A Cowboy for Christmas

by Sara Richardson

  At Scott’s cry, Anita touched a finger to his lips. “You’ve certainly got my attention. Hold that thought, cowboy. I can’t wait to hear how this will end.”

  She hurried out the door, leaving Colin frowning in frustration.

  He felt trapped by his own words. Hot as hell. While he’d been thinking he was seducing her, he was the one who’d been seduced. By the mere look of her. The touch of her. And now there was nothing to do but wait and hope this latest emergency didn’t take all night.

  My fault, he thought with a sudden wry laugh. That’s just what comes of trying to get time alone with a busy doctor while she’s being hit with one emergency after another.

  Sooner or later, they’d find their moment, he vowed as he trailed slowly behind.

  “Carly’s hurting, Doc.” Scott hovered over the girl, who was leaning heavily against the wall.

  “Are the pains worse?” Anita drew an arm around the girl.

  “Uh-huh.” Her breath was coming in short huffs. “Really bad now.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, what number would you give your pains?”

  “Eleven.” Carly’s voice shook.

  “Then I’d say it’s time we get you to bed.” Anita signaled for Scott to take Carly’s arm as she led the way toward the sterile birthing room.

  While Scott got Carly settled in the bed, Anita bustled about preparing the instruments, many of which would be used only in case of an emergency.

  She wheeled a tiny bassinet next to the bed and prepared the items necessary for a possible premature birth. Heat. Light. Oxygen. From her calculations, the baby seemed a safe size, but she had to be prepared for any emergency.

  Colin stepped up beside her. “Can I do anything to help?”

  She shot him a brilliant smile. “Just having you here is a help to me.”

  She turned away, all brisk business now. “All right, gentlemen. Make yourselves scarce for a few minutes while I do another check on mama and baby.”

  Colin stood quietly watching as Scott paced the length of the hall and back, his face a mask of intense concern. It seemed a lot for a high school kid to handle, but this young man struck him as up to the task.

  Hoping to distract the boy, he asked, “You play any sports?”

  Scott paused. “Football. Soccer. Baseball.”

  “A man for every season, I see.”

  The boy managed a weak smile. “I guess so. It just comes natural to me.”

  “Varsity?”

  Scott nodded. “I’m captain of all three teams.”

  “That means you’re good.”

  He shrugged. “I try.”

  “And it means your teammates trust you to lead them.”

  Another shrug of his shoulders as he stared nervously at the closed door of the birthing room.

  Recognizing the boy’s fear, Colin plunged ahead, determined to keep Scott’s mind on anything except the coming event. “All that popularity with your classmates. You class president, too?”

  The boy shook his head. “That’s Carly. She’s the smartest and most popular girl in our class.”

  “Really? Is she into sports, too?”

  The boy brightened. “She’s a mean soccer player. I think if she put her mind to it, she could beat me. We’ve practiced together a lot. She’s the captain of her team, too.”

  “Either of you thinking about using it as a springboard for a college scholarship?”

  “That was the plan.” His smile faded. “I’ve got a job lined up right after graduation.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Ranching. My uncle Rick needs more wranglers. It’s all I know. All I want to know. I’ve been ranching with my dad since I was old enough to hold a shovel.”

  “Your dad doesn’t need you?”

  Scott looked away, but not before Colin saw the pain in his eyes. “My dad said he expects me to be the first one in our family to graduate from college. He won’t let me work our ranch unless I promise to go.”

  “You can do both. Work as a wrangler and take classes online at night. Ranchers around these parts have done it for years. That’s how I managed both.”

  Scott shook his head. “That’s what I’m hoping. But not for a while. Carly’s going to need some help with a new baby and all…”

  “Yeah. But babies grow. You two could take a class each semester. Before you know it, the baby is in school and the two of you are college graduates.”

  Scott looked thoughtful. “Maybe. We’ll just have to—”

  “You two can come back in.” Anita’s voice from the doorway had Scott racing toward the side of Carly’s bed and grabbing her hand.

  Colin lifted a brow in question and Anita merely smiled. “Our baby’s making progress. It should be any time now.”

  “Would you like me to wait outside?”

  She shook her head. “You can stand behind Scott and be his backup.” In a whisper she added, “Be sure and catch him if he starts to drop.”

  Colin reminded himself to breathe as he followed her into the room and took up a position beside Scott, ready to catch the boy if the entire process proved too much for him. Of course, he had no way of knowing how he himself would survive if anything should go wrong. He hoped he could remain upright and not embarrass himself.

  In these past years he’d helped raise three nephews, had stepped in as his father had aged to shoulder more of the responsibilities of their huge ranch, and had assisted in thousands of animal births. He knew the whims of nature and had never felt overwhelmed by the blood and gore and brutality of it. But right now, as this scene was about to unfold before him, he couldn’t actively participate. He had no choice but to stand by and be nothing more than an observer.

  Or, as Anita had called it, a cheerleader. Something alien to his very nature.

  All his life he’d been in the center of all the action going on around him at the ranch. He had always assumed he would one day marry and have a family. It was the way of things. Living in such a loving, nurturing family, he’d taken for granted that he would follow his parents’ example. Theirs was such an amazing love story. But after the death of Patrick and Bernie, his dreams had taken a sharp turn. At first because of the pain his family was enduring and the need to try his best to be father and mother to his nephews.

  When had the years slipped away? One minute he was a fearless young man, sowing his wild oats. The next he was forty and still single.

  The seasons had come and gone in a flurry of ranch chores and family dramas, and he’d been content to deal with one thing after another. Now, suddenly, the arrival of Anita Cross in his world had changed everything.

  And right this minute, he wanted, more than anything, to carry her off to somewhere so isolated, they were the only two people in the universe. If that happened—when that happened, he mentally corrected—he would show her in every way possible just how much she had begun to mean to him.

  For now, caught up in this latest emergency, he would have to practice patience and step back to be nothing more than a bit player in a drama that was absolutely breathless to witness.

  That fact left him feeling, for the first time in his life, helpless and completely out of his element.

  Chapter Six

  Carly was struggling not to cry out each time a new pain rolled through her, but sometimes, when a particularly painful contraction began, she couldn’t contain herself.

  Beside her, Scott, wide-eyed and manfully fighting to maintain his control, kept murmuring words meant to soothe while reminding her to breathe.

  Colin appeared stoic, his eyes focused on the young couple. The girl in the bed was gripping Scott’s hand so tightly, her nails were drawing blood. To his credit, Scott, though clearly suffering every pain right along with her, kept up a continuous stream of loving words meant to comfort.

  Through it all, Dr. Anita Cross was the calm in the center of a storm.

  “You’re doing really well, Carly. Everything is moving alo
ng like textbook.”

  The girl gave her a grateful smile before the next pain rose up and she squeezed Scott’s hand.

  “Did your doctor tell you if you’re having a boy or girl?”

  Scott answered for both of them. “We didn’t want to know.” He smiled down at Carly. “We wanted to be surprised.”

  “Interesting. And rare these days. Well, you’ll know soon enough. We’ll all know.”

  Just as Carly let out a piercing cry, Anita pressed a hand on the girl’s engorged tummy and smiled. “Any minute now, in fact. This is the big one.”

  At the startled gasp from both Scott and Carly, she said, “I’m going to ask you to push and not stop until I say so. Starting…right…now.”

  Carly’s hands fisted in the bed linens as she did as she’d been told.

  Standing at the head of the bed, Scott placed both hands on her shoulders, kneading, caressing as he breathed for both of them.

  Standing behind him, Colin placed a big hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezed.

  With a sudden rush of fluid, the baby slid free into Anita’s waiting hands.

  “Carly and Scott, you have a beautiful baby boy.”

  She laid the infant, its umbilical cord still attached, on Carly’s chest.

  The baby gave a lusty cry.

  “With a very healthy set of lungs,” Anita added with a laugh before handing Scott a pair of sterile scissors. “Would you like to do the honors?”

  For a single moment, Scott looked terrified and astounded. Then, gathering himself, he walked to the side of the bed, accepted the scissors, and cut where the doctor indicated.

  “Good job. Have you decided on a name?”

  At Anita’s question, the two shared a secret smile.

  “Jesse,” they said in unison. The name was uttered on a whisper, as though in prayer.

  Anita’s composure slipped for just an instant as her eyes filled. “What a perfect name for a baby born on this day.” She wiped away her tears before glancing at the clock on the wall.

  Her gaze fell on Colin, whose own eyes were moist. They shared a tender look before Anita said to the young couple, “In case you were a little too preoccupied to notice, it’s twelve-oh-five. Your little Jesse is a Christmas baby.”

  In an instant, the pain and fear were forgotten as Scott and Carly slipped into the very private world of new parenthood, huddling over this beautiful new creature they’d helped create, crying together, then laughing through their tears as they cooed and cuddled.

  Anita went about the work of finalizing the delivery, cleaning up the mother, and disposing of the soiled linens.

  With Carly tucked up beneath a warming blanket, Anita reached for baby Jesse. “I’ll weigh him, clean him up, and bring him right back. Promise,” she added when she saw their looks of alarm. “Jesse and I will only be a few minutes.”

  Scott clutched Carly’s hand. “You’re shaking. You warm enough?”

  “I am now, thanks to this blanket Dr. Cross put over me.” She held out a corner. “Feel it. It’s heated.”

  “That’s good.” He brushed tear-damp hair from her eyes. “You were amazing.”

  “So were you. I couldn’t have done it without you, Scott.”

  The two stared into each other’s eyes.

  Carly was the first to look away. “I wish my mom could have been here.”

  “Yeah. Mine too.”

  Colin stood to one side, feeling like a voyeur. “I’ll leave now. You two deserve some alone time.”

  Scott turned. “No. Stay.” He stuck out his hand. “Thanks for being here. I could feel your hand on my shoulder. It felt good. Like my dad’s.”

  Colin accepted his handshake. “You two were great.” He paused before asking, “You plan on phoning your folks as soon as we get service?”

  Scott shook his head. “There’s no reason to contact them. They’ll never forgive us for this.”

  “Never is a pretty strong word.”

  The boy took Carly’s hands in his. “Our folks got together and had a family meeting. They agreed that the best thing for everyone was to give up our baby for adoption and finish school. They said if we wanted to get married after we finish college, they would give us their blessing.”

  Colin saw the way Carly’s eyes filled with tears. “Did they include you in this family meeting?”

  The two nodded.

  “Did you tell them what you wanted?”

  Scott cleared his throat. “We tried. They weren’t hearing us. They said two kids our age don’t really know what love is and that they were just sparing us a lot of pain and heartache.”

  “That’s what good parents try to do, son. They figure they’ve lived long enough to know all the pitfalls, and it’s their job to save their kids from falling into them.”

  “Yes, sir.” Scott’s voice lowered with feeling. “But Carly and I know what we’re feeling is real. We’ll do whatever it takes to stay together and keep our baby. You saw him. Jesse is ours. Nobody has the right to take him away from us. As soon as this storm blows over, we’ll be heading out as planned.”

  “I guess if you think it’s best for the two of you, you have the right to follow your hearts.”

  The two young people looked up at him with surprise. “You agree with us?”

  Colin chose his words carefully. “It’s not a matter for me to agree or disagree. I’ve got no stake in this. It’s up to the people involved, and the two of you more than anyone. Some people in this world just seem to know, from a very early age, that they’re right for each other. I don’t believe anybody can tell us what we’re feeling.”

  Scott looked at Carly while saying to Colin, “You’re the first adult to say that.”

  Colin cleared his throat. “I had an older brother, Patrick. He was my hero. The only thing I ever wanted was to be like him. Patrick married the love of his life, Bernadette, when they were both just seventeen. You two remind me of them.”

  Scott looked intrigued. “Did their parents object?”

  Colin chuckled. “At first. Like all parents, they didn’t want to see their children hurt. But when my brother let them know that he was going to marry his Bernie with or without their permission, they did what they could to make it work. Pat and Bernie lived with our family on our ranch and had three boys—Matt, Luke, and Reed. Through the years, every time my brother and his wife looked at each other, everyone could see the love in their eyes for each other and for their three sons.”

  Carly sounded doubtful. “What about Bernadette’s parents? How did they feel?”

  “As you can imagine, they weren’t happy to not only lose their daughter to a brash rancher but to also have her move in with his family. After the birth of their first son, though, her parents fell in love with their first grandson and with their daughter’s husband. They came to love Pat as much as Bernie did.”

  Scott exchanged a hopeful smile with Carly. “Are they still happily married?”

  Colin had to swallow twice. “They’re…dead.”

  At Colin’s words, the two young people fell silent.

  It was Scott who finally asked, “How did they…die?”

  Colin cleared his throat before he could continue. “They were celebrating their thirteenth anniversary right here in town. In honor of the event, my grandfather had loaned them his fancy Rolls-Royce, a car he’d never allowed anyone to drive. It was a snowy night, much like this one, and on the way home they went off the road and hit a tree. They both died at the scene.”

  Carly put a hand to her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you, Carly. It was a terrible loss for our family. Their three young sons lost devoted parents. My folks and grandfather lost their firstborn. I lost my hero.” His tone lowered. Softened. “But think about this. Even though they died young, they’d managed to live a rich, full life. A life filled making so many happy memories. All because they bravely followed their hearts. Maybe, if they’d been persuaded not to marry, they wouldn�
��t have given us those three wonderful sons who’ve helped fill the hole in our hearts when their parents were taken too soon.”

  His voice rose with passion. “So I suggest that as soon as there’s phone service after the storm, you two phone your parents. By now they must be worried sick. Tell them where you are and ask them to join you here so that, together, you can all deal with the here and now and whatever is to come.”

  He winked at Carly. “I do believe, once they see that beautiful little grandson, their anger and fear may well be forgotten and overcome by a blazing love. You might very well see them have a true change of heart. It happens, you know. Especially when there’s a baby involved. Jessie isn’t just yours now. He belongs to them, too, in a very special way. I’ve watched my parents with their grandsons. They’ve been given a chance to relive those early days of parenthood, as well as the joys of being grandparents. It’s a really special bond. One you shouldn’t deny your own parents.”

  The two young people fell silent just as Anita stepped into the room. From the flush on her cheeks and the hitch in her voice, it was obvious that she’d overheard Colin’s impassioned speech.

  “Here we are. Just as I promised. Jesse weighed in at six pounds even.” She smiled at Carly. “You may have miscalculated the due date, or he may have decided to come a bit early. Either way, he’s perfectly healthy in every way.”

  She set the swaddled baby in a bassinet beside Carly’s bed before indicating a recliner across the room. “Scott, if you’d roll that here beside Carly, I’ll place Jesse’s bassinet between the two of you. I think you should try to catch a little rest. This day has been quite an adventure for you both. A wild ride through a storm. A trip on a toboggan. And now a beautiful new life that’s in your care.”

  After setting them up so they were as close as possible, she handed a control to Carly. “If you need anything at all, just press this.”

  The two new parents seemed not to hear her as they gratefully snuggled under the warm blankets and turned toward each other, heads bent to the tiny bundle in the clear bassinette.