Lone Star Daddy

by Stella Bagwell

  “I’ll be right in the next room if you need me,” he whispered.

  Inside his own bedroom, he switched on the radio for a weather report. While he waited for the top-of-the-hour newscast, he flipped open his cell phone and saw that he’d missed two calls. Laramie had called less than an hour ago. But the surprise was the name below his. Tyler Pickens.

  Hell! Jonas had been waiting for days now to hear from the man, and he decided to call on a night like this!

  Glancing at his watch, he realized it was far too late to call Pickens, but Laramie wouldn’t mind if he interrupted his evening. Especially if there’d been a problem while Jonas had been away from the ranch.

  When he punched in the foreman’s number, the phone’s ring was erratic, and he didn’t expect the call to get through. Jonas was about to end the connection entirely when the other man suddenly answered.

  “Jonas! Can you hear me?”

  “Barely,” Jonas replied in a loud voice. “Where are you? Is anything wrong?”

  “No. We had to move some yearlings that were down by the river into the barn. They’re dry now. Have you looked at the bridge?”

  “About thirty minutes ago, Alexa and I crossed it. But water was already pouring over it.”

  “Well, it’s impassable now. I just drove down there to have a look. I’ve never seen such a hell of a rain around here. I hope no one needs off the ranch anytime soon, ’cause that isn’t going to happen for a while.”

  “Let’s just hope to God we don’t lose any cattle or horses in this,” Jonas countered. “Call me if anything happens.”

  The two men exchanged a few more words and then ended the call. Jonas put the phone away and made himself go to bed. But even after his head was on the pillow and his body warm from the soft down covers, he felt very uneasy.

  Was she dreaming? Pains were ripping through her back as masked nurses urged her to breathe deeply.

  Your baby is coming, Miss Cantrell. Do as we tell you, and it will make your delivery much easier.

  Baby? Delivery?

  Panting, Alexa bolted straight up in the bed and looked around the darkened bedroom.

  Oh God! She wasn’t in the hospital. She’d been dreaming!

  Just as that realization hit her, the pains in her back struck again, telling her that at least a part of her dream had been true.

  Glancing toward the window, she noticed the rain was still falling, but not nearly as fiercely as it had been when she’d gone to bed. Her groggy gaze slipped to the small clock on the nightstand. Two-fourteen. She’d had enough sleep to feel rested, but something wasn’t right. Had she pulled a muscle in her back?

  She was swinging her legs over the bed to walk to the bathroom when another dull pain started in the middle of her back and radiated to the middle of her stomach.

  Oh dear, the baby! Was this labor?

  She visited the bathroom and then returned to bed, all the while waiting and hoping that her labor machine hadn’t suddenly been set into motion. Yesterday, the doctor had assured her that there’d been no real signs of imminent delivery.

  Stretching back out on the mattress, she told herself not to get into a panic. The pains might be false and go away.

  Her hopeful thinking was shattered in the next few minutes, as the pains grew more rapid and deep. Flood or not, the baby had decided to arrive. She had no choice but to wake Jonas.

  Jonas had never been a heavy sleeper, and he heard Alexa’s light footsteps long before she moved into his room.

  “Jonas?” she called softly.

  Already sitting on the side of the bed, he quickly switched on the lamp on the nightstand. “What’s wrong, Alexa? Are you ill?”

  “No, I—” Grabbing the lower part of her belly, she bent forward. “I think—the baby is—coming.”

  Leaping off the mattress, he grabbed her by the shoulders. “Alexa! Are you sure? It’s not time, is it? I thought you had weeks to go!”

  Catching her breath, she raised back up and looked at him. “The doctor said yesterday that the baby had already turned its head down. He said labor could happen anytime now. But his estimation was that I probably had another two weeks to go. Guess the little one has other ideas.”

  “God Almighty! Let’s get you back to bed, and I’ll call for an ambulance.” He began to lead her out of his bedroom and toward hers.

  Alexa groaned out loud, but her reaction wasn’t from labor pains. “Jonas! You’re not thinking! An ambulance couldn’t cross the river now!”

  She was right, Jonas thought wildly. Laramie had already informed him that the bridge was impassible. And no doubt, while they’d been asleep, the river had continued to rise. As a lawman trained to handle emergencies, he should have already thought that far ahead. But the idea of Alexa giving birth right here in the house, with no one but him for help, was far more rattling than facing a guntoting maniac.

  “Helicopter!” he exclaimed. “Surely they can get one of those in here.”

  “There’s no place for it to land. Besides, the weather is still too rough out there. Oh God, what am I going to do, Jonas? The pains are—oh! Oh, no!”

  She gave a loud gasp, and as she glanced down at herself, Jonas could see why. Amniotic fluid had dampened the front of her gown and was puddling on the tiled floor.

  Without a word, Jonas swept her up in his arms and carried her to her bed. After he’d fetched her a clean gown and helped her into it, he said.

  “Okay. The water is high, but I’m calling emergency help, anyway. At the very least, a doctor can talk us through this,” he said, trying to reassure both of them.

  Back in his own bedroom, he tried his cell phone and found it to be totally useless. Apparently, the storm had knocked out the towers, making it impossible for signals to be sent.

  Snapping it shut, he reached for the landline phone sitting on the nightstand and punched in 911 even before he got the receiver to his ear. The only thing he got in response was total silence, and he stared in horror at the useless instrument.

  Surely this wasn’t happening, he thought desperately. All the phones were dead. The bridge was impassable. Even with a large truck. That left him alone with Alexa. There were a handful of men staying in the bunkhouse. He could run down there and get one to help. But they were hardly doctors. They were all bachelors. They didn’t know any more about childbirth than he did!

  Hurrying back to her room, he sank onto the edge of the bed and reached for her hand. She looked at him hopefully, and he suddenly felt like an incompetent failure.

  “I hate to tell you this, Alexa, but the phones are dead. It looks like I’m going to have to deliver your baby on my own.”

  Her eyes widened just a fraction, but when she spoke there was no fear or panic in her voice. Jonas was amazed.

  Her fingers squeezed his. “Well, you’re the next best thing to a doctor,” she said. “Ranchers like you are trained for this sort of birth, aren’t you?”

  Feeling helpless, he raked a hand through his rumpled hair. “Animals are hardly the same, Alexa!”

  A grin crossed her lips, but the humorous expression suddenly disappeared as pain racked her body. “Same fundamentals,” she finally managed to whisper. “You’ll see.”

  “All right, honey.” He brushed the hair back from her forehead. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out together. And I’ll keep trying the phone.”

  Rising from the bed, he started toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” she called out. “Not to boil water, I hope!”

  The idea that she could joke at a time like this very nearly made him chuckle. But not quite. He was smart enough to know that a thousand things could go wrong when a woman gave birth to a child. If any of them happened with Alexa, if anything happened to her or the baby, he’d never forgive himself.

  “I’m going to gather some things we might need. Rest as much as you can,” he told her. “I’ll be back.”

  A few minutes later he returned with several blank
ets, scissors, a wooden clothespin and a stainless-steel bowl with a clean cloth in the bottom.

  “What’s the clothespin for?” she asked between episodes of teeth-gritting agony.

  “To clamp off the cord,” he answered as he spread blankets beneath her to protect the bed. “I’m positive you’ll want your baby’s navel to look pretty, and since I don’t have a clue how to tie it off, I’ll just clamp it and let the doctor deal with it later. If and when we get across that blasted river,” he added. “Now don’t try to talk so much. Just concentrate on saving your energy.”

  As Jonas readied the rest of his things, he silently figured that it would be well past midmorning before the baby arrived. Perhaps even later. In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered his mother talking about going through sixteen hours of labor with her first child, Jonas’s older sister, Bethany. If that was the case, it would be a long wait before Alexa’s baby arrived.

  Jonas couldn’t have been more wrong. He hardly had time to fill the stainless-steel bowl with water and sponge off Alexa’s sweaty face before her pains increased to one right after another.

  “I think you’d better look, Jonas! It’s coming now!”

  “That can’t be right, Alexa. Less than thirty minutes have passed since you woke me!” He picked up his cell phone and punched 911 for the umpteenth time. The only sound in his ear was deafening silence.

  Glancing down at Alexa, Jonas could see she was in agony. Her head was twisting back and forth against the pillow, and he wondered with amazement how she was dealing with the pain without any sort of help to ease it. She was being a rock, while his insides were gripped with fear at the idea of what was about to take place.

  “I know…what I feel…Jonas! The baby’s head…is there!”

  Wanting to pacify her any way that he could, Jonas lifted the sheet and looked for himself. Excitement rushed through him as he saw the baby’s head beginning to crown.

  “You’re right, Alexa! It’s coming! Just hang on, honey. Push just a little, and let’s see if we can get him here.”

  “I—am—pushing!” she gritted out.

  “Okay, okay! Then try to breath and relax. Maybe you’re pushing too much.”

  She tried to do what he asked, but another pain struck hard. “Oh! Oh, Jonas!” She cried out loudly. “I’m—I’m splitting in—two!”

  Reaching for his hand, she gripped it with all her might. Jonas was instantly amazed at the strength in her fingers, at the look of focused purpose on her face. She loved this child that was coming. Would always love it. Just like he would always love her.

  Oh God, don’t let me think about that now, he prayed.

  “Come on! Just a bit more, sweetheart. The baby is almost here! Just one more push.”

  For one split second Alexa thought she was going to pass out from the pressure and the blinding pain, but then all of a sudden it was gone and she could hear Jonas exclaiming that the baby was out. A peace such as she’d never felt in her life settled over her.

  Opening her eyes, she gazed down the bed to where he was still tending to her and the baby.

  “What is it?” she asked groggily as she felt what little bit of strength she had draining out of her. “Is it okay?”

  Before Jonas could reply, the baby let out a loud squall. The sound put a dreamy smile on her face.

  “Your son sounds great,” Jonas answered. “And he looks perfect. Let me finish here, and then you can see him.”

  Alexa somehow managed to rise up on her elbows to watch Jonas leaning over the bed, gently cleaning the baby’s nose and mouth. The sight brought tears to her eyes, and she knew in that moment that no matter what the future held, she would be bonded to Jonas for the rest of her life.

  Incredibly, once the baby was safely out and crying lustily, Jonas tried the cell phone again and was both amazed and relieved when the call went through.

  After much confusion and numerous explanations to the emergency dispatcher, he was finally put through to the hospital, where a doctor came on the line to talk Jonas through the remaining things that needed to be done for mother and child. Jonas was grateful for the man’s calm instructions, and before he hung up, he promised the doctor that he would bring the mother and newborn to the hospital as soon as possible.

  Much later, after Jonas finished dealing with the last of Alexa’s needs, he carefully placed the baby in her arms. The specialness of that moment, when she got her first close-up look at her son, was something that Jonas would never forget. So many emotions swelled inside him that he had to turn his back to her and move away from the bed.

  “He’s beautiful,” Alexa murmured drowsily. “So beautiful.”

  Yes. He looks like you, Alexa. Beautiful. Precious.

  Swallowing hard, Jonas turned back around to see she’d fallen asleep with the baby tucked safely to her side.

  A few hours later Alexa woke to daylight streaming through the window. Jonas was stretched out beside her on the wide bed. He was sound asleep, his face lax and unguarded.

  Between them, nestled in the crook of her arm, her son was sleeping, too, and as she looked down at his sweet, tiny face, she felt a pang of deep longing and regret. How wonderful, how truly perfect, it would be if the three of them were a family. Jonas would love her baby. He would father it the way a child should be fathered, she realized.

  But she was only dreaming a pleasant dream. Jonas had kissed her and held her. He’d even delivered her child. But he’d never once talked about love or forever. Would she be crazy to think he would ever talk about those things with her?

  The question was still swirling around in her mind when she saw his eyes flutter open and slowly focus on her face.

  She smiled and her heart swelled to such fullness that she could hardly breathe.

  “Good morning,” he said huskily. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m—” She blinked as happy tears gathered in her eyes. “I’m wonderful. Thanks to you.”

  He propped his head up on one hand. “Don’t give me the credit. You did all the work and then some. And I hope you don’t mind me lying here next to you two. I wanted to stay close. In case you needed something.”

  Reaching across the baby, she touched his cheek. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me and the baby. Never.”

  Sheepish color crept up his face, and he looked awkwardly away from her and down at the baby. “Don’t make me out to be a hero, Alexa,” he said lowly. “Hell, you have no idea how scared I was.”

  “Hmm. All I saw was a cool guy with a pair of steady hands.” Seeing that her praise was embarrassing him, Alexa changed directions and pushed the thin blanket away from the baby’s face. “Look at him, Jonas. He’s the most precious thing. He has black hair like me.”

  Jonas smiled as he studied the baby’s sleeping face. “Yes. I already noticed the hair.”

  “And look at his little fingernails. They already need to be clipped!”

  “I described his fingernails to the doctor. He said that meant the baby was all ready to come out and greet the world. I’m relieved he wasn’t premature.”

  She rubbed her thumb over the baby’s tiny hand. “How much do you think he weighs?”

  “About a half bucket of horse feed.”

  She chuckled. “Jonas, be serious! How much? Really.”

  “Oh, I’d say he’s a pretty big boy. Maybe eight pounds or so.”

  A sigh parted her smile. “That will give him a good start.”

  A good start. Her life was just beginning, he thought enviously. While his felt as though it was ending.

  Rising from the bed, he looked down at woman and child. If they belonged to him, if the three of them were a family, the whole world would seem like a bright and beautiful place. For a while, he thought sadly. And then, each time he was called away, he’d see disappointment in her eyes. Until finally that disappointment turned to downright disgust. He’d eventually lose her and the baby both.

  No. Having this short time w
ith Alexa now, knowing that she respected him as a simple cowboy, had to be enough.

  “I’d better go fix us something for breakfast,” he said in a voice husky with emotion. “Maybe in a little while the water will go down and we’ll be able to drive to the hospital.”

  She reached for the cell phone on the nightstand. “And I’d better make a few calls to my family,” she told him. “They’re all in for a big surprise!”

  By mid-afternoon, Jonas’s projection turned out right, and with the baby carefully bundled in a car seat, he drove the two of them into Ruidoso, to Sierra General Hospital.

  After a thorough examination of both mother and son, the doctor pronounced them both in excellent health and said there was no evident need for either of them to stay overnight in the facility.

  Alexa happily declared that she felt as healthy as a horse, but she didn’t argue when a nurse insisted that she had to be wheeled out of the hospital and wasn’t allowed to walk.

  Easing into the wheelchair, she told the attractive nurse, “This seems rather silly when I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

  The nurse smiled. “I’m sure in a few months’ time, when your little guy starts crawling and walking, you’ll be glad for the rest.”

  “I’ll carry the baby,” Jonas offered, extending his arms out to receive the child.

  The nurse arched a suspicious brow at him. “Do you know how to handle a newborn?”

  Laughing now, Alexa winked at Jonas. “I would think so. He delivered the baby.”

  “Oh,” the nurse said. “Well, I guess you are qualified to act as Daddy. Congratulations.”

  “Congratulations is my line!”

  The nurse was about to hand the baby over to Jonas when they all turned to see Quint striding quickly toward the group. A huge grin was on the man’s face as he bent down and gave his sister a tight hug.

  “You’re something, sis!” Quint joked. “You had my little nephew in one of the biggest rainstorms we’ve ever had around here!”

  Ignoring Quint, the nurse handed the child over to Jonas, who in turn pulled back the blanket so the other man could take a gander at his nephew. “I know you want to have a look at him. Would you like to carry him out to the truck?” Jonas asked, even though he was reluctant to hand the baby over.