He cradled her head and pressed his lips to her hair.
“I know, darlin’,” he murmured near her ear. “I know, but you can do this. You are the strongest, bravest woman I know. You hear me?”
She was sobbing again, her emotions completely out of her control. William continued to hold her through her tears and through her waves of agony…
Chapter 11
“William…something’s happening. I think…I think the baby’s coming!”
Her husband gazed down at her with wide, terrified eyes. She knew her expression had to mirror his own, mixed with exhaustion and torment. She didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d arrived, but there was no sign of the doctor or Louis with any other help. She feared they’d gotten stuck in town because of the snowstorm, which meant she and William were on their own.
And the baby was most certainly coming.
“William,” she whimpered.
“It’ll be alright,” he tried to assure her, although, by his pale and strained expression, she could see that he wasn’t so sure of that himself. “I can deliver the baby.”
“What?” she shrieked. It was mostly the pain ratcheting up her anxiety and shortening her temper, but she thought that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever said to her. “Do you have any idea how to deliver a baby?”
“Well, not necessarily a human baby,” he admitted with a noticeable swallow. “But I’ve assisted with many animal births. I imagine there’s not too much difference about it. We can muddle through this together.”
“I don’t want to muddle through anything!” she shouted. “I want the doctor!”
He nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it carefully. “I know, sweetheart. I wish I could get him for you, but I don’t think that’s possible now. You need to trust me. I swear I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”
She stared up at him, the vehemence and sincerity of his words sinking into her. She did trust him. Perhaps more than anyone else. She wouldn’t love him so much if she didn’t trust him.
Slowly, she said, “I do trust you, William. I know you’ll take care of us.”
He looked relieved and then his expression turned serious.
“Alright, I need you to sit up for me. Can you do that?”
Sniffling, she nodded and began to push up from her back. The pain was so intense, black spots exploded in her vision. William wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her, then he sat next to her and took her hand in his.
“Now, you’re going to push for me. I’m going to be right here with you. We’ll get through this together.”
She’d never been so terrified in her whole life. Even the anxiety she’d felt picking up her whole life and moving to Idaho paled in comparison to what she was feeling at that moment. However, William was there with her, his body warm and grounding against her back.
I can do this. I can do this with him.
Her fear remained, but with him at her side, she was able to push through it in order to focus on delivering her baby.
The pain was indescribable and there appeared to be no breaks between the waves anymore. Her body felt as if it were both on fire and ripping itself apart from the inside out.
“You can do this,” William told her again and again as she breathed and pushed and breathed and pushed. “I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you. You are so brave, sweetheart. So strong.”
His words kept her mind from floating off into nothingness as her body convulsed and shuddered at the effort it was putting forth. Time seemed to pass slowly and quickly all at once. It was the strangest sensation. Minutes turned into hours, but they kept going. William stayed with her, encouraging her and holding her. She knew she would have given up long before then if it weren’t for him.
Suddenly, there was incredible pressure in her belly, and with a throat-burning scream and one last push, her baby broke free of her. William hurried to catch it, cradling the head and neck carefully as he lifted it up to place on Rita’s chest immediately. They were all covered in mess and sweat, and Rita was more exhausted than she’d ever been in her life. But she was also the most elated.
Her baby began to cry, and Rita let out a laughing sob as she clutched the child to her.
William wrapped his arms around her and looked down at the baby, inspecting it before letting out a sigh of clear relief.
“A little girl,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “You have a beautiful little girl.”
Tears rushing down her cheeks, Rita reached for his hand and squeezed it tight.
“We have a beautiful little girl,” she corrected.
The way he stared at her reminded her of how Robert used to look at her, and she knew, in that moment, that William felt for her what she felt for him.
“I love you,” he said as if he could read her thoughts. “I love you, Rita, and I love this precious girl. I promise I will be the perfect father to her, and an adoring husband to you.”
Rita didn’t think her smile could be wider. Her cheeks began to ache, but she didn’t care.
“I love you, too, William” she laughed with pure joy. “I want us to be a family. A real family.”
“We will be,” he promised her, hugging her tight against him. “I swear, we will be the family you’ve always wanted. From now until the day I die, I will do all that I can to make sure you feel cherished and secure. We are going to have a good life. You, me, and our daughter.”
As they held each other and gazed down at their baby, Rita had every confidence in the world that his words would prove true.
Epilogue
“You are going to spoil her if you keep that up.”
William glanced up at Rita and gave her a bright, elated smile. “I’m only holding her. What’s the harm in holding her?”
Rita laughed, her heart warming at the sight of her husband coddling their sleeping daughter. They’d named her Elizabeth, and she was the absolute light of their lives. William in particular was a lost cause for the girl. Already, she had him wrapped around her finger, and she didn’t even realize it. Lord help them all when the girl grew up and realized the power she held over her father.
“If you don’t put her in her cradle, then I can’t give you your present,” Rita teased.
Still, he hesitated to put her down. Rita shook her head in good-natured exasperation.
“Your wife would like to spend some time with her husband, please,” she urged.
At last, that did the trick. With a sigh, William stood and carefully carried Elizabeth to her crib, which they had set up near their Christmas tree. Once he’d laid her down, he turned and returned to Rita.
“Alright wife,” he said with a smirk. “You have me all to yourself, now what are you going to do with me?”
She blushed. She enjoyed it when William flirted with her and looked forward to the day when they could explore the more intimate side of their marriage. For the time being, however, she was still recovering from Elizabeth’s birth, and so they contented themselves with kisses and laying in each other’s arms.
“As I said, I have a gift for you,” she told him with a grin.
“Don’t leave me in anticipation,” he replied with a wink.
Moving around him, her skirts swishing against his legs, she went to the tree and fetched the package she had put there for him. It was wrapped in pretty green paper and tied with a red ribboned-bow. She returned to his side and handed it to him. He gazed down at it in anticipation, and then looked up at her as if asking for permission.
“Open it!” she giggled.
He pulled the ribbon free and tore the paper away. From inside the package, he pulled a long blue scarf. He furrowed his brow, looking almost awed, and then met her gaze.
“Is this what you’ve been working on all this time?”
She nodded. “I made a few smaller things for Elizabeth, but yes. I’ve been knitting this for you for nearly the entire length of our marriage.”
&
nbsp; His expression melted and he draped the scarf around his neck before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a long kiss. When they broke apart, she was breathless and giddy. He pressed his forehead against hers and released a contented sigh.
“Thank you,” he murmured. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”
She ran her fingers along his jaw, knowing he was being completely sincere.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered.
“I have something for you as well,” he announced, releasing her so he could go to the tree himself and fetched his own gift. It was small and wrapped neatly in red paper with a green ribbon. She eagerly accepted it when he handed it to her.
“What is it?” she asked, excitement making her bounce on the balls of her feet.
“Open it and find out,” he chuckled.
She didn’t need to be told twice. Undoing the ribbon, she tore off the paper and let out a gasp of delight. It was a small wooden box, beautifully carved and polished. She opened it and the inside was lined with velvet.
“It’s lovely,” she breathed.
“You can keep your most precious items in it,” he told her.
“Like my brooch.” She gazed up at him with a tender smile.
His eyes softened and he looked at her with pure adoration. “If it’s precious to you, yes.”
She reached up and cupped his face again. “Of course it’s precious to me. The moment you gave me that brooch was the moment I began to truly fall for you. It was the first time I thought we could have a real future together.”
He slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him. “Is that so? Then it is indeed very precious. Though not nearly as precious as you are to me.”
She wrapped her arms and his neck and rested her cheek against his check. “Merry Christmas, William.”
“Merry Christmas, my darlin’,” he murmured into her hair. “I love you, more than I can possibly put into words. You and Elizabeth are the greatest things to ever have happened to me.”
When Rita had first answered that advertisement in the paper so many months ago, she never could have imagined she’d find such joy in the wilds of Idaho. She’d been seeking an escape and a place to heal from her heartbreak. Instead, she’d found a home, and a family to love her.
She still loved Robert and missed him terribly. She thought she always would, but in her heart, she was confident he’d be happy for her. He wouldn’t have wanted her to be alone. He would’ve wanted her to move on and find love again, which she had, as unexpected as if had been.
As she stood in the arms of her loving husband with her sleeping child nearby, Rita couldn’t help but feel that she had come to the end of a long, hard journey, but had come out the other side of it stronger and more sure of her place in the world. She finally had everything she’d ever wanted, and she would cherish every moment of the rest of her life, never taking a single moment for granted.
Thank you for reading
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The Sheriff’s Christmas Miracle
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The Sheriff's Christmas Miracle Page 6