by Caroline Lee
Sure, she had an office in her home in Post Falls, but she was also always willing and happy to visit pregnant mamas-to-be in their own homes. Especially if, like Ellie here, the women were planning on giving birth at home. It was helpful for Allison to know the atmosphere and layout of the home once the big moment arrived.
Over the last few months, she’d really come to enjoy Ellie and Will’s company. Will was easy-going and had a great sense of humor. He was the perfect foil to his wife’s high-strung, no-nonsense manner. Ellie had everything planned out down to the last detail. Not just the baby’s room and car seat, but the labor itself. Even Allison, who often gave mothers extra homework just to make them feel more in charge, had been impressed with Ellie’s spreadsheets and journals. Even after she tried to explain she didn’t really need all of those records, Ellie still presented her with information about her diet, level of activity, and her dream journals. Still, Allison had long ago learned that anything which kept a new mother calm and collected was well worth whatever awkwardness the rest of them had to put up with.
Ellie was going to be just fine. Allison tossed the paper towel into the trash, then walked back into the living room and sat across from the couple.
“When was the last time you were able to touch your toes, Ellie?” Just as she hoped, the question sent Ellie diving for her journals, and Allison listened to her accounts with half an ear for the next few minutes while she finished up her report.
It was Will who finally interrupted his wife. “So you think everything looks okay? We can do this? We can have the kind of birth Ellie—I mean, we—want?”
In the beginning, Allison knew Will had been a little nervous about using a midwife instead of going to the hospital like his sister and sister-in-law had done recently. Allison was very used to this mindset though, so she’d been able to answer Will’s questions calmly and confidently. She’d explained there was very little risk associated with home births as long as the pregnancy was monitored and both mother and baby were healthy. She’d put him in charge of the travel plan in case Ellie had to be moved to the hospital in an emergency, which had seemed to make him feel more comfortable and less nervous. Still, it was perfectly normal to get anxious this late in the game, and Allison smiled at him soothingly.
“Ellie is doing great. She’s measuring perfectly for being thirty-seven weeks, and obviously is very healthy.” Allison nodded to the journals with a slight grin. “I see absolutely no reason to think that you two won’t be able to meet your son or daughter right here, in your own home.”
The couple exchanged a love-filled glance. But then Will’s head whipped back around, and his eyes—wide and filled with terror—locked onto Allison’s amused ones. “There’s still just one in there, right? You checked again, right?”
She managed not to laugh, but only by pretending she had to check her notes again. “Still just one,” she confirmed, showing him the Doppler results.
“But are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” She couldn’t hide the grin this time. “There’s only one speedy heartbeat in there, and it belongs to your little person.” She knew Will’s sister had surprised the family when she’d given birth to twins not too long ago, and he was obviously still thinking about that possibility. “Honestly, if there were twins in there, I wouldn’t let you do a home birth. I would still be with you, but I would strongly recommend you birth at the hospital.”
Allison lived thirty minutes away, and she was still the only Certified Nurse Midwife in their part of Idaho, so she was used to having to travel a bit for her clients. Besides, the Westons had offered her quite a large fee to care for Ellie at River’s End Ranch. It meant a lot to both Ellie and Will that their baby be born here at the ranch. And, once Allison had arrived and looked around at the paradise surrounding her, she had agreed with their reasoning. Since the pregnancy appeared healthy, she saw no reason not to do everything in her power to make sure they got the birth they wanted.
Her assurances seemed to have helped Will, although she noticed he was doing some of the deep breathing exercises she’d taught him. Allison hid her smile this time, but just barely. This couple really was adorable, and she’d seen many first-time parents in her years of midwifery.
“So that’s it,” she said, as she began to fill out the closing paperwork. “I’ll see you again in five days for your next appointment.” But there was something she had to say before she could leave them. “There is one thing that concerns me…”
The look of panic that gripped Will’s face almost made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. But, as Grandmother always said, “Mama’s health is more important than daddy’s peace of mind.” So Allison took a deep breath and addressed her comments to Ellie.
“I know you like to be in charge, and I can’t fault you for that. I really admire the way you’re ready for this baby.”
When Ellie fumbled for Will’s hand and began to look worried, Allison hoped she hadn’t made the wrong decision. She hurried to assure the parents, saying, “I want you to feel totally in charge of this birth, Ellie. You’re doing a great job.”
“Buuuut…?” Will prompted.
Allison nodded. “But you have to remember you can’t be in charge of everything. I know how much work you do here on the ranch, and everything you do for the aquatics program. But, Ellie, giving all your time and physical—not to mention mental—energy on those things just isn’t good for you or your baby at this stage of your pregnancy.”
Ellie chewed on her bottom lip as Allison spoke, but released it long enough to ask, “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want you to cut back on your stress level a bit. Your blood pressure is still within normal range, but it’s a little on the higher side. It’s nothing to be concerned about,” she hurried to reassure both of them, “but I know you. I’m telling you this as your healthcare provider: you need less stress in your life. I strongly urge you to spend as much of the next three weeks relaxing as possible. You need to save your mental and physical energy for bringing your baby into the world.” Allison smiled slightly. “Remember how much I said you would need?”
Ellie seemed to be breathing easier now, and she nodded. “It’s like running a marathon. Of course, I’ve never run a marathon, but I think I can do this.”
Allison’s grin grew. “I know you can do this.” She reached over and patted Ellie’s knee. “You got this, Mama.”
Will stood when Allison did, signaling she was ready to go, and walked her to the door.
“Thanks for saying something to Ellie. We’ve all been trying to get her to cut back, to relax a little more. I’ve been worried about her stress level. But I think she’ll listen to you!”
Allison wasn’t sure if Ellie couldn’t hear them, or if Will just didn’t care, but regardless, Allison wasn’t going to hold back either. It was her job to make sure both mother and baby were healthy, and sometimes she had to be blunt with her honesty. “Let me know if she doesn’t. All she needs to be worrying about right now is herself and that baby. Try to find some ways to help her relax. Is she sleeping okay?”
She and Will chatted a few more minutes, until she could tell he was feeling more confident. She smiled and offered him a hug. “I’m so excited for you guys! Everything is going to go well.”
Just as Will reached for the door, his eyes widened slightly. “Oh! I totally forgot about the shower!”
“The shower?” Was this something else Ellie had been stressed about?
“I’m supposed to invite you to the baby shower! Ellie is inviting basically the whole ranch, and we’re having it down by the lake. You should come; it’ll be fun!”
Allison was flattered; it was unusual to be invited to one of her clients’ baby showers.
“You guys don’t have to invite me,” she gently reminded him. “I really do like you, and everyone in your family I’ve met here on the ranch, but I’m just a midwife.”
Wills snorted. “You’re our friend as well.
I hope you realize that.”
Allison’s eyes got a little watery as she nodded. “I’m glad,” she managed to say past the lump in her throat. “I think of you guys as friends too.”
“Good!” Will was grinning. “Stay right here, I’ll get your invite.” He took off, and Allison shook her head in bemusement. Thinking she could wait out on the porch, she reached for the front door. But when she pulled it open, she was met with another surprise.
There, his hand raised as if he were about to knock, stood a very handsome man.
He was tall and thin, with light hair cropped short. His button-up shirt was tucked neatly into his pressed blue jeans, and he wore small wire-rimmed glasses. Behind them, his brown eyes widened in surprise, and she swore his cheeks pinked slightly. Was he startled? Embarrassed?
“Oh, excuse me.” He slowly lowered his hand. “I didn’t realize Will had—”
“Hey, Joshua!” Will called out as he jogged up the hall. “What brings you around?”
“I— I don’t—” The mystery man—Joshua—looked between the two of them. “I’m sorry for barging in without calling.”
True to nature, Will just scoffed. “Today was one of Ellie’s appointments, and Allison— Oh, hey, this is Allison Ravenwing, Ellie’s midwife.” He didn’t wait for them to acknowledge one another. “She’s on her way out, and you’re right in time to head over to the café with us for lunch!”
“Oh, okay…”
The man was still staring at Allison in a way that made her feel like a young girl again. She managed to shake off the feeling though. She’d turned forty last month and knew she was far from being a girl, no matter how handsome this “Joshua” was.
So doing her best to maintain a professional air, Allison nodded to both men, then took the invitation Will held out to her. She even managed to make it down the front steps and out to her car without letting on how much Joshua’s stare had affected her.
But once she was in her car, she couldn’t resist one last peek up at the Westons’ front door. The stranger had already disappeared inside, and she had to fight the little flicker of disappointment that suddenly hit her at his absence.
Lighten up, Blackbird. Her little brother’s voice always sounded so clear in her head. It’s not like you’re ever going to see him again.
Still, Joshua had been very handsome, and Allison had enjoyed looking at him. So she forgave herself her foolishness, and drove home with the windows down, and the radio blaring the country music station.
And she found herself hoping the voice in her head had been wrong, and she might see this Joshua again someday.
CHAPTER TWO
“I’m not sure how I feel about co-ed baby showers.”
Joshua considered Fred Wharton’s assessment. The Weston family’s banker looked decidedly uncomfortable as he watched the games being played off to one side of the clearing. Luckily, said games weren’t too outrageous.
Because this was Will’s baby, the family had gone all out with the water theme. The tables and chairs had been set up in a little clearing beside the lake, and there were banners and streamers in shades of blue, green, and white, which seemed to perfectly mimic the colors of the river Will loved so much. At that moment, a group of the Weston siblings and their assorted friends were trying to balance kayak paddles lengthwise on their noses. Every time one fell off, it was met with jeers and applause from the audience and furious barking from Indy, Will’s talented pet.
“I don’t know.” Joshua shrugged. “It’s not that bad. At least it’s not the dirty diaper game.”
“The what?”
“You know, where they melt different candy bars in diapers and you have to guess—”
“Gross! You mean that’s a thing?” Fred shuddered in disgust. “I’m not even going to ask how you know that.”
Joshua shrugged again. “I read a lot.”
“Yeah, well, I guess it isn’t as bad as it could be. Plus, I heard there’s going to be canoe races later.”
“That’ll be more fun. Are they going to pair everyone up into teams?”
“Yep. And I heard Will tell Dani that everyone is going to have to participate, whether we like it or not.”
After groaning theatrically, Joshua joined Fred in chuckling.
The other man looked across the clearing. “At least we’re not the only ones sitting out.”
Joshua followed his gaze to the figure standing underneath one of lodgepole pines beside the water and sucked in a startled breath.
It was her. The woman from Will’s house. The one he’d almost knocked in the head when she opened the door unexpectedly.
“I wonder who she is?”
Absentmindedly, Joshua answered the other man. “That’s Ellie’s midwife.” Allison Ravenwing. “She doesn’t look like she’s enjoying herself, does she?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
There was a hint of laughter in Fred’s voice that Joshua wanted to ask about…and as soon as he could tear his gaze away from Ms. Ravenwing, he’d do just that.
That’s when Joshua realized he was halfway across the clearing already, without having even made his excuses to the banker. Oh well, he’d explain later. Although what he would say in explanation, he hadn’t a clue.
And then he wasn’t thinking logically anymore, because she was there. Or rather, he was there, standing in front of her. She smiled slightly at him, he smiled back, and they just stood there smiling at each other like twits.
A particularly loud cheer from the group behind them snapped Joshua out of his daze. He cleared his throat.
“Hi there.” He winced. Hi there? That was the best he could manage? You’re forty-two years old! For goodness’ sake, quit acting like a teenager who’s never spoken to a woman before.
To his surprise, her grin widened. “Hi there, yourself.”
One of the things that had struck Joshua about her when he’d first—so abruptly—laid eyes on her, was her serenity. With her long black hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones—she must be Native American—she seemed to be filled with a sense of peace he couldn’t name. He’d wanted to know more about her, and now he had a chance to talk with her.
Don’t mess this up, man.
“I’m Joshua Hardy.” He shifted his plastic cup to his left hand, and held out his right. “I’m an old friend of the Westons’.”
Her handshake was strong and capable, and he got the impression those two descriptions pretty much summed her up.
“Allison Ravenwing. I’m Ellie’s midwife, as Will said.” And then, with her hand still in his, her grin turned wry. “Although I’m not sure why that granted me an invitation to the baby shower.”
Joshua couldn’t make himself let go of her hand. “Well, you know the Westons. Once a friend, always a friend.”
“Have you known them long?”
“All my life.” Joshua nodded to where Aunt Jaclyn was holding court with Kelsi and the twin babies, and was finally able to force himself to let go of Allison’s hand. “My great-aunt and Will’s grandmother were best friends. My mother was very close to Aunt Jaclyn, so I grew up coming here every summer.” He pointed out the other Weston brothers. “I was older, but Wade was the next closest to my age. I never played much with Will growing up, but I know all of them well enough.”
Politely, she nodded. “They seem like a nice family.”
“They are.”
Conversation waned as they both stood awkwardly, watching the games. Think! This is just speaking to a woman! Not rocket science.
“Soooo… A midwife, huh?” Joshua winced. Oh, very poor form.
She made a noncommittal sound, and he couldn’t tell if he’d made her feel awkward, or if she just wanted him to leave. Floundering now, he pressed on.
“So that means you have a degree in nursing, and then you went on to get a Masters in midwifery?”
He could see the surprise etched on her face when she turned to him. Those dark eyes of hers had rounded, and the elega
nt brows were raised.
“Yes, that’s exactly what that means.”
“Why do you look so surprised?”
“Because most people don’t know that. They think I’m some kind of…”
When she trailed off, Joshua couldn’t help prodding her. “Some kind of what?”
She shrugged and flicked her gaze to his shoulder. “Voodoo witch or something.”
He burst into laughter, surprising her again. Surprising himself, to be honest. “I’m sorry,” he managed to say. “I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just—Voodoo?”
She was smiling again, and he took that as a good sign. “Silly, isn’t it?”
“Everything I know about it tells me modern midwifery is a science, not witchcraft.”
“And how do you know so much about it?”
He shrugged and repeated what he’d told Fred. “I like to read.”
“About midwifery?”
“About all sorts of things.”
Her nod was as regal as the rest of her. “And you, Mr. Hardy? What do you do when you’re not reading?”
“Please, call me Joshua.” Because while technically he was Dr. Hardy, he didn’t want this woman to be formal around him. “I design rocket engines. Or rather, I used to.”
“Used to?” She seemed much more interested in this conversation than she’d been in watching the kayak-paddle-on-the-nose game.
Joshua told himself that was the only reason he continued talking about his own history rather than asking about hers. “I, uh…I finished my contract with Paradise Space Flight earlier this year. As part of the Caterpillar Drive—a new type of solid-fuel engine we were working on—I discovered and patented a type of fertilizer that can leech out the nitrogen and carbon from factory waste and turn it into a viable fertilization method—”
He intentionally bit his tongue, more than aware he was blabbing on like an idiot. Well, maybe not an idiot in the truest sense of the word, because he was a doctor, but…an idiot when it came to talking to women apparently.