by Linda Bridey
“I read a book about them. I mean, we have midgets at the carnivals and whatnot, but no pigmies. Hey, speaking of carnivals, did you know my brother Davey is scared to death of clowns? No joke. They scare him so bad, he almost peed his pants the last time we went to a carnival. It was great. I laughed ‘til I thought I was gonna pass out.”
Will saw Hawk staring at Switch and laughed at the boy’s startled expression. “I would have liked to have seen that. Why do they scare him? They’re just people with makeup and wigs on.”
“Who knows? I don’t think I’m afraid of anything. There are things that I don’t like,” Switch said, “but nothing I’m terrified of. Hey, Hawk, do you guys have any wasna right now? I’ll pay you for some. I love that stuff.”
Hawk frowned. “Yes. We always have some.”
“Ok. Good. Bring it and I’ll pay you whatever you want for it. Money is no object. Please. Don’t wanna forget my manners. So how’s Tuck gettin’ along without you at the mill?” Switch’s family was close to Joe’s income bracket. Switch didn’t have to work, which was a good thing. His mental status wasn’t conducive to regular employment.
“Fine. He promoted a guy who’s pretty good. I’m glad I’m out from under his thumb,” Will said.
“He should have hired me. I’d have done a good job for him,” Switch said.
Will just gave him an ironic stare.
Switch made a face and said, “Yeah. Ok. I guess that wouldn’t have been a good fit.”
“You’re better off doing what you’re doing, Switch,” Will said.
“Yeah, I guess. I sometimes wish I was like everyone else and could hold down a regular job. I’d like to get married at some point, but I don’t want to pass on my craziness to any kids. It runs in our family. My great Aunt Berta was like this. She’s on Pa’s side. Ma’s one uncle was fairly unstable, too,” he said. “So having kids is not in my future. What woman is gonna get married, but not have children?”
“Uh, yeah, Switch. If you get married, chances are, you’re gonna end up having a child at some point. But there’s nothing saying you’d pass anything on to them. You’ll find someone,” Will said encouragingly.
“I might. I don’t know. But there are ways of preventing pregnancy nowadays, Will,” Switch said, waggling his eyebrows.
Hawk spoke up as he finished varnishing a dining room table. “In our culture, people like you are considered powerful. Having children like you wouldn’t be considered a bad thing.”
Switch looked at him. “Really? Hmm. I didn’t know that. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Will said, “I know there are ways of preventing pregnancy, Switch. But I want kids, so I don’t intend to use any of them.”
“To each their own. I’ll be happy to bounce one of your babies on my knee. Hey, speaking of knees, did you see old man Lundy? I swear his legs get more bowed every time I see him. Poor guy. He kind of reminds me of a duck. Oh yeah, Pa wants to go duck hunting. Can you believe that? He’s never hunted a day in his life and suddenly he’s gonna go hunting water fowl? I am not going along on that hunt. I don’t want to get shot full of holes, thank you very much.”
Will laughed. “Switch, one thing at a time, ok? You’re as bad as Abby, only worse,” Will said. He spoke of Elliot’s wife, who had a habit of changing topics and speaking rapidly. Elliot was the only one who could keep up with her.
Switch smiled. “Sorry. What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Old man Lundy. I’d also like to shave that scraggly beard he has. There’s always food in it. Makes me sick. I try not to get too close to him. I’m tired. I didn’t sleep last night again.”
“Why?” Will asked.
Switch yawned. “Who knows? Well, I do. The night before last, I had nightmares about skunks, so I didn’t go to sleep last night so I didn’t dream about them again. It was not a good dream at all.”
“Skunks?” Will asked as he gave Switch a doubtful look.
Switch scrooched around in the chair until his long legs hung over the backrest and his head hung upside down off the chair seat. “Not just any skunks. Dancing skunks with red eyes. Ok, I don’t want to talk about that anymore. Is your girl working?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good. Work is good,” Switch said, as he flipped around so he was sitting in his original position. “Whoa, now I’m dizzy,” he said with a laugh. “It tickles my belly.”
Will laughed. “Yeah, well, don’t break that chair or I’ll break your head.”
“That doesn’t scare me because my head is already broken.”
Hawk smiled at that. It surprised Will that Hawk seemed to like Switch. Hawk seemed like a no-nonsense kind of guy, but he got a kick out of the unusual man.
Will shook his head as Rachel appeared in the doorway to the showroom. “Hi, honey,” he said, as he stopped shaving a board to walk over to her.
“Hi, yourself. How’s your head?” she asked as she touched the light bruise on his forehead.
He kissed her and said, “It’s fine. How about you?”
“I’m fine. How’re things going today?”
“Good. Hawk is helping and Switch is doing what he does best,” Will said.
“Switch?”
“Oh, you’ve never met him. That’s right. I’ll introduce you,” Will said. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “He’s a little unusual but he’s harmless.”
Rachel looked at Will and he gave her a reassuring smile.
“Switch, come here,” Will said.
Switch bounded out of his chair and came to Will’s side. “Yes?”
“Rachel, this is my good friend, Justin Keller. Otherwise known as Switch,” Will said.
“Hello, Justin,” Rachel said as she took in Switch’s strange attire and looked into his dark eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Don’t be too sure about that,” Switch teased her. “It’s nice to meet you, too. You sure are a pretty thing. Will’s a lucky man. He says you’re a great cook and very intelligent. Women like you are hard to come by.”
Rachel blushed at his praise. “Thank you, Justin. You’re a charmer, I can see.”
“Call me ‘Switch’. Everyone does. Do you like skunks?”
Rachel was taken aback by his question. “Skunks? Not really.”
“Me neither. I had a nightmare about dancing skunks with red eyes the other night. Well, I’ll go sit over there again and leave you two lovers to talk alone. Good to meet you, Rachel. I’m sure you’ll see me a lot, but don’t let that keep you from marrying Will,” Switch said, and went to sit in his rocking chair again.
Will pulled Rachel with him out into the empty showroom and shut the door. “Switch has some kind of mental problem. There are times when he’s full of energy and does crazy things and then there are times when you can’t get him out of bed because he has a severe case of melancholy. He has trouble concentrating and gets things mixed up easily. You never know what’s gonna come out of his mouth, but he doesn’t mean any offense, so don’t mind anything he might say.”
Rachel nodded. “That’s terrible. I’m sorry that he has that kind of problem. Isn’t there anything they can do for him?”
“He takes laudanum once in a while when he’s really out of control. It calms him down enough so he can sleep.”
“I see. I feel badly for him,” she said as Will put his arms around her.
“It’s ok. Most of the time he doesn’t mind it,” Will said. “So how are you today? On a break, huh?”
“Mmm hmm,” she said as he brushed his lips over her cheek.
“You smell so good,” Will said, as he inhaled her scent. It was a mixture of lavender and her own personal scent.
“Thank you,” she said.
Will pressed his lips lightly against hers and then said, “How long do you have?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Rachel said. “Why?”
“We need to make good use of our time,” Will said and led her into the storeroom. He shut the door and said, “I have to
be honest and tell you that I think about you all the time.”
Rachel’s blood began to warm at the primal light in his eyes. “I know how you feel.”
Will embraced her and ran his hands up and down her back. “You feel so good in my arms,” he whispered. “I dream about you.”
She smiled at him. “You do? What are we doing in these dreams?”
“What do you think we’re doing?” he asked.
Desire darkened her eyes. “Show me.”
With a groan, Will covered her mouth with his and swept her up in a kiss that left her reeling. His hands were all over her back and sides and Rachel explored his chest. He smelled of some musky scent and wood and it excited her. It was a manly smell and Will was certainly that. His kiss was driving her crazy and she craved him with everything in her. “I want you,” she whispered breathlessly when the kiss ended.
“I know the feeling,” Will said. “I’ve never been this wild for anyone before.”
“Me, neither. Oh, Will, we shouldn’t have come in here,” she said with a chuckle.
“Probably not,” he said. “Ok. Let’s go back out.”
Rachel placed another kiss against his soft, yet firm mouth and said, “Ok.”
He took a few deep breaths and then led her back out into the show room. “I’ll see you tonight, ok?”
“Yes. Let’s go to the Grady House, and then I have some designs I’d like to show you,” she said.
“That sounds great. I’ll come get you when I’m done here,” Will said.
“Try not to be too late, ok? Tell Switch and Hawk I said goodbye.”
“I will,” he said as she walked away from him. Once she was outside, he mumbled to himself, “How am I going to make it until we get married? I haven’t even been able to propose. I’ll have to take a lot of cold dips in the river, I guess.”
*****
The cold mid-November air felt good to Black Fox as he walked up the path by the stream that led to the Samuels ranch. He needed to talk to his brother, Owl, and wanted to catch him before he went home for the day. He hummed a song as his long legs carried him along at a good clip. As he looked around at the woods, he felt contented with life. It wasn’t what he’d ever envisioned for himself, nor for his family, but it was important to be able to adapt to one’s situation and he was adapting well, he felt.
Upon reaching the ranch, he decided to stop in to see his “second wife.” He teased Dean all the time that Tessa was his wife now, too. He knocked on the kitchen door and then entered. Tessa sat on a chair at the table and the chief could instantly tell that something was wrong.
“What is it?” he asked, not bothering to greet her.
“Thank God you’re here. No one else is around and I can’t move on my own,” she said as tears welled in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks.
Black Fox’s eyes widened and he knelt by her side.
She looked into his eyes and said, “The baby is coming early. Oh, Black Fox, it’s much too early. I’m having such horrible contractions. I couldn’t make it to the door to call for anyone and I couldn’t get to our room.”
“It’ll be all right, sister,” Black Fox said as he took her in his arms and carried her to her and Dean’s bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed, making sure to put a pillow under her head. “Just rest. I will go find your husband and get my wife. She is a skilled midwife.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
Black Fox rushed from the room and ran to the first barn, letting out what was considered a distress trill. Owl descended the ladder from the hay mow and dropped to the barn floor. “What is it?”
“It’s Tessa. The baby is coming. It is too early. Get Dean. I am going to get Wind Spirit to help,” Black Fox said. He didn’t wait for an answer. Every minute counted and he sprinted away.
*****
Tessa tried not to cry, but it was hard not to. She’d been so confused about her feelings about this baby. It had been such a shock to find that she was pregnant since the twins were almost fourteen and there had been no babies since then. She’d also been scared to tell Dean for fear that he would be angry about having a baby after all of this time. Over the last couple of months, however, she’d become very happy about the baby and now the thought of losing it was devastating to her.
She heard the kitchen door open and slam and then Dean was there. Tessa burst into tears as Dean came to hold her.
“Shh. Don’t cry, honey. Wind Spirit is gonna help us and I’ll be right here the whole time,” he said as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.
Tessa clutched his hand hard and said, “I don’t want to lose our baby, Dean. I know I was scared about having another baby after so long, but I love this baby and I want it so much.”
Dean smiled. “Me, too, honey. I felt the same way, but I’m looking forward to being a father again.”
“Are you sure?” she asked as her eyes searched his face.
He took her face in his hands and said, “I’m sure.” He kissed her softly and took her gently in his arms.
Tessa clutched his shoulders and tried to absorb his strength, hoping that it would give her the energy to deliver this child safely. Wind Spirit appeared with Black Fox and came quickly to her.
“Do not worry, sister. Soon you will be holding a beautiful baby,” she said with a comforting smile.
Dean kissed his wife’s forehead and stood up. He took the chair from Tessa’s dressing table and placed it up near her head.
Wind Spirit saw this and said, “You are staying?”
“That’s right. I was here for the others, and I’ll be here for this one, too,” he said as he took Tessa’s hand and squeezed it a little. “I’m not leaving you.”
Tessa held his hand against her cheek a moment.
Wind Spirit nodded and said, “Then help me get her undressed.”
Black Fox took his leave and closed the bedroom door. He would stand guard in the parlor in case other family members came. He would be able to alert them to what was happening. He hadn’t been present for the birth of a child since Winona had been born. His wife was very competent, but he still worried because the baby was so early. Pacing back and forth, Black Fox prayed to Wakan Tanka to help all those concerned with the situation.
*****
Tessa and Dean’s baby was in a hurry and it wasn’t long before Wind Spirit held the little girl in her hands. The baby wasn’t breathing at first, but Wind Spirit cleaned the mucus from the little one’s mouth and massaged her chest until she took her first breath and immediately cried after that. Her cry was a little on the weak side, but Wind Spirit felt optimistic about the baby’s chances of survival.
She washed the baby and placed her in her mother’s arms. Mother and father wept in happiness over their daughter. Then Wind Spirit kicked Dean out, telling him to go show the baby to whomever might be there. Dean cradled his tiny daughter carefully as he went out into the parlor.
Black Fox moved to him immediately. “Is everything all right?” he asked as he looked down at the baby.
Dean beamed. “Yeah. They’re both ok, thanks to Wind Spirit. Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked as he touched her tiny hand. “She barely weighs anything. I can’t believe it.” Looking up at Black Fox, he said, “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you came up here when you did. Thank you for your help.”
Black Fox smiled. “You are welcome, brother.”
“Would you hold her for me a few moments?” Dean asked.
“Of course,” Black Fox said as he took the baby from Dean.
Dean walked outside to the front porch and sat down on the swing and poured out his relief and joy. That was how Marcus found him when he rode up to the house. After alerting Dean, Owl had ridden into town to find Marcus in case he was needed to help. From there, word had spread around town.
“Dean! What’s wrong?”
Dean couldn’t talk, so he just shook his head.
Marcus bypassed his brother and ran inside as his heart leapt with worry. He stopped when he saw his eldest brother holding a small bundle. Black Fox smiled at his little brother.
“Come see your new niece.”
Marcus’ face broke out into a huge grin. Black Fox gave the baby to Marcus.
“Well look at that, would you? She looks perfect,” Marcus said as he examined her. She didn’t seem to like it and cried a little bit. “Well, her lungs are working.”
“Will she be all right?” Black Fox asked.
Marcus heard the concern in his voice. “I think so. We’ll have to get her eating as soon as possible, but I think she’ll be ok even though she’s so little. Welcome to our crazy, mixed up family, little girl.”
Black Fox smiled as the sound of a wagon approaching at high speed was heard. The next thing they knew, Maddie and Seth were running in the door, anxiety showing in their expressions. Over the next couple of hours, more family arrived, and they all took turns with the baby when she wasn’t being fed. Tessa was very tired, and they left her to rest after a few short visits with her.
The house eventually emptied except for the twins and Maddie and Seth. Maddie was staying to help with the baby and Seth wanted to be close. J.R. was minding Kayla over at home. Maddie sat at the table writing a letter to Mike to go out in the mail the following day. Seth put a hand on her forearm and gave it a squeeze.
She looked at him and saw his love for her in his eyes. “What?” she asked with a smile.
“It’s our turn next,” he said. “I didn’t expect to become a father again at my age, but I’m very happy about it.”
Maddie chuckled. “Me, too.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I’m so relieved that they’re both all right. When Rick stopped to tell us, my heart almost jumped out of my chest, I swear.”
Seth nodded. “I’ve been scared to death every time Tessa’s been giving birth. It’s the same when our kids were born. I couldn’t stand it if I lost you or our baby. But that’s not gonna happen. You’re made of good stock and so is this baby.”
Maddie said, “Yes, we are.” She caressed her stomach. “You better stay in there until it’s the right time for you to come out.”