by Linda George
Tom closed his eyes when he tasted the dumplings, dripping with chicken gravy. Tom couldn't believe how good everything tasted. Just like old times, with Trina home, cooking for them every day. “You're a lucky man, Gabriel.”
“I know.”
“Trina, these are the best dumplings you’ve ever made.”
Trina smiled. “Rosalie made them.”
Now it was Tom’s turn to grin like a possum. This time he winked at Rosalie.
Rosalie smiled shyly. “My father loves dumplings better than anything. I fix them all the time. My mother taught me how.”
Tom forked another bite into his mouth. The rich gravy coating the feather-light dumpling tasted like something from a dream. He would never say so aloud, but could Rosalie's dumplings actually be lighter than Trina's?
“This has to be the best chicken and dumplings I ever ate,” Tom said carefully. He wanted to compliment Rosalie, but not at his sister's expense. Her face contorted into a grimace. Damn. He had to straight this out quick. “Trina, I'm sorry.”
She clutched her distended abdomen, releasing a thin cry of pain.
“What's wrong?” Gabriel reached for her hand.
“The baby. I think it's coming.”
Gabriel's face went white. “The doctor. I have to go for the doctor.”
“Don't leave me, Gabriel!”
Tom pushed back from the table. “I'll go for the doc. Tell me where.”
Gabriel slammed one fist on the table. “Dammit, I forgot. He's gone to Abilene for his brother's funeral and won't be back for two more days. He promised she wouldn't deliver for another couple of weeks.”
“He forgot to ask the baby before he made that promise.”
Rosalie placed her hands on Trina's huge belly. “Have you been having other contractions today?”
“Yes, but I didn't think anything of it.”
“How long since the last one?”
“About half an hour. But not this strong. They've been coming and going for a month now. This is different, though.” Her eyes widened as water accumulated around her feet in a puddle. “My water just broke.”
“Let's get her into the bedroom. I'll need hot water and clean rags, and some extra pillows if you have them. And a bucket.”
Gabriel, worried and skeptical, hadn't moved an inch to comply with her requests.
“Gabriel, she's done this before. Trina's in good hands, believe me.”
“Rosalie has birthed babies?” Gabriel's brow wrinkled in concern.
“Dozens,” Rosalie told him. They didn't have time for a debate. She had to get Trina away from the men. “Take her to the bedroom”
Gabriel picked Trina up and carried her down the hall. Rosalie followed, calling over her shoulder to Tom, “Get that water boiling and find me some rags and a bucket! Hurry!” They'd have hours yet, but she needed him and Gabriel to do as she asked without a lot of discussion. There could be problems later on. Their immediate compliance could be crucial to Trina and the baby.
In the bedroom, Gabriel laid Trina gently on the bed, then went back to the kitchen where Tom had set a kettle of water on the flame to boil.
“Are you sure she knows what she's doing?” Gabriel's lips pressed tightly together, causing a pinched expression. His fingers coiled into fists at his sides.
“She's been midwife to a lot of women. And, without the doctor, she's the best we've got. I suggest we help her all we can.”
Gabriel sighed acquiescence. “I guess we have no choice. If anything goes wrong…”
“Nothing will go wrong.”
Rosalie called from the bedroom. “Where are those rags?”
“Coming.” Grabbing a stack of clean dish towels from the cabinet, Gabriel headed for the bedroom.
Tom hurried to the barn for a feed bucket.
Rosalie piled pillows behind Trina's back to elevate her to a position where she could push with more efficiency.
“Rosalie, I'm scared.” Trina's eyes had filled with tears. “No need to be. Women have babies every day.”
“I don't have babies every day, though.” Her face contorted with another contraction.
Rosalie counted silently to see how long the contraction lasted, and how long before the next one started. Labor had progressed farther than she expected. It should be hours.
Trina screamed.
“Don't hold back. Sometimes, screaming helps.”
Gabriel bolted into the room, his face pale, trembling like a rabbit caught in a snare. “Oh, God! Trina, are you all right?”
“She's fine. Having babies hurts, Mr. Hart. She's going to do a lot more screaming, so just get used to it. You have to have something in this house for pain or bleeding. Monthly cramps.”
Trina nodded. “There's Lady's Mantle in the cabinet. Behind the sugar.”
Gabriel didn't wait for more instructions. Before long, he returned with a small jar in one hand.
Rosalie nodded. “Good. Use some of that hot water and make tea. One heaping teaspoon in a cup of water. And keep making it.”
He left. Trina screamed. He came back.
“Go!” Rosalie regretted her sharp words to a man she barely knew, but Trina needed that tea more than she needed him to be close by.
“Rosalie, are you sure...that is—” Trina stammered, breathing hard. Her brow glistened with sweat.
“I know what to do. Everything you're feeling is normal. If you can relax completely during the contractions, they won't hurt as bad. I'll massage your feet. That helps, too.”
Trina collapsed onto the pillows, panting, holding her distended abdomen with both hands. “Thank God you're here, Rosalie.”
“You're going to have a fine, healthy baby in only a few more hours. Try not to wear yourself out too soon.”
“A few more hours? Why can't I just push now and get it over with?”
“Because babies have to make up their minds to be born, and they don't listen to anyone about when that should be. Try to think back to how happy you were when you learned you were pregnant. Don't dwell on the pain. Think about happy times.”
Tom came in. “What else we can do?”
“Keep the water hot and the tea coming. And keep Gabriel out of here.”
“No problem.”
Trina's face and body went rigid with pain. Rosalie massaged her feet until the contraction passed, then lifted her skirt. Remembering who this woman was, and wasn't, she felt she owed Trina an explanation of what she had to do next.
“I have to see how the baby is positioned. I'll have to touch you in intimate ways.”
“Go ahead. I don't care what you do. Just get this baby into the world quick!”
Rosalie smiled. Tom had intimated his sister was quite a woman. Evidently, he knew her well.
<><><><>
“Five hours!” Gabriel paced across the front room again, then turned toward the bedroom.
“Not yet, Gabriel. They don't need us, remember?”
“But why is it taking so damn long?”
“From what I've heard, five hours is just getting started good.” In truth, Tom had no idea how long birthing a baby took but he had to keep Gabriel from storming in, getting in Rosalie's way. Tom had been tempted to knock Gabriel clean off his feet and let him sleep off the waiting. All the pacing he'd done grated on Tom's nerves until he wanted to smash something!
“You mean we may have to wait even longer?”
The sharpest, most painful scream they'd heard yet came from the bedroom, followed by the lusty cry of a newborn baby.
Gabriel staggered back against a chair and dropped heavily into it. “Oh, God. Tom, was that—”
“Yep, I think so.”
Gabriel started toward the bedroom again.
“Just another minute. I figure Rosalie will let us know when it's time to come in.”
“Yeah. I guess.” Gabriel swung around and thrust his hand toward Tom. “Thanks, Tom. Waiting would've been hell without you.” He pumped Tom's hand vigor
ously.
“It was hell anyway, but you're welcome.”
The bedroom door opened and Rosalie came out.
“Your wife and daughter are doing fine, Mr. Hart. Would you like to see them now?”
Gabriel's face paled until Tom wondered if he might faint. But the color came back in a rush, along with a wide grin. “My daughter? And Trina's all right?”
“She's better than all right. She's the happiest mother I've ever seen. They're waiting to see you.”
Gabriel stumbled across the room, to the bedroom door, kissed Rosalie on the cheek, then went inside.
She blushed. “You, too, Uncle Tom. She wants you to see the baby.”
Tom had a Denver-sized lump in his throat, seeing Rosalie with her hair mussed, falling across her shoulders, face flushed with exertion and exhilaration. He knew he should say thanks or something, but emotion swelled inside him until it cut off all possible speech. He took a couple of steps toward her.
She smiled and pushed her hair back from her face, behind her shoulders. “I'm a mess,” she whispered.
Tom found his voice. “You're beautiful.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, needing to express more than simple thanks. She hesitated only a moment before placing her arms around him. He felt her relax into his embrace and marveled at how right it felt to hold her this way. Reluctantly, he let go, hoping he hadn't embarrassed her too much.
Cheeks flaming, she smiled. “Come see your niece.”
They went into the bedroom together, quietly, so they wouldn't intrude on Gabriel holding his daughter for the first time.
Trina smiled at her brother. “Isn't she beautiful?”
“Just like her mother,” Tom said quietly.
She beamed at that. No, she glowed. With satisfaction and happiness and fulfillment.
Obviously having decided it was time for supper, the baby opened her tiny mouth and let out a woman-sized yell. Gabriel handed her to Trina, who eased her beneath the covers to one breast. Complete contentment came over her features when the baby began to nurse.
“Gabriel, I want to name her Hannah.”
Gabriel's lips parted as though he might speak, but he pressed them tightly together and squeezed his eyes shut instead. Tears streamed from his eyes and his shoulders shook as he bowed over the bed and cried. Trina patted his back affectionately.
Rosalie couldn't imagine such a reaction to a baby's name.
Tom nudged her elbow and motioned toward the front room. “Let's give them a minute.”
Back in the front room, Rosalie had to ask.
“Tom, I know first babies are special, but I've never seen a man cry like that.”
“The baby is special, but so is the name. Hannah was Gabriel's first wife. A couple of years back, Gabriel came home and found an outlaw he'd sent to prison years before. Otis Blackburn shot Gabriel, then slit Hannah's throat. She died at his feet, with no way for him to save her.”
“Horrible.” She'd seen a lot of terrible things in the Acre, but never anything like that.
“After Gabriel mended, he tracked Blackburn to a mining town called Silver Springs. He met Trina on the train. Blackburn took Trina hostage and hauled her off into the mountains. Eventually, she got away.”
“Did he ever find Blackburn?”
“He found him at our ranch and set off after him again. Blackburn died, leaving Gabriel free to get on with his life.”
“With Trina.”
“And now, with little Hannah.”
Rosalie couldn't imagine a woman wanting to name her daughter after her husband's dead wife. Truly, Trina was an extraordinary woman.
Gabriel came back to the front room, drying his eyes on one sleeve. “I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry.”
“Me, too. Are there any of those dumplings left?”
“Probably. As I recall, dinner was interrupted, and we never quite got around to supper.”
They found the pot of chicken and dumplings still on the stove, cold and congealed, but Rosalie knew she could revive the leftovers. It would be plenty for them to have for supper.
In less than an hour, she and Tom had eaten. He persuaded Gabriel to let Rosalie take supper to Trina. She emptied the bowl and asked for more. Hannah, full of milk, nestled in the crook of her mother's arm.
“I'll bring you another bowl in a little while. You don't want to get too full and make yourself sick. How are you feeling?”
“I could lift a mountain! There's no way I'll ever be able to thank you enough, Rosalie. If you hadn't been here—”
“I suspect Gabriel would've figured out what to do.”
“He would've been about as useful as tits on a stallion.”
They laughed together and it felt so good, Rosalie wanted to shout.
“That's about how useful he was, all right.” Rosalie wiped away tears of joy. “Tom, too.”
Trina squinted a bit.
“What is it?”
“I've been wondering about you and Tom.”
“There's nothing to wonder. He's going to escort me to Denver. When he said he planned to visit his sister, I asked to come along. It's been a month of Sundays since I've been out of Fort Worth. And at least that long since I've had the chance to visit...a real lady.”
“I'm glad you came. We both are!” She stoked Hannah's velvety cheek with one finger.
“So am I.”
“Why are you going to Denver?”
Rosalie averted her eyes. Should she tell Trina the truth? She might not take kindly to knowing her baby had been midwifed by a resident of the Acre. Trina's soft gaze convinced Rosalie she'd understand.
“I live in Hell's Half Acre.”
Trina's eyes rounded. “Why?”
An interesting response. “Because my father owns a dance hall there. I assure you, I’m not one of the girls.”
“I never suspected you were. You aren't that type of woman.”
“No, but I see them every day, and nurse them when they're hurt.”
“You mean when a cowboy hurts one of them?”
Such knowledge surprised Rosalie. “Yes. How could you know what happens in the Acre?”
“Gabriel and I talk about everything under the sun. He learned a long time ago how eager I am to know everything about anything. And, when he comes from town, he brings me books. See that shelf over there? I've read every last one.”
Rosalie examined the shelf next to Trina's chiffonier. There were at least three dozen volumes. Return Of The Native, A Doll’s House, Ben Hur, Portrait Of A Lady. “You've read them all?”
“At least twice. When I've read the new ones, I reread old ones. I never get tired of them. The newest are by my chair, in the front room. Some I like more than others. Like Treasure Island. I've read it at least four times this past year. I love adventure stories.”
Rosalie could see where Trina's open-mindedness came from. For years, Rosalie's only escape from the Acre had come through the books she read.
“I've read all of these,” she said quietly.
“You have! We'll have to discuss them.” Interrupted by a yawn, she waved one hand. “After I've had a nap.”
“Why don't I take Hannah for a while so you can sleep.”
Trina peered at the tiny face. “I'd hate to move her now. She's sleeping so soundly.”
“When she wakes up, then. If you need me, I'll be close by.”
Trina extended her hand, and Rosalie took it.
“Thank you, dear friend. I have to confess, I was hoping Tom had brought his girl to meet us.”
Rosalie felt her cheeks warming. “I'll be working in Denver for a well-to-do family. If Tom doesn't mind my working, I certainly would not mind his coming to visit from time to time.”
Trina's eyes flashed. “I'll make sure he knows that. In a roundabout way, of course.”
“Of course. You rest now.”
Back in the front room, Rosalie reported mother and daughter doing well and resting. Gabri
el seemed to have regained some of his former energy and enthusiasm for company.
“Tom, I'd consider it a favor if you and Miss Kincannon—”
“Rosalie. After all, I delivered your daughter.” She grinned at him.
“All right. If you and Rosalie could stay a couple more days. Trina is going to need help with the baby and the cooking. I can cook, but Trina says it isn't fit to eat. I'd be much obliged if you'd stay.”
Tom glanced at Rosalie, who nodded. He could see the request pleased her. He'd also noticed the way she and his sister had taken to one another. “Of course we'll stay. I wanted to offer, but I didn't know if maybe the three of you might like to be alone.”
“There'll be plenty of time for that. I want Trina to rest until she's feeling up to snuff again. With Rosalie to help in the kitchen, Trina will have time to spend with Hannah.” His eyes moistened again when he said the name. “Has Tom told you about the name Trina chose for our daughter?”
“Yes. I think your wife is an extraordinary woman.” Rosalie swiped at her own moist eyes. Incredibly lucky, that's what Gabriel and Trina were. Lucky to find each other, overcome all the obstacles, and make a life for themselves and their daughter. Every woman dreamed of marrying the man she loved and having his babies. Perhaps, someday, that dream would come true for Rosalie, too.
She smiled at Tom, and found him smiling back at her.
Chapter 5
Trina, determined to be up and around within two days, defied Rosalie and insisted on walking short distances around the bedroom, then around the house, building her strength. Hannah, healthy and happy, awoke every two to four hours around the clock, demanding to be fed.
Tom helped Gabriel with chores every morning and evening, and persuaded him it was too damn hot to work in the middle of the day. A hundred and two in the shade! It was enough to cook a man's brain through his hat. Gabriel didn’t take a lot of convincing. He spent most of his day with Trina, cooing at little Hannah, and sometimes rocking her in the front room while Trina slept. The baby learned her papa's voice quickly and tried to focus on his face when he held her, waving her tiny arms.