Sam must have been waiting for the call even more anxiously than Nate, for he was the first through the door, practically running over Nate in his rush to get back inside. Nate grinned. Seemed Sam and Phil were interested in more than cows and ranching. They just might be interested in starting a home together.
Nate thought of the cabin on the ranch he hoped to buy. If he put a little work into it, could it be a home? Only a woman and a baby would turn it from a house to a home. He shook off the notion as he stepped inside.
Missy and Miss Rolfe were gone, presumably behind the curtain drawn across the far end of the room.
“Your wife is in my bedroom,” Phil said.
“I’d like to say good-night to her.”
“Go right on in.”
He tapped on the door. “Louise, it’s me.” He waited a moment, then went inside, closing the door behind him.
Her eyes were big.
He knelt beside the bed and cradled his arms about her. “Are you scared?”
A flash of denial crossed her eyes and then they grew teary. She reached for his free hand. “I’ve never done this before.”
He stroked her hair. “I know. I’m right on the other side of the door. If you need me, just call.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
They clung together. “I can stay here if you want. There’s plenty of room on the floor for me to sleep.”
Her eyes devoured him. He would stay at her side as long as she needed him. Then she drew in a breath and found a source of inner strength. “There’s no need for that. I’ll be fine.”
Yet, the way she held his hand said otherwise.
He pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. She smelled sweet.
“Did Phil wash you in rosewater?” he asked.
Louise chuckled, a sound that eased through his heart like honey. “She insisted I would feel better after a good wash and she did it for me. She’s a wonderful person.”
“I think Sam would agree.”
Louise smiled at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “They both deserve someone nice.”
He stroked her forehead. “So do you.”
She caught his hand and pulled it to her cheek. Tears clouded her eyes. She was about to say something, when another contraction gripped her.
He rubbed her back until it passed.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“I’ll sleep now,” she whispered. “You should, too.”
He got to his feet. “Good night, then.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He didn’t want to leave, but he could hear the men shuffling around as they prepared for bed. “I’m here if you need me.” He stepped from the room before he could change his mind.
Phil waited at the curtain. “Everything okay?”
He shrugged, not knowing what to say.
She seemed to understand. “I’ll listen for her.”
He unrolled the clean-smelling bedroll and lay on top of it. He’d never be able to sleep knowing what she had to face.
Yet at some point he drifted off.
A sound jerked him awake and he sat up in a sweat. Louise! He was on his feet instantly.
Phil held up her hand. She had lit a lamp and was heading for the bedroom door. “I’ll tend her.”
He wanted to argue. Louise needed him. He needed to do something to help her, even if it was only to rub her back and speak words of encouragement. But Phil closed the door firmly behind her. It was no place for a man, not even a man posing as the husband. Though at the moment, he didn’t want to pretend. He wanted the right to be there with Louise and assist.
“Go back to sleep,” Archie whispered. “It could take a while.”
Hours later, the sky turned to gunmetal grey. Dutch got up, stretched and yawned, then said, “I’ll see to the horses.” He left the room.
Nate had been pacing in his stocking feet for an hour, listening to the muted sounds of pain. “How much longer can this go on?” Louise was brave and made little noise, but, alert to every sound from the bedroom, Nate had heard her groan time after time. Every sound of pain had ripped at his innards until he felt weak and battered.
The others rose and put away the bedding.
Missy hurried over and paused at the door. “I’ll see how she’s doing.” She disappeared inside.
Nate stared at the door as the minutes ticked by. Why wasn’t she coming out? There must be something wrong. He was her husband. He had a right to know. He took a step toward the door, intending to forgo convention and
go to Louise’s side, when Missy stepped back out.
“Phil says it will be a while. I said we’d manage breakfast on our own. Meanwhile, there’s a trunk on the coach that has the baby things in it. Someone could bring it.”
Dutch, who had entered at that moment, heard Missy and swung about. “I’ll get it.” He was back in moments. Miss Rolfe helped Missy push the trunk into the bedroom, then they stepped out and began meal preparations.
“Why don’t you men go outside and help with the chores?” Missy suggested.
Sam took Nate by one arm, Archie took the other, and they guided him outside and over to the barn.
“Boys,” Dutch said, “it’s almost dawn. We need to move on.”
Nate stared at him. “We’re not going anyplace until that baby comes.”
Dutch shrugged. “You couldn’t ask for a better place to hole up than here.”
“Hole up?” The meaning hit him. “While you and the others go on?”
Dutch nodded. “There’s no need for the others to stay here. They paid for timely passage. It’s my job to get them to Fort Macleod as soon as possible. We’re already one day behind schedule because of the storm.”
“We’re not in that big a hurry,” Archie said.
“I don’t mind staying here a bit,” Sam added, grinning widely.
Dutch shrugged. “It’s your decision, but it has to be unanimous.”
“I’ll ask Miss Rolfe,” Sam said as if he couldn’t wait to get back in the house. He trotted away and returned in a few minutes with the news that Miss Rolfe indeed would delay her journey until the baby came. Missy was also in agreement.
“That’s it, then,” Dutch said. “Let’s hope that little one doesn’t take too long. I’ve heard it can take days.”
Nate felt the blood rush from his face and he grabbed the nearest gate. “Days? You’re joshing.”
Dutch nodded. “Yup, and it gets worse before it gets better.”
Archie took Nate by the arm and led him away until they were by themselves. “Your wife is young and strong. She’ll be fine. Sometimes I think it’s harder to be the man and not able to do anything but watch and wait.”
Nate shuddered. “I would take the pain if I could. It’s not fair for her to endure so much.”
Chapter Thirteen
Searing pain ripped through Louise. Phil rubbed her back and encouraged her.
The pain passed, but she knew it would come again. Wave after wave.
“How much longer?” she asked.
“Not long. Soon you’ll have a little one to hold.”
“Can’t you make it stop?”
Phil shook her head. “’Fraid not.”
Another contraction gripped Louise. “Where’s Nate?” She wanted to squeeze his hand, have him rub her back.
“I sent them outside. Men aren’t good with this sort of thing.”
When another contraction hit, Phil tried to soothe her. “Don’t fight it,” she said in a soft tone.
Louise wondered how Phil knew about birthing, but it didn’t matter. All that counted was getting through the next contraction and the next one until this ended.
Phil turned out the lamp and drew back the heavy curtains on the window at the end of the room. Dazzling light flooded the room.
Louise sat up. “It’s dawn. Have they gone?” Had she been left behind?
“They’ve decided to delay for the day.”
“Delay? Oh, no.” Nate might miss his meeting and it would be her fault. He would never forgive her. She had to tell him to go. But she didn’t want him to. It wasn’t a rational thought, but how could she be rational when this pain took over her body.
She lost track of time and every other thought except making it through the next contraction.
Through the pain, she heard Phil’s voice. “Tell me when you feel like pushing.”
“Now.” She grunted.
Phil went to the foot of the bed. “It will be soon now.”
A bit later, Louise decided Phil’s idea of soon was vastly different than hers. She fell back on the mattress, soaked in sweat and exhausted.
Phil patted her shoulder. “Rest a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Louise closed her eyes. Please let Nate come. I need him.
The door reopened and Louise looked up into Missy’s worried smile.
“She’s going to help you,” Phil said. “She’s going to sit behind you and hold you up so you can push better.”
Missy climbed into bed and held Louise.
Drenched in pain and in sweat from the strain of pushing, Louise lost track of time. She had no idea how long it was until Phil called, “It’s a girl. A perfect little girl.” A thin cry announced her daughter’s entrance into the world.
Louise managed a smile. “A girl. Let me see her.”
Missy eased from the bed to look at the baby. “Oh, she’s beautiful.”
Phil wrapped the baby in a square of flannel and laid her on Louise’s chest. Louise smiled at her daughter. “You are the prettiest baby ever.” Dark blue eyes considered her solemnly as if to demand who was responsible for bringing her into this bright world.
Louise traced the rosebud ears, checked for the correct number of toes and fingers. “She’s perfect.”
Phil and Missy chuckled. “She certainly is.”
Phil opened the door and called, “It’s a girl.”
“I want to see her.” Nate’s voice brooked no more delay, but Phil pushed him away. “Give us time to clean them up.” She closed the door.
Louise lay back exhausted and content, her baby on her chest.
“I’ll bathe her.” Phil took the baby and sponged her clean, then put one of the handmade nightgowns from the trunk on her. “Did you make these?” she asked, admiring the delicate embroidered flowers along the neckline and hem.
“I sewed them. My aunt embellished them.” Oh, Aunt Bea, if you could only see your grandniece. As soon as she got a chance, she would send a letter to Aunt Bea and another to Pa.
Missy helped Louise wash and put on a fresh gown.
“It seems strange to have you taking care of me.”
“I know,” Missy replied. “You’ve always thought you should take care of me. It’s about time the roles were reversed.”
Missy brushed Louise’s hair and braided it as before, then Phil put the baby in Louise’s arms. “Ready for your husband?”
Louise nodded. She wanted him to see the baby.
Nate came in and the ladies slipped out, closing the door behind them.
Nate knelt at the side of the bed. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.” She laughed with pure joy. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
Nate touched the baby’s head, put his finger in her hand, and the baby curled her fingers about his. His eyes grew watery.
“I think she likes me.”
She’d learn there was much to like about Nate—except their journey would soon be over. But all she said was, “Of course she does.”
“Have you picked out a name?”
She met his eyes. “I thought you could help me.”
He looked surprised and then pleased and then thoughtful. “Wasn’t Mrs. Porter’s name Chloe? I like that.”
“I do, too. How fitting to name her after her grandmother and a woman that was special to us both.”
“So Chloe it is?”
She nodded, almost overcome with emotion. Tears stung her eyes and she couldn’t talk.
Nate cupped her cheek with his hand and waited for her to calm herself. “The others are anxious to meet her.”
“Let them in.”
He opened the door and the group crowded into the room.
“Did you choose a name?” Missy asked.
“Chloe.”
Missy’s eyes clouded with tears. “After my ma?”
“Yes.”
“Chloe Hawkins. I like it.”
She had no wish to correct Missy, and Nate didn’t seem to notice. Of course, everyo
ne else assumed the baby would have his name. She would not ruin the moment by thinking of the future.
One by one, the others slipped out. When she and Nate were finally alone, there was something she had to say. “Nate, you didn’t have to stay back on my account. I didn’t expect you to. Guess it surprised me that you did.”
He stared down at her, his expression unreadable, his blue eyes as dark as an evening sky. “Why didn’t you tell me you were so close to having the baby before we left?”
“Would you have taken us if you knew?”
“Probably not.”
“Then that’s your answer. But we’ll be okay now. Phil is a good sort.”
He crossed his arms. Standing above her like that, he looked formidable. Angry, even. “Do you really think I’d abandon you?”
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
He studied her for a moment. “Do you mean your mother?”
She nodded, shifting her gaze to the wee one in her arms. “Do you have any idea how it feels to have your mother leave you? I simply can’t imagine leaving my baby.”
He sat on the edge of the bed. “I suppose a woman would have to have some pretty major problems to leave her child.”
“I suppose so.”
“Problems that had nothing to do with the child.”
She considered his words as he waited, giving her time and space. Finally, she sighed. “I expect you’re right.”
“You know I am. Now, look, I promised to get you to the ranch and I will do so.” He patted her arm. “Think you can remember that?”
“I’ll try.” She wanted to ask if he would miss his meeting but couldn’t bear to risk this feeling of harmony between them. “We can leave yet today. I’m ready to travel.”
He chuckled. “It’s almost time for supper. Don’t think Dutch will want to set out now. So you relax and enjoy one more night in a comfortable bed.” He pushed to his feet. “Now I’ll let you rest before Phil chases me out.”
She didn’t need to sleep. She needed to get up and prove to them all she was ready to travel. But first she must tend the baby.
After she fed her newborn, Phil came in. “I’ll put her down and you sleep while you can.”