“Bear!” the boy cried out, then flung the sheet down and sat up. “I didn’t know you were here!”
“Aye. I came last night and helped searched for ye. What’s this I hear about ye feeling a wee bit down?”
Little John stood up on his knees in the bed and grabbed Bear as soon as he sat on the bed. Before he knew it, the boy sat in his lap and he enclosed his nephew within his big arms.
“Bear, I missed you.” Tears trickled down the boy’s cheeks.
“I missed ye too, Little John. But I’m enormously glad we are together now. And we will be together for quite a while too—until a few days after Christmas. And I brought ye those presents I promised.”
“You did?”
“Aye, but ye will have to wait until Christmas morn to get them.”
“I can wait. If I have too,” he mumbled with a pout. The lad sniffled, but the tears had stopped.
“And I brought my new wife too.”
“You did! Is she beautiful like my mother?”
“She is indeed. Her hair is a lovely golden-red color and her eyes are a brilliant green. And she’s tall for a woman. Now tell me what’s got yer insides all stirred up,” Bear told him.
“It’s my mother. Something is terribly wrong.”
“And how, pray tell, do ye know this?”
“Because the mid-wife came yesterday and when she left, I saw her leaving in her wagon. I was hidden behind a tree. She did not look happy at all. Her face was frowning. And then,” another sniffle, “and then I saw my mother on the front porch crying. Her face looked so worried and she seemed upset.”
“So that made ye worried?”
“Yes. I was afraid the mid-wife told her she was gonna die, just like my first mother. You know my first mother died having a baby, don’t you? The baby was me!”
“Aye, I knew yer lovely mother, Little John.” Someday he would tell the boy that he and Sam were both there when he was born. And that his mother died bravely.
“She died! And I never got to see her again. And it’s going to happen a second time.” Little John started crying all over again.
“What did ye do when ye saw yer mother cryin’?”
“I started running into the woods and I just kept running and running and running. But then those men found me.”
“It sounds as if ye had a dreadfully bad day indeed my lad.”
“I did,” Little John agreed.
“Well now. Let’s see if we can make this day a better one. Shall we?”
Little John nodded.
“First, women who are about to give birth, often worry that all will be well. ‘Tis common because they already love their babes so. Seein’ yer Mum looking worried is not somethin’ that should frighten ye. Ye must help her na to worry.”
“What about the mid-wife? She looked and sounded worried too.”
“From what Sam tells me, there’s no pleasin’ the woman. Sam said that when she gets to heaven, she’ll ask to see another room.”
Little John chuckled a bit.
“So ye see, there’s nothin’ to worry yer head about. We need to be brave for Catherine, so she will na worry so much herself. Can ye help me do that lad? Aye?”
“Aye.”
“Excellent! The cook has made some wee cookies that will make ye smile from ear to ear. Want to go try some and meet my lovely wife?”
“I’ll get dressed now and come out in a few minutes.”
“Aye, but promise me ye’ll talk to me or yer father if ye start to get worried once again.”
Little John nodded and Bear poured some water into a basin set on a low table for him. “Wash yer face well and comb that pile of straw on yer head ‘fore ye come out. I want ye to make a good impression on Artis. I’ve been braggin’ about ye to her ever since we met.”
“You have?”
“Aye. I’m awfully proud of ye lad.”
Little John smiled, got out of bed, and hugged him again. “I feel better now, Uncle Bear.”
Bear quickly patted Little John on the head, swung around, and left before he got weepy himself. He loved that boy with all his heart.
Bear entered the front room and everyone looked his way expectantly.
“Well?” Sam asked, standing. “Should I go see him?”
“He’ll be out as soon as he gets dressed,” Bear answered. “He’s worried about Catherine. He’s terrified that she’ll die too, like his first mum.”
“What would make him think that?” Sam asked.
“Because he saw the midwife leave yesterday and she appeared worried. Then he saw Catherine cryin’ on the front porch as she watched the midwife leave. He’s a smart lad. He put two and two together and decided somethin’ must be wrong.”
Sam instantly turned to Catherine. “Why were you crying? Is something wrong?”
Catherine’s face looked stricken. She leaned back in her chair.
“Catherine, please answer me,” Sam insisted, moving closer to her.
Catherine closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “I was waiting until the midwife’s next visit to tell you when we would know for sure. She thinks our baby is breech—feet first.”
“I know what breech means,” Sam bellowed. “Tell me what it means for you, and our baby.”
Bear gave his brother a reproachful look. Sam must be truly worried or he wouldn’t be so testy. Particularly with Catherine. Sam never raised his voice with her.
Sam knelt in front of Catherine, whose eyes were watering, and took her hands in his. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so cross, but you should have told me. What else did she say?” he asked gently.
“She wanted me to drink a lot of coffee to see if the baby would turn.”
“And has it?” Sam asked, his eyes scrutinizing Catherine’s face.
“I haven’t felt it turn or move significantly. I just don’t know.”
“Catherine, please don’t keep anything from me,” Sam said, keeping his voice gentle. “I asked you to share your worries with me.”
Catherine’s lower lip quivered. “Sam, I truly don’t know. I wish I did.”
Artis stood and went to Catherine. “Come dear, ye need to rest.”
Catherine glanced up at Artis. “No, I’m not going anywhere. I am perfectly fine. I just want to rest here a while and wait for Little John. If I leave, he’ll be worried again.”
Sam stood and let out a long breath. “I’m going to go get that damn midwife.”
“Sam, it’s not my time yet. I’ll tell you when you need to go fetch her,” Catherine said. “Please, try to calm down.”
“Aye, Catherine will be fine, Sam,” Bear said, trying to calm his brother, and hoping his words would prove true. A breech babe often meant the worst possible outcome. “Did I mention that William and Kelly should be arriving tomorrow? And Kelly is bringing her father. McGuffin never told us when he was here helping to build this house, but he’s a doctor.”
“A doctor?” Sam asked. “Why would he keep something like that a secret?”
“He had his reasons,” Bear said, “and they were good ones. But if Rory wants to tell you, it should come from him. We only found out when Artis was shot.”
Sam peered at Artis. “Shot?”
“It’s a long story and I will tell it to ye later. Because of a terrible storm and flooding, we couldn’t get Artis back to town. So Rory operated on her,” Bear explained.
“Operated?” Catherine asked, looking astounded.
“Aye, he’s a surgeon. And a damn good one,” Bear said.
“He saved my life,” Artis said. “He saved the life Bear and I will share together,” she added looking up at Bear.
“Aye, he saved her from certain death,” Bear said, trying to sound optimistic despite his worried thoughts. Would McGuffin be able to save Catherine? And the life she was meant to share with Sam?
Chapter 18
Sam was just finishing bathing and shaving when he heard pounding against the sturdy wooden planks of their
front door. He tugged on his leather breeches, strapped on the belt that held his long knife, and snatched up the pistol he kept on the table beside the bed.
Waking, Catherine sat up in bed. “What was that?”
“Stay here,” he told her, grabbing his buckskin shirt on the way out.
He threw open his bedroom door and in the hall nearly ran into Bear, his hatchet clutched in his hand.
The frantic knocking did not abate at all as they made their way into the front room. Bear stood just to the left of the door, hatchet poised to defend Sam if needed.
Sam tossed his shirt into a nearby chair. “Who goes there?” he demanded.
“Sam!” It was Stephen’s voice. “Open up!”
Sam sat the pistol down by the entrance table, unbarred the door, and flung it open. “Stephen!” He peered out as his youngest brother rushed in. He saw Stephen’s stallion panting hard, hot puffs of mist floating from the horse’s nostrils into the frigid air. Not seeing anyone else, or signs of trouble, he closed the door.
Bear gave Stephen a hasty hug. “What’s amiss brother?”
Stephen’s cold-reddened face appeared worried. “My family is out there in the cold. I broke a wagon wheel and we spent a long miserable night shivering. I didn’t want to leave them alone at night in the woods, so I waited until this morning to come for help.”
“Jane and your lasses and wee lad must be near freezin’,” Bear said.
“They were, so before I left, I gathered a supply of wood and built them a warm fire. I wasn’t on the road very long before your men came along with their prisoners. They agreed to wait with Jane and the children until we got back there with another wagon.”
“How far away are they?” Sam asked, slipping his buckskin shirt over his head. He hoped his four men would guard the prisoners well and not let the two pose a threat to Jane and the kids. He didn’t mention his concern to Stephen. His brother had enough to worry about.
“About an hour’s wagon ride,” Stephen answered. “I’ve made the trip between our homes dozens of times. And the old wagon chooses to strand us in the middle of the forest on one of the coldest nights of the year. What rotten luck.” He sounded tired and disgusted.
Bear turned to leave. “I’ll get the wagon team hitched up and meet ye in front.”
Catherine rushed in, followed by Artis. Both women must have dressed hastily and their long hair was still braided.
“Stephen!” Catherine squealed as soon as she caught sight of him.
His wife had always been fond of Sam’s brothers. They went through a lot together—good times and bad—and it made them all close.
“Hello Catherine. You’re looking as elegant as ever,” Stephen said, clasping her outstretched hands and giving her an affectionate hug.
Catherine smiled at the compliment. “I look like one of your heifers about to drop a calf. Nevertheless, thank you. Is everything all right? Where are Jane and the children?”
“Yes, we’re all fine, but it was cold enough last night that your milk cow will probably only give you icicles this morning.”
Leave it to Stephen to relate everything, even the weather, to cows.
“He broke a wagon wheel,” Sam explained, as he put several logs on the smoldering coals in the hearth. “His family is stranded, but our men are guarding them. Bear is going back with him in our wagon to retrieve them all.”
Stephen removed the scarf and tricorne from his head and took a few steps toward Artis. “You must be Artis. I’m Stephen. You’re just as lovely as Bear described in his letter. I thought he was exaggerating, as he is inclined to do sometimes, but he wasn’t.”
Artis glanced at Bear with a smile and he winked back at her. “I’m pleased to finally make yer acquaintance,” she replied, extending her hand to Stephen.
Stephen ignored her hand and embraced her warmly. “Welcome to our family.”
When he released her, Artis gazed up at Stephen’s face, flushed by the cold. “Oh my, yer cheeks are like blocks of ice. Ye need some hot coffee.”
Catherine immediately turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll go pour him a cup and ask Mrs. Wrigley to pack some food for his family too. Sam, pour him a brandy. Are you going with them?” she asked.
“Nay, Sam needs to stay with ye,” Bear answered. “Stephen and I can take care of everythin’.”
“I’ll go!” Artis said. “Perhaps I can help with yer wee bairns.”
“Nay Artis, there will na be enough room in the wagon with Stephen’s large family, their travelin’ bags, and the wagon wheel. Please stay with Catherine. She may need ye more,” Bear said.
“Aye, ye’re right. Of course, I’ll stay,” Artis kindly agreed, looking over at Catherine. “Let’s go get Stephen’s coffee.”
Sam noticed Stephen shivering and rubbing his arms trying to warm up. He poured a generous amount of brandy knowing it would warm Stephen’s insides faster than anything else would, and handed the mug to his brother.
Stephen removed his gloves and took the cup, his hands trembling, and downed it in one gulp. “Thanks, I truly needed that. Once you start quivering with cold, it’s hard to stop.”
Bear finished buttoning his coat and started for the barn to hitch up the wagon and retrieve a new wheel. Since he’d lived here until a few months ago, Bear knew his way around the place. He glanced back at Stephen when he reached the door. “It will take me a few moments to gather up the wagon team and get them ready. Ye stay by the fire and drink a cup of coffee for a few minutes. Will ye need a fresh mount too?”
“No, I’ll tie George onto the back of the wagon so we can both have a rest from riding. I rode him hard getting here, but he’ll only have to keep up with the wagon on the way there, and I’d rather have my horse in case I need him. I’d be grateful though if you could be sure he gets some water and a few bites of hay.”
“Aye, I’ll take the big fellow to the barn with me.” The door slammed loudly behind him, as it always did. Bear often forgot his own strength.
“Are Jane and the children doing well?” Sam asked, concerned, as he stoked the fire. It had been an extremely cold night.
“Lord, I hope so. At least they seemed so when I left. I hated that they had to spend so many hours in the cold. It can’t be good for them. Especially Samuel,” Stephen said. “He’s still a little fellow.”
Sam could hear the heart-wrenching worry in his brother’s voice.
“How is Catherine doing?” Stephen asked. “She seems very far along.”
“She is nearing her time. The midwife is worried that the babe may be breech,” Sam said.
Sam saw alarm register in Stephen’s eyes. His brother cleared his throat and then said, “I’m sure all will be fine.”
“We are praying that it will be,” Sam said.
“As will I,” Stephen said. “Where is my nephew?”
“He was outside playing with his pet rabbit earlier, but I think I just heard the back door slam. He’s probably in the kitchen. The boy is always hungry. Little John, come here,” Sam called to the boy. “Your Uncle Stephen has arrived.”
Little John came scurrying into the front room from the kitchen carrying a hunk of buttered bread. “Where is he?” he nearly shouted. When he caught sight of Stephen, he ran toward him. “Uncle Stephen!” Little John leapt into Stephen’s outstretched arms. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“My new pet rabbit Peter had babies!”
Stephen chuckled. “Well then, that’s good news, but I suggest that you may want to change his or rather her name.”
“I will. Where are Martha and Polly? They can help me pick out a girl name.”
“Our wagon broke and Bear is going to help me bring a new one to them. We should all be back by mid-day,” Stephen told his nephew.
“Will you hurry please?” Little John asked, finishing his bread.
“Better yet, why don’t you come along with Bear and I? You can ride on the wagon seat between us on the way there an
d on the way back, I’ll put you in front of me on George.”
Little John turned to him. “Father may I? Pleeeeze.”
Sam knew Martha and Polly were more like sisters to him than cousins. The three spent months together on their journey to Kentucky. “Yes, son. It will be fun for you to go greet your cousins,” Sam told him. “Go get dressed in your warmest clothing. Put your wool socks on and you’ll need a hat and scarf.”
Little John jumped down from Stephen’s arms and dashed to his room.
Sam turned back to face Stephen. “You’ve come early for your Christmas visit.”
“We did. I decided to leave as soon as I heard from Colonel Logan about the suspicious men from New Hampshire. We went to the fort for supplies and to buy the girls Christmas presents. I ran into him there. He told me he didn’t have a good feeling about the three men’s intentions. If you needed me, I wanted to be here sooner rather than later.”
Sam chuckled. “I suppose William will be arriving any minute too. My brothers must be thinking I’m getting too old to handle a few pesky land speculators.”
A corner of Stephen’s mouth turned up in a half smile. “No, far from it. You’ll never be too old to handle anything, I think. You’ll be ninety and I’ll be eighty and you’ll still be looking out for me.”
Sam grinned. He couldn’t deny the truth in Stephen’s words. As the oldest of his siblings, he always felt a certain responsibility for them. It was something he would never outgrow. “I hope we both live to see such a ripe old age and we can sit on the porch bragging about our grandkids,” Sam said, taking his chair.
“So, what about those strangers?” Stephen asked. He remained standing by the fire, his hands clasped behind him. “Were they the prisoners I saw?”
“The bastards kidnapped Little John, but my men and I got him back.”
“Kidnapped? Good Lord, why?”
“They were trying to force me to sell our family’s mountain back in New Hampshire. I suspect they discovered gold on the mountain and some company promised those two a fortune if they could bring back the signed deed. It’s a rather long story, but it ended well. We got Little John back unharmed. Bear can tell you all about those three swine on your way,” Sam said.
Frontier Gift of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 5) Page 14