Kate knew that it was ruining her reputation a day at a time, but right then, she was far happier with Jamie’s news than with the worry of her own problems. “I know, Mary Beth, but it is what it is and we can’t change it.”
Jamie stuck out her hand and shook Mary Beth’s a long time. “I can’t believe I don’t have to make house payments. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome.” Mary Beth smiled.
“What are you going to do with it now?” Amanda asked. “Rent it out?”
“No, I’m putting it on the market to sell,” Jamie said.
The car came to a stop in front of Kate’s house, and the driver opened the door for them. “Y’all have a nice day, Miz Kate.”
Kate had never hugged Mary Beth before, but she slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Thank you for everything.”
Mary Beth’s smile warmed her heart. “It’s my job.”
“Still, I want you to know you are appreciated.” Kate crawled out of the car behind the rest of her crew. “How’s the family, Lucas?”
“Doin’ well, ma’am. Grandson graduates from college at the end of the summer. We’re right proud of him. He’ll make a fine Fort Worth policeman.”
“I’m sure he will,” Kate said. “If you are Mother’s driver today, tell her that I missed seeing her.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.” Lucas tipped his hat toward her and turned back to the vehicle to drive Mary Beth to hers.
Later, she’d call her mother and tell her the courthouse news. She would have liked to see her that day, but with Teresa, business always came before family. And as she’d told Mary Beth, it was what it was and some things never changed.
Kate turned around and motioned toward her car. “Now let’s go inside the house and get our luggage and load up my car. Then Amanda can find the nearest IHOP on the GPS and we’ll get some breakfast.”
“French toast for me!” Gracie wiggled her shoulders.
It took only a few minutes to load the car, and Amanda poked buttons on the GPS system. “I can’t believe that it was over so quick,” Amanda said.
“Me, either,” Jamie agreed. “We weren’t in there more than twenty minutes.”
“Fifteen, to be exact,” Kate said as she started the engine.
“Just like that”—Amanda snapped her fingers—“I am now a Hilton again. My baby will always be a Hilton. Thank you, Kate, for getting the ball rolling for us.”
“I never knew that you had such a big name, Kate,” Jamie said.
“Let me introduce myself. I am Katherine Elizabeth Truman, but my friends all call me Kate.”
Jamie smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Kate. I’m Jamillia Juanita Mendoza, and all my friends call me Jamie.”
Amanda nodded seriously. “I’m Amanda Christine Hilton, and I’m just Amanda.”
“Well, I am Grace Elizabeth Ruth—what’s our name again, Mama?”
“Mendoza.”
“Okay.” Gracie took a deep breath. “I’m Gracie Mendoza, and Mama only calls me by all my names if I’m in trouble.”
“I’m honored to meet all of you.” Kate followed Amanda’s directions to the nearest IHOP. She and Gracie shared a middle name. That did make the little girl partly hers, now didn’t it?
They shopped. They ate. They laughed. They argued. And at the close of the day, Kate drove them all the way home and parked in the driveway at the cabin just as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Poor Gracie greeted their arrival with a tiny snore. Jamie eased her daughter out of the car and carried her inside. Amanda started to get out but grabbed her stomach with a wince.
“I’m fine.” Amanda smiled. “It’s just been a big day. Thanks again for everything, Kate. I’m going to have the best-dressed baby girl in Bootleg, Texas.”
“Hey, it’s amazing how far the dollar can be stretched at those places y’all took me to. And you are very welcome. It made me feel like I was really a part of something when you and Jamie let me buy a few things,” Kate told her.
“Do you feel like because you have money that we . . .” Amanda paused.
“Sometimes having money is as hard as not having it. That doesn’t make sense, but it puts me at a disadvantage with folks who don’t have as much as I do. I never want to make either of you feel like . . . well, you know. It makes me so happy to do things for y’all and for Gracie, but I don’t want . . .”
Amanda laid her hand on Kate’s arm. “I know what you are trying to say. I can never do for you financially what you do for me, but if you ever need anything I can provide, all you have to do is ask.”
“That means more to me than anything that money could ever buy.” Kate’s voice cracked.
“Don’t you dare cry, because with my hormones on a roller coaster, I’ll start bawlin’ like a baby if you do,” Amanda said. “Let’s take all those bags inside. We can go through them tomorrow, but right now I want to prop up my feet and watch television until I fall asleep.”
“You get your feet up. I’ll bring in the bags.” Kate went around to the back of the car and opened the trunk, handily hiding her face in case tears decided to escape. She was taking out packages when her phone rang. Her mother’s picture came up on the screen. She backed up against the vehicle, kicked off her high heels, and wiggled her feet in the grass as she answered. Teresa would have a hissy fit if she could see her daughter at that moment, but the damp grass felt so good that Kate didn’t care.
“Mary Beth tells me everything is done. She sent a check to the church for a year’s rent and has talked to the funeral home. They sent a courier over to the bank with a copy of the death certificate for Jamie,” Teresa said. “How does it feel to be Kate Truman again? Did it help to close the books on the past?”
“No, but spending the day with Jamie and Amanda did. We’re about to get this whole thing talked through and settled.” Mercy, but she did love the soft green grass under her bare feet.
“Talk faster. I’m ready for you to come home,” Teresa said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you in court today. I had some meetings that couldn’t be postponed and I couldn’t miss.”
“I understand.” Kate meant what she said. Her mother would never change, so she’d have to learn to love her just the way she was. “We were in and out of the courthouse in less than half an hour. No more than fifteen minutes before the judge. It took longer to drive there than to actually get the decree signed.” The phone beeped under her ear. “Got another phone call, Mother. Can I call you back?”
“Not necessary. I’m walking out the door to go to dinner with the potential buyer. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Teresa said.
Kate touched the screen and said, “Hey, Waylon.”
“Hello, Miss Truman. How did things go today?”
“They went great. I figured out that I don’t like high heels anymore and that I do like the feel of damp grass under my feet,” she answered.
“That’s a step in the right direction. You ready to drive a tractor tomorrow? The weatherman says it’s going to be another scorcher,” Waylon said.
“I’ll be there.” She smiled.
“I miss you on the days when I don’t get to see you.” He dropped his voice to a deep drawl that sent little waves of heat through her body.
She eyed the expensive shoes lying in the grass. “I’d almost put those high heels back on for a kiss right now.”
“You don’t have to do that, darlin’. There will be plenty of kisses waiting on you tomorrow when you get to the ranch.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She flirted, and it felt good, even if it was just because she’d had an emotional day, out of character for her.
“Good night, gorgeous lady,” he said, and the phone went dark.
She hummed all the way into the house, where she dropped the first batch of packages in the living room and went back for more. When she’d brought the last of them inside, she found Jamie and Amanda sitting on the sofa. Jamie had poured two glasses of win
e and one of water with a wedge of lemon.
“I’d brought movies with me to watch when I left a month ago. None of them are new, but they are some of my favorites. Have you seen Something to Talk About? It kind of seems fitting for tonight,” Jamie said.
“I heard about it, but isn’t that really old?”
“It is, but I think you’ll like it,” Amanda said.
“Then hand me that glass of wine and let’s get started.” Kate figured good wine and company would outweigh even a crappy movie. But it wasn’t, and by the end she agreed it was the perfect movie for the evening.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
At the end of the next afternoon, Kate was so hot, tired, and sweaty that she simply kissed Waylon on the cheek, told him she’d see him the next morning, and headed for the cabin. Big raindrops hit when she parked, and by the time she made it into the house, it was pouring so hard that she was drenched. Maybe that would break the heat.
“Well, you look like a drowned rat.” Amanda laughed.
A loud crack of thunder rattled the windows, and the rain came down in sheets, blowing hard against the house. “I swear, that one parted my hair,” Jamie said nervously. “August is showing July that it is a thing of the past.”
“I’m going to take a shower. Did y’all save any leftovers?” Kate kicked off her shoes and headed down the hallway.
“I made chicken Alfredo, and there’s still some in the skillet on the stove,” Jamie said. “Amanda cleaned today and made two loaves of bread and a chocolate pie.”
“You think we can keep her in this nesting phase for a little longer?”
“It would be nice, but when the baby comes and it’s up all night, nesting ends,” Jamie answered.
Kate shut the bathroom door and adjusted the water. The warmth beating down on her back felt wonderful right up until the electricity blinked once and then went off completely. Whatever water was in the small tank wouldn’t last through their showers if she didn’t rush, so she hurriedly rinsed the shampoo from her hair. She fumbled around for towels, wrapping one around her body and another around her head in the dark. When she opened the door, she went toward the flicker of light in the living room. Jamie must have found the candles.
“Got any more of those?” she asked.
“No, but there’s a flashlight in the kitchen drawer that you can use to get dressed,” Amanda told her. “What a time to get those stupid false labor pains again. I’m going to go lie down on my left side like they told me to do. It’s early yet, but after a day of cleaning, I feel like I can sleep until morning.”
“Good night, then,” Kate said.
“I’ll take that flashlight when you are done with it,” Jamie said. “Gracie and I are going to turn in, too, and I’m going to use the light to read books to her.”
“Take it now. The candle will throw off enough light for me to find my nightshirt,” Kate told her.
With the wind sounding like a freight train coming down the rolling hills and the rain pounding on the roof and against the windows, she couldn’t read, not even on her Kindle. Finally, she decided to call her mother, but there was no service. Next week she would check into buying a generator, because she was taking the sabbatical even if it pissed her mother off to the point that she fired her.
She fell asleep thinking about being there for the baby’s birth and for Gracie’s first day of school in the new place. At first she thought that she was dreaming, but then the screaming that had awoken her got louder. She sat up in bed so fast that her head spun in the semidarkness. Then she recognized Amanda’s voice yelling out her name. She stumbled across the hallway to find Amanda sitting up in bed and panting.
“This is the real thing. My water just broke. Call an ambulance. I don’t want to try to go to Wichita Falls. Just call the one from Seymour.”
“No phone service,” Kate said.
“What’s happening over here? Oh, my God!” Jamie asked. “Oh, no! Is it time? I’ll get dressed. We’ll have to drive her to Seymour.”
“How close are the pains?” Kate asked.
“Another one right now. Maybe a minute,” Amanda said.
“We’d better hurry, Kate. You drive. In a pinch I can deliver the baby on the way.” Jamie raced across the hall, throwing off her night clothes on the way.
Kate was so nervous that she headed out the door in her nightshirt and bare feet and had to run back inside to hurriedly dress in jeans and a T-shirt and slip on a pair of sandals. “You ever delivered a baby before?”
Jamie appeared out of her bedroom, fully dressed with Gracie in her arms. “One time I helped Mama Rita when her neighbor’s daughter went into labor like this. I mostly just watched, but I could do it if I had to. My van or your car?”
“Your van. It’s bigger,” Kate said.
Jamie threw a blanket over Gracie and headed outside in the wind and rain. “I’ll get her situated and then come back and help with Amanda.”
What should have been a ten-minute trip took thirty minutes because of the driving rain and Kate’s inability to see more than one foot in front of the vehicle at any time. It didn’t help when she missed the turn to the hospital and had to go around a block to get back to it.
“I—need—to—push!” Amanda screamed as Kate pulled up beside the emergency room doors.
Kate turned off the engine and slung the door open in one motion before she headed toward the big doors in a run. “Hold on, Amanda. I’ll bring help.”
The lady behind the desk covered a yawn with her hand. “Fill out the form and I’ll need your insurance cards and—”
“I don’t have time for that. My friend is in the car and starting to push. Her baby is coming right now and we need help,” Kate yelled.
“Okay, settle down.” The woman picked up the phone and pushed a button. “I need a wheelchair and a nurse right now.”
An older lady pushing a wheelchair arrived in less than two minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to Kate, who paced the floor the whole time. She shot a knowing smile toward Kate, one that said babies took a lot of time, so don’t get your panties in a twist. When she returned with a sweat-covered, screaming Amanda, she was doing double time and hollering at the check-in woman to tell the on-call doctor to hurry.
“I want Kate and Jamie to go with me. I can’t do this by myself,” Amanda squealed.
“I’ll come and get them as soon as we get you on a bed and check you, I promise,” the nurse told her as they disappeared through double doors.
“Me, too? I want to be there to see my baby sister,” Gracie said.
“After the baby is born, you can go see it all you want,” Jamie said. “When they call for us, I’ll stay with Gracie and you go.”
“We’ll take fifteen-minute turnarounds.” Kate nodded. “That way Gracie can stay updated all the time.”
“Look at us.” Jamie plopped down in a chair in the waiting room. “We are drowned rats.”
Kate smiled. “At least we have on shirts and shoes. They can’t refuse us admittance.”
Gracie held up a bare foot. “I don’t have on shoes.”
“But you are under twelve years old, so the rules don’t apply,” Kate said.
The doors opened, and the nurse that had taken Amanda away stepped out. “She’s going straight to delivery. The baby is crowning and the doctor is on the way. She’s yelling for Jamie.”
Jamie stood up and tucked her wet hair behind her ears. “That would be me.”
“Then you need to come with me.”
Kate looked up at the big digital clock hanging on the wall. In fifteen minutes it would be two thirty, and then it would be her turn to go help with Amanda. Cold sweat popped out on her forehead, and her hands went clammy. She had no idea what to do. Jamie had had a child, so she had some inkling of what happened in the delivery room. Kate had never even seen kittens born, and that video of a birth she’d seen in college was more than twenty years ago.
The time came and went and another f
ive minutes passed. Kate’s mind went into overdrive. Amanda had died back there and Jamie was trying to get a handle on her composure before she came out and told Gracie. Another ten minutes went by, and suddenly the doors opened.
Jamie was smiling so big that she could have been posing for one of those stock photos they put up in the dentist’s office. “It’s a girl for sure, and she’s here. Six pounds even and eighteen inches long. Doc says she’s about three weeks early, but everything looks good.”
“Red hair?” Kate asked.
“Oh, yeah. Y’all can come back and see Amanda, but the baby is in the nursery. You can see her through the window, though, Gracie.”
“I can’t hold her or kiss her on the forehead tonight?”
“You can tomorrow. Doc says since she’s a little early, they’ll keep Amanda until a day or two at the most and then we can take her home.” Jamie talked as she led them down the hallway to the maternity area. “Then I’m sure Amanda will let you hold her.”
When they reached Amanda’s room, they found her holding the new baby next to her chest. A pink blanket was wrapped around them both, and Amanda’s face glowed. “Look, it’s called skin-on-skin bonding. As soon as they got her cleaned up, they brought her back to me. She’s perfect. I counted all her fingers and toes. Come on over here, Gracie, and look at your little sister.”
Joy filled Kate’s soul for Amanda and for Gracie. The sisters would always have each other.
“What are you waiting for, Kate?” Amanda asked. “I didn’t have time to get invitations ready for this party. Come and meet Lia Beth, named after you two and Gracie.”
Gracie crawled up on the bed beside Amanda. “I like that better than Rachel.”
“Fits her better, doesn’t it?” Amanda grinned.
Family does not have to be blood, and sisters do not have to be born of the same parents, the voice in Kate’s head said loudly.
The Barefoot Summer Page 25