“So, have you ever been to the big city of Burns?” Josh asked as they tossed their bags in the back seat of Josh’s pickup and climbed in.
“A few times with the high school rodeo team and once for a horse sale. Not much to see on the drive there unless you really like sagebrush,” Jake commented as they drove out to the road.
“Well, if my GPS is functioning correctly, we should be there in about four and a half hours,” Josh said, pulling onto the highway.
“Great. Hour upon hour of listening to you yammer on,” Jake teased. “Is this punishment for me taking the job at the lab?”
“You know it,” Josh said with a wicked grin. Leaning his arm out the window, he turned to look at Jake. “I really appreciate you doing this. You certainly didn’t have to, especially since tomorrow is your official last day as my one and only employee.”
“No problem. I’m glad I was still here to help. It’s not every day you’re needed by a damsel in distress.”
“Well, I guess when you look at it that way, then we are two heroes going to rescue my fair maiden,” Josh laughed.
They fell into the easy companionship they generally shared and the miles flew by. After a couple hours, they had devoured the jerky and candy and were still hungry. They stopped to order some burgers to eat on the road and Josh filled the pickup with gas.
It was 10:15 when they pulled into the hotel parking lot. Grabbing their bags out of the back seat, they went to the front desk and secured a room for Jake. The front desk agent called Jenna to get her permission to send Josh up to the room and he was soon knocking on her door. When she opened it, she fell against him, crying.
“I’m so sorry, Josh. I’m such a wuss and this is a complete waste of your time. I don’t mean to be such a bother. I’m sorry,” she sobbed into his shirt, nearing hysterics.
“Its fine, Babe,” Josh said, rubbing his hand soothingly across her shoulders as he gently nudged her back into the room.
Jake was standing a few doors down the hall in front of his room and couldn’t help but stare. He’d never seen Jenna cry or be anything but calm, cool and collected. He could see why Josh was in such an all-fired hurry to come take care of her. She obviously wasn’t in any shape to drive home.
Josh made eye contact with Jake and nodded his head in thanks as he closed their door.
Dropping his bag on a chair, Josh put both arms around Jenna and let her cry, whispering soothing words as he held her close. When she finally stopped sobbing, he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his palms and kissed her softly on the lips.
“I love you,” he said, pulling her close again. “And I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” she said, leaning into him and feeling his strength flow into her. “I love you so much, Josh. So very much.”
“Well, I’m glad. It makes it mighty convenient that way,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.
She let out a sigh and he smiled. “Now, I’m about beat. Let’s get some sleep. Morning will be here before we know it and Jake is going to demand a good breakfast. He complained for the last hour that I’m trying to starve him to death.”
Jenna smiled as she changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. “That sounds like Jake. I’m sure going to miss having him around. He’s a really great kid.”
“Yeah, he is, and he isn’t too shabby as a farm hand either. I don’t know how we’re going to find someone to replace him,” Josh said as he slid between the sheets and pulled Jenna close. She laid her head on his chest and they both were soon asleep.
<><><>
The next morning found Jenna, Josh and Jake sitting in a booth at the little café down the street from the hotel. The men ordered huge meals with bacon, eggs, hash browns and stacks of pancakes. Jenna had toast and tea. She nearly lost her breakfast when Jake cut into his sunny side up eggs and the yolk ran across the plate. She didn’t have morning sickness, but certain smells or seeing certain foods could make her completely nauseated in a matter of seconds. Turning her head away, she took several deep breaths and a couple sips of her tea.
“You don’t look so good, Jen,” Jake said, noticing the green tinge that suddenly appeared in her face. “Are you okay?”
“Yes and no,” she answered cryptically. She looked at Josh, hoping he would sense what it was she was trying to convey without saying anything. He caught her eye, smiled and nodded.
“What does that mean? Yes you are okay or no you aren’t?” Jake said, setting down his fork and staring at Jenna with real concern. He’d known her since the summer she and Josh started dating and it wasn’t like her to dance around something. She was usually very straight to the point.
“Well, Jake, it’s like this. I’m not well right now but I will be perfectly fine in a while. In about seven months,” Jenna said, giving him a shy smile.
“Seven months? That’s a long time to be sick. Can’t your doctor give you something for that?” Jake asked.
Jenna laughed, then put her hand on top of Jake’s and gave his hand a pat. “Jake, we’re going to have a baby. That’s why I’m not feeling well.”
It took a moment for the news to sink in but when it did Jake’s head whipped up and he looked from Josh, who was grinning broadly, to Jenna who was smiling at him. “For real? You’re not kidding me? That is great news!”
When Josh just looked at Jenna instead of answering, she nodded her head. “It is great news, Jake, and we are very much looking forward to meeting this little person. We haven’t told anyone yet, so can you keep this under your hat for a few weeks?”
“Sure,” Jake said, his foot jiggling in excitement as he resumed eating his breakfast. “I’ll be an almost uncle, right?”
“Absolutely. If you like, the baby can call you Uncle Jake,” Jenna said, beaming at him. This was the most enthusiasm for the baby Josh had seen her display since she found out she was expecting.
“Awesome,” Jake said as a new thought struck him. “You mean I know something Clay doesn’t know?”
“Well, I did tell Callan and Clay, but made her promise not to tell anyone,” Josh said, looking at Jenna. “But you definitely know before anyone else. We haven’t told Pop or Jenna’s folks yet either.”
“This is too cool. When the baby is old enough, his ol’ Uncle Jake will show him how to ride and rope and everything he needs to know about horses and being a cowboy,” Jake said, imagining how much fun it would be to have a nephew to follow in his footsteps.
“And just what makes you think it will be a boy?” Jenna asked with raised eyebrows. “It could very well be a girl.”
“Nope, we’ve already got Audrey and Emma to fill the girl quota. We need a boy to even things up.”
Josh laughed. “Who can argue with that?”
“You two are something else,” Jenna said, finishing her toast.
<><><>
They were soon on the road and the trip home was uneventful. Jenna slept part of the way, but when she was awake, she apologized to Josh for her behavior. She had plenty of time to think about the baby and her attitude. She knew she was the one to blame for getting pregnant. Jenna talked about trying to get past her fear of parenthood and embracing the idea of becoming a mother. She also told him about the plans for her to switch jobs and shared some of what she was feeling about this big change in her life.
Josh tried to be understanding. The books Callan gave him were full of good advice and information. By the time they rolled into the driveway shortly after noon, Jenna had torn down most of the wall she had built between them and Josh was glad to be back on even ground with her.
Jake pulled in right behind them and Josh asked him to come inside. While Jake helped Jenna set out the fixings for sandwiches along with some fruit, Josh went to his office and wrote Jake his final paycheck, adding a bonus for his hard work all summer.
Coming back to the kitchen he slid the envelope across the counter to Jake. “Your final paycheck, my friend,” Josh said. “We’re going to
miss having you around here, so be sure to visit when you have time.”
“I will and I already told you I’ll help you weekends when I’m home until you get through wheat harvest,” Jake said, looking at Josh like he was getting forgetful in his old age. He walked over to Jenna and put his arm around her shoulders. “Besides I’ve got to keep tabs on the little mama and my almost-nephew.”
“Oh, Jake, you are too much,” Jenna said with a laugh, putting her arm around him and giving him a squeeze.
Later, as Jake packed up his belongings from the little house that had been home to him all summer, he remembered his check and pulled it out of the envelope he’d tucked in his back pocket. Staring at it he was overwhelmed by Josh’s generosity. The total was equal to two months wages and the check was only supposed to be for the last three weeks.
No doubt about it, Josh and Jenna Carver were good, honest people. Two people he was proud to call among his close friends.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Josh had not been able to find anyone to fill Jake’s shoes let alone the position, so he had been doing the best he could to keep up with the farm work and still spend a little time with Jenna. She was home evening, always tired but starting to feel better.
Earlier that afternoon, he met her at the doctor’s office for her ultrasound. Josh couldn’t stop shaking his head at the wonder of it all. He went into the room with Jenna and watched as they spread gel all around her abdomen.
Jenna hadn’t mentioned it but she was getting a baby bump. He thought it was wonderful. No doubt, she probably thought it looked much bigger than it did.
He watched as the technician moved around the device and then there in grainy black and white was their baby.
“Oh, my, what do we have here?” the tech said, sounding amused before turning to look at them both. “Can you both see the screen okay?”
“Yes,” Jenna answered. Josh was having trouble seeing it from the other side of Jenna, but just nodded his head. This was way outside his comfort zone.
“Well, Daddy-to-be, why don’t you come over here? I’m guessing you probably can’t see much from way over there,” the tech said, smiling at Josh.
Josh walked around to stand behind the technician who was now pointing at the screen. “See right here is a head, and an arm and a leg, and right there is the other head, and a leg.”
“What do you mean other head and leg?” Jenna asked, her voice rising up a notch.
“Well, Mrs. Carver, it looks like you will be welcoming twins to your family,” the tech said beaming. “Again, congratulations.”
“Twins? Twins!” Josh said, leaning closer to the screen, rubbing his hands together like he tended to do anytime he got very excited about something. “Can you point that all out again?”
The technician happily pointed out the outline of each baby and they listened to the two tiny heartbeats that sounded more like flutters of air. Josh was visibly moved by the experience. Jenna just stared, while her face grew pale. When the tech finished, she printed out a copy of the photo and handed it to Josh while Jenna got cleaned up.
“This is amazing,” Josh said for the eighth time, lost in the fact that they were going to have not one but two babies.
“The next time you come, we should be able to identify the sex of the babies for you and you’ll be astonished at how different the photo will look from this one today,” the tech said as they left.
Josh pumped her hand with a warm handshake then escorted Jenna out the door. She was done with work for the day, and glad for that fact, because she felt like she’d gone from being traumatized to shell-shocked. Still not convinced she’d be a fit parent for one child, she was now going to be bringing home two.
“Babe, what’s wrong,” Josh asked as he walked her to the parking garage. “Talk to me.”
“Josh, I’m not sure I can do this,” she said, her eyes glazing in fear.
Josh laughed, squeezing her hand. “Well, like it or not, there’s no turning back now.”
“Well, I know that you dense man! I just meant that I’m not exactly the most maternal thing on the planet. I had almost talked myself into thinking I could bring home one baby and not accidently do it mortal harm, but two? Josh I’m afraid I’m just not going to be any good at this parenting thing. I’m nothing like Callan.”
“What’s Callan got to do with anything?” Josh asked as they stopped beside her car.
“She loves being a mother. She was born to be a mother,” Jenna said, leaning against the car with a sigh. “I’m just not like that at all.”
“You should talk to Callan about all that sometime soon. I think you might get a different perspective on her being born to be a mother. As for you, don’t sell yourself short. You’ll be a fantastic mom. You’re a wonderful wife, so why wouldn’t you be good at mothering as well? It’s all about nurturing and loving, right? And you are dynamite at both of those.”
“Can’t you ever just let me pout and have a pity party without boosting my confidence and making me feel like I can do anything?” Jenna asked trying to sound disgusted but the way her eyes lit up gave away her pleasure at his comments.
“No can do,” Josh said, kissing her cheek and pushing a lock of stray hair behind her ear. “You’ll be a great mother, Jenna, so don’t worry about it. I should know, having been raised by one of the worst mothers in the history of parenthood.”
“I’m sorry, Josh. I sometimes forget how hard your mom was on you and Callan because you both turned out to be such wonderful people.”
“Well, it wasn’t always that way, you know,” Josh said, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked at his feet. He hated thinking about his mother, let alone talking about her. She was the reason why he demanded their baby never know that for even one day it wasn’t wanted. His mother had made the fact she didn’t want him or Callan perfectly clear nearly every day of his life.
“Josh,” Jenna said, tipping his chin up with her finger, so he looked her in the eye. “We will both be the very best parents we know how to be. Right?”
“Right.” Josh said, a small smile breaking through his gloomy thoughts. “So, now that we have an official photo of the babies, can we start telling everyone?”
“You act like it is something that will be announced at five this evening on the news or trumpeted across the morning paper as a headline,” Jenna said, laughing at the idea.
“I’ve got time to call the paper before they go to print,” Josh teased. “Seriously, though, why don’t we have a barbecue tomorrow and invite over the people we want to share this with the most?”
“Sure, why not? Let’s ask Callan and Clay to come over early and she can help me get the food ready since I will quite likely require a nap before everyone arrives.”
Josh came in late that night to find Jenna collapsed in the living room, one of the baby books from Callan in her lap although she was sleeping. The kitchen was a disaster. It looked like she’d been baking and getting things ready for tomorrow.
Chunked potatoes sat cooling in a bowl and a pan of boiled eggs was filled with cold water. Dishes filled the sink and the counter bore traces of chocolate.
Opening the refrigerator door, Josh immediately spied a triple-layer chocolate cake and had to resist the urge to cut out a huge slice. Instead, he dumped the water off the eggs and peeled them, placing them in a resealable bag, then put the eggs and potatoes in the fridge. He loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. He was just rinsing off the dishrag when Jenna came in from the living room and sat down at the bar.
“Josh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave such a mess. I just got so tired I needed to sit down for a bit and then I fell asleep,” Jenna said, looking around the kitchen in appreciation. “I hate for you to work so hard outside and then have to come inside and help me. I’m really sorry.”
“Babe, let’s come to an understanding right now,” Josh said, leaning across the counter so that his nose and hers were nearly touching. “I know
the babies are sucking your energy and strength right now and I know you feel terrible about not being able to do all the things you usually do, but it is fine. If that means I need to put in a load of dishes or laundry or scrub the bathroom, I’ll take care of it. You may have to point me in the right direction sometimes, but please stop apologizing. I will do whatever needs done that you can’t and I want you to stop being sorry. Your job is to make sure you take good care of you for the sake of the babies. Wow! I just said babies. That makes it seem real somehow doesn’t it?”
“Well, yes, that and the photo tacked to the fridge for the world to see,” Jenna teased. Josh placed it on the refrigerator door as soon as he got home from the doctor appointment. When Jenna came home, it greeted her and the sight of those two little babies brought a sense of joy that was slowly overcoming her sense of dread.
“Since I’ve been so extraordinarily helpful this evening, I don’t suppose I could have a piece of cake as a reward?” Josh begged, looking much like he must have as a little boy, a wave of his dark hair falling across his forehead, gray eyes glittering.
“You may not cut into the cake in the fridge,” Jenna said, leaning back with a pleased look on her face. “You may, however, have what is sitting under the bowl in the pantry.”
Josh hurried to open the pantry door and found a plate sitting under a bowl with an individual chocolate cake, frosted and waiting to be consumed. He slid the plate on the counter, took out some vanilla ice cream and dropped a scoop on the cake and then sat down next to Jenna. Savoring the first bite, he closed his eyes and sighed in pleasure.
Diving in for a second bite, he looked at his wife and smiled. “Thank you, Babe. This is really good.”
“You are welcome,” Jenna said, wrapping a hand around his arm and giving it a loving squeeze. “Are you going to be a complete pig and not even offer me a bite?”
Country Boy vs. City Girl Page 14