“Really?” he asked. He was surprised to hear her say it. “If you need a place to stay, we have extra rooms upstairs.”
“Thank you. I hope it won’t come to that, but if it does, I’ll take you up on it. I’d make a great nanny for my grandbaby as well.”
He grinned. “And just think . . . I was going to have to find one.”
There was a small cry from the back of the house, and she was on her feet in a moment, rushing through the house. She knew she had to hurry to keep Becky from picking the baby up. She wouldn’t be able to listen to her daughter cry. Becky had never been able to listen to children cry without it upsetting her.
When she reached her daughter’s bedroom, Becky was on her feet beside the bed, her face pure white. “Rebekah Lynn! I told you I’d get her!” She grabbed onto Becky’s arm, worried she’d fall and called out, “Amos!”
Amos was there quickly, and he scooped Becky up in his arms and carefully returned her to her bed. “What were you thinking?”
Mrs. Brown picked up the infant and held her. “Your mama’s going to feed you in just a minute. I’m going to change your diaper first. Yes, I am.” Her soft cooing made Amos smile. Why did everyone feel like they needed to talk that way to a baby?
She took Belle from the room and brought her back a moment later with a clean diaper, wearing the new gown she’d made for her. “Now I’ll let your mama feed you.”
Amos was worried as Becky reached out for the baby. He could see how pale she still was, and it frightened him. Becky had seemed like the very picture of health when he’d met her less than two weeks before.
She frowned at him as she unfastened the front of her gown to nurse the baby. “I think maybe you should excuse yourself for a moment.”
“Just cover up with this,” her mother said, handing her a towel.
“Thank you.” Becky covered herself and the baby’s mouth, but kept Belle’s eyes uncovered. “She’s so perfect.” Every time she held the infant, she was amazed that something so beautiful had come from her.
Amos watched her with the baby, and he couldn’t help but smile. He could see her with many more children over the years. They would fill the house up, and they would live happily ever after. He didn’t always believe in fairy tales, but that day, he needed to.
Her mother slipped away into the kitchen to do the dishes, leaving the two of them there with the baby. “I’ll be back. Do not put the baby back in her cradle by yourself!” she called back over her shoulder.
Amos moved closer to Becky and the baby. “Your mom is really worried about you.”
Becky shrugged. “She worries more than she should sometimes.” Women had babies every day. She didn’t understand why there was fuss over her when she’d only done what all other women did.
“I’m worried, too. When I walked in here, your face was whiter than a sheet. It scared me.”
“I don’t mean to scare anyone. I just couldn’t sit there and let my baby cry.”
“For now, you’re going to have to. Your mother is making it sound like Belle will grow up without you if you keep trying to push things so hard.”
Becky sighed. “She’s being overdramatic.”
“No, I really don’t think she is. Please be careful. I can’t imagine raising that baby by myself. She needs her mama.” Amos leaned forward and brushed his lips across Becky’s. “I don’t want to live in fear that you’ll die while I’m at work. I’m planning to take the rest of the week off to help your mom around here and be available if someone needs to go for the doctor.”
“I’ll be happy to have you here,” she said softly. “I like our time together.” I love you. She couldn’t say it yet, but she could think it. This man was quickly becoming her everything.
“So do I. We’ll be able to bond with the baby together. She’s going to have so many people fussing over her, she won’t know which one to coo at first.”
Becky smiled. “I’m sure she will. I’m glad. I want her to know she’s loved and there will always be someone there for her.”
“I’m sure she’ll figure that out fast.”
* * *
Becky was still bleeding too heavily the following morning, so her mother sent Amos off for the doctor and Hannah. “Either one or both. Whoever needs to come to make sure my baby is all right.”
Amos rode as quickly as he could, stopping at the doctor’s house and thankfully finding both JT and Hannah there. “It’s my wife, Becky,” he said, panting as he stood in the doorway. He’d run from the horse.
Hannah hurried over. “I heard she had the baby, but her mother had to deliver it because she went into labor during the terrible storm Monday night.”
“Yes, but her mother said she bled too much. We’ve been keeping her in bed as much as possible, but the bleeding is still bad. Her face is pure white.”
Hannah grabbed her bag, and so did the doctor. “You’ll help?” she asked JT as she ran for the door.
JT nodded. “I’ll saddle my horse if you’ll saddle Hannah’s.”
Amos handed his reins to Hannah. “Just get out there. I’ll ride yours.”
Hannah didn’t question him, instead climbing onto the horse and riding away. She knew when she was needed.
Amos followed JT into the barn, and the two of them worked in silence, saddling both horses and heading for the house. Amos couldn’t believe just how nervous he was. Becky was listless and had even stopped complaining about having to stay in bed. He wasn’t sure if that meant she was dying or what, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
* * *
Becky woke up to find Hannah standing over her. “How are you feeling?” Hannah asked her.
Becky blinked up at her. “Why are you here? I already had the baby.”
“I know you did. Your mom just wanted me to come and check on you. She’s getting really worried.”
“She shouldn’t worry. I’m fine.” Becky felt like the nurse was two people for a moment. “I feel a little funny.”
“You just lie there and let me help you.”
* * *
Amos stared down at Becky, his heart full of sorrow. The doctor wasn’t sure if she’d make it through the night, and he was unsure how he’d be able to live without her. He took her limp hand in his, bringing it to his lips. “Please don’t leave me, Becky Bowen. I love you more than I could ever begin to express. I think I knew from the moment I saw you in the boarding house that you were meant to be mine.”
Her eyes seemed to twitch, but they didn’t open. “I hope you can hear me. I need you to know I love you—whether you live for die—I will always love you.”
She’d been asleep for three days and nights . . . but it seemed like forever to him. If only she would say something to him . . . anything! He needed to know she’d live.
The baby cried, interrupting him. He walked to her and fed her a bottle. She was the only thing that could entice him to leave his wife’s side. Belle was a part of Becky, and she may be the only part he had left. He needed them both. So very much!
* * *
The next thing Becky knew, someone was standing over her, trying to get her to drink more water. “Not thirsty,” she said, pushing the cup away.
“You have to keep up your strength for the baby,” Hannah said.
Becky blinked. “You’re still here?”
“I’ve come to see you every day this week.”
“What?” Becky tried to sit up, but her limbs were too weak. “Belle?”
“Your baby is fine. We had to use some infant food for her because you can’t nurse her with as weak as you are, but she’s taken to it well.” Hannah sat down beside her. “I’m going to check your bleeding.”
Becky nodded, waiting as Hannah checked her. “Am I going to live?” she asked, a cheeky grin on her face.
Hannah sighed. “You’re joking, but it’s been touch and go all week. You’re going to be fine, I think, but you’re going to need help for a month or two—with the baby, the cooking, a
nd the housework.”
Becky groaned. “I like to do for myself.”
“You did a little too much of that while you were carrying the baby. Now it’s time for you to let others do for you for a while.” Hannah smiled. “I’m going to go let your mother and your husband know that as long as you do as you’re told, you’re going to live.”
“Are they really worried about that?”
Hannah nodded. “We all were.”
A few minutes later, both Amos and her mother came into the room. Her mother was still wearing the same dress she’d worn the day she arrived. “Mama, don’t you think it’s time you went home and got yourself some clean clothes?”
Her mother leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I do think so.” She turned to Hannah. “I’m going to have to take Amos with me. Can we rely on you for just a little bit longer while we go and get my things? I’m going to need to be here for a good long while yet.”
Hannah nodded. “Of course. I’ll stay with Becky and the baby.”
Amos stood beside the bed for another moment, looking down at his wife. His beard was scraggly, and his eyes were red-rimmed, as if he hadn’t slept in a week. “You need to take care of yourself, Amos. You look unwell.”
Becky wasn’t sure why her words made everyone laugh so hard, but they did. Maybe they were all just a little tired.
Chapter Seven
Amos hitched up the wagon to drive Mrs. Brown to her house to collect more clothes. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he suspected strongly that she wanted him to go with her because she was afraid of what her husband would say or do.
When they got to the ranch, there was no one in the house, so she hurried inside and collected her clothes and a few other personal items. She quickly wrote a note for her husband explaining the situation.
He could see she was relieved as he held the door for her. When her husband appeared on the step just as they were about to leave, she froze. “Becky’s been very sick, Herbert. If I hadn’t been there for the birth of the baby, she’d have died! We have a beautiful granddaughter.”
Herbert Brown stared right through his wife. “You have a granddaughter. I have no family at all anymore. Anything you want, get now.” He stood rigidly, waiting for her response.
“Now, Herbert, you know it doesn’t have to be that way. Becky made a mistake, but she was married before the baby came.”
“I know no Becky. Get your things or get out.”
Minerva looked at her son-in-law. “Will you help me, Amos?”
Amos nodded. They were both exhausted because they’d taken turns sitting up with Becky for days, one of them always with her and the baby. “Of course.” He’d do whatever it took to help this woman who had saved his wife’s life.
Within twenty minutes, all of her personal items were gone from the house. She left everything he could possibly use and only took things that were hers and only hers. “Goodbye, Herbert,” she said softly as she left. She knew it would be the last time she saw her husband. He was too rigid in his beliefs to ever let her back after what he considered a betrayal.
The entire way back to his home, Amos waited for his mother-in-law to say something. She had a home with them for as long as she needed it. When she said nothing and didn’t shed a tear, he took that as a sign that the marriage really was over.
Hannah was feeding the baby when they arrived, and Minerva immediately took the baby from her. “I’ll feed my granddaughter.” She said the word granddaughter with so much pride that it made Amos feel as if he had a lump in his throat for a moment.
“I’ll put your things in the room at the top of the stairs,” he said softly, walking past them with his arms full of his mother-in-law’s belongings.
Hannah frowned at Minerva. “It didn’t go well?”
“Nothing happened that I wasn’t prepared for. Thank you so much for all the time you spent with my daughter this week. I think she’s going to be fine now, thanks to you and Dr. JT.”
Hannah nodded. “I’ll swing by tomorrow to make sure she’s all right, but I think she’s over the worst of it.”
“We’d all appreciate that.”
Becky waited until Hannah was gone before asking her mother what was happening. “Father wouldn’t let you come back?”
“He told me he no longer has a family, which means me as well. He let me collect my things.”
Becky closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mama.”
“Don’t be. I knew what I was doing when I agreed to come here.” Minerva looked down into the face of the baby greedily sucking on a bottle in her arms. “You and my grandbaby mean more to me than being a prisoner in my own home.”
Becky decided to let the topic of conversation go. “May I hold her and feed her for a moment?” She wasn’t sure if she was still considered too sick for that, but she was feeling stronger by the minute, and her arms ached to be able to hold her baby.
Her mother frowned for a moment before putting little Belle in her arms. “How old is she now?”
“She was a week-old yesterday.”
Becky blinked a few times, thinking about the days she’d lost being so ill. “I had no idea. Thank you so much for being here and taking care of her.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. The two of you mean the world to me.” Her mother smiled at her, making it clear she meant what she said. “I’ll leave you alone for a minute while I go and get my new bedroom straightened out.”
Becky watched her mother leave, looking down at her child. “It seemed I’d never get to hold you, and now that you’re here, other people have held you far more than I have. Don’t worry, Belle. Your mama is fine now, and I’m going to keep you with me forever.”
Amos stepped into the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed with his wife and daughter. “I’m so glad you’re back with us. I was afraid we were going to lose you.”
She smiled. “I’m tougher than I look!”
“You keep saying that. I’m still going to worry.” He looked at the ceiling, and she knew he was thinking of her mother. “It was bad for your mom. Your father made it clear she was never welcome to come back. She’s going to stay with us, at least for a while.”
“Are you all right with that?”
“I am. She saved your life. I’ll pay her a wage if she’ll let me because you’re going to need a lot of help around here.” He couldn’t imagine letting her try and keep house at the moment, and he knew she wouldn’t let things get dirty. She would need to be up and moving around.
“I think that would be nice. Thank you for being willing to let her stay here. It means a lot to me.” Becky wondered if he had any idea just how much his support through this difficult time meant to her.
“She’s done a lot for us, so we need to help her out here. She can stay as long as she wants to be here.” He stroked her cheek. “I was so worried about you.”
Becky frowned. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you sleep for six days.” He smiled at her, leaning down and brushing her lips with his. He couldn’t begin to express how afraid he’d been, so he didn’t try.
“My mother has taken good care of you?”
“She’s had every meal done right on time.” Not that he’d cared. He’d barely been able to eat with her being so ill. He’d done his best, though. Now that she was better, he’d have to get back to work. Thankfully, her mother would be there to take care of her. “We got a telegram from my mother saying she made it home safely, and she’d be back soon to meet her grandchild.”
“Oh, wonderful. I can’t wait.” She said the words in a deadpan voice, letting him know how much she really didn’t want his mother there.
He laughed out loud, feeling like it had been years since he’d had reason to laugh. “Sarcasm becomes you, my dear.”
* * *
Becky was forced to spend the rest of the week in bed, her strength coming back gradually and not in the big doses she wanted t
o see. The highlights of her days were the times when Belle was placed in her arms to be fed. She protested from the first day that she couldn’t do much, but she could feed her baby, and she wasn’t going to let any able-bodied people waste their time doing what she could.
At the end of the day on Friday, the doctor came and announced she was well enough to sit on the sofa if she was carried there, so Amos lifted her into his arms and put her on the sofa, arranging a pillow behind her for her comfort. As the doctor was leaving, he promised, “If you’re still improving on Monday, you’ll be able to start helping with the housework. Not more than ten minutes at a time until your strength is built up, but I do think you’ll be ready.”
Becky couldn’t believe just how excited she was about being able to get up and clean her house herself. Her mother was an excellent housekeeper, but she still saw little spots of dust from her vantage point that she wanted to eradicate the first moment she could. It was almost an obsession. “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate the care you’ve taken with me.”
“All in a day’s work, Mrs. Bowen.” JT tipped his hat and left the house, heading home to his new wife, a smile on his lips.
After he was gone, her mother came from the kitchen. “Would you like to eat in here? Or back in bed?” she asked Becky.
Becky shook her head. “I’m staying here for as long as I possibly can. I’m done with that bed forever.”
Amos laughed. “You say that, but you’ll be ready to go back for a nap in an hour or two. You’re still as weak as a two-day-old kitten.”
She made a face at her husband, immediately regretting it when she saw the look on her mother’s face. She sighed. Having her mother live with them was a great idea for the moment, but in a week or two, it would be harder. She couldn’t react as naturally as she wanted to her husband with her mother there.
He opted to eat in the parlor with her, each of them sitting with a big bowl of stew. “Be careful not to spill!” her mother scolded as she disappeared back into the kitchen.
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